Lebanon prepared if border situation worsens, says minister

Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment on the outskirts of the border town of Marwahin in southern Lebanon, on December 31, 2023, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
Smoke billows during Israeli bombardment on the outskirts of the border town of Marwahin in southern Lebanon, on December 31, 2023, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as fighting continues between Israel and Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
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Updated 01 January 2024
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Lebanon prepared if border situation worsens, says minister

Lebanon prepared if border situation worsens, says minister
  • Sirens sound in northern Israeli settlements, reconnaissance aircraft fly over Hermel

BEIRUT: Tensions rose on the Lebanese southern front following a short period of cautious calm lasting until the early hours of Monday in many border villages.

Lebanon’s caretaker social affairs minister, Hector Hajjar, on Monday visited the border region and toured several towns to assess the situation of people forced to leave their homes.

The number of displaced people has reached 72,436 due to escalating conflicts in previously less affected areas.

Religious leader, Elias Kfoury, told the minister during the reconnaissance tour in Jdeidet Marjayoun that “the movement is completely paralyzed in the region after the closure of schools in the Marjayoun area and the transfer of official transactions and security offices to Nabatieh governorate.”

Additionally, Kfoury said that the Marjayoun-Khardali-Nabatieh road was now at risk due to recent bombings by Israeli drones.

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Lebanon’s caretaker social affairs minister, Hector Hajjar, on Monday visited the border region and toured several towns to assess the situation of people forced to leave their homes. 

Hajjar visited the towns of Rmeish, Ain Ebel, and Hanin, and ended his tour in Tyre, where he visited the new shelter at the Tyre National School.

He promised to “make necessary preparations in case the security situation deteriorated, to support the Lebanese people leaving unsafe areas.”

On Monday afternoon, sirens sounded in seven Israeli settlements in the Upper Galilee amid fears of drone infiltration from Lebanon.

Many Israeli outposts and settlements opposite the Lebanese border region were targeted, while several Lebanese southern villages were subject to Israeli air and ground bombing and missile strikes.

Sirens sounded in Avivim, Bar’am, Dishon, Dalton, Yiftah, Yir’on, Kerem Ben Zamra, and Malkia in the Upper Galilee.

Israel’s Channel 12 reported that an anti-armor missile was launched from Lebanese territory toward Metula in the Upper Galilee.

The Israeli army launched a spy balloon over the outskirts of Dhahira opposite a Lebanese army post.

Hezbollah announced that it had resumed targeting Israeli military outposts, including “directly hitting the Hadb Al-Bustan outpost.”

An Israeli drone fired two rockets on the border village of Kfarkila. Direct artillery shelling reached the outskirts of Bint Jbeil, the Maroun Al-Ras village, and the outskirts of Tayr Harfa village.

Israel continues to threaten Hezbollah that “if it does not retreat behind the borders, a full-scale war is likely to happen in Lebanon.”

An Israeli official told Reuters that some of the troops pulled out of Gaza in the south would be prepared for rotation to the northern border with Lebanon.

He added the situation on the Lebanese front would not be allowed to continue.

The coming six-month period is critical, and Israel will convey a similar message to US envoy, Amos Hochstein, who is conducting shuttle missions to Beirut, the official said.

Israeli reconnaissance planes were seen flying intensively over southern villages.

They also conducted surveillance flights at medium altitudes over villages and towns in the Hasbaya district.

Israeli planes flew nonstop over the villages in the western and central sectors, extending to the coast and above Tyre city.

During these flights, flare bombs were dropped over the border villages near the Blue Line, from Naqoura to Ramiya, Al-Quzah, Dibal, Ain Ebel, and Aita Al-Shaab.

Israeli warplanes flew at a high altitude over the city of Hermel and the villages in the northeastern region of Lebanon.

Israeli fighter jets conducted airstrikes in the early hours of Sunday morning near the towns of Al-Dhahirah and Al-Jabeen, without causing any human casualties.

On New Year’s eve, most residents in the Arqoub and Hasbaya areas stayed home due to concerns about potential attacks on their villages.

This fear was heightened by the presence of army and security forces in the region, who were actively patrolling the area.

