Jordan says it foiled drug smuggling attempt from Syria

This file photo taken during a tour organised by the Jordanian Army shows soldiers patrolling the border with Syria to prevent trafficking on February 17, 2022. (AFP)
This file photo taken during a tour organised by the Jordanian Army shows soldiers patrolling the border with Syria to prevent trafficking on February 17, 2022. (AFP)
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Updated 05 August 2024
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Jordan says it foiled drug smuggling attempt from Syria

Jordan says it foiled drug smuggling attempt from Syria
  • Since last year, Jordan’s army has conducted several pre-emptive airstrikes inside Syria that Jordanian officials say targeted militias linked to the drug trade and their facilities, in a bid to stem a rise in cross-border incursions

AMMAN: Jordan said it had foiled an attempt to smuggle drugs into the country from Syria on Monday, according to the state news agency Petra.
Quoting a military source, Petra said several smugglers were injured in clashes with security forces before retreating back into Syrian territory. The amount of the seized drugs was not disclosed.
War-ravaged Syria has become the region’s main site for the mass production of the addictive, amphetamine-type stimulant known as captagon, with Jordan a key transit route to the oil-rich Gulf states, Western anti-narcotics officials say.
Jordanian officials, like their Western allies, say that Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group and pro-Iranian militias who control much of southern Syria are behind a surge in the multi-billion-dollar drugs and weapons trade. Iran and Hezbollah deny the allegations.
Since last year, Jordan’s army has conducted several pre-emptive airstrikes inside Syria that Jordanian officials say targeted militias linked to the drug trade and their facilities, in a bid to stem a rise in cross-border incursions.

 


Omani FM calls for end to Israel’s ‘genocidal policies’ against Palestinians

Omani FM calls for end to Israel’s ‘genocidal policies’ against Palestinians
Updated 41 sec ago
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Omani FM calls for end to Israel’s ‘genocidal policies’ against Palestinians

Omani FM calls for end to Israel’s ‘genocidal policies’ against Palestinians
  • Addressing UN General Assembly, Badr Al-Busaidi calls for Palestinian state, full membership
  • There should be ‘immediate’ ceasefires in Gaza, Lebanon, Red Sea region

WASHINGTON: Oman’s foreign minister called on Saturday for an immediate end to Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

Badr Al-Busaidi told the UN General Assembly in New York that Oman is fully committed to the promotion of international peace as a core mission of the organization.

“Oman calls for an immediate ceasefire and cessation of hostilities in Gaza, Lebanon and the Red Sea region,” he said.

“We emphasize the need to address the root causes of these conflicts by ending the illegal Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories and achieving justice for the Palestinian people based on a two-state solution, leading to the establishment of an independent Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, along the 1967 borders,” he added.

“Oman stresses the necessity of granting Palestine full membership in the UN and ending the genocidal policies carried out by Israeli occupation forces against the Palestinian people, alleviating the humanitarian suffering they endure.”

Since last October, Israel has killed over 41,000 Palestinians in Gaza, and in the last week it has killed hundreds of Lebanese.

Al-Busaidi said Oman’s foreign policy is founded on dialogue and tolerance as a means to address all challenges and issues, based on mutual respect, cooperation and harmony among nations.

Domestically, he said Oman is working on building a sustainable and diversified economy, and fostering social development, including the empowerment of women and youth.

Al-Busaidi added that the country’s Vision 2040 will bring empowerment and prosperity to the different segments of Omani society.

He expressed Oman’s commitment to promoting “peaceful coexistence” and “respect,” and urging nations worldwide to fight “against all forms of discrimination, racism, hatred and violence.”


UN sends emergency food aid for one million Lebanese

UN sends emergency food aid for one million Lebanese
Updated 19 sec ago
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UN sends emergency food aid for one million Lebanese

UN sends emergency food aid for one million Lebanese

ROME: The World Food Programme on Sunday said it had launched an emergency operation to provide meals for one million people affected by the escalating conflict in Lebanon.
“A further acceleration of the conflict this weekend underscored the need for an immediate humanitarian response,” the Rome-based agency said in a statement, announcing that it was distributing ready-to-eat food rations, bread, hot meals and food parcels to shelters across the country.
Israel on Sunday said that it was carrying out new air strikes on dozens of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, two days after killing the Iran-backed group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in bombing raids outside Beirut.
His killing marked a sharp escalation in nearly a year of tit-for-tat cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah since the latter’s Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The bombing in Lebanon is “compounding the fragility of a population burdened by accumulated crises,” the WFP said.
“In just a few days, WFP assistance has reached thousands of newly displaced people,” the program’s country director for Lebanon, Matthew Hollingworth, said in the statement.
“As the crisis deepens, we are preparing to assist up to one million people through a mix of cash and food support,” he added, calling on the international community to mobilize $105 million to fund the operation through to the end of the year.
“Lebanon is at a breaking point and cannot endure another war,” said WFP regional director Corinne Fleischer.


