Lebanese Forces leader Geagea voices concern over ‘undesirable’ escalation in south

A house lies in ruins in the border area of Shebaa in southern Lebanon, following an Israeli strike on April 27, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 27 April 2024
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Lebanese Forces leader Geagea voices concern over ‘undesirable’ escalation in south

  • Expansion of war in Lebanon would complicate return of Israeli settlers to their homes, Hezbollah warns
  • Samir Geagea-led meeting stresses that ‘weapons outside state institutions are a threat to Lebanese sovereignty’

BEIRUT: Lebanese Forces party leader Samir Geagea warned on Saturday that violent escalation in southern Lebanon could lead to an “undesirable situation.”

His remarks came amid the increase in clashes on the southern front, expanding a domestic rift set against Hezbollah’s support for Hamas in Gaza.

Hezbollah’s opponents accuse it of “usurping” the power to make peace and war from the Lebanese state.

Many are demanding the implementation of UN Resolution 1701, adopted during the July 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, which explicitly empowers the UN Interim Force in Lebanon and the Lebanese Army to maintain peace along the so-called Blue Line demarcating the border with Israel.

BACKGROUND

The border between Lebanon and Israel has seen near-daily exchanges of fire since the Israel- Hamas war in Gaza began nearly seven months ago.

Geagea was speaking at a meeting at the party’s headquarters in Maarab, which included MPs from the Lebanese Forces, independent politicians, and opposition figures.

The meeting concluded with a warning that “weapons outside state institutions are a threat to Lebanese sovereignty and a blatant attack on the security of the Lebanese people and must be immediately withdrawn.”

The participants called on the government to “enforce Resolution 1701 and immediately issue orders to deploy the Lebanese Army under the Litani Line in the south and on the entire border, enhance border control with Syria, and implement the agreement on the return of refugees to their country.”

Geagea condemned “the presence of a state within the state that confiscates decision-making and facilitates smuggling through illegal crossings.”

He pointed out that “a certain group in Lebanon holds onto power and refuses to consider any resolutions. The latest problem is the military operations in southern Lebanon, which began with a decision from Hezbollah alone.”

He asked: “How can Hezbollah call for internal dialogue on the presidency of the republic while avoiding talks with the Lebanese people about dragging them into the war?”

Geagea said that Hezbollah “claims that the military operations are aimed at supporting Gaza, but events in southern Lebanon have not helped Gaza in any way but rather has only caused devastation for Lebanon.”

He cautioned: “Things are escalating, and we cannot remain spectators to what is happening.”

Geagea pointed out that “the data indicates that if the Lebanese Army deploys to all the points where Hezbollah is present in southern Lebanon, the danger will end, so what is the government waiting for to take action? The people of the south are paying the price for the presence of an Iranian military arm on the borders of Israel.”

On Saturday, Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy leader, warned that a ceasefire in the south would help Israel, adding that “the ceasefire initiative in southern Lebanon will not be viable if it does not begin with a ceasefire in Gaza.”

This came against the backdrop of fears that full-blown war with Israel may break out, and amid US and French diplomatic efforts to avoid escalation, with both Hezbollah and the Israeli military having violated the rules of engagement and expanded hostilities deep into each other’s territory.

Qassem addressed the Israeli minister of defense, Yoav Gallant, “who wants settlers to return to their homes in the north,” saying: “War cannot make the residents of the north return to their homes. It will drive them further away and may permanently prevent their return.”

He added: “Expanding the aggression against Lebanon complicates their lives further.”

Qassem said: “Hezbollah decided to respond to the Israeli aggression proportionally, ensuring that any expansion of the Israeli attacks will be met with an expanded response. This is a firm decision.”

Qassem addressed those opposing linking the Lebanese southern front to the Gaza Strip front, saying that Hezbollah’s support for the Gaza Strip “disrupted present and future Israeli military plans in Palestine and Lebanon.”

He added: “The advantages go beyond supporting Gaza and protecting Lebanon and include forming a real deterrent force able to face Israel and prevent it from overstepping the boundaries.”

