Israeli attacks kill 2 in Lebanon, threatening peace

An Israeli army Merkava main battle tank deploys at a position in northern Israel along the border with southern Lebanon on March 18, 2025 (AFP)
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Updated 23 March 2025
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Israeli attacks kill 2 in Lebanon, threatening peace

  • Rockets from unidentified sources undermine ceasefire in border area
  • Aoun said: “These events necessitate a firm response,” warning that “any deterioration in the security situation could jeopardize national stability”

BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun condemned on Saturday what he described as “attempts to draw Lebanon back into a cycle of violence.”
His comments followed an escalation earlier in the day when rockets were launched from southern Lebanon toward the Israeli settlement of Metula, opposite the Lebanese town of Kfar Kila.
In response, Israel targeted a house in the town of Tulin with artillery and airstrikes, killing two people, including a child.
Eight others were injured, among them two children.
Aoun said: “The events that occurred in the south in the morning, along with the ongoing escalation since Feb. 18, represent a persistent aggression against Lebanon and a significant blow to the rescue plan that has garnered consensus among the Lebanese people.”
This is the first incident of its kind to occur from Lebanese territory since the ceasefire came into effect on Nov. 27 last year, while Israeli violations of the agreement have continued unabated.
Aoun added: “These events necessitate a firm response,” warning that “any deterioration in the security situation could jeopardize national stability.”

He urged “relevant authorities in the south, particularly the committee overseeing the implementation of the ceasefire agreement and the Lebanese Army, to take necessary measures to prevent any repercussions.”
Aoun also asked the army chief “to implement essential field actions to ensure the safety of citizens and to conduct an urgent investigation to clarify the circumstances of the incident, addressing it with complete transparency.”
He emphasized “the importance of controlling any violations or leniency that could pose a threat to civil peace during these critical times that Lebanon is experiencing.”
The Army Command said that “search-and-inspection operations” following the incident discovered three makeshift rocket launchers in the area north of the Litani River, between the towns of Kfar Tebnit and Arnoun in Nabatieh.
The rocket launchers were dismantled.
Army units continue to “implement necessary measures to stabilize the situation in the south,” it said.
Israel said that sirens were activated in the Metula settlement and the Iron Dome system intercepted three missiles.
Israeli media reported that rockets were fired from Qalaat Al-Shaqif, between Yahmar Al-Shaqif and Arnoun, in southern Lebanon.
In response, Israeli artillery targeted Lebanese border villages, including Kafr Kila and Khiam.
Yahmar Al-Shaqif in Nabatieh experienced sporadic shelling, which extended to the outskirts of Arnoun and Kafr Tibnit.
About 10 shells were reported to have landed in these areas, with artillery strikes also reaching Mays Al-Jabal and Blida.
Later, Israel’s Ministry of Defense said that the Israeli army will launch strikes on dozens of sites in Lebanon in response to the attack on Metula.
An Israeli military source said that the army “responds to any threat, regardless of who fires the shots.”
Two security sources told Israeli Army Radio that the army “has not yet completed its response and further attacks are expected in the coming hours.”
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Israel “will not allow rocket fire from Lebanon on the Galilee communities. The rule for Metula is the rule for Beirut.”
Israeli army chief Eyal Zamir said “the army will respond strongly to the attack. The Lebanese state bears responsibility for maintaining the ceasefire agreement.”
While Israel accused Hezbollah of orchestrating the attack, Lebanese media suggested Palestinian factions in Lebanon were behind the incident.
Hezbollah denied involvement, saying that “Israel was using the accusation to justify its continued attacks on Lebanon despite the ceasefire.”
In a separate statement, Hezbollah reiterated its “full commitment to the ceasefire agreement. We support the Lebanese government in addressing the dangerous Israeli escalation in Lebanon.”
In an interview with Al-Arabiya on Friday, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that “the ministerial statement clearly stipulates that the state would be the sole possessor of weapons,” adding that “the slogan ‘people, army, and resistance’ is now a thing of the past.”
Lebanese state authorities acted swiftly to prevent any deterioration of the situation at the border.
Aoun tasked Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji with “carrying out Arab and international calls to convey Lebanon’s position on the developments in the south.”
These calls included “consultations with UNIFIL leadership to prevent any further escalation that could extend into Lebanon’s interior.”
Salam tasked Minister of Defense Michel Menassa with “taking necessary measures to assert that the state solely controls war and peace decisions,” according to his media office.
Salam also contacted Janine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative in Lebanon, urging the UN “to increase international pressure on Israel to fully withdraw from the occupied Lebanese territories.”
Salam warned against “the resurgence of military operations on the southern border, and the risks that could drag the country into a new war, which would bring calamities upon Lebanon and its people.”
Parliament speaker Nabih Berri called on Lebanese authorities, including the Ceasefire Monitoring Committee, to uncover the circumstances of what happened in the south.
In a statement, he stressed that “the primary beneficiary of dragging Lebanon and the region into a major explosion is Israel, which has violated Resolution 1701 and the ceasefire terms with over 1,500 violations so far, while Lebanon and its resistance have fully adhered to all provisions of this agreement.”
Berri called on “political forces to cleanse political rhetoric, rally behind the state and its institutions, and be aware of the dangers posed by creating pretexts for the enemy through the stirring up of divisive sentiments, which open doors for the enemy to infiltrate and undermine Lebanon’s stability.”
Minister of Foreign Affairs Youssef Rajji said that “Lebanon doesn’t seek escalation.”
He added: “The latest escalation poses a threat to security and stability in the region, and places Lebanon in confrontation with a regional military power, constituting a significant challenge to Lebanese political and diplomatic efforts.”
In a statement, UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti expressed deep concern over the possible escalation of hostilities in the area.
Tenenti said that UNIFIL is closely monitoring the situation, urging all parties “to refrain from taking any steps that might jeopardize the progress made in the ceasefire agreement.”


Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill at least 40

Updated 47 min 22 sec ago
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Gaza rescuers say Israeli strikes kill at least 40

  • Eight people were killed in an Israeli strike on the Abu Mahadi family home in Jabalia
  • An Israeli strike on the Al-Agha family home killed five people in an area of Khan Yunis in the south

GAZA CITY, Palestinian Territories: Gaza’s civil defense agency said Israeli strikes on Monday killed at least 40 people across the Palestinian territory, which has been under an Israeli aid blockade for more than 50 days.
Israel resumed its military campaign in the Gaza Strip on March 18. A ceasefire agreement that had largely halted the fighting for two months before that collapsed over disagreements between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, whose 2023 attack triggered the war.
Civil defense official Mohammed Al-Mughayyir told AFP that 40 people had been killed since dawn on Monday.
They included eight people who were killed in an Israeli strike on the Abu Mahadi family home in Jabalia, in the north of the territory.
“They were sleeping in their homes, feeling safe, when missiles hit... this scene makes the body shiver,” said Abdul Majeed Abu Mahadi, 67, who added that his brother was killed in the attack.
“If a person looked at this scene, they would have seen children, women and elderly men cut into pieces, it makes the heart ache, but what can we do?“
The civil defense agency reported that another 10 people were killed in an Israeli strike on the Al-Ghamari family home in the Al-Sudaniya area northwest of Gaza City.
A strike on the Al-Agha family home killed eight others in an area of Khan Yunis in the south, it added.
Fourteen others were killed in four separate strikes across the territory, the civil defense said, including one that hit a tent sheltering displaced people in the Al-Shafii camp, west of Khan Yunis.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Monday that at least 2,222 people have been killed since Israel resumed strikes, bringing the overall death toll since the war broke out to 52,314.
The Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Militants also abducted 251 people, 58 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel says its renewed military campaign aims to force Hamas to free the remaining captives.


Iran minister blames ‘negligence’ for port blast that killed 65

Iranian Red Crescent rescuers work following an explosion at the Shahid Rajaee port in Bandar Abbas, Iran, April 27, 2025.
Updated 4 min 11 sec ago
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Iran minister blames ‘negligence’ for port blast that killed 65

  • Iran’s state TV showed images of firefighters still dousing the flames Monday, and said the damage would be assessed after the fire was fully brought under control

