Lebanon faces food-security crisis if war escalates, economy minister warns

Lebanon faces food-security crisis if war escalates, economy minister warns
An armored vehicle of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) patrols the southern Lebanese border area of Marjayoun on August 8, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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Updated 09 August 2024
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Lebanon faces food-security crisis if war escalates, economy minister warns

Lebanon faces food-security crisis if war escalates, economy minister warns
  • Several injuries reported as cross-border fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli military continues
  • Hezbollah MP attempts to reassure citizens, says ‘we are acting in the interest of our people and our homeland, which we do not compromise in any way’

BEIRUT: The Lebanese government is continuing its preparations for a possible expansion of the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, as Air France on Thursday extended its suspension of flights between Paris and Beirut until at least Sunday “due to the security situation” in Lebanon.
Tensions have continued to soar in the past week, as Iran and its allies vowed to take revenge for the high-profile killings of Fuad Shukr, Hezbollah’s top military commander, in Lebanon and Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Hamas, in Iran. Israel is accused of carrying out both assassinations.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah forces have continued to exchange fire with the Israeli military on a near-daily basis across the border between their countries.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry has repeated the call by its embassy in Lebanon for all German nationals to “immediately leave” the country “due to the increasing risk of military escalation in the region.”
Amin Salam, the Lebanese economy minister, said the conflict presents a significant challenge for the government. He stressed the need to ensure food security and maintain the supply of commodities and raw materials in a country that “imports 90 percent of its needs and produces only 10 percent,” and said the Ministry of Economy has been in a state of emergency for three years.
“We must reassure people regarding food security as we are constantly dealing with the crisis, and with traders and citizens exploiting the situation,” he added.
“A part of the private sector has saved the country from total collapse, while another part — a large percentage — exploits people’s fear and concerns about the future and the lack of commodities and food in case a war breaks out.”
Regarding levels of food security and strategic stocks of commodities and raw materials, Salam said unions report that “available food items and raw materials can suffice for three months.” More shipments are on their way to Beirut, he added.
“They will arrive during the upcoming weeks and can cover two additional months, meaning we have enough food items and commodities for five months.
“Israel’s targeting of the Lebanese economy is systematic through the destruction of the agricultural sector and the burning of Lebanese soil. Agriculture provided a portion of the country’s foreign currencies through exports.”
The damage to the agricultural sector has cost the country billions of dollars, Salam said.
He added that “internal and external” media outlets have sounded alarms warning that Lebanon’s only airport, Rafic Hariri International, might be targeted.
“This was a blow to the tourism sector, as it led expatriates and tourists to leave Lebanon while reservations were canceled,” he said.
Meanwhile, a car on a road connecting the towns of Yarine and Jebbayn was attacked by an Israeli combat drone on Thursday. Three people were injured, according to the Ministry of Health’s emergency operations center.
On Wednesday night, the Israeli army advanced north in the area south of the Litani River and for the first time carried out a raid in the town of Doueir, destroying an uninhabited house belonging to the Rammal family.
And Israeli warplanes attacked the outskirts of the town of Mansouri in Tyre district, causing severe damage to property, crops and infrastructure.
In an attempt to reassure Lebanese concerned about the possibility of the conflict escalating into a wider war, Hezbollah MP Ali Fayyad said that the party “takes into account the unique characteristics of Lebanon and the highest national interests, as well as the interests of our people.
“Therefore, while we are determined not to allow the enemy to breach the rules, no matter the cost or how far the confrontation may go, we are acting in the interest of our people and our homeland, which we do not compromise in any way.”
He continued: “Those who want to stop the state of collapse, and this volatile situation that is sweeping the entire region, must pressure the Israeli enemy to stop its aggression against Gaza.
“But how can we understand the calls for a ceasefire or prevent escalation if these parties continue to supply the enemy with the latest missiles, aircraft artillery, and other weapons from their arsenals?”
His comments came as Hezbollah responded to Israeli assaults with a drone attack that targeted Israeli soldiers at Al-Marj military site. The party said “it achieved a direct hit, inflicting confirmed injuries.”
Elsewhere, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a message posted on social media platform X: “Air Force warplanes destroyed several Hezbollah infrastructures in Bint Jbeil, Majdal Zoun and Doueir.”
As part of diplomatic efforts by government officials from Lebanon and other countries with influence on the combatants to avoid further escalation of the conflict, Abdullah Bou Habib, the caretaker foreign minister, received a phone call from his Norwegian counterpart, Espen Barth Eide.
The former’s media office said that Eide offered reassurance that Norway “is committed to working with all relevant parties to de-escalate tensions and prevent further conflict,” and that “prioritizing the interests of the Palestinians and achieving a ceasefire in Gaza necessitates avoiding the ignition of war in the region.” Eide also “reaffirmed that Norway, which places great importance on Lebanon, does not want it to become a victim of a new wave of escalation and wars in the region.”
Bou Habib said: “The Israeli escalation aims to disrupt the initiative launched by US President Joe Biden to reach a ceasefire in Gaza.”
He denounced “Israel’s deliberate targeting of civilians in its attacks on Lebanon, in flagrant violation of the principles of international law,” and called for the full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2735, which was adopted on June 10 and calls for a ceasefire agreement in the war between Israel and Hamas.

