Cross-border attacks by Israeli forces and Hezbollah resume after period of uneasy calm

Israeli soldiers evacuate an injured man following a cross-border attack from Lebanon into Israel, on the Israeli side of the border, September 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Israeli soldiers evacuate an injured man following a cross-border attack from Lebanon into Israel, on the Israeli side of the border, September 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 04 September 2024
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Cross-border attacks by Israeli forces and Hezbollah resume after period of uneasy calm

Israeli soldiers evacuate an injured man following a cross-border attack from Lebanon into Israel.
  • Research center in Israel says 281 attacks on the country originated from Lebanon in August, compared with 259 in July
  • In Israel, sirens sounded in the settlements of Zar’it, Shtula, Netu’a, Dishon and Al-Malikiyah, and in Ramot Naftali in western Galilee

BEIRUT: Israeli forces resumed shelling in southern Lebanon on Wednesday following a period of uneasy, relative calm, targeting border towns, valleys and forests.
Two people were injured in an airstrike on the town of Khiam and taken to Marjayoun Hospital. Aircraft also hit Wadi Hujeir and carried out strikes on the outskirts of the town of Qabrikha, on the area between the towns of Aainata and Kounine, and on the outskirts of the town of Bani Haiyyan.
The Israeli army said “warplanes shelled rocket-launch platforms in the areas of Kounine and Qabrikha in southern Lebanon.” Israeli artillery also targeted the outskirts of the villages of Beit Lif and Ramyah.
In Israel, sirens sounded in the settlements of Zar’it, Shtula, Netu’a, Dishon and Al-Malikiyah, and in Ramot Naftali in western Galilee.
The Israeli army said that “60 rockets were launched from Lebanon toward the northern region, causing fires in several settlements in Upper Galilee, which firefighting teams worked to extinguish.”
Hezbollah said it shelled “the headquarters of the Sahel Battalion in the Beit Hillel barracks, and enemy artillery positions in Dishon with volleys of Katyusha rockets,” and launched attacks “targeting Israeli soldiers in the Zar’it barracks (the headquarters of the battalion affiliated with the Western Brigade) with artillery shells, hitting them directly.”
Israeli media reported “two injuries in the Dishon area in Galilee, where several rockets fell after being launched from Lebanon.” There were also reports that “a rocket fell in the Kfar Blum area in Upper Galilee,” “a fire broke out in the Kiryat Shmona settlement due to rockets launched from Lebanon,” and additional rockets struck between Kiryat Shmona and Beit Hillel.
Israeli army media advised settlers in Kiryat Shmona “to remain near shelters and avoid moving around the city until further notice.” Upper Galilee Regional Council similarly urged citizens in several towns to “stay close to shelters, avoid gatherings and decrease movement.”
In its latest report, the Alma Research and Education Center in Israel said 281 attacks on the country originated from Lebanon in August, compared with 259 in July.
“Most of these attacks were carried out by Hezbollah, along with other organizations,” it said. “The average number of daily attacks reached nine in August, compared with 8.3 attacks in July, with Hezbollah confirming its responsibility for the vast majority of them.”
The Hezbollah attacks resulted in “the deaths of three Israelis and injuries to 30 others” last month, it added.
“The middle of the month saw an escalation in Hezbollah’s assaults, which continued until Aug. 25, when Israeli forces conducted a preemptive strike to thwart Hezbollah’s response to the assassination of (its military leader) Fuad Shukr,” the research center said.
The report noted a subsequent “decline in attacks,” suggesting that “the intensity of these attacks coincided with the Israeli military’s targeting of Hezbollah operatives” and were “potentially aimed at exhausting Israeli defense systems in preparation for a planned retaliatory strike on Aug. 25.”
It added: “Kiryat Shmona was an important target for Hezbollah attacks, which resulted in the death of one civilian and injuries to 28 others, in addition to heavy losses to industrial facilities, educational institutions, residential properties, cemeteries and commercial complexes.”
The report also stated: “During August, Hezbollah used the term ‘appropriate weapons’ to refer to various types of armaments. Previously, this term in their statements was specifically associated with anti-tank missiles. In August, however, it became evident that the term encompassed artillery fire, anti-tank missiles and drones.”
Last month, it added, there was “an increase in (Hezbollah’s) utilization of long-range missiles, with 176 missiles launched compared with 137 in July. Additionally, the number of drone attacks rose to 62 in August, up from 56 in July. Throughout August, Hezbollah employed surface-to-air missiles and sniper fire.”


