Fears mount in Lebanon of a wider war as Hezbollah vows retaliation 

Update Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised address, during the funeral of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs on Tuesday August 1, 2024. (Reuters)
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised address, during the funeral of Fuad Shukr, a senior Hezbollah commander who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut's southern suburbs on Tuesday August 1, 2024. (Reuters)
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Updated 01 August 2024
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Fears mount in Lebanon of a wider war as Hezbollah vows retaliation 

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gives a televised address, during the funeral of Fuad Shukr.
  • Political assassination approach is extremely dangerous, says envoy
  • In talks with British ministerial delegation, Mikati urges international community to press Israel to stop aggression

BEIRUT: Security measures in Lebanon increased on Thursday following the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on Wednesday morning.

This, in turn, came after the assassination of senior Hezbollah military commander Fouad Shukr on Tuesday night in Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Hezbollah asked those in southern towns not to film security events and to disconnect fixed surveillance cameras from the internet, which it claimed was “infiltrated by Israel.”

Caution prevailed on the southern front, interrupted by Israeli raids and shelling on border towns.

In an effort to contain any deterioration in security, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defense Secretary John Healey arrived in Beirut for talks with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib.

Lammy called on “all parties to respect and implement Resolution 1701 and all its provisions and stipulations.”

Healy commended “the partnership between the Lebanese and British armies” and called for “addressing all conflicts through dialogue and diplomatic means, as the violence will have dire consequences for everyone.”

Berri informed the British delegation “that Lebanon does not want war but is ready to defend itself, and Israeli arrogance is dragging the region toward unpredictable dangers.”

Mikati said Lebanon appreciated the message of support from British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, conveyed by the two secretaries of state.

He stressed that “Israel has violated Lebanese sovereignty and attacked our land, in violation of international laws, and it assaults civilians blatantly every day” and added: “The solution can only be political by implementing international resolutions, including UN Resolution 1701.”

He called on Britain and the international community to “put pressure on Israel to stop its aggression.”

Mikati’s appeal came as the Ministry of Foreign Affairs filed a complaint with the UN Security Council and the UN secretary-general through its permanent mission in New York.

The ministry called on Security Council members “to condemn the Israeli cyberattacks on Lebanon, which pose a serious threat to civil aviation services and endanger the security and safety of communication networks, devices, applications, and electronic data in vital Lebanese facilities.” 

The ministry’s actions are based on a report from the Lebanese Ministry of Telecommunications, which revealed: “The source of GPS jamming is in northern Israel and caused a decline in the accuracy of positioning in Lebanon, affecting transport and communication services.

“Repeated warnings from the Network Time Protocol server were reported, showing the frequent loss of GPS signals and a decline in the quality of service and user experience for mobile network operators.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also requested its permanent mission in Geneva to file a complaint with the International Telecommunication Union, calling for necessary technical measures to stop such attacks and assist Lebanon in ensuring proper functioning of its communication networks.

Also on Thursday, Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Alaa Moussa discussed the latest developments with Berri.

The envoy affirmed Egypt’s rejection of any aggression against Lebanon and highlighted Egypt’s support.

Moussa stressed the importance of calm as expansion of the conflict would result in dire consequences for both Lebanon and the entire region.

He said: “We have already warned that the Israeli aggression against Gaza will expand the cycle of violence circle and confrontations on many and multiple fronts, which actually happened in the past days.”

The ambassador conveyed a message from Egypt that warned “resorting to political assassinations and the consequences resulting of this approach that will lead us into a vicious circle.”

Moussa added the international community must assume their responsibilities through the UN Security Council by issuing a binding resolution to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, achieving de-escalation on all fronts and especially in south Lebanon.

The body of Hezbollah’s Fouad Shukr was found under the debris of a residential building in Haret Hreik, along with a second body that was identified as Iranian adviser Milad Bedi. The bodies of Hanaa Bashire and her daughter, Dr. Salwa Zuhair Al-Bitar, who lived in the targeted building, were also recovered. This brings the total number of Israeli airstrike victims to eight, two of whom were children.

Iranian news agencies reported that Bedi was a “military adviser of Al-Quds Force, the overseas arm of the Revolutionary Guards.

Shortly before Shukr’s funeral, Hezbollah hung giant portraits of him bearing the words “Fuad Al-Muqawama” — Arabic for “the heart of resilience” — on roads to the south.

