BEIRUT: Lebanese Army Command on Saturday urged residents of southern border villages to avoid returning to their homes due to mines and other explosives left by Israeli forces.
The “procrastination in the withdrawal” of Israeli forces from the south has complicated the army’s deployment to the area, it said.
The 60-day period for the full withdrawal of the Israeli forces from the southern border area ends on Sunday.
The deadline was stipulated in a ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, which invaded the Lebanese southern border area on Oct. 1.
Residents vowed on Saturday to return to their villages, despite an Israeli decision to postpone the withdrawal of its forces.
Israel blamed the Lebanese state for failing to “fully enforce” the agreement, and threatened to “retaliate with a military escalation against any Hezbollah response” to the delay.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement that the gradual withdrawal will continue, “in full coordination with the US administration.”
Lebanon’s new leadership views the Israeli withdrawal as a priority.
Army Command called on citizens to “remain responsible and adhere to its directives and the instructions of the deployed military units, to preserve their safety.”
President Joseph Aoun received a phone call from French President Emmanuel Macron on Saturday, his media office said.
“Macron went over the developments in southern Lebanon, the efforts to control escalation, and the appropriate solutions to ensure the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, and the measures to defuse the situation,” a statement added.
The French president told his Lebanese counterpart that he is holding talks to maintain the ceasefire and complete the implementation of the agreement.
Aoun highlighted the need to pressure Israel into implementing the provisions of the deal.
This would put end to its successive violations, notably the destruction of villages near the southern border and the leveling of lands, which will hinder the return of residents, Aoun said.
Ghassan Hasbani, a member of the Lebanese Forces parliamentary bloc, said: “The renewal of war is not the current concern, but rather the prolonged presence of the Israeli army in the south.
“It is Hezbollah that brought the Israeli army into Lebanon, and what will drive it out is adherence to the terms of the ceasefire agreement and international pressure,” he added.
Hasbani spoke of “deliberate or inadvertent tardiness in implementing the ceasefire agreement, whether through the delay in forming the monitoring committee or Hezbollah’s failure to seriously hand over its weapons and dismantle its infrastructure.
“We are not justifying the Israeli army’s continued presence in the south but have called for its withdrawal from the first day. We would have preferred to avoid causing its entry in the first place,” he said.
The Israeli army continued its violations of the ceasefire agreement on Saturday in the eastern sector of the border.
Earth mounds were raised to prevent citizens from advancing toward the area where Israeli forces are carrying out detonations and leveling additional structures and homes.
The Israeli measures included the closure of main and secondary roads leading to the town of Kfar Kila from the towns of Burj Al-Muluk and Deir Mimas. Additionally, the northern entrance to the town of Yaroun was bulldozed, and the roads and secondary intersections leading to the villages of Bani Hayyan, Talloussah, Houla and Aitaroun were plowed.
Israeli media reported: “The Israeli army is on high alert, with the northern command, air forces, and operations division of the general staff preparing for a range of scenarios should Hezbollah and civilians attempt to return to their homes on Sunday, and challenge the Israeli military.”
Israeli jets conducted aerial incursions over the southern region, flying at medium altitude.
Residents of southern Lebanese border villages have continuously been warned by Israel to avoid returning to their homes.
Several residents in the south received phone calls from international numbers, cautioning them to avoid traveling to the frontline villages on Sunday and urging them to stay away from the southern region.
Military units of the Lebanese Army continued engineering surveys, road clearing and the handling of unexploded ordnance in the western and central sectors.
Army Command said it is “closely monitoring the operational situation, particularly regarding the violations of the agreement and assaults on Lebanon’s sovereignty, in addition to the destruction of infrastructure and the demolition, and burning of homes in the border villages by the Israeli enemy.”
A team from the Lebanese Red Cross and Lebanese Civil Defense continued to search for the bodies of Hezbollah fighters in the towns of Al-Jabain and Shihin.
The Israeli army raised an earthen berm in the middle of the road leading to the town of Qantara in the Marjeyoun district.
A citizen of the town was shot in the hand by Israeli forces and taken to hospital.
UNIFIL forces delivered a message to the commander of the Southern Litani sector in the Lebanese Army, Brig. Gen. Edgar Lawandos, pledging to provide support.
In an unprecedented move concerning Palestinian camps, Lebanese Army Command announced the takeover of “military centers previously occupied by Palestinian organizations inside Lebanese territory.”
The army conducted surprise raids at the entrance of the Burj Al-Barajneh camp in the southern suburbs of Beirut and proceeded to remove unauthorized commercial structures.
Forces also seized a former center of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, and two former centers of the Fatah Al-Intifada organization, near the Beddawi refugee camp in Tripoli.
The army also seized weapons and ammunition, in addition to military equipment and surveillance devices.
It is “in accordance with the ceasefire agreement, which stipulates the dismantling of all illegal military installations, starting from south of the Litani,” a statement said.
“These missions are part of the framework for maintaining security and stability, and extending the authority of the state across various regions of Lebanon.”
Lebanese army units took control of all military points at the entrances of the Beddawi camp since early morning, amid a significant deployment of troops in the area.
