Mikati questions Israeli commitment to ceasefire deal

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati attends the Atreju political meeting organised by the young militants of Italian right wing party Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia) on December 14, 2024 in Rome. (AFP)
Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati attends the Atreju political meeting organised by the young militants of Italian right wing party Brothers of Italy (Fratelli d'Italia) on December 14, 2024 in Rome. (AFP)
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Updated 14 December 2024
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Mikati questions Israeli commitment to ceasefire deal

Mikati questions Israeli commitment to ceasefire deal
  • Driver killed in drone strike in southern Lebanon as truce violations continue
  • University says it is investigating claims of weapons cache in warehouse building

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Saturday questioned Israel’s commitment to the ceasefire deal brokered by the US and France following a deadly drone strike in the south of the country — the latest attack in what appears to be an increasingly shaky truce.

Speaking during a meeting in Rome with a group of Arab diplomats, Mikati highlighted the challenges facing Lebanon and accused Israel of repeatedly violating the truce.

The drone strike that killed a motorist in southern Lebanon on Saturday added to fears that the ceasefire deal struck between Israel and Hezbollah two weeks ago is under growing strain.

The attack targeted a car on the Khardali road, which links the two sides of the Litani river, and connects Nabatieh to Marjayoun in southern Lebanon.

The drone strike set the vehicle on fire, killing the driver, who was later identified as Mohsen Charafeddine from Kfartebnit.

Israeli reconnaissance planes have continued to hover over southern Lebanon and Beirut’s southern suburbs around the clock.

Mikati told the Arab ambassadors accredited to Italy that “the main challenge facing Lebanon is to oblige the committee tasked with following up on this file, Israel, to stop its violations and withdraw its forces from Lebanese territory.”

He added: “We are waiting for these measures to be implemented with an American-French guarantee, but we do not see an Israeli commitment to that.”

The prime minister said the Lebanese army has begun expanding its deployment in the south, and morale is high.

“It is working to impose the authority of Lebanese legitimacy, ensuring no weapons outside the framework of legitimate arms.

“We rely on the continued support of our brothers and friends to enable the army to carry out its role fully,” said Mikati.

Also on Saturday, Israeli forces carried out mopping-up operations in the border villages of Mays Al-Jabal and Kfarkila.

After a shepherd named Abdo Abdel Aal went missing in the Majidieh area, security authorities said it was likely that Israeli troops had crossed the barbed-wire border toward the Al-Majidieh valley and taken him for questioning.

The Israeli army detained two shepherds last week. Both were freed after interrogation.

Commander of the Works Regiment in the Lebanese army, Brig. Gen. Youssef Haidar, and the Head of the Third Operations Division in the Seventh Brigade, Brig. Gen. Joseph Mazraani, visited the southern Lebanese town of Khiam on Saturday to inspect recovery work there and the clearing of roads in preparation for the return of residents.

On Wednesday, Israeli forces conducted their first withdrawal from Khiam — and were replaced by Lebanese troops.

Lebanese army bulldozers continued clearing roads around the Khiam detention center and the Matal Al-Jabal area.

Videos shared on social media revealed the extent of damage caused by Israeli forces in Khiam, including the demolition of residential buildings and commercial establishments, and the destruction of roads.

The army is coordinating with the Lebanese Red Cross to begin recovering the bodies of Hezbollah members killed during the conflict in the rugged Wadi Al-Asafir area, south of Khiam.

The Lebanese army continued surveying and inspecting southern areas damaged by Israeli attacks.

An army engineering team detonated unexploded rockets and cluster bombs in the towns of Qleileh, Al-Mansouri, Al-Haniya, and Al-Amriyah in the western sector.

A 15-year-old boy was badly injured earlier in the week in Shabriha in the Tyre district after a cluster bomb he picked up exploded.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese University administration issued a statement on Saturday in response to information circulating on social media regarding the alleged discovery of weapons in one of its buildings.

The administration requested “refraining from circulating such news and exaggerating it in public, pending the results of the investigation being conducted by the security agencies.”

It also said that “during an inspection of the university buildings and centers to assess the damage caused by Israeli attacks in the vicinity of its facilities, a change in the locks of one of the rented warehouses designated for storing consumable materials and equipment was discovered.”

The warehouse is located in the Al-Janah area on the outskirts of southern Beirut.

The administration said an inspection of the warehouse found contents including “military clothing, travel bags, and sealed boxes.”

Investigations are continuing, it added.

