Lebanon PM says expanded strikes suggest Israel rejects truce

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Updated 02 November 2024
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Lebanon PM says expanded strikes suggest Israel rejects truce

Lebanon PM says expanded strikes suggest Israel rejects truce
  • Lebanon’s caretaker PM Mikati on Friday accused Israel of blocking progress in negotiations
  • US envoys had been working to secure truces on both fronts ahead of US election next Tuesday

BEIRUT: Israel bombarded the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday as caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati accused it of “stubbornness” in negotiations.

Israeli attacks came amid stalled talks by two US envoys in Israel in an attempt to reach a ceasefire in Lebanon.

Mikati reaffirmed Lebanon’s continued commitment to UN resolution 1701 and its provisions.

Mikati said he believed that Israel’s “renewed expansion of the scope of its aggression on Lebanese regions, its repeated threats to the population to evacuate entire cities and villages, and its renewed targeting of the southern suburbs of Beirut with destructive raids are all indicators that confirm Israel’s rejection of all efforts being made to secure a ceasefire in preparation for the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701.”

He said: “Israeli statements and diplomatic signals that Lebanon received confirm Israel’s stubbornness in rejecting the proposed solutions and insisting on the approach of killing and destruction.

“This places the entire international community before its historical and moral responsibilities to stop this aggression.”

Mikati denied the claims of two Reuters sources on Friday, which stated that the US “had asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire to inject momentum into stalled talks on a deal to end hostilities.”

His media office said that the Lebanese government’s stance was “clear on seeking a ceasefire from both sides and the implementation of Resolution 1701.”

Mikati’s warning came as the Israeli Air Force carried out 14 raids against neighborhoods in Beirut’s southern suburbs after two weeks of cautious calm in the area.

The raids affected Burj Al-Barajneh, Rweis, Haret Hreik, Hadath and the old airport road.

Twelve raids targeted Baalbek-Hermel, causing further casualties, including entire families.

In Amhazieh alone, 12 people died in a raid, most of whom were children, while a woman was killed and five were injured in a raid in Taraya, west of Baalbek.

Three people were killed in Hrabta, while another was killed in Kasarnaba.

Before the raids, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee sent evacuation warnings to residents at about 3.30 a.m., which was followed by heavy shooting by Hezbollah members to alert sleeping residents in the areas targeted.

People left their homes in pyjamas, carrying their children along the streets near the old airport road, one of the targeted areas

During a week-long period of relative calm, many residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs returned to their homes, which were not affected by previous raids.

The raids caused widespread destruction in these areas, which are considered by the Israeli army as Hezbollah’s security square, although the Lebanese consider the area residential.

In a statement on Friday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, expressed concern over “the impact of the Israeli operations on civilians and infrastructure in Lebanon.” 

Israeli strikes on the ancient cities of Tyre and Baalbek, home to UNESCO-designated Roman ruins, were endangering Lebanon’s cultural heritage, said UN special coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

“Ancient Phoenician cities steeped in history are in deep peril of being left in ruins,” Hennis-Plasschaert said in a social media post, adding that Lebanon’s cultural heritage “must not become yet another casualty in this devastating conflict.”

Her appeal came as Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said: “Since last September, Israel has wasted more than one opportunity to reach a ceasefire, implement Resolution 1701, restore calm, and return the displaced to both sides of the border.”

He underlined Lebanon’s “commitment to implementing Resolution 1701 as the only option to achieve regional security and stability.”

MP Michel Moussa, a parliamentary Development and Liberation Bloc member, said Berri “has been informed that ceasefire negotiations have reached an impasse.”

Moussa said Israel had shown no intention to negotiate, appearing to await US elections as a “significant turning point.”

During his meeting with US special envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk,  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel “is determined to confront the threats in the north. Any ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon must guarantee Israel’s security.”

He added: “There is pressure to prematurely achieve a settlement in Lebanon, and reality has proven otherwise.

“I did not set a date for the war’s end, but I set clear goals for victory,” Netanyahu said. “We respect Resolutions 1701 and 1559, but they are not the main thing.”

The Israeli airstrikes, which continued on Friday morning and during the day, targeted a residential apartment in the town of Qmatiyeh in Aley, killing three members of a family living there and wounding five.

They also targeted dozens of towns in the south and northern Bekaa after the city of Baalbek turned into a ghost town as a result of renewed Israeli warnings against the return of those who were displaced from it.

Israeli attacks on Baalbek-Hermel Governorate and Central Bekaa include 1,035 airstrikes, which have killed 528 and 1,069 injured people.

According to a report by the ministerial emergency committee, the toll has risen to 2,822 dead and 12,937 wounded since the first attack by Israel against Lebanon about 14 months.

Hezbollah MP Hussein Hajj Hassan estimated that about “60,000 people were displaced from Baalbek and Hermel, and the figure needs to be updated daily.”

