Israel insists on harsh response to Hezbollah despite diplomatic efforts to avoid wider war 

Smoke billows from a site targeted by the Israeli military in the southern Lebanese border village of Kafr Kila on July 29, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 29 July 2024
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Israel insists on harsh response to Hezbollah despite diplomatic efforts to avoid wider war 

  • Beirut flights canceled or delayed as tension escalates after attack in Majdal Shams, occupied Golan Heights
  • Two Hezbollah members killed in strikes on Shaqra, 3 injured, including a child

BEIRUT: Political and diplomatic communications have intensified between Lebanon and other nations to mitigate the serious escalation between Hezbollah and Israel.

The communications aim to prevent Lebanon from entering into an open conflict, particularly in light of Israel’s decision on Sunday night to strike Hezbollah in response to what it deemed “Hezbollah’s responsibility for the shelling of Majdal Shams.”

Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack on Majdal Shams that killed 12 teenagers and children on Saturday.

A Lebanese government source said that “international communications” had so far succeeded in containing an all-out war.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated: “Our response to Hezbollah will be clear and strong.”

A Lebanese security source confirmed that Hezbollah evacuated several key points in the south and Bekaa since Sunday, near the Lebanese-Syrian border and the vicinity of Sayyida Zainab in Syria, “in anticipation of an Israeli strike.”

Lebanon witnessed a state of anticipation and caution on Monday, especially in the southern regions, the Bekaa, and Beirut.

Movement remained relatively cautious on roads connecting the regions.

The announcement that some airlines were suspending their flights to Lebanon further increased caution.

Foreign ministries, instead of embassies, warned their citizens to leave Lebanon immediately or “prepare for long periods of shelter.”

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati received a call from British Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who renewed “the call on all parties to exercise restraint to prevent escalation.”

Lammy stressed the need to “resolve disputes peacefully and through the implementation of relevant international resolutions.”

Reuters reported that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Israeli President Isaac Herzog and emphasized “the importance of preventing the escalation of conflict after the missile attack in the Golan Heights.”

According to Reuters, Blinken and Herzog discussed “a diplomatic solution that allows residents on both sides of the Israeli-Lebanese border to return to their homes.”

Reuters quoted an Israeli official as saying: “We want to harm Hezbollah, but we are not seeking a full-scale regional war.”

The hostile operations between Hezbollah and the Israeli army did not stop on Monday.

An Israeli raid in the morning targeted two locations.

The first raid targeted a car near Shaqra, and when a motorcycle arrived at the scene, it was targeted by a second raid.

This resulted in the death of two people and the injury of three others, including a child.

Hezbollah mourned its two killed members, Abbas Salami, aged 34, from the town of Kharbat Salem, residing in the town of Shaqra, and Abbas Hijazi, aged 29, from the town of Majdal Salem.

Israeli airstrikes hit Houla, with Israeli artillery bombarding the outskirts of Aitaroun.

Residential areas to the south of Mays Al-Jabal were also hit by artillery and phosphorous shells, resulting in fires.

The outskirts of Markaba, Rab El-Thalathine, and Kafr Hamam were also attacked.

The Israeli army conducted a sweeping operation toward Kafr Kila from its outposts in the settlement of Metula using automatic weapons.

Hezbollah continued attacking Israeli positions.

The Al-Manar channel — affiliated with Hezbollah — reported that “large fires broke out in the forests surrounding the settlement of Kiryat Shmona after missiles fell in the area.”

Hezbollah said it targeted the Al-Baghdadi site with dozens of Katyusha rockets.

It also targeted the Israeli soldiers’ position at the Al-Raheb site with guided missiles.

Israeli media reported the fall of several rockets at the Hagoma junction in Upper Galilee.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant reiterated the Israeli threat that Hezbollah “will pay a heavy price, and we will let actions speak, not words.”

On Monday afternoon, Middle East Airlines’ aircraft landed on the runways of Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut after their flights were suspended on Sunday night.