 


Israel wants no celebrations when Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza deal

Updated 6 sec ago
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Israel wants no celebrations when Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza deal

Israel wants no celebrations when Palestinian prisoners freed in Gaza deal
“The commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, Major General Kobi Yakobi, instructed that.. to prevent public displays of joy in Ashkelon,” the statement said
Instead “special units” from the prison service would handle transport

JEURSALEM: The Israel Prison Service said on Friday it was taking measures to prevent any “public displays of joy” when Palestinian prisoners are released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal.
It said in a statement that it was preparing for the release of prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages held in Gaza, which the prime minister’s office said could begin on Sunday.
The prison service said that two jails, one near Jerusalem and another near the southern city of Ashkelon, had begun preparations for the releases by gathering prisoners to be freed.
“The commissioner of the Israel Prison Service, Major General Kobi Yakobi, instructed that.. to prevent public displays of joy in Ashkelon and other areas of Israel, the escort from ‘Shikma’ Prison will not be handled by civilian buses of the (International Committee of the) Red Cross,” the statement said.
The Geneva-based ICRC oversaw the only previous prisoner exchange of the war, in November 2023, when 105 hostages held in Gaza were freed, the 80 Israelis among them in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Instead “special units” from the prison service would handle transport, the statement said.
Jakobi also told prisoners earmarked for release to “refrain from expressions of joy within Israel.”
Israel’s security cabinet approved the deal on Friday and it now goes before the full cabinet.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir urged his political allies to reject the deal in a statement on Friday, pointing to the releases.
He said that Palestinians “serving life sentences” for killing Israelis would be released in Israel and the occupied West Bank.
“I call on my friends in Likud and Religious Zionism, it’s not too late, we are before a government meeting, this deal can still be stopped,” he said, referring to two other parties in the governing coalition.
During the initial 42 days of the ceasefire, 33 hostages are to be freed in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, according to mediators and officials from both sides.

The Israel Prison Service said on Friday it was taking measures to prevent any “public displays of joy” when Palestinian prisoners are released as part of the Gaza ceasefire deal. (File/Supplied)

Japan provides grant to Caritas Lebanon for mammography machine in Sin El Fil

Japan provides grant to Caritas Lebanon for mammography machine in Sin El Fil
Updated 17 January 2025
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Japan provides grant to Caritas Lebanon for mammography machine in Sin El Fil

Japan provides grant to Caritas Lebanon for mammography machine in Sin El Fil
  • Ambassador Magoshi Masayuki signed a grant contract with Father Michel Abboud, President of Caritas Lebanon
  • The center has faced significant challenges due to the economic crisis

BEIRUT: Japan, through the Grant Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Program (GGP), extended a helping hand to Caritas Lebanon by providing a mammography machine to its Sin El Fil Primary Healthcare Center (PHCC).
On Friday, Ambassador Magoshi Masayuki signed a grant contract with Father Michel Abboud, President of Caritas Lebanon.
The Sin El Fil PHCC, established by Caritas Lebanon in 1985, serves as the sole healthcare center in the town of Sin El Fil, providing essential low-cost primary medical services to approximately 300 patients daily, including Lebanese, Syrian refugees, and migrant workers.
Despite its vital role, the center has faced significant challenges due to the economic crisis, including the breakdown of its mammography machine two and a half years ago. This has left residents without affordable breast cancer screening services, forcing patients to rely on costly private facilities or forego testing altogether.
Recognizing the urgent need for early detection of breast cancer and other diseases, Japan has decided to support the Sin El Fil PHCC by providing a new mammography machine.
This project will enable the center to resume affordable breast cancer screening services and to benefit approximately 1,700 patients annually, aligning with the Lebanese government’s ‘National Cancer Plan (2023-2028)’ and the National Health Strategy, which emphasize early detection and primary healthcare.
At the signing ceremony, Ambassador Magoshi commended Caritas Lebanon’s commitment to supporting vulnerable communities through comprehensive medical services.
Caritas Lebanon, in turn, has expressed its gratitude for Japan’s support, highlighting the significance of this project amid the ongoing socio-economic challenges in Lebanon.


UK MPs urge Israel to reconsider UNRWA ban

UK MPs urge Israel to reconsider UNRWA ban
Updated 17 January 2025
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UK MPs urge Israel to reconsider UNRWA ban

UK MPs urge Israel to reconsider UNRWA ban
  • The chair of the UK parliament’s International Development Committee echoed his call on Friday
  • “While news of a ceasefire is encouraging, the situation on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank remains alarming,” said Sarah Champion