The Lebanese people held their breath on Thursday amid fears of retaliation from Hezbollah and Iran.

Private institutions in Beirut shortened working hours for employees to 4 p.m., an hour before Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s speech at Shukr’s funeral procession.

Nasrallah warned the group was bound to respond to the killing and said the deaths of both Shukr and the Hamas leader “crossed red lines.”


Flights again halted to Israel after Houthi missile lands near airport

Flights again halted to Israel after Houthi missile lands near airport
Updated 29 sec ago
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Flights again halted to Israel after Houthi missile lands near airport

Flights again halted to Israel after Houthi missile lands near airport
JERUSALEM: European and US carriers canceled flights for the next several days after a missile fired by the Houthis on Sunday landed near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport, the country’s main international travel gateway.
Many foreign airlines subsequently suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv after the missile hit, sending a plume of smoke into the air and causing panic among passengers in the terminal building.
Following a ceasefire deal with Palestinian militant group Hamas in January, foreign carriers had begun to resume flights to Israel after halting them for much of the last year and a half since the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attack.
That left flag carrier El Al Airlines — along with smaller rivals Arkia and Israir — with a near monopoly. El Al’s shares rose 7 percent, while Israir gained 4.1 percent in a flat broader Tel Aviv market on Sunday.
Delta Air Lines said it canceled Sunday’s flight from JFK in New York to Tel Aviv and the return flight from Tel Aviv on Monday. United canceled its twice daily flights between Tel Aviv and Newark while it monitors the situation.
Earlier, flights from Tel Aviv on Delta and United on Sunday morning departed about 90 minutes late.
Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa, Swiss, Brussels and Austrian, said it had halted flights to and from Tel Aviv through Tuesday due to the current situation.
ITA said it had canceled flights from Italy to Israel through Wednesday, while Air France canceled flights on Sunday, saying customers were transferred to flights on Monday. TUS flights to and from Cyprus were canceled through Monday, while Air India flights from New Delhi were halted on Sunday.
Ryanair suspended flights on Sunday but flights are still scheduled for Monday, according to the Israel Airports Authority. Wizz also halted flights.
“I’m afraid it’s going to be very difficult to go back to France because all European carriers, from what I see on the information (board), have canceled. Lufthansa have canceled, Swiss have canceled, Brussels (Airlines), so no connection is possible,” said Michael Sceemes, 56, whose Air France flight was canceled.
Aegean, flydubai and Ethiopian did not cancel flights.
El Al said it would reintroduce rescue flights to Israel from Larnaca and Athens for passengers stranded by foreign carriers at a cost of $99 and $149, respectively.
Udi Bar Oz, head of Ben Gurion Airport, said the airport was up and running less than 30 minutes after the missile hit a road nearby.
Claiming responsibility for the strike, the Houthis’ military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said Israel’s main airport was “no longer safe for air travel.”
The Houthis, who control swathes of Yemen, began targeting Israel and Red Sea shipping in late 2023, during the early days of the war between Hamas and Israel in the Gaza Strip.
US President Donald Trump in March ordered large-scale strikes against the Houthis to deter them from targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to respond to the Houthis. “We attacked in the past, we will attack in the future ... There will be more blows,” he said.

Two held in Iran after deadly port explosion: state TV

This image shows a crater after an explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port dock southwest of Bandar Abbas.
This image shows a crater after an explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port dock southwest of Bandar Abbas.
Updated 49 min 14 sec ago
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Two held in Iran after deadly port explosion: state TV

This image shows a crater after an explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port dock southwest of Bandar Abbas.
  • April 26 blast at a dock in the southern port of Shahid Rajaee killed at least 57 people and injured more than 1,000, officials said, revising down an earlier death toll

TEHRAN: Iranian authorities arrested two people including a government official in connection with a deadly explosion last month at the country’s main commercial port, state television reported on Sunday.
The April 26 blast at a dock in the southern port of Shahid Rajaee killed at least 57 people and injured more than 1,000, officials said, revising down an earlier death toll.
The judiciary on Sunday said the toll had been revised because “it was determined that some of the bodies considered separate were in fact one body,” adding that it could still change.
At the time of the blast, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni blamed “shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence.”
Shahid Rajaee is near Iran’s coastal city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes.
“A government manager and another from the private sector have been arrested,” state television said on Sunday, citing a report from the investigating committee.
The committee announced on Monday that “false declarations (of goods) were made in some cases.”
It said on Sunday that “suspects have been identified and the summoning process is underway,” without elaborating.
The New York Times has quoted a person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate — a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.
Iran’s defense ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state television that “there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area.”


