Iran, Israel appear to pull back from brink as Gaza bombed again

Iran, Israel appear to pull back from brink as Gaza bombed again
A Palestinian woman and children check the rubble of a building hit by overnight Israeli bombing in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Apr. 20, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 20 April 2024
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Iran, Israel appear to pull back from brink as Gaza bombed again

Iran, Israel appear to pull back from brink as Gaza bombed again
  • Israel had warned it would hit back after Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones a week ago
  • The Iran attack was itself in retaliation for an air strike widely blamed on Israel

TEHRAN: Iran has dismissed as akin to child’s play Israel’s reported retaliation for an unprecedented Iranian strike, as both sides on Saturday appeared to step back from wider conflict stemming from the war in Gaza.
However, a deadly blast at an Iraqi military base emphasized the high tensions which persist in the region, as did more deadly Israeli strikes in Gaza and intensifying clashes in the West Bank.
Fears have soared this month that escalating tit-for-tat attacks between Israel and Iran could tip over into a broader war in the Middle East.
Israel had warned it would hit back after Iran launched more than 300 missiles and drones a week ago in its first-ever direct attack on its arch enemy’s territory.
The Iran attack was itself in retaliation for an air strike — widely blamed on Israel — that levelled the Iranian consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards on April 1.
The Israeli retaliation appeared to come on Friday, when Iranian media reported blasts in the central province of Isfahan.
Fars news agency reported “three explosions” close to Qahjavarestan, near Isfahan airport and the 8th Shekari army air base.
“What happened last night was no attack,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian told NBC News.
“It was the flight of two or three quadcopters, which are at the level of toys that our children use in Iran,” he added.
“As long as there is no new adventure on behalf of the Israeli regime against Iran’s interests, we will have no response.”
Israeli officials have made no public comment on what — according to a senior US congressional source who spoke to AFP — were retaliatory Israeli strikes against Iran.
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa program at Britain’s Chatham House think tank, said the reported Israeli strike had been “calibrated to avoid damage and further Iranian aggression.”
Iranian political expert Hamid Gholamzadeh said the incident in Isfahan, while “insignificant,” needs to be seen in the context of the “fight for balance of power” between the two countries.
“The region is on fire and an all-out war can be ignited any moment,” he said.
While tensions rose after the attack on Iran’s consulate, violence involving Iran-backed groups had already been surging across the Middle East since the outbreak of the Gaza war.
Officials in Iraq said one person was killed and eight wounded in an explosion at a military base south of Baghdad housing a coalition of pro-Iranian armed groups.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Since the Gaza war began, violence has also flared in the other occupied Palestinian territory, the West Bank.
The Israeli army said Saturday that its forces killed 10 militants and arrested eight other people during a 40-hour raid on a refugee camp in the northern West Bank.
The Palestinian health ministry said 11 people were wounded in the Israeli raid, including a paramedic who was shot trying to get to the wounded.
Israel has faced growing global opposition over its military offensive in Gaza, which has reduced vast areas of the besieged Palestinian territory to rubble, while aids groups have warned the north is on the brink of famine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is under pressure over the rising civilian toll, needs “further escalation and another war to distract the world attention” away from suffering in Gaza, Iranian analyst Gholamzadeh said.
There have been particular fears about Israel’s intention to send troops into the southernmost city of Rafah, where most of the population is now sheltering having fled violence elsewhere.
Foreign ministers of the G7 group of developed economies, meeting in Italy on Friday, said they opposed a “full-scale military operation in Rafah” because it would have “catastrophic consequences” for civilians.
But even without a full operation, the city has been under regular bombardment.
On Saturday, Gaza’s Civil Defense agency said an overnight Israeli strike in Rafah killed nine members of a family including six children.
Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said the Israeli army had also hit several other areas of Rafah overnight, adding: “It has been a very hard night.”
The war was triggered by an attack on Israel by Hamas on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel has responded with a retaliatory offensive that has killed at least 34,049 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the latest toll from the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.
Israel’s military said it struck dozens of militant targets over the past day, including the site in north Gaza from which a rocket was fired into the Israeli city of Sderot.
Witnesses in the central Nuseirat refugee camp said the Israeli army told them to evacuate one home, then several were destroyed.
“They instruct us to evacuate and return later, but where do we go back? To ruins?” asked resident Abu Ibrahim.
“How long will this farce continue?“
A UN report on Friday said “multiple obstacles” continue to impede delivery of urgently needed aid.
Despite some recent aid convoys being able to reach Gaza, the WFP cited “the real possibility of famine” in the north.
Efforts to seal a long sought-after truce have stalled, according to mediator Qatar.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a staunch critic of Israel’s war in Gaza, met with Qatar-based Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh on Saturday, calling for unity among Palestinians.
After Washington vetoed a Palestinian bid to become a full UN member state earlier this week, president Mahmud Abbas said his West Bank-based Palestinian Authority would “reconsider” its relationship with the US.


