Macron urges Israel, Hezbollah to de-escalate tensions

Special Macron urges Israel, Hezbollah to de-escalate tensions
France’s President Emmanuel Macron addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York, US, Sept. 25, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 25 September 2024
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Macron urges Israel, Hezbollah to de-escalate tensions

Macron urges Israel, Hezbollah to de-escalate tensions
  • French president calls for creation of Palestinian state with ‘security guarantees for Israel’
  • ‘Israel can’t, without consequence, just expand its operations to Lebanon. We can’t have a war in Lebanon’

NEW YORK CITY: French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called for Israel and Hezbollah to de-escalate tensions.

“Israel can’t, without consequence, just expand its operations to Lebanon,” he told the UN General Assembly. “We can’t have a war in Lebanon.”

Macron said France would act to “ensure a diplomatic voice can be heard,” adding: “We should look for peace everywhere and not accept any differences at a time when human lives are at stake.”

Regarding Gaza, he said Israel “has a legitimate right to protect their own people and to deny Hamas the means of attacking them again.”

However, he added that Israel’s invasion of Gaza has gone on for “too long,” and there is no justification for the deaths of Palestinians.

He called for the release of hostages held by Hamas, including several French citizens, along with a ceasefire and humanitarian assistance in Gaza.

Macron offered France’s participation in “any initiatives that will save lives and will allow for everyone’s safety to be protected” because “it’s imperative that a new page is turned in Gaza, for the guns to be silent, for humanitarian workers to return, (and) for civilians to finally be protected.”

France is committed to the creation of a Palestinian state with “security guarantees for Israel,” he said, reiterating his country’s commitment to working with Israelis, Palestinians and other partners to create the conditions for a just and lasting peace.


Israeli army orders Lebanese to evacuate ahead of military raids

Israeli army vehicles deploy at a position along the border with Lebanon in northern Israel on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
Israeli army vehicles deploy at a position along the border with Lebanon in northern Israel on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
Updated 18 sec ago
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Israeli army orders Lebanese to evacuate ahead of military raids

Israeli army vehicles deploy at a position along the border with Lebanon in northern Israel on October 1, 2024. (AFP)
  • The UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL said that the Israeli army informed them of its intention to conduct limited ground incursions into Lebanon

BEIRUT: The Israeli army early on Tuesday launched what it described as a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon after ordering residents in more than 25 Lebanese border towns to evacuate and move north of the Awali River.

Families from the towns of Rmeich and Ain Ebel appealed to the Lebanese Army and Lebanese Red Cross for help moving to a secure location after they were left stranded by air raids on nearby access roads.

An Israeli military spokesman said the ground incursion will be limited, and is aimed at “dismantling and demolishing Hezbollah’s infrastructure.”

Israeli media reported that Israeli troops destroyed 30 tons of antitank mines and 450 RPG rockets after launching the operation on Tuesday.

The UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL said that the Israeli army informed them of its intention to conduct limited ground incursions into Lebanon.

However, UNIFIL said that “any crossing into Lebanon constitutes a violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as a breach of Resolution 1701.”

It urged “all parties to refrain from such escalatory actions,” and said that “the cost of continuing along the current path of action is exceedingly high.”

The evacuation order in the border area revived memories for the Lebanese people of similar displacements when Israel occupied the region in the 1970s, a situation that lasted until 2000, followed by further displacement during the 2006 war.

The Israeli army announced in the early hours of Tuesday that “the 98th Division has commenced targeted and specific activities in the southern region of Lebanon.” It also released footage of the division’s preparations.

Commando and paratrooper units, as well as armored forces from the 7th Brigade, have been preparing for weeks to carry out the ground operation, the army said.

Israeli media said that army operations destroyed a large number of Hezbollah tunnels.

“What we feared has happened,” said Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon. “With strikes across Lebanon, including in the heart of Beirut, and incursions across the Blue Line, violence is escalating to dangerous levels.”

Plasschaert warned: “Every rocket fired, every bomb dropped, every ground raid carried out, takes the parties further away from the goal of resolution 1701 and further away from creating the conditions necessary for the safe return of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line.

“The ongoing cycle of violence will not achieve what either party wants. There is still a glimmer of hope for the success of diplomatic efforts, but the question is: Will this opportunity be seized or will it be squandered?“

Hezbollah continued its military operations against Israeli forces along the southern border.

The Israeli incursion was preceded by Israeli airstrikes in southern regions, extending through the southern suburbs of Beirut, and reaching the farthest areas of the Bekaa Valley.

Numerous residential buildings were completely flattened or partially destroyed.

Hezbollah responded to the Israeli attacks by announcing “rocket barrages of the ‘Fadi 4’ type targeting the Glilot base associated with Military Intelligence Unit 8200 and the Mossad headquarters located in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.”

Hezbollah targeted Israeli soldiers near the Rosh Pina settelement, as well as Israeli forces in the Dovev outpost.

Sirens sounded in Yiftah, Malkia, Ramot Naftali, Dishon in the Galilee and Metula in the Galilee Panhandle.

Israeli media outlets said that two people were injured in a missile strike in northeast Tel Aviv.

An Israeli strike on a house in the southern village of Daoudiyeh is believed to have killed 10 members of the Diab family.

Israeli fighter jets carried out eight raids on Laylaki, Mreijeh, Haret Hreik and Burj Al-Barajneh in Beirut’s southern suburbs, following warnings to residents to evacuate the areas.

