Israeli airstrikes kill 2 in Lebanon

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Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike in the eastern city of Baalbek in Lebanon’s Bekaa valley on Nov.25, 2024. (AFP file photo)
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Updated 31 January 2025
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Israeli airstrikes kill 2 in Lebanon

  • 10 people injured as attacks damage road, bring down power lines
  • Egypt reiterates support as Lebanon seeks to ‘overcome repercussions’ of war.

BEIRUT: Two people were killed and 10 injured in an Israeli airstrike on Friday near the town of Janta on the Lebanese-Syrian border, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported.
The strike was one of four in the area, which severely damaged a road linking Tfail in Lebanon to Assal Al-Ward in Syria that has been used by Hezbollah as a smuggling route.
Hezbollah paved the road during the Syrian war under the pretext of facilitating the movement of people. Lebanon later asphalted it and installed a security checkpoint.
The airstrikes caused a crater 7 meters deep and 10 meters wide in the road and severed electricity supply lines.
As well as the attacks in Janta, Israeli warplanes carried out two airstrikes in the Wadi Khaled border area.
These are the latest in a series of breaches of the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli warplanes earlier struck targets in Baalbek-Hermel province.
Hezbollah lawmaker Ibrahim Al-Moussawi condemned Friday’s attacks as “a systematic escalation and a war crime against civilians.”
The Israeli army said the strikes were based on intelligence reports and directed against Hezbollah targets in Bekaa that “pose a threat to Israel and its army.”
“The targets that were struck include a military site containing underground infrastructure used to develop and manufacture weaponry, as well as additional infrastructure sites on the Syrian-Lebanese border used to smuggle weaponry into Lebanon.”
Meanwhile, Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi reiterated his country’s “full support for Lebanon and its complete readiness to help the country overcome the repercussions of the recent Israeli war.”
Egypt was willing “to participate in the reconstruction process” and committed to “supporting Lebanese state institutions and the army to ensure its deployment across all Lebanese territories, including the southern regions,” he said.
El-Sisi’s comments were made in a message to Lebanese President Joseph Aoun delivered by Egypt’s Foreign Minister Badr Ahmed Abdelatty.
Abdelatty’s visit to Beirut coincided with that of Iran’s Deputy Foreign Minister for Consular and Parliamentary Affairs Vahid Jalalzadeh and at a time when the formation of Lebanon’s new government is facing obstacles related to Hezbollah’s participation.
Abdelatty assured Aoun of “the readiness of Egyptian companies, in coordination with the French side and the international community, to contribute to the reconstruction process and share expertise with Lebanon, particularly in the electricity and gas sectors.”
He also highlighted “the utmost importance of fully implementing Resolution 1701 in all its clauses, wording and spirit without any compromise.”
“Egypt insists on Israel’s complete withdrawal from southern Lebanon without any infringement on Lebanese sovereignty. We welcome the army’s deployment in the south and Egypt is keen on providing full support to the military institution,” he said.
“Furthermore, all displaced individuals must return to their homes in the south and the Bekaa and we condemn the unjustified and illegal targeting of returning civilians.”
Abdelatty said that there were “ongoing communications with the new US administration, the Israeli side and France to stress the importance of fully adhering to the ceasefire agreement, ensuring complete Israeli withdrawal, halting violations and preventing civilian targeting. This is Egypt’s steadfast position.”
“These security-level communications are ongoing to convey this message and our stance will not change,” he said.
The minister also conveyed El-Sisi’s invitation for Aoun to visit Egypt “as soon as possible” and said his government was “looking forward to working on redeveloping and activating the frameworks of bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Lebanon, as well as convening the joint higher committee immediately after the formation of the government led by Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam.”
“We look forward to the speedy formation of the new government led by Salam, so Lebanon can fill the vacuum in its institutions,” he said.
“We support Salam’s efforts to form a Lebanese government that does not exclude anyone and reflects all sectarian and religious diversity in brotherly Lebanon. We look forward to the speedy completion of this matter, hoping that it will be a strong Lebanese government that represents everyone.”
Aoun said: “Lebanon holds on to Israel’s withdrawal from the areas it occupied during the last war within the deadline that was extended until Feb. 17” and “rejects the delayed withdrawal under any pretext.”
He also stressed “the necessity to release the Lebanese hostages that were captured by Israel during its war against Lebanon.”
Abdelatty told Salam he hoped for “the formation of the government in the near future.”
“We trust that Lebanon will rise again and fully recover thanks to the presence of patriotic people like President Aoun and Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam,” he said.
He added that the formation of a government was “a Lebanese matter” and that “no foreign parties should interfere in this.”
After meeting Lebanon’s caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, Jalalzadeh praised “the special brotherly relations between Lebanon and Iran.”
He said the purpose of his visit was to congratulate Aoun on his election victory and “to congratulate the dear people of Lebanon and the courageous resistance for their remarkable steadfastness during Israel’s unjust war against Lebanon, which led to a ceasefire agreement.”
Jalalzadeh said he and Bou Habib discussed the issue of “Syrians, mostly Shiites, who were forced to flee to Lebanon following the developments in their country.”
“We called for cooperation to provide them with the best essential care,” he said. “We hope that all international forums and organizations will provide them with the same essential and humane care as they did with former Syrian refugees.”
Israel has been threatening to hit Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, claiming that Iran sends cash shipments to Hezbollah through the airport.
In response to the threats, Jalalzadeh said: “Lebanon is a free and independent state that makes its own decisions and decides what relations to establish with different countries of the world and with Iran.
“I affirm that Iranian nationals residing in Lebanese territory are subject to all the laws and customs adopted in Lebanon and therefore we condemn and reject these Israeli threats.”
Lebanese media reported on Friday that Lebanese officials had been pressured by the US to prevent the appointment of figures from Hezbollah or its allies to the new government.