Hezbollah also announced in a statement that it targeted “new positions of the Israeli soldiers west of the Shomera settlement on Saturday, causing direct hits.”

On Friday night it struck “the Haboushit site and the headquarters of the Hermon Brigade in the Maale Golani barracks with dozens of Katyusha rockets.”

The escalation came after an Israeli military drone targeted a car deep into western Bekaa, killing two Al-Fajr Forces commanders, identified as Musab Said Khalaf and Bilal Mohammed Khalaf.
 
The Israeli military claimed Musab Khalaf had activated numerous “terrorist activities against Israel from Lebanese territory toward Jabal Er Rouss area (Har Dov) and other areas recently, in cooperation with Hamas in Lebanon, and has coordinated and carried out terrorist attacks against Israel.”

It said that his elimination “aimed at striking the organization’s capabilities in carrying out terrorist attacks planned recently against the State of Israel on the northern border.”

The Israeli military also fired heavy artillery shells on Lebanese border towns, especially Kfarchouba and Shebaa in the Aarqoub area and on the outskirts of the town of Tayr Harfa.

These attacks resulted in the killing of Lebanese civilian Qassem Asaad and the destruction of some homes and property in Kfarchouba.

The Israeli military said warplanes hit “Hezbollah facilities in the Jabal Al-Rihane area and Kfarkela.”

Hezbollah announced the death of one of its members, Rafay Fayez Hassan, 50, from the town of Khiam, who was killed in the shelling on Kfarkela.

 


Turkiye seeks growing influence in Africa

Updated 10 sec ago
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Turkiye seeks growing influence in Africa

  • Ivory Coast is keen to work with Turkiye in all sectors, including communications, trade, security and education
  • Turkiye has signed defense agreements with Somalia, Libya, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Ghana

ISTANBUL: Turkiye has long sought to extend its influence in Africa by mediating in conflicts and building military partnerships with countries on the continent.
Those efforts have picked up speed in recent months with diplomatic successes in resolving local conflicts, and as traditional powers such as France and the United States pull back from the continent, according to analysts and diplomats.
An annual diplomacy forum in the southern Mediterranean resort of Antalya on April 11-13 drew many African officials, including the president of Somalia, as part of Ankara’s efforts to consolidate its foothold in Africa.
“Today African countries are looking for alternatives, and Turkiye represents one of those options, so it has resonated well in Africa,” Professor Eghosa Osaghae, director general of the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, who attended the forum, told AFP.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has boosted his international standing after backing rebels who overthrew Syrian ruler Bashar Assad and brokering a key Horn of Africa peace deal between Somalia and Ethiopia.

We have relations with France that we are very proud of. But France doesn’t prevent us from having other partnerships

Kacou Leon Adom, Ivory Coast’s foreign minister

Ankara, which also hosted two rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine at the start of the war, has often said it is ready to support any initiative leading to peace between its two Black Sea neighbors.
The Antalya forum was also attended by Syria’s new leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha.
For Osaghae, whether Turkiye can fill the vacuum in Africa left by France, which has seen many of its former colonies turn away from it in recent years, would “depend a great deal on how attractive Turkiye’s offers to African states will be.”
Speaking to AFP on the sidelines of the forum in Antalya, Ivory Coast’s foreign minister, Kacou Leon Adom, said: “We have relations with France that we are very proud of. But France doesn’t prevent us from having other partnerships.”
The west African nation is keen to work with Turkiye in all sectors, including communications, trade, security, education, or training, he said.
“All of that interests us. And from this perspective, Turkiye is making us offers, and we will consider them.”
Security challenges
Many African countries are faced with challenges to their security, with groups such as Somalia-based Al-Shabab, Boko Haram from Nigeria and the Lord’s Resistance Army, which originated in Uganda, wreaking havoc.
“If it is possible for Turkiye to give assistance in these areas, why not?” Osaghae said.
“The good thing is that many African countries already have military cooperation with Turkiye. And that can be the building block for Turkish influence.”
Turkiye has signed defense agreements with a number of states spanning the breadth of the continent, including Somalia, Libya, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Ghana.
Those agreements have opened up contracts for Turkiye’s defense industry, notably for its reputedly reliable and inexpensive drones.

