Lebanese civilians ‘suffer harm’ from flights by Israeli spy planes and drones

A Lebanese soldier points to the sky as an Israeli warplane passes through Lebanon's airspace 09 February 2000, near the southern port of Sidon. (AFP)
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Updated 11 June 2022
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Lebanese civilians ‘suffer harm’ from flights by Israeli spy planes and drones

  • Researcher documents more than 22,000 overflights in past 15 years alone
  • Lebanon and Israel are still in a state of war despite the Israeli withdrawal from the south of the country in 2000

BEIRUT: There have been 22,111 Israeli violations of Lebanon’s airspace since 2007, according to a database that wants to show the effects of “systematic and prolonged exposure to the roar of these military planes in the airspace, and their impact on the physical and psychological life of those who have had to withstand constant air pressure” from above.

Airpressure.info compiled the database to make all Israeli air violations visible.

Lawrence Abu Hamdan, a 37-year-old Jordanian who lived in Beirut for years, is behind the information. He said he wanted to shed light on “an accumulated event, one extended crime” that had taken place over the past 15 years.

“It is an atmosphere of violence that takes its toll over time. That is why it might be ignored, although it shouldn’t be ignored any longer.”

Lebanon and Israel are still in a state of war despite the Israeli withdrawal from the south of the country in 2000. The last Israeli attack witnessed by Lebanon was in the summer of 2006 which lasted a month.

Hamdan is also a contemporary artist who specializes in the political effects of listening, using various kinds of audio to explore its effects on human rights and law.

Airpressure.info said that 8,231 fighter aircraft and 13,102 drones had violated Lebanese airspace since 2007.

It said: “These acts of aggression in Lebanese airspace are not short overflights, but last for four hours and 35 minutes on average. The total duration of these violations amounts to 3,098 days. This is equal to eight years and a half of continued occupation of Lebanon by jet planes and drones.”

These violations meant that life in Lebanon was under random group surveillance, it added.

“These are an unprecedented violation of people’s privacy by a foreign state. Through these airspace violations, people’s phone calls and text messages are being monitored and their homes and movements are being randomly filmed.”

Journalist Samer Wehbe, who is from the southern city of Nabatieh, told Arab News that Lebanese people living in the south had become used to the sound of the Israeli aircraft every day.

"They find it odd when these aircraft do not violate the airspace for one or two days. Apart from watching the movements of the Lebanese, the Israeli spy planes, roaring all day and night, cause disturbance, anxiety, and stress. Even children complain about the sounds.”

The website relied on the findings of 17 articles published in popular international journals detailing “the severe physiological effects of airplane noise.”

These articles showed that “hypertension, circulatory effects, sleep disorder, and psychosocial pain” were usually associated with long-term exposure to this type of noise pollution.

The website recorded 30 times where around eight to 12 aircraft breached Lebanese airspace at the same time, "regularly violating the sound barrier above civilian areas, causing a sonic boom known to smash windows.”

It was possible that all residents would hear these aircraft while they flew north over the mountains and south to the coast as Lebanon was just 88 km at its widest point, it said.

It noted that Israel used advanced military aircraft and modern surveillance aircraft.

Wehbe said: “Adults who have lived through Israel's wars and invasions of Lebanon suffer from anxiety more than others. During my fieldwork, I have often seen women having panic attacks because they expect to be raided after hearing the roar of flying aircraft, especially since this roar lasts hours and becomes disturbing as minutes and hours pass.”

In a survey of Lebanon's complaints against Israeli air violations, the website said 243 letters were uploaded to the UN Digital Library from 2006 to 2021. “They are addressed to the Security Council and contain all radar information, including time, duration, type, and route for each violation of the aircraft.”

The Lebanese Defense Ministry, the UN Security Council, and UNIFIL forces usually monitor and record such violations. But the website said this information was stored in a “partial and uncoordinated manner” by these three institutions.

It published a map of the airspace violations above Lebanon’s regions and showed the routes followed by the aircraft in the form of overlapping circles that covered most of the country.

The flights are concentrated in the south, where they appear to follow set routes. But Beirut is also a frequent destination, as are areas north of the capital and closer to the Syrian border.

A Lebanese diplomatic source told Arab News: “Violations are being recorded on the Lebanese side and stored in the UN library, but the UN doesn’t judge. This is how it works.”