Iran overturns death sentence for woman labor activist: media

Updated 14 sec ago
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Iran overturns death sentence for woman labor activist: media

Iran overturns death sentence for woman labor activist: media
“The Supreme Court... has overturned the verdict against my client, Ms Sharifeh Mohammadi,” her lawyer Amir Raisian was quoted as saying
Iran carries out the highest number of executions annually after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International

TEHRAN: Iran’s highest court has overturned the death sentence of a woman labor rights activist who was accused of links to an outlawed Kurdish group, local media reported Saturday.
“The Supreme Court... has overturned the verdict against my client, Ms Sharifeh Mohammadi,” her lawyer Amir Raisian was quoted as saying by the reformist Shargh daily.
He added that the case was referred for a re-trial.
Iran carries out the highest number of executions annually after China, according to rights groups including Amnesty International.
Mohammadi, 45, was sentenced to death in early July following her arrest in the northern city of Rasht, according to rights groups.
She has since been accused of being a member of the Komala party, an exiled Iraq-based Kurdish separatist group that Tehran considers to be a terrorist organization.
Tehran accused Kurdish groups in Iraq of fomenting months-long nationwide mass protests triggered by the September 2022 death in custody of Mahsa Amini.
Amini, a 22-year-old Iranian Kurd, died following her arrest over an alleged violation of the Islamic republic’s strict dress code for women.
The Islamic republic uses capital punishment for major crimes including terror convictions, murder and drug trafficking, as well as rape and sexual assault.

US forces strike Daesh group in Syria

US forces strike Daesh group in Syria
Updated 19 min 36 sec ago
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US forces strike Daesh group in Syria

US forces strike Daesh group in Syria
  • US military has around 900 troops in Syria as part of the international coalition against Daesh group

Washington: US forces have conducted air strikes against multiple Daesh group sites in Syria, the military said Saturday, as ally Israel battles other militants in Gaza and Lebanon.
US forces “conducted a series of airstrikes against multiple known Daesh camps in Syria in the early morning of Oct. 11,” the US Central Command said in a statement on X, using an acronym for the Islamist militant group.
“The strikes will disrupt the ability of Daesh to plan, organize, and conduct attacks against the United States, its allies and partners, and civilians throughout the region and beyond.”
The US military has around 900 troops in Syria as part of the international coalition against Daesh group.
The coalition was established in 2014 to help combat the armed group, which had taken over vast swaths of Iraq and Syria.
Anti-IS coalition forces have been targeted dozens of times with drones and rocket fire in both Iraq and Syria, as violence related to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since last year has drawn in militants across the Middle East, including Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon.
US forces have carried out multiple retaliatory strikes against militant factions in both Iraq and Syria.
In September, US forces conducted two separate strikes in Syria, killing 37 “terrorist operatives” including members of IS and Al-Qaeda affiliate Hurras Al-Din.
US Central Command said Saturday that its damage assessments were underway and “do not indicate civilian casualties.”


