Hidden in the hills: photos of French peacekeepers uncovering Hezbollah's remnants in Lebanon
From a UNIFIL base above Kafr Kila, the town below looks like a wasteland of crumpled concrete. Across the valley, bulldozers churn dust as they build new positions on land held by Israeli forces despite the November ceasefire.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
4 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
UN envoy warns of renewed violence in Syria a month into a fragile ceasefire
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — Syria's transition remains 'on a knife-edge' and violence could resume at any moment in the southern city of Sweida, which saw deadly clashes last month, the top U.N. envoy for Syria warned on Thursday. Geir Pedersen told the U.N. Security Council that while violence in Sweida has largely subsided following a ceasefire, 'the threat of renewed conflict is ever-present — as are the political centrifugal forces that threaten Syria's sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity.' Syria is grappling with deep ethnic and religious divisions following the ouster of Syria's autocratic President Bashar Assad in December, which brought an end to decades of Assad family rule. The transition has proven fragile, with renewed violence erupting in March along the coast and in July in Sweida, a city with a significant Druze population, highlighting the continued threat to peace after years of civil war. Clashes erupted in Sweida on July 13 between Druze militias and local Sunni Muslim Bedouin tribes, and government forces intervened, nominally to restore order but they ended up essentially siding with the Bedouins. Israel intervened in defense of the Druze, launching dozens of airstrikes on convoys of government fighters. Pedersen said in a video briefing to the council that although the July 19 ceasefire agreement has largely held, 'we are still seeing dangerous hostilities and skirmishes on the margins of Sweida. And violence could resume at any moment,.' Pedersen expressed concern that 'a month of relative military calm belies a worsening political climate, with escalatory and zero-sum rhetoric hardening among many.' The U.N. envoy said there is an urgent need for security forces under the transitional government led by interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa to demonstrate that they are acting to protect all Syrians. Pedersen called for major security sector reforms in Syria and the disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of non-government forces. He warned that international support for Syria 'risks being squandered or misdirected' without a genuine political transition that lays the path for long-term stability, good governance, credible reforms and a firm commitment to the rule of law and justice. U.N. humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher called the humanitarian situation in Syria 'dire,' saying 16 million people across the country need humanitarian support. He said aid workers need protection and safety, noting that humanitarian convoys came under fire this month. He said money for food and other assistance is desperately needed, pointing to the U.N. humanitarian appeal for $3.19 billion for 2025 being only 14% funded. ___
Toronto Star
33 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Brazil's police accuse Bolsonaro of receiving $5 million over 1 year, suspect money laundering
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazilian federal police accuse former president Jair Bolsonaro of receiving large sums of money without apparent justification between March of 2023 and February of 2024, according to documents obtained by The Associated Press on Thursday, potentially adding to the embattled former leader's legal woes. Investigators say Brazil's financial watchdog suspects it has a case of money laundering involving Bolsonaro, who in early September will face the verdict and sentencing phase of his trial over an alleged coup plot. The former president could face another trial if the attorney general decides to charge him on accusations of obstruction of justice.
Toronto Star
33 minutes ago
- Toronto Star
Attack on Colombian helicopter on mission to eradicate coca leaf crops leaves 8 officers killed
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — An attack on a Colombian police helicopter killed at least eight police officers on Thursday, according to President Gustavo Petro, who attributed it to dissidents of the defunct Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, commonly known as FARC. Petro said on X that the helicopter was transporting personnel to an area in Antioquia, in northern Colombia, to eradicate coca leaf crops, the raw material for cocaine.
