UN peacekeepers attacked by civilians in Lebanon, no casualties reported
By Tala Ramadan
DUBAI (Reuters) - A large group of civilians wielding metal rods and axes attacked a patrol of U.N. troops in southern Lebanon on Friday, causing damage to U.N. vehicles but no injuries, a United Nations peacekeeping force said.
The U.N. troops used non-lethal force to protect themselves and those present, according to the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), adding the patrol had been on a routine operation between the villages of Jmayjmeh and Khirbat Silim.
The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) were notified and arrived shortly after the incident, escorting the patrol back to base.
UNIFIL said the patrol had been pre-planned and coordinated with the LAF.
The U.N. peacekeeping mission stressed that its mandate, under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, guarantees freedom of movement in its area of operations with or without LAF accompaniment.
On Wednesday, UNIFIL said that direct fire from the Israeli army had hit the perimeter of one of its peacekeeping positions in south Lebanon. UNIFIL said the incident on Tuesday was the first of its kind since Israel and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah agreed to a ceasefire last November.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
Boulder Jewish Festival kicks off amid tight security one week after attack
Boulder Jewish Festival kicks off amid tight security one week after attack Show Caption Hide Caption Authorities charged alleged Boulder attacker with attempted murder Authorities formally charged Mohamed Sabry Soliman with 118 criminal counts including dozens of attempted murder charges. BOULDER, Colo. − The Boulder Jewish Festival was kicking off Sunday amid heightened security at the site where 15 people were injured in a fiery attack on a rally demanding the return of Israeli hostages from Gaza. This is the 30th anniversary of the festival, one of the longest-running Jewish cultural festivals in the nation. "We look forward to sharing this day of resilience, culture and community solidarity in downtown Boulder, exactly one week after an antisemitic terror attack shook the Jewish community," organizers said in a statement, promising "enhanced" security protocols. Organizers said they are working closely with Boulder Police Department, JEWISHColorado and state officialsto ensure safety. "These are precautionary measures and not based on any specific threat," the statement said. "The top priority is creating a secure, welcoming space where everyone can gather in solidarity and celebration." The festival will include a solidarity walk with members of Run For Their Lives, the group that sponsored the walk that drew the attack June 1. The walk will conclude with a "powerful, community-led program" featuring speakers including some from Run For Their Lives Boulder. Among them will be Moshe Emilio Lavi, whose brother-in-law, Omri Miran, 49, was kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 and remains in captivity. No one died in the June 1 attack, but the wounded include eight females and seven males, ages 25 to 88, police said. The suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, an Egyptian native who's been held on a $10 million bond, faces more than 100 criminal counts including multiple counts of attempted murder. "The Jewish community is deeply grateful for the outpouring of support from near and far − local and global, interfaith, young and old," the statement said. "All are welcome, and we hope to have a tremendous turnout and show of solidarity."
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani urges boycott of Cornell school with ties to Israel
Far-left mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has said Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island should be boycotted because of its partnership with an Israel-based school — a stance blasted as 'blatant antisemitism.'' 'There are ways to make what seems to be an international battle into a local one,' the Democratic socialist said on a 'Talking Palestine' podcast with Sumaya Awad shortly after getting elected to the state assembly in 2020. 'If you were to look at the lens of BDS [Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions] and how it applies here in New York City, you would say that Cornell-Technion is something you would be talking about,' Mamdani said of the Roosevelt Island college, which is partnered with Technion University in Israel and is also referred to as the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute. Advertisement 3 Far-left mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has said Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island should be boycotted because of its partnership with an Israel-based school. Adalah Justice Project 'Technion University is an Israeli University that has helped to develop a lot of weapons technology used by the IDF [Israel Defense Force],' said Mamdani, as he voiced support for economic boycotts against Israel. Mamdani — who also recounted how he co-founded the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College when he attended the school — said a boycott campaign would scrutinize any government funds that Cornell-Technion received. 'I'm sure that if we look close enough, there are either municipal subsidies or state subsidies granted to a project such as this on Roosevelt Island,' Mamdani said. Advertisement The Roosevelt venture is a pet project of former Mayor Mike Bloomberg, who conducted a worldwide competitive bidding process to operate the sciences and engineering campus. Cornell won the bid and opened the joint campus in September 2017, paving the way for such things as shared programs and professors. 