According to Turkish diplomat Alp Ay, Turkiye offers dialogue — he noted its success in getting Somalia and Ethiopia to end a bitter dispute that had sparked fears of conflict in the restive Horn of Africa.
“We are trying to ensure that Africa can find its own solutions to African problems,” said Ay, who works as Ankara’s special representative in negotiations between Somalia and the breakaway Somaliland region.

The good thing is that many African countries already have military cooperation with Turkiye. And that can be the building block for Turkish influence

Eghosa Osaghae, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs

Tension mounted last year after Ethiopia struck a deal with Somaliland — which unilaterally declared independence from Somalia in 1991 in a move not recognized by Mogadishu — to gain access to the sea.
But Ethiopia and Somalia announced a full restoration of diplomatic ties following a December deal mediated by Turkiye.
Ay said the responsibility from now on would be on both sides to uphold the deal but Turkiye would continue to play its facilitator role. “We are hopeful.”
A senior Somali diplomat likewise said Turkiye played “a very assistive role in bringing the two countries together to resolve this issue.”
In a sign of Ankara’s growing influence, Erdogan met his Somali counterpart, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, on Saturday in Antalya.
“I think Turkiye is playing a key role in Somalia,” the Somali diplomat said.
“And it is a positive role. Turkiye is not only involved in security, it is also involved in other developmental projects in Somalia.”
Nigerian political scientist Osaghae said because there are many conflicts in the region, “Africa desperately needs mediators that are not only credible but are capable of doing the kinds of things that Turkish experience suggests.”


Kurdistan regional government commemorates 37th anniversary of Anfal genocide

Updated 14 April 2025
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Kurdistan regional government commemorates 37th anniversary of Anfal genocide

  • The event paid tribute to the tens of thousands of Kurds who were systematically targeted and killed by the former Iraqi regime during the 1988 Anfal campaign

DUBAI: The Kurdistan Regional Government held a ceremony to mark the 37th anniversary of the Anfal genocide, Iraq state news reported on Monday.

Organized by the Ministry of Martyrs and Anfal Affairs, the event paid tribute to the tens of thousands of Kurds who were systematically targeted and killed by the former Iraqi regime during the 1988 Anfal campaign.

Named after the eighth sura of the Qur’an, “Anfal” became a codename for a brutal military operation led by Saddam Hussein’s cousin, Ali Hassan Al-Majid — infamously known as “Chemical Ali.”

Over the course of several months, Iraqi forces conducted mass executions, used chemical weapons, and destroyed more than 2,000 Kurdish villages. Entire families were arrested, displaced, or disappeared, with many perishing due to disease, malnutrition, or exposure after being forcibly relocated.

Kurdish officials called for continued recognition of the Anfal as an act of genocide and reaffirmed their commitment to preserving its memory for future generations.


EU announces $1.7 billion in new aid for Palestinians

Updated 14 April 2025
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EU announces $1.7 billion in new aid for Palestinians

LUXEMBOURG: The European Union on Monday announced a new three-year financial support package for the Palestinians worth up to 1.6 billion euros.
“We are stepping up our support to the Palestinian people. EUR1.6 billion until 2027 will help stabilize the West Bank and Gaza,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas wrote on X.


Paris denounces Algiers’ order to expel 12 French officials as diplomatic dispute reignites

Updated 14 April 2025
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Paris denounces Algiers’ order to expel 12 French officials as diplomatic dispute reignites

  • Relations between France and Algeria sharply deteriorated last summer when France shifted its position to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara

PARIS: France’s foreign minister said Monday that Algerian authorities gave 12 French state officials 48 hours to leave the country.