Syrian president arrives in Jordan on visit to boost bilateral ties

Updated 59 min 9 sec ago
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Syrian president arrives in Jordan on visit to boost bilateral ties

  • Al-Sharaa is accompanied by Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Al-Shibani

CAIRO: Jordan’s King Abdullah II has received on Wednesday the President of the Syrian Arab Republic Ahmed Al-Sharaa who is visiting Jordan to discuss boosting ties between the two neighbors. 

Al-Sharaa is accompanied by Syria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Asaad Al-Shibani and a number of officials, according to state-run Petra News Agency.   

The visit is the leader’s third foreign trip along with Saudi Arabia and Turkiye since he came to power after leading an offensive which ousted Bashar Assad.


New US sanctions draw sharp reaction from Iran

Updated 26 February 2025
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New US sanctions draw sharp reaction from Iran

  • Iran held fresh nuclear talks on Monday with Britain, France and Germany following renewed engagement in November

TEHRAN: Iran on Wednesday condemned a new round of US sanctions as a “clear sign of hostility” after Washington blacklisted more than 30 people and vessels linked to its oil trade.
Washington announced the measures on Monday, targeting the head of the national oil company and others accused of brokering oil sales.
It was the second wave of sanctions in less than a month since US President Donald Trump reinstated his “maximum pressure” policy on Tehran.
The sanctions were a “clear sign of the hostility of American policymakers toward the welfare, development, and happiness of the great people of Iran,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei.
In a statement, he called the measures a “wrongful, unjustified, illegitimate act that violates the human rights of the Iranian people,” and held Washington responsible.
Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has called for dialogue with Iran, saying he wants it to be a “great and successful country.”
On Monday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi dismissed the possibility of direct negotiations with Washington on his country’s nuclear program under “pressure, threat or sanctions.”
During Trump’s first term, which ended in 2021, Washington withdrew from the landmark 2015 deal that imposed curbs on Iran’s nuclear program in return for sanctions relief.
After the Trump administration reimposed sanctions in 2018, Tehran gradually rolled back its nuclear commitments.
Iran held fresh nuclear talks on Monday with Britain, France and Germany following renewed engagement in November.
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi said Tuesday that another round of talks with the Europeans was expected within three weeks.


Israelis mass for funeral of Bibas hostages killed in Gaza

Updated 37 min 35 sec ago
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Israelis mass for funeral of Bibas hostages killed in Gaza

  • Thousands line route to kibbutz Nir Oz, where Bibas family lived
  • Bodies of Shiri Bibas and her children returned to Israel last week by Hamas

RISHON LE’ZION: Thousands of mourners, carrying flags and orange balloons, gathered Wednesday for the funeral procession of Shiri Bibas and her sons, who were killed in Gaza captivity.
The bodies of Shiri Bibas and her children — Kfir and Ariel — were returned to Israel last week by Hamas as part of the ongoing ceasefire that has halted the more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza.
Israel’s national anthem was played as the black vehicle convoy passed through the crowd of mourners in the central city of Rishon LeZion, where the remains of the three hostages had been prepared for burial.
Thousands of people lined the route to kibbutz Nir Oz, where the Bibas family lived before their abduction by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023, and where their burial was set to take place later.
“I think if I stop to think about it for more than a split second, I feel so sickened, so sickened,” said Simi Polonasky, 38, who traveled from Miami to support hostage families.
“It’s not a regular situation: if you’re not feeling numb, you’re feeling so shattered and broken that it almost feels hard to continue,” she told AFP, starting to weep as she spoke.
Dozens of people lit candles at the roadside.
“We’re here to give a hug and receive a hug, to be strengthened and to give as much strength as possible,” said Mottel Gestetner, 41, who traveled from Australia.
Shiri Bibas and her two children were taken from their kibbutz by Palestinian militants during their unprecedented attack on Israel.
Her husband, Yarden Bibas, was also abducted but was released alive earlier this month in a hostage-prisoner exchange with Palestinian militant group Hamas.
“From the window (of the car) today, I see a broken country. We won’t be able to get up or to heal until the last of the hostages is back home. Thank you everyone,” his sister Ofri Bibas said on her Facebook page.
The remains of the three Bibas family members were among the first to be returned under the truce deal.
The handover sparked anger in Israel when the remains of Shiri Bibas were not initially returned, prompting Hamas to admit a possible “mix-up of bodies” and finally hand over hers.
Yarden Bibas and his sister-in-law said in a statement last week that while the funeral would “only be for members of the family and close friends,” they wanted to let “whoever wishes to pay their respects and be a part of this moment to do so.”
Crowds of people were expected to line up along the route from Risho LeZion to Nir Oz as the funeral procession heads to the kibbutz.
Hamas has long insisted that an Israeli air strike killed Shiri, Kfir and Ariel Bibas early in the war, but an Israeli autopsy said there was no evidence of injuries caused by a bombing.
Since their abduction Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel who was then aged four, and Kfir, then only nine months, had become symbols of Israel’s hostage ordeal.


