Lebanon urges action from ceasefire committee to ensure Israel meets obligations

Rescuers rush to the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an area in the southern Lebanese village of Nabatieh on January 28, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 29 January 2025
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Lebanon urges action from ceasefire committee to ensure Israel meets obligations

  • Attacks resulted in 20 injuries in Nabatieh Al-Fawqa and 10 injuries on the Zawtar-Nabatieh Al-Fawqa road
  • Najib Mikati said the aggression was an additional violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a blatant breach of the ceasefire arrangements and the provisions of Resolution 1701

BEIRUT: Najib Mikati, the caretaker prime minister of Lebanon, condemned two Israeli airstrikes on the city of Nabatieh on Tuesday evening.

The attacks resulted in 20 injuries in the strike on Nabatieh Al-Fawqa and 10 injuries from the attack on the Zawtar-Nabatieh Al-Fawqa road, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.

The two attacks were the first acts of aggression since the ceasefire came into effect on Nov. 27. The ceasefire was extended, at Israel’s request and with the approval of the US, until Feb. 18.

Mikati said the aggression was “an additional violation of Lebanese sovereignty and a blatant breach of the ceasefire arrangements and the provisions of Resolution 1701.”

He contacted the American head of the five-member committee responsible for overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, Gen. Jasper Jeffers, urging him to adopt a “firm stance to ensure that Israel fulfills its obligations under international law.”

Since Sunday, residents of border areas have been returning to their towns ahead of the extension of the Israeli withdrawal deadline.

But Israeli forces that infiltrated the region responded by firing shots and using smoke and sound bombs, resulting in dozens of casualties and injuries.

The Israeli army said that it was “redeploying its forces to sites in southern Lebanon to enable the gradual effective deployment of the Lebanese army and to remove Hezbollah.”

The Israeli army said that the two airstrikes on Tuesday night in Nabatieh and its surroundings targeted “a truck and a vehicle belonging to Hezbollah that were transporting weapons in the areas of Shaqif and Nabatieh. The aim of the two raids was to remove a threat. The truck and the vehicle were targeted after the Israeli army monitored them while they were transporting weapons.”

The Israeli army in a statement said that it is “determined to operate in accordance with the agreements between Israel and Lebanon, despite Hezbollah’s attempts to re-enter southern Lebanon” and that it “will take action to eliminate any threats to Israel and its citizens.”

Ori Gordin, commander of the Northern Command in Israel, said: “Hezbollah has been defeated, and if it tries to respond, we will eliminate it and its leadership.”

On Wednesday, Israeli incursions into Lebanese airspace and southern villages continued to prevent civilians from returning to their towns.

Israeli army tanks tried to advance into the Mfailha area west of the town of Mays Al-Jabal, where Lebanese army vehicles and personnel confronted them.

The National News Agency reported that “Israeli enemy forces advanced to a distance of 100 meters from the Lebanese army’s position at the western entrance of Mays Al-Jabal” and that “a bulldozer cleared and raised barriers in the middle of the road after passing UNIFIL’s post, under the protection of a Merkava tank firing ahead of it.”

The Israeli army captured four citizens, including a woman, who were inspecting their home on the outskirts of the town of Maroun Al-Ras. It also opened fire on two other individuals, wounding them as they tried to advance in the town.

Israeli forces detained an ambulance in Maroun Al-Ras that was trying to transport the wounded. The Israeli army later released three of the four captured citizens.

An Israeli drone tried to obstruct the return of residents along the Shaqra-Majdal Selm-Hula road by dropping stun grenades on a gathering, injuring five civilians, while on the Taybeh-Qantara road, an Israeli vehicle fired shots into the air to intimidate residents.

On social media, videos showed Lebanese army personnel touring tunnels south of the Litani River that they had taken over from Hezbollah. The tunnels contained several trucks and manufacturing equipment, but no weapons.

The Lebanese military confirmed that “army units have moved into border areas south of the Litani following the withdrawal of the Israeli enemy, in coordination with the Quintet Committee overseeing the ceasefire agreement.”

The ceasefire agreement calls for “the dismantling of all military infrastructure and sites, as well as the confiscation of all unauthorized weapons that contradict these commitments, starting from the area south of the Litani.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli army continued its scorched-earth strategy by demolishing buildings in the town of Kfarkela and bulldozing homes, ancient trees, and infrastructure in Hula, Mays Al-Jabal, and Markaba.

Residents of Kfarkela set up a tent on the Khardali road at the Deir Mimas-Qlaiaa junction, announcing that they plan to stay there until the Israeli army leaves the area, allowing their return. 

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health said Israeli attacks on civilians trying to enter Yaroun resulted in six injuries.

Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, said: “The right of our people in Lebanon to confront the occupation and its attacks is a legitimate right that they can exercise at the time and place they deem appropriate.

