French foreign minister: UN Resolution 1701 on Lebanon must be implemented by both sides

French foreign minister: UN Resolution 1701 on Lebanon must be implemented by both sides
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna (C) meets with Palestinian olive growers in a small village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on December 17, 2023, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (AFP)
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Updated 18 December 2023
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French foreign minister: UN Resolution 1701 on Lebanon must be implemented by both sides

French foreign minister: UN Resolution 1701 on Lebanon must be implemented by both sides
  • Colonna calls for need to spare the region from any conflict
  • Israeli bombing targets a funeral in Aita Al-Shaab

BEIRUT: The UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on Lebanon must be implemented by both sides, France’s Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in Beirut on Monday.

The resolution, which was passed at the end of the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, states that no armed factions should be present between Lebanon’s Litani River and its border with Israel.

Her remarks came as Israeli hostilities on the Lebanese southern front significantly escalated on Monday. 

An Israeli drone fired a guided missile at a building just 40 meters away from the funeral of Hezbollah member Hassan Maan Srour in the border village of Aita Al-Shaab.

The missile caused damage to the building, but no casualties were reported.

Mourners came together after being separated for a while following the incident and continued the funeral, chanting slogans against Israel.

Aita Al-Shaab was subjected to additional Israeli strikes later, with no casualties reported.

The Israeli army bombed Al-Mary Valley using 155 mm artillery shells, injuring a farmer and damaging the machine he was working on in his field.

Sirens sounded in Shlomi and Matzuva in western Galilee and Yiftah in the Galilee Panhandle.

Israeli media stated that around eight missiles were fired from Lebanon toward western Galilee and that the infiltration of a drone from southern Lebanon is suspected.

The French minister’s arrival in Beirut from Tel Aviv coincided with the escalation of the confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

Her talks aim to prevent a deterioration in the situation on the border between Lebanon and Israel amid international warnings that hostilities in southern Lebanon could turn into full-scale war.

Colonna’s visit includes meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun.

During her meeting with Berri, it was reported that Colonna reiterated her country’s stance, which calls for “sparing the region of any conflict.”

Colonna commended the Lebanese parliament’s decision last week to extend Gen. Aoun’s term, as well as those of security officials, namely generals and major generals, for one year.

The term of Maj. Gen. Imad Othman — director-general of internal security forces — has also been extended.

According to the defense law, the army chief’s mandate ends upon reaching the retirement age of 60 on Jan. 10, 2024.

The discussions between Berri and Colonna touched on “the possibility of addressing other political issues, starting with the presidency.”

Colonna had called from Tel Aviv for an “immediate and sustainable” ceasefire in Gaza and a de-escalation with Lebanon.

During her visit to a military base near Tel Aviv, she expressed concern about possible escalation and called for caution, emphasizing that it would not benefit anyone, including Israel, if things spiraled out of control.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said after his talks with Colonna on Sunday that France could play a positive and important role in preventing a war in Lebanon.

Cohen stressed that Israel “has no intention of opening another front on our northern border, but we will do everything necessary to protect our citizens.”

He pointed out: “More than 50,000 Israelis were displaced from the border areas in northern Israel, and we must ensure their security so that they can return.

“The only way to do this is to force Hezbollah to withdraw to the north of the Litani River. There are two ways to do that: through diplomacy or by force.”

The outskirts of the town of Aitaroun were subjected to intermittent Israeli artillery shelling from Israeli army positions on the opposite side of the border.

Israel also bombed the villages of Al-Dahaira and Alma Al-Shaab.

Artillery shells targeted homes in the town of Al-Jabayn, the Labbouneh area, the outskirts of Naqoura, the Ruwaisat area, the northern outskirts of Mays Al-Jabal, and the outskirts of Hula and Wadi Al-Jamal.

On Monday morning, Hezbollah targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and vehicles in the vicinity of the Hamra site.