The airline attributed the irregularity in its flight schedules to “insurance risks.”

The airport witnessed a rush of passengers arriving in Lebanon, mostly Lebanese expatriates, while others were departing.

Hala, an employee at the reception area at the airport, told Arab News: “When we ask arriving passengers if they are afraid to come to Lebanon, they laugh and continue to walk.”

The US Embassy in Lebanon, in a video clip by Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Rena Bitter, advised American citizens to “develop a crisis plan of action and leave before the crisis begins.”

Bitter stressed: “Washington is laser-focused on Lebanon. The US Department of State has no higher priority than the safety and security of US citizens overseas.”

She reminded US citizens of key points on crisis preparedness so they could receive direct alerts from the embassy.

She said: “Regularly scheduled commercial transportation is always the best option, while local communications and transportation infrastructure are intact and operating normally.

“Please ensure your US passports are valid for at least six months. Should commercial airlines not be available, people should be prepared to shelter in a place for long periods.”

The Italian foreign minister also urged Italian nationals to leave Lebanon, while the German government spokesperson advised German citizens to “urgently leave Lebanon.”

The Lufthansa Group, which also includes Swiss International Air Line and Eurowings, said in a statement that it would “suspend flights to Beirut until Aug. 5 due to the current situation in the Middle East, and as a precautionary measure.”

Air France and Transavia suspended their flights to Beirut until Wednesday.

Saudi Arabia urged its citizens to “adhere to the decision of not traveling to Lebanon.”

Royal Jordanian Airlines suspended its flights to Beirut.

Turkish Airlines canceled two flights to Beirut.

Turkish low-cost carrier SunExpress, Turkish Airlines’ AJET, Greece’s Aegean Airlines and Ethiopian Airlines also canceled flights.


Iranian Revolutionary Court sentences four individuals to death over charges of spying for Israel

Updated 54 min 41 sec ago
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Iranian Revolutionary Court sentences four individuals to death over charges of spying for Israel

DUBAI: Four people were sentenced to death by a revolutionary court in northwest Iran over charges of spying for Israel, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.


Rescuers pull 30 bodies from a building in central Lebanon hit in an Israeli strike

Updated 06 November 2024
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Rescuers pull 30 bodies from a building in central Lebanon hit in an Israeli strike

  • The airstrike hit the building in the town just north of the port city of Sidon, an area that has not been regularly targeted by Israeli military operations

BARJA: Lebanese rescuers pulled 30 bodies out of the rubble after a late night Israeli strike on an apartment building in the town of Barja, Lebanon’s Civil Defense service said Wednesday as the Mideast wars press on with no signs of abating.
It remained unclear if there were any survivors or bodies still trapped under the rubble following the Tuesday night airstrike, which came without warning. There was no statement from the Israeli military and the strike’s intended target also was unknown.
Barja, a town just north of the port city of Sidon in central Lebanon, has not been regularly targeted so far in the conflict.
“Something pulled me hard, and then the explosion happened,” said Moussa Zahran, who was at home with his wife and son when the building was hit. He said he couldn’t see but started digging through the rubble until he found his wife and son — alive but injured — and pulled them out. Both are still in the hospital, he said.
Another building resident, Muhyiddin Al- Qalaaji, said he was at work when the strike happened and heard the news from his wife who called him frantically.
“There are many dead and injured,” he said as he carried out what he could salvage of the family’s belongings on Wednesday morning.
Civil defense official Mostafa Danaj said some of the neighbors have reported there are still people missing.
Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militant group have been clashing for more than a year, since Hezbollah started firing rockets across the border soon after the deadly Hamas-led attack on southern Israel sparked the ongoing war in Gaza in October last year.
The war on the Lebanese front has substantially escalated since mid-September, with Israel launching a massive aerial bombardment and ground invasion.
On Wednesday, sirens blared across northern and central Israel, including in the populous metropolitan area of Tel Aviv, as Hezbollah launched 10 rockets toward Israel. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue services said there were no reports of injuries.
A large portion of a rocket slammed into a parked car in the central Israeli city of Raanana. Rockets also struck an open area near Israel’s main airport, Israeli media reported, though the airport said flights were operating as normally.
Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue services said there were no injuries. Israeli police said they arrested 40 people during protests on Tuesday night when the demonstrators blocked Israel’s main highway in Tel Aviv.
On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a surprise announcement that sparked protests across the country. Gallant’s replacement is Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister.
While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant said military force created the necessary conditions for at least a temporary diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the militant group.
The Israel-Hamas war began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others, taking them back to Gaza as hostages.
Israel’s military response in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. They do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of those killed were women and children.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in 2023, at least 3,000 people have been killed and some 13,500 have been wounded in Lebanon, about a quarter of them women and children, the Health Ministry reported.
Hezbollah continues to send dozens of rockets and drones toward Israel. The projectiles have killed 72 people in Israel so far, including 30 soldiers, according to Netanyahu’s office.
A report by Lebanon’s crisis response unit said that 361,300 Syrians and over 177,800 Lebanese have crossed into Syria between Sept. 23 and Nov. 1, to escape the fighting.
Another night of protests was planned across Israel on Wednesday evening, over Gallant’s firing.
Netanyahu and Gallant have repeatedly been at odds over the war in Gaza but the prime minister had avoided letting go of his rival before the US presidential election on Tuesday.
By midday Wednesday in the Middle East, Donald Trump was elected the 47th president of the United States in a remarkable political comeback.