UN chief rejects new Israeli plan to control Gaza aid

Updated 5 sec ago
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UN chief rejects new Israeli plan to control Gaza aid

  • No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave of some 2.1 million people since March 2
  • Antonio Guterres called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access in Gaza

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday rejected a new Israeli proposal to control aid deliveries in Gaza, saying it risks “further controlling and callously limiting aid down to the last calorie and grain of flour.”
“Let me be clear: We will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,” Guterres told reporters.
No aid has been delivered to the Palestinian enclave of some 2.1 million people since March 2. Israel has said it would not allow the entry of all goods and supplies into Gaza until Palestinian militants Hamas release all remaining hostages.
COGAT, the Israeli military agency that coordinates aid, last week met with UN agencies and international aid groups and said it proposed “a structured monitoring and aid entry mechanism” for Gaza.
“The mechanism is designed to support aid organizations, enhance oversight and accountability, and ensure that assistance reaches the civilian population in need, rather than being diverted and stolen by Hamas,” COGAT posted on X on Sunday.
Jonathan Whittall, the senior UN aid official for Gaza and the West Bank, said last week that there was no evidence of aid being diverted.
Israel last month resumed its bombardment of Gaza after a two-month truce and sent troops back into the enclave.
“Gaza is a killing field – and civilians are in an endless death loop,” said Guterres as he again called for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, a permanent ceasefire, and full humanitarian access in Gaza.
“With crossing points into Gaza shut and aid blockaded, security is in shambles and our capacity to deliver has been strangled,” he said.
“As the occupying power, Israel has unequivocal obligations under international law – including international humanitarian law and international human rights law,” Guterres said.
That means Israel should facilitate relief programs and ensure food, medical care, hygiene and public-health standards in Gaza, he said. “None of that is happening today,” he added.
Israel says it does not exercise effective control over Gaza and therefore is not an occupying power.
The war in Gaza was triggered on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel, and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, according to Gaza health authorities.


Palestinian minister appeals to Egyptian counterpart to support Gaza’s education

Updated 8 min 24 sec ago
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Palestinian minister appeals to Egyptian counterpart to support Gaza’s education

  • Israeli actions in Gaza have led to the destruction of 95 percent of schools
  • Ministry resumed educational activities through online platforms by creating new virtual classrooms amidst displacement

LONDON: The education system in the Gaza Strip has lost nearly 95 percent of its operational capacity due to Israeli attacks since October 2023.

Amjad Barham, the Palestinian minister of education, informed his Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Abdel-Latif, during a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday about the significant damage sustained by the schooling sector in Gaza.

Barham reported that Israeli actions in Gaza have led to the destruction of 95 percent of schools, either through demolition, bombing, or severe damage, rendering 293 out of 309 schools non-operational.

Over 720,000 students in Gaza have been affected, with approximately 700,000 having no access to adequate education. He added that Gaza’s universities were significantly damaged by the Israeli military attacks, with around 85 percent of their buildings reduced to rubble.

Despite significant challenges, the ministry resumed educational activities through online platforms by creating new virtual classrooms amidst displacement. It also conducted 2024’s final year school exams in Egyptian schools for nearly 1,350 students from Gaza.

Barham appealed to his Egyptian counterpart to continue supporting online education initiatives for Palestinian students, according to Wafa news agency.

He urged opening courses in math, science, and language subjects. He requested that Palestinian teachers residing in Egypt be allowed to work and teach online for students in Gaza and those who have left the territory, Wafa added.


Oman, Pakistan sign MoU to cooperate in scientific fields between military learning institutions

Updated 08 April 2025
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Oman, Pakistan sign MoU to cooperate in scientific fields between military learning institutions

  • The signing ceremony was attended by senior officers from Oman’s Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies
  • Lt. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, president of the National Defence University in Pakistan, led his country’s delegation to Muscat

LONDON: Oman and Pakistan signed a memorandum of understanding on Tuesday to collaborate in academic and scientific fields between their respective military and defense learning institutions.

The MoU was signed by Maj. Gen. Hamid Ahmed Sakroon, chairman of the Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies, and Lt. Gen. Babar Iftikhar, president of the National Defence University in Pakistan.

Iftikhar led the Pakistani delegation visiting Bait Al-Falaj Camp on Tuesday, where the Omani and Pakistani representatives exchanged friendly conversation and discussed academic matters, the Oman News Agency reported.

