French foreign minister: UN Resolution 1701 on Lebanon must be implemented by both sides

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna (C) meets with Palestinian olive growers in a small village near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank on December 17, 2023, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and the militant group Hamas. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 18 December 2023
Follow

French foreign minister: UN Resolution 1701 on Lebanon must be implemented by both sides

  • Colonna calls for need to spare the region from any conflict
  • Israeli bombing targets a funeral in Aita Al-Shaab

BEIRUT: The UN Security Council Resolution 1701 on Lebanon must be implemented by both sides, France’s Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said in Beirut on Monday.

The resolution, which was passed at the end of the 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel, states that no armed factions should be present between Lebanon’s Litani River and its border with Israel.

Her remarks came as Israeli hostilities on the Lebanese southern front significantly escalated on Monday. 

An Israeli drone fired a guided missile at a building just 40 meters away from the funeral of Hezbollah member Hassan Maan Srour in the border village of Aita Al-Shaab.

The missile caused damage to the building, but no casualties were reported.

Mourners came together after being separated for a while following the incident and continued the funeral, chanting slogans against Israel.

Aita Al-Shaab was subjected to additional Israeli strikes later, with no casualties reported.

The Israeli army bombed Al-Mary Valley using 155 mm artillery shells, injuring a farmer and damaging the machine he was working on in his field.

Sirens sounded in Shlomi and Matzuva in western Galilee and Yiftah in the Galilee Panhandle.

Israeli media stated that around eight missiles were fired from Lebanon toward western Galilee and that the infiltration of a drone from southern Lebanon is suspected.

The French minister’s arrival in Beirut from Tel Aviv coincided with the escalation of the confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

Her talks aim to prevent a deterioration in the situation on the border between Lebanon and Israel amid international warnings that hostilities in southern Lebanon could turn into full-scale war.

Colonna’s visit includes meeting with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, and Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun.

During her meeting with Berri, it was reported that Colonna reiterated her country’s stance, which calls for “sparing the region of any conflict.”

Colonna commended the Lebanese parliament’s decision last week to extend Gen. Aoun’s term, as well as those of security officials, namely generals and major generals, for one year.

The term of Maj. Gen. Imad Othman — director-general of internal security forces — has also been extended.

According to the defense law, the army chief’s mandate ends upon reaching the retirement age of 60 on Jan. 10, 2024.

The discussions between Berri and Colonna touched on “the possibility of addressing other political issues, starting with the presidency.”

Colonna had called from Tel Aviv for an “immediate and sustainable” ceasefire in Gaza and a de-escalation with Lebanon.

During her visit to a military base near Tel Aviv, she expressed concern about possible escalation and called for caution, emphasizing that it would not benefit anyone, including Israel, if things spiraled out of control.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said after his talks with Colonna on Sunday that France could play a positive and important role in preventing a war in Lebanon.

Cohen stressed that Israel “has no intention of opening another front on our northern border, but we will do everything necessary to protect our citizens.”

He pointed out: “More than 50,000 Israelis were displaced from the border areas in northern Israel, and we must ensure their security so that they can return.

“The only way to do this is to force Hezbollah to withdraw to the north of the Litani River. There are two ways to do that: through diplomacy or by force.”

The outskirts of the town of Aitaroun were subjected to intermittent Israeli artillery shelling from Israeli army positions on the opposite side of the border.

Israel also bombed the villages of Al-Dahaira and Alma Al-Shaab.

Artillery shells targeted homes in the town of Al-Jabayn, the Labbouneh area, the outskirts of Naqoura, the Ruwaisat area, the northern outskirts of Mays Al-Jabal, and the outskirts of Hula and Wadi Al-Jamal.

On Monday morning, Hezbollah targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers and vehicles in the vicinity of the Hamra site.


