BEIRUT: The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claims to have caused “direct casualties” with a series of missile attacks on Friday targeting Israeli army outposts on Lebanon’s southern border.
Hezbollah struck military targets near the Ramim outpost, Al-Tayhat Triangle, Al-Burj outpost, and the Yiron settlement, and also targeted military outposts in Malkia and Metula.
The attacks were the latest in a series of confrontations that have taken place since Oct. 8 in parallel with the war in the Gaza Strip.
Israeli artillery responded by shelling areas in southern Lebanon, including Mays Al-Jabal, Rab Al-Thalathin, Bani Hayyan, and Houla.
Israeli planes raided the outskirts of the Chihine and Al-Dahira villages.
The Israeli Defense Forces claimed in a statement that it hit several “terrorist targets, including infrastructure, a weapons depot, and a military building.”
In other developments, Lebanese Al-Arabiya news anchor Layal Alekhtiar has described the issuing of a warrant against her as a “blatant political prosecution.”
Alekhtiar sparked controversy on Oct. 12 when she interviewed IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee — addressing him as “Mister” at the beginning of the interview and thanking him as “the IDF spokesperson.”
The journalist said later that she was notified of the warrant by the military public prosecutor in Lebanon following a complaint filed by Hezbollah under disguised names.
“This step is a blatant political prosecution in the form of judicial repression,” Alekhtiar said on X. “This has nothing to do with truth and justice.”
Those behind the warrant “are inflicting moral, national, and human disgrace on themselves,” she said.
She added: “They are the ones who plundered the state, bankrupted the people, and gave up the nation’s sovereignty and wealth. They are now covering up their crimes with fabrications to suppress freedoms.
“I am not afraid because I am Lebanese from now till doomsday and Arab until my last breath. You will not affect my freedom, dignity, and beliefs, no matter what you do.”
A judicial source told Arab News that Alekhtiar had been summoned for interrogation following a complaint filed by a group of ‘“ex-detainees.”
The warrant will expire in a month if the security body fails to locate her, the source said.
The source added: “However, the military court’s government commissioner can file a claim against her in absentia and refer the case to the investigating judge.”
Alekhtiar is currently living outside Lebanon.
Two Lebanese parties voiced support for the journalist.
The Progressive Socialist Party said that the issuing a search and investigation warrant against Alekhtiar “is completely unjustified, and everyone should adhere to freedoms as a fundamental feature in Lebanon.”
The Lebanese Kataeb Party stressed its solidarity with “anyone subjected to the unjust and shameful campaigns against Lebanon by Hezbollah.”
The Lebanese Press Editors’ Syndicate has refused to intervene in the issue.
A source close to the syndicate said that “there are laws in Lebanon that penalize dealing with Israel. What Elekhtiar did falls under this category.”
According to the source, she “is now equal to those who deal with the enemy and who are being tried in Lebanon.”
The source said Alekhtiar should have apologized for doing the interview because she knew she would be held accountable in Lebanon.
“What makes matters worse is that this occurred during the peak of fierce attacks on the Gaza Strip, not during a time of relaxation and dialogue.”
Two days ago, the military court that is currently handling Alekhtiar’s trial released the detainee Mohammed Ayad from Hezbollah.
He was being tried for killing an Irish UNIFIL soldier in the Al-Aqabiya area in southern Lebanon in mid-December.
He was released on bail under the pretext of his “health condition.”
The defense had attached to Ayad’s release request a medical report indicating that he was suffering from an “incurable liver disease.”
The decision surprised the UNIFIL leadership, whose spokesman said they were making further inquiries.
The government commissioner to the military court, Judge Fadi Akiki, did not appeal the court’s decision.
“Accordingly, any party, especially UNIFIL, cannot object to the release,” added the source.
“Rather, it must wait for the court’s ruling on the case to object before the civil judiciary and only to obtain compensation.”
Israel shells southern Lebanese sites after Hezbollah missile attacks
https://arab.news/9w7yx
Israel shells southern Lebanese sites after Hezbollah missile attacks
- Lebanese journalist facing prosecution over IDF interview condemns ‘judicial repression’
- Israeli artillery responded by shelling areas in southern Lebanon, including Mays Al-Jabal, Rab Al-Thalathin, Bani Hayyan, and Houla
US, French troops could secure Syria’s northern border, Syrian Kurdish official says
- Turkiye regards the YPG, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a terrorist group linked to Kurdish PKK militants
- Ilham Ahmed: ‘We ask the French to send troops to this border to secure the demilitarised zone, to help us protect the region and establish good relations with Turkiye’
Ankara has warned that it will carry out a cross-border offensive into northeastern Syria against the Kurdish YPG militia if the group does not meet Turkish demands.
Turkiye regards the YPG, which spearheads the US-allied Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), as a terrorist group linked to Kurdish PKK militants who for 40 years have waged an insurgency against the Turkish state.
The SDF played an important role in defeating Daesh in Syria in 2014-17. The group still guards Daesh fighters in prison camps there, but has been on the back foot since rebels ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad on Dec. 8.
French President Emmanuel Macron said earlier this week that Paris would not abandon the SDF, which was one among a myriad of opposition forces during Syria’s 13-year-long civil war.
“The United States and France could indeed secure the entire border. We are ready for this military coalition to assume this responsibility,” Ilham Ahmed, co-chair of foreign affairs for the Kurdish administration in northern territory outside central Syrian government control, was quoted as saying by TV5 Monde.
“We ask the French to send troops to this border to secure the demilitarised zone, to help us protect the region and establish good relations with Turkiye.”
Neither France nor Turkiye’s foreign ministries immediately responded to requests for comment. The US State Department was not immediately available for comment.
