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Israeli army claims discovery of ‘Hezbollah training center’ near UNIFIL outpost as raids continue in Lebanon

Israeli army claims discovery of ‘Hezbollah training center’ near UNIFIL outpost as raids continue in Lebanon
A convoy of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) vehicles drive in the Marjayoun area in southern Lebanon, to accompany Lebanese Red Cross ambulances on November 8, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah. (AFP)
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Updated 08 November 2024

Israeli army claims discovery of ‘Hezbollah training center’ near UNIFIL outpost as raids continue in Lebanon

Israeli army claims discovery of ‘Hezbollah training center’ near UNIFIL outpost as raids continue in Lebanon
  • Several videos showed residential houses and tourist, social and religious facilities being set with explosives and blown up remotely
  • Adraee also accused Hezbollah of “using ambulances to transport saboteurs and arms” and called on “medical personnel to avoid dealing and cooperating with Hezbollah members”

BEIRUT: The Israeli army on Friday continued to destroy houses in Lebanon’s southern border villages to establish a buffer zone. The latest bombing targeted the areas of Yaroun, Aitaroun and Maroun Al-Ras in Bint Jbeil.
Several videos showed residential houses and tourist, social and religious facilities being set with explosives and blown up remotely.
In parallel with the deliberate destruction, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued “a new urgent warning to the residents of southern Lebanon,” instructing them “to refrain from returning to the south, or to their houses or olive fields,” describing the region as “a dangerous combat zone.”
Adraee also accused Hezbollah of “using ambulances to transport saboteurs and arms” and called on “medical personnel to avoid dealing and cooperating with Hezbollah members.”
The army will take the “necessary measures against any vehicle transporting armed members regardless of its type,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army claimed that “surveillance cameras of the Oded Brigade reservists captured a Hezbollah training center just 200 meters from a UNIFIL outpost.”
The army claimed that “the forces discovered the training facility, which was used by Hezbollah for training, studying, and storing large quantities of weapons.”
It said that “the facility contained missile launchers used for firing at Israeli settlements, as well as documents and instructional books detailing Hezbollah’s operational methods, maps of Israel, explanations of the Israeli army’s equipment, and additional weapons.” The army said “the weapons were confiscated and the compound was dismantled.”
The Israeli army resumed raids on the Baalbek-Hermel area, killing and injuring people and causing further destruction.
The Ministerial Emergency Committee estimated that, as of Thursday evening, Israel had conducted 121 raids, including 56 on Nabatieh, 24 on Baalbek and 23 in the south.
The committee said the number of people killed so far in Israeli attacks on Lebanon exceed 3,100, while 14,000 people have been injured.
More than 1.2 million people have been displaced, with close to 200,000 staying in shelters, it added.
Lebanese observers believe this transitional phase, from now until US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, is the most dangerous period for Lebanon.
Raids on Kfar Tebnit killed two people after a building comprising residential apartments and commercial shops was destroyed.
A raid on Zebdine in Nabatieh killed Mohammed Fayez Mokaddam and his sons, Fayez and Hadi Mokaddem, after their building was destroyed.
Zaher Ibrahim Ataya, a medic with Hezbollah’s Islamic Health Committee from the southern town of Tair Harfa, was killed when Israeli forces struck a newly established medical center.
The strike was part of a broader Israeli aerial campaign that targeted more than 50 towns across the Tyre and Bint Jbeil districts in the past 48 hours.
The Lebanese Red Cross chief Georges Kettaneh announced that rescue teams have returned to Wata Al-Khiyam to complete the recovery of victims from an incident on Oct. 27.
Working alongside UNIFIL forces and the Lebanese Army, teams recovered four bodies and remains, with efforts continuing to ensure the mission’s completion.
Earlier the Red Cross retrieved 17 bodies from the site where civilians, who had been tending to livestock, sought shelter in a building during an Israeli incursion.
The Israeli military initially stalled permission for the Lebanese Red Cross to recover the victims, eventually granting only a four-hour window for the operation.
The Israeli air campaign extended to Lebanon’s Bekaa region, with strikes hitting Hrabta town west of Baalbek and Hosh Al-Sayyed Ali near the Syrian border north of Hermel.
Sirens sounded across northern Israel, including Haifa, Nazareth, Kiryat Shmona and surrounding areas, as well as the Ramat Trump settlement in the Golan Heights and Israeli media reported approximately 30 rockets launched from Lebanon toward northern Israel and Haifa’s suburbs.
The Israeli military confirmed detecting about 20 rockets, with some being intercepted, and reported drone incursions in northern airspace, including one near Caesarea.
The Israeli military announced the death of a soldier from Battalion 8207, Alon Brigade (228), who succumbed to wounds sustained in southern Lebanon on Oct. 26, while Israeli army radio detailed a fierce battle in the border village of Aitaroun that claimed the lives of six Israeli soldiers.
Hezbollah said on Friday it had launched “dozens of rockets reaching as far as Haifa and south of Nazareth.”
The group claimed strikes on several targets, including the Stella Maris naval base and Ramat David air base, northwest and southeast of Haifa, respectively, Kiryat Shmona settlement, and military gatherings in Misgav Am and Margaliot settlements.
In response to Israeli infiltration attempts, Hezbollah reported targeting Israeli forces south of Adaisseh with artillery fire. The group also claimed to have destroyed a military bulldozer and inflicting casualties on accompanying infantry forces trying to advance northwest of Kfarkila.


