Lebanese relief over decision to extend UNIFIL mandate without modifications

(AFP)
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Updated 29 August 2024
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Lebanese relief over decision to extend UNIFIL mandate without modifications

  • Mikati thanks US, France for understanding Lebanon’s situation, securing consensus in UN Security Council
  • Israeli airstrikes, artillery shelling, target the vicinity of Hezbollah paramedics center

BEIRUT: Lebanon on Thursday highlighted its commitment to supporting the UN peacekeeping mission, known as UNIFIL.

In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed its “constant commitment to supporting UNIFIL’s mission and cooperating and coordinating with it to achieve sustainable stability on Lebanon’s southern borders.”

It added: “The primary cornerstone of this is the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 and relevant international resolutions that support the preservation of Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, call on Israel to withdraw beyond internationally recognized borders and from all Lebanese territories it still occupies, and to stop its ongoing aggressions and violations against Lebanon.”

The statement came after a UN Security Council resolution extended UNIFIL’s mandate for another year in southern Lebanon.

UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after a 1978 invasion and has been there ever since.

Hostilities have been ongoing since October 2023 between the Israeli army and Hezbollah on the southern front, violating UN Resolution 1701 implemented by UNIFIL on the ground.

All 15 members of the Security Council voted unanimously for the mandate extension without amending any UNIFIL mission, taking into account Lebanon’s demand.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati thanked the US “for its understanding of Lebanese specificities and its efforts to preserve UNIFIL missions, particularly in these critical circumstances.”

Mikati similarly thanked “France for all the efforts it has made to secure consensus on this matter, and for all that it is exerting for Lebanon and its stability.”

He also thanked “Algeria for leading the campaign to support the extension decision and for always standing by Lebanon in all areas.”

Along with its decision, the Security Council urged “all relevant actors to implement immediate measures toward de-escalation, including those aimed at restoring calm, restraint, and stability across the Blue Line,” calling on everyone “to respect it.”

Mikati renewed Lebanon’s “commitment to implementing relevant international resolutions, in particular Resolution 1701.”

The Charge d’Affaires of the Lebanese Mission to the UN Ambassador Hadi Hachem described the negotiation round leading to the extension decision as “very difficult, as Israel exerted great pressure to limit the extension to four or six months only.

“However, with the consensus of the Security Council and the help of Lebanon’s friends, we were able to secure a one-year extension. The resolution also directly included the call for ‘cessation of hostilities’ and ‘de-escalation by all parties.’

“The key issue we managed to include in the resolution was the reference to humanitarian law and the protection of civilians and children.”

He said that “the unanimous vote by all 15 members on the resolution, in line with Lebanon’s wishes, is a testament to confidence in Lebanon and a clear message of the international community’s interest in its security.”

Following the extension decision, the southern front remained subject to hostilities, which de-escalated relatively last Sunday.

The Israeli army announced on Thursday that it raided Hezbollah military buildings in the border village of Kfarkila and carried out artillery attacks against outposts in Yarine.

Kfarkila witnessed four Israeli raids on Thursday morning that destroyed several houses and damaged the properties of displaced residents.

Israeli raids targeted this afternoon the Kassaret Al-Oroush area in Al-Rihan Mountain.

Israeli artillery shelling also reached the outskirts of Wazzani, Jebbayn, Yarine, Aita Al-Shaab, and Deir Mimas.

Israeli warplanes broke the sound barrier over southern areas and Beirut’s suburbs.

Hezbollah announced in several statements that it “launched an attack with swarms of assault drones on the command headquarters of the 210th Golan Division in the Nafah barracks, targeting the positions and quarters of its officers and soldiers and achieving accurate hits.”

While no casualties were reported on Thursday, the Ministry of Health condemned the Israeli attack that Wednesday night targeted the vicinity of the Blida volunteer center of the civil defense, affiliated with the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Organization.

Hezbollah noted in a statement that Israel “insists on targeting health facilities, the latest being the vicinity of the Blida volunteer center, which led to three firefighting and road-clearing vehicles going out of service. The paramedics survived by divine intervention.”

The vicinity of the center was targeted by 155 mm artillery shells after volunteers and their vehicles returned from clearing a road in Mhaibib, following destructive shelling.

Last week, Israeli airstrikes and artillery shelling targeted the organization’s teams in Naqoura.

The Ministry of Health said that “the health teams are performing their humanitarian duty, and targeting them and their facilities is a blatant violation of all conventions, norms, and international laws.”


Trump says US will stop bombing Houthis after agreement struck

Updated 4 sec ago
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Trump says US will stop bombing Houthis after agreement struck

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that the US will stop bombing the Houthis in Yemen after the Iran-aligned group agreed to stop interrupting important shipping lanes in the Middle East.
In an Oval Office meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, Trump announced the Houthis have said that they no longer want to fight but did not elaborate on the message.
“They said please don’t bomb us any more and we’re not going to attack your ships,” Trump said.
There was no immediate response from the Houthis.
The Houthis have been firing at Israel and at shipping in the Red Sea since Israel began its military offensive against Hamas in Gaza after the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The US president said Washington will take the Houthis’ word that they would not be blowing up ships any longer.
Tensions have been high since the Gaza war began, but have risen further since a Houthi missile landed near Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport on Sunday, prompting Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port on Monday.
The Israeli military carried out an airstrike on Yemen’s main airport in Sanaa on Tuesday, its second attack in two days on the Houthis after a surge in tensions between the group and Israel.

