Hezbollah carries out drone, artillery attacks on Israeli forces, equipment

Special Hezbollah carries out drone, artillery attacks on Israeli forces, equipment
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CCTV footage shows a barrage of rockets being fired from Lebanon, as seen from Kiryat Shmona, Israel, May 5, 2024. (Reuters)
Special Hezbollah carries out drone, artillery attacks on Israeli forces, equipment
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Security forces and emergency personnel deploy at a site hit by rockets fired from southern Lebanon, Kiryat Shmona, Israel, May 5, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 07 May 2024
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Hezbollah carries out drone, artillery attacks on Israeli forces, equipment

Hezbollah carries out drone, artillery attacks on Israeli forces, equipment
  • Group claims it ‘killed, wounded’ soldiers in strike on Yiftah barracks
  • Lebanese Foreign Ministry warns of risk of ‘humanitarian catastrophe’ in Rafah

BEIRUT: Hezbollah on Tuesday carried out a series of drone and artillery attacks on Israeli forces and other targets under the blanket slogan of “Supporting the Gaza Resistance.”

The group said it targeted “officers and soldiers while they were in the courtyard of the Yiftah barracks” and that its strikes were successful in “killing and wounding them.”

It also “targeted with other drones one of the Iron Dome platforms located south of the Ramot Naftali barracks, which was directly hit and damaged.”

A third target was “spy equipment at the Al-Sammaqa site in the Kafr Shuba hills,” while a fourth was “Israeli soldiers as they were moving inside a bulwark at the Israeli Al-Rahib military site,” on which it “achieved a direct hit.”

Israeli media said that “six explosive-rigged drones were launched from Lebanon, five of which exploded in the Upper Galilee, causing damage.”

Officials at the Kiryat Shmona settlement asked residents there to “stay in shelters due to fears of drone infiltration.”

Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth said Hezbollah’s operations included “launching rockets and drones toward border areas in the Upper Galilee” and that an Israeli warplane dropped heat balloons over the area where the drones entered.

Explosions were heard in Yiftah and Ramot Naftali, it said.

Israeli Channel 12 said air defenses intercepted a drone launched from southern Lebanon toward Galilee, while another exploded without causing any damage.

According to the Israeli Army channel: “During April, four Israelis were killed by Hezbollah fire on the northern border and 33 others were injured, including five who sustained serious injuries.”

The Israeli military responded to Hezbollah’s actions by conducting raids and using artillery to shell Lebanese border towns, particularly Aita al-Shaab.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry warned against “any escalation by the Israeli occupation forces against the city of Rafah,” which it said would cause a “severe humanitarian disaster for more than 1 million Palestinians who have been displaced to this area as a result of the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip that has been ongoing for seven months.”


UN condemns Lebanon device blasts as violation of international law

UN condemns Lebanon device blasts as violation of international law
Updated 46 sec ago
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UN condemns Lebanon device blasts as violation of international law

UN condemns Lebanon device blasts as violation of international law
  • The blasts that killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days targeted communication devices used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group

UNITED NATIONS, United States: The United Nations on Friday denounced the detonation of hand-held communication devices used by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon this week, saying the attack violated international law and could constitute a war crime.
“International humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby-trap devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects,” the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, told the Security Council, adding that it “is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians.”
The blasts that killed at least 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days targeted communication devices used by the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
Pagers and walkie-talkies exploded as their users were shopping in supermarkets, walking on streets and attending funerals, plunging the country into panic.
Hezbollah blamed Israel for the blasts.
“I am appalled by the breadth and impact of the attacks,” said Turk.
“These attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons,” he added.
“This cannot be the new normal.”
Israel has not commented on the operation but has said it will widen the scope of its war in Gaza to include the Lebanon front.
Speaking to reporters on Friday, Israel’s ambassador to the UN refused to comment on the device blasts.
“But I can tell you that we will do everything we can to target those terrorists,” Danny Danon said.
He spoke after Israel announced it had killed the commander of Hezbollah’s elite unit in a strike on Beirut on Friday.
“We have no intention to enter a war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, but we cannot continue the way it is,” Danon said, noting that Israel prefers a diplomatic solution and wants to “prevent” further escalation.
Iran-backed Hezbollah is an ally of Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has been fighting a war in Gaza since its October 7 attack on Israel.
For nearly a year, the focus of Israel’s firepower has been on Gaza but its troops have also been engaged in near-daily clashes with Hezbollah militants along its northern border.
Hundreds have been killed in Lebanon, most of them fighters, and dozens in Israel, including soldiers.
 

