The roadblocks slowing ICC prosecutor’s pursuit of justice for Israel-Hamas war crimes 

Special The roadblocks slowing ICC prosecutor’s pursuit of justice for Israel-Hamas war crimes 
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Since the Israeli assault began on Gaza, more than 40,100 Palestinians have been killed. ICC judges have been asked to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. (AFP)
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Updated 29 August 2024
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The roadblocks slowing ICC prosecutor’s pursuit of justice for Israel-Hamas war crimes 

The roadblocks slowing ICC prosecutor’s pursuit of justice for Israel-Hamas war crimes 
  • ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has asserted the court’s jurisdiction over war crimes charges against Israeli and Hamas leaders
  • Numerous legal submissions, including from governments, have challenged the ICC’s authority, delaying the court’s ruling

LONDON: Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, has urged judges to reject legal challenges disputing the court’s power to issue arrest warrants for Israeli nationals, confirming the warrants are well within the ICC’s purview.

Khan applied for warrants in May for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders — Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh, and Mohammed Deif — on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.




Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. (AFP/File)

Haniyeh has since been killed in a suspected Israeli strike in Tehran, while unconfirmed reports suggest Deif was killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza. Sinwar, meanwhile, has been appointed as the militant group’s new political chief.

“It is settled law that the court has jurisdiction in this situation,” Khan wrote in court filings made public on Aug. 23, dismissing legal arguments filed by over 60 governments, organizations and individuals opposing the warrants.

The court’s Pre-trial Chamber was expected to issue a ruling on the warrants by the end of July, but the many submissions have slowed the process. Khan warned that “any unjustified delay in these proceedings detrimentally affects the rights of victims.”




Yemenis lift a large portrait of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh during a rally in Sanaa in support of the Palestinians. Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, presumably by Israelis. (AFP)

Khan requested the arrest warrants to hold accountable those who are alleged to have committed war crimes and crimes against humanity during the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel and Israel’s retaliatory operation in the Gaza Strip.

However, in early June, the UK government requested permission to file an “amicus curiae” brief on whether a provision of the 1993 Oslo Accords peace deal could overrule the ICC’s jurisdiction over Israeli nationals.




On September 28, 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin (2nd-L) and PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat (2nd-R) signed a Palestinian autonomy accord in the West Bank in what has become known as the Oslo Accord. (AFP/File)

As part of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority agreed it does not have criminal jurisdiction over Israeli nationals. In his 49-page legal brief, Khan said the chamber considered the observations on the Oslo Accords to be an issue of “potential relevance.”

Other governments, including Germany, followed suit, with several also arguing the ICC should wait for Israel to conclude its own internal investigation into the allegations.

In his Aug. 23 legal brief, Khan rejected Israel’s claim that it is carrying out its own investigation into alleged war crimes. He argued that “the available information does not show that Israel is investigating substantially the same conduct as the ICC.




Several governments have pushed for the ICC to wait for Israel to conclude its own internal investigation into war crimes charges raised before the court. (Supplied)

Having initially led the charge against the ICC’s arrest warrants under its previous Conservative administration, Britain’s new Labour government dropped the Oslo challenge in late July, despite pressure from the US and Israel, neither of which is a signatory to the ICC.

Kenneth Roth, the former executive director of Human Rights Watch, says the right of Palestinians to prosecute war crimes against them “cannot be negotiated away.”

He said a ruling in July by the International Court of Justice, which deemed Israel’s occupation and annexation of the Palestinian territories to be illegal, addressed the argument as to whether the Oslo Accords mean the Palestinians have waived their rights.




A general view shows the land of the Palestinian Kisiya family in the Al-Makhrour area of Beit Jala in Bethlehem, which was seized by Jewish landgrabbers, reportedly aided by Israeli authorities. (AFP)

“It cited Article 47 of the Fourth Geneva Convention, which says negotiations between occupier and occupied cannot deprive people of rights under the convention — a wise precaution given inherent power imbalances,” Roth told Arab News.

“The court was addressing the issue of Israel’s illegal settlements, but the same logic applies to Palestinians’ right to prosecute war crimes. That is not a right that can be negotiated away, meaning that the recognized state of Palestine has the right to confer that jurisdiction as needed to the International Criminal Court.”

Hamas led a surprise cross-border attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, killing at least 1,100 people and taking a further 250 hostage — most of them civilians. Israel retaliated with a bombing campaign and ground offensive against the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.




