BEIRUT: President Joseph Aoun said on Saturday that Lebanon has entered a “new phase” in its history “after decades of violence, wars, economic and financial crises, and the deterioration of the state’s structure.”
In his address to the Lebanese people to mark Eid Al-Fitr, Aoun added: “For those who think our resolve will weaken or our determination will waver; there is no turning back.”
Aoun, who returned from Paris on Friday evening after holding talks with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, and officials from Cyprus and Greece, continued: “What distinguishes Lebanon is its adherence to the values of unity, solidarity, and rising above selfishness and personal interests. There is no salvation for Lebanon unless we live by these values, which, alongside the implementation of laws and the realization of justice, form the only path to combating corruption, achieving structural reforms in our national institutions, and advancing Lebanon to keep pace with global progress and modernity.”
Also on Saturday, the Lebanese army continued its investigations to determine who was responsible for the rockets fired from southern Lebanon toward Israel on Friday, an event that led to an escalation of Israeli aggression unprecedented since a ceasefire agreement came into effect four months ago.
A military source said: “Night raids were conducted by army intelligence in the south and the western Bekaa aimed at finding suspects involved in launching rockets from the south.”
An Israeli airstrike on the Hadath area in the southern suburbs of Beirut resulted in the complete destruction of two buildings and damage to numerous neighboring structures, including two schools in the area. Students from those schools organized a protest on Saturday to “denounce the Israeli assaults,” and asking for clarification on “the fate of the academic year in light of the damages that hinder an immediate return to the two schools.”
Morgan Ortagus, US deputy special envoy to the Middle East, said in an interview with a local Lebanese station on Friday night that the United States “supports the Lebanese Army,” adding: “The launching of rockets from Lebanon into Israel constitutes a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement reached between the two parties, and this escalation raises significant international concern.”
Ortagus also stated that the Lebanese government is “responsible for disarming Hezbollah,” but noted “the government is unable to control everything, which contributes to the deterioration of the security situation in the country.”
The US envoy continued: “It cannot be claimed that Israel is violating the ceasefire agreement with Lebanon,” and urged Lebanese authorities to “take responsibility instead of blaming Israel.”
Ortagus reaffirmed the US administration’s stance, urging “the full disarmament of Hezbollah, as it threatens stability in Lebanon and the region.” She also accused Iran and Hezbollah of “destroying the south and dragging Lebanon into a war that could have been avoided were it not for Iran’s interference and Hezbollah’s involvement. The US is committed to using all available measures to prevent the arming of Hezbollah, as it poses a significant threat to regional security.
“The US does not seek a larger conflict between Lebanon and Israel, but instead aims to maintain the ceasefire agreement between the two sides. As a gesture of goodwill, Israel released Lebanese prisoners, signaling its willingness to pursue a diplomatic solution. In addition, the Lebanese president supports diplomatic negotiations, making it a critical time to activate diplomacy between Israel and Lebanon,” Ortagus added.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces continued to violate Lebanon’s sovereignty. Low-altitude reconnaissance aircraft have been regularly spotted over Beirut and its southern suburbs, including the towns of Bechamoun, Aramoun, Khaldeh and Choueifat in Mount Lebanon.
In the south, an Israeli warplane dropped two stun grenades near a crowd of residents in the town square of Yaroun in Bint Jbeil.
The municipalities of Beirut’s southern suburbs have called on the residents to refrain from using firecrackers or engaging in celebratory gunfire during the Eid Al-Fitr holiday, stating that violators will be “referred to the appropriate judicial authorities.”
The municipalities have also banned merchants from selling firecrackers, “under the threat of having their shops shut down.”
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft violate Lebanese airspace over Beirut
https://arab.news/4my3u
Israeli reconnaissance aircraft violate Lebanese airspace over Beirut
- Lebanese army seeking those responsible for the firing of rockets toward Israel on Friday
- ‘We have entered a new phase in our nation’s history, and there is no turning back,’ says Aoun
Health ministry in Gaza says 1,042 killed since Israel resumed strikes
According to the ministry’s statement, the figure includes 41 people killed in the past 24 hours. It also reported that the overall death toll had reached 50,399 since the war began on October 7, 2023.
After a ceasefire that lasted roughly two months, Israel relaunched its military campaign in Gaza on March 18. Since then, bombardment and new ground assaults that have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The ministry’s count does not distinguish between militants and civilians, but it says over half those killed are women and children.
Israeli defense firm Elbit gets $130 million European rocket supply deal
- Pro-Palestine activists have repeatedly targeted Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems in the UK
- They accuse the company of supplying weapons used in Israel’s military actions in Gaza and the West Bank
JERUSALEM: Elbit Systems, Israel’s largest defense firm, said on Tuesday it received a $130 million contract to supply advanced rocket munitions to an unnamed European country.
The contract for the Precize and Universal Launching System (PULS), an advanced and versatile artillery rocket system capable of launching a wide range of ammunition types from a single platform, will be performed over three years.
The system, Elbit said, offers precision strike capabilities with a range of up to 300 kilometers.
“As European nations continue to enhance their defense capabilities, the selection of PULS reaffirms its strategic value in modern battlefield scenarios,” said Yehuda Vered, general manager of Elbit Systems Land.
Under the deal, Elbit will supply a variety of advanced rocket systems that are designed to significantly enhance the operational capabilities of the customer’s defense forces.
Pro-Palestine activists have repeatedly targeted Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems in the UK, accusing it of supplying weapons used in Israel’s military actions in Gaza and the West Bank.
The activist group Palestine Action has led these protests, often involving vandalism and direct action against Elbit’s sites. They argue that Elbit profits from war crimes and demand its closure.
