Lebanon’s Hezbollah says not linked to accused in UNIFIL peacekeeper killing

Lebanon’s Hezbollah says not linked to accused in UNIFIL peacekeeper killing
Above, an Irish UN peacekeeper stands next to the coffin of his comrade Private Sean Rooney, who was killed on Dec. 15, 2022 in the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015. (AP)
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Updated 02 June 2023
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Lebanon’s Hezbollah says not linked to accused in UNIFIL peacekeeper killing

Lebanon’s Hezbollah says not linked to accused in UNIFIL peacekeeper killing

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Hezbollah on Friday denied that five men accused by a military tribunal of killing an Irish UN peacekeeper in 2022 were linked to the armed Shiite group.
A court document filed on Thursday had identified some of the five as members of Hezbollah and allied movement Amal, according to a senior Lebanese judicial source.
Hezbollah media official Mohammad Afif said the five accused were not members of the group, which controls the part of southern Lebanon where last year’s attack took place, and also denied that the indictment had described them as Hezbollah members.
Private Sean Rooney, 23, was killed on Dec. 15 in the first fatal attack on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015.
Afif said Hezbollah had played a big role after the killing in reducing tensions and in local people’s cooperation with the army and judicial investigation.
His comments are the first by a Hezbollah official since Thursday’s reported indictment. The Amal Movement, which is headed by Lebanon’s parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, has so far declined to comment.
The judicial source had said evidence was drawn from camera recordings in which the accused refer to themselves as members of Hezbollah. A second judicial source confirmed that camera evidence was mentioned in the 30-page court document.
Hezbollah has previously denied involvement in the killing, calling it an “unintentional incident” that took place solely between the town’s residents and the UNIFIL peacekeeping force.


Demining teams continue to find more newly-planted landmines after each truce in Yemen, Saudi-backed Project Masam laments

Demining teams continue to find more newly-planted landmines after each truce in Yemen, Saudi-backed Project Masam laments
Updated 39 sec ago
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Demining teams continue to find more newly-planted landmines after each truce in Yemen, Saudi-backed Project Masam laments

Demining teams continue to find more newly-planted landmines after each truce in Yemen, Saudi-backed Project Masam laments
  • It is an indication that Houthi mine-laying operations are accelerating and expanding: Project Masam chief Ousama Algosaibi says 

RIYADH: No amount of denial by Yemen’s Houthi militia could hide the crime they had been committing against the Yemeni people through their continuing mine-laying operations, the managing director of the Saudi-backed de-mining program said on Wednesday.

Ousama Algosaibi, Project Masam’s managing director, said a total of 417,103 landmines, unexploded ordnance (UXO), and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) had been removed in Yemen since June 2018.

The explosives had been indiscriminately planted, posing dangers to civilians, he said.

"Bouncing and fragmentation mines in addition to camouflaged ones have been discovered. It's hard to imagine someone booby-trapping bean cans to kill children, women, and the elderly in mosques, schools, farms, and areas surrounding water wells!" Algosaibi said in a series of tweets on his personal account on the X platform.

He said that all these remnants of war were detonated live for the world to witness, referring to the bulk demolition operations of Project Masam. He urged international and local organizations operating in Yemen to publish all their data and document their actions to ensure the world can understand the magnitude of the landmine crisis affecting Yemenis.

"50 million square meters of land have been completely cleared by the Project Masam teams. Every inch of it testifies to the Houthis’ crimes against Yemenis,” he said.

Algosaibi said the claims made by Houthis that the Arab Coalition had scattered about 3 million cluster bombs in Yemen were far misleading and far from the truth. He referred to international reports indicating that the number of cluster munitions found over the past five years did not exceed 5,000.

"Whoever spreads death will never succeed in playing the role of victim. Even if all international theaters are opened to them,” he said.


