You are here

Battlefield Lebanon
Battlefield Lebanon

France says it is sending helicopter carrier to eastern Mediterranean

France says it is sending helicopter carrier to eastern Mediterranean
Smoke rises from the site of Israeli artillery shelling on the southern villages of Adeisseh and Kfar Kila along the border with Israel on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
Short Url

https://arab.news/cwbe4

Updated 01 October 2024
Reuters
Follow

France says it is sending helicopter carrier to eastern Mediterranean

France says it is sending helicopter carrier to eastern Mediterranean
Updated 01 October 2024
Reuters
Follow

PARIS: A French helicopter carrier will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the next five to six days and take up position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon, a French army spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Western nations have been weighing their options on how to get nationals out of Lebanon safely if a full-scale war breaks out there, with Cyprus and possibly Turkey seen as offering sanctuary to tens of thousands of people.
Israel said intense fighting had erupted with the Hezbollah movement in south Lebanon after its paratroops and commandos launched raids there, at the start of a ground incursion that followed airstrikes against Hezbollah's leadership.
France, which has about 20,000 citizens in Lebanon, sent its Dixmude helicopter carrier from the naval port of Toulon to the region on Monday, the French army spokesperson said.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon France

Related

Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, and French FM.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi FM discusses developments in Lebanon with French, Lebanese counterparts
French FM in Beirut, despite air strikes: ministry
Middle-East
French FM in Beirut, despite air strikes: ministry

Israel carries out strikes in Beirut, southern suburbs, sources say

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP)
Updated 23 sec ago
Reuters
Follow

Israel carries out strikes in Beirut, southern suburbs, sources say

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP)
Updated 23 sec ago
Reuters

BEIRUT: Israel carried out two attacks on Beirut on Tuesday afternoon, striking the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital and the city’s southern entrance, two security sources said.
A high-rise building was hit in the city’s Jnah area, the sources said.
The Israeli military said it was targeting the Lebanese capital and had carried out a “precise strike.”

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon Israel Lebanon Beirut

Related

Special Filipino workers in Lebanon urge Manila to speed up repatriation
World
Filipino workers in Lebanon urge Manila to speed up repatriation
Israeli forces have carried out raids in Lebanon for months, military says
Middle-East
Israeli forces have carried out raids in Lebanon for months, military says

Tunisia presidential candidate Zammel sentenced to 12 years in prison

Tunisia presidential candidate Zammel sentenced to 12 years in prison
Updated 59 min 36 sec ago
Reuters
Follow

Tunisia presidential candidate Zammel sentenced to 12 years in prison

Tunisia presidential candidate Zammel sentenced to 12 years in prison
  • It was the third prison sentence imposed on Ayachi Zammel in two weeks
  • Zammel, head of the opposition Azimoun party, has been jailed since last month
Updated 59 min 36 sec ago
Reuters

TUNIS: A Tunisian court sentenced presidential candidate Ayachi Zammel to 12 years in prison on Tuesday, amid growing opposition anger against President Kais Saied, whose critics accuse him of using the judiciary to sideline his opponents.

It was the third prison sentence imposed on Zammel in two weeks, just five days before the presidential election in which he is one of just two candidates permitted to stand against Saied. Three other high profile opposition figures were barred.

Abdessattar Massoudi, Zammel’s lawyer, said that Zammel was sentenced to 12 years in prison by Tunis court on charges of document falsification. Massoudi described the verdict as “unfair and a farce.”

Zammel, head of the opposition Azimoun party, has been jailed since last month on charges of falsifying voter signatures on his candidacy paperwork, accusations he described as manufactured by Saied’s government. He has been allowed to continue to stand in the election while jailed.

Political tensions in the North African country have risen ahead of the Oct. 6 election since an electoral commission named by Saied disqualified three other prominent candidates last month, amid protests by opposition and civil society groups.

Tunisia was the only Arab country to emerge with a peaceful democracy from the 2011 “Arab Spring” protests against autocratic rulers across the Middle East and North Africa.

But since being elected in 2019, Saied has gradually amassed greater powers, arguing that he needs them to combat a corrupt elite. He dissolved the elected parliament and began ruling by decree in 2021, a move the opposition described as a coup.

The electoral commission has rejected a ruling by Tunisia’s administrative court to reinstate the barred candidates for the upcoming election. Lawmakers loyal to Saied then approved a law stripping the administrative court of authority over election disputes.

The opposition and civil society groups called for a mass protest on Friday against what they describe as Saied’s authoritarian rule, and said they would continue escalation and demonstrations.

