Libya armed mobilization causes concern, UN says

Libya armed mobilization causes concern, UN says
A armed South African Police Services (SAPS) officer stands near the entrance to a farm where they detained ninety five Libyan nationals for receiving training at what authorities suspect to be a secret military camp in White River, Mpumalanga province on July 27, 2024.(AFP)
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Updated 23 August 2024
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Libya armed mobilization causes concern, UN says

Libya armed mobilization causes concern, UN says
  • Major fighting paused with a ceasefire in 2020 but efforts to end the political crisis have failed

TRIPOLI: The United Nations Libya mission said late on Thursday it was concerned about reports of forces mobilizing in Tripoli and threats of force to resolve a crisis over control of the central bank.
The mission’s deputy head, Stephanie Koury, told the UN Security Council on Monday that the political and military situations in Libya had deteriorated rapidly over the previous two months, including a series of mobilizations by armed factions.
“The display of military power and armed confrontations in densely populated neighborhoods is unacceptable and threatens the lives and security of civilians,” the mission said in its Thursday statement.
The latest round of tensions emerged after efforts by political factions to oust the Central Bank of Libya (CBL) head Sadiq Al-Kabir, with rival armed factions mobilizing on each side. Libya, a major oil producer on the Mediterranean, has had little stability since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising. The country split in 2014 between warring eastern and western factions, eventually drawing in Russian and Turkish backing.
Major fighting paused with a ceasefire in 2020 but efforts to end the political crisis have failed, leaving major factions in place, occasionally joining in armed clashes, and competing for control over Libya’s substantial economic resources.
The country’s political leaders are drawn from bodies elected a decade or more ago, or installed during periodic international peacemaking efforts to oversee repeated failed transitions. Diplomacy aimed at national elections to replace all Libya’s political bodies has stalled.
Eastern Libya, where the parliament sits, is controlled by commander Khalifa Haftar’s Libyan National Army (LNA).
Tripoli and the northwest, where the internationally recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) and most major state institutions are based, is home to rival armed factions that have repeatedly fought. In late July and early August rival groups in northwest Libya mobilized against each other, while the LNA moved a force into southwest Libya, prompting fears of east-west fighting.
Meanwhile there is stalemate in the High State Council, one of the internationally recognized legislative bodies, after a contested vote over its leadership. The eastern-based House of Representatives parliament has also renewed calls to unseat the GNU and Presidency Council.
Tensions over control of the central bank were increased after Presidency Council head Mohammed Al-Menfi issued a decision to replace Kabir and the board, a move rejected by the parliament.


Israeli tanks enter Khiam outskirts in deep south Lebanon incursion

Israeli tanks enter Khiam outskirts in deep south Lebanon incursion
Updated 16 sec ago
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Israeli tanks enter Khiam outskirts in deep south Lebanon incursion

Israeli tanks enter Khiam outskirts in deep south Lebanon incursion
  • NNA reported the entry of ‘a large number of tanks belonging to the Israeli occupation army’ into the eastern outskirts of Khiam
  • Hezbollah said it destroyed two tanks using guided missiles and targeted Israeli troops south and southwest of Khiam
BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanese state media said Tuesday that Israeli tanks entered the outskirts of the village of Khiam, their deepest incursion yet into south Lebanon in a ground operation launched last month.
The official National News Agency reported the entry of “a large number of tanks belonging to the Israeli occupation army” into the eastern outskirts of Khiam, some six kilometers (nearly four miles) from the border with Israel.
Hezbollah said it destroyed two tanks using guided missiles and targeted Israeli troops south and southwest of Khiam with rockets and artillery.
Lebanon’s National News Agency said Israeli forces carried out a series of air attacks on Khiam later on Tuesday and launched a large-scale sweep “using heavy and medium weaponry.”
Iran-backed Hezbollah, which named deputy chief Naim Qassem as its new leader on Tuesday, has been battling Israeli forces in Lebanese border villages since the ground invasion began on September 30.
According to an AFP count based on Lebanese health ministry figures, 1,754 people have been killed nationwide since intensive Israeli strikes on Lebanon began.
Hezbollah claims that Israeli forces are yet to assert full control over any village in Lebanon, weeks into the invasion, amid repeated operations to repel Israeli attempts at infiltration.
The large town of Khiam holds symbolic significance.
It was home to a notorious prison run by the South Lebanon Army, an Israeli proxy militia, during Israel’s occupation of south Lebanon.
Israeli troops withdrew from the region in 2000 after 22 years.

