Israeli strikes kill 12 in Lebanon, including 5 Hezbollah fighters, source says
JERUSALEM/BEIRUT - Heavy Israeli airstrikes killed 12 people, including five Hezbollah fighters, in eastern Lebanon on Tuesday, a security source in Lebanon said, in what Israel said was a warning to the Iran-backed group against trying to re-establish itself.
The Israeli military said the airstrikes targeted training camps used by elite Hezbollah fighters and warehouses it used to store weapons in the Bekaa Valley region of eastern Lebanon.
The airstrikes were the deadliest on the area since a U.S.-brokered ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel last November. Bachir Khodr, governor of the Bekaa region, said seven of the dead were Syrian nationals.
Israel dealt Hezbollah heavy blows in last year's conflict, killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah along with other commanders and destroying much of its arsenal.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Tuesday's strikes sent a "clear message" to Hezbollah, accusing it of planning to rebuild the capability to raid Israel through the elite Radwan force.
Israel "will respond with maximum force to any attempt at rebuilding", he said. He added that strikes were also a message to the Lebanese government, saying it was responsible for upholding the ceasefire agreement.
There was no immediate public response from Hezbollah or from the Lebanese government to the latest Israeli strikes.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Las Vegas Sands' new development part of S'pore's broader, more ambitious transformation: PM Wong
Singapore Current economic headwinds do not dampen outlook for new MBS building: Las Vegas Sands president
Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains
Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw acts against 4 law firms and 1 lawyer over seized properties
Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall
Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar
Singapore Singapore CDL's long-time director Phillip Yeo to depart after boardroom feud
Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years
The United States has submitted a proposal to the Lebanese government aimed at securing Hezbollah's disarmament within four months in exchange for Israel halting air strikes and withdrawing troops from positions they still hold in south Lebanon.
Under the terms of the ceasefire brokered by the U.S. and France, Lebanon's armed forces were to confiscate "all unauthorized arms", beginning in the area south of the Litani River - the zone closest to Israel. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
18 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Israel blocks visa for top UN official after Gaza comments
Find out what's new on ST website and app. Israel's foreign minister has ordered the residency permit of OCHA head Jonathan Whittall to be withdrawn. JERUSALEM - Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on July 20 said he had ordered the withdrawal of a senior UN humanitarian official's residency permit, accusing him of spreading lies about the war in Gaza. 'I have instructed not to extend the residency permit of the head of the OCHA (United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs) office in Israel, Jonathan Whittall,' Mr Saar wrote on X. Mr Whittall, a South African who lives in Jerusalem and frequently visits the Gaza Strip, has repeatedly condemned the humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people living in the Palestinian territory. In April, he said that Gazans were 'slowly dying' due to the effects of Israel's war against Hamas militants. Mr Saar's decision, which he said came after 'biased and hostile conduct against Israel which distorted reality' and broke UN neutrality rules, is the latest taken against senior UN officials. Since the war began in October 2023, Israel has made it harder to get visas for those working for OCHA, the UN human rights office OHCHR and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA. AFP
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump says he will help Afghans stuck in UAE
Find out what's new on ST website and app. US President Donald Trump suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January 2025. WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump said on July 20 he would help Afghans detained in the United Arab Emirates for years after fleeing their country when the United States pulled out and the Taliban took power. Mr Trump, a Republican who promised a far-reaching immigration crackdown, suspended refugee resettlement after he took office in January. In April, the Trump administration terminated temporary deportation protections for thousands of Afghans in the US. 'I will try to save them, starting right now,' Mr Trump said, in a post on Truth Social that linked to an article on the Afghans held in limbo there. Mr Trump cited news website Just The News as saying that UAE officials were preparing to hand over some Afghan refugees to the Taliban. Reuters has not confirmed the report. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The UAE, a close security partner of the United States, agreed in 2021 to temporarily house several thousand Afghans evacuated from Kabul as the Taliban ousted the US-backed government during the final stages of the US-led withdrawal. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Priority for singles, higher quota for second-timer families to kick in from HDB's July BTO exercise Singapore Both Bukit Panjang LRT disruptions in July linked to newly installed power system: SMRT Singapore 1 in 3 vapes here laced with etomidate; MOH working with MHA to list it as illegal drug: Ong Ye Kung Asia Johor Bahru collision claims lives of e-hailing driver and Singapore passenger Sport Arsenal arrive in Singapore for pre-season matches with AC Milan and Newcastle Business Crypto exchange Tokenize to shut down Singapore operations Singapore More initiatives and support for migrant community announced at Racial Harmony Day event Singapore ComfortDelGro to discipline driver who flung relative's wheelchair out of taxi Nearly 200,000 Afghans were brought to the US by former president Joe Biden's administration since the chaotic US troop withdrawal from Kabul. Canada agreed in 2022 to resettle about 1,000 of the Afghans still held in the UAE after a US request. It is unclear how many remain in the Gulf country. Some countries have forced Afghan refugees to return to Afghanistan. Nearly two million Afghans were returned from Iran and Pakistan in the past seven months, the United Nations said last week. Germany on July 18 deported 81 Afghan men to Afghanistan amid a tightening of refugee admissions. Some other European countries are pushing to tighten asylum rules in the bloc. In the United States, Democrats have urged Mr Trump to restore temporary protected status for Afghans, saying women and children could face particular harm under the Taliban-led government in place since 2021. Refugees include family members of Afghan-American US military personnel, children cleared to reunite with their parents, relatives of Afghans already admitted and tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the US government during the 20-year war. Mr Shawn VanDiver, president of the #AfghanEvac advocacy group, urged Mr Trump to follow up on his post with action. 'President Trump has the authority to do the right thing. He should instruct DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and the Department of State to expedite processing, push for third-country partnerships, and ensure that we never again leave our wartime allies behind,' he said in a statement. REUTERS
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Trump, Xi might meet ahead of or during October APEC summit in South Korea, SCMP reports
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump and China's President Xi Jinping pose for a photo ahead of their bilateral meeting during the G20 leaders summit in Osaka, Japan, June 29, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo U.S. President Donald Trump might visit China before going to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit between October 30 and November 1, or he could meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the APEC event in South Korea, the South China Morning Post reported on Sunday citing multiple sources. The two countries have been trying to negotiate an end to an escalating tit-for-tat tariff war that has upended global trade and supply chains. Trump has sought to impose tariffs on U.S. importers for virtually all foreign goods, which he says will stimulate domestic manufacturing and which critics say will instead make many consumer goods more expensive for Americans. He has called for a universal base tariff rate of 10% on goods imported from all countries, with higher rates for imports from the most "problematic" ones, including China: imports from there now have the highest tariff rate of 55%. Trump has set a deadline of August 12 for the U.S. and China to reach a durable tariffs agreement. A spokesperson for Trump did not respond to a request for comment about the reported plans for a meeting with Xi in the fall. REUTERS