Erdogan says Israel will ‘set sights’ on Turkiye if Hamas defeated

Updated 15 May 2024
Follow

Erdogan says Israel will ‘set sights’ on Turkiye if Hamas defeated

  • Turkish leader on Monday said more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in Turkish hospitals
Istanbul: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday claimed that Israel would “set its sights” on Turkiye if it succeeded in defeating Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Erdogan, a vocal critic of Israel’s war in the Palestinian territory following Hamas’s attack on October 7, has often expressed support for the Palestinian group as defenders of their homeland.
Hamas is classed as a terrorist organization by Israel, the United States and the European Union, among others.
“Do not think that Israel will stop in Gaza,” Erdogan told his party lawmakers in the parliament in the capital Ankara.
“Unless it’s stopped... this rogue and terrorist state will set its sights on Anatolia sooner or later,” he said, referring to the large Turkish peninsula also called Asia Minor that comprises more than half of Turkiye’s territory.
“We will continue to stand by Hamas, which fights for the independence of its own land and which defends Anatolia,” added Erdogan.
The Turkish leader on Monday said more than 1,000 members of Hamas were being treated in Turkish hospitals amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
The October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Militants also seized some 250 hostages, 128 of whom Israel estimates remain in Gaza, including 36 the military says are dead.
Israel’s bombardment and offensive in Gaza have killed more than 35,000 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.

EU urges Israel to end Rafah military operation ‘immediately’

Updated 15 May 2024
Follow

EU urges Israel to end Rafah military operation ‘immediately’

  • EU statement: ‘Further disrupting the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and is leading to more internal displacement, exposure to famine and human suffering’

BRUSSELS: The European Union on Wednesday urged Israel to end its military operation in Gaza’s Rafah “immediately,” warning that failure to do so would undermine ties with the bloc.
“Should Israel continue its military operation in Rafah, it would inevitably put a heavy strain on the EU’s relationship with Israel,” said the statement issued in the EU’s name by its foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
“The European Union urges Israel to end its military operation in Rafah immediately,” the statement said, warning it was “further disrupting the distribution of humanitarian aid in Gaza and is leading to more internal displacement, exposure to famine and human suffering.”
The bloc — the main aid donor for the Palestinian territories and Israel’s biggest trading partner — said more than a million people in and around Rafah had been ordered by Israel to flee the area to other zones the UN says cannot be considered safe.
“While the EU recognizes Israel’s right to defend itself, Israel must do so in line with International Humanitarian Law and provide safety to civilians,” it said.
The law requires Israel to allow in humanitarian aid, the statement stressed.
The EU also condemned a Hamas attack on the Kerem Shalom border crossing which blocked humanitarian relief supplies.
“We call on all parties to redouble their efforts to achieve an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas,” it said.
Israel’s military operations in Gaza were launched in retaliation for Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israeli which killed more than 1,170 people, mostly civilians, and saw around 250 hostages taken, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s military has conducted a relentless bombardment from the air and a ground offensive inside Gaza that has killed more than 35,000, mostly civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry.
Israel’s main allies, the United States and the EU, as well as the United Nations, have all warned Israel against a major operation in Rafah given that it would add to the civilian toll.


Kuwait’s emir calls on new government to pursue reforms

Updated 15 May 2024
Follow

Kuwait’s emir calls on new government to pursue reforms

RIYADH: Kuwait’s Emir Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Wednesday met with the new prime minister and his government.

According to the Kuwait News Agency, Sheikh Mishal said: “We are in a new phase of reforms and serious actions must be taken.”

He added that ministers should “accelerate the implementation of long-awaited strategic development projects, address needed files and work on the infrastructure projects, develop healthcare and the educational system, and take into account transparency and to preserve public funds.”

Sheikh Mishal appointed Sheikh Ahmad Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah as prime minister in April, and dissolved parliament last Friday in a televised speech.

He urged ministers to ensure that Kuwait has a strong and sustainable economy by investing in human capital and promoting innovation and scientific research.