In a report on its field operations against the Israeli army, Hezbollah said that “more than 95 soldiers were killed, 900 others wounded, and 42 Merkava tanks were destroyed” since the ground offensive began. “Three Hermes 450 and two Hermes 900 drones were shot down. Israeli forces are trying not to move or change their positions in the fields, fearing being targeted,” Hezbollah said.

The UNIFIL commander, Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, visited Mikati and Berri on Friday to discuss the ongoing military operations against Lebanon and the difficulties and threats UNIFIL faces while carrying out its mission.

Mikati emphasized the importance of “adhering to the role of UNIFIL, recognizing its importance in the south and not compromising its rules of work and the missions it is carrying out in close cooperation with the Lebanese army.”

In Israel, sirens sounded in several settlements in the Galilee panhandle, coinciding with an Israeli announcement “detecting around 10 rockets being launched from Lebanon, some of which were intercepted and others landed in open areas.”
 
Hezbollah announced targeting “Kiryat Shmona, Hatzor HaGlilit, Kidmat Tzvi, Yesod HaMa’ala and Karmiel,” and a group of soldiers near the Lebanese border town of Khiyam.

Also on Friday, a 17th Saudi relief plane, operated by the Saudi aid agency KSRelief, landed at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, carrying food, shelter and medical aid, the Saudi Press Agency reported.


Israel is trying to destabilize Lebanon and Syria, Arab League chief laments

Israel is trying to destabilize Lebanon and Syria, Arab League chief laments
Updated 05 April 2025
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Israel is trying to destabilize Lebanon and Syria, Arab League chief laments

Israel is trying to destabilize Lebanon and Syria, Arab League chief laments
  • Israel’s resumption of targeted assassinations in Lebanon is an unacceptable and condemnable breach of the ceasefire agreement it signed with Lebanon late last year, Aboul Gheit said in a statement

CAIRO: Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit on Saturday accused Israel of trying to destabilize Syria and Lebanon through irresponsible military provocations, in “flagrant disregard for international legal norms.”

In a statement, Aboul Gheit lamented that global inaction has further emboldened the Zionist state.

“(T)he wars waged by Israel on the occupied Palestinian territories, Lebanon, and Syria have entered a new phase of complete recklessness, deliberately violating signed agreements, invading countries, and killing more civilians,” said the statement carried by the Saudi Press Agency.

He said Israel’s resumption of targeted assassinations in Lebanon is an unacceptable and condemnable breach of the ceasefire agreement it signed with Lebanon late last year. 

Aboul Gheit suggested that Israel’s actions were driven by narrow domestic agendas at the expense of civilian lives and regional peace.

“It seems that the Israeli war machine does not want to stop as long as the occupation leaders insist on facing their internal crises by exporting them abroad, and this situation has become clear to everyone,” he said.

As per the Gaza Ministry of Health’s count last week, more than 50,000 people have been killed and over 113,200 wounded in Israeli attacks on Palestinian territories in retaliation against the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas surprise attack on southern Israel.

In Lebanon, war monitors have said at least 3,961 people were killed and at least 16,520, wounded in Israel’s war with the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement from October 8, 2023, to November 26, 2024.

Syria’s new government accused Israel on April 3 of mounting a deadly destabilization campaign after a wave of strikes on military targets, including an airport, and a ground incursion killed 13 people, in the southern province of Daraa. 


Syrian government says studying Amnesty report on massacres

Syrian government says studying Amnesty report on massacres
Updated 05 April 2025
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Syrian government says studying Amnesty report on massacres

Syrian government says studying Amnesty report on massacres

Damascus: Syria’s government said late Friday it was “closely following” the findings of a new Amnesty International report urging an investigation into sectarian massacres last month.
Amnesty called on the Syrian government in a report on Thursday to ensure accountability for the massacres targeting the Alawite minority, saying they may constitute war crimes.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor has said security forces and allied groups killed more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, during the violence.
Interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS) led the offensive that toppled longtime ruler Bashar Assad in December, has vowed to prosecute those responsible.
In a statement on Friday, the government said it had been “following closely the Amnesty report” and its “preliminary findings.”
“It is up to the Independent National Commission for Investigation and Fact-Finding to evaluate them, in accordance with the mandate, independence, and broad powers granted to it by presidential decree,” it said.
The Syrian authorities have accused armed Assad supporters of sparking the violence by attacking the new security forces.
The government on Friday complained the report failed to note “the broader context of the events.”
It said the violence began with a “premeditated assault” by the “remnants of the previous regime, targeting army and internal security personnel.”
In the ensuing chaos, “acts of retaliation and serious violations occurred,” it said, vowing that these would be investigated and a report issued within a month.