Family members and supporters of hostages who were kidnapped by Hamas militants during their deadly attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, have been holding continuous protest actions in an effort to bring back the hostages. (REUTERS)

Since the Israeli operation began, at least 40,400 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza’s health ministry, civilian infrastructure has been reduced to rubble, and more than 90 percent of the enclave’s population has been displaced.

Israel, which launched its Gaza mission in the wake of the Oct. 7 attack with the stated aim of destroying Hamas and other militant groups, insists it does not target civilians, instead accusing Palestinian militants of using civilians as human shields.

Commenting on the other legal challenge being brought against the ICC, Roth criticized the German government’s argument that the court should wait for Israel to end its operation in Gaza before pursuing arrest warrants




Palestinians bury their dead at a cemetery in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, in this picture taken on February 21, 2024. Continuing Israeli strikes have killed at more than 40,400 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023. (AFP Photo/File)

“The German government has gone so far as to claim that the ICC should not prosecute any Israeli while the war in Gaza continues because it is too difficult for Israeli prosecutors to work right now,” he said.

“That is an argument that Germany notably did not make when Putin was charged,” he added, drawing a comparison with attitudes to the arrest warrant issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin for the alleged abduction of Ukrainian children.

“More to the point, it is wrong. Military prosecutors (around) the world operate during wars.”

For Roth, waiting until the fighting has ended would only encourage further human rights violations. “No one believes that the prosecution of war crimes should wait until all fighting ceases,” he said. “That would only encourage more war crimes.”




Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. (AFP)

He added: “In any event, Israeli prosecutors have been on notice for months that Netanyahu and Gallant were being investigated for their starvation strategy in Gaza, but there has been no public notice of any Israeli investigation of them.

“That is consistent with the longstanding Israeli practice of never prosecuting senior Israeli officials.”

The arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant specifically allege the two Israeli ministers bear responsibility for “starving civilians as a method of warfare” in the Gaza Strip by obstructing the delivery of humanitarian relief.




Infographic showing the drastic drop in hurelief aid entering Gaza. Israel has been accused of obstructing the entry of humanitarian relief as part of a systematic effort to starve Palestinians in the enclav. (AFP/File)

Another legal objection to the warrants concerns equating the actions of Hamas with those of Israel. The German government has rejected any comparison between the two, stressing Israel’s “right and duty to protect and defend its people.”

Nevertheless, if an arrest warrant is issued, Germany, like other ICC member states, would be legally obliged to arrest the two Israeli leaders if they were to enter the EU country.

Despite the current impediments, Roth is hopeful that justice will be delivered to the victims of the Israel-Hamas conflict.

“It may still take a month or two for the ICC judges to sort through these arguments, but I anticipate the arrest warrants will be issued in the reasonably near term,” he said.

“At that stage, no one charged will be able to travel to any of the 124 ICC member states which have a duty to arrest them. That lays a foundation of hope that we will see justice done.”
 

 


Libya ‘crackdown’ forces aid groups to cease operations: diplomats

Members of a military unit deployed in the western city of Zawiya on May 14, 2023, following clashes between armed groups. (AFP)
Members of a military unit deployed in the western city of Zawiya on May 14, 2023, following clashes between armed groups. (AFP)
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Libya ‘crackdown’ forces aid groups to cease operations: diplomats

Members of a military unit deployed in the western city of Zawiya on May 14, 2023, following clashes between armed groups. (AFP)
  • Libya has struggled to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi

TUNIS: Diplomats in Libya have said in a letter to authorities seen by AFP that several international humanitarian organizations were forced to suspend operations after threats by security services and forced resignations.
In the letter, which was obtained by AFP on Wednesday, 17 mainly European ambassadors and a UN official accuse the Internal Security Agency (ISA) of an “ongoing crackdown” on non-governmental groups and humanitarian aid workers.
In war-torn Libya split between two rival administrations, the ISA reports to the interior ministry in the capital Tripoli, seat of the UN-recognized government.
“Between March 13 and 27, the ISA summoned at least 18 staff members from six international NGOs for questioning,” said the letter addressed to the Tripoli-based foreign ministry.
ISA agents “seized some of their passports,” forced them to “resign from their positions” and pledge in writing never to work for an international NGO again, the letter added.
It also said the security service “sealed some of their offices.”
Beyond the six groups directly affected, the diplomats said that “many other organizations are suspending activities as a matter of precaution.”
AFP was not able to independently verify the claims made in the letter, dated March 27.
The authorities in Tripoli did not immediately comment on the matter, but announced a press conference later on Wednesday to address “the work of international NGOs.”
Libya has struggled to recover from the chaos that followed the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
It remains split between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli and a rival authority in the east, backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
The diplomats’ letter does not name the organizations affected by the ISA’s alleged measures, but a source familiar with the issue said on condition of anonymity that they include the International Rescue Committee, the International Medical Corps and the Danish Refugee Council.
Contacted by AFP, the Danish Refugee Council said it “could not comment” on the matter. There was no immediate comment from the other groups.
The source said that some foreign NGO staff members had been ordered to leave Libya, while others had been barred from returning after recent trips abroad.
The source mentioned that the authorities had already imposed visa restrictions on foreign humanitarian workers between July 2022 and December 2023, but operations had continued using local staff or individuals who did not require visas.
In their letter, the diplomats from the European Union, France, Britain and other countries as well as a top UN humanitarian representative voiced concern about the impact of the measures.
The crackdown including detention and questioning of staff members has had a “particularly alarming” effect “on the provision of humanitarian primary health assistance,” the letter said.
It urged authorities to allow the NGOs to “reopen their offices and safely restart humanitarian operations as soon as possible.”
It also demanded that seized passports be returned to staff members, and “any resignation letters or pledges signed at the ISA office” invalidated.

 


Will US pressure on Iraq succeed in bringing Iran-backed militias to heel?

Will US pressure on Iraq succeed in bringing Iran-backed militias to heel?
Updated 14 min ago
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Will US pressure on Iraq succeed in bringing Iran-backed militias to heel?

Will US pressure on Iraq succeed in bringing Iran-backed militias to heel?
  • The Popular Mobilization Forces are formally part of Iraq’s state security apparatus, but include powerful militias loyal to Iran’s IRGC
  • A long-debated Iraqi law aims to regulate the PMF, but critics argue it will do little to curb their ties to Iran or ease American pressure

LONDON: It was a message that was both unequivocal and uncompromising. Iraq must rein in the sprawling network of militia groups that take their orders from Iran, and if they threaten American interests in the country, the US will respond.

The comments were delivered last week by Tammy Bruce, the US State Department spokesperson, in response to a question on a new law being wrangled over in Iraq about the future of the Popular Mobilization Forces.

A military parade held by Iraq's army, Hashed al-Shaabi (Popular Mobilisation Forces), and the Police force, drives down a highway during a ceremony marking the anniversary of the defeat of the Daesh group, in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul on December 10, 2024. (AFP)/File)

The PMF, an umbrella group for dozens of militias in Iraq, includes many that take their money and orders from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, despite belonging to Iraq’s formal state security apparatus.

Along with Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, and Hamas in Gaza, they are considered part of Iran’s so-called “Axis of Resistance” — a network of proxy militias throughout the Middle East loyal to the IRGC.

America’s renewed military campaign against the Houthis, along with the degradation of Hamas and Hezbollah by Israel and the fall of Iranian ally Bashar Assad in Syria, has placed increased focus on Iraq’s Iran-backed militias.

They remain the only major Iranian proxy in the region to avoid significant Israeli or US military action since the Gaza conflict began in October 2023.

Doubts have been cast over whether the long-proposed Iraqi law to assert greater central government control over the militias would have much of an effect — or sufficiently appease US concerns.

But domestic events in Iraq, along with US President Donald Trump’s renewal of the “maximum pressure” campaign against Iran to suspend its nuclear program, place the PMF increasingly in the firing line.

There is a lot of pressure from the Trump administration on the government of Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to rein in the Iran-backed militias, Renad Mansour, a senior Iraq research fellow at Chatham House, told Arab News. “Especially to stop any kind of attacks on American citizens or interests in Iraq.”

Iraq's Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani speaks during an event commemorating the 21st anniversary of the creation of "Asaib Ahl al-Haq", one of the member factions of the Hashed al-Shaabi paramilitaries, in Baghdad on May 3, 2024. (AFP)

Mansour said the policy stemmed from renewed US efforts to combat Iranian influence in the region. “It’s very clear that the Trump administration is looking at Iraq as an important vehicle where Iran maintains economic and other types of authority,” he said.

The PMF, known in Arabic as Al-Hashd Al-Shaabi, was created in 2014 in response to a fatwa issued by the country’s top Shiite religious authority, Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani, after the extremist group Daesh seized swathes of territory.

The sprawling network of armed groups included many armed and funded by Iran. Many came from existing militias mobilized by the IRGC’s extraterritorial Quds Force.