Emirates Perfumes and Oud Exhibition to open in Sharjah

Emirates Perfumes and Oud Exhibition to open in Sharjah
Updated 04 October 2023
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Emirates Perfumes and Oud Exhibition to open in Sharjah

Emirates Perfumes and Oud Exhibition to open in Sharjah
  • Event will showcase over 500 local and international brands

LONDON: The inaugural Emirates Perfumes and Oud Exhibition will open on Friday, showcasing over 500 local and international brands, Emirates News Agency reported on Wednesday. 

The event, which will take place in Sharjah till Oct. 14, will provide a forum for leading manufacturers, traders and perfume lovers to exchange knowledge and experiences in the fragrance industry.

It will also offer exclusive deals on a variety of high-end Arabian perfumes and oud. 

“This exhibition will undoubtedly serve the needs of a diverse range of traders, industrialists, young entrepreneurs and experts seeking opportunities in this thriving industry, which has been experiencing significant growth in the region,” Abdullah Sultan Al-Owais, chairman of Expo Center Sharjah, said.

Saif Mohammed Al-Midfa, CEO of Expo Center Sharjah, said the event will highlight the industry’s traditions and connection with Arab cultures.
 


Turkiye strikes Kurdish militants in Iraq again after warning of retaliation for Ankara bombing

Turkiye strikes Kurdish militants in Iraq again after warning of retaliation for Ankara bombing
Updated 04 October 2023
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Turkiye strikes Kurdish militants in Iraq again after warning of retaliation for Ankara bombing

Turkiye strikes Kurdish militants in Iraq again after warning of retaliation for Ankara bombing
  • The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack outside the Interior Ministry in Ankara
  • The Turkish jets targeted 22 suspected PKK positions in northern Iraq on Wednesday

BEIRUT: Turkish warplanes launched a new round of airstrikes against Kurdish militant targets in Iraq on Wednesday hours after the foreign minister warned that Turkiye would hit the militant group’s positions in Syria and Iraq in retaliation for a suicide bombing in Ankara earlier this week.
The outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, claimed responsibility for Sunday’s attack outside the Interior Ministry in Ankara in which one attacker blew himself up and another would-be bomber was killed in a shootout with police. Two police were wounded in the attack.
The Turkish jets targeted 22 suspected PKK positions in northern Iraq on Wednesday, destroying caves, shelters and depots used by the militants, the Turkish defense ministry said. The PKK maintains bases in the region, where its leadership has a foothold.
It was the Turkish air force’s third airstrike against suspected Kurdish militant sites in northern Iraq following the attack, which came as parliament prepared to reopen after a long summer recess. Meanwhile, dozens of people suspected of links to the PKK have been detained in a series of raids across Turkiye.
Ankara said a large number of PKK militants were “neutralized” in the strikes.
There was no immediate comment from Kurdish officials in Iraq.
Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told a news conference that Turkish intelligence officials have established that the two assailants arrived from Syria, where they had been trained. He said Turkiye would now target facilities in Syria and Iraq belonging to the PKK, or its affiliated Kurdish militia group in Syria, which is known as People’s Defense Units, or YPG.
“From now on, all infrastructure, superstructure and energy facilities belonging to the PKK or the YPG in Iraq and Syria are legitimate targets of our security forces, armed forces and intelligence elements,” Fidan said. “Our armed forces’ response to this terrorist attack will be extremely clear and they will regret committing such an act.”
A Syrian Kurdish commander denied on Wednesday that the Ankara attackers were trained in Syria or crossed into Turkiye from Syria.
Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Force that controls large parts of northeastern Syria tweeted that those who carried out the attack in Ankara “did not pass through our territories.”
The Syrian Kurdish-led force is a coalition of several factions, including the YPG.
“We are not a side in the internal conflict in Turkiye,” Abdi wrote. He added that Turkiye is looking “for a pretext to legitimatize its continuous attacks on our region and to launch a new aggression and this is raising our concerns.”
Abdi, who is wanted by Turkiye on terrorism charges, said that targeting the infrastructure and economic targets in northeast Syria and cities “is considered a war crime.”
Fidan later joined a previously unannounced security meeting with Turkiye’s interior minister, defense minister, top military commander and intelligence chief, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported.
Iraqi Defense Minister Thabet Muhammad Al-Abbasi was scheduled to visit Turkiye on Thursday, the agency also reported.
The PKK has led a decades-long insurgency in Turkiye and is considered a terror organization by the United States and the European Union. Tens of thousands of people have died since the start of the conflict in 1984.
Meanwhile, Turkish intelligence agents killed a wanted Kurdish militant in an operation in Syria, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported Wednesday.
The militant, identified as Nabo Kele Hayri, who also went by Mazlum Afrin, was wanted for his alleged role in planning an attack last year on Istanbul’s main pedestrian street, Istiklal. The attack killed six people.


