Israeli raid kills 3 Hezbollah men, group hits back with guided missiles

This picture taken from Israel along the border with Lebanon shows smoke billowing above the Lebanese village of Blida amid Israeli bombardment on September 17, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 17 September 2024
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Israeli raid kills 3 Hezbollah men, group hits back with guided missiles

  • Israeli military reported “targeting a Hezbollah cell in the town of Blida, resulting in the death of three members”
  • Israel says it thwarted Hezbollah operation to assassinate high ranking security official

BEIRUT: Three people were killed and two others injured during an Israeli raid on two houses in the border town of Blida, Lebanon, on Tuesday.

Rescue workers were seen searching through debris in footage shared by activists on social media.

The Israeli military reported “targeting a Hezbollah cell in the town of Blida, resulting in the death of three members.”

The intensity of violent hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army escalated after reports from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office indicating that the security Cabinet approved a decision to expand the war in Lebanon, “with the aim of allowing Israeli settlers in the north to return to their homes.”

This escalation came a day after Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant met with US presidential envoy Amos Hochstein, who delivered a message from the US warning of the “dangers of escalating tensions in Lebanon and the necessity of containing the conflict to avoid a full-scale war.”

But Gallant told Hochstein that “the only viable path to ensure the return of the residents of the north is through a military operation against Hezbollah.”

Netanyahu’s office said he made it clear to Hochstein during their meeting “firmly and decisively that our residents cannot be returned without a fundamental change in the security situation in the north, and Israel appreciates and respects the support of the United States, but will do what is necessary to maintain its security and facilitate the safe return of residents of the north to their homes.”

This escalation coincided with the Israeli military’s announcement regarding what it termed the "foiling of a Hezbollah attempt to assassinate a high ranking security figure using an explosive device,” but it did not specify the location or date of the incident.

The announcement said: “We warned the targeted individual before the explosion. The Shin Bet uncovered the explosive device linked to a remote activation mechanism, which included a camera and a mobile phone intended for activation by Hezbollah from Lebanon.”

It added: “Security assessments indicate that certain elements within Hezbollah were also involved in the preparations related to the Tel Aviv operation in September 2023, and that Hezbollah continues to escalate tensions in the region, leading it toward perilous situations.”

Hezbollah opened the southern front on Oct. 8, 2023, to support “the resistance in the Gaza Strip against the Israeli army.”

Since then, the militant group has had daily confrontations on the borders with the Israeli army, which several times breached the rules of engagement.

Hostilities reached areas deep inside Lebanon and northern Israel, leading to the death of more than 650 people on the Lebanese side, the majority of whom were Hezbollah cadres and members, in addition to civilians, paramedics and media personalities.

More than 110,000 people fled border villages to other towns deep inside Lebanon, as Israeli raids and bombings destroyed thousands of houses and infrastructure in the border region.

Media reports in Beirut quoted a source close to Hezbollah on Tuesday, saying that “any Israeli military land operation in southern Lebanon will not be a mere promenade and will cost heavily.”

The source added: “Israelis know that there are many obstacles facing any land operation. Nevertheless, Hezbollah is ready for any scenario and will deal with any bad option.”

The ball is in Israel’s court, the source said, “as it continues its violations of the Lebanese airspace and its occupation of the Kfarchouba Hills and the Shebaa Farms.”

Hezbollah increased the intensity of its operations against Israeli military outposts in the past 24 hours, on Tuesday targeting “Israeli soldiers in the Karantina Hill,” according to its official statements.

On Monday night and Tuesday morning it also targeted  “a gathering of soldiers in the Al-Abad site with a guided missile,” in addition to “buildings used by the enemy’s soldiers in the Manara settlement.”

The militant group also hit “several Israeli vehicles in the Ramiyah outpost with a guided missile.” At the time a support force entered the area, it was targeted by Hezbollah “with artillery missiles, causing confirmed hits.”

Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency UNRWA, said: “We should always be ready for the worst, although we are hopeful that the worst won’t happen.

“The situation is really worrying.”

Lazzarini visited Nabih Berri, speaker in Lebanon’s Parliament, Prime Minster Najib Mikati, and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib and discussed the issues confronting UNRWA, which “faces financial challenges.”

He said there are calls for UNRWA’s dismantlement, and that pressure is being exerted by the Israeli Knesset in this direction. “Not a day goes by without UNRWA facilities and employees being targeted.”


Israel says it will re-open crossing into Gaza as pressure builds to get more aid in

Updated 12 sec ago
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Israel says it will re-open crossing into Gaza as pressure builds to get more aid in

JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said on Friday it was planning to reopen the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza to increase the flow of aid into the southern end of the Gaza Strip.
The move comes amid growing international pressure on Israel to get more aid into Gaza, where aid agencies have warned of a gathering humanitarian crisis in the north of the enclave, where Israeli troops have been conducting a major operation for more than a month.
The new crossing would be opened following engineering work over recent weeks by army engineers to build inspection points and paved roads, the army said.
Last month, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin wrote to Israeli officials demanding concrete measures to address the worsening situation in the Palestinian enclave.
The letter, which was posted to the Internet by a reporter from Axios, gave the Israeli government 30 days to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Among the demands included in the letter was for the opening of a fifth crossing into Gaza.