Detained Tunisian opponents demand public trial in ‘plot against state’ case

Detained Tunisian opponents demand public trial in ‘plot against state’ case
Updated 12 sec ago
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Detained Tunisian opponents demand public trial in ‘plot against state’ case

Detained Tunisian opponents demand public trial in ‘plot against state’ case
Around 40 people are facing charges of “conspiracy against internal and external state security” and “belonging a terrorist group“
With the trial set to begin on March 4, judicial authorities have scheduled a remote hearing for eight of the defendants

TUNIS: Several jailed Tunisian opposition figures demanded a public trial, their relatives and lawyers said Thursday on their behalf at a press conference.
Around 40 people — including prominent politicians, lawyers, and media personalities — are facing charges of “conspiracy against internal and external state security” and “belonging a terrorist group.”
A number were detained in a wave of arrests in February 2023, after President Kais Saied had dubbed them “terrorists.”
With the trial set to begin on March 4, judicial authorities have scheduled a remote hearing for eight of the defendants, which their lawyers and relatives said was unfair.
They include politician Jawhar Ben Mbarek, Islamist-inspired Ennahdha party leader Abdelhamid Jelassi, and Issam Chebbi, a leader of the opposition National Salvation Front.
“We want a public trial, neither remote nor behind closed doors,” Ben Mbarek wrote in a letter read by his father, leftist activist Ezzeddine Hazgui, at the press briefing in Tunis.
“We are certain of our innocence, and if the regime shuts the courtroom doors to the public, it’s because they are ashamed of their fabricated case,” he added, denouncing what he said was “judicial harassment” against politicians, unionists and activists.
Ridha BelHajj, a former minister also detained, echoed the demand for a transparent hearing.
“Our trial on March 4 must be public, with our physical presence in court, and open to the press and people to guarantee fairness,” he wrote.
Lawyer Dalila Msaddek, from the detainees’ defense committee, said that while many are in custody, some remain free pending trial, while others have fled abroad.
The case has also named Bochra BelHajj Hmida, a former member of parliament and human rights activist now living in France, along with National Salvation Front coalition leader Ahmed Nejib Chebbi and lawyer Ayachi Hammami, both prominent critics of President Kais Saied.

US aid cuts force UNICEF to reduce Lebanon nutrition programs, official says

US aid cuts force UNICEF to reduce Lebanon nutrition programs, official says
Updated 17 min 15 sec ago
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US aid cuts force UNICEF to reduce Lebanon nutrition programs, official says

US aid cuts force UNICEF to reduce Lebanon nutrition programs, official says
  • “We have been forced to suspend or cut back or drastically reduce many of our programs and that includes nutrition programs,” UNICEF’s deputy representative in Lebanon said
  • “The assessment revealed a grim picture of children’s nutrition situation, particularly in the Baalbeck and Bekaa governorates