 

 


Mikati warns Israeli military action in Lebanon a rejection of political solution

Mikati warns Israeli military action in Lebanon a rejection of political solution
Updated 28 sec ago
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Mikati warns Israeli military action in Lebanon a rejection of political solution

Mikati warns Israeli military action in Lebanon a rejection of political solution
  • Borrell in Beirut: Pressure must be exerted on Israel, Hezbollah to accept US proposal
  • Israel steps up bombardment of capital’s southern suburbs

BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on a Lebanese army center on Sunday killed a soldier and wounded 18 others, the Lebanese military said, with the caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, calling the attack “a direct bloody message rejecting all efforts to reach a ceasefire.”

The attack came as top EU diplomat Josep Borrell called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war while on a visit to Lebanon.

According to the Lebanese Army Command, the first adjutant, Diab Mohammed Jaafar, was killed when Israel targeted Al-Amariyeh checkpoint on the road between Tyre and the town of Naqoura.

In a statement, Mikati said: “Israel’s messages rejecting a solution are ongoing, and just as it turned against the US-French call for a ceasefire in September, here it is once again responding with Lebanese blood, blatantly rejecting the solution that is being discussed.”

He called on “the countries of the world and the relevant international institutions to assume their responsibilities on the issue.”

Mikati’s condemnation came amid growing concerns that the Israeli military is trying to solidify its westward incursion in the coastal town of Al-Bayada, located between Tyre and Naqoura, while facing strong resistance from the eastern side of the border area in its positions in Khiyam.

Israeli forces are trying to encircle the South Litani area from both sides.

Hezbollah said it “targeted a gathering of the enemy army s forces east of the city of Khiyam with a salvo of rockets,” and “a gathering of Israeli forces at the Metula site (Israel’s outlet toward Khiyam) was targeted with a volley of rockets followed by an aerial attack with a squadron of assault drones … hitting its targets accurately.”

The Israeli military said Hezbollah launched 160 projectiles toward Israel on Sunday.

Sirens sounded across northern and central Israel, reaching Tel Aviv at successive intervals, forcing thousands of Israelis to head toward shelters.

Footage from central Israel showed extensive material damage and fires.

The Israeli military issued further warnings to residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate, targeting Bourj Al-Barajneh and Hadath.

Former Israeli minister Benny Gantz claimed that the Lebanese government “is leaving Hezbollah unchecked,” adding: “It is time to act against its assets forcefully.”

These developments came during a round of discussions conducted by Borrell, high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, in Beirut with Mikati and Speaker Nabih Berry.

In a statement, Borrell stressed the need for exerting pressure on Israel and Hezbollah to accept the US proposal for a ceasefire.

Borrell emphasized that “the situation in the Middle East, particularly here in Beirut, presents a significant challenge to the international community. The international community cannot remain inactive in the face of these events. The absence of peace in the Middle East has reached an intolerable level, and people are dying under bombardment.”

He added that two months on from his last visit to Beirut, he now views Lebanon as on the verge of collapse due to the conflict, which has led to the devastation of numerous villages, as well as airstrikes aimed at Beirut and Baalbek. He also reiterated that “the human cost is exceedingly high.”

Borrell said Israeli airstrikes had claimed the lives of over 3,500 people in Lebanon, a figure three times greater than the casualties recorded in 2006.

The only viable path forward, Borrell said, is an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701.

Borrell praised the UNIFIL forces and confirmed the EU’s readiness to allocate €200 million ($208.3 million) to the Lebanese Armed Forces.

He emphasized the Lebanese need to “assume their political responsibilities by electing a president and putting an end to this prolonged power vacuum that has exceeded two years.”

Borrell said a ceasefire proposal for Gaza is pending Israeli government approval, and “we, as the international community, need to work to ensure the respect of international law, as we see famine being used as a weapon of war through international law violations, the complete siege imposed on Gaza and the number of people that are dying in Lebanon.”

He added that in his view the decisions of the International Criminal Court to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, for Israel’s activities in Gaza were not politically motivated and had been made under international law, which applied to everyone. “We strongly support the court,” he said.