‘Lebanon is not for sale’: Minister calls for hard-line approach to Syrian refugees

‘Lebanon is not for sale’: Minister calls for hard-line approach to Syrian refugees
Updated 04 October 2023
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‘Lebanon is not for sale’: Minister calls for hard-line approach to Syrian refugees

‘Lebanon is not for sale’: Minister calls for hard-line approach to Syrian refugees
  • Caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi claimed more than 30% of crime in Lebanon is committed by Syrians, and the country’s identity is under threat
  • 805,326 refugees are officially registered with the UN’s refugee agency but Lebanese authorities estimate the total number exceeds 2 million

BEIRUT: Bassam Mawlawi, Lebanon’s caretaker interior minister, said on Wednesday that his country “will not allow the random Syrian presence.”

He claimed that “a large percentage, exceeding 30 percent, of various and major crimes are committed by Syrians in Lebanon” and “cooperation” is required “to preserve our environment and our country’s identity.”

His comments came against the backdrop of growing concern in Lebanon about the increasing numbers of Syrian refugees crossing the border.

“Lebanon cannot carry on with the same leniency toward the Syrian presence,” Mawlawi said. “We must limit the number of Syrians present in each apartment and we will not allow more than one family to reside in it.”

The aim “is not to regulate the Syrian presence but rather to limit it,” he added.

The number of Syrian refugees officially registered with the UNHCR, the UN’s refugee agency, had fallen to 805,326 by the end of March, but officials believes the true figure is double that.

Lebanese authorities, who asked the UN agency to stop registering new refugees in 2015, estimate the total number of Syrians in the country now exceeds 2 million. They fear the presence of so many refugees will cause a shift in the demographic balance along sectarian lines.

During meetings with governors and mayors, Mawlawi asked authorities not to sign any contracts for Syrians who do not possess proper, legal documentation, and called for Lebanese laws to be applied in full to Syrians just as they are to Lebanese citizens.

“We will not accept the exploitation of our country and changing its demographics in exchange for money,” Mawlawi said.

“Lebanon is not for sale and we are working as a permanent beehive to address the crisis and stand against the immense harm inflicted on Lebanon, the Lebanese people, and Lebanese demographics as a result of the chaos and unacceptable behavior due to the Syrian displacement.”

Syrians are said to run about 4,000 businesses in central and western Bekaa. In the town of Bar Elias alone, about 1,700 out of a total of 2,000 are run by Syrians. In Taalabaya, there are 450, and in Qab Elias, 350.

As part of the tightening of controls on refugees, the Ministry of Industry on Wednesday renewed a warning to factory owners that they must not hire Syrians who do not possess the required legal documents and permits, otherwise they could lose their licenses to operate.

The crisis caused by the growing numbers of Syrians entering Lebanon via illegal crossings along the northern and eastern borders has escalated in the past two weeks. Concerns grew further when Lebanese security services seized weapons last week during raids on refugee camps in the Bekaa Valley.

The anti-refugee sentiment in Lebanon was further fueled by a statement on Tuesday from the official spokesperson for the EU in the Middle East and North Africa, Luis Miguel Bueno, who said. “There is no return for Syrian refugees at the present time and they must be assisted in Lebanon. The conditions for refugees to return to Syria with dignity and voluntarily are not available.”

