Latest news with #Iran-backed
Ya Libnan
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
‘We want Israel out yesterday, not tomorrow:' Lebanon's PM urges US to pressure Israel to withdraw troops
Israel's military occupation in parts of southern Lebanon is undermining Beirut's attempts to restore sovereignty over a nation reeling from decades of conflict, the country's prime minister has told CNN. Lebanon's Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said he would like to see the current United States administration put pressure on Israel to withdraw from five locations in southern Lebanon. A US-mediated agreement in November last year paused months of fighting between the Israeli military and Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed militant group that operates in Lebanon. Israel has significantly weakened Hezbollah over the past year, killing much of its top leadership and severely degrading its power through mass airstrikes. 'Israel's presence is politically counterproductive. It's undermining my government…we want Israel out yesterday, not tomorrow.'Salam The prime minister said Lebanon has been honoring its commitments to the November agreement and that the Lebanese military is 'consolidating control' over the south of the country and its borders. Hezbollah is committed to an agreement that affirms that the Lebanese military is the only authority allowed to bear arms, Salam said Wednesday. However, 'Israel has not honored its commitments,' he added. The 'Israeli presence in Lebanon is a red line for everyone. This is not a red line for Hezbollah alone,' he told CNN's Becky Anderson in Dubai, where he's attending the Arab Media Forum and meeting Emirati leadership. 'Israel's argument is as follows… they need to be in these five points in order to have a better monitoring of the situation in southern Lebanon… but we are not in World War One…we are in the age of satellite imagery, of drones with cameras. They have balloons monitoring the region, let alone a network of spies operating on the ground,' Salam said. 'Israel's presence is politically counterproductive. It's undermining my government…we want Israel out yesterday, not tomorrow.' Despite agreeing to withdraw from Lebanese territory as part of the US-mediated agreement, Israel has said that the Lebanese army has yet to take control of a region with Hezbollah presence. Israeli defense minister, Israel Katz, said in March that the Israeli military would remain in these five points 'indefinitely, to protect the residents of the north – regardless of any future negotiations.' Along with the United States, France and the United Nations are monitoring the ceasefire. 'I'm sure they can testify that Lebanon has been honoring its commitments while Israel has not honored its commitments,' Salam said on the mediating countries. Salam, who rose to prominence after presiding over the International Court of Justice during South Africa's genocide case against Israel, was designated Lebanon's prime minister in January in a surprise move that was seen as a blow to Hezbollah and its allies. Widely seen as a reformist, the prime minister declared specific priorities for his mandate, including ending institutional corruption and regaining sovereignty over his country by disarming Hezbollah and Palestinian factions. 'The goal… is that the state should have exclusive monopoly over arms, over all its territory,' he said in the interview. (CNN)
New York Post
9 hours ago
- Politics
- New York Post
US presents Israel-approved cease-fire deal to Hamas that could end Gaza war
The US has extended a cease-fire deal to Hamas with Israel's approval after two previous attempts by Special Envoy Steve Witkoff to broker agreements with the terror group fell through. 'I can confirm that Special Envoy Witkoff and the president submitted a cease-fire proposal to Hamas that Israel backed and supported. Israel signed off on this proposal before it was sent to Hamas,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a press briefing Thursday. Armed fighters from Hamas' Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades during the handover of three Israeli hostages to Red Cross. MOHAMMED SABER/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has shared news of the proposal with families of hostages still held in Gaza, according to Reuters. U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff looks on during his swearing-in ceremony. REUTERS Should Hamas accept the terms, details of which are not yet known, it could bring about the end of the war that has raged in Gaza since the Iran-backed terror group's Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, in which 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage. This is a developing story. Please check back for updates. With Post wires
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
US Congress members call to sanction Iranian-backed militias in Iraq