It is unclear how receptive Turkiye would be to such an initiative, given Ankara has worked for years to secure its border against threats coming from Syria, and has vowed to destroy the YPG.
“As soon as France has convinced Turkiye to accept its presence on the border, then we can start the peace process,” Ahmed said. “We hope that everything will be settled in the coming weeks.”
A source familiar with the matter said such talks were going on, but declined to say how advanced or realistic they were.
Washington has been brokering ceasefire efforts between Turkish-backed groups and the SDF after fighting that broke out as rebel groups advanced on Damascus and overthrew Assad.
Addressing a news conference in Paris alongside outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot hinted that there were talks on the issue.
“The Syrian Kurds must find their place in this political transition. We owe it to them because they were our brothers in arms against Islamic State,” Barrot said.
“We will continue our efforts ... to ensure that Turkiye’s legitimate security concerns can be guaranteed, but also the security interests of (Syria’s) Kurds and their full rights to take part in the construction in the future of their country.”
Blinken said it was vital to ensure that the SDF forces continued the job of guarding more than 10,000 detained Daesh militants as this was a legitimate security interest for both the US and Turkiye.
“We have been working very closely with our ally ... Turkiye to navigate this transition ... It’s a process that will take some time,” Blinken said.
The US has about 2,000 troops in Syria who have been working with the SDF to prevent a resurgence of IS.
A French official said France still has dozens of special forces on the ground dating from its earlier support of the SDF, when Paris provided weapons and training.
Macron to head to Lebanon after election of new president
- France “will continue to be at the side of Lebanon and its people,” Macron told Aoun in a telephone call
- France administered Lebanon for two decades after World War I and has maintained close ties even since its independence in 1944
PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday welcomed the “crucial election” by Lebanese lawmakers of army chief Joseph Aoun as president and said he would soon visit the country.
Macron spoke with the general hours after Aoun was announced as the leader to end a two-year vacuum in the country’s top post.
France “will continue to be at the side of Lebanon and its people,” Macron told Aoun in a telephone call, the French presidency said in a statement. Macron said he would go to Lebanon “very soon.”
“Congratulations to President Joseph Aoun on this crucial election,” Macron wrote on X earlier.
“It paves the way for reform and the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty and prosperity,” he added.
Aoun must oversee a ceasefire in south Lebanon and name a prime minister able to lead reforms demanded by international creditors to save the country from a severe economic crisis.
“The head of state indicated to President Aoun that France would support his efforts to quickly complete the formation of a government capable of uniting the Lebanese, answering their aspirations and their needs, and carrying out the reforms necessary for the economic recovery, reconstruction, security and sovereignty of Lebanon,” said the statement released after the telephone talks.
Macron also vowed support for the “national dialogue” that Aoun said he will launch and called on all groups to “contribute to the success of his mission,” the statement said.
France administered Lebanon for two decades after World War I and has maintained close ties even since its independence in 1944.
Israel rallies global support to win release of a woman believed kidnapped in Iraq
- The official said Thursday that the matter was raised in a meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this week
- Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations
JERUSALEM: A senior Israeli official says the government is working with allies in a renewed push to win the freedom of an Israeli-Russian researcher who is believed to have been kidnapped in Iraq nearly two years ago.
The official said Thursday that the matter was raised in a meeting of special envoys for hostage affairs in Jerusalem this week.
He said the envoys met the family of Elizabeth Tsurkov and that Israel asked the representatives – from the US, UK, Germany, Austria and Canada – to have their embassies in Baghdad lobby the Iraqi government and search for a way to start negotiations. Israel and Iraq do not have diplomatic relations. He said he hopes other countries will help.
“We are counting on our allies,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was discussing closed-door discussions. “And I hope that other nations will suggest assistance in helping us release Elizabeth. Many nations have embassies and contacts with the Iraqi government.”
Tsurkov, a 38-year-old student at Princeton University, disappeared in Baghdad in March 2023 while doing research for her doctorate. She had entered the country on her Russian passport. The only sign she was alive has been a video broadcast in November 2023 on an Iraqi television station and circulated on pro-Iranian social media purporting to show her.
No group has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. But Israel believes she is being held by Kataib Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Iraqi militia that it says also has ties to the Iraqi government.
The Israeli official said that after months of covert efforts, Israel believes the “changes in the region” have created an opportunity to work publicly for her release.
During 15 months of war, Israel has struck Iran and its allies, and Iran’s regional influence has diminished. Iraq also appears to have pressured militia groups into halting their aerial attacks against Israel.
Gaza war deaths pass 46,000
- The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded
- The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants
GAZA: Gaza’s Health Ministry said Thursday that more than 46,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, with no end in sight to the 15-month conflict.
The ministry said a total of 46,006 Palestinians have been killed and 109,378 wounded. It has said women and children make up more than half the fatalities, but does not say how many of the dead were fighters or civilians.
The Israeli military says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence. It blames Hamas for their deaths because it says the militants operate in residential areas.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are now packed into sprawling tent camps along the coast with limited access to food and other essentials. Israel has also repeatedly struck what it claims are militants hiding in shelters and hospitals, often killing women and children.
The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and abducting around 250. A third of the 100 hostages still held in Gaza are believed to be dead.
All Jordanians living in Los Angeles are fine, Foreign Ministry says
- At least 5 people have been killed by wildfires raging in and around the US city; more than 100,000 forced to flee homes
LONDON: The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates said on Thursday that all Jordanian nationals living in Los Angeles, California, are “fine” as deadly wildfires continue to rage through neighborhoods in several areas in and around the US city.
The fires have claimed at least five lives, more than 100,000 people have been forced to evacuate their homes, and hundreds of buildings have burned down.
The ministry sent its sincere condolences to the victims, the American people and the US government, the Jordan News Agency reported.
