MADRID: Spain plans to send two military aircraft to evacuate as many as 350 citizens from Lebanon as early as Thursday, Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said on Wednesday.
“The Spanish airplanes are ready, the staff are ready, as always with the professionalism of the Spanish army,” she said in an interview with Antena 3 TV station.
A group of 350 Spanish citizens present in Lebanon have asked to go to Spain, Robles said in the interview.
Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares had said earlier this week around 1,000 Spaniards were in Lebanon.
Israel was hit on Tuesday evening by rockets launched from Iran following a ground incursion of the Israeli armed forces into south Lebanon where they clashed with the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.
The operation followed intense air strikes that have devastated Hezbollah’s leadership, including longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in Beirut last week.
Beside the 1,000 Spanish residents in Lebanon, Spain has commanded the United Nations’ Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and deployed 650 troops along the southern Lebanese border with Israel, since 2022.
Spain to evacuate citizens from Lebanon, Defense Minister says
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Spain to evacuate citizens from Lebanon, Defense Minister says
- A group of 350 Spanish citizens present in Lebanon have asked to go to Spain
Italy to host G7 leaders’ call on Middle East crisis -Meloni’s office
- Meloni told her cabinet on Wednesday that there was “deep concern” about latest developments
ROME: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will host a call of Group of Seven (G7) leaders later on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, her office said.
Meloni told her cabinet on Wednesday that there was “deep concern” about latest developments, including Iran’s missile attack against Israel and the growing instability Lebanon, her office said.
Despite calls for a ceasefire from the United Nations, the United States and the European Union, fighting between Israel and Hezbollah continued on Wednesday.
Israel renewed its bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs, a stronghold of the Iran-backed armed Hezbollah group, with at least a dozen airstrikes against what it said were targets belonging the group.
Large plumes of smoke were seen rising from parts of the suburbs. Israel issued new evacuation orders for the area, which has largely emptied after days of heavy strikes.
Hezbollah said it confronted Israeli forces infiltrating the Lebanese town of Adaisseh early on Wednesday and forced them to retreat.
Iran described Tuesday’s assault on Israel as defensive and solely aimed at its military facilities. Iran’s state news agency said three Israeli military bases had been targeted.
Philippines’ Taal volcano erupts but alert level low
- Taal is one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes and some of its previous eruptions have impacted the capital and air travel
- A year earlier, the Taal volcano shot a column of ash and steam as high as 15km into the sky
MANILA: The Philippines’ Taal Volcano near the capital region has erupted, spewing a plume of steam that was more than two kilometers high, the seismology agency said on Wednesday.
Taal, located about 70km south of central Manila, is one of the world’s smallest active volcanoes and some of its previous eruptions have impacted the capital and air travel.
The agency’s chief Teresito Bacolcol described the eruption as phreatomagmatic, where magma interacts with water and produces a plume of steam.
The volcano sits inside a large lake near the town of Tagaytay in Cavite province.
“This phreatomagmatic eruption was limited at the volcano island. We’re looking whether there’s ashfall in the eastern side, but there’s no evacuation yet,” Bacolcol said by phone.
Bacolcol said the alert level remained at the lowest on the scale and there were no immediate reports of injuries.
Despite standing at only 311 meters, it can be deadly and an eruption in 1911 killed more than 1,300 people.
In January 2021, thousands of people were evacuated after it spewed a one-kilometer high plume of gas and steam.
A year earlier, the Taal volcano shot a column of ash and steam as high as 15km into the sky, forcing more than 100,000 people to abandon their homes and triggered widespread disruption in the capital.
Israel embassy in Sweden target of shooting, no-one hurt: police
- Police said they were alerted that “a bang” had been heard on a street near the embassy in central Stockholm
- The statement came as police in neighboring Denmark said they were investigating two blasts near Israel embassy
STOCKHOLM: Swedish police said Wednesday that a shooting had occurred at the Israeli embassy Stockholm the day before, adding that no-one was hurt and that an investigation had been opened.
Police said they were alerted that “a bang” had been heard on a street near the embassy in central Stockholm just before 6:00 p.m. (1600 GMT) on Tuesday.
“We’ve made finds that indicate a shooting at Israel’s embassy, but we don’t want to disclose exactly what finds have been made since there is an ongoing investigation,” Rebecca Landberg, press officer at Stockholm police, told AFP.
The statement came as police in neighboring Denmark said they were investigating two blasts that went off overnight in the “immediate proximity” to the Israeli embassy, also without injuring anyone.
Swedish police said in a statement that information indicated the embassy building had been hit by shots.
Landberg added that no-one was injured and that an investigation has been opened into an aggravated weapons offense, endangerment of others and unlawful threats.
Police had made no arrests, but Landberg said that the area was under heavy surveillance by cameras and police were actively gathering and analizing material.
The shooting came as tensions in the Middle East are spiralling, with Iran firing a barrage of missiles at Israeli territory and Israel vowing to make Iran “pay” for the attack.
Since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war in October 2023, several incidents apparently targeting Israeli interests in Sweden have been reported.
In February, police found a grenade on the grounds of the Israeli embassy compound, which the ambassador said was an attempted attack.
In mid-May, gunshots were fired outside the Israeli embassy, which prompted the country to boost security measures around Israeli interests and Jewish community institutions.
The Scandinavian country’s intelligence agency Sapo said in late May that Iran was recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs to commit “acts of violence” against Israeli and other interests in Sweden — a claim Iran denied.
