Israeli drone kills Hezbollah military leader in Lebanon

Update An image of the car that was reportedly targeted by an Israeli airstrike that Lebanon's health ministry said killed one person in the country's south on Tuesday. (X/@bintjbeilnews)
An image of the car that was reportedly targeted by an Israeli airstrike that Lebanon's health ministry said killed one person in the country's south on Tuesday. (X/@bintjbeilnews)
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Updated 17 April 2025
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Israeli drone kills Hezbollah military leader in Lebanon

Israeli drone kills Hezbollah military leader in Lebanon
  • A “drone strike carried out by the Israeli enemy on a vehicle in the town of Aitarun killed one person ,” the health ministry said
  • Israel has continued to strike Lebanon since the November 27 ceasefire

BEIRUT: One person was killed and three others were injured in an airstrike carried out by an Israeli military drone, which targeted a vehicle in Aitaroun, a town in southern Lebanon along the border with Israel.

The Ministry of Health said that the airstrike resulted in one fatality and injuries to three individuals, including a child.

The Israeli army radio confirmed that “the air force targeted a vehicle in the village of Aitaroun in southern Lebanon” and claimed that the raid targeted “a division commander in Hezbollah’s special operations unit.”

Meanwhile, the Israeli army opened fire with machine guns in the town of Mays Al-Jabal in an attempt to intimidate people and prevent them from returning to the front-line towns, thus keeping the area desolate in order to prevent Hezbollah from recapturing its former positions.

Also, an Israeli drone dropped a bomb on tobacco farmers near a vocational school in the town of Aita Al-Shaab, causing panic among the civilian population.

A soldier from a specialized unit in the Lebanese army was killed “during an engineering survey of a site in the Wadi Al-Aziziya area of ​​Tyre,” according to the army command. The explosion also “injured three others with moderate injuries.”

The army command identified the victim as Fadi Mohammed Al-Jassem, born in 1982.

Media reports in Beirut stated that Al-Jassem “was killed in three explosions inside a Hezbollah tunnel.”

As part of his Gulf countries tour, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun traveled to Doha on Tuesday for an official visit.

Prior to his departure from Beirut, he visited the General Directorate of State Security, the Ministry of Defense, and the Army Command to offer condolences following the killing of the Lebanese soldier.

Aoun stressed the need to “restore citizens’ trust in the state.”

He discussed “the operations carried out by the Lebanese army in its deployment areas, particularly in the south and near the border areas.”

Aoun said: “The army has many operational requirements that must be fulfilled, especially in the upcoming stage with the growing responsibilities entrusted to it. Once again, the army is paying a heavy price to safeguard Lebanon’s unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity. The army will remain loyal to its oath. This is our destiny.”

He noted that the army carried out complex and vital duties, “especially during these challenging times …

“We will put the country back on the right track. Just like other institutions, the army plays a key role in the reform process that we have already launched and will continue to pursue.

“I am fully aware of the army’s needs and will ensure they are met. Lebanon has endured great challenges, and it would not have stood firm without the steadfastness of the army command. I call on all leaders, officers, sergeants, and soldiers to continue serving across the country in the interest of all Lebanese citizens.”

Aoun stressed the critical role of the state security apparatus in “combating corruption, bribery, extortion, and blackmail,” promising to “shield this institution from all sorts of pressure and manipulation.”

Earlier, Aoun accepted an invitation from Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani for talks.

Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji is accompanying Aoun on the diplomatic mission, which continues through Wednesday afternoon.

The diplomatic engagement includes a one-on-one meeting between the emir and Aoun, followed by expanded discussions involving official delegations from both countries.

In a separate development, a French military aircraft carrying engineering equipment for explosive ordnance disposal landed at Beirut airport.

“The donation comes from French authorities to support the Lebanese army,” the army command said, noting that “the handover ceremony was attended by officers from both the Lebanese and French armed forces.”

On the reconstruction front, the Council for South Lebanon reported completing 80 percent of damage assessments following the recent Israeli military campaign in the region.

“We have completed the restoration of 125 public schools to enable students to return to their studies,” said Hashem Haidar, the council president, also noting that documentation for another 45 schools had been finalized with repairs imminent.

The recovery effort extends beyond education, with approximately 80 critical infrastructure facilities, including hospitals, government buildings, health clinics, and civil defense centers, currently undergoing restoration in coordination with relevant government departments.