Hezbollah says it fired missiles at military base near Ben Gurion Airport

Updated 06 November 2024
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Hezbollah says it fired missiles at military base near Ben Gurion Airport

BEIRUT: Hezbollah said on Wednesday that it fired missiles at a military base near Ben Gurion Airport, Israel’s main international gateway.
Israeli media reported on Wednesday that a rocket had landed near the airport. The airports authority said the airport was continuing to operate as usual.


Algeria opens book fair without winner of top French language literary prize

Updated 06 November 2024
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Algeria opens book fair without winner of top French language literary prize

  • This year’s Prix Goncourt winner and his French publisher Gallimard — a regular participant — are among those who won’t be welcomed at the Algiers International Book Fair

ALGIERS: As one of the Arab world’s largest book fairs opens in Algeria on Wednesday, there is one conspicuous absence. French-Algerian author Kamel Daoud, who won France’s most prestigious literary award earlier this week, was not invited to this year’s event.
This year’s Prix Goncourt winner and his French publisher Gallimard — a regular participant — are among those who won’t be welcomed at the Algiers International Book Fair. The exclusion of several prominent authors and publishers from this year’s event reflects the ongoing limitations on freedom of expression in Algeria.
Daoud’s novels and their subject matter often polarize opinions in both France, where he lives, and Algeria, where he was born. His Goncourt-winning third novel Houris (Virgins, in English) centers on the memories of victims of Algeria’s “Black Decade.” After Islamists won the first round of legislative elections in 1990, Algeria descended into civil war after the second round was canceled by the military-backed government.
Though memories of that history loom large, Houris will not be among the more than 300,000 titles available at the book fair, which is being marketed under the slogan “Read to Triumph” and billed for having a special focus on history.
Ali Bey, the owner of Algiers’ Librarie du Tiers Monde, said he was “delighted” to see Daoud’s international recognition but lamented that Algerian readers would not be able to purchase his novels.
The censorship extends beyond Daoud and Gallimard. Koukou Publishing, an independent Algerian house led by former political activist Arezki Ait Larbi, has also been excluded from this year’s festival. Koukou — known for publishing works by essayists, novelists and journalists whose writings often challenge official narratives — wasn’t invited either, Ait Larbi wrote in a Facebook post.
“Our house is under threat of a complete ban from publishing,” Ait Larbi said, accusing the Ministry of Culture’s censors of targeting his books.


