BEIRUT: An Israeli drone targeted a car east of the city of Tyre on Wednesday, killing a senior Hezbollah commander and severely injuring a second man who later died as a result.
Mohammed Naameh Nasser, known as Abu Naameh, was the commander of the Aziz Unit which is responsible for the western sector of southern Lebanon.
He held a position equal to that of Taleb Sami Abdullah, known as Abu Taleb, who was assassinated two weeks ago.
Abu Taleb, commander of the Nasr Unit, was the first senior field commander to be killed in the ongoing conflict with the Israeli army for eight months. He died in an Israeli airstrike that targeted a house in the town of Jouaiyya, about 15 km from the southern border. Three Hezbollah cadres were killed alongside him.
The intensity of Israeli attacks has fluctuated over the past few days. Attacks began on Wednesday morning with a combat drone shelling the town square in Taybeh. The border town of Kfarkela was subjected to Israeli artillery shelling at dawn, with an Israeli Merkava tank targeting a house near the border wall.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said: “The Israeli attacks on the south and the deliberate killing of its people, the destruction of towns, and the burning of crops, are terrorist aggression; the international community must put an end to its persistence and crimes.”
He reiterated his question to “international stakeholders involved in initiatives” about “the steps taken to maintain calm, exercise restraint on the southern border, curb the enemy, and stop the approach of killing and destruction,” noting “the escalating Israeli violations of national sovereignty and its ongoing and extensive breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.”
Mikati added: “Lebanon’s choice has always been and still is peace. Our culture is one of peace built on rights, justice, and international law, especially Resolution 1701. But we are a people who will not accept attacks on our sovereignty, national dignity, and the safety of our lands and civilians, especially children and women.
“Violations of all agreements and genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza must not go unnoticed by the world, which is passively watching the ongoing aggression.”
He added: “The essence of peace is for the Palestinian people to live on their land in a free and independent state, and any attempt to bypass these principles will lead to further crises in the Middle East and the world.”
Lebanon is counting on the American-French initiative to prevent further escalation in the south of the country.
A meeting is scheduled between Jean-Yves le Drian, the French envoy to Lebanon, and American envoy Amos Hochstein. This will focus on de-escalation as a solution to repatriating displaced persons on both sides of the Blue Line.
On the eve of Hochstein’s arrival in Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron stressed in a phone call to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “the absolute importance” of preventing an escalation of the situation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
A statement from the Elysee Palace said that Macron emphasized “the urgent need for all parties to move quickly toward a diplomatic solution and stressed the necessity of exercising the utmost restraint.” It added that during the phone call the two leaders discussed ongoing diplomatic efforts.
In Beirut, the deputy head of Hezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, told the Associated Press that “the only confirmed way to achieve a ceasefire on the Lebanese border is through a comprehensive ceasefire in Gaza.”
He described Hezbollah’s participation in supporting Gaza as a “front of support for the steadfast Palestinian people and their valiant resistance.”
He added: “If the war stops, this military support will no longer exist,” and continued: “If Israel reduces its military operations without a formal ceasefire agreement and complete withdrawal from Gaza, the implications of the border conflict between Lebanon and Israel will be less clear.
“If what will happen in Gaza is a combination between a ceasefire and no ceasefire, war and no war, then we cannot answer what our reaction will be now, because we do not know its form, results and effects.”
Qassem warned that if Israel intended to launch a limited operation in Lebanon that did not amount to a comprehensive war, it should not expect the fighting to remain limited.
“It should expect that our response and resistance will not be within the ceiling and rules of engagement determined by Israel,” he said.
Tehran heightened its support for Hezbollah in the face of a potential Israeli attack.
Kamal Kharazi, the foreign affairs adviser to Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, told the Financial Times that “in the event of a broad Israeli offensive against Hezbollah, there is a risk of sparking a regional conflict where Tehran and the resistance axis will back Hezbollah fully.”
However, he emphasized that “Iran does not seek a regional war and that expanding the conflict is not beneficial to anyone.”
Israel assassinates second senior Hezbollah commander
https://arab.news/gkvjx
Israel assassinates second senior Hezbollah commander
- Mohammed Naameh Nasser, known as Abu Naameh, was the commander of the Aziz Unit which is responsible for the western sector of southern Lebanon
- The intensity of Israeli attacks has fluctuated over the past few days
Israeli forces fatally shoot 20-year-old Palestinian man near Jenin
- Youssef Walid Sheikh Ibrahim killed close to military checkpoint
- 42 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched offensive in town
LONDON: A Palestinian man was shot dead by Israeli forces on Monday evening near the town of Ya’abd in Jenin governorate, north of the occupied West Bank.
The Ministry of Health reported that Youssef Walid Sheikh Ibrahim, 20, from the town of Kafr Ra’i, died after being shot by Israeli forces near a military checkpoint close to the illegal settlement of Mevo Dotan, and his body was detained.
A total of 42 Palestinians have been killed since Israeli forces launched a military campaign in Jenin town and its refugee camp in January, according to the WAFA news agency.
Since October 2023, Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank have killed nearly 1,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians.