15 Turkish-backed fighters killed in north Syria clashes with Kurdish-led forces

15 Turkish-backed fighters killed in north Syria clashes with Kurdish-led forces
Updated 25 November 2024
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15 Turkish-backed fighters killed in north Syria clashes with Kurdish-led forces

15 Turkish-backed fighters killed in north Syria clashes with Kurdish-led forces
  • SDF fighters “infiltrated positions of the Turkish-backed” troops in the Aleppo countryside, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said
  • The SDF is a US-backed force that spearheaded the fighting against the Daesh group in its last Syria strongholds before its territorial defeat in 2019

BEIRUT: At least 15 Ankara-backed Syrian fighters were killed Sunday after Kurdish-led forces infiltrated their territory in the country’s north, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said.
Fighters from the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who controls swathes of the country’s northeast, “infiltrated positions of the Turkish-backed” fighters in the Aleppo countryside, said the Observatory, which has a network of sources inside Syria.
“The two sides engaged in violent clashes” that killed 15 of the Ankara-backed fighters, the monitor said.
An AFP correspondent in Syria’s north said the clashes had taken place near the city of Al-Bab, where authorities said schools would be suspended on Monday due to the violence.
The SDF is a US-backed force that spearheaded the fighting against the Daesh group in its last Syria strongholds before its territorial defeat in 2019.
It is dominated by the Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG), viewed by Ankara as an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) which claimed the attack on Ankara.
Turkish troops and allied rebel factions control swathes of northern Syria following successive cross-border offensives since 2016, most of them targeting the SDF.


Israel moving towards a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, Axios reports

Israel moving towards a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, Axios reports
Updated 25 November 2024
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Israel moving towards a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, Axios reports

Israel moving towards a ceasefire deal in Lebanon, Axios reports

BEIRUT: Israel is moving towards a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon with the Hezbollah militant group, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted on X on Sunday, citing a senior Israeli official.
A separate report from Israel's public broadcaster Kan, citing an Israeli official, said there was no green light given on an agreement in Lebanon, with issues still yet to be resolved.

 


Russian plane catches fire after landing in Turkiye but passengers and crew are safely evacuated

Russian plane catches fire after landing in Turkiye but passengers and crew are safely evacuated
Updated 25 November 2024
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Russian plane catches fire after landing in Turkiye but passengers and crew are safely evacuated

Russian plane catches fire after landing in Turkiye but passengers and crew are safely evacuated
  • “Eighty nine passengers and six crew members on board were safely evacuated at 9:43 p.m. (1843 GMT) and there were no injuries”

ANKARA, Turkiye: The engine of a Russian plane with 95 people on board caught fire after landing at Antalya airport in southern Turkiye on Sunday, Turkiye’s transportation ministry said. All passengers and crew were safely evacuated.
The Sukhoi Superjet 100 type aircraft run by Azimuth Airlines had taken off from Sochi and was carrying 89 passengers and six crew members, the ministry said in a statement.
The pilot made an emergency call after the aircraft landed at 9:34 p.m. local time, and airport rescue and firefighting crews quickly extinguished the fire, according to the statement.
No one was hurt, the statement said.
The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
A video of the incident posted by the aviation news website, Airport Haber, showed flames coming out from the left side of the plane as emergency crews doused the aircraft. Passengers were seen evacuating the plane through an emergency slide, some carrying belongings.
The transportation ministry said efforts were underway to remove the aircraft from the runway. Arrivals at the airport were temporarily suspended while departures were taking place from a military-run runway.

 


War-hit Lebanon suspends in-person classes in Beirut area till end of December

Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, seen from Baabda.
Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, seen from Baabda.
Updated 25 November 2024
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War-hit Lebanon suspends in-person classes in Beirut area till end of December

Smoke billows over Beirut’s southern suburbs after an Israeli strike, seen from Baabda.
  • Education minister announced “the suspension of in-person teaching” in schools, technical institutes and private higher education institutions in Beirut
  • Suspension of in-person teaching also applies to parts of neighboring Metn, Baabda and Shouf districts starting Monday

BEIRUT: Lebanon has suspended in-person classes in the Beirut area until the end of December, the education ministry announced Sunday, citing safety concerns after a series of Israeli air strikes this week.
Education Minister Abbas Halabi announced in a statement “the suspension of in-person teaching” in schools, technical institutes and private higher education institutions in Beirut and parts of the neighboring Metn, Baabda and Shouf districts starting Monday “for the safety of students, educational institutions and parents, in light of the current dangerous conditions.”
Earlier on Sunday, Lebanese state media reported two Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, about an hour after the Israeli military posted evacuation calls online for parts of the Hezbollah bastion.
“Israeli warplanes launched two violent strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs in the Kafaat area,” the official National News Agency said.
The southern Beirut area has been repeatedly struck since September 23 when Israel intensified its air campaign also targeting Hezbollah bastions in Lebanon’s east and south. It later sent in ground troops to southern Lebanon.