TEHRAN: Iran’s interior minister on Monday blamed “negligence” for a massive explosion that killed 65 people at the country’s largest commercial port, with firefighters still battling a blaze at the facility two days later.
The blast occurred on Saturday at the Shahid Rajaee Port in Iran’s south, near the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes.
“The death toll has reached 65 in this horrific incident,” Mohammad Ashouri, governor of the southern Hormozgan province where the port is located, told state television, adding that the fire has not been fully extinguished yet.
Officials have said more than 1,000 people were injured. The province’s crisis management director, Mehrdad Hassanzadeh, said most had already been released after treatment.
On Monday, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni told state TV that “culprits have been identified and summoned,” and that the blast was caused by “shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence.”
Momeni, who has been in the area since hours after the blast, stated that the “investigation is still underway.”
Iran’s state TV showed images of firefighters still dousing the flames Monday, and said the damage would be assessed after the fire was fully brought under control.
Heavy charcoal-black smoke continued to billow over low flames at part of the site, above which a firefighting helicopter flew, pictures from the Iranian Red Crescent showed.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has ordered a probe into the incident.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion but the port’s customs office said it likely resulted from a fire that broke out at the hazardous and chemical materials storage depot.
CCTV images on social media showed it began gradually, with a small fire belching orange-brown smoke among a few containers stacked outside, across from a warehouse.
A small forklift truck drives past the area and men can be seen walking nearby.
About one minute after the small fire and smoke become visible, a fireball erupts as vehicles pass nearby, with men running for their lives.
President Masoud Pezeshkian visited hospitals treating the wounded on Sunday in the nearby city of Bandar Abbas.
Since the explosion, authorities have ordered all schools and offices in the area closed, and have urged residents to avoid going outside “until further notice” and to use protective masks.
The New York Times quoted a person with ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate — a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles.
Defense ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state TV that “there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area.”
Iran’s ally Russia has dispatched specialists to help battle the blazes.
Authorities have declared Monday a national day of mourning, while three days of mourning began Sunday in Hormozgan province.
The blast occurred as Iranian and US delegations were meeting in Oman for high-level talks on Tehran’s nuclear program.
While Iranian authorities so far appear to be treating the blast as an accident, it also comes against the backdrop of years of shadow war with regional foe Israel.
According to The Washington Post, Israel launched a cyberattack targeting the Shahid Rajaee Port in 2020.


Israeli authorities order Palestinians to stop building homes in Al-Jib town

Updated 28 April 2025
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Israeli authorities order Palestinians to stop building homes in Al-Jib town

  • Residents were ordered to halt construction on three homes and caravans for livestock
  • The stop-work order is a decree that often triggers a demolition order

LONDON: Israeli authorities issued stop-work orders for several Palestinian structures being built in Al-Jib town, north of occupied East Jerusalem.

On Monday, authorities stormed Al-Jib and notified residents to halt construction on three homes and caravans for raising livestock, according to the Wafa news agency. The stop-work order is a decree that often triggers a demolition order.

The majority of village territory, located 9 km north of Jerusalem, falls within Area C where the Palestinian Authority is in charge of educational and health services, while Israel remains responsible for security and construction.

Israel restricts Palestinians from expanding in Area C, and inside Jerusalem, it rarely grants building permits to residents of the city. Al-Jib is surrounded by several Israeli settlements, the biggest of which is Giv’at Ze’ev.

The Palestinain Authority-affiliated Wall and Settlement Resistance Commission reported in March that Israeli authorities carried out 58 demolition operations in the occupied West Bank, affecting 87 structures. These included 39 inhabited homes, six uninhabited houses, and 26 agricultural properties in the cities of Nablus, Tulkarm, Jerusalem, and Salfit.


Houthis say alleged US airstrike that hit Yemen prison holding African migrants kills 68

Yemeni rescuers transport the body of a victim from the rubble of a building hit in US strikes in the northern province of Saada
Updated 28 April 2025
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Houthis say alleged US airstrike that hit Yemen prison holding African migrants kills 68