Grad missile falls in desert area in Muwaqqar south of Amman

Grad missile falls in desert area in Muwaqqar south of Amman
Updated 4 min 33 sec ago
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Grad missile falls in desert area in Muwaqqar south of Amman

Grad missile falls in desert area in Muwaqqar south of Amman
  • The missile was likely fired at Israel by Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group

AMMAN: Jordan’s military says a Grad missile fired from Southern Lebanon fell in an open area without causing casualties or damage, state news agency PETRA reported on Sunday.

A military official of the Jordanian Armed Forces Saturday said the Grad missile fell in an uninhabited desert area in Muwaqqar south of Amman.
No damages or casualties were reported.
Security source added that the air defense systems "will deal with any activity of other missiles or drones trying to violate Jordanian airspace."
Jordan and Israel, which share borders, signed a peace treaty in 1994. The Western-allied Arab country also helped intercept missiles fired at Israel by Iran in April.
Jordan has been fiercely critical of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians and has repeatedly called for a ceasefire in Gaza. It has also said it will not allow its territory to become a battlefield as tensions mount between Israel and Iran.


Lebanon’s top Christian cleric calls for diplomacy following Nasrallah’s killing

Lebanon’s top Christian cleric calls for diplomacy following Nasrallah’s killing
Updated 18 min 47 sec ago
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Lebanon’s top Christian cleric calls for diplomacy following Nasrallah’s killing

Lebanon’s top Christian cleric calls for diplomacy following Nasrallah’s killing

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s top Christian cleric urged diplomacy in the conflict between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah, and said Israel’s killing of the group’s chief, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, had wounded the hearts of the Lebanese people.


What to know after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

What to know after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
Updated 41 min 53 sec ago
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What to know after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah

What to know after Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
  • It remains to be seen whether his death will be a trigger for an all-out war between the two sides
  • Iran is the main backer of Hezbollah and other anti-Israeli militant groups in the region