GENEVA: US aid cuts have forced the UN children’s agency UNICEF to suspend or scale back many programs in Lebanon, with more than half of children under the age of two experiencing severe food poverty in the country’s east, a UNICEF official said on Friday.
“We have been forced to suspend or cut back or drastically reduce many of our programs and that includes nutrition programs,” UNICEF’s deputy representative in Lebanon, Ettie Higgins, told reporters in Geneva via video link from Beirut.
More than double the number of children faced food shortages in the eastern Bekaa and Baalbek regions of the country compared to two years ago, according to a UNICEF report that studied the impact of 14 months of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel that began in October 2023.
“The assessment revealed a grim picture of children’s nutrition situation, particularly in the Baalbeck and Bekaa governorates, which remained densely populated when they were repeatedly targeted by air strikes,” said Higgins.
Nearly 80 percent of families were in need of urgent support and 31 percent of households did not have enough drinking water, putting them at risk of disease, the report found.
UNICEF raised alarm about the impact of US aid cuts and a broader decline in global humanitarian funding.
“More than half a million children and their families (in Lebanon) risk losing critical cash support from UN agencies this month. These cuts would strip the most vulnerable of their last lifeline, leaving them unable to afford even the most basic necessities,” Higgins added.
Only 26 percent of UNICEF’s 2025 Lebanon appeal is funded.
A ceasefire ended the conflict in Lebanon in November, which began when Hezbollah opened fire on Israel on October 8, 2023 in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas. Some 3,800 people were killed and more than a million people were displaced by Israeli air strikes in Lebanon, while tens of thousands of Israelis were displaced in northern Israel.
President Donald Trump ordered a 90-day pause on all foreign aid in January to carry out a review to ensure all the projects were aligned with his “America First” policy. On Wednesday his administration said it was cutting more than 90 percent of the US Agency for International Development’s aid contracts.


Kurdish militants in Iraq, Syria must lay down weapons, Erdogan’s party says

Kurdish militants in Iraq, Syria must lay down weapons, Erdogan’s party says
Updated 40 min 15 sec ago
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Kurdish militants in Iraq, Syria must lay down weapons, Erdogan’s party says

Kurdish militants in Iraq, Syria must lay down weapons, Erdogan’s party says
  • The Syrian Kurdish YPG has said Ocalan’s message did not apply to them
  • AK Party spokesman Omer Celik said the call would advance the government’s ambitions of a “terror-free Turkiye” if heeded

ANKARA: All Kurdish militants in Iraq and Syria, including US-allied Syrian Kurdish forces, must lay down their weapons after the peace call from the jailed leader of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), Turkiye’s ruling AK Party said on Friday.
Thursday’s call from PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan for the group to disarm and disband could potentially lead to ending a 40-year conflict and have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region.
The PKK has not yet reacted to the call, but the Syrian Kurdish YPG, the spearhead of a key US ally against Daesh in Syria that Ankara views as an extension of the PKK, has said Ocalan’s message did not apply to them.
Speaking to reporters in Istanbul, AK Party spokesman Omer Celik said the call would advance the government’s ambitions of a “terror-free Turkiye” if heeded, but added that there would be no negotiating or bargaining with the PKK.
“Regardless of what name it uses, the terrorist organization must lay down its weapons and disarm itself, along with all its elements and extensions in Iraq and Syria,” Celik said.
The PKK launched its insurgency against the Turkish state in 1984 and is now based in the mountains of northern Iraq. It is designated a terrorist organization by Turkiye, the United States and European Union. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict.
Ankara has repeatedly called on the YPG to disarm since the fall of former Syrian President Bashar Assad last year, warning that it would face military action otherwise.
Ocalan’s call, prompted by a surprise proposal
last October from an ultra-nationalist ally of the Turkish president, has been
welcomed by the United States, European Union, and other Western allies, as well as Turkiye’s neighbors Iraq and Iran.


Saudi crown prince, Egypt congratulate Salam on government gaining parliament’s confidence

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam
Updated 57 min 49 sec ago
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Saudi crown prince, Egypt congratulate Salam on government gaining parliament’s confidence

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam
  • Prime minister: We have begun contacts with companies and countries to expedite exploration

BEIRUT: Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam received a congratulatory message from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman after forming a government and gaining parliamentary confidence.

In his message, the crown prince wished Salam “success, and continued progress and prosperity for the brotherly people of the Lebanese Republic.”

For its part, Egypt’s Foreign Ministry said that “the Lebanese government gaining Parliament’s confidence marks the beginning of a new phase that contributes to restoring security and stability in Lebanon.”

Salam's government secured the confidence of 95 MPs, including Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, while 12 voted “no confidence,” most of whom were from the Free Patriotic Movement. Four MPs abstained from expressing their opinion.

The vote came after marathon parliamentary sessions over the past two days to discuss the ministerial statement, which serves as a government action plan. The statement outlines policies for approximately a year and three months, which is the government’s expected term until the next parliamentary elections.

President Joseph Aoun on Thursday praised the “confidence granted by the MPs” and said he respects “the position of those who did not grant it, as opposition in our parliamentary democratic system is a right, a duty, a necessity, and a responsibility.”