Members of Al-Hashd al-Shaabi faction walk near the frontline on October 21, 2016, near the village of Tall al-Tibah, some 30 kilometrers south of Mosul, during an operation to retake the main hub city from the Daesh group jihadists. (AFP)

The PMF comprised approximately 70 predominantly Shiite armed groups made up of around 250,000 fighters. They played a major role in the defeat of Daesh in Iraq alongside the Iraqi Security Forces, Kurdish Peshmerga, and the US-led coalition.

After the extremist group was territorially defeated in Iraq in 2017 and attention turned to its holdouts in Syria, questions began to be raised over the purpose of the PMF.

A flimsy Iraqi law in 2016 attempted to exert more state control over the militias and included some basic details about their structure and employment terms.

IN NUMBERS

• 250k Fighters the PMF claims to have under arms.

• $3.3 billion Iraqi state funding at the PMF’s disposal.

Meanwhile, the PMF developed political wings that contested elections. These party blocs were accused by political rivals and Western governments of causing instability and acting in Iran’s interest.

The militias suffered a major blow in January 2020 when the first Trump administration killed PMF chief Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis alongside Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani in a drone strike near Baghdad airport.

Later that year, Al-Sistani, who had given the PMF its religious legitimacy when it was originally formed, withdrew his own factions as concerns over Iranian influence grew.

Iraqis participate in a candle light vigil marking the fourth anniversary of the killing of top Iranian commander Qasem Soleimani and Iraqi militia commander Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, near Baghdad's International Airport on January 2, 2024. (AFP/File)

Yet the PMF managed to rebound from these setbacks, increasing both its funding and armory, including Iranian drones and missiles.

It has also been at the center of domestic turmoil, with its factions accused of an assassination attempt on then-Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi in November 2021 and militias clashing with supporters of cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr in 2022.

After the Gaza war began in October 2023, the militias launched drones and missiles at Israel and carried out dozens of attacks on US bases in Iraq, where some 2,500 troops remain as part of the coalition mission against Daesh.

In February last year, the Biden administration bombed 85 militia targets in Iraq and Syria after three US soldiers were killed in a drone attack on a Jordanian outpost known as Tower 22. 

Maxar satellite imagery of Tower 22 which houses a small number of US.Troops in northern Jordan.  (Satellite image (c) 2024 Maxar Technologies/via AFP)

The US said senior commanders from the Kataib Hezbollah militia were among those killed. Since then, Iran has urged its militias in Iraq to refrain from attacking US interests.

“The Iraqi militias’ harassment of US targets in Iraq ended when the Biden administration took out three top commanders from the Kataib Hezbollah,” Hussain Abdul-Hussain, a research fellow at the Washington-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, told Arab News.

“This signaled to militia leaders that their safety became at risk and their attacks stopped.”

The second Trump administration made clear in February when it issued the National Security Presidential Memorandum that Iraq’s militias would be central to renewed pressure on Iraq to reduce economic ties to Iran.

The other front is for Iraq to reduce dollar transactions with Tehran, particularly through cutting purchases of energy.

Demonstrators,one with a portrait of Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, shout slogans during a march in solidarity with the people of Gaza in the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa on January 5, 2024. (AFP)

But there is also the wider geopolitical pressure on the militias as a result of US and Israeli attacks on Iran’s other proxies in the region, including Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.

“The Iraq militias became the last resort for all other Iranian militias across the region,” said Abdul-Hussain. “Since Israel crushed Hezbollah in Lebanon and Syria, the pro-Iran militia weight has shifted to Iraq.”

On the economic pressure now being exerted on Iran, he said the US is aware that the IRGC is siphoning US dollars from Iraq’s oil revenues, mainly using the $3.3 billion budget allocated to the PMF.

In response to this renewed pressure, the PMF Service and Retirement Law was introduced to the Iraqi parliament last week after months of wrangling over its contents.

A ship fires missiles at an undisclosed location in Yemen after US President Donald Trump launched military strikes against the Iran-aligned Houthis on March 15, 2025. (US Central Command/Handout via REUTERS)

The bill aims to fully integrate the PMF into Iraq’s state security forces. However, critics say it has been hijacked by rival Shiite blocs jostling for advantage within the organization. 

In its current form, the bill is unlikely to fill the US with confidence that the PMF will fully submit to central government control and renounce fealty to Iran. Abdul-Hussain described the bill as a “total smoke screen.”

He said: “Parliament is trying to enshrine PMF perks by law for fear that the next executive chief might not be Iran-friendly and could thus cut the $3.3 billion with a decree. Laws trump decrees, and that’s why the Iraqi parliament is racing to enshrine PMF funding in a law.