Turkiye to pursue campaign against Kurdish group in Iraq, Syria

Turkiye to pursue campaign against Kurdish group in Iraq, Syria
Updated 29 October 2024
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Turkiye to pursue campaign against Kurdish group in Iraq, Syria

Turkiye to pursue campaign against Kurdish group in Iraq, Syria
  • Recep Tayip Erdogan: ‘We are preventing the terrorists who live on our borders from breathing’
  • Erdogan dubbed last Wednesday’s attack as 'the last efforts' of the separatist organization

ISTANBUL: Turkiye will continue its military operations in northern Iraq and Syria against Kurdish PKK rebels so as to “eliminate” their threat, President Recep Tayip Erdogan promised on Tuesday.
“We are preventing the terrorists who live on our borders from breathing,” said Erdogan.
“Until the establishment of a country and a region without terror, we will continue this combat in several dimensions,” the president insisted as he cited the ongoing operations.
The Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) claimed it was behind last week’s attack on the headquarters of Turkiye’s state-owned defense firm in Ankara, which killed five people and wounded 22.
“Where we detect a threat to our country, both within and outside our borders, nobody can prevent us from eliminating it,” Erdogan continued in an address to mark the 101st anniversary of the Turkish republic, saying he would stop at nothing to do so and “end terrorism.”
The PKK, which has waged an on-off insurgency against the Turkish state since 1984, is designated as a terror group by Turkiye and its Western allies.
Turkiye has been accused of targeting Kurdish civilians in cross-border strikes, a charge the army denies.
Erdogan dubbed last Wednesday’s attack as “the last efforts” of the separatist organization.
“We are now able to develop the weapons we need in the fight against terror and we do not require anyone’s permission,” Erdogan added.
The head of state said that Turkiye was in the process of equipping itself with “an iron dome” anti-aircraft defense system similar to one which Israel has, “but made of steel.”
He added that Turkiye had also become “the world’s largest manufacturer of drones” and that “since 2018, 65 percent of the sales of armed drones in the world have been made by Turkish companies.”


Israel escalates attacks as it promises to target new Hezbollah chief

Israel escalates attacks as it promises to target new Hezbollah chief
Updated 29 October 2024
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Israel escalates attacks as it promises to target new Hezbollah chief

Israel escalates attacks as it promises to target new Hezbollah chief
  • Israel intensified its reconnaissance aircraft operations in the airspace over Beirut and its southern suburbs at low altitude
  • Airstrikes devastate town of Jbaa, 12 residential buildings destroyed

BEIRUT: Iran-backed Hezbollah announced on Tuesday the election of Sheikh Naim Qassem as its new secretary-general. He succeeds Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting his headquarters in Haret Hreik, a suburb of southern Beirut, on Sept. 27.

Confrontations between Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers have escalated along the border between Lebanon and Israel, particularly in the town of Khiam, with numerous casualties resulting from intensive raids across the south and Bekaa.

Following the announcement of Qassem’s election, Israel intensified its reconnaissance aircraft operations in the airspace over Beirut and its southern suburbs at low altitude.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant posted a picture of Qassem on his X account, and wrote: “The countdown to his appointment has begun.”

Israeli Minister of Energy Eli Cohen said: “Anyone who leads Hezbollah is a target for assassination.”

Israel targeted Nasrallah’s potential successor, Hashem Safieddine, in raids on the Al-Mareija area of the southern suburbs of Beirut on Oct. 4.

Qassem has been Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general since 1991, and was born in 1953 in Beirut’s Basta Tahta district.

Qassem affirmed that “Lebanon cannot be separated from Palestine” following the assassination of Nasrallah.

He added: “We do not have any vacant positions within Hezbollah following the Israeli assassinations.”

Qassem also said that “the resistance will never be defeated because they’re the ones that own the land, and because they will fight and die in dignity.”

A political observer said that Qassem’s appointment had “significant connotations, especially in that Hezbollah was able to restore its structure and fill vacant positions following Israel’s painful strikes on its leadership.”

He added: “Qassem’s appointment is due to the fact that he has been present during Hezbollah’s key periods, from its inception until today.”

On behalf of the parliamentary bloc, Hezbollah deputy Ali Fayyad said: “Hezbollah is still fully able to confront Israeli aggression,” adding that “the militant party obliged the Israeli army to withdraw from some of the areas it invaded.”

In the south, fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers escalated around Khiam, which has been subjected to heavy artillery shelling.

Hezbollah said it had trapped Israeli soldiers during the confrontations, which also included heavy machine gun fire. Many Israeli drones were seen hovering over the area.

Israeli army vehicles, including two tanks and a bulldozer, reached the eastern edge of Khiam.

Israel also reportedly raided Chaqra, Majdal Selem, Yohmor, Chahabiya, Toulin, Baraachit, Archaf, Haddatha, the area between Majdal Zoun and Chihine, Kafra, and Deir Al-Zahrani.

The Israeli army issued new evacuation warnings to the residents of villages located south of the Litani River, instructing them to leave immediately and head north to the Awali River.

The town of Jbaa was targeted with nine raids which destroyed at least 12 residential buildings in less than an hour.

Residents said that “seismic missiles were used, turning neighborhoods and houses into rubble.”

The missiles destroyed the vicinity housing buildings responsible for General Security, Civil Status and the Lebanese Civil Defense, as well as the public square.

The Israeli army on Monday targeted more than 100 streets in Tyre. Entire neighborhoods were destroyed and seven people killed and 17 injured.

The following day an Israeli warplane attacked a location in Tyre where the funerals of paramedics from the Islamic Health Organization were taking place, resulting in further paramedics being wounded.

