ALGIERS: An Algerian oil tanker set sail Thursday for power-hungry Lebanon, official media said, with 30,000 tons of fuel destined to restart turbines in the country grappling with years of economic meltdown.
Clashes in Lebanon’s south since last October has only added to the troubles of a country which is politically largely rudderless, whose economy collapsed five years ago and where power blackouts are routine.
Prime Minister Nadir Larbaoui spoke by telephone with his Lebanese counterpart, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, “to inform him of the decision taken by President Tebboune to stand beside brother Lebanon... and immediately provide a quantity of fuel to make the power plant function and re-establish electricity,” Algeria’s official APS agency reported.
Other shipments are expected to follow the initial delivery but no details have been released.
Algeria’s President Abdelmajid Tebboune took the decision to help Lebanon after Lebanon’s state-run electricity company on Saturday said its turbines would stop due to lack of fuel.
Lebanese, long used to power cuts lasting almost an entire day, have relied on small private electricity generators.
Algeria is a member of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries.
In August, 2022, another OPEC member, Iraq, said it had agreed to renew a one-year deal to provide Lebanon with one million tons of fuel for its power plants in exchange for in-kind services.
The initial deal with Iraq enabled Lebanon’s power stations to produce one to two hours of electricity per day.
Algerian fuel tanker on mercy mission to power-short Lebanon
https://arab.news/5542w
Algerian fuel tanker on mercy mission to power-short Lebanon
- Algeria’s President Abdelmajid Tebboune took the decision to help Lebanon after Lebanon’s state-run electricity company on Saturday said its turbines would stop due to lack of fuel
- Lebanese, long used to power cuts lasting almost an entire day, have relied on small private electricity generators
Three police killed in Iran, jihadists claim responsibility
TEHRAN: Three police officers were killed Thursday in southeastern Iran in an attack claimed by a jihadist group that is active in the region, the country’s official news agency said.
“Three members of the police forces were killed and a civilian injured in an attack carried out by armed criminals in Mirjaveh in Sistan and Baluchestan province,” the IRNA news agency said.
Sistan and Baluchestan, one of the poorest regions in Iran, is mostly inhabited by the minority Baloch community, who largely practice Sunni Islam in a country where the theocratic government is staunchly Shiite.
The officers were attacked at a petrol station, IRNA said.
The Pakistani-based Sunni jihadist group Jaish Al-Adl, which means Army of Justice in Arabic, claimed responsibility for the attack in a post on Telegram.
The same group claimed responsibility for an attack last month that killed the head of the criminal investigation department in the city of Khash in Sistan and Baluchestan province.
Jaish Al-Adl also claimed two attacks in April in the region that saw 10 members of the security forces killed.
Israel intelligence unit chief quits over October 7 failure
- Israeli army statement: ‘The commander of the 8200 unit, (Brig. General) Yossi Sariel, has informed his commanders and subordinates of his intention to end his position’
- Public broadcaster Kan disclosed the existence of an intelligence brief prepared by Unit 8200 in Sept. 2023 that warned military officials of Hamas’s preparations for the attack
JERUSALEM: The Israeli army said on Thursday that the head of an elite intelligence unit will resign over the failure to prevent Hamas’s October 7 attack.
“The commander of the 8200 unit, (Brig. General) Yossi Sariel, has informed his commanders and subordinates of his intention to end his position,” the army said in a statement.
“The officer will conclude his role in the near future.”
The prestigious and secretive Unit 8200 is in charge of decoding and analizing intercepts and other signals intelligence.
In the wake of October 7, Israel’s Military Intelligence Directorate was thrown into a crisis that led to its commander, Major General Aharon Haliva, announcing his resignation in April 2024.
The army said then that Haliva had asked to be relieved of his duties for the directorate’s failure to foil the October 7 attack.
Israeli media on Thursday broadcast a copy of Sariel’s resignation letter in which he asked for “forgiveness” for “not fulfilling the mission we were entrusted with” on October 7.
In June, public broadcaster Kan disclosed the existence of an intelligence brief prepared by Unit 8200 in September 2023 that warned military officials of Hamas’s preparations for the attack.
Kan said the Unit 8200 document included details of elite Hamas fighters training for hostage-taking and plans for raids on military positions and Israeli communities in southern Israel.
The October 7 attack resulted in the deaths of more than 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Included in that count are hostages who were killed in captivity.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 41,118 people in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry. The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.
Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly refused to open an official inquiry into October 7 until the war in Gaza is over.
Libyan factions have not reached final agreement on central bank crisis, UN Libya Mission says
- Libya’s two legislative chambers agreed this month to jointly appoint a central bank governor, potentially defusing a battle for control of the country’s oil revenue
- Libyan oil exports fell around 81 percent last week as the National Oil Corporation canceled cargoes amid a crisis over control of Libya’s central bank and oil revenue
TRIPOLI: The UN Libya mission said on Thursday that Libyan factions did not reach a final agreement in the talks aimed at resolving the central bank crisis that has slashed oil output and exports.
The two-day consultations to solve the crisis hosted by UNSMIL were between delegates from the Benghazi-based House of Representatives, the High Council of State and the Presidential Council, which are both based in Tripoli.
However, the Mission statement did not mention the presence of the delegation of the Presidential Council on the second day of the talks.
The Presidential Council, based in Tripoli, had only rarely intervened directly in Libyan politics before its head Mohammed Al-Menfi moved in August to replace veteran central bank Governor Sadiq Al-Kabir, which led eastern factions to order a halt of oil flows across Libyan oilfields in protest.
Libya’s two legislative chambers agreed this month to jointly appoint a central bank governor, potentially defusing a battle for control of the country’s oil revenue.
The Mission welcomed on Thursday the progress made between the two legislative bodies “on the principles and timeline that should govern the interim period leading to the appointment of a new governor and board of directors for the Central Bank.”
Libyan oil exports fell around 81 percent last week, Kpler data showed on Wednesday, as the National Oil Corporation canceled cargoes amid a crisis over control of Libya’s central bank and oil revenue.
UN envoy repeats call for prioritization of efforts to end war in Yemen
- Hans Grundberg urges all parties ‘to put Yemen first’ and work toward settlement of the conflict
- Houthis have attacked more than 80 merchant ships since the war in Gaza began, seizing 1 vessel, sinking 2 and killing 4 sailors
LONDON: The UN’s special envoy for Yemen, Hans Grundberg, on Thursday repeated his call for all involved in the war in Yemen to put the country first and prioritize efforts to resolve the conflict.
Addressing a meeting of the UN Security Council on the situation in the Middle East, he said the war in Gaza was having “destabilizing effects across the broader region,” including a negative effect on Yemen.
“Ansar Allah (the more formal name for the Houthis) has continued attacks on vessels in the Red Sea, threatening regional stability and international maritime security,” he told council members.
“In response, the United States and the United Kingdom have continued to strike military targets inside of Yemen.
“I reiterate my concern over this escalatory trajectory and repeat my call for the parties to put Yemen first and to prioritize a settlement of the conflict.”
The Houthis have attacked more than 80 merchant ships with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza began in October last year. They have seized one vessel and sunk two during their campaign, which has claimed the lives of four sailors. Many more missiles and drones were intercepted by the US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.
The militia continues to insist it is targeting ships with links to Israel, the US or the UK, in an attempt to force an end to Israeli military operations in Gaza. However, many of the targeted ships had little or no connection to Israel or the conflict, including some that were bound for Iran.
Grundberg called for an “immediate ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all remaining hostages, and a massive scale-up of humanitarian aid to Gaza.”
He said the Houthi attack on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion on Aug. 21 was a “development of particular concern” and “raises the imminent threat of a catastrophic oil spill and environmental disaster of unprecedented scale.”
Following the attack, fires burned for weeks on the vessel, which is carrying about 1 million barrels of crude oil. Salvage efforts are continuing but proving difficult.
“An oil spill on this scale would have dire consequences for both Yemen and the broader region … I strongly urge Ansar Allah to end their dangerous targeting of civilian vessels in the Red Sea and beyond,” Grundberg said.
He also demanded that the Houthis release all of the Yemenis they have detained who were engaged in critical efforts related to humanitarian assistance, development efforts, human rights, peace building, and education.
“This includes United Nations personnel, members of civil society, staff of diplomatic missions, private-sector employees, and individuals from minority religious communities,” Grundberg said.
“The continued detention of these individuals is a profound injustice to those who have dedicated their lives to the betterment of Yemen. These detentions are shrinking civic space and negatively impacting humanitarian efforts critical to Yemenis.”
Joyce Msuya, the acting under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs and acting emergency relief coordinator at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, echoed this demand.