Algeria president replaces prime minister

Algeria president replaces prime minister
Updated 03 September 2025

Algeria president replaces prime minister

Algeria president replaces prime minister
  • The presidency statement said Industry Minister Sifi Ghrieb was appointed interim prime minister

ALGIERS: Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Thursday removed his prime minister, Nadir Larbaoui, according to a statement that provided no reason for the decision.
Larbaoui, a former lawyer, held the post since November 2023 following a diplomatic career that saw him represent Algeria as ambassador to several countries as well as to the United Nations.
His absence from a recent meeting to discuss a bus accident that had killed 18 people in the North African country has drawn attention and criticism on social media.
The presidency statement said Industry Minister Sifi Ghrieb was appointed interim prime minister.
Ghrieb, who will keep his ministerial portfolio, has served in various senior positions including as board chairman at the Algerian Qatari Steel company.
 

 


UN ‘gravely alarmed’ by military mobilization in Libya’s capital

Libyan security forces man a check point in the northwestern city of Misrata on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
Libyan security forces man a check point in the northwestern city of Misrata on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
Updated 03 September 2025

UN ‘gravely alarmed’ by military mobilization in Libya’s capital

Libyan security forces man a check point in the northwestern city of Misrata on May 29, 2023. (AFP)
  • Libya is split between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east

TRIPOLI: The UN Support Mission in Libya said Tuesday that it was “gravely alarmed” over new military mobilizations by rival groups in the Libyan capital.
In recent days, armed vehicles have reportedly moved into Tripoli from Misrata, around 200 kilometers (125 miles) away, and on Monday night gunfire was heard in the capital, according to witnesses and videos circulated online.
UNSMIL said the recent “rapidly escalating tensions and military mobilization” in Tripoli “could lead to armed confrontation.”
Sabiha Mohamad, a resident in western Tripoli, told AFP she had heard the gunshots but said “there was more fear than harm.”
There were no official reports of casualties, and it remained unclear who fired the shots.
“We stay cautious when going out, because anything could break out at any moment,” Mohamad said.
Libya is split between the UN-recognized government in Tripoli, led by Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah, and a rival administration in the east.
The North African country has remained divided since a NATO-backed revolt toppled and killed longtime leader Muammar Qaddafi in 2011.
UNSMIL urged “all actors to cease any preparations for violence,” warning they could spiral into a “’lose-lose’ war.”
In May, Tripoli was rocked by days of deadly fighting between rival armed groups that left at least eight people dead, according to the UN.
The fighting came after Dbeibah announced a string of executive orders seeking to dismantle armed groups that he said had “become stronger than the state.”
Tensions have been flaring between government-aligned groups and Radaa, a powerful rival faction that controls Mitiga airport and other parts of eastern Tripoli.
Last month, UNSMIL chief Hanna Tetteh proposed a roadmap for “general elections and the unification of institutions” in the divided country.
The plan looks to implement a “politically viable electoral framework” and “a new unified government,” the UN said.
 