Sudan army govt accuses paramilitaries of causing 120 civilian deaths in 2 days

Updated 6 min 33 sec ago
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Sudan army govt accuses paramilitaries of causing 120 civilian deaths in 2 days

  • The Janjaweed militia (paramilitaries) committed a new massacre in the town of Hilaliya

PORT SUDAN: The Sudanese foreign ministry accused paramilitaries late Thursday of causing at least 120 civilian deaths over two days in Al-Jazira state, reportedly in attacks involving gunfire, food poisoning and lack of medical care.
“The Janjaweed militia (paramilitaries) committed a new massacre in the town of Hilaliya in Al-Jazira state over the past two days, resulting in 120 martyrs so far, killed either by gunfire or due to food poisoning and lack of medical care affecting hundreds of civilians,” the ministry of the army-backed government said in a statement obtained by AFP.


Yemen’s Houthi militants shoot down what they say was a US drone as American military investigates

Updated 08 November 2024
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Yemen’s Houthi militants shoot down what they say was a US drone as American military investigates

  • The US military acknowledged the videos circulating online showing what appeared to be a flaming aircraft dropping out of the sky
  • The Houthis claimed to have downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone

DUBAI: Yemen’s Houthi militants shot down what they described as an American drone early Friday, potentially the latest downing of a US spy drone as the militants continue their attacks on the Red Sea corridor.
The US military acknowledged the videos circulating online showing what appeared to be a flaming aircraft dropping out of the sky and a field of burning debris in what those off-camera described as an area of Yemen’s Al-Jawf province. The military said it was investigating the incident, declining to elaborate further.
It wasn’t immediately clear what kind of aircraft was shot down in the low-quality night video. The Houthis, in a later statement, claimed to have downed an American MQ-9 Reaper drone.
The Houthis have surface-to-air missiles — such as the Iranian missile known as the 358 — capable of downing aircraft. Iran denies arming the militants, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi militants despite a United Nations arms embargo.
The Houthis have been a key component of Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” during the Mideast wars that includes Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas and other militant groups.
Since Houthis seized the country’s north and its capital of Sanaa in 2014, the militants have shot down MQ-9 Reaper drones in Yemen in 2017, 2019, 2023 and 2024. The US military has declined to offer a total figure for the number of drones it has lost during that time.
Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes up to 50,000 feet (15,240 meters) and have an endurance of up to 24 hours before needing to land. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA over Yemen for years.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign that has also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have also included Western military vessels.
The militants maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran. The tempo of the Houthi sea attacks also has waxed and waned over the months.
In October, the US military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the Houthis.


Israeli defense minister officially steps down

Updated 08 November 2024
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Israeli defense minister officially steps down

  • Israel has been rocked by Gallant’s dismissal, with the news setting off mass protests across the country
  • Israel Katz, his replacement, currently serves as foreign minister and is a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister
Israel has been rocked by Gallant’s dismissal, with the news setting off mass protests across the country
Israel Katz, his replacement, currently serves as foreign minister and is a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister

TEL AVIV: Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant officially stepped down Friday in a ceremony that replaced him with Israel Katz, the former foreign minister, after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Gallant earlier this week.
Israel has been rocked by Gallant’s dismissal, with the news setting off mass protests across the country. Many in Israel view Gallant as the sole moderate voice in a far-right government, and see his removal as a sign that the far-right government of Benjamin Netanyahu has lost interest in returning hostages still held in Gaza.
Israel Katz, his replacement, currently serves as foreign minister and is a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister.
Also Friday, the Israeli military body handling aid to Gaza, COGAT, said it is preparing to open a new aid crossing into Gaza as the deadline for a US deadline to increase desperately-needed aid into the war-ravaged territory approaches. But the body did not say when the crossing will open nor if aid will be delivered to north of Gaza, where the UN and aid groups say the humanitarian situation is most dire.
The United Nations humanitarian office says Israel’s monthlong offensive in northern Gaza is preventing the estimated 75,000 to 95,000 Palestinians in the north from receiving essential items for their survival.
On Thursday, the Israeli military says it will allow 300 truckloads of humanitarian aid supplied by the United Arab Emirates to enter the Gaza Strip in the coming days. That’s less than the 350 trucks per day that the United States said it wants to see enter the war-ravaged territory.
The Israel-Hamas war began after militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others. Israel’s military response in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. They do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of those killed were women and children.
Hezbollah began firing into Israel on Oct. 8, 2023, in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Since the conflict erupted, more than 3,100 people have been killed and some 13,800 wounded in Lebanon, the health ministry reported.

Turkiye, Greece must work together to resolve host of issues, Turkish minister says

Updated 08 November 2024
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Turkiye, Greece must work together to resolve host of issues, Turkish minister says

  • Issues between NATO allies Turkiye and Greece are not limited to disagreements over maritime boundaries and jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean

ANKARA: Issues between NATO allies Turkiye and Greece are not limited to disagreements over maritime boundaries and jurisdiction in the eastern Mediterranean, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said on Friday, adding the historic rivals must work together to resolve them.
Speaking at a press conference in Athens alongside his Greek counterpart, Fidan also repeated Ankara’s view that a federation model to resolve the dispute over the ethnically-split island of Cyprus was no longer viable, calling for a two-state solution.
He also said Turkiye wanted to deepen cooperation with Greece on irregular migration and counter-terrorism, while increasing cooperation on tourism and cultural affairs.