3 Mamdani said a boycott campaign would scrutinize any government funds that Cornell-Technion received. picture alliance via Getty Images Advertisement A former Bloomberg staffer told The Post it's outrageous that Mamdani would push going after Cornell's partnership with Technion. 'Zohran Mamdani spends his days attacking Donald Trump, but it seems he's really a fanboy,' said Mark Botnick, former City Hall aide during Bloomberg's mayoralty. 'His call to defund Cornell Tech over its ties to the Technion is a page straight out of the Trump playbook,' said Botnick — as the president targets Harvard and other universities over policies he opposes. Advertisement 'If Mamdani is so eager to sever connections with Israeli institutions, is he also planning to boycott and deny New Yorkers' access to the myriad of lifesaving treatments and technologies developed by Israeli institutions?' the former Bloomberg aide said. 'Given his blatant antisemitism, he just might.' Other boosters of Cornell Tech also rapped Mamdani's targeting of the campus for a boycott. 'It is frightening to think that a mayoral candidate could be either so naive or so bigoted that they would question public funding for a school that has contributed so much to the growth of our city's technology sector because it is a partnership with the legendary Technion Institute of Israel,' said Kathryn Wylde, CEO of the Partnership for New York City. Wylde served on the advisory committee that helped bring the Cornell Tech campus to Roosevelt Island. 3 'Technion University is an Israeli University that has helped to develop a lot of weapons technology used by the IDF [Israel Defense Force],' said Mamdani. Getty Images Mamdani, 33, who is running second in the Democratic mayoral primary to ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, is a Palestinian rights activist and a staunch foe of Israel. Last week, during and after a mayoral debate, he refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state. Advertisement A Mamdani campaign rep did not dispute the candidate's comments eyeing a boycott of Cornell over its Israel ties. 'Zohran has been clear and consistent: his focus is lowering the cost of living and delivering a safer city for every single New Yorker. That's what this campaign has been about and it is how he will govern as mayor,' the Mamdani spokesman Told the Post. Early voting for the June 24 mayoral primary begins this Saturday, June 14.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Champion of the people or a traitor? A new force emerges in southern Gaza
The photo shows a lean, tanned man in a dark helmet. He's grasping a rifle and UN vehicles move behind him as he waves through traffic. The man is Yasser Abu Shabab, who says he commands hundreds of armed men known as the Popular Forces to offer protection to international organizations working in southern Gaza. In his early thirties, Abu Shabab is from a prominent Bedouin family in southern Gaza. On October 7, 2023, he was languishing in a Hamas-run jail in Gaza, accused of drug trafficking, before being released after the conflict started. Now he is an emerging presence in southern Gaza, controlling aid routes near the crucial Kerem Shalom crossing and providing men to guard convoys against looting, which has only worsened since limited aid started entering Gaza in mid-May following an Israeli blockade. As Hamas' grip on Gaza has weakened and the territory's police force has been hollowed out, gangs have emerged to steal humanitarian aid from convoys and re-sell it. But many convoys are also stopped and ransacked by desperate civilians. Abu Shabab told CNN that he leads 'a group of citizens from this community who have volunteered to protect humanitarian aid from looting and corruption.' The reality is more complicated. Israeli officials have acknowledged providing weapons to Abu Shabab's militia, as part of an operation to arm local groups to counter Hamas. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended the covert enterprise earlier this week, saying the security forces had 'activated clans in Gaza which oppose Hamas.' He did not name Abu Shabab, but Israeli officials told CNN that Abu Shabab is part of the program. Abu Shabab insisted to CNN that his men had not received weapons from the Israelis. 'Our equipment is extremely basic, passed down by volunteers from their forefathers or assembled from limited local resources.' For its part, Hamas says Abu Shabab is a traitor and a gangster. Last week, the group said: 'We pledge before God to continue confronting the dens of that criminal and his gang, no matter the cost of the sacrifices we make.' Hamas killed his brother last year and has tried to kill Abu Shabab at least twice, according to Muhammad Shehada, a Gaza analyst at the European Council on Foreign Relations. In response to written questions from CNN, Abu Shabab repeatedly denied any connection with the Israeli military, saying: 'Our forces do not engage in any form of communication with the Israeli army, neither directly nor indirectly.' Analysts find that difficult to believe, based on evidence of his movements in Israeli-controlled areas of Gaza. One video from late May shows Abu Shabab stopping a Red Cross vehicle and talking with an official. CNN geolocated the encounter to an Israeli-controlled buffer zone close to the crossing point at Kerem Shalom. Other videos show encounters with United Nations' convoys in the same area. Israel – and in particular Netanyahu – has never laid out clear plans for what governance and security in Gaza might look like if or when Hamas is defeated. Israel has been trying to find groups or clans opposed to Hamas who might play a role, but more recently Netanyahu and other ministers endorsed a plan put forward by US President Donald Trump for relocating Gaza's residents and redeveloping the territory. Abu Shabab has had a presence near the ruins of Gaza's long defunct airport in Rafah since late last year. Shehada at the ECFR said that while the ceasefire held earlier this year, his group appeared to vanish. But his significance has grown in recent weeks, since Israeli authorities began to allow a trickle of aid to reach Gaza through Kerem Shalom in mid-May. Abu Shabab's social media presence, along with slick videos and fluent English commentary, has expanded. 