The signing ceremony was attended by senior officers from Oman’s Academy for Strategic and Defence Studies, the Pakistani ambassador, and the military attache at the Pakistani Embassy in Muscat.


Iran says deal can be reached if US shows goodwill

Updated 08 April 2025
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Iran says deal can be reached if US shows goodwill

  • Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s principal aim remained the lifting of sweeping US sanctions
  • Speaking Monday in the Oval Office, Trump said he was hopeful of reaching a deal with Tehran

TEHRAN: Iran’s top diplomat said Tuesday he believed a new nuclear deal could be agreed with the United States provided Tehran’s longtime foe shows sufficient goodwill in talks to begin in Oman on Saturday.
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran’s principal aim remained the lifting of sweeping US sanctions. Their reimposition by President Donald Trump in 2018 has dealt a heavy blow to the Iranian economy.
Trump made the surprise announcement that his administration would open talks with Iran during a White House meeting on Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose country is an arch foe of Tehran.
Trump said the talks would be “direct” but Araghchi insisted his negotiations with US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday would be “indirect.”
“We will not accept any other form of negotiation,” Araghchi told official media. “The format of the negotiations... is not the most important thing in my view. What really counts is the effectiveness or otherwise of the talks.
“If the other side shows enough of the necessary willingess, a deal can be found... The ball is in America’s court.”
Speaking Monday in the Oval Office, Trump said he was hopeful of reaching a deal with Tehran, but warned that the Islamic republic would be in “great danger” if the talks failed.
“We’re dealing with the Iranians, we have a very big meeting on Saturday and we’re dealing with them directly,” Trump told reporters.
Trump’s announcement came after Iran dismissed direct negotiations on a new deal to curb the country’s nuclear activities, calling the idea pointless.
The US president pulled out of the last deal in 2018, during his first presidency, and there has been widespread speculation that Israel, possibly with US help, might attack Iranian facilities if no new agreement is reached.
Trump issued a stern warning to Tehran, however.
“I think if the talks aren’t successful with Iran, I think Iran’s going to be in great danger, and I hate to say it, great danger, because they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” he said.
In an interview with US network NBC late last month. Trump went further. “If they don’t make a deal, there will be bombing,” he said.
China and Russia held consultations with Iran in Moscow on Tuesday, after which the Kremlin welcomed the planned talks.
Key Iranian ally Russia welcomed the prospect of negotiations for a new nuclear accord to replace the deal with major powers that was unilaterally abandoned by Trump in 2018.
“We know that certain contacts — direct and indirect — are planned in Oman. And, of course, this can only be welcomed because it can lead to de-escalation of tensions around Iran,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding that Moscow “absolutely” supported the initiative.
China called on the United States to “stop its wrong practice of using force to exert extreme pressure” after Trump threatened Iran with bombing if it fails to agree a deal.
“As the country that unilaterally withdrew from the comprehensive agreement on the Iran nuclear issue and caused the current situation, the United States should demonstrate political sincerity (and)... mutual respect,” its foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said.
Washington should “participate in dialogue and consultation, and at the same time stop its wrong practice of using force to exert extreme pressure,” Lin added.
The Israeli prime minister, whose government has also threatened military action against Iran to prevent it developing a nuclear weapon, held talks with Witkoff as well as Trump on Monday.
Netanyahu was a bitter opponent of the 2015 agreement between Iran and Britain, China, France, Germany, Russia and the United States which Trump later abandoned.
That deal saw Iran receive relief from international sanctions in return for restrictions on its nuclear activities overseen by the UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Trump’s withdrawal from the deal was followed by an Iranian decision one year later to stop complying with its own obligations under the deal.
The result has been that Iran has built up large stocks of highly enriched uranium that leave it a short step from weapons grade.
In its latest quarterly report in February, the IAEA said Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms (605 pounds) of uranium enriched to up to 60 percent. Weapons grade is around 90 percent.


World bank approves $1.1 billion in new financing to support Jordan

Updated 08 April 2025
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World bank approves $1.1 billion in new financing to support Jordan

AMMAN: The World Bank said on Monday it approved $1.1 billion in new financing to support Jordan's economy in the face of external shocks.
The bank said the financing bolsters the country's IMF-led reforms focused on four areas that aim to accelerate growth, create jobs and invest in sustainable energy projects.