Palestinian detainee Najem dies in Israeli custody after medical negligence

Palestinian detainee Najem dies in Israeli custody after medical negligence
Updated 04 May 2025
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Palestinian detainee Najem dies in Israeli custody after medical negligence

Palestinian detainee Najem dies in Israeli custody after medical negligence
  • Mohyee al-Din Fahmi Najem is the 66th Palestinian prisoner since October 2023 to die in an Israeli prison
  • During a prison visit in March, Najem was unable to walk without assistance

LONDON: A Palestinian prisoner died on Sunday at Israel’s Soroka Medical Center after spending more than a year and a half in indefinite administrative detention, the Wafa news agency reported.

Mohyee al-Din Fahmi Najem, 60, was detained on Aug. 8, 2023 under administrative detention, a practice that allows Israeli authorities to hold individuals in prison without trial for six months, subject to indefinite renewals.

The Palestinian Commission of Detainees and Ex-Detainees Affairs, and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Society, said Najem died after suffering from medical neglect in Israeli prisons.

The Palestinian Authority’s affiliated groups said that Najem “suffered from chronic illnesses and was denied proper medical care during his incarceration.”

Najem was a father of six from Jenin town, in the northern occupied West Bank, who has spent 19 years in Israeli prisons because of his political activism. During a March prison visit, he was unable to walk without assistance, according to the commission and the Prisoners’ Society. They accused Israeli authorities of “compound crimes” during Najem’s prolonged detention, and medical negligence.

He was previously held in the notorious Negev Prison, known for its outbreaks of scabies last November and poor hygiene and medical infrastructure.

Najem is the 66th Palestinian prisoner to die in an Israeli prison since the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023. Among those who died, 40 were from the Gaza Strip.

Since Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories in 1967, 303 Palestinian prisoners have died in Israeli custody, with 75 of those bodies still being withheld by Israel.


UAE president, Qatar emir review regional developments in Abu Dhabi

UAE president, Qatar emir review regional developments in Abu Dhabi
Updated 04 May 2025
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UAE president, Qatar emir review regional developments in Abu Dhabi

UAE president, Qatar emir review regional developments in Abu Dhabi
  • Leaders discussed efforts to address the latest developments in the Middle East

LONDON: The president of the UAE and the emir of Qatar discussed bilateral ties during a meeting at Qasr Al-Shati in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.

Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan and Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani discussed regional and international issues of mutual interest, focusing particularly on the latest developments in the Middle East and sharing insights on efforts to address them.

The leaders explored ways to boost cooperation for the benefit and prosperity of both nations, the Emirates News Agency reported.

Several senior officials and ministers attended the meeting, including Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, deputy ruler of Abu Dhabi and national security adviser, and Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.


Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 16, including 3 children

Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 16, including 3 children
Updated 04 May 2025
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Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 16, including 3 children

Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill 16, including 3 children
  • Israel resumed its military offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce in its war against Hamas

GAZA: Gaza’s civil defense agency on Sunday said Israeli strikes on the Palestinian territory killed 16 people, including at least three children.

Six people were killed in overnight air strikes in Khan Yunis governorate, in the south of the Gaza Strip, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said. They included two boys aged five and two, in an apartment in Al-Mawasi.

The civil defense later said 10 more people were killed in a strike on a tent also in Al-Mawasi, among them a child and seven women.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond for comment when contact by AFP. A spokesperson said they were gathering details.

A military statement issued in the morning said the army had “struck more than 100 terrorist targets throughout the Gaza Strip” during the past two days.

It said soldiers found “weapons caches” and killed “a number of terrorists” in the south.

Israel resumed its military offensive in Gaza on March 18 after a two-month truce in its war against Hamas, which was triggered by the Palestinian militant group’s October 7, 2023 attack.

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza on Sunday said at least 2,436 people have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign in Gaza, bringing the war’s overall death toll to 52,535.

Israel halted aid deliveries to Gaza, saying Hamas had diverted supplies. Israel says the blockade is meant to pressure the militants into releasing hostages held in the Palestinian territory.

UN agencies have urged Israel to lift restrictions, saying Gazans have been experiencing a humanitarian catastrophe and warning of famine.