'It's nearly impossible this is being done inside Gaza,' Shehada said. 'It's probably someone outside that is running this entire psy-op.' A diplomatic official told CNN that the UN had to deal with local elements as it tried to distribute aid, whether they are backed by Hamas or not. Abu Shabab 'has a few square kilometers of an area under his control, and then it's on to the next guy,' the official said. 'The fact that he is not targeted by the Israelis is a clear indication of how they see him.' The official also asserted that the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – the controversial new US-backed organization tasked with distributing aid in Gaza – had contact with Abu Shabab, whether directly or indirectly. Abu Shabab responded to CNN that 'with regard to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, we stress the need for its work to operate within a unified national framework and to maintain continuous coordination with all legitimate parties.' GHF told CNN on Sunday that it had no collaboration at all with Abu Shabab's group. 'We do have local Palestinian workers we are very proud of but none is armed and they do not belong to Abu Shabab's organization,' GHF said. Last month, soon after limited aid began entering Gaza, Abu Shabab posted that his group had secured 101 trucks of aid, mostly flour, brought in by the World Food Programme, and praised 'my loyal brothers who sacrificed their lives, and everyone who volunteered their primitive weapons or a drop of sweat to feed the bereaved and displaced.' Truck drivers told CNN that Shabab had provided 200 armed men to protect the convoys. 'Our forces regularly accompany aid convoys, and protecting vulnerable civilians is one of our top priorities,' Abu Shabab told CNN. His group's role has expanded beyond protecting convoys. On May 17, the day before the Kerem Shalom crossing reopened, work started on a tent encampment in eastern Rafah, according to satellite imagery reviewed by CNN. That work appears to have concluded on May 30. The camp is less than 500 meters from where Abu Shabab runs checkpoints. Four days later the so-called Popular Forces issued a statement saying that Abu Shabab 'invites the residents of these areas to return, where food, drink, shelter, security and safety have been provided, shelter camps have been set up, and humanitarian relief routes have been opened.' The encampment is in an area known as the Morag Corridor, to which the Israeli military wants Gazans to move as it orders evacuation orders for much of the strip. Early in May, the far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said the population of Gaza, would be 'concentrated' in a narrow strip of land between the Egyptian border and the corridor. A senior Israeli security official said at the same time that the goal was to separate humanitarian aid from Hamas 'by involving civilian companies and creating a secured zone patrolled by the IDF.' This would include a 'sterile area in the Rafah region beyond the Morag route, where IDF will screen all entrants to prevent Hamas infiltrators.' Abu Shabab's force uses Palestinian insignia and flags prominently on its uniforms, but he told CNN that his 'grassroots forces are not an official authority, nor are we operating under a direct mandate from the Palestinian Authority.' The office of the spokesperson for the Palestinian Security Forces, Major General Anwar Rajab, told CNN there was no connection between the Palestinian security apparatus and Abu Shabab's group. Nor does his family want anything to do with him. 'Leaders and elders of the Abu Shabab family' said in a statement that they had confronted him about videos showing 'Yasser's groups involved in dangerous security engagements, even working within undercover units and supporting the Zionist occupation forces that brutally kill our people.' The family declared its 'complete disassociation from Yasser Abu Shabab' and urged anyone who had joined his security groups to do the same. 'We have no objection to those around him eliminating him immediately; we state clearly that his blood is wasted,' the family statement said. Abu Shabab told CNN that the statement was 'fabricated and false' and accompanied by 'a media campaign targeting me and my colleagues.' He said his group had endured 'false accusations and systematic smear campaigns, and we have paid a heavy price,' also alleging that Hamas had killed several of the group's volunteers 'and members of my own family while we were guarding aid convoys for international organizations.' Muhammad Shehada at ECFR said there is evidence that Abu Shabab's presence is expanding with Israeli support into Khan Younis, to the north of his stronghold. Even so, his reach is still limited. The Popular Forces speaks of 'hundreds of daily requests we receive on our Facebook page from individuals seeking to join us,' but analysts believe Abu Shabab probably has only about 300 men under his command. Most people in Gaza would never think of joining him for fear of being branded collaborators, said Shehada. Even so, he added, Abu Shabab's militia now serve multiple functions for the Israelis, helping control where aid goes, or does not go; trying to entice desperate and hungry people to the so-called 'safe zone' in eastern Rafah; and carrying out high-risk missions to detect the presence of Hamas fighters.
