Israeli strikes trigger ‘earthquake fears’ in Lebanese border region

Israeli strikes trigger ‘earthquake fears’ in Lebanese border region
UNIFIL vehicles patrol the Marjayoun area in southern Lebanon. (AFP)
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Updated 26 October 2024
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Israeli strikes trigger ‘earthquake fears’ in Lebanese border region

Israeli strikes trigger ‘earthquake fears’ in Lebanese border region
  • Hezbollah drone strike targets Israeli airbase, rocket salvo hits intelligence base in Safed
  • UNIFIL confirms it will remain in all its locations, monitoring, submitting reports

BEIRUT: The Israeli army is continuing its aggressive operations, causing devastation in the Lebanese border region.

Israeli booby-traps were found on Saturday while explosions were heard in Odaisseh and Rab Al-Thalathine.

The attacks sent tremors through neighboring towns, causing residents to believe an earthquake had struck.

The sound of explosions could be heard in Marjayoun and Nabatieh.

Activists on social media shared images showing a great strip of explosions, fire, and smoke caused by explosions along the border in the eastern sector.

The extent of the destruction in the border region remains unclear as access to the affected area presents a challenge following Israel’s complete displacement of residents and the prohibition of entry due to military action.

The Israeli army said that “the explosions in the north are a result of our forces’ operations in southern Lebanon,” adding that “there is no fear of a security incident.”

Israeli sources added: “Authorities confirm that there was no earthquake in the Galilee, but rather explosions from the army in southern Lebanon activated the seismic monitoring devices.”

Clashes were continuing as the 13th relief plane operated by the Saudi aid agency KSrelief arrived at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport on Saturday, carrying essential humanitarian supplies including food and medical aid.

Officials said the initiative reflected “the humanitarian role of Saudi Arabia in supporting the Lebanese people during various crises and hardships.”

A month has passed since the expansion of Israel’s war against Lebanon under the pretext of pushing back the Iran-backed Hezbollah north of the Litani River and returning Israeli settlers to their homes.

The Israeli army claimed that it had “found a tunnel underground and raided houses used as Hezbollah weapon and ammunition depots.”

Political analyst Ali Al-Amin told Arab News: “The Israeli army’s land incursion focuses on Hezbollah’s tunnels, and the nature of the explosions proves so.

“The Israeli army had previously bombed buildings in Mhaibib, and we did not witness such tremors because the operations were above ground.”

He added: “The Israeli incursion depends on its costs. If the cost is high, it will stop. There’s also the time factor.

“It is obvious that the Israeli incursion went beyond Aita Al-Shaab, for instance, and reached other towns across from Aita Al-Shaab.

“It seems as if the Israeli army is imposing an implicit blockade on the towns where the incursion was difficult, so it can return later after it depletes Hezbollah’s power, especially since the militant group’s supplies had been cut off.”

Al-Amin pointed out that “the Israeli army had previously occupied southern Lebanon in the 1970s and 80s without destroying towns and displacing its residents in advance, which means that the Israeli army seeks a fully burned land and a burned border strip in which all of Hezbollah’s infrastructure is destroyed.”

He added: “So far there are no opportunities for an agreement, settlement, or de-escalation.

“I think that the decision-making in Lebanon is largely in the hands of Israel, with certain red lines established by the US, particularly concerning the airport and the capital Beirut.”

Israeli airstrikes in the southern region on Saturday resulted in the deaths of several civilians in the Sidon district.

Five members of the Abouria family, including women and children, were killed in an attack on the town of Tuffahata in the Sidon district.

A paramedic was killed and 12 others injured in an airstrike on a health center in Al-Bazourieh, while two brothers from the Hamada family were killed after their home in the town of Al-Duwair was targeted by an airstrike, and a raid on Al-Shaitiya resulted in the deaths of three people.

Raids also targeted residences in the towns of Kfar Remen, Mayfadoun, Burj Al-Shamali in the Tyre district, Tayr Debba, Ansar, Mount Al-Rayhan Heights, Bissariyeh, Ansar, Bedias, and the city of Nabatieh, where several targets were hit including the Nabatieh Vocational School building where displaced families were taking refuge.

Phosphorus artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of the towns of Halta and Wadi Khansa, and ignited fires in the Majdal Zone and Chamaa, while Yahmar Al-Shaqif was targeted by internationally prohibited cluster bombs.

Up to Friday night in the Baalbek-Hermel region and central Bekaa, the total number of strikes had reached 961 and resulted in the deaths of 427 people and injuries to 988 others.