DUBAI: The Houthis on Monday alleged a US airstrike hit a prison holding African migrants, killing at least 68 people and wounding 47 others. The US military did not acknowledge carrying out the strike.
The strike was in Yemen’s Saada governorate, a stronghold for the Houthis.
It will likely renew questions from activists about the American campaign, known as “Operation Rough Rider,” which has been targeting the militia as the Trump administration negotiates with their main benefactor, Iran, over Tehran’s rapidly advancing nuclear program.
The US military’s Central Command, in a statement early Monday before news of the alleged strike broke, sought to defend its policy of offering no specific details of its extensive airstrike campaign. The strikes have drawn controversy in America over Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the unclassified Signal messaging app to post sensitive details about the attacks.
“To preserve operational security, we have intentionally limited disclosing details of our ongoing or future operations,” Central Command said. “We are very deliberate in our operational approach, but will not reveal specifics about what we’ve done or what we will do.”
It did not immediately respond to questions from The Associated Press about the alleged strike in Saada.
Graphic footage shows aftermath of explosion
Graphic footage aired by the Houthis’ Al-Masirah satellite news channel showed what appeared to be dead bodies and others wounded at the site. The Houthi-run Interior Ministry said some 115 migrants had been detained at the site.
The militia’s Civil Defense organization said at least 68 people had been killed and 47 others wounded in the attack.
Footage from the site analyzed by the AP suggested some kind of explosion took place there, with its cement walls seemingly peppered by debris fragments and the wounds suffered by those there.
A voice, soft in the footage, can be heard repeating the start of a prayer in Arabic: “In the name of God.” An occasional gunshot rang out as medics sought to help those wounded.
The International Organization for Migration, a United Nations agency, said it was “deeply saddened” by the deaths at the prison.
“It is imperative that all efforts are made to avoid harm to civilians and to protect those most vulnerable in these challenging circumstances,” it said.
US military says over 800 strikes conducted in campaign so far
Meanwhile, US airstrikes overnight targeting Yemen’s capital killed at least eight people, the Houthis said. The American military acknowledged carrying out over 800 individual strikes in their monthlong campaign.
The overnight statement from Central Command also said “Operation Rough Rider” had “killed hundreds of Houthi fighters and numerous Houthi leaders,” including those associated with its missile and drone program. It did not identify any of those officials.
“We will continue to ratchet up the pressure until the objective is met, which remains the restoration of freedom of navigation and American deterrence in the region,” it added.
The US is targeting the Houthis because of the group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route, and on Israel. The Houthis are also the last militant group in Iran’s self-described “Axis of Resistance” that is capable of regularly attacking Israel.
US discusses deadly port strike
The US is conducting strikes on Yemen from its two aircraft carriers in the region — the USS Harry S. Truman in the Red Sea and the USS Carl Vinson in the Arabian Sea.
On April 18, an American strike on the Ras Isa fuel port killed at least 74 people and wounded 171 others in the deadliest-known attack of the American campaign. Central Command on Monday offered an explanation for why it hit the port.
“US strikes destroyed the ability of Ras Isa Port to accept fuel, which will begin to impact Houthi ability to not only conduct operations, but also to generate millions of dollars in revenue for their terror activities,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Houthis have increasingly sought to control the flow of information from the territory they hold to the outside world. It issued a notice Sunday that all those holding Starlink satellite Internet receivers should “quickly hand over” the devices to authorities.
“A field campaign will be implemented in coordination with the security authorities to arrest anyone who sells, trades, uses, operates, installs or possesses these prohibited terminals,” the Houthis warned.
Starlink terminals have been crucial for Ukraine in fighting Russia’s full-scale invasion and receivers also have been smuggled into Iran amid unrest there.


Sisi meets Burhan in Cairo to discuss restoring stability in Sudan

Updated 28 April 2025
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Sisi meets Burhan in Cairo to discuss restoring stability in Sudan

  • 2 leaders also planned to consult on strengthening bilateral ties 

DUBAI: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Sudan’s Transitional Sovereign Council President Gen. Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan met in Cairo on Monday to discuss ways to restore stability and promote development in Sudan.

The two leaders also planned to consult on strengthening bilateral ties and addressing various regional issues, Ahram Online reported.

Al-Burhan’s visit comes amid ongoing conflict in Sudan, where fighting between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces has devastated the country.

Al-Burhan declared Khartoum “free” of RSF control in March after a major military push.

The war, which erupted in April 2023 over disputes regarding the RSF’s integration into the military, has left tens of thousands dead, with both sides accused of committing atrocities.

Sudan remains deeply divided, with the army controlling the north and east, while the RSF holds much of Darfur and parts of the south.