Buildings along Tyre waterfront destroyed by Israeli airstrikes

Buildings along Tyre waterfront destroyed by Israeli airstrikes
A man rides a motorcycle past destroyed and damaged buildings at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs on October 27, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 28 October 2024
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Buildings along Tyre waterfront destroyed by Israeli airstrikes

Buildings along Tyre waterfront destroyed by Israeli airstrikes
  • Cross-party group of Lebanese MPs meet to discuss ways to address mass displacement in south of the country
  • Residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs speak of ‘scent of corpses’ emanating from the rubble of buildings

BEIRUT: Israeli attacks on targets in southern Lebanon escalated on Monday, with the Lebanese army, paramedics and civilians among those caught in the firing line.

Clouds of smoke hung over the coastal city of Tyre. It was subjected to the fiercest aerial bombardment, which destroyed or damaged large numbers of residential, commercial and educational buildings, including dozens of properties along the seafront.

On Monday morning, Avichay Adraee, a spokesperson for the Israeli military, displayed a map indicating large parts of the city he said would be targeted and warned residents to leave immediately. It coincided with a call from Israeli authorities to the Union of Tyre Municipalities demanding that some parts of the city be evacuated. Civil Defense officials immediately issued warnings over loudspeakers urging people in those areas to leave.

Minutes later, Israeli warplanes carried out initial raids ahead of the main strikes, including one that targeted the Raml neighborhood in the heart of Tyre, in which an entire family, the Muslimanis, was reportedly killed.

The Ministry of Health said five people were killed and 10 injured on Monday. The total death toll from Israeli attacks on the country now exceeds 2,670, and 12,490 people have been injured. Few villages in southern Lebanon have been spared from Israeli airstrikes on homes and civilian infrastructure.

The Lebanese Army Command said an army bulldozer was fired upon while it was being used to help clear and reopen the Borj Qalaouiye to Kfar Dounine road. A soldier was injured in the attack.

Israeli artillery targeted members of the Lebanese Civil Defense while they were fighting a fire in olive groves in the town of Burj Al-Malouk, forcing them to abandon their attempts and withdraw.

The Israeli army also reportedly attacked ambulances and fire engines to prevent them from accessing certain areas, on the grounds that they might be “carrying Hezbollah members or weapons.”

Political observers in Lebanon interpreted the latest Israeli escalation as a tool for leverage in negotiations with Lebanese authorities. It coincided with a visit by US special envoy Amos Hochstein to Tel Aviv for talks on a ceasefire proposal he discussed in Beirut last week with Nabih Berri, the speaker of the Lebanese parliament, and Najib Mikati, the caretaker prime minister. Hezbollah authorized Berri to lead the negotiations.

No part of southern Lebanon has escaped the Israeli aerial onslaught. Fighter jets twice targeted the outskirts of the town of Qatrani in the Jezzine district. The bodies of five people were found in the rubble of houses in the town of Shaqra, which was hit by airstrikes in the past week. Seven people were killed and 24 injured in an assault on the town of Ain Baal, including a nurse and three paramedics.

Attacks on the Kfar Jouz region of Nabatieh using concussion missiles caused significant damage to numerous buildings and shops. The Nabih Berri Governmental Hospital and the Lebanese Popular Secure Hospital, close to the targeted zone, also suffered considerable damage. Civil defense and medical teams continued to search the rubble for survivors on Sunday, despite the ongoing risk of further Israeli strikes.

There was a lull in the airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday night, and some residents took the opportunity to return to their homes there on Monday morning to salvage what they could of their possessions. Several people spoke of “smells of death emanating from the rubble.”

A young man named Hussein, who was checking his family’s home, said: “It is the scent of corpses.”

A building in Beirut damaged by airstrikes collapsed on Monday. Residents of targeted neighborhoods said they fear other buildings will fall, particularly as winter approaches, due to “the extent of the damage inflicted on the buildings from the bombardment.”

Elsewhere, an Israeli drone targeted a vehicle on the Aria Road with a missile. The driver survived. Remote villages in the Bekaa region were hit by airstrikes that killed two people and injured four in the town of Al-Halaniya. Also on Monday, an air raid on the periphery of the town of Chmestar killed resident Ali Samaha and injured three children.

Hezbollah again warned residents to evacuate settlements in northern Israel, and fired rockets at Israeli forces around the settlements of Manara, Margaliot and Kiryat Shmona. Confrontations were also reported along the border to prevent Israeli incursions. Hezbollah also said it targeted an Israeli military gathering at Fatima Gate.

The Israeli army said 15 soldiers were killed and 88 injured over the past two days in southern Lebanon.

Attacks by Israel on media facilities and journalists in Hasbaya in southern Lebanon, and the Ouzai area of the southern suburbs of Beirut, prompted Lebanese authorities to register a formal complaint with the UN Security Council. Photographers Wissam Qassem and Ghassan Najar and technician Mohammed Reda were killed in the attacks, and several journalists and photographers were injured.