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US sanctions Lebanese network over alleged oil, LPG smuggling for Hezbollah

Updated 3 sec ago
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US sanctions Lebanese network over alleged oil, LPG smuggling for Hezbollah

US sanctions Lebanese network over alleged oil, LPG smuggling for Hezbollah
The sanctions target three people, five companies and two vessels that the US Treasury Department said were overseen by a senior leader of Hezbollah’s finance team

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration on Wednesday issued sanctions on a Lebanese network it accused of smuggling oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) to help fund the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.
The sanctions target three people, five companies and two vessels that the US Treasury Department said were overseen by a senior leader of Hezbollah’s finance team and used profits from illicit LPG shipments to Syria to aid generate revenue for the group.
Acting Under Secretary of the Treasury for Terrorism and Financial Intelligence Bradley Smith, in a statement, said Hezbollah “continues to launch rockets into Israel and fuel regional instability, choosing to prioritize funding violence over taking care of the people it claims to care about, including the tens of thousands displaced in southern Lebanon.”

Egypt urges robust efforts to bolster Palestinian hopes for self-determination

Egypt urges robust efforts to bolster Palestinian hopes for self-determination
Updated 11 September 2024
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Egypt urges robust efforts to bolster Palestinian hopes for self-determination

Egypt urges robust efforts to bolster Palestinian hopes for self-determination
  • Deadly bombardment of Gaza humanitarian zone in Al-Mawasi, Khan Younis, draws widespread condemnation
  • Tor Wennesland, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process since 2021, also condemned the strike on Al-Mawasi

CAIRO: An Israeli strike on a crowded tent camp housing Palestinians displaced by the war in Gaza prompted condemnations on Wednesday from across the region and beyond.

The strike hit Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip, which Israel had designated as a humanitarian zone early in the war.

Egypt condemned the bombardment in the strongest terms.

A statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates also called for “intensifying efforts to restore hope to the Palestinian people in achieving self-determination and regaining their freedom.”

Al-Mawasi has been turned into the main displacement and refuge area for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians, who have been ordered by the Israeli military to leave their homes.

The Egyptian statement denounced the “continued Israeli massacres against civilians in the Gaza Strip in the absence of any effective international action to put an end to such human suffering.”

It said Israeli actions “challenge the credibility of all humanitarian standards and values and constitute a violation of the most basic rules of international humanitarian law and human rights.”

It also said Egypt “considers that the continuation of these crimes and the disregard for the lives of innocents and civilians has become a threat to regional and international peace and security and calls on all global stakeholders to shun the policy of double standards and assume their humanitarian and moral responsibilities to halt this human tragedy immediately.”

The statement said Egypt “reminds all parties that putting an end to the suffering of the Palestinian people in a just manner and restoring regional security and stability will not only be achieved by reaching a full ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but also by achieving a just and lasting settlement to this conflict — the sole foundation of which is the two-state solution based on the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the June 4, 1967 lines with East Jerusalem as its capital.”

Tor Wennesland, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process since 2021, also condemned the strike, saying international humanitarian law “must be upheld at all times.”


