BEIRUT: Ten months of cross-border violence between Hezbollah and Israeli forces has killed senior commanders and several hundred fighters from the Iran-backed group, causing destruction and displacing tens of thousands on both sides.
Hezbollah has seen more fighters killed since October than when it last went to war with Israel in the summer of 2006.
AFP looks at the mounting toll for the Shiite Muslim movement, which has been trading near-daily fire with the Israeli army in support of Hamas since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.
Israeli strikes have killed key Hezbollah commanders in recent months, the most senior of them top operations chief in south Lebanon Fuad Shukr, who died in a raid on Beirut’s southern suburbs on July 30. Hezbollah has vowed to respond to his killing.
In January, a commander in Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, Wissam Tawil, was killed in an Israeli strike on his vehicle in south Lebanon.
Two out of its three area commanders in south Lebanon have also been killed — Mohammed Nasser and Taleb Abdallah.
Hezbollah divided its operations in south Lebanon into three areas following the 2006 war, each with its own “military formation, commander, personnel, weapons and capacities,” the group’s chief Hassan Nasrallah said last month.
He said south of the Litani river comprised two areas: a western sector, covered by Hezbollah’s Aziz unit, and an eastern sector running to the contested Shebaa Farms manned by the group’s Nasr unit, which opened Hezbollah’s cross-border attacks in October.
The third sector, north of the Litani river up to the coastal city of Sidon, is covered by the group’s Badr unit.
Aziz unit commander Nasser was killed in an Israeli strike last month, while Nasr unit commander Abdallah was killed in a raid the month before.
Israel has repeatedly said it has killed other Hezbollah fighters whom it has called “commanders.”
The violence has killed some 570 people in Lebanon, most of them fighters from Hezbollah but also including dozens from allied armed groups including Hamas, according to an AFP tally, with at least 118 civilians among the dead.
On the Israeli side, including in the annexed Golan Heights, 22 soldiers and 26 civilians have been killed, according to military figures.
Hezbollah has issued statements announcing the deaths of more than 370 members who have been killed in Lebanon, according to the AFP tally.
The Lebanese group has mostly described them as “martyred on the road to Jerusalem,” the phrase it uses to refer to those killed in Israeli strikes.
Another 25 have been killed in neighboring Syria, where Israel has for years carried out strikes on army positions and pro-Iran fighters, also seeking to cut off Hezbollah supply lines to Lebanon from Tehran.
According to the statements, around 320 of the slain Hezbollah fighters were from south Lebanon, with some 60 from the eastern Bekaa Valley, which borders Syria.
Several south Lebanon villages close to the Israeli border each count around a dozen slain fighters, the statements have indicated.
Around 70 percent of the more than 230 fighters killed since late January, when Hezbollah began to provide the year of birth on its death statements, were aged 40 or under.
At least six were aged 20 or under, with three born the same year as the 2006 war or after it.
A source close to Hezbollah, requesting anonymity, told AFP that fewer than 300 fighters from the group were killed in the 2006 conflict.
Hezbollah has said it is seeking to tie up Israeli military resources in the country’s north in support of ally Hamas.
The escalating attacks have raised fears of a broader conflict, and Lebanon has been on edge since Shukr’s death.
Earlier this month, the heavily armed group said it had carried out 2,500 “military operations” against Israel since October.
It claimed to have targeted “border positions” 1,328 times and “military barracks” 391 times, using a variety of weapons including artillery, rockets, “guided missiles” and “air defense weapons.”
The group has also released three videos purportedly showing surveillance drone footage taken by the group across the border, widely viewed as a potential bank of targets in case of all-out war.
The footage includes aerial images of military positions in northern Israel and the annexed Golan Heights, as well as sensitive areas in and around the port city of Haifa.
Almost 400 Hezbollah members dead in 10 months of Israel clashes
https://arab.news/n5bz4
Almost 400 Hezbollah members dead in 10 months of Israel clashes
- Hezbollah has seen more fighters killed since October than when it last went to war with Israel in the summer of 2006
- Israel has repeatedly said it has killed other Hezbollah fighters whom it has called “commanders“
Israelis await names of next 4 hostages to be released by Hamas as part of the ceasefire
- Israel believes about a third, or possibly as many as half, of the more than 90 hostages still in Gaza have died
- Hamas has not released definitive information on how many captives are still alive or the names of those who have died
As a fragile six-week ceasefire between Israel and Hamas entered its sixth day, Israelis waited anxiously for the names of the next four hostages who will be released from among the more than 90 still held in Gaza.