An Israeli raid also struck the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain Al-Helweh – the biggest refugee camp in Lebanon – targeting Mounir Al-Makdah, leader of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Fatah Movement.

However, Al-Makdah escaped the assassination attempt, while his son, wife, and four other people were killed.

Last August, Israel targeted Khalil Al-Makdah, the leader’s brother, outside the camp with a drone.

A raid targeting Bekaa hit an aid station in Mashghara, killing eight people.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government and NGOs are struggling to cope with the influx of displaced people into Beirut, Chouf, Tripoli, Akkar, and other areas of northern Lebanon.

Rain has also made it difficult for those sleeping in the street.

A number of displaced people attempted to storm and take shelter in several private properties in Beirut, including Le Bristol Hotel in Ras Beirut, another hotel in Ain Al-Mraiseh, and a building owned by a Kuwaiti national in the same area.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati met UN organizations and ambassadors of donor countries.

He also launched “a flash appeal to mobilize additional support to strengthen the continued efforts of the government in providing essential assistance to displaced civilians.”

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri called on the UN to establish an air bridge to deliver relief supplies and break the air blockade imposed by Israel on Lebanon.

 


European airlines extend suspension of Middle East flights

European airlines extend suspension of Middle East flights
Updated 14 min 53 sec ago
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European airlines extend suspension of Middle East flights

European airlines extend suspension of Middle East flights
  • The moves come as Israel launched strikes on Beirut and a senior White House official warned that Iran was preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack
  • Also on Tuesday, German airline group Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Beirut up to and including November 30

FRANKFURT: Top European airlines Lufthansa, KLM and Swiss on Tuesday announced that they were extending their suspension of flights to the Middle East, as tensions spiral throughout the region.
The moves come as Israel launched strikes on Beirut and a senior White House official warned that Iran was preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack “imminently” against Israel.
KLM has pushed out until the end of the year the suspension of its once-daily flight to Tel Aviv “given the situation in the region,” spokeswoman Elvira van der Vis told AFP.
The Dutch airline had already announced in August that it was suspending flights to Israel until October 26.
Also on Tuesday, German airline group Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Beirut up to and including November 30.
Lufthansa group flights to Tel Aviv will be canceled until October 31 while trips to Tehran remain canceled until October 14.
“We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers,” the group said.
Later on Tuesday the Lufthansa group said that it had also decided to “avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace up to and including 2 October,” adding that “flights will continue to avoid Israeli airspace up to and including 31 October.”
The Lufthansa group — whose carriers also include Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines — has repeatedly modified its flight schedule in recent months due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, as have other airlines.
Following the example of its parent company, Swiss said the extension of its flight suspensions was “intended to provide more predictability for both our passengers and our crews.”
The Israeli army said it had launched a ground offensive in Lebanon and that its forces engaged in clashes on Tuesday, further escalating the conflict after a week of intense air strikes that killed hundreds.
Meanwhile, a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the United States has indications that Iran was preparing to launch a missile attack against Israel “imminently.”
“We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack,” the official said, warning that such an action would “carry severe consequences for Iran.”


Israel says missiles launched from Iran, Israelis flee for shelters

Israel says missiles launched from Iran, Israelis flee for shelters
Updated 24 min 5 sec ago
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Israel says missiles launched from Iran, Israelis flee for shelters

Israel says missiles launched from Iran, Israelis flee for shelters
  • Israel earlier announced that any ballistic missile strike from Iran was expected to be widespread
  • Iran vowed to retaliate following attacks that killed top leaders of its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT: The Israeli military said on Tuesday that missiles had been launched from Iran at Israel.
Alarms sounded across the country and Israelis rushed for shelter. Reporters on state television lay flat on the ground during live broadcasts.
Earlier, the military had announced that any ballistic missile strike from Iran was expected to be widespread and told the public to shelter in safe rooms in the event of an attack.
Iran has vowed to retaliate following attacks that killed the top leadership of its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.
The firing of missiles came after Israeli troops launched ground raids into Lebanon, in the biggest escalation of regional warfare since fighting erupted in Gaza a year ago.


Shooting attack in Tel Aviv causes a number of casualties, Israeli police say

Shooting attack in Tel Aviv causes a number of casualties, Israeli police say
Updated 36 min ago
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Shooting attack in Tel Aviv causes a number of casualties, Israeli police say

Shooting attack in Tel Aviv causes a number of casualties, Israeli police say
  • TV footage showed gunmen getting off at a light rail station and opening fire

JERUSALEM: Israeli police said gunmen opened fire in Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv on the boundary with Jaffa on Tuesday and there were a number of casualties.
TV footage showed gunmen getting off at a light rail station and opening fire. Israel media reported at least four people were seriously injured.
Israel’s MDA ambulance service said it received a report at 7.01 p.m. (1601 GMT) of people injured by gunfire.
Medics and paramedics provided on-site medical treatment to a number of wounded people with varying degrees of injuries, including some who were unconscious, MDA said.


UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire in Lebanon

UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire in Lebanon
Updated 01 October 2024
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UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire in Lebanon

UN chief calls for immediate ceasefire in Lebanon
  • “An all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs,” Dujarric said

UNITED NATIONS: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed on Tuesday for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country to be respected, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.
“An all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs,” Dujarric said in a statement, adding that Guterres spoke with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati earlier on Tuesday, telling him the UN was ready to help those in need.
“The Secretary-General will continue his contacts, and his representatives on the ground will also continue their efforts to de-escalate the situation,” Dujarric said.