Iran bans pagers, walkie-talkies on flights after Lebanon attacks

Iran bans pagers, walkie-talkies on flights after Lebanon attacks
Updated 25 min 28 sec ago
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Iran bans pagers, walkie-talkies on flights after Lebanon attacks

Iran bans pagers, walkie-talkies on flights after Lebanon attacks
  • Ban imposed weeks after deadly sabotage attacks in Lebanon which were blamed on Israel

TEHRAN: Iran has banned pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights, local media reported Saturday, weeks after deadly sabotage attacks in Lebanon which were blamed on Israel.
“The entry of any electronic communication device, except mobile phones, in flight cabins or ... in non-accompanied cargo, has been banned,” ISNA news agency reported, citing the spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organization Jafar Yazerlo.
The decision came over three weeks since sabotage attacks targeting members of the Iran-allied Hezbollah group in Lebanon that saw pagers and walkie-talkies explode, killing at least 39 people.
Nearly 3,000 others were wounded in the attack, which Iran and Hezbollah blamed on Israel, including Tehran’s ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani.
Earlier this month, Dubai-based airline Emirates banned pagers and walkie-talkies onboard its planes.
Regional tensions have soared since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October last year, drawing in Iran-aligned groups from Lebanon, Iraq, Syria and Yemen.
Multiple airlines have in recent weeks suspended flights to Iran following Tehran’s missile attack on Israel on October 1.
Iran fired some 200 missiles at Israel to retaliate against the killing of Tehran-aligned militant leaders in the region and a general in Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.
Israel has since vowed to retaliate, with defense minister Yoav Gallant saying the response will be “deadly, precise, and surprising.”


Iran parliament speaker visits site of deadliest Israeli strike in central Beirut

Iran parliament speaker visits site of deadliest Israeli strike in central Beirut
Updated 12 October 2024
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Iran parliament speaker visits site of deadliest Israeli strike in central Beirut

Iran parliament speaker visits site of deadliest Israeli strike in central Beirut
  • Israeli air raid on Thursday night in the densely populated Basta area killed at least 22 people
  • Attack targeted the Iran-backed group’s security chief Wafiq Safa, but his fate remains unknown

Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Saturday denounced Israel’s “crimes” as he visited the site of the deadliest Israeli strike on central Beirut in recent weeks, an AFP photographer said.

A source close to Hezbollah has said that the air raid on Thursday night in the densely populated Basta area, which killed at least 22 people, had targeted the Iran-backed Lebanese group’s security chief Wafiq Safa.

But neither the Israeli military nor Hezbollah confirmed that he was the target of the strike, nor did they remark on his fate.

Speaking to the press, accompanied by two Hezbollah lawmakers, Ghalibaf denounced what he called Israel’s “crimes.”

“International organizations and the UN Security Council have the capability (to stop Israel) but they are unfortunately keeping silent,” he said.

Earlier Saturday, Ghalibaf met Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who told him his government’s priority was “to work toward a ceasefire,” Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) said.

The premier on Friday urged the United Nations to pass a resolution calling for an “immediate” ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Ghalibaf was also expected to meet his Lebanese counterpart Nabih Berri, a powerful Hezbollah ally, before heading to Geneva later the same day, according to Berri’s office and Iran’s state news agency IRNA.

When he visited Lebanon on Friday last week, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said his country backed efforts for a simultaneous ceasefire with Israel in both Gaza and Lebanon.


Russia, Syria, Iran should take measures after Israel’s strike on Damascus, Erdogan says

Russia, Syria, Iran should take measures after Israel’s strike on Damascus, Erdogan says
Updated 12 October 2024
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Russia, Syria, Iran should take measures after Israel’s strike on Damascus, Erdogan says

Russia, Syria, Iran should take measures after Israel’s strike on Damascus, Erdogan says

ISTANBUL: Russia, Syria and Iran should take more effective measures to protect Syria’s territorial integrity, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said, when asked about Israel’s recent strike on Damascus.
“We will defend an urgent and permanent peace in Syria...Israel is the most concrete threat to regional and global peace,” Erdogan said in an interview with Turkish media.
“It is essential that Russia, Iran and Syria take more effective measures against this situation, which poses the greatest threat to Syria’s territorial integrity,” according to a readout of the interview from the presidency.