In the Palestinian enclave, civilians in the central and southern part of the Gaza Strip hoping to return to the remnants of their home in the battered north faced an agonizing wait.
Israel believes about a third, or possibly as many as half, of the more than 90 hostages still in Gaza have died. Hamas has not released definitive information on how many captives are still alive or the names of those who have died.
“Dear President Trump, first of all we want to say thank you for the happy moments we felt this week. But we want to tell you we still have 94 hostages, we need them all at home,” said Ayelet Samerano, whose son Yonatan Samerano is among those still being held. “Please do not stop. Please continue to press and do everything so that all the 94 hostages will come home immediately.”
In the first phase of the ceasefire deal, 33 hostages are expected to be released gradually in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
The first three Israeli hostages were freed in exchange for 90 Palestinian prisoners on Sunday, the first day of the ceasefire that has halted the 15-month war that has devastated Gaza. More than 47,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza and wide swaths of the territory have been destroyed.
According to the deal, on Friday Hamas is to announce the names of the next four hostages to be released on Saturday, after which Israel will also release a list of which Palestinian prisoners will be freed.
The hostages were among about 250 men, women and children captured by militants who burst across the border into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people in an attack that sparked the war in Gaza. About 100 were released during a brief ceasefire in November that year, while the bodies of around three dozen hostages have been recovered in Gaza and eight hostages have been rescued by the army.
“I call from here to the Prime Minister and negotiating team — you’re doing excellent work — do whatever is necessary to bring everyone back, to the last hostage,” Samerano said. “We ask you to ensure phase two of the deal is agreed upon before finishing the current phrase. We cannot continue living in uncertainty. All hostages must return, and none of them has time left.”
The 33 to be released in the first phase will include women, children, sick people and those over 50 — almost all civilians, though the deal also commits Hamas to freeing all living female soldiers in Phase 1. Hamas will release living hostages first, but could release some bodies if they don’t have enough living hostages in this category. Male soldiers are not expected to be released in the first phase.
“This week we were moved to watch images of mothers embracing their daughters, but our hearts break thinking that my son Nimrod and other men remain behind, and each day they’re there poses a real danger to their lives,” said Vicky Cohen, whose son Nimrod Cohen is among the hostages. “The worry that the deal won’t be fully implemented gnaws at us all. All senior officials openly say that stopping the deal means a death sentence for those left behind.”
Under the terms of the deal, Palestinians in Gaza will have more freedom of movement from the north to the south of the enclave. Civilians in the south will be allowed to take a coastal road to northern Gaza from Saturday, when Israeli troops are expected to withdraw from the key route and Hamas is set to release the next four Israeli hostages.
Those in other parts of the strip seized on the ceasefire this week to reunite with scattered family members, picking their way through vast swaths of rubble and trying to salvage what remained of their homes and their belongings. But those displaced from the north have had to wait.
“The first thing I’ll do, I’ll kiss the dirt of the land on which I was born and raised,” said Nadia Al-Debs, one of the many people gathered in makeshift tents in Gaza’s central city of Deir Al-Balah preparing to set out for home in Gaza City the next day. “We’ll return so my children can see their father.”
Nafouz Al-Rabai, another displaced woman in Deir Al-Balah from Al-Shati, along the coast in Gaza City, said the day she walks home will be a “day of joy for us.”
The return stirs bittersweet emotions. Al-Rabai acknowledged it would be painful to absorb the scale of damage to the home and the urban refugee camp she knew and loved. “God knows if I’ll find (my house) standing or not,” she said. “It’s a very bad life.”
Iraqi president calls for more global action on desertification
- Iraq is the world’s fifth most vulnerable country to climate change
DAVOS: Iraq’s President Abdul Latif Rashid has called for more action on desertification, amid global concerns of land degradation that has affected agricultural productivity, caused pollution in waterways and resulted in increased frequency of droughts.
“We attend many conferences, joined many groups for solving desertification but unfortunately the actual achievement has been very little to show for. I appeal to you, once we make decisions for decreasing desertification, let us act on it,” Rashid said on Friday.
Speaking during a World Economic Forum panel “On Firmer Ground with Land Restoration,” the Iraqi leader told participants that land restoration was not just an environmental imperative but also a moral duty.
“In Iraq, we face the consequences of environmental challenges. Nearly 40 percent of our land is affected by desertification, and our water resources essential for agriculture and livelihood are under severe strain. These problems are made worse by climate change, rising temperatures, reduced river flows from our neighboring countries,” the president, a British-educated engineer, said.