Israel delays withdrawal from Lebanon’s southern border
https://arab.news/jeard
Israel delays withdrawal from Lebanon’s southern border
- Army Command urges residents to avoid returning to their homes
- Residents vowed on Saturday to return to their villages, despite an Israeli decision to postpone the withdrawal of its forces
UN chief at Baghdad summit repeats rejection of Israeli-US aid plan for Gaza
- Gaza dominates agenda at Arab League meet as Antonio Guterres hails major forum next month as ‘important opportunity’
- UN secretary-general also draws attention to events in Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Libya
NEW YORK CITY: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has repeated his rejection of a joint Israeli-US plan to bypass his organization in delivering aid to Gaza.
The UN chief’s comments came two days after satellite imagery revealed construction of new aid distribution centers in the enclave.
Guterres was speaking on Saturday at the annual Arab League summit in Baghdad, where the situation in Gaza dominated the agenda.
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Sudani said in his opening speech at the summit: “This genocide (in Gaza) has reached a level of ugliness unparalleled in all conflicts in history.”
As well as Gaza, the UN chief also drew attention to events in the West Bank, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, and Libya.
He opened his speech by praising Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit and said that the UN hopes to “further strengthen” its partnership with the league.
“I am alarmed by reported plans by Israel to expand ground operations and more,” he added, calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the unimpeded flow of aid to the enclave.
Since March, Israel has implemented a total blockade of humanitarian aid entering Gaza in a bid to step up pressure on Hamas.
The latest Israeli plan to allow third parties to deliver aid aims to ensure deliveries reach the right people, the country’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, has said.
However, Guterres has repeatedly rejected the Israeli plan.
“I emphasize that the UN will not participate in any so-called aid operation that does not adhere to international law and the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, independence and neutrality,” he said on Saturday.
The UN chief also highlighted the situation in the West Bank, where settler annexation and the building of illegal settlements has escalated.
“Annexation is illegal. Settlements are illegal,” he said.
Guterres highlighted next month’s high-level conference on the Palestinian issue, co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France, as an “important opportunity.”
He said: “The world, the region — and, most of all, the people of Palestine and Israel — cannot afford to watch the two-state solution disappear before our eyes.”
On Lebanon, Guterres praised the “stated commitment by Lebanese officials to ensure a state monopoly over weapons.”
It comes as the UN’s peacekeeping force in the country, UNIFIL, works in tandem with the Lebanese army to seize Hezbollah arms caches in the country’s south.
In neighboring Syria, a political process “based on the key principles of Security Council resolution 2254” will “safeguard the rights and participation of all Syrians regardless of ethnicity and religion, and ensure their protection,” Guterres said.
The UN chief also welcomed the Houthi-US ceasefire mediated by Oman that was reached earlier this month.
“The trajectory of violence must cease as we work for a negotiated Yemeni-led political settlement,” he said.
Guterres said he was “very grateful” to the Arab League and African Union for “the excellent coordination meeting that we managed to have yesterday” on the situation in Sudan.
“In Libya, we are actively engaging with national and international actors to end the confrontation between armed groups, to preserve the independence of key oversight institutions, to address the obstacles preventing national elections, and set the course for long-term stability and prosperity — in line with the Libyan people’s needs and aspirations,” he said.
The Arab League is a “vital partner” in these efforts, he added.
“Despite the enormous challenges, let us draw lessons and hope from here in Baghdad. Working in unity and solidarity, we can help resolve conflicts and build a future of peace and prosperity,” Guterres said.
“That is the shared goal of the Arab League and the UN, and I look forward to continue to deepen our partnership together.”
Syrian government forces raid Daesh hideouts in Aleppo
- The security forces seized weapons, bombs and uniforms with the security forces’ insignia
- A security source said the raids had targeted sleeper cells in four locations
DAMASCUS: Syrian security forces raided Daesh hideouts in Aleppo on Saturday, killing at least one militant and arresting others, the Interior Ministry said, the first time such an operation has been announced under the country’s new Islamist rulers.
A member of the security forces was also killed, the statement issued by Interior Ministry spokesperson said. The security forces seized weapons, bombs and uniforms with the security forces’ insignia.
A security source said the raids had targeted sleeper cells in four locations. One Daesh militant had blown himself up, and another had been killed in clashes, the source said.
Syria’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa, who once led a branch of Al-Qaeda, has long been an adversary of Daesh, and battled the group’s self-declared caliphate during the Syrian war.
US President Donald Trump met Sharaa earlier this week, and praised him as an “attractive guy with a very strong past” after the encounter in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.
Trump also declared the United States would lift sanctions, a major US policy shift that should help revive the shattered economy and marked a major boost for Sharaa.
Sharaa seized power in Damascus in December after veteran leader Bashar Assad was ousted. Sharaa cut ties with Al-Qaeda in 2016.
Daesh controlled swathes of Syria and Iraq at the height of its power, before being beaten out of the territory by enemies including a US-led military alliance.