Israel says soldier killed in West Bank truck-ramming attack

Israel says soldier killed in West Bank truck-ramming attack
Updated 11 September 2024
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Israel says soldier killed in West Bank truck-ramming attack

Israel says soldier killed in West Bank truck-ramming attack
  • The suspected assailant was “neutralized” by Israeli forces “and an armed civilian” at the scene of the attack
  • It later identified the dead soldier as 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Geri Gideon Hanghal

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said a soldier was killed Wednesday when the driver of “a Palestinian truck” rammed into “forces conducting operational activity” in the occupied West Bank.
The suspected assailant was “neutralized” by Israeli forces “and an armed civilian” at the scene of the attack near the Jewish settlement of Givat Assaf, north of Ramallah, an army statement said.
It later identified the dead soldier as 24-year-old Staff Sergeant Geri Gideon Hanghal.
The West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967 and is separated from the Gaza Strip by Israeli territory, has seen a surge of violence during nearly a year of the Israel-Hamas war, though Palestinian car-ramming attacks have been rare.
The latest incident comes days after a Jordanian truck driver shot dead three Israeli guards at a West Bank crossing with Jordan.
Since Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel triggered the war in Gaza, Israeli troops or settlers have killed at least 662 Palestinians in the West Bank, according to the Palestinian health ministry.
At least 24 Israelis, including security forces, have been killed in Palestinian attacks during the same period, according to Israeli officials.
The West Bank is home to some three million Palestinians as well as 490,000 Israelis who live in settlements that are illegal under international law.


Israeli strikes terrorize Lebanese in southern border towns

Israeli strikes terrorize Lebanese in southern border towns
Updated 11 September 2024
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Israeli strikes terrorize Lebanese in southern border towns

Israeli strikes terrorize Lebanese in southern border towns
  • Border area witnessed reciprocated strikes, which residents described as some of the most intense operations since the mobilization of the southern front around a year ago
  • Israeli warplanes carried out more than 15 airstrikes that targeted the forested area and orchards between the outskirts of the towns of Zibqin and Qlaileh, creating a belt of fire

BEIRUT: An Israeli combat drone on Wednesday targeted a motorcycle in the border town of Mays Al-Jabal, killing its rider, a Hezbollah member, and wounding another.

Hostilities between the Israeli army and Hezbollah intensified after the attack.

Throughout Tuesday night, the border area witnessed reciprocated strikes, which residents described as some of the most intense operations since the mobilization of the southern front around a year ago.

The escalation coincided with the arrival in Beirut of Josep Borrell Fontelles, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.

The border situation is expected to be high on the agenda during his meetings with Lebanese officials.

At dawn, Israeli warplanes carried out more than 15 airstrikes that targeted the forested area and orchards between the outskirts of the towns of Zibqin and Qlaileh, creating a belt of fire.

Video footage revealed the screams of children inside houses and the prayers of the elderly amid the earth-shattering explosions nearby.

Israeli warplanes also raided the outskirts of the towns of Yater and Rashaya Al-Fakhar, the orchards and valleys near the towns of Qlaileh, Zibqin, Al-Ḥaniyya, Majdal Zoun and Tayr Harfa, and the outskirts of the towns of Deir Seryan and Zawtar Al-Charkieh. The warplanes also carried out a raid on Naqoura.

Two Israeli drones exploded in the park of the village of Maroun Al-Ras, causing damages to facilities.

The Israeli army spokesman announced that it “targeted in four different areas in southern Lebanon about 30 Hezbollah rocket launchers and military structures that posed a threat to the citizens of Israel.” Their forces also targeted the Dhayra area in southern Lebanon with artillery shells.

The missile attacks raised questions about why Israel has been targeting the valleys daily for about two weeks.

Political analyst Ali Amin told Arab News that “despite the Israeli army facing challenges in its conflict with Hezbollah, it appears to be preparing for a prolonged war. It (the Israeli army) previously revealed the mobilization of the Mountain Brigade and plans to sever the eastern and western (mountain) ranges from southern Lebanon.”

Al-Amin, a resident of the border area, said: “The forested areas that have been bombed for two weeks are known to be off-limits to ordinary people and contain Hezbollah military bases, making it almost impossible to move around in them.

“Israel, following the severance of technological communication between the party’s (Hezbollah) members and its leadership, is actively working to fragment the southern region and place it under constant surveillance.”

He said that an increased level of shelling in forests and valleys, along with the failure to protect civilians in targeting Hezbollah, signaled a heightened risk.

It underscored, he added, the necessity of not assuming that Israel would refrain from targeting civilians in its bombardment of the south.

“This escalation may represent a new phase in the war, which is nearing its first anniversary.”

On Aug. 25, Israel targeted forested areas and valleys in the regions of Iqlim Al-Tuffah, Kunin, Zawtar, Rachaf, Deir Siriane, Chamaa, Rihan, Kfar Melki, Beit Yahoun, Ain Qana, Zebqin, Hadatha, and other villages, coinciding with Hezbollah’s response to the assassination of its military leader, Fuad Shukr.