 

Echos Of Civil War
50 years on, Lebanon remains hostage to sectarian rivalries

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Libyan protesters demand prime minister quit as three ministers resign

Libyan protesters demand prime minister quit as three ministers resign
Updated 17 May 2025
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Libyan protesters demand prime minister quit as three ministers resign

Libyan protesters demand prime minister quit as three ministers resign
  • Some protesters tried to storm Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah's office, leaving one security force dead
  • At least three ministers resigned in sympathy with the protesters, who want Dbeibah to resign

TRIPOLI: Hundreds of Libyan protesters called on Friday for the ouster of the internationally-recognized prime minister and his government said one security force member was killed when some protesters tried to storm his office.
At least three ministers resigned in sympathy with the protesters, who want Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah to quit. The demonstrators gathered in Martyrs’ Square in Tripoli, chanting slogans such as “The nation wants to topple the government” and “We want elections.”
They then marched to the main government building in the city center. “We won’t leave until he leaves,” one protester said.
The marchers carried pictures of Dbeibah, national security adviser Ibrahim Dbeibah and Interior Minister Emad Tarbulsi with their faces crossed out in red.
Dbeibah, who leads the divided country’s Government of National Unity, came to power through a UN-backed process in 2021. Planned elections failed to proceed that year because of disagreements among rival factions, and he has remained in power.
The government media platform said in a statement that one security member of its building protection force was killed, posting a video footage showing the building’s fence destroyed with rocks on the ground.
“Security forces thwarted an attempted storming of the Prime Minister’s Office by a group embedded among the demonstrators,” it said in the statement.
On Friday, businessman Wael Abdulhafed said: “We are (here) today to express our anger against Dbeibah and all those in the power for years now and (who) prevent elections. They must leave power.”
Calls for Dbeibah to resign increased after two rival armed groups clashed in the capital this week in the heaviest fighting in years. Eight civilians were killed, according to the United Nations.
Violence flared after the prime minister on Tuesday ordered the armed groups to be dismantled. Demonstrators have accused Dbeibah of failing to restore stability and of being complicit in the growing power of armed groups.
Economy and Trade Minister Mohamed Al-Hawij, Local Government Minister Badr Eddin Al-Tumi and Minister of Housing Abu Bakr Al-Ghawi resigned on Friday.
Militia leader Abdulghani Kikli, widely known as Ghaniwa, died in the clashes, which calmed on Wednesday after the government announced a ceasefire.
Libya has had little stability since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising ousted longtime autocrat Muammar Qaddafi. The country split in 2014 between rival eastern and western factions, though an outbreak of major warfare paused with a truce in 2020.
While eastern Libya has been dominated for a decade by commander Khalifa Haftar and his Libyan National Army, control in Tripoli and western Libya has been splintered among numerous armed factions.
The main oil facilities in the major energy exporter are located in southern and eastern Libya, far from fighting in Tripoli. Engineers at several oil fields and export terminals told Reuters output remained unaffected by the clashes.


US developing plan to move 1 million Palestinians to Libya, NBC News reports

US developing plan to move 1 million Palestinians to Libya, NBC News reports
Updated 16 May 2025
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US developing plan to move 1 million Palestinians to Libya, NBC News reports

US developing plan to move 1 million Palestinians to Libya, NBC News reports
  • The US has discussed it with Libya’s leadership

WASHINGTON: The Trump administration is working on a plan to permanently relocate as much as one million Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to Libya, NBC News reported on Friday, citing five people with knowledge of the matter.


Citing two people with direct knowledge and a former US official, NBC also reported that the plan is under serious enough consideration that the US has discussed it with Libya’s leadership.

In exchange for resettling the Palestinians, the administration would release to Libya billions of dollars of funds the US froze more than a decade ago, according to NBC and citing the same three people.


Israel blasts UN aid chief over call to prevent Gaza genocide

Israel blasts UN aid chief over call to prevent Gaza genocide
Updated 16 May 2025
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Israel blasts UN aid chief over call to prevent Gaza genocide

Israel blasts UN aid chief over call to prevent Gaza genocide
  • Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon accused him of delivering “a political sermon“
  • “It was an utterly inappropriate and deeply irresponsible statement”

UNITED NATIONS: Israel on Friday blasted the United Nations aid chief for asking the UN Security Council if it would act to “prevent genocide” in the Gaza Strip, where experts say famine looms after Israel blocked aid deliveries to the Palestinian enclave 75 days ago.

While briefing the 15-member body earlier this week, UN aid chief Tom Fletcher said: “Will you act – decisively – to prevent genocide and to ensure respect for international humanitarian law?“

In a letter to Fletcher on Friday, Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon accused him of delivering “a political sermon” and weaponizing the word genocide against Israel, questioning under what authority he made what Israel viewed as an accusation.

“You had the audacity, in your capacity as a senior UN official, to stand before the Security Council and invoke the charge of genocide without evidence, mandate, or restraint,” he wrote. “It was an utterly inappropriate and deeply irresponsible statement that shattered any notion of neutrality.”

A spokesperson for Fletcher did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the letter.