“The irony is that the same law does not demand that the organization follow a military order or be included under the military’s rank or supervision. They want to take the money but keep the hierarchy in the hands of the IRGC.”
 

 


Israel’s military faces backlash over AI ‘Ghibli-style’ social media posts

Israel’s military faces backlash over AI ‘Ghibli-style’ social media posts
Updated 02 April 2025
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Israel’s military faces backlash over AI ‘Ghibli-style’ social media posts

Israel’s military faces backlash over AI ‘Ghibli-style’ social media posts
  • Attempt to jump on trend of posting AI-generated images in style of famed Japanese animation studio

LONDON: An attempt by the Israeli military to jump on the bandwagon of a social media trend that uses AI-generated images in the style of a legendary Japanese animation studio has spectacularly backfired.

The internet has been flooded by images in the style of Studio Ghibli after ChatGPT maker OpenAI launched a new image generator last week.

The craze has intensified debate over the extent to which artificial intelligence models breach copyright of artists. It also contrasts the painstaking work that goes into meticulously crafting the beautiful hand-drawn films produced by Studio Ghibli with the instant gratification culture fed by social media and the emergence of AI models.

Not wanting to be left out, the Israel Defense Forces on Sunday posted four images depicting different branches of its military in the Ghibli style on its social media accounts.

“We thought we’d also hop on the trend,” the post said.

What followed was a barrage of responses, many angry, many humorous, denouncing and mocking the post.

The images were shared as Israel intensified the bombing of Gaza where it has already killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and forced the population to flee their homes in an action it began in October 2023.

Many responded with AI-generated images in the Ghibli style on X that depicted Israeli brutality in the Palestinian territory.

The counter-images depicted Israeli soldiers mocking a blindfolded and handcuffed Palestinian child, and IDF troops pointing rifles at women and children against a backdrop of devastation.

“Colonizing art too,” read one reply in reference to Israel’s building of illegal settlements and its occupation of Palestinian land.

Other users pointed out that Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, is a staunch pacifist and that many of his films contain strong anti-war messages.

He famously refused to travel to the US in 2003 to attend the Academy Awards where his work “Spirited Away” won an Oscar.

A video from 2016 appears to show Miyazaki’s disdain for AI-generated imagery. A clip from a documentary shows Miyazaki saying he was “utterly disgusted” after seeing an AI demo.


Yemen’s Houthis say one killed in fresh strikes blamed on US

Yemen’s Houthis say one killed in fresh strikes blamed on US
Updated 02 April 2025
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Yemen’s Houthis say one killed in fresh strikes blamed on US

Yemen’s Houthis say one killed in fresh strikes blamed on US
  • In addition, US overnight air raids left four people dead in Hodeida
  • Houthi-held parts of Yemen have witnessed near-daily attacks blamed on the United States

SANAA: Yemen’s Houthi militants said fresh US air strikes on Wednesday killed one person in Hodeida province, after overnight air raids left four people dead in the same area.
Anees Alasbahi, spokesman for the Houthis’ health ministry, reported “one civilian martyr and one wounded” in the Red Sea port of Ras Issa, saying they were “victims of the US enemy’s air force.”
Houthi-controlled media said strikes hit Ras Issa as well as the Iran-backed group’s northern stronghold of Saada.
Earlier on Wednesday the Houthis said overnight air strikes on Hodeida province killed four, in an attack also blamed on the United States.
The United States, which has carried out major raids in Yemen in recent weeks, has not confirmed it was behind the latest strikes.
Houthi media said the targets of the overnight strikes included water infrastructure in Hodeida and areas of the northwestern region of Hajjah.
US President Donald Trump has vowed that attacks on Yemen’s Houthis would continue until they are no longer a threat to shipping.
Early Wednesday, Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said the group targeted US aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman for “the third time in 24 hours.”
His statement came just as Washington said it was increasing the number of aircraft carriers deployed in the Middle East to two, keeping the Truman and sending another from the Indo-Pacific.
The Carl Vinson would join the Truman “to continue promoting regional stability, deter aggression, and protect the free flow of commerce in the region,” said Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell.
Houthi-held parts of Yemen have witnessed near-daily attacks blamed on the United States since Washington launched a campaign against the rebels on March 15 to force them to stop threatening vessels in key maritime routes.
Since then, the Houthis have also claimed attacks targeting US military ships and Israel.
On Tuesday, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said the campaign of “over 200 successful strikes against the Houthis” had been effective.
The rebels had targeted passing ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as Israeli territory, from shortly after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023 until a January ceasefire, claiming to act in solidarity with Palestinians.
Renewed US strikes followed Houthi threats to resume attacks on vessels over Israel’s aid blockade on Gaza and attacks on the Palestinian territory after truce talks stalled.
The Houthi attacks had crippled the vital Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies into a detour around the tip of southern Africa.