Fifty Lebanese MPs, representing various parliamentary blocs, gathered on Monday at the parliament to discuss the mass displacement of residents from southern regions, the Bekaa and southern suburbs of Beirut as a result of the conflict.

The meeting took place against a backdrop of political divisions over whether to continue the conflict or pursue a ceasefire. In a joint statement, the participating MPs highlighted the importance of recognizing “displacement as a national concern that affects everyone, necessitating an approach based on the principles and rules of national solidarity.”

They urged “security, military and municipal authorities to ensure the safety of displaced people and local populations and to enforce laws rigorously,” and called for action to be taken to prevent any armed presence, whether among displaced communities or residents, and discourage people from taking the law into their own hands.

The MPs emphasized “the necessity for all residents and displaced people to adhere to the law and public-order regulations, and to respect private properties and refrain from encroaching upon them or utilizing them without the consent of their owners.”

They called for “the registration of displaced people” and urged those wishing to engage in any form of commercial or professional activities “to obtain the necessary permits from the relevant authorities and the municipality.”


Nearly 50,000 displaced in Syria in recent days: UN

Nearly 50,000 displaced in Syria in recent days: UN
Updated 03 December 2024
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Nearly 50,000 displaced in Syria in recent days: UN

Nearly 50,000 displaced in Syria in recent days: UN

UNITED NATIONS, United States: Nearly 50,000 people have recently been displaced in Syria, where an Islamist-led militants alliance has wrested swathes of territory from control of President Bashar Assad’s government, the UN’s humanitarian agency reported Monday.
“The displacement situation remains highly fluid, with partners verifying new figures daily,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement. “Over 48,500 people have been displaced as of 30 November.”
 

 


Far-right Israeli minister slams ‘coup’ after arrests

Far-right Israeli minister slams ‘coup’ after arrests
Updated 03 December 2024
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Far-right Israeli minister slams ‘coup’ after arrests

Far-right Israeli minister slams ‘coup’ after arrests
  • Ben Gvir called the arrests “an attempt to bring me down, me, the government and the prime minister,” Benjamin Netanyahu

JERUSALEM: Israel’s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir condemned Monday the arrests of a senior prison official and two police officers linked to him as an attempt to oust him.
The three, who media say are close to Ben Gvir, were arrested on suspicion of bribery, abuse of office and breach of trust, according to reports.
Police have not commented on the arrests.
“This is a coup d’etat... a political decision,” Ben Gvir said in televised comments.
He called the arrests “an attempt to bring me down, me, the government and the prime minister,” Benjamin Netanyahu.
“The decision to investigate police officers and a senior prison service official who are clearly and fully implementing my policy... is a political decision,” Ben Gvir added.
Israeli media said on Monday the prison service official questioned by police was the chief, Kobi Yaakobi, a close friend of Ben Gvir who was appointed in January.
Ben Gvir on Monday posted on his Telegram channel a photo with Yaakobi and the words: “Kobi, we love you.”
Last week the minister gave his “full” support to four people working in his office, who Israeli media said were questioned by police as part of a probe into the alleged issuing of weapons permits illegally.
Ben Gvir also directly attacked Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who had previously provoked the ire of some ministers in the current government.
“In order for the right-wing government to function, without the legal adviser preventing it, we must stop this crazy campaign and legal coup,” Ben Gvir said.
He urged Netanyahu to discuss in Sunday’s cabinet meeting ending Baharav-Miara’s mandate.
In March last year, it was Baharav-Miara who deemed “illegal” one of Netanyahu’s public interventions on proposed judicial system reforms then dividing the country.


Turkiye could benefit from militant offensive in Syria: experts

Turkiye could benefit from militant offensive in Syria: experts
Updated 9 min 42 sec ago
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Turkiye could benefit from militant offensive in Syria: experts

Turkiye could benefit from militant offensive in Syria: experts
  • Ankara and Damascus broke off ties in 2011 when the war started with Erdogan backing the militants

ISTANBUL: Turkiye could be one of the big winners from the new Syria crisis, giving it a chance to tackle its Syrian refugee problem and the Kurdish threat along its border, observers say.

Although Syrian President Bashar Assad spurned an offer of help from his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Ankara now appears to have an increasingly important role in decisions that will affect Syria’s immediate future.

Omer Ozkizilcik, an Atlantic Council associate researcher in Ankara, said Turkiye has a “complex and difficult relationship” with Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), the terrorist alliance that led last week’s militant offensive.

“We can clearly say there was indirect Turkish support (for the offensive) but no direct Turkish involvement,” he said.

Although the attack was due to take place “seven weeks ago... Turkiye stopped the militants from launching this military offensive,” he added.

Assad’s ally Russia has also been “heavily” bombing militants positions in the northwest to stymie an attack on his government.

Charles Lister, an expert at Washington’s Middle East Institute agreed, saying “the Aleppo offensive was initially planned for mid-October but Turkiye put a stop to it.”

It was only after Ankara’s efforts to normalize ties with the Assad goverment were rebuffed as it pushed for a political solution, that Turkiye gave its green light, Ozkizilcik said.