 


Attack on communication devices in Lebanon violates international law, could be war crime: UN human rights chief

Attack on communication devices in Lebanon violates international law, could be war crime: UN human rights chief
Updated 1 min 2 sec ago
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Attack on communication devices in Lebanon violates international law, could be war crime: UN human rights chief

Attack on communication devices in Lebanon violates international law, could be war crime: UN human rights chief
  • The explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies on Tuesday and Wednesday killed at least 37 people

NEW YORK CITY: The UN on Friday said the detonation of hand-held communication devices reportedly used by Hezbollah in Lebanon this week violated international law and could constitute a war crime.

A senior UN official separately warned on Friday that escalation between Israel and Iran-backed groups in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon could lead to an inevitable spiral into a wider regional conflict.

The explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies on Tuesday and Wednesday killed at least 37 people and wounded more than 3,000 others after they detonated in public areas filled with civilians across Lebanon.

Hezbollah quickly blamed Israel for the violence, but the Israeli government has not commented directly on the attacks.

“It is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians,” said the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.

Speaking to a UN Security Council briefing on the attacks called for by Algeria, Turk said he was “appalled by the breadth and impact of the attacks.”

UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk speaking during the Security Council session. (Screenshot/UNTV)

He continued: “These attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons simultaneously exploding across marketplaces, on street corners, and in homes as daily life unfolds.”

He told the council that this type of action “cannot be the new normal,” adding there was a need for an “independent, thorough, and transparent investigation” into the explosions.

“Those who ordered and carried out these attacks must be held to account. Let me be clear — this method of warfare may be new and unfamiliar. But international humanitarian and human rights law apply regardless and must be upheld,” he said.

The UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Political and Peacebuilding Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told the council that the recent escalation risked “seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far” in the nearly year-long conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

“As we approach a full year of near-daily exchanges of fire across the Blue Line and bloodshed in Gaza, too many lives have been lost, too many people have been displaced, and too many livelihoods have been destroyed,” DiCarlo said.

“It is not too late to avoid such folly. There is still room for diplomacy, which must be used without delay.

“The secretary-general continues to urgently call on the parties to recommit to the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701 and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities,” she added.

The Slovenian representative to the UN, Samuel Zbogar, who currently holds the presidency of the Security Council, expressed his “profound concern” over rising violence in the Middle East.

“We are stepping in a dangerous new territory and as new technology is being used and developed, we underline the need to respect the existing legal obligations,” he said.

“Civilian objects should not be weaponized. The international law is clear: use of booby traps is prohibited.

“We call for maximum restraint by all actors in the region. The circle of violence risks escalating into a wider conflict. We call on all parties, both state and non-state actors, to deescalate and refrain from any further retaliatory actions,” he added.

Deputy US Ambassador to the UN Robert Wood echoed this and told the council that it was “imperative that even as facts emerge about the latest incidents — in which I reiterate, the US played no role — all parties refrain from any actions which could plunge the region into a devastating war.”

He added that Washington expected all parties to the conflict to “comply with international humanitarian law and take all reason steps to minimise harm to civilians.”


Lebanon FM accuses Israel of ‘terrorism’ after device blasts

Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon August 16, 2024.
Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon August 16, 2024.
Updated 6 min 2 sec ago
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Lebanon FM accuses Israel of ‘terrorism’ after device blasts

Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Beirut, Lebanon August 16, 2024.

NEW YORK: Lebanon’s foreign minister on Friday called the detonation of hand-held communication devices this week a “terror” attack which he blamed on Israel.
The blasts that killed dozens across Lebanon over two days is “an unprecedented method of warfare in its brutality and terror,” Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told the United Nations Security Council, calling the attack “nothing but terrorism.”

 


Footage shows Israeli soldier pushing body off roof in West Bank

Footage shows Israeli soldier pushing body off roof in West Bank
Updated 36 min 20 sec ago
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Footage shows Israeli soldier pushing body off roof in West Bank

Footage shows Israeli soldier pushing body off roof in West Bank
  • Violence in the West Bank has surged alongside the war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel

QABATIYAH: Footage of an Israeli raid in the occupied West Bank showed a soldier pushing an apparently dead man off a rooftop in what the army described on Friday as a “serious incident.”
AFPTV footage of the operation in the town of Qabatiyah, near Jenin, on Thursday showed an Israeli soldier using his foot to roll the body toward the edge of the roof and then pushing him over while at least two other soldiers looked on.
Qabatiyah is in the northern West Bank, where the military has been carrying out large-scale raids since late August that the Palestinian Health Ministry says have left dozens dead.
Israel’s military said in a statement on Friday that four militants were killed “in an exchange of fire” in Qabatiyah, while three were killed in an air strike on a vehicle.
Asked about the footage showing a soldier pushing a body off a rooftop, the military said the action conflicted with its values.
“This is a serious incident that does not coincide with (the Israeli army) values and the expectations from Israeli soldiers. The incident is under review,” it said.
The White House on Friday described the footage as “deeply disturbing” and said it had demanded an explanation from Israel.
“We’ve seen that video, and we found it deeply disturbing. If it’s proven authentic, it clearly would depict abhorrent and egregious behavior by professional soldiers,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said.
Violence in the West Bank has surged alongside the war in Gaza sparked by Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
Since that attack, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 682 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.
Since the large-scale raids began in late August, Hamas and Islamic Jihad have claimed at least 14 of the dead as their members.
The military said that one of those killed in Qabatiyah was Shadi Zakarneh and identified him as “responsible for directing and carrying out attacks in the northern West Bank area.”
It said he was “the head of the terrorist organization” in Qabatiyah but did not specify which group he belonged to.
Major Israeli operations in the West Bank are sometimes “at a scale not witnessed in the last two decades,” UN human rights chief Volker Turk said on Sept. 9.
Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967, and its forces regularly make incursions into Palestinian communities, but residents say the current raids are an escalation.

 


10 years into Houthi rule, some Yemenis count the cost

A picture shows traditional buildings in Sanaa's old city March 1, 2006. (AFP)
A picture shows traditional buildings in Sanaa's old city March 1, 2006. (AFP)
Updated 20 September 2024
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10 years into Houthi rule, some Yemenis count the cost

A picture shows traditional buildings in Sanaa's old city March 1, 2006. (AFP)
  • Since the militia took power in Sanaa in 2014, the country has gone 'back 50 years,' say distressed residents

DUBAI: With a floundering economy and growing restrictions on personal freedoms, 10 years of Houthi rule has left its mark on Yemen’s ancient capital, Sanaa, where some quietly long for how things once were.
The Houthis, a radical political-military group from Yemen’s northern mountains, have imposed strict rule over the large swath of Yemen under their control, covering two-thirds of the population.
Since the militia took power in Sanaa in 2014, after long-running protests against the government, the country has gone “back 50 years,” sighed Yahya, 39, who, like many, prefers not to share his full name for fear of reprisals.
“Before, we thought about how to buy a car or a house. Now we think about how to feed ourselves,” added Abu Jawad, 45.
Yemen, mired in one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises, remains divided between the Houthis and the government, now based in the port city of Aden.
The Houthis have tightened their control over many aspects of daily life.
Sanaa once had “political parties, active civic organizations, NGOs ... coffee shops where males and females can sit together,” said researcher Maysaa Shuja Al-Deen of the Sanaa Center for Strategic Studies.

Before, we thought about how to buy a car or a house. Now we think about how to feed ourselves.

Abu Jawad, Sanaa resident

“Now the social and political atmosphere has become very closed,” she added.
Men and women are segregated in public, and Houthi slogans like “Death to Israel!” are plastered everywhere, alongside photos of Houthi leaders, Deen said.
Since 2015, Amnesty International has documented numerous cases of activists, journalists, and political opponents who were convicted on “trumped-up” espionage charges.
A wave of arrests in June targeted aid workers, including 13 UN staff who are still detained.
Majed, the director of a Yemeni non-governmental organization, said he fled Sanaa for Aden before taking refuge with friends in Jordan, leaving behind his wife and three children.
“I decided without overthinking. Leaving was a risky choice, but it was the only one,” the 45-year-old said from Amman, where he hopes to find a job.
According to Deen, a Yemeni based outside the country, it is now difficult to go against the ruling authorities or even fail to show support.
“At the very beginning, being silent was an option. Now, it’s not even an option,” she said.
“You have to show that you are loyal to the Houthi ideology.”
The Houthis are adept at using social and traditional media, such as their Al-Masirah TV station, to spread propaganda, and have even revised school textbooks and changed the calendar.
The traditional holiday of Sept. 26, which celebrated the 1962 revolution against the former imam, has been moved to Sept. 21, the day the Houthis took power.
Some Yemenis chafe at the change. “Even if they forbid us from celebrating officially, we will celebrate it in our hearts,” said Abu Ahmed, 53, a Sanaa resident.
However, support for the Houthis’ attacks since November against Israel and ships in the Red Sea, in solidarity with Palestinians during the Israel-Hamas war, seems to be unanimous.
“The Yemenis have always been pro-Palestinian,” said author and Yemen specialist Helen Lackner, highlighting the hundreds of thousands of people who join the Houthis’ weekly demonstrations in Sanaa.
Despite their popularity among ordinary people, the maritime attacks have halted negotiations to end the war.
Rim, 43, who has lived with her family in Saudi Arabia for nine years, has not been able to return to Sanaa to bury her father or attend the weddings of her brothers and sisters.
“I dream of getting my life back,” said the 43-year-old. In the meantime, she is content to talk to her children about her country.
“I don’t want them to forget that they are Yemeni.”