“I want to start by expressing our deep concern about the continued arbitrary detention of United Nations personnel, non-governmental organization staff and civil society representatives, among others, by the Houthi de facto authorities.
“These colleagues have now been detained for more than three months. Four additional colleagues remain in detention since 2021 and 2023. I reiterate, in the strongest terms, the secretary-general’s demand for their immediate and unconditional release.
“Additionally, we strongly reject false allegations by the Houthi de facto authorities against humanitarians, including recent claims of interference in Yemen’s education system. These allegations threaten the safety of staff, further hinder the ability of the UN and its partners to serve the Yemeni people, and must cease immediately.”
She told council members the steady deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Yemen continues.
“62 per cent of surveyed households report they do not have enough food to eat,” Msuya said. “This is historically high. For the first time on record, three districts — two in Hodeidah and one in Taiz — are facing extremely critical levels of malnutrition: IPC Phase 5. One more district is projected to reach this level by October.”
IPC is the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, and level 5 denotes famine in an area and catastrophe for households there because they do not have enough food to meet basic needs.
“By the end of 2024, more than 600,000 children in Government of Yemen-controlled areas are estimated to be acutely malnourished, and around 118,000 are projected to suffer from severe acute malnutrition, a 34 per cent increase since 2023,” Msuya added.
Slovenia’s representative to the council, Samuel Zbogar, who is the president of the council this month, welcomed the World Food Programme’s ongoing emergency distribution of aid in Yemen.
“We are also following with concern the devastating impact of recent flooding, which has affected hundreds of thousands of Yemenis, aggravated the displacement crisis and exacerbated the outbreak of diseases,” he added.
EU foreign policy chief urges de-escalation at Lebanon-Israel border
- US envoy visits Israel to warn against large-scale military action
- Hezbollah adds another Israeli settlement to target list
BEIRUT: EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has called for a de-escalation of tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border, expressing fears of “more regional escalation due to the war in Gaza and especially in Lebanon.”
He called on Lebanese leaders to work for the interests of their country and its people and “not for someone else’s interests.”
During a visit to Beirut on Thursday, Borrell met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, and Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces Joseph Aoun.
He said that “the full implementation of UN Resolution 1701 should pave the way for a comprehensive settlement, including the demarcation of land borders between Lebanon and Israel.”
With more than 4,000 buildings completely destroyed and some 110,000 people having fled their homes in Lebanon, he said its people wanted peace, stability and prosperity — not war.
He added: “My main message today is that the EU stands with the Lebanese people to overcome the challenges as much as possible.”
Borrell warned that fears of further escalation and increased human suffering were growing and emphasized the importance of economic reform and bank restructuring.
The EU was ready to continue its support for Lebanon, he added: “We can help but we cannot overcome the internal obstacles. The Lebanese themselves can do so.”
Borrell’s meetings came amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army on the Lebanese southern front.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri told Borrell: “Lebanon doesn’t want war but has the right and the capacity to defend itself.”
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati emphasized “the necessity to intensify the international and UN pressure to stop the ongoing Israeli aggression against Lebanon.”
Israeli Channel 12 reported that US envoy Amos Hochstein had arrived in Israel with a message that the country should refrain from large-scale military action in Lebanon. The channel said both the US and Israel realized a war with Hezbollah could lead to a multi-front conflict, but while Hochstein would make efforts for settlement in the north, such agreement was linked to a ceasefire in Gaza.
Israeli action against Hezbollah has increased in recent days. The militia added the settlement of Rosh HaNikra to its list of targets for the first time, along with Matzuva which was hit with salvos of rockets.
A statement said this was “in response to Israel’s attacks on the steadfast southern villages and safe civilian homes, particularly the two wronged martyrs in El Biyada.”
In the town of El Biyada, an Israeli combat drone targeted a motorcycle and killed two brothers aged 12 and 17. Israeli artillery north of Ein Yaakov came under rocket fire, while Bayad Blida and Al-Malikiyah was attacked with heavy artillery shells.
Israeli media reported a fire north of Nahariya as a result of rocket fire from southern Lebanon, saying 50 rockets had been launched toward Western Galilee.
Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of Alma Al-Shaab and the Labouneh area in Naqoura, and a drone targeted the outskirts of Maroun Al-Ras Park.
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft continued to fly over southern areas, especially western and central villages, extending to the outskirts of the Litani River and the coast.