Hezbollah said on Saturday that it had launched a drone attack on Israel’s Tel Nof Airbase south of Tel Aviv and targeted an intelligence base in northern Safed with rockets.

Its statement said it had targeted “the Kiryat Shmona settlement and an Israeli military gathering in the vicinity of Aita Al-Shaab.”

The group also targeted a military assembly in the Masharifa area in Ras Al-Naqoura and a gathering of soldiers in Shlomi.

Explosions and airstrikes targeting residential areas in the populated towns of the southern region, as well as in the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley, were accompanied by the release of odors following each bombardment.

Warnings regarding these gasses have been disseminated through social media alerts by individuals who experienced the events.

Israeli airstrikes on Friday targeted Haret Hreik, Burj Al-Barajneh, and the vicinity of Al-Laylaki in the southern suburbs of Beirut and followed an Israeli warning to evacuate buildings.

An Israeli army spokesperson said that “sites (used) for the production of weaponry and the intelligence headquarters of Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut were targeted.”

Meanwhile, Andrea Tenenti, the spokesperson for the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, confirmed on Saturday that units of the peacekeeping force were remaining in their positions south of the Litani River.

He said that peacekeeping soldiers were continuing their primary mission of monitoring the situation on the ground and reporting on developments, despite facing challenges.

He added: “When we say we are in our locations, we mean every one of these sites.”

UNIFIL on Friday announced that its soldiers had “withdrawn, two days ago, from an observation post in the border town of Dhahira in the western sector to avoid injury after the Israeli army deliberately fired upon it while peacekeeping soldiers were observing Israeli army soldiers carrying out clearing operations in nearby homes.”


Iraqi amnesty law could free prisoners convicted of attacking US troops

Updated 6 sec ago
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Iraqi amnesty law could free prisoners convicted of attacking US troops

Iraqi amnesty law could free prisoners convicted of attacking US troops
Judicial sources and lawmakers confirmed that those convicted of attacks against American forces in Iraq could benefit from the law
Sunni blocs in the Iraqi parliament have been pushing for the law

BAGHDAD: The Iraqi parliament has passed an amnesty law that could lead to the release of thousands of prisoners, including Iraqis convicted of attacks on US soldiers and people who fought for Islamic State, lawmakers said on Thursday.
A copy of the law seen by Reuters shows that those found guilty of terrorism leading to murder or disability, manslaughter, vandalising government institutions, and recruiting for or joining terrorist organizations can request a retrial if they allege a confession was extracted under duress.
Judicial sources and lawmakers confirmed that those convicted of attacks against American forces in Iraq could benefit from the law.
Sunni blocs in the Iraqi parliament have been pushing for the law as many of those in prison on such charges are Sunni Muslims, with most convicted of membership of Al Qaeda and Islamic State and carrying out attacks against Iraqi forces and civilians, mostly between 2004 and 2018.
Sunni lawmakers estimate that at least 30,000 Sunni prisoners will have the chance for a retrial.
Judicial sources say around 700 members of Shiite militias are also in prison convicted of terrorism, having been arrested by US forces between 2004 and 2008, for attacks on US soldiers.
Abul Karim Al-Mohammedawi, the Shiite head of parliament’s security and defense committee, said the top priority of the law should be releasing detainees who fought American forces in Iraq because “they are heroes and should be rewarded for their sacrifices, not left behind bars for the crime of defending their country.”
Sunni lawmaker Raad Al-Dahlaki said: “This law will not lead to the immediate release of prisoners. We, the Sunni bloc in parliament, demanded the retrial and review of all the prisoners’ investigations, and the courts will decide their fate.”
The law applies to all convicted Iraqis and those accused of crimes still under investigation or on trial. It also allows for the review of death sentences.
Government officials and judicial sources say the new law will alleviate pressure on overcrowded prisons, which currently house around 67,000 prisoners, far exceeding their capacity of 25,000.
Tuesday’s session also passed an amendment to the Iraqi personal status law, which was submitted by the majority Shiite blocs in parliament, that would allow Iraqi Muslims to choose either Sunni or Shi’ite sharia laws for personal status matters, instead of one standard regardless of sect or religion.
Critics say amendments that allow sect-based jurisprudence to govern personal matters, such as marriage, divorce, and inheritance, could institutionalize legal divisions between Sunni and Shiite Iraqis, further entrenching sectarian divides.
“This amendment could change the social fabric of the country at a time when sectarian tensions run high and stability remains precarious”, said Sarah Sanbar, Iraq researcher at Human Rights Watch.
The parliament also approved a law, which was pressed by the Kurds, allowing the return of farmlands confiscated before 2003 to their original owners, mainly Kurds.

Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli military campaign in Jenin

Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli military campaign in Jenin
Updated 23 min 39 sec ago
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Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli military campaign in Jenin

Jordanian Foreign Ministry condemns Israeli military campaign in Jenin
  • Governor of Jenin says Israeli forces cut off electricity

LONDON: The Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday condemned the Israeli military campaign in the city of Jenin in the north of the occupied West Bank.

Sufian Al-Qudah, the spokesperson for the ministry, said that Jordan opposed and condemned the aggression of Israeli occupation forces in Jenin, which violated international humanitarian law.

He urged the international community to act to compel Israel to halt the escalation in action in the occupied West Bank, the Jordan News Agency reported.

The Governor of Jenin Kamal Abu Al-Rub told WAFA News Agency that Israeli forces had cut off electricity to the Jenin camp and surrounding areas on Thursday. This had resulted in a power outage at the Jenin Government and Ibn Sina hospitals.

The Israeli operation, which was launched just after a ceasefire in Gaza, has left at least 10 Palestinians dead, according to health authorities.


WEF panel discusses crises beyond Gaza, Ukraine, questions the ‘crisis of crisis management’

WEF panel discusses crises beyond Gaza, Ukraine, questions the ‘crisis of crisis management’
Updated 46 min 31 sec ago
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WEF panel discusses crises beyond Gaza, Ukraine, questions the ‘crisis of crisis management’

WEF panel discusses crises beyond Gaza, Ukraine, questions the ‘crisis of crisis management’
  • WEF draws attention to world’s flashpoints

DUBAI: More than 300 million people around the world will need humanitarian assistance and protection in 2025, according to the Global Humanitarian Overview.

The conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine have dominated international attention, while other crises — such as those in Sudan, Myanmar and Venezuela — continue to affect millions.

The World Economic Forum in Davos drew attention to these crises, bringing together Comfort Ero, the president and CEO of International Crisis Group; Catherine Russell, the executive director of UNICEF; and Ricardo Hausmann, founder and director of the Growth Lab at Harvard University. The panel they attended was titled “Crises Beneath the Headlines” and moderated by Ishaan Tharoor, the foreign affairs columnist at The Washington Post.

Ero said that it was the first time in the group’s 30 years of operations where its work was dominated by “big power rivalry and major power competition,” which “infects” and influences many conflicts.

Although there are fewer conflicts, particularly in Africa, it does not mean there are not any conflicts, she added.

Ero said: “I do not necessarily think that these conflicts are off the radar; they have been deprioritized because of the bandwidth and the capacity, and because there’s just an inordinate amount of conflicts on the rise at the same time.”

Russell said that UNICEF, too, was struggling to respond to the sheer number and scale of crises.

She said: “We estimate that more than 213 million children live in 146 countries and territories and will need humanitarian assistance. The numbers are just overwhelming.”

Crises in Haiti, Myanmar, Sudan and Syria are also on UNICEF’s agenda, but the organization faces funding issues with 50 percent of the humanitarian funding it receives going to only five emergencies, Russell said.

She spoke about the massive numbers of children affected in Haiti and Sudan.

Some 700,000 people, including 365,000 children, are displaced because of violence perpetrated by armed gangs, and 6 million people need humanitarian assistance, with serious food insecurity an added issue in Haiti.

In Sudan, 19 million children are school-aged and 17 million of them are out of school and have been for more than a year.

While Syria has had a recent moment of triumph, its infrastructure has completely collapsed and millions of children are out of school and living in areas with landmines, which have become a leading cause of death and injury, she added. 

“Attention draws resources, and so not having a lot of attention (drawn to these issues) is a problem,” Russell said.

Latin America is not free of issues either, with Venezuela being in the midst of a political and humanitarian crisis exacerbated by Nicolas Maduro, its president, remaining in office despite a six-month-long election dispute, international calls for him to stand aside, and an increase in the US reward offered for his capture.

Hausmann described the country’s downfall as “poetic in some dark sense.”

Despite Venezuela sitting on top of the largest oil reserves in the world, its gross domestic product has collapsed by 75 percent — “that’s three Great Depressions” — and 8 million people have left the country, he said.

Hausmann added that “Venezuela’s biggest obstacle is the government,” which has become an “international criminal organization” involved in “narco trafficking, money laundering, (and) the finance of terrorism.”