Turkiye has pushed back against the expansion of HTS into the “security zone” in northwest Syria it has carved out for itself, and has put pressure on the radical group to drop its Al-Qaeda affiliation.

It has also pressed it to avoid attacking Christian and Druze minorities, analysts say.

“The HTS of today is not what it was in 2020,” Ozkizilcik said.

Although Turkiye has some influence over the group, Firas Kontar, a Syrian Druze origin and author of “Syria, the Impossible Revolution,” believes Erdogan “no longer has the means to stop HTS.”

Ankara and Damascus broke off ties in 2011 when the war started with Erdogan backing the militants.

However, since late 2022 the Turkish leader has been seeking a rapprochement, saying in July he was ready to host Assad “at any time.”

But Assad said he would only meet if Turkish forces withdrew from Syria.

Ankara is hoping a rapprochement would pave the way for the return of the 3.2 million Syrian refugees still on its soil, whose presence has become a major domestic hot potato.

“Now with the changing situation on the ground, the balance of power in Syria has shifted: Turkiye is the most powerful actor at the moment inside Syria, and Iran and Russia will likely try to negotiate with Turkiye,” Ozkizilcik said.

Since 2016, Turkiye has staged multiple operations against Kurdish forces in northern Syria which has given it a foothold in areas bordering the frontier.

The aim is to oust Kurdish fighters from the border zone, notably the YPG (People’s Protection Units) which are backed by Washington as bulwark against Daesh group terrorists.

But Ankara views the YPG as an extension of the PKK which has fought a decades-long insurgency inside Turkiye and is banned as a terror group by Washington and Brussels.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, pro-Turkiye militans on Sunday seized Tal Rifaat, a town north of Aleppo and the surrounding villages, where some 200,000 Syrian Kurds were living.

Tal Rifaat lies just outside Turkiye’s “security zone” with the move prompting Kurdish residents to flee to a safe zone further east.

Turkiye’s secret service said it had killed a PKK leader in the area.

“Turkiye has already made and probably will make many gains against the YPG terror group to secure its national security,” said Ozkizilcik.


Israel tells residents to evacuate areas of south Gaza

Israel tells residents to evacuate areas of south Gaza
Updated 03 December 2024
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Israel tells residents to evacuate areas of south Gaza

Israel tells residents to evacuate areas of south Gaza
  • At least 44,466 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza

JERUSALEM: The Israeli army called on Monday for some areas of the southern Gaza Strip to be evacuated, warning that Palestinian militants were launching rockets from there.
It is the first such call in weeks relating to the south of the embattled Palestinian territory after the military turned its attention to the north in October.
“Terrorist organizations are once again firing rockets toward the State of Israel from your area,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post in Arabic on X, addressing residents of the Khan Yunis area.
“For your safety, you must evacuate the area immediately and move to the humanitarian zone,” he said, sharing a map of the area in question.
Earlier on Monday, the Israeli military said in a statement that “one projectile that crossed into Israeli territory from Khan Yunis was intercepted” by the Israeli air force.
Hamas’s armed wing later claimed responsibility, saying it had fired rockets toward southern Israel.
Israel has destroyed large swathes of Gaza since it launched a retaliatory military offensive following Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack.
The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
At least 44,466 Palestinians, a majority of them civilians, have been killed in Israel’s military campaign in the Gaza Strip since the war began, according to data provided by the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. The UN has acknowledged these figures as reliable.
 

 


US welcomes Israel lifeline for Palestinian banking

A man withdraws cash from an ATM machine at Bank of Palestine in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2018. (AFP)
A man withdraws cash from an ATM machine at Bank of Palestine in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2018. (AFP)
Updated 03 December 2024
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US welcomes Israel lifeline for Palestinian banking

A man withdraws cash from an ATM machine at Bank of Palestine in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on May 15, 2018. (AFP)
  • US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that cutting off Palestinian banks “would create a humanitarian crisis” and voiced disappointment in October when Israel approved only a 30-day extension

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday welcomed Israel’s one-year extension of a lifeline to Palestinian banks, after threats by the far-right finance minister to sever the connection amid the Gaza war.
The United States had pressed Israel to maintain the waiver which allows Israeli banks to work with Palestinian ones, fearing otherwise that the comparatively stable West Bank would descend into economic havoc.

US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. (AFP file photo)

The State and Treasury Departments in a joint statement said they welcomed the decision taken Thursday at a meeting of Israel’s security cabinet.
“Economic stability in the West Bank is essential for Israeli and Palestinian security, and correspondent banking is a key pillar of that economic stability,” the statement said.
“The United States appreciates the ongoing engagement with the Government of Israel and the Palestine Monetary Authority on this matter.”
Far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who lives in a West Bank settlement and advocates for the full annexation of the territory occupied by Israel since 1967, earlier threatened to end the waiver in retaliation for three European countries’ recognition of a Palestinian state.
US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has warned that cutting off Palestinian banks “would create a humanitarian crisis” and voiced disappointment in October when Israel approved only a 30-day extension.