Red Cross warns of continued threat of landmines in Iraq

Red Cross warns of continued threat of landmines in Iraq
Updated 05 April 2025
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Red Cross warns of continued threat of landmines in Iraq

Red Cross warns of continued threat of landmines in Iraq
  • Organization calls for greater effort to reduce contamination that spans 2,100 sq. km.
  • More than 80 casualties recorded since 2023

LONDON: The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Friday that landmines and explosive remnants of war continue to pose a severe threat in Iraq, contaminating an estimated 2,100 sq. km.

In a statement issued to coincide with the International Day for Mine Awareness, the organization said landmines from past conflicts, including the Iran-Iraq War and the 2014–17 battle against Daesh, remained a major hazard.

The contamination had resulted in civilian casualties, forced displacement, restricted farmland access and slowed reconstruction efforts, it said.

Between 2023 and 2024, the ICRC recorded 78 casualties from landmines and remnants of war in Iraq. Earlier this year, three students were killed in an explosion in Abu Al-Khasib, Basra.

The ICRC has appealed for greater efforts to reduce contamination and support mine-affected communities. Clearance operations continue in cooperation with national authorities and humanitarian partners.

The call for action comes at a time when several NATO member states, namely Poland, Finland and the Baltic states, have signaled their intention to withdraw from the Ottawa Convention, the international treaty banning antipersonnel landmines. They cited the growing military threat from Russia as the reason for reconsidering the ban.

Meanwhile, the US, previously the largest funder of global mine clearance efforts, has cut back support due to a foreign aid review under the Trump administration.

Washington had contributed over $300 million annually, covering 40 percent of total international mine action funding, according to the 2024 Landmine Monitor report, which led to major clearance efforts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Laos.

A State Department official said last month that the US had restarted some global humanitarian demining programs but provided no details.


Hamas says Israeli offensive in Gaza ‘highly dangerous’ for hostages

Hamas says Israeli offensive in Gaza ‘highly dangerous’ for hostages
Updated 04 April 2025
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Hamas says Israeli offensive in Gaza ‘highly dangerous’ for hostages

Hamas says Israeli offensive in Gaza ‘highly dangerous’ for hostages
  • “We have decided not to transfer these (hostages)... but (this situation) is highly dangerous to their lives,” said Abu Obeida

GAZA CITY: Hamas on Friday said Israel’s offensive in Gaza was creating a “highly dangerous” situation for the hostages held there, warning that half of the living captives were in areas where the army had ordered evacuations.
“Half of the living Israeli (hostages) are located in areas that the Israeli occupation army has requested to be evacuated in recent days,” Abu Obeida, spokesman for Hamas’s armed wing, said in a statement. “We have decided not to transfer these (hostages)... but (this situation) is highly dangerous to their lives.”


Kurdish fighters leave northern city in Syria as part of deal with central government

Kurdish fighters leave northern city in Syria as part of deal with central government
Updated 04 April 2025
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Kurdish fighters leave northern city in Syria as part of deal with central government

Kurdish fighters leave northern city in Syria as part of deal with central government
  • The fighters left the predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods of Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh
  • The deal is a boost to an agreement reached last month

ALEPPO, Syria: Scores of US-backed Kurdish fighters left two neighborhoods in the Syrian Arab Republic’s northern city of Aleppo Friday as part of a deal with the central government in Damascus, which is expanding its authority in the country.
The fighters left the predominantly Kurdish northern neighborhoods of Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh, which had been under the control of Kurdish fighters in Aleppo over the past decade.
The deal is a boost to an agreement reached last month between Syria’s interim government and the Kurdish-led authority that controls the country’s northeast. The deal could eventually lead to the merger of the main US-backed force in Syria into the Syrian army.
The withdrawal of fighters from the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces came a day after dozens of prisoners from both sides were freed in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city.
Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that government forces were deployed along the road that SDF fighters will use to move between Aleppo and areas east of the Euphrates River, where the Kurdish-led force controls nearly a quarter of Syria.
Sheikh Maksoud and Achrafieh had been under SDF control since 2015 and remained so even when forces of ousted President Bashar Assad captured Aleppo in late 2016. The two neighborhoods remained under SDF control when forces loyal to current interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa captured the city in November, and days later captured the capital, Damascus, removing Assad from power.
After being marginalized for decades under the rule of the Assad family rule, the deal signed last month promises Syria’s Kurds “constitutional rights,” including using and teaching their language, which were banned for decades.
Hundreds of thousands of Kurds, who were displaced during Syria’s nearly 14-year civil war, will return to their homes. Thousands of Kurds living in Syria who have been deprived of nationality for decades under Assad will be given the right of citizenship, according to the agreement.
Kurds made up 10 percent of the country’s prewar population of 23 million. Kurdish leaders say they don’t want full autonomy with their own government and parliament. They want decentralization and room to run their day-to day-affairs.