LONDON: British lawmakers warned Friday that an Israeli ban on the UN’s Palestinian refugee agency due to be implemented this month threatens to undermine efforts for peace in the Middle East.
A long-awaited ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the 15-month war in Gaza is due to take effect this weekend.
UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said on Thursday that legislation barring UNRWA from operating in Israel and east Jerusalem due to be implemented by the end of January threatened the agreement.
“What we don’t want is this peace, that begins on Sunday, undermined by that legislation just a few days into its passing,” he told parliament on Thursday.
The chair of the UK parliament’s International Development Committee echoed his call on Friday.
“While news of a ceasefire is encouraging, the situation on the ground in Gaza and the West Bank remains alarming,” said Sarah Champion, from the ruling Labour party.
“Israel’s proposed ban on UNRWA would prevent aid distribution in Gaza, devastate Palestinian livelihoods and send disruptive ripples throughout the Middle East.”
Her comments came as her committee published a report urging the British government to “do all it can” to ensure UNRWA is able to continue its work.
The report concluded that if UNRWA were banned it would almost certainly lead to further conflict and displacement.
UNRWA provides aid to some six million Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
But the agency has faced criticism from Israeli officials that has escalated since the start of the war in Gaza, which was unleashed after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
Israel claims that a dozen UNRWA employees were involved in the assault, which resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s ensuing campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,788 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.
A series of probes, including one led by France’s former foreign minister Catherine Colonna, found some “neutrality related issues” at UNRWA but stressed Israel had not provided evidence for its chief allegations.


Macron announces new Lebanon ‘reconstruction’ conference in Paris

Macron announces new Lebanon ‘reconstruction’ conference in Paris
Updated 17 January 2025
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Macron announces new Lebanon ‘reconstruction’ conference in Paris

Macron announces new Lebanon ‘reconstruction’ conference in Paris
  • “As soon as the president (Aoun) comes to Paris in a few weeks’ time, we will organize around him an international reconstruction conference to drum up funding,” Macron said
  • “The international community must prepare for massive support to the reconstruction of infrastructure“

BEIRUT: France’s President Emmanuel Macron Friday announced that Paris would in coming weeks host an international reconstruction conference after a war between militant group Hezbollah and Israel.
After more than two years of a political vacuum at the top of the small Mediterranean country, Joseph Aoun was elected president on January 9 and chose Nawaf Salam as prime minister designate.
“Since January 9, in the middle of winter, spring has sprung,” Macron said at a joint press conference with Aoun.
“You are this hope,” he said, referring to Aoun and Salam.
The new prime minister faces the monumental task of forming a government to oversee reconstruction after a November ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war, and enact reforms to lift the country out of its worst economic crisis in history.
“As soon as the president (Aoun) comes to Paris in a few weeks’ time, we will organize around him an international reconstruction conference to drum up funding,” Macron said.
“The international community must prepare for massive support to the reconstruction of infrastructure.”
Under the ceasefire deal, the Lebanese army must deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south of Lebanon as the Israeli army withdraws by January 26.
At the same time, Hezbollah is required to pull its forces north of the Litani River, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure it has in the country’s south.
With just over a week to go until the cut-off date, Macron called for accelerated implementation of the truce.
“There have been results... but they must be accelerated and long-lasting. There needs to be complete withdrawal of Israeli forces, and the Lebanese army must hold total monopoly of any weapons” in south Lebanon, he said.
A committee composed of Israeli, Lebanese, French and US delegates, alongside a representative from UNIFIL, has been tasked with monitoring the implementation of the ceasefire deal.


EU’s Kallas says talks under way to revive Rafah border mission

EU’s Kallas says talks under way to revive Rafah border mission
Updated 17 January 2025
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EU’s Kallas says talks under way to revive Rafah border mission

EU’s Kallas says talks under way to revive Rafah border mission
  • The mission operated for only a year and a half before it was suspended when Hamas militants took control of the Gaza Strip
  • The EU is “in discussions about redeploying our monitoring mission to Rafah to ensure the stability at the border, so we have it ready,” Kallas told reporters

BRUSSELS: The European Union is in talks to revive a civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah following the announcement of the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said.
A civilian EU mission to help monitor the Rafah crossing was set up under agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority in 2005, part of international help with peace efforts at a time when Israel had pulled troops and settlers from Gaza.
But the mission operated for only a year and a half before it was suspended when Hamas militants took control of the Gaza Strip and drove out the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority.
Kallas met with the Palestinian Authority’s Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa in Brussels on Friday morning and spoke on the phone with Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
The EU is “in discussions about redeploying our monitoring mission to Rafah to ensure the stability at the border, so we have it ready,” Kallas told reporters in Brussels.
Kallas said redeploying would require invitations from Israel and the Palestinian Authority as well as a cooperation agreement with Egypt. She said the mission now had ten international staff and eight locals on standby.
“We will also be ready to assist in reconstruction and recovery,” she said.
Kallas said the EU was committed to a two-state solution to the broader Israel-Palestinian conflict.
“Of course lasting peace means compromises on both sides,” she said. “I think there is a chance to prevent further loss of life with this ceasefire.”