JERUSALEM: In a rare acknowledgement of the agency’s covert operations, Israel’s spy chief declared on Tuesday that last year’s “pager operation” against Hezbollah “turned the tables” on the Lebanese militant group in its war with Israel.
“This operation marked a turning point in the north, during which we turned the tables on our enemies,” said David Barnea, head of Mossad, speaking at a conference in Tel Aviv.
“A direct line can be drawn from the pager operation to the elimination of (Hassan) Nasrallah and the ceasefire agreement. Hezbollah suffered a devastating blow that shattered the organization’s spirit,” he added, referring to Israel’s assassination of the Hezbollah leader.
On September 17 and 18, an Israeli operation detonated hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah. Lebanese authorities reported that the attack killed 39 people and wounded thousands.
The bombs detonated all across Lebanon, including in shops and homes, and were called a violation of international law by the United Nation’s human rights chief Volker Turk.
Just days later, on September 27, Israel assassinated Nasrallah in a massive air strike on southern Beirut, which was swiftly followed by an Israeli ground offensive against Hezbollah strongholds in southern Lebanon.
By late November, Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire agreement, bringing more than a year of hostilities to an end.
However, Israel continues to hold five “strategic military positions” along the border inside Lebanese territory.
In a rare disclosure of Mossad’s tactics, Barnea provided new details of the pager operation.
Saying his agency had “devised an unconventional method to strike,” Barnea revealed that the groundwork for the operation began in 2022, with the first shipment of 500 pagers reaching Lebanon weeks before Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
“When the operation was finally launched, ten times that number of beepers were detonated than we had in the start of the war and twice the amount of radios,” he stated, adding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu personally approved the mission.
“The day thousands of pagers exploded in the hands of Hezbollah operatives will be remembered as the moment that changed the course of the war,” Barnea declared. “It was a day when deception in warfare proved more powerful than brute force.”
In a symbolic gesture earlier this month, Netanyahu presented US President Donald Trump with a golden pager, commemorating the operation’s impact on Hezbollah.
Israel spy chief says pager bombs ‘turned the tables’ on Hezbollah
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Israel spy chief says pager bombs ‘turned the tables’ on Hezbollah
- The bombs detonated all across Lebanon, including in shops and homes, and were called a violation of international law by the United Nation’s human rights chief Volker Turk
UAE’s foreign minister discusses crisis in Gaza with Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts
- They call for intensified efforts to restore ceasefire agreement, secure the release of hostages, and enhance humanitarian efforts to help the population of the territory
LONDON: The UAE’s foreign minister, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, discussed the urgent need to resolve the crisis in Gaza during meetings in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday with his Egyptian and Jordanian counterparts.
Sheikh Abdullah and Egypt’s minister of foreign affairs, Badr Abdel Ati, emphasized the need for intensified efforts to restore the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, and to secure the release of remaining hostages. In addition to the latest developments in the territory, they discussed other matters of regional and international interest.
In a separate meeting, the Emirati minister and Jordan’s foreign minister, Ayman Safadi, talked about the latest developments in the Middle East and ways in which regional stability might be enhanced.
In particular, they reviewed strategies for improving the humanitarian response in Gaza to ensure the urgent, safe and unobstructed delivery of adequate aid to its suffering inhabitants, the Emirates News Agency reported. They also reaffirmed their commitment to continued coordination between their countries on responses to regional crises and challenges.
US trade delegation visits Iraq
- US trade mission to Iraq is the largest in the more than 100-year history of the US Chamber of Commerce
BAGHDAD: A US trade delegation representing 60 companies was visiting Iraq to sign economic cooperation agreements with the private sector, Washington’s embassy in Baghdad said Tuesday.
The three-day visit, which began on Monday, comes amid fears of an international recession after US President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on numerous countries, which included 39 percent duties on Iraqi imports.
The US delegation consists of 101 members from 60 companies in the energy, technology and health sectors, who are set to meet with senior Iraqi officials and sign agreements, said an embassy statement.
It is the largest US trade mission to Iraq in the more than 100-year history of the US Chamber of Commerce, the embassy added.
In a post on X, the US mission said that a “pivotal memorandum of understanding to strengthen ties between the US and Iraqi private sectors” was signed on Monday between the US Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce.
“This partnership will foster long-term economic collaboration,” it said.
According to the office of the US trade representative in Iraq, total goods trade with the oil-rich country reached $9.1 billion in 2024, with US exports amounting to $1.7 billion.
US goods imports from Iraq totaled $7.4 billion.
During the visit, Iraq is expected to sign a “landmark agreement” with General Electric to develop a high-efficiency power plant, according to Farhad Alaaldin, foreign policy adviser to Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia Al-Sudani.
Last year, during Sudani’s visit to Washington, Iraq and the US signed several memoranda of understanding in the energy sector, including one with General Electric to ensure the maintenance of the Iraqi electricity grid.
Iraq’s power plants are currently highly dependent on gas imported from Iran, which provides about a third of its neighbor’s energy needs.
But Tehran has often cut supplies, exacerbating regular power outages.
Baghdad has repeatedly stressed the need to diversify energy sources to reduce its dependence on Iran.
Iraq has been trying to move past decades of war and unrest, including a sectarian struggle after the US-led invasion 2003 toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
Yemen's Houthis say four killed in US strikes on west
- The Houthis’ TV channel said there had been “deaths and wounded" in strikes on the Al-Hawak district in Hodeida
HODEIDAH, Yemen: Yemen’s Houthis on Tuesday said US strikes on the western province of Hodeida killed four people and wounded 13 others, a day after the group said it targeted Israel and US warships.
“Four killed and 13 wounded in a preliminary toll of the victims of the flagrant American aggression,” the militant's health ministry spokesman Anis Al-Asbahi said in a post on X.