Some 30 airstrikes on Monday and Tuesday hit civilian homes, leaving 63 dead and dozens injured. The attacks destroyed entire neighborhoods in Jbaa.

Further Israeli airstrikes on Bekaa targeted 14 towns on the eastern and western mountain ranges. Israel resumed its attacks on Tuesday, targeting towns in the central Bekaa.

A missile also targeted the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, resulting in injuries to peacekeeping soldiers from the Austrian contingent.

The Austrian Ministry of Defense said that “eight Austrian soldiers from the UNIFIL forces were injured in a missile attack on Naqoura, with no serious injuries reported.” It added that “the source of the attack is currently unclear.”

Despite coordination with UNIFIL, the Lebanese Red Cross said that the Israeli army had targeted its teams “while they were heading to rescue individuals injured in a morning shelling in one of the towns of the Tyre district, despite prior coordination.”


Hezbollah elects Naim Qassem to succeed slain head Nasrallah

Hezbollah elects Naim Qassem to succeed slain head Nasrallah
Updated 29 October 2024
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Hezbollah elects Naim Qassem to succeed slain head Nasrallah

Hezbollah elects Naim Qassem to succeed slain head Nasrallah
  • Shoura Council says had elected Qassem, 71, in accordance with its established mechanism for choosing a secretary general
  • Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air attack on Beirut’s southern suburb over a month ago

BEIRUT: Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had elected deputy head Naim Qassem to succeed Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air attack on Beirut’s southern suburb over a month ago.
The group said in a written statement that its Shoura Council had elected Qassem, 71, in accordance with its established mechanism for choosing a secretary general.
He was appointed as Hezbollah’s deputy chief in 1991 by the armed group’s then-secretary general Abbas Al-Musawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack the following year.
Qassem remained in his role when Nasrallah became leader, and has long been one of Hezbollah’s leading spokesmen, conducting interviews with foreign media, including as cross-border hostilities with Israel raged over the last year.
Nasrallah was killed on Sept. 27, and senior Hezbollah figure Hashem Safieddine — considered the most likely successor — was killed in Israeli strikes a week later.
Since Nasrallah’s killing, Qassem has given three televised addresses, including one on Oct. 8 in which he said the armed group supported efforts to reach a ceasefire for Lebanon.
He is considered by many in Lebanon to lack the charisma and gravitas of Nasrallah.
The Israeli government’s official Arabic account on X posted, “His tenure in this position may be the shortest in the history of this terrorist organization if he follows in the footsteps of his predecessors Hassan Nasrallah and Hashem Safieddine.”
“There is no solution in Lebanon except to dismantle this organization as a military force,” it wrote.


Pope Francis greets delegation from UAE’s Abrahamic Family House at the Vatican

Pope Francis greets delegation from UAE’s Abrahamic Family House at the Vatican
Updated 29 October 2024
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Pope Francis greets delegation from UAE’s Abrahamic Family House at the Vatican

Pope Francis greets delegation from UAE’s Abrahamic Family House at the Vatican
  • The interfaith center in Abu Dhabi opened in 2023 and includes a church, a mosque and a synagogue
  • Its mission is rooted in the Document on Human Fraternity, a 2019 declaration signed by the pope and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayeb

VATICAN CITY: Pope Francis welcomed representatives of the Abrahamic Family House in the UAE to a private audience at the Vatican on Monday, during which they reiterated their shared commitment to the promotion of interfaith dialogue and fraternity.

The Emirati delegation was led by Mohammed Khalifa Al-Mubarak, president of the interfaith center that is located in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District. It officially opened in February 2023 and includes the St. Francis Church, Ahmed El-Tayeb Mosque and Moses Ben Maimon Synagogue.

Al-Mubarak presented the pope with a model of the three houses of worship in recognition of the pontiff’s leadership in efforts to advance peaceful coexistence and understanding between faiths.

“The Abrahamic Family House embodies the UAE’s enduring principles of mutual respect, interfaith understanding and harmony,” Al-Mubarak said.

“Our ongoing partnership with the Holy See signifies a profound commitment to His Holiness in nurturing a global community anchored in human fraternity and peaceful coexistence.”

The Emirati delegation was led by Mohammed Khalifa Al-Mubarak, president of the interfaith center that is located in Abu Dhabi’s Saadiyat Cultural District. (Supplied)

The mission of the Abrahamic Family House is rooted in the Document on Human Fraternity, a landmark declaration of peace and mutual respect signed in 2019 by Pope Francis and Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Ahmed El-Tayeb.

Since opening last year, St. Francis Church has played an active role in interfaith engagement, welcoming more than 130,000 worshippers to services and hosting more than 100 community events, including concerts by groups such as the Sistine Chapel Choir and the Little Singers of Paris.

The church was named in honor of St. Francis of Assisi, whose dedication to peace and compassion in the 13th century continues to inspire efforts to achieve global unity, officials said.

Pope Francis thanked his visitors for their devotion to the aims of the Document on Human Fraternity and its vision for a world in which peace and mutual respect are paramount.

Representatives of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Interreligious Dialogue also attended the meeting, officials said, reflecting its commitment to fostering collaborations between faiths.