UN launches probe into first international staff killed by unidentified strike in Rafah

Updated 15 May 2024
Follow

UN launches probe into first international staff killed by unidentified strike in Rafah

  • Retired Indian army officer Waibhav Anil Kale was on route to the European Hospital in Rafah along with a colleague, who was also injured in the attack

NEW DELHI: The United Nations has launched an investigation into an unidentified strike on a UN car in Rafah on Monday that killed its first international staff in Gaza since Oct. 7, a spokesperson for the UN Secretary General said.
The staff member, a retired Indian Army officer named Waibhav Anil Kale, was working with the UN Department of Safety and Security and was on route to the European Hospital in Rafah along with a colleague, who was also injured in the attack.
Israel has been moving deeper into Rafah in southern Gaza, where more than a million people had sought shelter, and its forces pounded the enclave’s north on Tuesday in some of the fiercest attacks in months.
Israel’s international allies and aid groups have repeatedly warned against a ground incursion into Rafah, where many Palestinians fled, and Israel says four Hamas battalions are holed up. Israel says it must root out the remaining fighters.
In a statement on Monday after Kale’s death, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres reiterated an “urgent appeal for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire and for the release of all hostages,” saying the conflict in Gaza was continuing to take a heavy toll “not only on civilians, but also on humanitarian workers.”
Palestinian health authorities say Israel’s ground and air campaign in Gaza since Oct. 7 has killed more than 35,000 people and driven most of the enclave’s 2.3 million people from their homes.
His deputy spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Tuesday the UN has established a fact-finding panel to determine the responsibility for the attack.
“It’s very early in the investigation, and details of the incident are still being verified with the Israeli Defense Force,” he said.
There are 71 international UN staff members in Gaza currently, he said.
In its only comment on the matter yet, India’s mission to the UN confirmed Kale’s identity on Tuesday, saying it was “deeply saddened” by his loss.
Israel, which launched its Gaza operation after an attack on Oct. 7 by Hamas-led gunmen who killed some 1,200 people and took more than 250 hostages, according to its tallies, has ordered civilians to evacuate parts of Rafah.
The main United Nations aid agency in Gaza, UNRWA estimates some 450,000 people have fled the city since May 6. More than a million civilians had sought refuge there.


Libya war crimes probe to advance next year: ICC prosecutor

An exterior view of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, March 31, 2021. (REUTERS)
Updated 15 May 2024
Follow

Libya war crimes probe to advance next year: ICC prosecutor

  • The Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the ICC in February 2011 following a violent crackdown on unprecedented protests against the regime of Muammar Qaddafi

UNITED NATIONS, United States: The International Criminal Court prosecutor probing war crimes committed in Libya since 2011 announced Monday his plans to complete the investigation phase by the end of 2025.
Presenting his regular report before the United Nations Security Council, Karim Khan said that “strong progress” had been made in the last 18 months, thanks in particular to better cooperation from Libyan authorities.
“Our work is moving forward with increased speed and with a focus on trying to deliver on the legitimate expectations of the council and of the people of Libya,” Khan said.
He added that in the last six months, his team had completed 18 missions in three areas of Libya, collecting more than 800 pieces of evidence including video and audio material.
Khan said he saw announcing a timeline to complete the investigation phase as a “landmark moment” in the case.
“Of course, it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to require cooperation, candor, a ‘can do’ attitude from my office but also from the authorities in Libya,” he added.
“The aim would be to give effect to arrest warrants and to have initial proceedings start before the court in relation to at least one warrant by the end of next year,” Khan said.
The Security Council referred the situation in Libya to the ICC in February 2011 following a violent crackdown on unprecedented protests against the regime of Muammar Qaddafi.
So far, the investigation opened by the court in March 2011 has produced three cases related to crimes against humanity and war crimes, though some proceedings were abandoned after the death of suspects.
An arrest warrant remains in place for Seif Al-Islam Qaddafi, the son of the assassinated Libyan dictator who was killed by rebel forces in October 2011.
Libya has since been plagued by fighting, with power divided between a UN-recognized Tripoli government and a rival administration in the country’s east.