Jean-Noel Barrot denounced the decision, saying it appeared as “a response to the arrest of three Algerian nationals suspected of serious offenses on French soil.”

French counterterrorism prosecutors said the Algerians were arrested Friday and handed preliminary charges of “kidnapping or arbitrary detention … in connection with a terrorist undertaking.” They are allegedly involved in the April 2024 kidnapping of an Algerian influencer, Amir Boukhors, or Amir DZ, a known critic of the Algerian government with 1.1 million followers on TikTok.

An Algerian consular official is among the three arrested, according to French media.

Barrot called on Algerian authorities “to abandon” measures to expel the French officials “who have no connection with the current legal proceedings,” in a written statement.

“If the decision to send back our officials is maintained, we will have no other choice but to respond immediately,” Barrot said.

In an interview with French national news broadcaster France Television, Boukhors said he was abducted in April 2024 in a Paris suburb and released 27 hours later.

He said he saw a car in front of his home, with four people he said were acting like false police officers. Some wore police armbands and put him in handcuffs. They brought him to a remote place in the Paris region. “That’s when I felt and confirmed that they were kidnappers. I had fallen into the trap,” he said.

He was told he would be meeting an Algerian official, which never happened, and was later released, the influencer said.

According to French media, Boukhors lives in France since 2016 and was granted the status of political refugee in 2023.

Relations between France and Algeria sharply deteriorated last summer when France shifted its position to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara — a disputed territory claimed by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which receives support from Algiers and is based in refugee camps in southeastern Algeria.

Tensions further peaked after Algeria arrested French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who is an outspoken critic of Islamism and the Algerian regime, in November. He has since been sentenced to five years in prison.

However, tensions started easing in the past two weeks, following a phone call between French President Emmanuel Macron and Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune during which they both agreed to revive bilateral relations, according to a statement by the Elysee Palace.

Barrot traveled to Algeria earlier this month, a visit meant to show the diplomatic rapprochement between the two countries.


Hamas will free hostages if end to Gaza war guaranteed

Updated 14 April 2025
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Hamas will free hostages if end to Gaza war guaranteed

  • Hamas is engaged in negotiations in Cairo with mediators from Egypt and Qatar
  • Senior Hamas official accuses Israel of obstructing progress toward a ceasefire

CAIRO: A senior Hamas official said on Monday that the Palestinian group is prepared to release all Israeli hostages in exchange for a “serious prisoner swap” and guarantees that Israel will end the war in Gaza.
Hamas is engaged in negotiations in Cairo with mediators from Egypt and Qatar – two nations working alongside the United States to broker a ceasefire in the besieged territory.
“We are ready to release all Israeli captives in exchange for a serious prisoner swap deal, an end to the war, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip and the entry of humanitarian aid,” Taher Al-Nunu, a senior Hamas official, said.
However, he accused Israel of obstructing progress toward a ceasefire.
“The issue is not the number of captives,” Nunu said, “but rather that the occupation is reneging on its commitments, blocking the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and continuing the war.”
“Hamas has therefore stressed the need for guarantees to compel the occupation (Israel) to uphold the agreement,” he added.
Israeli news website Ynet reported on Monday that a new proposal had been put to Hamas.
Under the deal, the group would release 10 living hostages in exchange for US guarantees that Israel would enter negotiations for a second phase of the ceasefire.
The first phase of the ceasefire, which began on January 19 and included multiple hostage-prisoner exchanges, lasted two months before disintegrating.
Efforts toward a new truce have stalled, reportedly over disputes regarding the number of hostages to be released by Hamas.
Meanwhile, Nunu said that Hamas would not disarm, a key condition that Israel has set for ending the war.
“The weapons of the resistance are not up for negotiation,” Nunu said.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel. The attack resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Militants also took 251 hostages, 58 of whom are still held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Gaza’s health ministry said on Sunday that at least 1,574 Palestinians had been killed since March 18, when the ceasefire collapsed, taking the overall death toll since the war began to 50,944.