Iraq is the world’s fifth most vulnerable country to climate change, and there are grave concerns regarding water and food security, according to the UN.
The depletion of water resources and the spread of desertification are exacerbating Iraq’s problems, leading to conditions including scorching temperatures exceeding 50°C — recorded in 2023 — coupled with water scarcity, desertification and reduced rainfall, the global body said.
Government figures show that desertification has ravaged 71 percent of the nation’s arable land, with an additional 10,000 hectares becoming barren each year. This degradation has reduced the amount of cultivable land to just 1.4 million hectares and has led to a 70 percent decline in agricultural output.
“Iraq is taking bold and good steps to combat these challenges,” according to Rashid, who was the Iraqi minister of water resources from 2003-2010.
One of these steps was the implementation of a 10-year program to combat desertification that prioritizes reforestation, soil preservation and sustainable agricultural practice, Rashid said.
Iraq needs to plant 15 billion trees to combat desertification, establish forests and reduce greenhouse gases, its agriculture ministry said, considering the country’s forest area is only 8,250 sq km, or just 2 percent of its total area.
“We are establishing a buffer zone around our cities to prevent desertification by planting native and drought-resistant vegetation. These efforts are not just environmental but economic. Land restoration is integral to Iraq’s long-term economic plan … (our) development particularly in agriculture, energy and water security,” Rashid said.
“Additionally, we are promoting smart agriculture, diversifying crops, encouraging organic and regenerating farming and mandating sustainable land use practices through legislation,” the Iraqi leader added.
“Sustainable development is key to growth without compromising our environmental health.”
The Iraqi leader also emphasized the need for cross-border cooperation and collaboration with its neighbors — Turkiye and Iran — particularly on water resource matters.
“Iraq is engaged with negotiations in upstream countries including Turkiye and Iran to secure (an) equitable water-sharing agreement for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers. These negotiations are essential for the future of our region,” he said.
Turkish and Iranian dams upstream on the shared Tigris and Euphrates rivers are cutting Iraq off from much-needed water relief. It is estimated that Turkiye’s various dam and hydropower construction projects have reduced Iraq’s water supply along the two rivers by 80 percent since 1975.
Meanwhile, Iran’s development push has led to the proliferation of dams, impacting Iraq, to about 647 in 2018 from only 316 in 2012.
“Iraq is working with many international organizations to adopt climate resilient agriculture … gaining access to expertise for funding need to succeed. Ultimately, we know that lasting solutions require local actions; mobilizing communities is at the heart of our strategy,” Rashid said.
UN denounces Israel’s use of ‘war fighting’ methods in West Bank
- ’We are deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank’
GENEVA: The United Nations voiced serious concerns Friday over the Israeli military’s use of force in its raid this week in the West Bank, including methods “developed for war fighting.”
“We are deeply concerned by the use of unlawful lethal force in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank. The deadly Israeli operations in recent days raise serious concerns about unnecessary or disproportionate use of force, including methods and means developed for war fighting, in violation of international human rights law, norms and standards applicable to law enforcement operations,” UN human rights office spokesman Thameen Al-Kheetan told a media briefing in Geneva.
Iranian vice president visits Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
- The delegation was introduced to the mosque’s history, architecture, distinctive Islamic art, and collection of items representing Islamic civilization
DUBAI: Iran’s Vice President Shina Ansari, along with Reza Ameri, Iranian ambassador to the UAE, visited the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi, state news agency WAM reported on Friday.
Ansari was accompanied by Yousef Al-Obaidli, director-general of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center, during the tour.
The delegation was introduced to the mosque’s history, architecture, distinctive Islamic art, and collection of items representing Islamic civilization.
They also learned about the significant role of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque Center in promoting Islamic culture, cross-cultural dialogue, and the values of coexistence and tolerance, inspired by the legacy of Sheikh Zayed.
At the end of the visit, Ansari was presented with a piece of art featuring a verse from the Qu’ran in Kufic script, one of the Islamic art styles used in decorating the mosque’s domes, along with a copy of the book “Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque: Lights of Peace,” the latest publication from the center.
UAE minister meets Syria’s FM in Davos
DUBAI: The UAE’s Minister of Cabinet Affairs Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Gergawi had a meeting this week with Asaad Al-Shibani, Syria’s foreign affairs minister in the transitional government, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, state news agency WAM reported on Friday.
During the meeting, Al-Gergawi reaffirmed the UAE’s commitment to supporting Syria’s independence and sovereignty.
He emphasized the UAE’s support for all efforts to achieve peace, stability, and a dignified future for the nation’s people.
