SHTULA: A momentary shriek presages a bone-juddering blast, followed by a plume of thick black smoke. Refrigerator-sized holes mark where Hezbollah anti-tank missiles like this one have hit along Israel’s northern border.
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has been exchanging near-daily cross-border fire with the Israeli army since Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack triggered war in Gaza.
The Iran-backed militants have launched thousands of rockets, mortar rounds, anti-tank missiles and attack drones at northern Israel.
The exchanges of fire have killed at least 11 civilians and 14 soldiers in Israel, according to the army.
At least 429 people have been killed in Lebanon, mostly militants but also including at least 82 civilians, according to an AFP tally.
The barrages have dealt a heavy blow to Israeli towns and villages near the border which have been evacuated for more than six months. They have also served as a warning of the far greater destruction that would be wrought by a full-blown war.
The Israeli defense ministry body responsible for rebuilding northern communities said it had received 930 reports of damage — around a third of them categorized as moderate to critical — the vast majority of it inflicted on residential buildings.
Hundreds more cases remain unassessed in towns like Arab Al-Aramsheh, Menara and Metula because it is considered too hazardous for inspectors to enter.
The report did not cite an estimated cost, but a senior defense official who spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity said reconstruction in the hardest hit locations could take months to a year.
In Kibbutz Menara, around 30 percent of buildings have suffered substantial damage, the official said.
At least 26 percent of the reported damage was caused by Israeli troops who have entrenched themselves in evacuated towns and villages along the 120-kilometer (75-mile) border, according to the Northern Horizon Directorate report.
The Israeli military said it “regrets any damage to the residents’ property” and is working to minimize damage as much as possible.
The most vulnerable communities were evacuated immediately after the outbreak of hostilities, displacing some 60,000 civilians. Access to them is restricted by the Israeli military.
But AFP reporters managed to visit Shtula, a village of 300 people sitting on the border that has 44 recorded cases of moderate to critical damage.
Although her neighbor’s house suffered a direct hit, and missiles pounded several other nearby buildings facing Lebanon, Ora Hatan, 60, is one of the few residents who has stayed on.
“An anti-tank missile flew over the chicken coop and right into the house,” said Hatan, pointing at a neighbor’s property.
“A direct hit. Fortunately, no one was home.”
Even after more than seven months of intense bombardment, Hatan won’t leave.
“It’s my house. It’s my land. It’s my country. Where would I go? Why should I go?” she told AFP on her balcony overlooking the Lebanese village of Raymeh two kilometers (little more than a mile) away.
As the war grinds on, and Hezbollah attacks show no sign of relenting, northern residents have grown weary of what many see as talk and little action.
For months, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said Israel will restore security — diplomatically or militarily. The two sides fought a devastating war in 2006.
Israel’s Channel 13 reported that National Security Adviser Tzachi Hanegbi told lawmakers Wednesday that “the cabinet hasn’t defined any clear objective concerning the north — not dates, not targets, not strategic aims.”
A poll published Thursday by Israel’s public broadcaster showed that 46 percent of respondents backed military action in Lebanon, while 29 percent opposed.
On Thursday, a few hundred activists set up a protest camp to demand urgent action to restore security and allow displaced residents to return to their homes in the north.
One of the organizers, Nisan Zeevi, lives in kibbutz Kfar Giladi and serves on its emergency response team.
Across the valley from his home, a fortified tower seven storys high looms over the kibbutzim in the valley below that have been frequent targets of drone and missile strikes.
A house in the neighboring kibbutz bears a gaping hole where a missile strike killed a woman and her son in January.
Zeevi said the camp aimed “to express our protest to the Israeli government and to the world until they find a solution to the severe security situation.”
Hezbollah barrages deal heavy damage in northern Israel
https://arab.news/zce69
Hezbollah barrages deal heavy damage in northern Israel
- The barrages have dealt a heavy blow to Israeli towns and villages near the border which have been evacuated for more than six months
- The Israeli defense ministry body responsible for rebuilding northern communities said it had received 930 reports of damage
Trump’s hostage envoy visited Iraq to push to free kidnapped Princeton researcher, sources say
- “The United States cannot tolerate hostage-taking of US nationals or those of our partners such as Israel
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler traveled to Iraq last month to push for the release of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped in Iraq nearly two years ago, three sources familiar with the matter said.
Since taking office, Boehler has stepped up efforts to secure the release of Tsurkov, a Princeton University student who went missing in Iraq during a research trip in March 2023, publicly urging the Iraqi government to help her get home.
“The Trump Administration has done more in just a few weeks than the previous administration did in almost two years,” Emma Tsurkov, sister of Elizabeth told Reuters in a statement.
“I am especially grateful to SPEHA (Special Envoy) Boehler for going directly to meet with Prime Minister (Mohammed Shia Al-)Sudani in Baghdad. His engagement with Sudani makes it clear that the US holds Sudani responsible for finding a way to get my sister home.”