He said: “We have a situation where you have a government that has a deep internal sense of illegitimacy, and in the process of trying to survive it has destroyed the legitimacy of all other organizations (such as) the National Assembly, the Supreme Court, the attorney general, the army, etc.”

Looking to the future, he said, Venezuela was receiving mixed messages from the US with some people, like Secretary of State Marco Rubio and National Security Adviser Mike Waltz, “showing a willingness to be helpful in re-establishing democratic order,” while others, like Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno, were “more or less normalizing Maduro.”

Tharoor asked the panel how the work of international groups had been affected at a time when countries were shaping their messaging for a “Trumpist world” and becoming more “nation-first.”

Ero said that we “can’t divorce ourselves” from the nation-first approach or from “national interest.”

But, she added: “There is a serious question mark about the crisis of the crisis management system itself, where it’s very hard now to see who the key mediators are that have the influence and leverage to change the dynamics in a country like Sudan. We are in a crisis of peacemaking.”

Organizations like UNICEF and other humanitarian aid agencies are doing what they can but Russell described them as a “band-aid” that arrives due to political failures.

She said: “We save millions and millions of lives, but we’re not the answer. The answer is to stop the conflict in the first place. We have no power to do that, and so we are at the mercy of this really dysfunctional political system.”

She added that the countries that make up the UN Security Council “have to come together and decide that they’re going to put their own interests aside, hopefully, and try to look out for what’s best for their countries and their regions and the world at large.”


Microsoft’s ties to IDF deepened during Gaza war, investigation reveals

Microsoft’s ties to IDF deepened during Gaza war, investigation reveals
Updated 23 January 2025
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Microsoft’s ties to IDF deepened during Gaza war, investigation reveals

Microsoft’s ties to IDF deepened during Gaza war, investigation reveals
  • US tech giant provided Israeli military with computing, cloud services as demand surged
  • Air force unit also used Microsoft services to develop databases of potential targets

LONDON: The Israel Defense Forces’ reliance on Microsoft cloud technology deepened at the height of its invasion of Gaza, an investigation has revealed.

Leaked documents viewed by The Guardian, Israeli-Palestinian publication +972 Magazine and Hebrew-language outlet Local Call show that Microsoft’s business ties with the IDF surged after Oct. 7, 2023.

The US tech giant supplied the IDF with greater computing and cloud services, artificial-intelligence technologies and thousands of hours of technical support.

The Gaza offensive brought new demands for data storage and computing power, with several sources in the Israeli defense community saying the IDF had become dependent on Microsoft, Amazon and Google.

Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform was used by Israeli units across air, sea and ground forces to support combat and intelligence activities.

Staff from the tech giant also worked closely with members of Unit 8200, an IDF intelligence unit that develops cutting-edge espionage technology.

Microsoft’s technology was also used by the IDF to operate Rolling Stone, a system used to manage the population registry of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. The system is capable of tracking the movement of its subjects.

Ofek, an Israeli air force unit, also used Microsoft services to develop “target banks.” The large databases included potential airstrike targets in Gaza, and were used by IDF personnel during the height of the bombing campaign.

Between October 2023 and June 2024, the Israeli Defense Ministry bought 19,000 hours of engineering support and consultancy services from Microsoft, which was awarded about $10 million in fees as a result of the sales.

The leaked documents reportedly show that the IDF’s average monthly consumption of Azure cloud services in the first six months of the war was 60 percent higher than in the four months preceding it.

The IDF also used technologies from Microsoft’s competitors. Google’s cloud division provided the Israeli military with access to AI-based services, the Washington Post reported on Wednesday.

Use of OpenAI’s GPT-4 also surged during the first six months of the war, though the service was made available through Microsoft’s Azure.


Turkiye attacking Kurds in northern Syria will be dangerous, Iraqi FM tells Davos

Turkiye attacking Kurds in northern Syria will be dangerous, Iraqi FM tells Davos
Updated 23 January 2025
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Turkiye attacking Kurds in northern Syria will be dangerous, Iraqi FM tells Davos

Turkiye attacking Kurds in northern Syria will be dangerous, Iraqi FM tells Davos
  • Attacking Kurdish forces in northern Syria would create more refugees, Hussein told WEF

DAVOS: Turkiye attacking Kurdish forces in northern Syria would be dangerous and would create more refugees in neighboring Iraq, said Fuad Hussein, Iraq’s foreign minister, at the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday.