Israeli forces kill 22 in southern Lebanon, ignore withdrawal deadline

Update Rescuers in Chaqra carry an injured person shot by Israeli soldiers after he allegedly tried to walk toward Mais Al-Jabal in southern Lebanon on Jan. 26, 2025. (AFP)
Rescuers in Chaqra carry an injured person shot by Israeli soldiers after he allegedly tried to walk toward Mais Al-Jabal in southern Lebanon on Jan. 26, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 26 January 2025
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Israeli forces kill 22 in southern Lebanon, ignore withdrawal deadline

Rescuers in Chaqra carry an injured person shot by Israeli soldiers after he allegedly tried to walk toward Mais Al-Jabal.
  • President Aoun urges returnees to exercise restraint and trust the army 

BEIRUT: Israeli army fire killed 22 people in south Lebanon on Sunday, including a soldier, health officials said, as residents tried to return home on the day Israel was supposed to withdraw under a truce deal.

Unarmed civilians were targeted by the soldiers’ gunfire and drone bombs.

The return of residents to the border area in southern Lebanon turned into scenes resembling a massacre.

The civilians’ return signaled the end of the 60-day deadline stipulated by the ceasefire agreement for the complete withdrawal of Israel’s forces from the areas they had invaded but failed to vacate.

The 60-day ceasefire deadline officially ended at 4 a.m. on Sunday.

After nine harrowing hours for Lebanon in light of the bloody developments — and despite Lebanese officials approaching the Quintet Committee overseeing the ceasefire implementation — civilians in Borj El-Mlouk and Maroun Al-Ras continued to be targeted.

Residents demanded “the immediate expulsion of Israeli forces from the region by force.”

President Joseph Aoun described “the day following the end of the Israeli withdrawal deadline as a day of victory for Lebanon, a triumph for justice, sovereignty, and national unity.”

He urged “returning citizens to exercise restraint and place their trust in the Lebanese armed forces, who are committed to protecting our sovereignty and security, ensuring your safe return to your homes and towns.”

Aoun emphasized that Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity are non-negotiable.

At the entrances to villages in the western and central sectors, hundreds of residents gathered in vehicles, preparing to move toward frontline villages, which are considered supportive environments for Hezbollah and had not been evacuated by the Israeli army.

Despite the Lebanese Army Command’s warning to avoid these villages due to the danger of unexploded ordnance and the invading Israeli forces’ efforts to block civilian access with dirt barriers, residents disembarked from their vehicles at specific points.

After prolonged negotiations with Lebanese army checkpoints they continued on foot toward Mays Al-Jabal, Houla, Markaba, Aitaroun, Maroun Al-Ras, Yarine, Kfarkela, Borj El-Mlouk, Odaisseh, Rab Thalathin, Aita Al-Shaab and Blida.

Protesters chanted slogans demanding the departure of Israeli forces, asserting that these “are their villages, and they intend to return to them by force.”

One woman, who walked from Shaqra to her hometown, Houla, said: “I know that the homes in my town are destroyed, but this is my land, and I have the right to enter it and remain here, even if it’s atop the rubble.”

The Israeli forces responded to those moving into villages where they were still present with machine gun fire and sound and smoke grenades, which led to casualties.

These forces also took into custody people who approached their positions, particularly in the town of Houla.

Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam contacted President Aoun to express his “full confidence in the role of the Lebanese Armed Forces, primarily the army, in protecting Lebanon’s sovereignty and ensuring the safe return of our people in the south to their homes and villages.”

Nabi Berri, Lebanon’s parliament speaker, called on the international community and the state sponsors of the ceasefire to “act instantly and compel Israel to withdraw immediately from the territories it continues to occupy in southern Lebanon after occupation soldiers fired live bullets at unarmed civilians.”

Berri negotiated on behalf of Hezbollah to establish the ceasefire agreement.

In an ongoing assessment of the situation, it was reported that 22 people died as a result of Israeli gunfire.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said six women and a soldier were among those killed, and 124 more were wounded, including nine children.

Among the deceased were Abdul Hussein Murad, Hussein Yassin, Nizar Yaqub, Hussein Dahir Said, Jaafar Tawfiq Hamoud, and Tamara Shihimi, whose son was injured and subsequently captured by Israeli forces.

Mohammed Youssef Zahour, a first adjutant in the Lebanese army, was also among the injured.

Among the injured people were Rawia Al-Hujja, a soldier in the Lebanese army who was in her vehicle in the town of Deir Mimmas, and journalist Hussein Khalil, who was wounded in Maroun Al-Ras.

A statement from the Lebanese Army Command indicated that units of the army accompanied the entry of citizens into Aita Al-Shaab, Bint Jbeil, Deir Siriane, Aadchit Al-Qusayr, Taybeh, and Qantara in the Marjeyoun area, as well as other border regions.

It said that the entry took place during Israel’s ongoing breaches of Lebanese sovereignty, which caused civilian casualties, and its refusal to comply with the ceasefire agreement and withdraw from the Lebanese territories it recently occupied.

In the afternoon hours, the Lebanese army dispatched military reinforcements to its positions, and UNIFIL tanks could be seen separating the residents from the Israeli tanks in Kfar Kila.

Also on Sunday, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and the head of the UNIFIL mission, Gen. Aroldo Lazaro, issued a joint statement.

They noted that the deadlines specified in the November ceasefire agreement had not yet been met.

“We witnessed a tragic event this morning, indicating that the conditions are not yet conducive for the safe return of citizens to their villages along the Blue Line.

“Displaced communities, facing a long road to recovery, are urged to exercise caution. Violations of UN Resolution 1701 continue to be reported daily,” the statement added.

The two UN officials emphasized that the only way to move beyond the recent troubling chapter of the conflict is for both parties to adhere to their commitments outlined in the November ceasefire agreement and to fully implement UN Resolution 1701. The UN intended to maintain ongoing communication with all parties involved to achieve this objective, they said.

In a statement, the military leadership reiterated its “call for citizens to exercise restraint and adhere to the directives of military units to ensure their safety.”

The UNIFIL force, in a statement, urged the Israeli army to “refrain from firing on civilians within Lebanese territory. ” I

It called on the residents of the south to adhere to the directives of the Lebanese army. 

For his part, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee claimed that Hezbollah placed its narrow interests above those of the Lebanese state and was trying to escalate tension despite being the primary cause of destruction in southern Lebanon.

He also addressed the returnees and said: “Do not allow Hezbollah to exploit you in its attempt to cover up the devastating consequences of its irresponsible decisions at the expense of Lebanon's security.”

A Hezbollah MP denied the party having any influence on the civilians who returned to their villages.

Hezbollah legislator Ali Fayyad, who accompanied civilians back to Kfar Kila, said: “What we are witnessing is an initiative taken by the people; Hezbollah had nothing to do with it.

“The Israelis have adopted a treacherous stance.”

In a later statement, Hezbollah addressed the returnees: “Today, you have once again surprised the world and demonstrated that you are a proud, loyal, and courageous people.”


Chemical weapons agency chief to meet Syrian officials in Damascus on Saturday, sources say

Fernando Arias, Director General. (X @OPCW)
Fernando Arias, Director General. (X @OPCW)
Updated 08 February 2025
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Chemical weapons agency chief to meet Syrian officials in Damascus on Saturday, sources say

Fernando Arias, Director General. (X @OPCW)
  • The OPCW has asked the authorities in Syria to secure all relevant locations and safeguard any relevant documentation

DAMASCUS: The head of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), a global non-proliferation agency, will meet Syrian officials in Damascus on Saturday, three sources familiar with the visit told Reuters.
Director General Fernando Arias was expected to meet interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani, two of the sources said, in a sign of Syrian willingness to cooperate with the agency after years of strained relations under now-toppled leader Bashar Assad.
The sudden fall of the Assad government in December brought hope that the country could be rid of chemical weapons.
Following a sarin gas attack that killed hundreds of people in 2013, Syria joined the OPCW under a US-Russian deal and 1,300 metric tons of chemical weapons and precursors were destroyed by the international community.
As part of membership, Damascus was supposed to be subjected to inspections. But for more than a decade the OPCW was prevented from uncovering the true scale of the chemical weapons program. Syria’s declared stockpile has never accurately reflected the situation on the ground, inspectors concluded.
When asked about contacts with the OPCW over chemical weapons still in Syria, the country’s new defense minister Murhaf Abu Qasra told Reuters in January that he “does not believe” that any remnants of Syria’s chemical weapons program remained intact.
“Even if there was anything left, it’s been bombed by the Israeli military,” Abu Qasra said, referring to a wave of Israeli strikes across Syria in the wake of Assad’s fall.
Details of the mission to Syria are still being worked out but its key aims will be finding and securing chemical stocks to prevent proliferation risk, identifying those responsible for their use and overseeing the destruction of remaining munitions.
The OPCW has asked the authorities in Syria to secure all relevant locations and safeguard any relevant documentation.
Three investigations — a joint UN-OPCW mechanism, the OPCW’s Investigation and Identification team, and a UN war crimes investigation — concluded that Syrian government forces used the nerve agent sarin and chlorine barrel bombs in attacks during the civil war that killed or injured thousands.
A French court issued an arrest warrant for Assad which was upheld on appeal over the use of banned chemical weapons against civilians. Syria and its military backer Russia always denied using chemical weapons.
The OPCW, a treaty-based agency in The Hague with 193 member countries, is tasked with implementing the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention. Egypt, North Korea, and South Sudan have neither signed nor acceded to the convention and Israel has signed but not ratified it.

 


US State Department lays out plans for $7 billion-plus arms sale to Israel as Netanyahu visits DC

US State Department lays out plans for $7 billion-plus arms sale to Israel as Netanyahu visits DC
Updated 08 February 2025
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US State Department lays out plans for $7 billion-plus arms sale to Israel as Netanyahu visits DC

US State Department lays out plans for $7 billion-plus arms sale to Israel as Netanyahu visits DC
  • In late January, soon after he took office, he lifted the hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel

WASHINGTON: The State Department has formally told Congress that it plans to sell more than $7 billion in weapons to Israel, including thousands of bombs and missiles, just two days after President Donald Trump met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House.
The massive arms sale comes as a fragile ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas holds, even as Trump continues to tout his widely criticized proposal to move all Palestinians from Gaza and redevelop it as an international travel destination.
The sale is another step in Trump’s effort to bolster Israel’s weapons stocks. In late January, soon after he took office, he lifted the hold on sending 2,000-pound bombs to Israel. The Biden administration had paused a shipment of the bombs over concerns about civilian casualties, particularly during an assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Trump told reporters that he released them to Israel, “because they bought them.”
According to the State Department, two separate sales were sent to Congress on Friday. One is for $6.75 billion in an array of munitions, guidance kits and other related equipment. It includes 166 small diameter bombs, 2,800 500-pound bombs, and thousands of guidance kits, fuzes and other bomb components and support equipment. Those deliveries would begin this year.
The other arms package is for 3,000 Hellfire missiles and related equipment for an estimated cost of $660 million. Deliveries of the missiles are expected to begin in 2028.
 

 


Hamas says Israeli block on diggers affecting extraction of hostages’ bodies

People walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings, in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, January 30, 2025. (REUTERS)
People walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings, in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, January 30, 2025. (REUTERS)
Updated 07 February 2025
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Hamas says Israeli block on diggers affecting extraction of hostages’ bodies

People walk past the rubble of destroyed buildings, in Jabalia, in the northern Gaza Strip, January 30, 2025. (REUTERS)
  • Of the 251 hostages Hamas seized in its unprecedented Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, 76 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead

GAZA CITY: Hamas on Friday said Israel’s blocking of heavy machinery entering Gaza to clear rubble caused by war was affecting efforts to extract the bodies of hostages.
“Preventing the entry of heavy equipment and machinery needed to remove 55 million tonnes of rubble ... will undoubtedly affect the resistance’s ability to extract from under the rubble the dead prisoners (hostages),” said Salama Marouf, spokesman for Hamas’s media office in Gaza.
Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of slowing down aid deliveries expected under the terms of the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza, including key items such as fuel, tents, and heavy machinery for clearing rubble.

FASTFACT

Hamas has repeatedly accused Israel of slowing down aid deliveries expected under the terms of the ongoing ceasefire in Gaza.

The Israeli government and COGAT, the Israeli Defense Ministry body that oversees civilian affairs in the Palestinian territories, have rejected the accusation.
Of the 251 hostages Hamas seized in its unprecedented Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, 76 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.
Hamas’ armed wing released the names of three captives it said would be freed on Saturday in a fifth hostage-prisoner swap as part of an ongoing agreement with Israel.
“Within the framework of the Al-Aqsa Flood deal for the prisoner exchange, the (Ezzedine) Al-Qassam Brigades have decided to release” the three hostages, Abu Obeida, spokesman for the armed wing, said on Telegram.

 


Khamenei warns against negotiating with US

Khamenei warns against negotiating with US
Updated 07 February 2025
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Khamenei warns against negotiating with US

Khamenei warns against negotiating with US
  • Trump, who returned to the White House on Jan. 20, reinstated on Tuesday his “maximum pressure” policy toward Iran over allegations the country is seeking to develop nuclear weapons

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei said on Friday that there should not be negotiations with the US, days after US President Donald Trump called for a new nuclear deal.
“You should not negotiate with such a government. It is unwise, it is not intelligent, it is not honorable to negotiate,” Khamenei said during a meeting with army commanders. The US had previously “ruined, violated, and tore up” a 2015 nuclear deal, he said, adding that “the same person who is in power now tore up the treaty.”
On Wednesday, Trump suggested striking a “verified nuclear peace agreement” with Iran, adding in his social media post that Tehran “cannot have a nuclear weapon.”
Trump, who returned to the White House on Jan. 20, reinstated on Tuesday his “maximum pressure” policy toward Iran over allegations the country is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
Iran insists its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes and denies any intention to develop atomic weapons.
Following the policy’s reinstatement, Washington on Thursday announced financial sanctions on entities and individuals accused of shipping hundreds of millions of dollars worth of Iranian crude oil to China.
Tehran on Friday condemned the sanctions as “illegal,” saying they were “categorically unjustified and contrary to international rules.”
“We must understand this correctly: they should not pretend that if we sit down at the negotiating table with that government (the US administration), problems will be solved,” Khamenei said.
“No problem will be solved by negotiating with America,” he said, citing previous “experience.”
Khamenei also warned of reciprocal measures if the US threatened or acted against Iran.
“If they threaten us, we will threaten them. If they carry out this threat, we will carry out our threat. If they attack the security of our nation, we will attack their security without hesitation,” he said.
During President Trump’s first term, which ended in 2021, Washington withdrew from the landmark nuclear deal that had imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
Tehran adhered to the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action deal until a year after Washington pulled out but then began rolling back its commitments. Efforts to revive the agreement have since faltered.
Khamenei said Iran was “very generous” during the negotiations culminating in the deal, but it “did not achieve the intended results.”
Iranian political expert Afifeh Abedi said Khamenei’s remarks highlight “a serious concern” that negotiations “will result in the US breaching its commitments.”
“Iran understands that Trump’s willingness to negotiate is a disingenuous, reactionary move driven by other objectives rather than a genuine commitment to reaching an agreement,” she said.
Iran has repeatedly expressed a willingness to revive the nuclear deal, and President Masoud Pezeshkian has called for an end to the country’s isolation.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi recently said that the new US administration should work to regain Tehran’s trust if it wants a new round of nuclear talks.
Western sanctions, especially since the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal, have taken a toll on millions of Iranians struggling to make ends meet amid high inflation and a plunging currency.
Khamenei acknowledged this on Friday, saying, “almost most segments of the population have some problems,” but adding they could be solved internally.
The current “respected government can reduce the people’s livelihood problems,” he said.
Without directly mentioning Gaza, Khamenei said on Friday the US administration was trying “to change the map of the world.”
“Of course, it is only on paper, it has no basis in reality,” he said.

 


Scholz vows support for ‘free and safe’ Syria

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (AP)
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (AP)
Updated 07 February 2025
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Scholz vows support for ‘free and safe’ Syria

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (AP)
  • German Chancellor stresses ‘importance of the fight against terrorism’

BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz told Syria’s President Ahmed Al-Sharaa on Friday that Berlin was ready to support the transition to a “free and safe” future after the ouster of Bashar Assad.

Scholz expressed Berlin’s “willingness to support the reconstruction of Syria so that Syria can become a free and safe home for all” in an hour-long conversation with Al-Sharaa, the chancellor’s spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit, said in a statement.
In his first call with the new Syrian leader, Scholz “congratulated the Syrian people on their success in ending the Assad regime’s reign of terror.”
Al-Sharaa was appointed as Syria’s president at the end of January after militants toppled Assad, ending more than five decades of the family’s iron-fisted rule.
Scholz told the new Syrian leader he needed to lead an “inclusive political process ... that allows all Syrians, regardless of their ethnic or religious group,to participate.”
The chancellor also stressed “the ongoing importance of the fight against terrorism for security in Syria,” according to the statement.
Scholz said that Germany would work with European and international partners in this regard.
Al-Sharaa has been invited to visit Germany, his office said on Friday following the phone call.
The invitation came two days after Al-Sharaa’s office announced he had been invited to visit France.
Scholz and Al-Sharaa agreed on Syria’s need for an inclusive political process that allows the participation of all Syrians and provides rights and protection, the German spokesperson said.
“The Federal Chancellor underlined the ongoing importance of the fight against terrorism for security in Syria, the region and worldwide,” the spokesperson added.
Al-Sharaa has made a push to rebuild Syria’s diplomatic ties since his Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham, or HTS, spearheaded the overthrow of Assad.
However, the country faces a difficult transition amid unresolved territorial and governance challenges. Armed forces in the south, including from the Druze minority, have responded cautiously to the new authority in Damascus.
Also on Friday, Human Rights Watch warned that US aid suspensions could worsen “life-threatening conditions” in camps holding relatives of suspected extremists in northeast Syria, urging Washington to maintain support.
Kurdish-run camps and prisons in the region still hold around 56,000 people with alleged or perceived links to Daesh, years after the extremists’ territorial defeat.
They include suspects locked up in prisons, as well as the wives and children of Daesh fighters held in the Al-Hol and Roj internment camps.
“The US government’s suspension of foreign aid to non-governmental organizations operating in these camps is exacerbating life-threatening conditions, risking further destabilization of a precarious security situation,” HRW said in a statement.
The rights group said the aid freeze could “limit the provision of essential services for camp residents,” citing international humanitarian workers.