At that time, it claimed to have “thwarted Hezbollah’s retaliation by bombing 6,000 rocket launchers in southern Lebanon.”

On Aug. 30, similar Israeli attacks were recorded on Majdal Zun, Al-Jabeen, Sheheen, Alma Al-Shaab, Hamoul, Wadi Hassan, and Naqoura.

On Sept. 4, Israeli aircraft launched 14 raids on launch pads in Al-Jabeen, Zawtar El-Charkieh, and Ramya.

On Sept. 6 and 7, Israeli warplanes carried out more than 20 raids on forested areas in Srifa, Froun, Al-Ghandouriya, Yater, Qabrikha, and Ainata.

The Israeli army’s radio confirmed on Wednesday that “the military targeted Hezbollah positions and the air force destroyed approximately 25 rocket launch sites.”

The Hezbollah member killed was Hani Ezzeddine, born in 2001, from the town of Deir Qanoun En Nahr in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah targeted “a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the vicinity of Al-Raheb site with missile weapons,” as well as “the site of Rweizat Al-Qarn and the Zabdine barracks in the occupied Lebanese Shebaa Farms.” It confirmed that there were casualties.

Hezbollah said that it successfully struck a “bunker where enemy soldiers were positioned at the Al-Matala site using appropriate weaponry.”

The Israeli military operations on Tuesday advanced deep into the southern region and the western Bekaa, reaching more than 30 km, into some of the targeted towns from the border.


US military says it destroyed 5 Houthi drones and 2 missile systems

US military says it destroyed 5 Houthi drones and 2 missile systems
Updated 11 September 2024
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US military says it destroyed 5 Houthi drones and 2 missile systems

US military says it destroyed 5 Houthi drones and 2 missile systems
  • Houthis reported that US and UK warplanes had struck an area under their control in the southern province of Taiz
  • Minister blames international community’s inaction for escalating militia crackdown on civil, humanitarian society in Yemen

AL-MUKALLA: The US military said on Wednesday that it had destroyed several Houthi drones and missile systems that were threatening international shipping lanes off Yemen as the Houthis reported that US and UK warplanes had struck an area under their control in the southern province of Taiz.

The US Central Command said that over the last 24 hours, its forces destroyed five Houthi drones and two missile systems in Houthi-controlled Yemeni areas that “presented a clear and imminent” threat to international and US and allies’ ships in the region.

The Houthis reported on Wednesday new strikes on Taiz for the second day in a row, with two airstrikes by US and UK aircraft on unidentified targets in the province’s Al-Kamp region.

Since Sunday, Houthi media has reported daily airstrikes by the two nations on Hodeidah, Ibb, and other Yemeni locations.

The Houthis said on Tuesday that two students were killed and at least 10 were injured in a stampede at a school in Al-Janad, Taiz province, caused by large explosions from a location targeted by US and UK warplanes.

In response to the Houthi attacks on ships that began in November, the US formed a coalition of marine task forces to protect ships, designated the Houthi militia as a terrorist organization, and launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, including military bases where drones and missiles were being assembled and coastal areas where drone boats were being prepared to attack ships.

The Houthis claim that their campaign, which has targeted over 100 commercial and naval ships over the last 10 months, is intended to force Israel to end its war in the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

This comes as Yemen’s Minister of Information Muammar Al-Eryani has reiterated his calls for tougher international action to punish the Houthis for abducting dozens of Yemenis with international organizations as well as the militia’s violations of human rights.

During the last three months, the Houthis have abducted at least 70 Yemenis working for UN agencies, international aid and humanitarian organizations, and foreign missions in Yemen, accusing them of using their positions with those organizations to spy for the US and Israel.

In a lengthy post on X on Tuesday to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Houthi abduction of workers, the Yemeni minister blamed the international community’s inaction for the escalating Houthi crackdown on civil and humanitarian society in Yemen, noting that the world had long “turned a blind eye” to the Houthis’ violations that preceded their latest crackdown.

“The terrorist Houthi militia considered the hesitant international positions a green light to escalate its repressive measures against international and humanitarian organizations operating in the areas under its control, and the local employees working there, without any regard for the disastrous effects of these practices on the difficult economic and humanitarian conditions in the areas under its control,” Al-Eryani said.

He also reiterated his government’s call for international organizations, including UN agencies, to relocate offices to Aden, the country’s interim capital, to protect workers from Houthi repression.