 


Israel launches new military surveillance satellite into space

Israel launches new military surveillance satellite into space
Updated 02 September 2025

Israel launches new military surveillance satellite into space

Israel launches new military surveillance satellite into space
  • The Ofek 19 satellite was built by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries

JERUSALEM: Israel on Tuesday launched its latest spy satellite into space from an undisclosed site, the Defense Ministry said.
The Ofek 19 satellite was built by state-run Israel Aerospace Industries.
“Ofek 19 is a highly advanced SAR (synthetic aperture radar) observation satellite with enhanced capabilities. Upon entering Earth’s orbit, the satellite will undergo a series of designated tests to assess its integrity and performance,” the ministry said in a statement.
Israel has launched Ofek observation satellites since 1988 for monitoring and intelligence gathering for the military.


Iran says open to US nuclear talks, rejects missile curbs

Iran says open to US nuclear talks, rejects missile curbs
Updated 02 September 2025

Iran says open to US nuclear talks, rejects missile curbs

Iran says open to US nuclear talks, rejects missile curbs
  • “By raising unrealizable issues such as missile restrictions, they set a path which negates any talks,” Larijani wrote on X

TEHRAN: Security chief Ali Larijani said on Tuesday that Iran was open to nuclear talks with the US but ruled out any restrictions on its missile program.
“The path for negotiations with the US is not closed; yet these are the Americans who only pay lip service to talks and do not come to the table; and they wrongly blame Iran for it,” said Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council.
“By raising unrealizable issues such as missile restrictions, they set a path which negates any talks,” Larijani wrote on X.
The remarks came days after the US welcomed a move by European powers to reimpose UN sanctions on Iran but said it remained “available for direct engagement with Iran.”
On Thursday, Britain, France and Germany triggered a “snapback” clause in the deal between Iran and major powers that allows for UN sanctions to be reimposed in the event of non-compliance with its provisions.

 


Recognition of Palestinian state would spur sprint toward two-state solution, envoy says

Recognition of Palestinian state would spur sprint toward two-state solution, envoy says
Updated 02 September 2025

Recognition of Palestinian state would spur sprint toward two-state solution, envoy says

Recognition of Palestinian state would spur sprint toward two-state solution, envoy says
  • “I think it will be the starting gun for what we hope to be a sprint, not even a march, toward implementing the two-state solution,” Zomlot said
  • The move by Britain was significant due to its role in endorsing a “national home for the Jewish people in Palestine” in 1917

LONDON: The recognition of a Palestinian state by leading Western nations will trigger a sprint toward a two-state solution, the head of the Palestinian mission in London said on Tuesday.
Britain, France, Canada, Australia and Belgium have all said they will recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly later this month, although London could halt the process if Israel eased the humanitarian crisis in war-shattered Gaza and committed to a long-term peace process.
The moves are designed to put pressure on Israel to end its assault on Gaza and curtail the building of new Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank, but some question whether recognition is merely symbolic.
“I think it will be the starting gun for what we hope to be a sprint, not even a march, toward implementing the two-state solution, and we are hoping for an active, effective, meaningful role by the United Kingdom,” Husam Zomlot, the head of the Palestinian Mission in London, told Reuters.
Israel, facing a global outcry over its conduct in the Gaza war, has reacted angrily to recognition gestures, saying they would reward Hamas. The Palestinian militant group’s gunmen attacked southern Israeli communities near the border on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians, and taking 251 hostages into Gaza, according to Israeli figures. A two-state solution is the idea that the two sides could co-exist in peace alongside each other — a Palestinian state on territory Israel captured in a 1967 war, with the Gaza Strip and West Bank linked by a corridor through Israel.
But the proposal has become less viable over time, as Israel has accelerated the building of Jewish settlements in occupied territory, while the two sides stick to uncompromising positions on core issues including borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees, and the status of Jerusalem.
Zomlot said the move by Britain was significant due to its role in endorsing a “national home for the Jewish people in Palestine” in 1917. He said it was not too late to achieve a two-state solution, and that he hoped the momentum being built at the UN would lead Israel to dismantle its settlements.
“Once we create sufficient pressure — meaningful pressure — I assure you, it is absolutely possible,” he said.
The United Nations’ highest court said in 2024 Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and its settlements there are illegal and should be withdrawn as soon as possible.
Israel’s right-wing government rules out a Palestinian state and says the territories where settlements have expanded are not occupied in legal terms because they are on disputed lands. It cites biblical and historical ties to those lands.