Hamas: new Gaza talks ‘without any preconditions’ underway in Doha
- “This round of negotiations began without any preconditions from either side,” said Al-Nunu
- “Hamas will present its viewpoint on all issues, especially ending the war”
DOHA: A senior Hamas official said a new round of indirect negotiations with Israel aimed at ending the war in Gaza started in Doha “without any preconditions” on Saturday.
The announcement came as Israel’s military launched a new Gaza offensive, saying it was part of “the expansion of the battle in the Gaza Strip” aimed at defeating the Palestinian militant group.
“This round of negotiations began without any preconditions from either side, and the negotiations are open to discussing all issues,” said senior Hamas official Taher Al-Nunu.
“Hamas will present its viewpoint on all issues, especially ending the war, (Israel’s) withdrawal and prisoner exchange.”
Prior rounds of negotiations have failed to secure a breakthrough on ending the war, and a two-month ceasefire between the sides fell apart when Israel resumed its operations in Gaza on March 18.
The renewed fighting came after Israel imposed a total aid blockade on the territory that UN agencies warn has created critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicines.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz credited the intensified campaign with bringing Hamas back to the table.
“With the opening of Operation ‘Gideon’s Chariots’ in Gaza, which is being led by the IDF (Israeli army) command with great force, the Hamas delegation in Doha announced a return to negotiations on a hostage deal — in contrast to the recalcitrant position they had taken up until that moment,” he said.
Negotiations for the release of the captives held in Gaza have been ongoing, with the latest talks taking place in Doha.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said this week he had instructed a negotiating team to head to the Qatari capital.
Erdogan sees end in sight for US sanctions on Turkish defense sector
- “We can easily say that there is a softening in CAATSA,,” he told reporters
- The move soured ties between the two NATO member countries
ISTANBUL: Turkiye has seen an easing of US sanctions on its defense sector since Donald Trump became president, with steps toward ending the measure advancing quickly, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Saturday.
“We can easily say that there is a softening in CAATSA,,” he told reporters while returning from a European summit, referring to US sanctions legislation.
In 2020, Washington imposed sanctions on Ankara over its purchase of an S-400 Russian surface-to-air missile defense system under a 2017 law known as CAATSA, which aims to limit Russia’s military influence.
The move soured ties between the two NATO member countries.
It also booted Turkiye out of its F-35 program, with Washington saying the presence of the S-400 would allow the Russians to collect information on the stealth jet’s capabilities.
Erdogan said Turkiye had raised the sanctions issue with Trump and his newly-appointed envoy to Ankara, Tom Barrack
“With my friend Trump taking office, we have achieved a more open, more constructive and more sincere communication on these issues,” Erdogan added, saying Turkiye valued “every positive step in this direction.”
“I believe we will overcome the CAATSA process much faster. As two great NATO allies, there should be no restrictions or obstacles in the field of defense between us,” he said.
Turkiye’s partnership with the United States was “of vital importance for the establishment of stability in our region and the world” he said.
In March, Erdogan spoke to Trump about the need to finalize a deal to let Turkiye buy US F-16 fighter planes and be readmitted to the development program for F-35 warplanes.
Turkiye has been seeking to modernize its airforce, and has been seeking to buy 40 Eurofighter Typhoons which are built by a four-nation consortium grouping Germany, Britain, Spain and Italy.
Israel says killed Hezbollah commander in south Lebanon
- One person was killed in an Israeli “drone strike” on a vehicle in south Lebanon’s Tyre district
- The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces “struck and eliminated... a commander“
BEIRUT: Israel’s military said it killed a local Hezbollah commander on Saturday in south Lebanon, where authorities reported one dead in the fourth Israeli strike within days despite a November ceasefire.
Lebanon’s health ministry said one person was killed in an Israeli “drone strike” on a vehicle in south Lebanon’s Tyre district.
An AFP correspondent saw the charred wreckage of a vehicle in Abu Al-Aswad, an area around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the Israeli border.
The Israeli military said in a statement that its forces “struck and eliminated... a commander” involved in “the re-establishment of Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure” in south Lebanon.
Israel has continued to launch strikes on its neighbor despite the November 27 truce which sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah militants including two months of full-blown war.
The Israeli military said that “the rebuilding of terrorist infrastructure and related activity constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.”
Earlier this week, the Israeli military said three separate strikes in south Lebanon targeted Hezbollah operatives.
Under the ceasefire, the Iran-backed Hezbollah was to pull back its fighters north of Lebanon’s Litani River and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure to its south.
Israel was to withdraw all its forces from Lebanon, but it has kept troops in five areas that it deems “strategic.”
The Lebanese army has been deploying in the area as Israeli forces have withdrawn and has been dismantling Hezbollah infrastructure there.
At an Arab summit in Baghdad on Saturday, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced “daily Israeli violations” of Lebanese sovereignty and “the ongoing Israeli occupation of positions” in the south.
He said Lebanon was working to “fully implement” a United Nations Security Council resolution that formed the basis of the ceasefire.
The resolution says Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should be the only forces in south Lebanon, and calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.
Salam again urged international pressure “to oblige Israel to stop its attacks and immediately and fully withdraw from all Lebanese territory.”