Under international law, genocide is an intent to destroy, in whole or part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group. This includes through killings, serious bodily or mental harm and inflicting conditions calculated to bring about physical destruction.

The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Palestinian militants Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 53,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

Israel has accused Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies, and has blocked all aid to Gaza since March 2, demanding Hamas release all remaining hostages.

A global hunger monitor warned on Monday that half a million people face starvation — about a quarter of the population in the enclave.

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that “a lot of people are starving in Gaza.”


Council of Europe: Israel sowing ‘the seeds for the next Hamas’ in Gaza

Council of Europe: Israel sowing ‘the seeds for the next Hamas’ in Gaza
Updated 16 May 2025
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Council of Europe: Israel sowing ‘the seeds for the next Hamas’ in Gaza

Council of Europe: Israel sowing ‘the seeds for the next Hamas’ in Gaza

STRASBOURG: The Council of Europe on Friday said Gaza was suffering from a “deliberate starvation,” and warned that Israel was sowing “the seeds for the next Hamas” in the territory.
“The time for a moral reckoning over the treatment of Palestinians has come — and it is long overdue,” said Dora Bakoyannis, rapporteur for the Middle East at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
The 46-member Council of Europe works to safeguard human rights and democracy.
“No cause, no matter how just or pure, can ever justify every means,” Bakoyannis said in a statement.
“The mass killing of children and unarmed civilians, the deliberate starvation, and the relentless pain and humiliation inflicted upon Palestinians in Gaza must end.”
Since March 2, Israeli forces have blocked all humanitarian aid from entering Gaza for its 2.4 million inhabitants, now threatened with famine, according to several NGOs.
Bakoyannis said that “it takes a smart and brave nation to recognize when its actions are causing more harm than good. What is unfolding in Gaza helps no-one.”
Breaking a two-month ceasefire, Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, with the declared goal of obtaining the release of all hostages still held in Gaza.
Israeli retaliations have caused at least 53,010 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the latest data from the Ministry of Health, considered reliable by the UN.
The UK government has meanwhile defended supplying fighter jet parts to Israel, telling a London court that suspending exports would compromise Britain’s security and damage relations with Israel and allies.
Government lawyer James Eadie said the UK’s trade department had acted lawfully and that suspending the export licences would have affected a wider international F-35 program, resulting in “extremely serious risks to the UK and international security.”
He added the court was not placed to rule on the legality of Israel’s actions, and that attempting to do so could have a “potentially deleterious” effect on “foreign relations with a friendly state, namely Israel.”


Tripoli back to calm after bout of deadly violence

Tripoli back to calm after bout of deadly violence
Updated 16 May 2025
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Tripoli back to calm after bout of deadly violence

Tripoli back to calm after bout of deadly violence

 TRIPOLI: Flights resumed on Friday at Tripoli’s airport as businesses and markets reopened after days of deadly fighting between armed groups in the Libyan capital.
“Last night, for the first time since Monday, residents of the capital were able to sleep without hearing explosions or gunfire,” an Interior Ministry official said.
After the bout of violence that pitted armed groups aligned with the Tripoli government and rival factions it seeks to dismantle, the official said that “we believe the situation is moving toward a ceasefire.”
Tripoli was calm again, with markets, gas stations and other businesses reopening at a
usual pace while many residents headed to mosques for the Friday prayer, AFP reporters said.
Flights to and from Tripoli’s Mitiga airport, which have been suspended since the fighting began early this week, resumed on Friday.
Authorities have deployed teams to clear the streets of barricades, burned-out vehicles and rubble caused by the violence, the latest outburst in Libya, which has remained deeply divided since the 2011 revolt that toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi.
The violence in Tripoli was sparked by the killing of Abdelghani Al-Kikli, head of the Support and Stability Apparatus faction, by the Dbeibah-aligned 444 Brigade.

FASTFACT

Flights to and from Tripoli’s Mitiga airport, which have been suspended since the fighting began early this week, resumed on Friday.

A second wave of clashes pitted the 444 Brigade against another group, the Radaa force, which controls parts of eastern Tripoli and several key state institutions.
A string of executive orders had sought to dismantle Radaa and dissolve other Tripoli-based armed groups, excluding the 444 Brigade.
The UN said on Thursday there was a “truce” in Tripoli, calling on “parties to take urgent steps to sustain and build upon it through dialogue.”
It said that “at least eight civilians” were killed in the clashes, “which drew armed groups from outside the city and subjected heavily populated neighborhoods to heavy artillery fire.”
The Interior Ministry source said authorities were patrolling key parts in Tripoli on Friday, as “armed groups’ vehicles” withdrew from flashpoint areas.
“It’s a positive thing, and it indicates good intentions,” said the source.
The UN support mission in Libya, UNSMIL, had called on Thursday “for all armed formations to return to their barracks without delay.”