On Sunday, hundreds of Palestinians from Al-Mazraa Al-Sharqiya attended the funeral of Saif Al-Din Kamil Abdul Karim Musalat, 20, and Mohammed Rizq Hussein Al-Shalabi, 23, who were killed by Israeli settlers last week.
About 1 million Israelis live in illegal settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem in violation of international law. Their attacks against Palestinians have escalated since 2023, with 820 recorded by rights groups in the first half of this year.
Iraq plans to build 10 dams to harvest desert rains, as drought displaces 10,000 families in Dhi Qar
Iraq plans to build 10 dams to harvest desert rains, as drought displaces 10,000 families in Dhi Qar
- As water levels in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers dwindle, the aim is to store rainwater and floodwater to help boost strategic reserves
- Dhi Qar Governorate is experiencing one of its worst summers, with severe water shortages and drought forcing people in rural areas to migrate
LONDON: Iraq has announced plans to build 10 dams to harvest water in desert areas, as part of an urgent strategy to boost water security amid dwindling supplies.
The effects of climate change and the construction of dams in neighboring countries, including Turkiye, have significantly affected water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which are vital lifelines for Iraqis.
The Iraqi minister of water resources, Awn Dhiab Abdullah, said on Monday that the dams would store floodwater and rainwater in the desert to build up strategic reserves, especially in provinces lacking in surface-water resources.
“The shortage the country is experiencing is the most dangerous in its history, forcing 12 provinces to rely exclusively on groundwater to cover their various needs,” he said.
Dhi Qar, which is in southern Iraq, has experienced one of its worst summers on record, with severe water shortages and drought forcing nearly 10,000 families in rural areas to abandon their homes and migrate to urban areas.
Abdullah said that more than half of Iraq’s desert region relies on groundwater supplies. He emphasized the importance of water-harvesting projects and the need to reduce dependence on traditional sources.
Iraqis face difficult return from Syria camp for Daesh families
MOSUL: After years in a Syrian detention camp, Ibrahim Darwish was relieved to be allowed to return home to Iraq, but his joy was quickly punctured by the harsh reality that he had to disown his sons accused of being militants.
“All I wanted was to return to Iraq,” the 64-year-old said of his time in the Kurdish-controlled Al-Hol camp, where family members of suspected Daesh fighters are held in prison-like conditions alongside refugees and displaced people.
But back home in Iraq, “I had to disown my sons. My house is gone,” he said. “I am back to square one.”
Thousands of Iraqi returnees from the camp have faced major obstacles reintegrating into their communities, their perceived affiliation with Daesh casting a dark shadow over their prospects.
They described armed groups and local authorities in some areas pressuring returnees to cut ties with relatives suspected of Daesh links as a precondition for going home or obtaining essential documents.
A lawyer for many returnees equated the pledges of disownment to denunciations, “essentially complaints by one family member against another.”
He also warned of a widespread misconception among returnees that they must comply in order to obtain identity cards and other government papers.
But a senior Iraqi official insisted that the authorities supported reintegration, including when it came to the issuance of documents.
Requesting “disownment statements has become illegal, and anyone who asks for it should be reported,” the official said.
Darwish said he was allowed to leave Al-Hol after receiving Iraqi security clearance and support from his tribal leader.
Back in Iraq, he spent the first several months at Al-Jadaa camp, presented by the authorities as a “rehabilitation” center where returnees wait for further permission to return home.
There, “we felt the most welcome,” Darwish said.
But when it was time to go home to Salaheddin province, Darwish said local authorities told him he first had to disown his sons, who are locked away on suspicion of joining Daesh — a charge he denies.
Reluctantly, he complied.
Otherwise, “how was I going to farm my land and make ends meet?” he said.
In the northern city of Mosul, one woman in her thirties said she was afraid to return to her hometown in Salaheddin, where her father was arrested upon his arrival and later passed away in prison.
She is currently squatting with her sister and children in a dilapidated house, living in fear of eviction.
When the family first returned to Iraq, she said, people “looked at us differently, just because we came from Al-Hol.”
Now her concern is obtaining new identity cards, which are essential for accessing healthcare, education and employment, and she fears she will have to disown her husband to do so.
The authorities, she said, “did well” by bringing them back from Al-Hol, where many speak of increased violence, but they must now solve the issue of reintegration.
“We need them to support us so we can stand on our feet,” she added.
Thanassis Cambanis, director of New York-based Century International, said the returnees “face a murky future,” especially since some of those tarred as Daesh families are denied documentation.
“At a minimum, collective punishment of the Daesh families is an injustice and a moral error,” Cambanis warned.
“At a maximum, Iraq’s policy creates a ripe pool of potential recruits for violent sectarian extremists.”
While many countries refuse to repatriate their nationals from Al-Hol, Baghdad has so far brought back around 17,000 people, mostly women and children.
Local and international organizations facilitated reintegration. The Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund, a Geneva-registered organization that focuses on preventing extremism, supports several centers that have so far assisted around 6,000 returnees.
According to the fund’s Kevin Osborne, the centers provide services such as psychosocial support and vocational training.