The bodies of a Belgian mother and her son were recovered in southern Jordan after flash flooding

Updated 38 min 9 sec ago
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The bodies of a Belgian mother and her son were recovered in southern Jordan after flash flooding

  • The mother and children had been part of a group of 18 tourists
  • Fourteen tourists, all Czechs, were rescued on Sunday

AMMAN: Search and rescue teams recovered the bodies of a Belgian mother and her son on Monday in Jordan, police said a day after the woman and her three children were reported missing in flash flooding. The other two children were found alive.
Sunday’s flooding in southern Jordan also led to the evacuation of hundreds of tourists from the Petra archaeological site, the country’s main tourist attraction.


The mother and children had been part of a group of 18 tourists who had been on an adventure trip in Wadi Al-Nakhil when they were caught up in the flash flood, Ma’an district local governor Hassan Al-Jabour told state media broadcaster Al-Mamlaka TV.
Fourteen tourists, all Czechs, were rescued on Sunday. Rescue crews located two of the children alive late Sunday, Al-Jabour said. The search and rescue operation was suspended at about 2 a.m. because of the complicated weather conditions and terrain. The bodies of the woman and her son were found Monday morning after the search resumed, he said.
Further details about the family and the ages of the children weren’t immediately available.
Jordan often experiences flash flooding as heavy seasonal rains send torrents of water through dry desert valleys. At least three people died in 2021 when floodwaters swept away their car, while more than 30 people in the Dead Sea region and other parts of Jordan were killed in flash flooding in 2018.


UAE president stresses regional peace during meeting with Turkish foreign minister

Updated 06 May 2025
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UAE president stresses regional peace during meeting with Turkish foreign minister

  • Leaders examined the strategic relationship between Ankara and Abu Dhabi

LONDON: UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan met with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan at the Qasr Al-Shati palace in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.

They examined the strategic relationship between Ankara and Abu Dhabi, seeking ways to enhance it according to their mutual interests, the Emirates News Agency reported.

Sheikh Mohamed and Fidan discussed regional and international issues, highlighting developments in the Middle East. They stressed the necessity of fostering regional peace and stability in a way that benefits all nations.

The meeting was attended by several senior officials, including Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, the deputy chairman of the Presidential Court for Special Affairs; Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad bin Tahnoun Al-Nahyan, the adviser to the UAE president; Ali bin Hammad Al-Shamsi, the secretary-general of the Supreme Council for National Security; and Khalifa Shaheen Al-Marar, the minister of state.


Emir of Qatar discusses ties in phone call with India PM Modi

Updated 06 May 2025
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Emir of Qatar discusses ties in phone call with India PM Modi

  • The leaders shared perspectives on regional and international developments of mutual concern

LONDON: The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani discussed ties with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a phone call on Tuesday.

The leaders discussed ways to strengthen the relationship between Doha and New Delhi. They also shared perspectives on regional and international developments of mutual concern, according to the Qatar News Agency.

Sheikh Tamim visited India last February to enhance bilateral collaboration between the two countries in areas such as trade, investment, energy, and finance.


UN urges probe into 'disturbing' video of abducted Libyan MP

Updated 06 May 2025
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UN urges probe into 'disturbing' video of abducted Libyan MP

  • UNSMIL said it was “alarmed” by Ibrahim el-Dirsi’s “enforced disappearance”
  • It described circulating images of his detention as “disturbing“

TRIPOLI: The UN mission in Libya on Tuesday called for an independent investigation into images of an abducted member of the country’s eastern-based parliament that showed signs of torture.
In a statement, UNSMIL said it was “alarmed” by Ibrahim el-Dirsi’s “enforced disappearance” and described circulating images of his detention as “disturbing.”
Dirsi, a member of the Libyan house of representatives, was kidnapped in May 2024 in Benghazi, Libya’s second largest city which he represents.
The North African country has been mired in unrest since the 2011 NATO-backed uprising that toppled dictator Muammar Qaddafi.
It remains split between the UN-recognized Government of National Unity (GNU) in Tripoli, and a rival eastern administration backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.
On Monday, Libya’s Al-Ahrar TV aired photos and a video showing Dirsi, apparently in a prison cell, wearing only shorts and chained with a padlock around his neck.
UNSMIL said it had asked UN digital forensic experts to verify the footage’s authenticity.
Tripoli’s GNU described the conditions in the images as “degrading, shocking and inhumane.”
It criticized the “so-called General Command,” referring to Haftar’s forces, after the video appeared to show Dirsi pleading for forgiveness.
The pro-Haftar Al-Masar TV channel quoted lawmakers as saying the images were “fabricated” and “produced using artificial intelligence.”
The eastern-based interior ministry blamed “unidentified criminals affiliated with a gang,” saying the case was under “thorough investigation.”
UNSMIL also condemned “widespread and systemic abuses in detention facilities by law enforcement and security actors in Benghazi, Tripoli, Sabha, and other locations across Libya.”
It said “arbitrary detentions, abductions, torture, enforced disappearances and deaths in custody are serious human rights violations and may constitute international crimes that can be prosecuted by the International Criminal Court.”
“Libyan authorities must ensure these practices immediately cease and that perpetrators are brought to justice,” the statement added.
In 2019, Siham Sergewa, another representative in Benghazi, was abducted from her home shortly after criticizing Haftar on television. She remains missing.