Netanyahu reverses decision on new Israel security chief
- Decision to appoint former navy commander Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit as Shin Bet chief reconsidered following criticism, including from a key US senator
JERUSALEM: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Tuesday he had reversed a decision to appoint former navy commander Vice Admiral Eli Sharvit as security agency chief following criticism, including from a key US senator.
“The prime minister thanked Vice Admiral Sharvit for his willingness to be called to duty but informed him that, after further consideration, he intends to examine other candidates,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
Netanyahu had announced Sharvit’s appointment on Monday, pushing back against a supreme court decision to freeze his government’s move to dismiss incumbent director Ronen Bar.
The prime minister had announced Bar’s dismissal on March 21, citing an “ongoing lack of trust.” The supreme court swiftly suspended the decision until April 8.
Bar’s dismissal has sparked daily mass protests in Jerusalem, disrupting the city.
On Monday, hours after Sharvit’s appointment was announced, reports began surfacing that he had been among tens of thousands of Israelis who took to the streets in 2023 to oppose the Netanyahu government’s attempts to reform the judiciary.
Israeli media reports also recalled that Sharvit, who served in the military for 36 years, had supported a 2022 water agreement with Lebanon that Netanyahu had opposed.
It was also revealed that the former naval chief had penned an opinion piece criticizing US President Donald Trump’s policies on climate change, prompting staunch Trump ally, Senator Lindsey Graham, to criticize his appointment in a post on X.
“While it is undeniably true that America has no better friend than Israel, the appointment of Eli Sharvit to be the new leader of the Shin Bet is beyond problematic,” Graham wrote on Monday.
“There has never been a better supporter for the State of Israel than President Trump. The statements made by Eli Sharvit about President Trump and his polices will create unnecessary stress at a critical time. My advice to my Israeli friends is change course and do better vetting.”
Yemen’s Houthis claim they shot down another American drone as US strikes pound country
- The reported shootdown over Yemen’s contested Marib governorate came as airstrikes hit around Sanaa and Saada
- The US military acknowledged to The Associated Press being aware of reports of the downing of a Reaper
DUBAI: Yemen’s Houthi militia claimed Tuesday that they shot down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone, even as the US kept up its campaign of intense airstrikes targeting the group.
The reported shootdown over Yemen’s contested Marib governorate came as airstrikes hit around Sanaa, the country’s militia-held capital, and Saada, a stronghold for the Houthis.
US President Donald Trump issued a new warning to both the Houthis and their main benefactor, Iran, describing the group as having “been decimated” by the campaign of strikes that began March 15.
“Many of their Fighters and Leaders are no longer with us,” Trump wrote on his social media website Truth Social. “We hit them every day and night — Harder and harder. Their capabilities that threaten Shipping and the Region are rapidly being destroyed. Our attacks will continue until they are no longer a threat to Freedom of Navigation.”
He added: “The choice for the Houthis is clear: Stop shooting at US ships, and we will stop shooting at you. Otherwise, we have only just begun, and the real pain is yet to come, for both the Houthis and their sponsors in Iran.”
Houthis claim they downed another US drone
The militia claimed to have felled a drone in Marib governorate, home to oil and gas fields still under the control of allies to Yemen’s exiled central government. Footage released on social media showed flames in the night, with a Yemeni man claiming a drone had been shot down.
Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a Houthi military spokesman, separately claimed downing the MQ-9 drone in a prerecorded video message.
Saree described the militia targeting the drone with “a suitable locally manufactured missile.” The Houthis have surface-to-air missiles — such as the Iranian missile known as the 358 — capable of downing aircraft.
Iran denies arming the militia, though Tehran-manufactured weaponry has been found on the battlefield and in sea shipments heading to Yemen for the Shiite Houthi militia despite a United Nations arms embargo.
The US military acknowledged to The Associated Press being aware of reports of the downing of a Reaper, but declined to comment further.
General Atomics Reapers, which cost around $30 million apiece, can fly at altitudes over 40,000 feet (12,100 meters) and remain in the air for over 30 hours. The aircraft have been flown by both the US military and the CIA for years over Afghanistan, Iraq and now Yemen.
The Houthis claim they’ve shot down 20 MQ-9s over the country over the years, with 16 downed during the militia’ campaign over the Israel-Hamas war. The US military hasn’t acknowledged the total number of the drones it has lost there.
Intense US bombings began March 15
An Associated Press review has found the new American operation against the Houthis under Trump appears more extensive than those under former President Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.
The new campaign of airstrikes, which the Houthis now say have killed at least 61 people, started after the militia threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The militia have loosely defined what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning many vessels could be targeted.
The Houthis targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none has been hit so far.
The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decade-long stalemated war, which has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.
Egyptian inmates’ ordeal in Sudan prisons
CAIRO: Prisoners held by the Rapid Support Forces in Sudan spoke on Monday of their ordeal in paramilitary detention centers.
Arrested two months after the country’s civil war began in April 2023, Egyptian traders suspected of spying for the regular army were stripped, tortured and starved, and watched as other inmates died from cholera and malaria.
“You couldn’t go two weeks without falling sick,” said Emad Mouawad, 44, who was held at the notorious Soba prison in southern Khartoum after paramilitary forces raided his home in the city.
At night, swarms of insects crawled over the prisoners. “There was nothing that made you feel human,” he said.
Ahmed Aziz, who was detained with Mouawad, said: “They would bring us hot water mixed with wheat flour. Just sticky, tasteless paste.” Water was either polluted from a well or muddy from the Nile. “If you were sick, you just waited for death,” Aziz said.
Another trader, Mohamed Shaaban, 43, said: “They stripped us naked as the day we were born. Then they beat us, insulted and degraded us.”
Back home in Egypt, the former prisoners are struggling to recover physically and mentally. “We have to try to turn the page and move on,” Shaaban said. “We have to try and forget.”