The Nordic country has also reported an increase in anti-Semitic hate crimes since the war in Gaza started.
In early June, police said they had found a “suspected explosive object” outside the offices of Israeli military technology firm Elbit Systems, known for its unmanned aerial systems, in Sweden’s second-largest city Gothenburg.
Philippines draws defense firms as military modernizes amid South China Sea tension
MANILA: Global defense contractors put their advanced hardware on display as the Philippines embarks on the latest phase of a multi-billion-dollar effort to modernize its military at a time of rising tension in the South China Sea.
From Lockheed Martin of the United States to Sweden’s Saab, Israel’s Rafael, and the India-Russia joint venture BrahMos, a total of 291 firms showcased military technology and weapons systems at an exhibition in Manila last week.
“The Philippines is an emerging market for the defense industry,” said Chester Cabalza, president of a Manila-based think tank, International Development and Security Cooperation.
Manila has allocated $35 billion for the buildup, spread over the next decade, as it has faced off with China in sea and air confrontations over contested areas of the busy South China Sea waterway.
“Our strategic issues with China have caught the attention of defense firms, and the exhibit demonstrates support from like-minded nations, many of whom are our partners and allies,” Cabalza added.
Under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, the Philippines has looked beyond traditional ally the United States to step up security partnerships with nations, such as Japan and Australia, also concerned at China’s increasing regional influence.
“The goal of modernization is to develop a credible defense force, whether there’s the China issue or not,” said Jesus Avilla, a former assistant defense secretary, while visiting the biennial Asia Defense and Security (ADAS) exhibition.
In the third phase of a decades-long effort to beef up territorial defense and maritime security, the Philippine military is looking to buy advanced assets such as fighter jets, submarines and missile systems.
While long-standing military ties ensure the United States is a key supplier, the Philippines has widened defense procurement to nations such as India, Israel, Poland, South Korea and Turkiye.
Reflecting Manila’s expanding role in regional security, the exhibition featured new companies, and participating nations such as Britain, France and Japan.
Avilla stressed the urgency of modernization as strategic challenges now stretch to encompass economic and food security, as the South China Sea holds crucial resources.
China claims almost the entire waterway, a conduit for more than $3 trillion of annual ship-borne commerce, despite overlapping claims by Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam.
However, in 2016, the Permanent Court of Arbitration said its claims had no legal basis, a decision China rejects.
“Our enemy is not joking because they can see that our equipment is not enough,” said Philippine navy officer Alandel Drilon, while inquiring about a multiple rocket launcher system.
“That’s our weakness at the moment, our vessels, they are old, so this exhibit is a good chance for our officers to see how they can improve our equipment.”
In 2022, the Philippines bought a $375-million BrahMos anti-ship missile system, and the firm is now offering a ship-mounted version.
“We hope for a positive outcome soon,” added Praveen Pathak, its director for market promotion and export.
State-run Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), which has earlier supplied advanced surveillance capabilities, such as electro-optic systems, is also ready to provide items from reconnaissance aircraft to coastal radar, said Maxim Zemer, a senior marketing official for Asia and Africa.
The Philippines is also evaluating offers for 40 multirole fighter aircraft. Though it has not disclosed specific bidders, Saab, with its Gripen jets, is widely considered a contender.
“We want to deliver credible, sustainable, cost-efficient, offensive air power to the Philippines,” said Jussi Halmetoja, air operations adviser and test pilot at Saab.
Saab has had “fruitful negotiation” with the Philippine defense ministry, Halmetoja added, and was ready to meet the needs of its air force.
A Gripen E fighter jet on display outside the exhibition drew throngs of visitors, some from the military, who sat in its cockpit, posing for photographs.
“Modernizing our forces will take time due to the resources needed, but ADAS allows us to explore the capabilities available,” said Lt. Gen. Charlton Sean Gaerlan, the Philippine armed forces’ deputy chief of staff.
“It also gives us the opportunity to engage with defense companies to ensure we select the best systems for our needs.”
Australia charges woman over pro-Hezbollah protest
- Other attendees at the pro-Palestine protests, which took place in Sydney and Melbourne last week, also waved Hamas flags or placards with slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah
SYDNEY: Australian police on Wednesday charged a 19-year-old woman after an investigation into Hezbollah flags flown at a Sydney demonstration.
“She was arrested and charged with cause public display of prohibited terrorists organization symbol,” said New South Wales Police.
Other attendees at the pro-Palestine protests, which took place in Sydney and Melbourne last week, also waved Hamas flags or placards with slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
The protest has divided politicians, police and community leaders on what constitutes free speech or illegal activity.
Authorities remain on high alert ahead of two planned protests this week that will mark the one year anniversary since the Palestinian militant group Hamas’s October 7 attacks on Israel that triggered the Gaza conflict.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said Wednesday the two protests — set for October 6 and 7 — should not go ahead and that any demonstration would be seen “as incredibly provocative.”
“It would not advance any cause. It would cause a great deal of distress,” he told national broadcaster ABC. Albanese added he would attend a vigil instead.
Police have indicated they would seek to stop the demonstrations from going ahead.
New South Wales Police said Tuesday despite discussions with organizers, they were “not satisfied that the protest can proceed safely” and had decided to apply to the NSW Supreme court to prohibit them.
The matter will be heard in court later this week.
Protest organizers, the Palestine Action Group Sydney, said the police action was “an attack on fundamental democratic rights.”
“We intend on defending our right to protest and are determined to continue standing for justice for Palestine and Lebanon,” the group said in a statement.