Eight sentenced to death for 2013 murder of Tunisia opposition leader

Updated 26 February 2025
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Eight sentenced to death for 2013 murder of Tunisia opposition leader

  • Brahmi, a nationalist left-wing leader of the People’s Movement and member of Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly, was an outspoken critic of the Islamist-inspired government dominated by Ennahdha at the time

TUNIS: A Tunisian court sentenced eight defendants to death on Tuesday over the 2013 assassination of leftist opposition figure Mohamed Brahmi, according to local reports.
Charges included “attempting to change the state’s nature” and “inciting armed conflict,” local media reported.
Three of the defendants also received additional death sentences for “deliberate participation in premeditated murder,” according to the reports.
A ninth, who is on the run, was sentenced to five years in prison for “failing to report terrorist crimes to the authorities,” said the reports.
Tunisia still hands down death sentences, particularly in “terrorism” cases, even though a de facto moratorium in effect since 1991 means they are effectively commuted to life terms.
The verdict marked the first set of rulings in the case of Brahmi’s assassination, which took place outside his home on July 25, 2013, amid Tunisia’s turbulent post-revolution political landscape.
Demonstrators took to the streets across the country, as Brahmi’s distinctive round face and thick mustache became symbols of protest against jihadist violence.
Brahmi, a nationalist left-wing leader of the People’s Movement and member of Tunisia’s Constituent Assembly, was an outspoken critic of the Islamist-inspired government dominated by Ennahdha at the time.
His assassination further shocked the nation as it came less than six months after the killing of another prominent leftist figure, Chokri Belaid, who was also gunned down outside his home.

Brahmi had been elected in Sidi Bouzid, the birthplace of the 2011 revolution that toppled ex-president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali and later swept through the Arab World.
He was shot 14 times by two assailants in front of his wife and children.
His family had long accused Ennahdha of being behind the murder, but the then ruling party denied the allegations.
It had also pushed back against accusations of excessive leniency, blacklisting the formerly legal Salafist movement Ansar Al-Charia as a terrorist organization.
Terrorists affiliated with the Daesh claimed responsibility for both the Brahmi and Belaid assassinations.
The aftermath of the 2011 revolution saw a surge in Islamist radicalism in Tunisia with thousands of jihadist volunteers leaving to fight in Syria, Iraq and neighboring Libya.
Tunisia faced heightened security threats, with armed groups operating from the Chaambi Mountains near the Algerian border, primarily targeting security forces and the military.
In 2015, jihadist attacks in Sousse and the capital Tunis killed dozens of tourists and police, although authorities say they have since made significant progress against the extremists.
In recent years, Tunisian authorities claim significant progress in combating jihadist violence, but the country remains under a state of emergency.
In 2022, President Kais Saied — who has framed the murders of Brahmi and Belaid as national issues and often called them “martyrs” — dismissed dozens of judges after alleging they had obstructed investigations.
The high-profile killings, and the mass protests they drew, ultimately forced Ennahdha to relinquish power to a technocratic government following the adoption of a new constitution.
The crisis had nearly derailed Tunisia’s fragile democratic transition.
But political dialogue led by four civil society organizations, including the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), helped restore stability and earned the nation of 12 million the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize.
 

 


Why UAE climate scientists have their heads in the clouds

Updated 26 February 2025
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Why UAE climate scientists have their heads in the clouds

  • $1.5 million three-year project will deploy artificial intelligence to increase annual rainfall

DUBAI: Artificial intelligence and “the cloud” seem to be everywhere these days — now scientists in the UAE are putting them together in an attempt to increase the country’s minuscule 100mm annual rainfall.

A three-year project funded with $1.5 million from the UAE’s rain enhancement program will feed satellite, radar and weather data into an algorithm that predicts where seedable clouds will form in the next six hours. It promises to improve on the current method of cloud-seeding flights directed by human experts studying satellite images.
Cloud seeding, using planes to fire salt or other chemicals into clouds, can increase rainfall by up to 15 percent — but it works only with certain types of puffy, cumulus clouds, and can even suppress rainfall if not done properly.
“You’ve got to do it in the right place at the right time. That’s why we use artificial intelligence,” said Luca Delle Monache, a climate scientist at the University of California San Diego.