The Houthis’ Al-Masirah TV channel had reported earlier on Tuesday “deaths and wounded in the US enemy’s targeting” of the Al-Hawak district in Hodeida.
It added that civil defense teams had rushed to the site and were working on putting out the fires and rescuing any survivors.
An AFP journalist near the site of the strike heard the sound of three violent blasts in succession.
Al-Masirah also reported a US strike on the communications network in the Amran province north of Sanaa, without providing further details.
Houthi-held areas of Yemen have seen near-daily strikes blamed on the United States since Washington launched an air campaign on March 15 to force them to stop threatening vessels in key maritime routes.
Since then, the Houthis have also launched attacks targeting US military ships and Israel, claiming to be acting in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.
The rebels began targeting ships transiting the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as Israeli territory, after the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023, pausing the attacks during a January ceasefire.
Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza at the start of March, and resumed its offensive on the Palestinian territory on March 18, ending the short-lived truce.
The new US campaign followed Houthi threats to resume attacks on vessels over Israel’s blockade on Gaza.
The Houthi attacks had crippled the vital Red Sea route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies to make a much longer detour around the tip of southern Africa
Israel fulfilling ‘none’ of its legal duties as an occupying power, UN chief warns
- Gaza is ‘killing field’ and civilians caught in ‘endless death loop,’ says Secretary-General Antonio Guterres
- West Bank could spiral into a similar crisis unless urgent steps are taken to protect civilians, end dehumanization and restore peace, he adds
NEW YORK CITY: The UN secretary-general evoked several provisions of the Fourth Geneva Convention on Tuesday to remind Israeli authorities of an occupying power’s “unequivocal” obligations under international law.
The obligations Antonio Guterres highlighted included ensuring the welfare of the civilian population, the supply of food and medicine, and the maintenance of public health services.
“None of that is happening today,” he said. “No humanitarian supplies can enter Gaza. At the crossing points, food, medicine and shelter supplies are piling up and vital equipment is stuck.”
Speaking in New York to reporters, the UN chief described Gaza’s current path as a dead end that is “totally intolerable” in the eyes of international law and history.
He also warned that the situation in the West Bank could spiral into a similar crisis unless urgent steps are taken to protect civilians, end dehumanization and restore peace.
Guterres called for an immediate, unconditional ceasefire in Gaza and full humanitarian access to be restored. It has been more than a month since aid entered the territory, he added, exacerbating an already devastating humanitarian crisis.
“More than an entire month has passed without a drop of aid into Gaza,” he said. “No food. No fuel. No medicine. No commercial supplies. As aid has dried up, the floodgates of horror have reopened.”
Guterres condemned proposals by Israeli authorities to introduce “authorization mechanisms” for the delivery of aid that risk further controlling and “callously limiting aid, down to the last calorie and grain of flour.”
He said the UN “will not participate in any arrangement that does not fully respect the humanitarian principles: humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality.”
He warned that “the situation in Gaza has become a killing field” and civilians are trapped in an “endless death loop” as a result of the blockade on food, medicine, fuel and other essential supplies.
“Ceasefires work,” Guterres said. “During that ceasefire (between January and March this year), humanitarian organizations successfully delivered critical aid, including food and medical supplies, to Gaza. Guns fell silent, obstacles were removed, looting ended and we were able to deliver lifesaving supplies to virtually every part of the Gaza Strip.
“That all ended with the shattering of the ceasefire. Hope sank for Palestinian families in Gaza and families of hostages in Israel.”
Guterres expressed deep concern about the continuing detention of hostages by Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza. He met the families of the hostages on Monday and reiterated his call for their immediate release.
“With crossing points into Gaza shut and aid blockaded, security is in shambles and our capacity to deliver has been strangled,” he continued.
He reiterated the declaration made by UN humanitarian organizations on Monday, who said in a joint statement that “assertions that there is now enough food to feed all Palestinians in Gaza are far from the reality on the ground, and commodities are running extremely low.”
Guterres said: “We must stick to our core principles. It is time to end the dehumanization, protect civilians, release the hostages, ensure lifesaving aid and renew the ceasefire.
“The world may be running out of words to describe the situation in Gaza but we will never run away from the truth.”
Palestinian minister appeals to Egyptian counterpart to support Gaza’s education
- Israeli actions in Gaza have led to the destruction of 95 percent of schools
- Ministry resumed educational activities through online platforms by creating new virtual classrooms amidst displacement
LONDON: The education system in the Gaza Strip has lost nearly 95 percent of its operational capacity due to Israeli attacks since October 2023.
Amjad Barham, the Palestinian minister of education, informed his Egyptian counterpart, Mohamed Abdel-Latif, during a meeting in Cairo on Tuesday about the significant damage sustained by the schooling sector in Gaza.
Barham reported that Israeli actions in Gaza have led to the destruction of 95 percent of schools, either through demolition, bombing, or severe damage, rendering 293 out of 309 schools non-operational.
Over 720,000 students in Gaza have been affected, with approximately 700,000 having no access to adequate education. He added that Gaza’s universities were significantly damaged by the Israeli military attacks, with around 85 percent of their buildings reduced to rubble.
Despite significant challenges, the ministry resumed educational activities through online platforms by creating new virtual classrooms amidst displacement. It also conducted 2024’s final year school exams in Egyptian schools for nearly 1,350 students from Gaza.
Barham appealed to his Egyptian counterpart to continue supporting online education initiatives for Palestinian students, according to Wafa news agency.
He urged opening courses in math, science, and language subjects. He requested that Palestinian teachers residing in Egypt be allowed to work and teach online for students in Gaza and those who have left the territory, Wafa added.