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah earlier sparked controversy when he suggested Lebanon should adopt a policy of “not preventing Syrian refugees from sailing toward Europe.”

He said: “Let them board ships, not just rubber boats, and head toward Europe, and this will lead to an inevitable outcome, which is that European countries will come submissively to Beirut.”

On Wednesday, MP Ghayath Yazbeck said the Lebanese Forces Party’s parliamentary bloc is considering signing a parliamentary petition demanding the closure of the UNHCR office in Lebanon, “because the commission is now promoting the new Syrian occupation of Lebanon.”

He blamed the recent Syrian influx on the Lebanese government, “which does not mobilize its powers to control this situation and mitigate its impact,” and criticized the Free Patriotic Movement for its refusal to organize a Cabinet session to discuss possible solutions to this imminent threat.

A number of organizations have emerged with the aim of confronting or addressing the presence of so many Syrian refugees in Lebanon, one of which is the National Campaign to Repatriate Displaced Syrians.

One of its leaders, Maroun Al-Khauli, sent a letter to UNHCR’s regional office in which he accused it of working to “settle Syrian refugees by supporting them financially and morally, encouraging them not to return to their land, and urging them to integrate into Lebanese society.”

As the unrest grows, Lebanese security agencies have warned of “kidnapping operations targeting Syrian people by gangs that lure them outside Lebanese borders to avoid detection, through fake social media accounts, most notably on TikTok.”

These gangs “deceive lured Syrians into believing that they can secure their travel from Lebanon to European countries, either through illegal routes or by securing travel visas abroad, in exchange for a financial fee,” the General Directorate of Internal Security Forces said.

“The victims are kidnapped upon arrival at the border areas with Lebanon, then transported outside the Lebanese borders and detained inside rooms within Syrian territory near the borders. There, they are brutally tortured and the torture acts are filmed, and photos and videos are sent to the kidnapped person’s family to pressure them and expedite the payment of a ransom in exchange for their release.”

In the past two days, video clips of one of these victims being tortured spread on social media but news organizations have not broadcast them because of the graphic nature of the footage.


Western countries want a UN team created to monitor rights violations and abuses in Sudan

Western countries want a UN team created to monitor rights violations and abuses in Sudan
Updated 04 October 2023
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Western countries want a UN team created to monitor rights violations and abuses in Sudan

Western countries want a UN team created to monitor rights violations and abuses in Sudan
  • Britain, Germany, Norway and the United States are leading the call for the Human Rights Council to name a three-person fact-finding mission
  • “Reports indicate the most appalling violations and abuses by all parties to this wholly unnecessary conflict,” Britain’s ambassador in Geneva, Simon Manley

GENEVA: Four Western countries floated a proposal Wednesday for the United Nations’ top human rights body to appoint a team of experts to monitor and report on abuses and rights violations in war-wracked Sudan.
Britain, Germany, Norway and the United States are leading the call for the Human Rights Council to name a three-person fact-finding mission to look into possible crimes against refugees, women and children, and others in Sudan.
Sudan was plunged into chaos when long-simmering tensions between the military, headed by Gen. Abdel Fattah Burhan, and the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary, led by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, escalated into open warfare in April.
The UN estimates that 5,000 people have been killed and more than 12,000 others wounded since the conflict began.
Over 5.2 million people have fled their homes, including more than 1 million who crossed into neighboring countries, and around 25 million people — half of the country’s population — need humanitarian aid, the UN says.
“Reports indicate the most appalling violations and abuses by all parties to this wholly unnecessary conflict,” Britain’s ambassador in Geneva, Simon Manley, told The Associated Press. “It is crucial for an independent UN body to establish the facts, so that those responsible can be held to account and so that these heinous acts stop.”
The draft resolution is set to come up for consideration by the 47-member rights council in Geneva at the end of next week, before then end of its fall session.
The fact-finding mission would aim in part to identify those responsible for rights violations and abuses, in the hope that one day perpetrators might be held to account.