Lebanese army expands presence in areas along Litani River

Lebanese army expands presence in areas along Litani River
Updated 02 April 2025
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Lebanese army expands presence in areas along Litani River

Lebanese army expands presence in areas along Litani River
  • It follows the launch last week of rockets toward Israel, and retaliatory Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut

BEIRUT: A large contingent of the Lebanese army entered Yohmor Chkeif, north of the Litani River in Nabatieh governorate, southern Lebanon, on Wednesday. Rockets were launched from the area toward Israel last week.

A security source said forces patrolled the village, which is surrounded on three sides by the river. A video shared on social media appeared to show the troops entering the village.

The residents of another village north of the Litani River reported seeing Lebanese army Cessna drones in the skies over Nabatieh on Wednesday. An army unit, in cooperation with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, recently entered Zawtar Al-Charqiyeh, which is located in the same governorate.

Ali Al-Amin, the editor-in-chief of the Janoubia news website, told Arab News the region is characterized by its valleys, mountains and rugged terrain. Under Hezbollah directives, only civilians are allowed in the area. But a Lebanese army unit entered Hezbollah military sites in Wadi Zawtar Al-Charqiyeh, close to the river, he added.

The valley was targeted by at least 200 raids during the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah. It reportedly contains large Hezbollah camps, training centers and weapon storage facilities.

The arrival of the Lebanese army in the area effectively marks the end of Hezbollah’s military presence there, Al-Amin said, though the group has not officially stated this. He suggested that Hezbollah might have reached an understanding with the army behind closed doors.

Last week, the army seized empty rocket launchers that had targeted Israel twice in the space of a week. An investigation has been launched in an attempt to identify those who fired the missiles. They remain unknown, although the Lebanese army said it arrested suspects from Syria and Palestine.

The launch of the rockets resulted in a significant deterioration in the security situation in Lebanon, jeopardizing the ceasefire agreement as retaliatory Israeli airstrikes targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut for the first time since the peace deal came into effect four months ago. Dozens of people were killed or injured by the Israeli strikes.

Army commander Gen. Rodolphe Haikal inspected the South Litani Sector Command two days ago and reinforced the Lebanese military’s commitment to the implementation of UN resolutions and the ceasefire agreement.

Army command said the general had highlighted the continued presence of Israeli forces in occupied Lebanese territory as the main obstacle to deployment of the army south of the Litani, and reinforcement of the ceasefire.

Further Israeli violations of the peace agreement were reported on Wednesday. According to media reports from southern Lebanon, the Israeli army “opened fire on a citizen from the border town of Odaisseh, injuring him slightly while he was driving his car on the Kfarkela-Odaisseh road.” The Ministry of Health also said a citizen was wounded by Israeli gunfire in the Odaisseh area.

The Israeli army also continued to target shelters being built by residents in border areas near homes destroyed during the conflict. A combat drone destroyed one such shelter in the center of the town of Yaroun but no casualties were reported.

At dawn, Israeli vehicles and demolition equipment based in the Labouneh area east of Naqoura, inside Lebanese territory, advanced toward Ras Naqoura. According to the National News Agency, they raised a dirt barrier that blocked the road on both directions opposite the Israeli Jal Al-Alam site, which overlooks the towns of Naqoura and Alma Al-Shaab.

The latest developments come as Russia Today reported that Lebanese security officials had received “concerning signals” suggesting that Israeli authorities intend to resume their campaign of targeted assassinations. A security source said Tel Aviv is committed to dismantling Hezbollah’s military arsenal and considers the Lebanese government’s efforts so far to achieve this to be inadequate.

The rising tensions followed a pre-dawn Israeli strike in Beirut’s southern suburbs on Tuesday that killed Hezbollah member Hassan Badir and his son. Civilians in a neighboring apartment were also reportedly killed.

In a separate security operation, the Lebanese army said on Wednesday it had shut down two illegal border crossings in the Hermel and Mashari Al-Qaa regions as part of its ongoing efforts to combat smuggling and unauthorized movements across the country’s northern and eastern border with Syria.