“The chronic international disregard to Israel’s transgressions and persistence in aggression has led it to act with hostility, disregarding all laws.”

Meanwhile, member of the Kataeb parliamentary bloc, Salim Al-Sayegh, said: “The Israeli airstrike on Nabatieh indicates that the war with Lebanon has not ended; it remains an open war.

“If this truce collapses, we must face its consequences with both bitterness and realism. We have already started dealing with its consequences today, yesterday and possibly tomorrow.”

Al-Sayegh called for “a precise reading of the situation, as there is an attempt to drag Lebanon into an arena for conflict in light of the existing balance of power.

“I fear that this could turn into another round of violence that starts in the south, leading to chaos across Lebanon.”

He emphasized the need to deploy the Lebanese army and establish its authority in disputed areas, before resorting to resistance if the agreement is breached.


Lebanese president worried Israel may not fully withdraw by Tuesday deadline

Updated 17 February 2025
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Lebanese president worried Israel may not fully withdraw by Tuesday deadline

  • Joseph Aoun: ‘We are afraid that a complete withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow’
  • Aoun urges sponsors of ceasefire deal to help pressure Israel to withdraw troops by Tuesday deadline

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday voiced concern that Israeli troops may not fully withdraw by a truce deadline the following day, saying the issue of Hezbollah’s weapons was a matter for the Lebanese.

“We are afraid that a complete withdrawal will not be achieved tomorrow,” Aoun said according to a statement from the presidency, adding that “the important thing is to achieve the Israeli withdrawal, and Hezbollah’s weapons come as part of solutions the Lebanese agree on.”

Aoun also urged sponsors of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hezbollah to help pressure Israel to withdraw troops by a deadline the following day.

“We are continuing contacts on several levels to push Israel to respect the agreement and to withdraw on the scheduled date, and return the prisoners,” Aoun said, according to a presidency statement.

“The sponsors of the deal should bear their responsibility to assist us,” he added.

A fragile ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group has been in effect since November 27 after more than a year of hostilities including two months of all-out war during which Israel launched ground operations.

Under the deal, Lebanon’s military was to deploy in the south alongside United Nations peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period that was later extended to February 18.

Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River – about 30 kilometers from the border – and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.

A committee involving the United States, France, Lebanon, Israel and UN peacekeepers is tasked with ensuring any ceasefire violations are identified and dealt with.

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem on Sunday said it was the government’s responsibility to ensure the Israeli army fully withdraws by Tuesday’s deadline.

Last week, Lebanon’s parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, said Washington had told him that while Israel would withdraw on February 18, “it will remain in five locations.”

Lebanon has rejected the demand.

On Sunday, Israel said it carried out strikes in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah military sites, as official media reported three raids in the country’s east.

The official National News Agency also said Israeli gunfire killed a woman in the border town of Hula on Sunday as people tried to go home.

On Saturday, Israel said it targeted a senior militant from Hezbollah’s aerial unit, as Lebanese official media reported two dead in an Israeli strike in the south.

Karim Bitar, lecturer in Middle East studies at Sciences-Po university in Paris, said “it appears that there is a tacit if not an explicit US agreement to extend the withdrawal period.”

“The most likely scenario is that Israel would maintain control over four or five hills that basically oversee most of south Lebanon’s villages,” he said.

Ramzi Kaiss from Human Rights Watch said Monday that “Israel’s deliberate demolition of civilian homes and infrastructure” was making it “impossible for many residents to return.”


UN appeals for $6 billion for Sudan crisis aid in 2025

Updated 17 February 2025
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UN appeals for $6 billion for Sudan crisis aid in 2025

  • The aim is to provide assistance to nearly 26 million people this year, UN bodies say
  • Civil war has displaced 12 million people, of whom around 3.5 million have fled the country

GENEVA: The UN appealed Monday for $6 billion to provide desperately-needed aid to people in war-ravaged Sudan and millions of refugees fleeing “appalling” conditions.
The aim is to provide assistance to nearly 26 million people this year, the United Nations’ humanitarian agency OCHA and refugee agency UNHCR said in a joint appeal.
Since April 2023, Sudan has been locked in a brutal conflict between army chief Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan and his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, who leads the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces.
The UN agencies said the civil war has displaced 12 million people, of whom around 3.5 million have fled the country.
They stressed that at the same time, nearly two-thirds of Sudan’s population needs emergency aid, as swathes of the country face famine conditions.
“Sudan is a humanitarian emergency of shocking proportions,” UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher said in a statement.
“Famine is taking hold. An epidemic of sexual violence rages. Children are being killed and injured. The suffering is appalling.”
Famine conditions have already been reported in at least five locations in Sudan, including in displacement camps in Darfur and in the western Nuba Mountains, the UN statement said.
And “catastrophic hunger is expected to worsen by May when the lean season begins,” it warned.
The UN said it was appealing for $4.2 billion to reach nearly 21 million people inside Sudan with life-saving aid and protection.
Fletcher said the UN plan would provide “a lifeline to millions.”
The United Nations said it would also need $1.8 billion to support 4.8 million people – both Sudanese refugees and their host communities – in the Central African Republic, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda.
“Today, one-third of Sudan’s entire population is displaced,” UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said in the statement, highlighting that “the consequences of this horrific and senseless conflict spread far beyond Sudan’s borders.”
The UN cautioned that without immediate funding, two-thirds of refugee children would be denied access to primary education, “threatening an entire generation.”
And “up to 4.8 million refugees and host community members will continue to face severe food insecurity, with at least 1.8 million going without food assistance,” it said, warning that “already strained health systems may collapse.”
Last year, humanitarian organizations received $1.8 billion for Sudan – 66 percent of the $2.7 billion requested – and managed to reach more than 15.6 million people across the country.
They also provided life-saving food assistance to over a million people in neighboring countries, as well as medical support to half a million and protection services to over 800,000, the statement said.


Israeli strike on south Lebanon targets Hamas official, Lebanese security sources say

Updated 17 February 2025
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Israeli strike on south Lebanon targets Hamas official, Lebanese security sources say

  • Deepest strike in the country since a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect in late November

BEIRUT: An Israeli strike on a car in Lebanon’s southern port city of Sidon on Monday targeted an official in the Palestinian militant group Hamas, two Lebanese security sources said.
Lebanon’s state news agency said rescuers had extracted one body from the car but did not identify the victim.

An Israeli drone strike is the deepest strike in the country since a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel took effect in late November, Lebanon’s state news agency said.
The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the attack, which comes a day before the deadline for Israel’s full withdrawal from southern Lebanon under the ceasefire agreement that ended the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Footage circulating online showed a car engulfed in flames. The strike occurred near a Lebanese army checkpoint and Sidon’s municipal sports stadium.
The original withdrawal deadline was in late January, but under pressure from Israel, Lebanon agreed to extend it to Feb. 18. It remains unclear whether Israeli troops will complete their withdrawal by Tuesday.
Since the ceasefire, Israel has continued airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, saying it is targeting military sites containing missiles and combat equipment. Israel and Lebanon have exchanged accusations of violating the ceasefire agreement.


Cairo building collapse kills 10: state media

Updated 17 February 2025
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Cairo building collapse kills 10: state media

  • Eyewitnesses told the state-owned outlet that “a gas cylinder explosion” caused the collapse

CAIRO: A building collapse in the Egyptian capital killed 10 people and injured eight more on Monday, with several others believed to be missing under the rubble, state media reported.
Ambulances were dispatched to the scene in the working class neighborhood of Kerdasa, where civil defense teams searched for people thought to be missing under the rubble, according to the Al-Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper.
Eyewitnesses told the state-owned outlet that “a gas cylinder explosion” caused the collapse, and a police investigation was under way.
Building regulations are unevenly enforced in the sprawling metropolis of Cairo, home to over 26 million people.
The city has seen a number of deadly building collapses in recent years, both due to the dilapidated state of some and, at times, failure to comply with building regulations.


500 days of the Israel-Hamas war, by the numbers

Updated 17 February 2025
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500 days of the Israel-Hamas war, by the numbers

  • The current phase of the truce is set to expire in early March and it is unclear if the sides will extend it

Monday is the 500th day of the war triggered by Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack into southern Israel.
A tenuous ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has held for nearly a month. But the current phase of the truce is set to expire in early March and it is unclear if the sides will extend it, begin negotiations for a more lasting ceasefire or resume fighting.
Here are some numbers that show the scale of death and devastation. Sources include the Israeli government, the Gaza Health Ministry and UN agencies.
People killed in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023: Around 1,200
Hostages taken into Gaza: 251
Hostages remaining in Gaza: 73, including 3 taken before Oct. 7, 2023
Hostages in Gaza believed to be dead: 36, including one from before Oct. 7, 2023
Palestinians killed in Gaza: Over 48,200 (This figure from the Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, but the ministry says more than half of the dead were women and children)
Palestinians wounded in Gaza: Over 111,600
Israeli soldiers killed since Oct. 7, 2023: 846
Rockets fired at Israel from Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023: Over 10,000
Percentage of Gaza’s population displaced: Around 90 percent
Palestinians who have crossed into northern Gaza since the ceasefire began: 586,000
Israelis displaced by attacks from Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon at their peak: Over 75,500
Housing units damaged or destroyed in Gaza: Over 245,000
Primary roads damaged or destroyed in Gaza: Over 92 percent
Health facilities damaged or destroyed in Gaza: Over 84 percent