Militia detains 300 migrants in the desert in Libya’s effort to contain sea crossings

Militia detains 300 migrants in the desert in Libya’s effort to contain sea crossings
Updated 23 sec ago
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Militia detains 300 migrants in the desert in Libya’s effort to contain sea crossings

Militia detains 300 migrants in the desert in Libya’s effort to contain sea crossings
The group in a post on Facebook condemned smuggling and human trafficking and said its patrols would continue efforts to block smuggling routes
The apprehensions come as Libya remains a primary point of departure for men, women and children from the Middle East and Africa aiming to reach Europe

TRIPOLI: Libyan military officials said Monday they apprehended hundreds of migrants traversing the country’s vast desert hoping to ultimately cross the Mediterranean Sea in pursuit of a better life in Europe.
The 444 Brigade, a powerful militia group that operates under the auspices of the Libyan army, said in a statement that its patrolling commanders detained more than 300 migrants and referred them to authorities.
The group in a post on Facebook condemned smuggling and human trafficking and said its patrols would continue efforts to block smuggling routes. It posted satellite images of the desert and pictures of what appeared to be migrants sitting in rows in front of armed and masked militants.
The apprehensions come as Libya remains a primary point of departure for men, women and children from the Middle East and Africa aiming to reach Europe. Many are escaping war or poverty and many employ smugglers to help them negotiate treacherous deserts and sea routes. Roughly 38,000 people have arrived in Italy and Malta from Libya this year, according to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency.
The overcrowded boats used by migrants and smugglers are known to routinely capsize and a key priority for European leaders has been to encourage North African countries to prevent migrants from reaching the sea. But unlike in Morocco and Tunisia — where tens of thousands of migrants also attempt to pass through en route to the southern shores of Europe — fighting between rival governments in Libya has added additional challenges to migration management partnerships.
Migrant apprehensions are rarely reported in Libya, though the country’s state news service LANA reported more than 2,000 arrests in July.
The oil-rich country plunged into turmoil after a NATO-backed uprising toppled longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Since then, the country has been divided between dueling governments in the east and west, each backed by militias and foreign powers. Human traffickers have for years benefited from the political chaos.
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk in July said migrants in the country had been subjected to torture, forced labor and starvation while being detained.

Major food aid ‘scale-up’ underway to famine-hit Sudan, WFP says

Major food aid ‘scale-up’ underway to famine-hit Sudan, WFP says
Updated 9 min 54 sec ago
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Major food aid ‘scale-up’ underway to famine-hit Sudan, WFP says

Major food aid ‘scale-up’ underway to famine-hit Sudan, WFP says
  • “In total, the trucks will carry about 17,500 tons of food assistance, enough to feed 1.5 million people for one month,” said WFP Sudan spokesperson Leni Kinzli
  • The WFP fleet will be clearly labelled in the hope that access will be facilitated

GENEVA: More than 700 trucks are on their way to famine-stricken areas of Sudan as part of a major scale-up after clearance came through from the Sudanese government, a World Food Programme spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces have been locked in conflict since April 2023 that has caused acute hunger and disease across the country. Both sides are accused of impeding aid deliveries, the RSF by looting and the army by bureaucratic delays.
“In total, the trucks will carry about 17,500 tons of food assistance, enough to feed 1.5 million people for one month,” WFP Sudan spokesperson Leni Kinzli told a press briefing in Geneva.
“We’ve received around 700 clearances from the government in Sudan, from the Humanitarian Aid Commission, to start to move and transport assistance to some of these hard-to-reach areas,” she added, saying the start of the dry season was another factor enabling the scale-up.
The WFP fleet will be clearly labelled in the hope that access will be facilitated, she said.
Some of the food is intended for 14 areas of the country that face famine or are at risk of famine, including Zamzam camp in the Darfur region.
The first food arrived there on Friday prompting cheers from crowds of people who had resorted to eating crushed peanut shells normally fed to animals, Kinzli said.
A second convoy for the camp is currently about 300 km (186 miles) away, she said.
On Monday, the head of Sudan’s sovereign council, Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan, said he would allow the airports in El Obeid, Kadugli, and Damazine — army-controlled areas isolated by the fighting — to serve as humanitarian hubs for UN agencies to facilitate deliveries.


Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after an Israeli strike, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. Reuters
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after an Israeli strike, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. Reuters
Updated 13 min 17 sec ago
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Israeli strikes pound central Beirut, suburbs

Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs, after an Israeli strike, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon, November 26, 2024. Reuters
  • A strike on Beirut hit the Noueiri district with no evacuation warning and killed at least one person, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a preliminary toll

BEIRUT: Israeli strikes pounded a densely-populated part of the Lebanese capital and its southern suburbs on Tuesday, hours ahead of an anticipated announcement of a ceasefire ending hostilities between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
A strike on Beirut hit the Noueiri district with no evacuation warning and killed at least one person, Lebanon’s health ministry said in a preliminary toll.
Minutes later, at least 10 Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs. They began approximately 30 minutes after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for 20 locations in the area, the largest such warning yet.
As the strikes were under way, Israel’s military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the air force was conducting a “widespread attack” on Hezbollah targets across the city.


Germany says Lebanon ceasefire ‘within reach’

Germany says Lebanon ceasefire ‘within reach’
Updated 25 min 44 sec ago
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Germany says Lebanon ceasefire ‘within reach’

Germany says Lebanon ceasefire ‘within reach’
Baerbock said a proposed ceasefire in the conflict in Lebanon was “within reach“

FIUGGI, Italy: Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Tuesday that an agreement on a proposed ceasefire in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon was “within reach.”
“A ceasefire and steps toward a political solution along the lines of UN Resolution 1701 are within reach thanks to direct US and French mediation,” Baerbock told reporters on the sidelines of a G7 foreign ministers meeting in Italy.

Prospect of Lebanon ceasefire leaves Gazans feeling abandoned

Prospect of Lebanon ceasefire leaves Gazans feeling abandoned
Updated 26 November 2024
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Prospect of Lebanon ceasefire leaves Gazans feeling abandoned

Prospect of Lebanon ceasefire leaves Gazans feeling abandoned

CAIRO: The prospect of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah without a similar deal with Hamas in Gaza has left Palestinians feeling abandoned and fearful that Israel will focus squarely on its onslaught in the enclave.
The Iran-backed Hezbollah began firing missiles at Israel in solidarity with Hamas after the Palestinian militant group attacked Israel in October of 2023, triggering the Gaza war.
Hostilities in Lebanon have drastically escalated in the last two months, with Israel stepping up airstrikes and sending in ground forces to Lebanon’s south and Hezbollah sustaining rocket fire on Israel.
Now Israel looks set to approve a US plan for a ceasefire with Hezbollah when its security cabinet meets on Tuesday, while Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib expressed hope that a ceasefire would be reached by Tuesday night.
While diplomacy focuses on Lebanon, Palestinians feel let down by the world after 14 months of conflict which has devastated the Gaza Strip and killed more than 44,000 people. “It showed Gaza is an orphan, with no support and no mercy from the unjust world,” said Abdel-Ghani, a father of five who only gave a first name.
“I am angry against the world that has failed to bring one solution to the two regions,” Abdel-Ghani. “Maybe, there will be another deal for Gaza, maybe.”
An Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire without a deal for Gaza would be a blow to Hamas, whose leaders had hoped the expansion of the war into Lebanon would pressure Israel to reach a comprehensive ceasefire. Hezbollah had insisted that it would not agree to a ceasefire until the war in Gaza ends, but it dropped that condition.
“We had high hopes that Hezbollah would remain steadfast until the end but it seems they couldn’t,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman, who like most Gazans has been displaced from his home. “We are afraid the Israeli army will now have a free hand in Gaza.”
While a Lebanon deal could leave some Hezbollah commanders in place after Israel killed the heavily armed group’s veteran leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and his successor, Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas completely.
“We hoped the expansion of the war meant one solution for all, but we were left alone in the face of the monstrous (Israeli) occupation,” said Zakeya Rezik, 56, a mother of six.
“Enough is enough, we are exhausted. How many more had to die before they stopped the war? Gaza war must stop, the people are being wiped out, starved, and bombed every day.”