Lebanese Politician Khalil Al-Toum on Hizbullah TV: We Will Not Give Up Our Resistance - We Invented the 'Exploding Bodies Theory,' Martyrdom-Seekers Are the Most Powerful Weapon; Let the Israelis Com
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Iraqi News
5 hours ago
- Iraqi News
Lebanon's Hezbollah rejects cabinet decision to disarm it
Beirut – Hezbollah said Wednesday that it would treat a Lebanese government decision to disarm the militant group 'as if it did not exist', accusing the cabinet of committing a 'grave sin'. Amid heavy US pressure and fears Israel could expand its strikes on Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Tuesday that the government had tasked the army with developing a plan to restrict weapons to government forces by year end. The plan is to be presented to the government by the end of August for discussion and approval, and another cabinet meeting has been scheduled for Thursday to continue the talks, including on a US-proposed timetable for disarmament. Hezbollah said the government had 'committed a grave sin by taking the decision to disarm Lebanon of its weapons to resist the Israeli enemy'. The decision is unprecedented since Lebanon's civil war factions gave up their weapons three and a half decades ago. 'This decision undermines Lebanon's sovereignty and gives Israel a free hand to tamper with its security, geography, politics and future existence… Therefore, we will treat this decision as if it does not exist,' the Iran-backed group said in a statement. – 'Serves Israel's interests' – The government said its decision came as part of implementing a November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which culminated in two months of full-blown war. Hezbollah said it viewed the government's move as 'the result of dictates from US envoy' Tom Barrack. It 'fully serves Israel's interests and leaves Lebanon exposed to the Israeli enemy without any deterrence', the group said. Hezbollah was the only faction that kept its weapons after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. It emerged weakened politically and militarily from its latest conflict with Israel, its arsenal pummelled and its senior leadership decimated. Israel has kept up its strikes on Hezbollah and other targets despite the November truce, and has threatened to keep doing so until the group has been disarmed. An Israeli strike on the southern town of Tulin on Wednesday killed one person and wounded another, the health ministry said. Israel also launched a series of air strikes on southern Lebanon, wounding several people according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. Hezbollah said Israel must halt those attacks before any domestic debate about its weapons and a new defence strategy could begin. – 'Pivotal moment' – 'We are open to dialogue, ending the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, liberating its land, releasing prisoners, working to build the state, and rebuilding what was destroyed by the brutal aggression,' the group said. Hezbollah is 'prepared to discuss a national security strategy', but not under Israeli fire, it added. Two ministers affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally the Amal movement walked out of Tuesday's meeting. Hezbollah described the walkout as 'an expression of rejection' of the government's 'decision to subject Lebanon to American tutelage and Israeli occupation'. The Amal movement, headed by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, accused the government of 'rushing to offer more gratuitous concessions' to Israel when it should have sought to end the ongoing attacks. It called Thursday's cabinet meeting 'an opportunity for correction'. Hezbollah opponent the Lebanese Forces, one of the country's two main Christian parties, said the cabinet's decision to disarm the militant group was 'a pivotal moment in Lebanon's modern history — a long-overdue step toward restoring full state authority and sovereignty'. The Free Patriotic Movement, the other major Christian party and a former ally of Hezbollah, said it was in favour of the army receiving the group's weapons 'to strengthen Lebanon's defensive power'. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a televised interview that any decision on disarmament 'will ultimately rest with Hezbollah itself'. 'We support it from afar, but we do not intervene in its decisions,' he added, noting that the group had 'rebuilt itself' following setbacks during its war with Israel.
Shafaq News
7 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Iraq: Major ISIS figure arrested
Shafaq News – Nineveh Abu Salem al-Iraqi, a senior ISIS figure, was arrested in Nineveh province during an intelligence-led operation by Iraq's National Security Service, security sources told Shafaq News on Wednesday. The arrest took place in the Qatanbiyah area of Sinjar, 'after al-Iraqi was lured back into the country through a fabricated job offer arranged by the agency using one of his former acquaintances,' the sources said, adding that he had been in hiding for over a decade, using forged identities to evade capture. Preliminary investigations revealed his direct involvement in the killing of an Iraqi soldier during ISIS's large-scale offensive across the country in 2014. Meanwhile, the US-led International Coalition praised the operation in a statement, calling it a new success in intelligence and security coordination between Iraqi forces and international partners, 'as part of ongoing efforts to eliminate remaining ISIS elements.'
Shafaq News
11 hours ago
- Shafaq News
Israeli airstrikes pound southern Lebanon
Shafaq News – Beirut Israeli warplanes launched a wave of airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Wednesday, injuring several civilians, according to Lebanese media. The National News Agency reported that the strikes targeted a vehicle and equipment depot in Deir Seryan, in the Marjayoun district, while others hit the town of Zawtar in neighboring Nabatieh. Additional raids reportedly struck the outskirts of Ansar, also in Nabatieh, as well as areas in Mahmoudiyah, the Barbij outskirts of Jbaa, and the vicinity of Tuffahata. Israeli Army Spokesperson Avichay Adraee claimed responsibility for the attacks on X, stating that the military had targeted 'terrorist infrastructure belonging to Hezbollah.' #عاجل 🔸 جيش الدفاع هاجم أهدافًا إرهابية لحزب الله الإرهابي في جنوب لبنان🔸أغار جيش الدفاع قبل قليل على أهداف إرهابية تابعة لحزب الله في جنوب لبنان ومن بينها مستودعات أسلحة ومنصة صاروخية وبنى تحتية تابعة لحزب الله والتي استخدمها لتخزين آليات هندسية مخصصة لاعادة اعمار بنى تحتية… — افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) August 6, 2025 Earlier today, Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health Emergency Operations Center confirmed that an Israeli strike on Touline, another town in Marjayoun, left an 11-year-old boy dead and another person injured. Since the US-brokered ceasefire came into effect on November 27, 2024, Lebanese authorities have documented more than 4,245 Israeli violations, resulting in at least 230 fatalities and over 475 injuries. Although the agreement stipulates a full Israeli withdrawal, five military outposts reportedly remain in the south.