The prime minister responded to the deputies’ discussions on his government’s statement, by affirming that his cabinet will deal with the deputies’ remarks “with all seriousness.”

Salam promised “to boost the trust of the parliament and the people in the government.”

He said: “We are committed to listening to constructive criticism, away from bickering, incitement, or stirring sectarian tensions.”

The prime minister said that the Israeli withdrawal and reconstruction are the government’s top priority.

“Achieving the complete withdrawal of the Israeli troops from Lebanese territories is a top priority for our government,” he said. “Our stance is clear and unambiguous, and we will call for the implementation of the withdrawal according to the international borders stipulated in the 1949 truce agreement.

“We have launched a wide diplomatic campaign to explain our stance and gain the international and Arab support to force Israel to stop its violations of the Lebanese sovereignty, implement Resolution 1701 and fully withdraw from our territory.”

The prime minister announced his government’s commitment to establishing a transparent, independent reconstruction fund to rebuild war-damaged areas and address social consequences of the conflict.

“We recognize our responsibility to create a fund that will gain the confidence of the Lebanese people, international community, and potential donors,” Salam said. He emphasized that Lebanon would reject any attempts to impose political conditions on reconstruction assistance.

Additionally, he revealed that his government has initiated communications with relevant companies and countries regarding oil and gas exploration, with plans to accelerate extraction operations to benefit Lebanon’s economic interests.

Salam said that the return of Syrian refugees to their country requires “a sustainable return, which means a clear plan and a frank and serious dialogue with the Syrian authorities, along with coordination with the relevant UN agencies.”

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Armed Forces announced the “discovery of two spy devices planted by the Israeli enemy, during engineering survey operations carried out by a specialized unit of the army in the southern regions.”

The army called on citizens to “avoid approaching or touching these objects, as they pose an imminent danger to their lives, and to report them to the nearest military center for their safety.”

Meanwhile, Hezbollah continued to bury dead members whose bodies were found in villages from which the Israeli forces had withdrawn after their incursion in the border region during the war. The forces Israelis control five strategic hills overlooking southern Lebanon and Israeli settlements, but have not specified a date for their withdrawal.
 

 


Israel says killed Hezbollah militant in Lebanon strike

Israel says killed Hezbollah militant in Lebanon strike
Updated 28 February 2025
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Israel says killed Hezbollah militant in Lebanon strike

Israel says killed Hezbollah militant in Lebanon strike
  • The slain militant had “recently been involved in transporting weapons from Syria to Lebanon“
  • A Lebanese lawmaker for Hezbollah, Ihab Hamadeh, condemned the strike

JERUSALEM: Israel’s military said Friday it had killed a Hezbollah weapons smuggler in a strike on eastern Lebanon a day earlier, the latest attack since a November ceasefire halted the Israel-Hezbollah war.
Lebanon’s health ministry on Thursday reported one death and one injury in a strike on a vehicle in Hermel, the area the Israeli military said it had targeted.
In a statement, the military said the Israeli air force “conducted an intelligence-based strike in the area of Hermel and eliminated the terrorist Mohammed Mahdi Ali Shaheen... who had been coordinating terrorist transactions for the purchase of weapons.”
It added that the slain militant had “recently been involved in transporting weapons from Syria to Lebanon.”
His actions, according to the military statement, “posed a threat to the State of Israel and constituted a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon” that ended the war with Hezbollah.
A Lebanese lawmaker for Hezbollah, Ihab Hamadeh, condemned the strike on the group’s Telegram channel, saying it had targeted “innocent civilians.”
The November 27 truce agreement ended more than a year of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of all-out war during which Israel sent in ground troops.
Israel continues to carry out regular strikes on Lebanese territory and the two sides regularly accuse each other of violating the truce, which nevertheless has largely held.
Israeli forces were to pull out from Lebanon on February 18 under the agreement, but kept troops at five locations that authorities deemed “strategic” in Lebanon’s south, near the border.
On Thursday, Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israeli forces would remain indefinitely in what he called a “buffer zone” in southern Lebanon.
The conflict significantly weakened Hezbollah and decimated its leadership.
The hostilities were initiated by Hezbollah in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas after the unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack on Israel sparked the war in Gaza.