BEIRUT: Israel’s assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is a monumental and hugely demoralizing blow to the group he led for 32 years, marking a significant inflection point for Lebanon and the region.
Hezbollah’s announcement of his death Friday triggered tears and celebrations across the Arab world, pointing to the widespread reach and influence of a divisive man who has been at the forefront of Middle Eastern politics for decades.
The 64-year-old Nasrallah headed arguably the most powerful paramilitary force in the world — also a US-designated terror organization — that is now left without a clear successor at a critical juncture. It remains to be seen whether his death will be a trigger for an all-out war between the two sides that could potentially drag in Iran and the United States.
Here are some things to know about the situation:
Is it a decapitating blow?
Nasrallah’s assassination is a severe blow to the group, not a decapitating one. But analysts say Hezbollah will need some time to absorb the shock and recover.
“Nasrallah’s killing is a significant setback for Hezbollah, not only because of the pivotal role he played in Hezbollah’s strategy but also because his elimination reveals the extent of the group’s vulnerability vis-à-vis Israel,” said Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at Chatham House, an international affairs think tank.
“This will shake the confidence of Hezbollah’s Iran-backed allies across the Arab world, from the Houthis in Yemen to the Popular Mobilization Forces in Iraq, as well as Iran itself, sparking a tectonic shift in Iran’s network of influence in the Middle East,” she added.
It is not the first time Israel has killed a Hezbollah leader. Nasrallah took over from Abbas Mousawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack in 1992.
But Hezbollah today is very different from the ragtag organization it was in the ‘90s. In recent years, he has presided over an army-like group estimated to have tens of thousands of fighters and a sophisticated arsenal capable of reaching anywhere inside Israel.
It has become the chief part of a cluster of Iranian-backed factions and governments of the self-named “Axis of Resistance.”
“Hezbollah will not back down following the killing of its leader, as it will need to convey steadfastness in the face of Israel if it’s going to retain its credibility as the strongest ‘resistance’ actor in the region,” said Khatib.
Iran’s dilemma
In his first remarks Saturday following Nasrallah’s death, Iran’s supreme leader gave no indication of how Tehran will respond.
In a vague statement, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said, “all regional resistance forces” support and stand beside Hezbollah, but he did not elaborate.
Iran is the main backer of Hezbollah and other anti-Israeli militant groups in the region, but it has largely avoided clashing directly with Israel due to domestic considerations.
Hezbollah, however, is Iran’s chief ally and proxy group, and Tehran may have to respond to retain its credibility with its partners in the axis.
“Iran is very much in a policy dilemma right now,” said Firas Maksad, of the Middle East Institute. On one hand, clearly it very much has wanted to avoid an all-out and direct confrontation, given its long-standing preference for asymmetric warfare and using proxies.
“But on the other hand, a lack of a worthy response given the magnitude of the event will only encourage Israel to push deeper past Iran’s red lines,” he said. Not responding also sends a signal of weakness to its regional proxies.
Any direct Iranian involvement risks dragging Israel’s chief ally, the US, into the war, just over a month before the US elections and at a time Iran has signaled its interest in renewing negotiations with the US over its nuclear program.
Maksad said one possible scenario is a coordinated response from the entire axis. Whether that will be coupled with a direct response from Iran itself is an open question.
Who will succeed Nasrallah?
There is no one nearly as influential and respected among the group’s remaining leadership as Nasrallah.
The man widely regarded as his heir is Hashem Safieddine, a cousin of Nasrallah who oversees the group’s political affairs. It is not known if he survived Friday’s attack, and the Hezbollah statement announcing Nasrallah’s death Friday made no mention of a successor.
The group’s Shoura Council will have to meet in the coming days or weeks to choose its new leadership. Lebanese journalist and writer Maher Abi Nader said Safieddine or Nabil Kaouk, a member of the group’s executive council, were the likely successors.
Whoever ends up replacing Nasrallah in the current atmosphere will have to contend with a deeply weakened force facing growing anger and frustration on the home front.
In just over 10 days, the Iran-backed group has been hit by a series of devastating attacks that dealt a severe blow to its military structure and exposed deep intelligence failures.
Explosives hidden in the group’s pagers and walkie-talkies killed dozens of people and wounded thousands — many of them Hezbollah members. Israel has also rained down missiles on residential areas where the group has a strong presence, killing hundreds and displacing tens of thousands of people.
Nasrallah was regarded by supporters as a charismatic and shrewd leader. Despite being a divisive figure, he is credited with pushing Israeli forces from south Lebanon in 2000 following an 18-year occupation, as well as transforming the organization from a local militia to a major political player in Lebanon and a top armed force in the region.
He held tremendous sway over the group and the country’s Shiite community.
Orna Mizrahi, a senior researcher at the Tel Aviv-based think tank Institute for National Security Studies, noted that Nasrallah was sometimes a “voice of reason” who was interested in engaging Israel in a war of attrition, holding the militant group back from using the full force of their formidable arsenal against Israel.
Filling those shoes will be a tough act, analysts say.
Growing tensions in Lebanon
Any new Hezbollah leader will also have to contend with rising resentment and frustration among a significant section of the Lebanese population. For years, critics say, Hezbollah deprived Lebanon of its sovereignty by behaving as a state within a state and making unilateral decisions involving war and peace.
Many Christians and Sunnis, as well as a portion of the Shiite community, are opposed to the war and what they regard as Nasrallah’s unilateral decision to attack Israel in support of the Gaza front on Oct. 8, a day after the Hamas attack on Israel that ignited the war in the Palestinian territory.
Tensions are extremely high in tiny Lebanon, which is already drowning under the force of an economic meltdown and multiple other crises. A humanitarian crisis has rapidly unfolded with tens of thousands of people displaced, many of them sleeping in parks and makeshift shelters. Dozens of schools designated as sheltered became full within days.
The country is bankrupt and has been without a president and functioning government for two years. In the void, sectarian tensions and frustrations within the country could spiral into armed violence.
Maha Yahya, director of the Beirut-based Carnegie Middle East Center, said Hezbollah now has to contend with all of that as it struggles to regroup.
“And it will have to be more accommodating to Lebanon’s other political parties and communities,” she said.