An Iraqi official speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters confirmed Boehler had visited in February to discuss the Tsurkov case but did not provide further details.
Tsurkov is being held in Iraq by the Shiite militia Kataib Hezbollah, a group backed by Iran, according to Israeli officials.
Boehler is trying to negotiate a deal under which Tsurkov will be released in exchange for six members of Iran-aligned Lebanese militia Hezbollah, one of the sources, adding that there was a whole of government effort to bring her back.
“The United States cannot tolerate hostage-taking of US nationals or those of our partners such as Israel. We have and will continue to underscore with the Iraqi government the urgency of securing Elizabeth Tsurkov’s release,” a State Department spokesperson at Boehler’s office said.
In a February 5 post on social media platform X, Boehler advocated for Tsurkov’s release.
“Elizabeth Tsurkov is a Princeton student held hostage in Iraq! The @IraqiPMO consistently made false promises to the prior administration about releasing her. BUT NOW @realDonaldTrump IS ON TO YOU,” Boehler said, tagging the official handle of Sudani’s office.
He said if Tsurkov does not come home, then the Iraqi prime minister’s office is “either incapable and should be FiRED or worse COMPLICIT. Bring Elizabeth home now!“
Under the previous administration of former President Joe Biden, Tsurkov’s family struggled to get Washington to throw its weight behind the efforts to secure her release. US officials then said there was little they could do because she is not an American citizen.
“March 21 will be the two year anniversary of my sister’s kidnapping. Hopefully she will not endure March 21 in their custody,” Emma Tsurkov said.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on the phone on February 25 with Sudani. While a State Department statement on the conversation did not mention a discussion on Tsurkov, one of the sources said Rubio pushed the Iraqi prime minister on her case.
China, Iran and Russia hold joint naval drills in Mideast as tensions rise between Tehran and US
- Neither China nor Russia actively patrol the wider Middle East, whose waterways remain crucial for global energy supplies
TEHRAN, Iran: China, Iran and Russia conducted joint naval drills Tuesday in the Middle East, offering a show of force in a region still uneasy over Tehran’s rapidly expanding nuclear program and as Yemen’s Houthi rebels threaten new attacks on ships.
The joint drills, called the Maritime Security Belt 2025, took place in the Gulf of Oman near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, the narrow mouth of the Arabian Gulf through which a fifth of all crude oil traded worldwide passes. The area around the strait in the past has seen Iran seize commercial ships and launch suspected attacks in the time since President Donald Trump first unilaterally withdrew America from Tehran’s nuclear deal with world powers.
The drill marked the fifth year the three countries took part in the drills.
This year’s drill likely sparked a warning late Monday from the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center, which said there was GPS interference in the strait, with disruptions lasting for several hours and forcing crews to rely on backup navigation methods.
“This was likely GPS jamming to reduce the targeting capability of drones and missiles,” wrote Shaun Robertson, an intelligence analyst at the EOS Risk Group. “However, electronic navigation system interference has been reported in this region previously during periods of increased tension and military exercises.”
China and Russia in Mideast waters patrolled by US Navy
Russia’s Defense Ministry identified the vessels it sent to the drill as the corvettes Rezky and the Hero of the Russian Federation Aldar Tsydenzhapov, as well as the tanker Pechenega. China’s Defense Ministry said it sent the guided-missile destroyer Baotou and the comprehensive supply ship Gaoyouhu. Neither offered a count of the personnel involved.
Neither China nor Russia actively patrol the wider Middle East, whose waterways remain crucial for global energy supplies. Instead they broadly cede that to Western nations largely led by the US Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet. Observers for the drill included Azerbaijan, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, South Africa, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates — with the Americans likely keeping watch as well.
However, both China and Russia have deep interests in Iran. For China, it has continued to purchase Iranian crude oil despite facing Western sanctions, likely at a discount compared to global prices. Beijing also remains one of the top markets for Iranian imports.
Russia, meanwhile, has relied on Iran for the supply of bomb-carrying drones it uses in its war on Ukraine.
Iran highlights drills to boost public support after Israeli attack
The drills marked a major moment for Iran’s state-run television network. It’s aired segments showing live-fire during a night drill and sailors manning deck guns on a vessel. The exercises come after an Iranian monthslong drill that followed a direct Israeli attack on the country, targeting its air defenses and sites associated with its ballistic missile program.
While Tehran sought to downplay the assault, it shook the wider populace and came as a campaign of Israeli assassinations and attacks have decimated Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” — a series of militant groups allied with the Islamic Republic. Syrian President Bashar Assad was also overthrown in December, further weakening Iran’s grip on the wider region.
All the while, Iran has increasingly stockpiled more uranium enriched at near weapons-grade levels, something only done by atomic-armed nations. Tehran has long maintained its program is for peaceful purposes, even as its officials increasingly threaten to pursue the bomb.
Iran’s nuclear program has drawn warnings from both Israel and the US that it won’t allow Tehran to obtain a bomb, signalling military action against the program could happen. But just last week, Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, seeking a new nuclear deal with Tehran. Iran says it hasn’t received any letter, but still issued a flurry of pronouncements over it.