Thousands in Israel protest sacking of defense minister

Updated 06 November 2024
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Thousands in Israel protest sacking of defense minister

JERUSALEM: Thousands of Israelis protested against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s dismissal of his defense minister, demanding the government do everything in its power to bring home hostages held in Gaza.
The demonstration erupted soon after Netanyahu’s office announced the sacking of Yoav Gallant on Tuesday following public differences over the war with Hamas.
The removal of Gallant — a hawk on the war Hezbollah in Lebanon who also pushed for a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza — coincided with the presidential election in the United States, Israel’s top military backer.
Netanyahu and Gallant have frequently clashed over Israel’s retaliatory military offensive against Hamas following the Palestinian militant group’s deadly attack on Israel on October 7 last year.
“Over the past few months... trust has eroded. In light of this, I decided today to end the term of the defense minister,” Netanyahu’s office said, adding that foreign minister Israel Katz would take his place.
Shortly afterwards, thousands of people took to the streets of commercial hub Tel Aviv, chanting slogans against Netanyahu and demanding the return of 97 hostages held in Gaza.
Protesters blocked traffic and lit fires, with some wearing “Bring them home now!” T-shirts referring to the hostages.
They held up signs with slogans such as “We deserve better leaders” and “Leaving no one behind!,” and one protester wore handcuffs and a face mask with Netanyahu’s likeness.
The reshuffle’s timing comes at a critical juncture in the Gaza and Lebanon wars, with both Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon massively weakened.
Jonathan Rynhold of the political studies department at Bar-Ilan University said Netanyahu was feeling “emboldened because he is improving in the polls.”
“He is also taking advantage of the fact that the US election is happening today... everyone’s focus is elsewhere,” he told AFP.
After his appointment, Katz vowed “victory over our enemies and to achieve the goals of the war,” including “the destruction of Hamas in Gaza, the defeat of Hezbollah in Lebanon” and the return of hostages.
Gideon Saar, a minister without portfolio, was appointed to replace Katz as foreign minister.
After being fired, Gallant posted on X that Israel’s security would remain his life’s “mission.”
He called on the government to bring home the hostages in Gaza while they were “still alive” and insisted all Israelis of draft age must serve in the military — a key issue that he and Netanyahu had disagreed on.
The sacked minister had been a key advocate for ultra-Orthodox Jews to be called up, but Netanyahu wanted their exemption to continue, fearing their conscription could break up his far-right coalition government.
Hamas’s October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 43,391 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to Gaza health ministry figures which the United Nations considers to be reliable.
Hamas also seized 251 hostages in their attack, of whom Israel believes 63 people including two children are still alive in Gaza.
After Gallant’s dismissal, the Hostages and Missing Families Forum campaign group urged Katz “to prioritize a hostage deal... to secure the immediate release of all hostages.”
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri welcomed the sacking of Gallant, who especially in the early months of the war was seen as a key architect of the fight against the militant group.
“Netanyahu dismissed Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, who was bragging that he would eliminate Hamas. Today, we say to them that Gallant is gone, but Hamas remains, and will remain, God willing,” Abu Zuhri said.


Aviv Bushinsky, a political commentator and former Netanyahu chief of staff, said Gallant’s dismissal was just “a matter of time.”
“I cannot recall an incident when Israel Katz was in opposition to Netanyahu,” he said.
“Besides, Netanyahu thinks he can run the show himself.”
Meanwhile, on the ground, the wars in Gaza and Lebanon showed no sign of abating.
Authorities in Lebanon reported raids across the country, and the toll from a strike on Tuesday in the town of Barja, south of Beirut, rose to 20.
Hezbollah on Tuesday claimed it had fired rockets and drones into northern Israel, and also targeted Israeli troops near the border inside Lebanon.
Tuesday’s fighting came more than a month into the Hezbollah-Israel war which has left at least 1,990 dead in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally of health ministry figures.
Palestinians in Gaza told AFP that whoever wins the US presidential election must end the conflict in the territory.
“We are hanging by a thread, and like every other people in the world, we are looking for someone who can stop the war,” said Ayman Al-Omreiti, 45, in Gaza City.