But the growing number of returnees requires “expanded support to adequately prepare communities and enable smooth, sustainable reintegration,” Osborne said.
Noran Mahmood, of the GCREF-supported Iraqi Institution for Development, said many returnees fear “society’s refusal” to welcome them, as if having spent time in Al-Hol is a “disgrace.”
Her organization in Mosul provides counselling for the many returnees who suffer from depression, insomnia and anxiety.
Rahaf, 24, is one of the many women receiving help after years of accumulated trauma.
With the organization’s assistance, she achieved her long-held dream of furthering her education, enrolling in middle school.
“I feel successful,” she said. “I want to become a lawyer or a teacher.”
Egypt says Israel-EU agreement has not increased aid to Gaza
- “There is a real catastrophe happening in Gaza resulting from the continuation of the Israeli siege,” Safadi said
- Israel’s continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.3 million people in Gaza facing acute food insecurity
BRUSSELS: Egypt’s foreign minister said on Monday that the flow of aid into Gaza has not increased despite an agreement last week between Israel and the European Union that should have had that result.
“Nothing has changed (on the ground),” Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told reporters ahead of the EU-Middle East meeting in Brussels on Monday.
The EU’s top diplomat said on Thursday that the bloc and Israel agreed to improve Gaza’s humanitarian situation, including increasing the number of aid trucks and opening crossing points and aid routes.
Asked what steps Israel has taken, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar referred to an understanding with the EU but did not provide details on implementation.
Asked if there were improvements after the agreement, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi told reporters that the situation in Gaza remains “catastrophic.”
“There is a real catastrophe happening in Gaza resulting from the continuation of the Israeli siege,” he said.
Safadi said Israel allowed the entry of 40 to 50 trucks days ago from Jordan but that was “far from being sufficient” for the besieged enclave.
EU’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said ahead of Monday’s meeting that there have been some signs of progress on Gaza aid but not enough improvement on the ground.
Israel’s continued military operations and blockade have left the entire population of 2.3 million people in Gaza facing acute food insecurity, with nearly half a million at risk of famine by the end of September, a joint United Nations report said last month.
Lebanese army shuts illegal crossings along border with Syria
- The routes had become havens for human trafficking, smuggling drugs, weapons
- Army using mounds of earth, rocks to stop vehicles, source says
BEIRUT: A patrol from the Lebanese army and the Intelligence Directorate on Monday closed several smuggling routes in Masharih Al-Qaa, a region between Lebanon and Syria that lacks clearly defined borders.
A Lebanese military source said the area was used for smuggling goods, fuel and people and that the army head “erected dirt mounds and rocks to prevent the passage of vehicles and motorcycles.”
The border between Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic stretches about 375 km and runs through towns, villages and mountainous regions. The Lebanese government estimates there to be 136 illegal crossing points, of which more than half are in the Bekaa region.
A shortage of personnel and surveillance equipment means many of these areas are vulnerable to criminal activity, including human trafficking and the smuggling of weapons, drugs and other goods.
These open borders have served the interests of Hezbollah and Palestinian factions allied with Syria. Over the years, Hezbollah has established its own border crossings and helped protect others used by smugglers from its support base.
Palestinian factions also established their border posts, which served as channels for weapons and people. Dismantling them was the first task undertaken by the Lebanese army in implementing the policy of confining weapons to the hands of the state.
The army on Sunday denied claims made on social media that armed men had entered Lebanon from Syria via the eastern mountain range and that it had withdrawn from border areas in the Bekaa.
Military units “continue to carry out their routine missions to control the Lebanese-Syrian border, while also monitoring the internal security situation to prevent any breach,” it said.
It also appealed for “accuracy in reporting news related to the army and the security situation, to act responsibly and to refrain from spreading rumors that lead to tension among citizens.”
Since the regime change in Syria, several meetings between the two countries have been held to improve coordination on border security.
On March 28, Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa and his Syrian counterpart, Murhaf Abu Qasra, signed an agreement in Jeddah regarding border demarcation and the strengthening of security coordination. This came in the wake of violent clashes between the Syrian army and groups affiliated with Hezbollah along the border earlier in the month.
The issue of undefined borders dates back to the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, when France was granted the mandate over the two countries and drew the borders in a vague and incomplete manner. Some parts were demarcated in 1934, but large areas remained undefined. The Syrian regime later refused to officially recognize Lebanon as an independent state and considered it part of “Greater Syria.”
Kuwait expresses solidarity
On Monday, the Kuwaiti First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Sheikh Fahad Yousef Saud Al-Sabah met Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.
He said that Lebanon “will remain Lebanon” and that the “arms issue will be resolved soon.”
He also affirmed Kuwait’s support for Lebanon “in all areas, especially security cooperation” and called for activating the work of the Kuwaiti-Lebanese Higher Joint Committee to explore avenues for assisting Lebanon.
The president’s media office said Aoun told the Kuwaiti minister of the “importance of coordination to address common challenges, particularly in terms of security cooperation to combat drug smuggling and anything that threatens security in both countries.”