Yemen’s Houthis renew threats to Mideast waterways
As a shaky ceasefire holds in Israel’s war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yemen’s Houthi rebels have threatened to resume their attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait that connect the two waterways.
The rebels’ secretive leader Abdul-Malik Al-Houthi warned Friday that attacks against Israel-linked vessels off Yemen would resume within four days if aid didn’t resume to Gaza. That deadline came and went Tuesday. Though no attacks were reported, that again put shippers on edge. The rebels had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels in their campaign that has also killed four sailors.
Moroccan handed two-year jail term after posts praising attack in Israel
- El Kastit was arrested on February 5 and charged with “incitement to hatred,” “discrimination,” and “insulting a public body” after about 15 posts he made on Facebook, his lawyer said
RABAT: A Moroccan Islamist activist has been sentenced to two years in prison for “incitement to hatred” over social media posts praising a stabbing attack in Israel, his lawyer said on Tuesday.
Redouane El Kastit, a member of the banned but tolerated Al Adl Wal Ihssane movement, was sentenced by a court in Tangier late Monday, his lawyer Mohamed Serroukh told AFP.
El Kastit was arrested on February 5 and charged with “incitement to hatred,” “discrimination,” and “insulting a public body” after about 15 posts he made on Facebook, his lawyer said.
According to the prosecution, the posts described a late-January stabbing of five people in Tel Aviv as the start of a “blessed racist campaign.”
El Kastit denied making the posts on social media, the lawyer added.
He was also accused of posting a photo of the attacker and praising his Moroccan identity.
“The court considered this an endorsement of a terrorist act,” Serroukh said.
The lawyer said he will appeal the “harsh ruling.”
Jordan’s king hosts Ramadan iftar in Amman for Palestinian president and guests from Jerusalem
- Mahmoud Abbas commended King Abdullah for Jordan’s support of Palestinian national rights, including the right to an independent state
- Director of Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs says Jordanian support has enabled his department to help Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem
LONDON: King Abdullah of Jordan hosted a Ramadan iftar at Al-Husseiniya Palace in Amman on Tuesday, the guests at which included Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and religious and political figures from Jerusalem, including representatives of several faiths and the Islamic Waqf.
Abbas commended the king for Jordan’s support of the rights of Palestinians, including their right to an independent state, and the country’s rejection of plans to displace Palestinian residents of the Gaza Strip.
Mohammed Azzam Al-Khatib, director of the Jerusalem Waqf and Al-Aqsa Mosque Affairs department, which is responsible for administering the mosque, said Jordanian support has enabled the Waqf to carry out several charitable projects to help Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem.
Jordan is the custodian of Islamic and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem, including Al-Aqsa and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. It administered the Old City of Jerusalem and the West Bank for nearly 20 years before the Israeli occupation began in June 1967.
Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III of Jerusalem described Jordan’s guardianship of holy Islamic and Christian sites in the city as “a great political and historical responsibility."
He said the Christian presence in Jerusalem faces growing challenges from extremist Israeli groups that want to seize church property. He also warned of the rise of “Christian Zionism,” which he said distorts the teachings of Christ to use them as a tool for political ends, the Petra news agency reported.
William Hanna Shomali, the auxiliary bishop of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, and Mohammed Hussein, the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, also thanked King Abdullah for supporting Palestinian causes.
Other guests at the iftar included Ayman Safadi, Jordan’s minister of foreign affairs, Hussein Al-Sheikh, the secretary-general of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s executive committee, and other senior officials and ministers from Jordan and Palestine.
Israeli settlers stole hundreds of sheep, say West Bank Bedouin
RAMALLAH: Armed Israeli settlers stole hundreds of sheep from a Bedouin community in the Jordan Valley, local residents say, in one of the largest recent incidents in which the Bedouin in the area have reported being attacked and harassed.
Such attacks in the area have increased since the Gaza war began but witnesses said the scale of Friday’s incident near Ein Al-Auja, north of the city of Jericho in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, went far beyond anything witnessed previously.
“This was the biggest one there has been,” said Hani Zayed, a resident of the community, who said he lost 70 sheep in the attack. After years of experience in dealing with local law enforcement, the idea of appealing to the police to help elicited nothing more than a shrug.
“The police don’t do anything; they have never helped us in anything. If you tell them the settler is taking your sheep, they’ll ask ‘Are you sure it’s yours?’”
Local residents said about 1,500 sheep and goats were taken by settlers, who drove the animals from the village under the eyes of police and soldiers or loaded them onto pickup trucks.
An Israeli police statement denied the incident had taken place as described. Israel’s military did not comment, nor did a group representing settlers in the area.
The Jordan Valley, a relatively sparsely populated area close to the Jordan River, is now under increasing pressure from settlers, local residents and human rights groups say.
For many Bedouin herders, the loss of a flock means the loss of any way of earning a livelihood.