Topics: Tunisia Ayachi Zammel

Related

Tunisia presidential candidate gets prison term, still on ballot: lawyer
Middle-East
Tunisia presidential candidate gets prison term, still on ballot: lawyer
Update Tunisian candidate Zammel detained hours after release
Middle-East
Tunisian candidate Zammel detained hours after release

Israeli forces have carried out raids in Lebanon for months, military says

Israeli forces have carried out raids in Lebanon for months, military says
Updated 39 min 31 sec ago
Reuters
Follow

Israeli forces have carried out raids in Lebanon for months, military says

Israeli forces have carried out raids in Lebanon for months, military says
  • Hagari said the details were being declassified
  • Dozens of such operations had uncovered detailed plans by Hezbollah to enter Israel
Updated 39 min 31 sec ago
Reuters

JERUSALEM: Israeli forces have been carrying out raids into southern Lebanon for months, uncovering Hezbollah tunnels and weapon caches under homes and uncovering invasion plans by the group, Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Tuesday.

Hagari said the details were being declassified, hours after Israel announced a ground operation against the Hezbollah movement in southern Lebanon.
Dozens of such operations had uncovered detailed plans by Hezbollah to enter Israel and carry out an attack similar to the one led by the Palestinian militant group Hamas in southern Israel on Oct. 7 last year.

The findings and evidence discovered under homes in villages in southern Lebanon during the raids will be presented to the international community, Hagari said. He presented videos from soldiers’ body-cameras and maps.

Later, the Israeli military said it was calling up four additional reserve brigades for operational missions on the northern border with Lebanon.

“This will enable the continuation of operational activity against the Hezbollah terrorist organization and the achievement of operational goals, including the safe return of residents of northern Israel to their homes,” the military said in a statement.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon Daniel Hagari Israeli military Lebanon

Related

Russia, Turkey and Spain express deep concern about Israeli raids in Lebanon
Middle-East
Russia, Turkey and Spain express deep concern about Israeli raids in Lebanon

KLM halts all flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the year

KLM halts all flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the year
Updated 56 min 58 sec ago
Reuters
Follow

KLM halts all flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the year

KLM halts all flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the year
Updated 56 min 58 sec ago
Reuters

AMSTERDAM: Dutch airline KLM has suspended all flights to Tel Aviv until the end of this year at least, the Dutch arm of airline group Air France KLM said on Tuesday.
The airline had previously cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 26 because of heightened tensions in the region.
KLM does not operate flights to Beirut. 

Topics: Israel

China says it opposes ‘infringements on Lebanon’s sovereignty’

China says it opposes ‘infringements on Lebanon’s sovereignty’
Updated 01 October 2024
AFP
Follow

China says it opposes ‘infringements on Lebanon’s sovereignty’

China says it opposes ‘infringements on Lebanon’s sovereignty’
  • The foreign ministry said: “China... opposes infringements on Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity”
  • Beijing urged Israel “to take concrete actions to de-escalate the situation“
Updated 01 October 2024
AFP

BEIJING: China said on Tuesday it opposed “infringements on Lebanon’s sovereignty” after Israel said it had launched a ground offensive there, and that Beijing was “highly concerned” about growing tensions.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had launched a ground offensive targeting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, further escalating the conflict after a week of intense air strikes that killed hundreds of people.
However, the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said the Israeli operation did not amount to a “ground incursion,” while Iran-backed Hezbollah denied any troops had crossed the border.
There was no way to immediately verify the claims, which came as Israel targeted south Beirut, Damascus and Gaza despite international calls for restraint to avoid a regional conflagration.
“China is highly concerned about the current situation between Lebanon and Israel and is deeply concerned about the further escalation of regional tensions due to related military actions,” the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
“China... opposes infringements on Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and territorial integrity, and opposes any actions that exacerbate conflicts and lead to a further escalation of the regional situation.”
Beijing urged Israel “to take concrete actions to de-escalate the situation,” the statement said.

Topics: Battlefield Lebanon China Israel

Related

Russia, Turkey and Spain express deep concern about Israeli raids in Lebanon
Middle-East
Russia, Turkey and Spain express deep concern about Israeli raids in Lebanon

Latest updates

Arab countries urged to adopt decisive policies amid economic challenges
Arab countries urged to adopt decisive policies amid economic challenges
Israel carries out strikes in Beirut, southern suburbs, sources say
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb, Lebanon, Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2024. (AP)
Kashmir votes in final round of regional polls as Modi promises statehood
Kashmir votes in final round of regional polls as Modi promises statehood
Karl Lagerfeld label eyes branded residence expansion in UAE, globally
Karl Lagerfeld label eyes branded residence expansion in UAE, globally
Former US president Jimmy Carter turns 100
Former US president Jimmy Carter turns 100

Search form

Print Edition
Read pdf version Subscribe now
© 2024 SAUDI RESEARCH & PUBLISHING COMPANY, All Rights Reserved And subject to Terms of Use Agreement.