US congress members called to sanction several Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, including the Popular Mobilization Forces, in a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The US should sanction Iranian-backed militias in Iraq, including the powerful Popular Mobilization Forces, US Members of Congress Joe Wilson and Greg Steube asserted in a letter to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The PMF include numerous militias arranged in dozens of brigades. Most of the militias are linked closely to Iran and have carried out numerous crimes in Iraq. According to the letter the PMF are 'an umbrella group of 238,000 Iranian-backed militias, have been legitimized as part of Iraq's state security services and receive over $3 billion annually from the Iraqi government—funded in part by American taxpayer dollars. Since 2015, the US Department of State has provided Iraq with $1.25 billion in Foreign Military Financing, in addition to billions more in aid to Iraq's Interior Ministry and Defense Ministry, despite these institutions being deeply infiltrated by Iranian proxies. These same Iran-backed militias, now operating with legal authority under the PMF, have launched rocket attacks on US bases in Iraq and Syria.' Wilson and Steube began their letter by noting, 'We write to express our deep concern over the complete subjugation of Iraq to the Iranian regime. More than 4,400 American service members sacrificed their lives since the start of the Iraq War, yet today, Iraq stands as nothing more than a puppet of Tehran. This outcome is the direct result of disastrous policies that, under previous administrations, empowered Iran's control over Iraq's government, military, and economy.' They added 'The National Security Policy Memorandum-2 (NSPM-2) of February 4, 2025 clearly articulates the reimposition of maximum pressure on Iran and its terror proxies. However, any campaign against the Iranian regime will require an equally robust campaign against Iraqi institutions, which have become essential clients of the Iranian regime.' The report argues that the US should expand sanctions on the various militias. The US has already sanctioned Kataib Hezbollah, Asaib Ahl al-Haq, and some other militias and their leaders. The members of Congress say that the US should sanction the PMF as well as 'the Muhandis General Company, and the Badr Organization as foreign terrorist organizations.' They also call for sanctions on Iraq's importation of Iranian gas. They also said a bank in Iraq and a number of individuals who support Iran should be sanctioned. These include 'former Prime Ministers Nouri al-Maliki and Adel Abdulmehdi, Izzat Shabander, Hadi al-Ameri, AbdulKarim al-Sudani, Abbas Shia al-Sudani, Haider Shia al-Sudani, Abdul Karim al-Faisal, Yasser Suhail al Maliki, Minister of Higher Education Naem al-Aboud, Governor Adnan Feihan,' and others. This is an important development and illustrates how the US is moving to potentially clip the wings of Iran's role in Iraq. For instance, Kataib Hezbollah, which is part of the PMF, continues to hold Elizabeth Tsurkov, a researcher who is also an Israeli citizen. Tsurkov was kidnapped in 2023 in Iraq while doing research. She is a doctoral student at Princeton. Her kidnapping was orchestrated by the Iranian-backed militias. Reports from Iraq indicate that Baghdad is seeking to harm the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq by not paying salaries. This illustrates how Baghdad is destabilizing Iraq through its policies.
Miami Herald
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Miami Herald
Israel Lasers Intercept ‘Dozens' of Drones in Major Leap
Israel's military used a high-powered laser to take out drones in combat, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, a significant step toward laser technology being used to intercept real-life threats on the battlefield. Two laser air defense systems have intercepted "dozens and dozens" of threats, most of which were unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon, retired Brigadier General Daniel Gold, the head of defense research and development for the Israeli Defense Ministry, told Newsweek. Israel first used a laser system in the early days of the war, Gold said. Israel launched a full-scale war on Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza following the organization's unprecedented October 7 attacks in 2023, and battled Hamas-aligned Hezbollah over Israel's northern border until a fragile ceasefire ended full-scale hostilities in November 2024. Israel is one of several countries developing high-powered lasers to take out threats in the sky, most suited to intercepting cheap drones that would be incredibly expensive to shoot down with interceptor missiles. While costing almost nothing to fire, the setup costs for these laser systems are huge. But interceptor missiles for Israel's vaunted Iron Dome short-range air defense system cost tens of thousands of dollars each, racking up an eye-watering bill when defending against high numbers of targets. Analysts say lasers, a type of directed energy weapon, can be very useful as part of a larger web of air defenses, able to knock out smaller, slower targets but vulnerable to bad weather conditions. The U.S. military said in 2024 the Army had used lasers to intercept drones in the Middle East, but did not provide further details. The U.S. military has tested directed energy weapons in the Middle East, the commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Erik Kurilla, separately told lawmakers back in March 2024. The Israeli Defense Ministry said the government, military and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems—Israel's state-owned defense giant—had accelerated the development of "revolutionary" systems and achieved "outstanding" results. It is a "major milestone," Gold said. Rafael's chairman, Yuval Steinitz, said Israel was the "first country in the world to transform high-power laser technology into a fully operational system—and to execute actual combat interceptions." Rafael is also building the Iron Beam laser system, expected to come into service in the latter half of the year. "This system will fundamentally change the defense equation by enabling fast, precise, cost-effective interceptions, unmatched by any existing system," said Rafael chief executive, Yoav Tourgeman. The two deployed laser systems are lower-powered, more mobile and slightly less costly than the Iron Beam, Gold said. The Israeli government published footage it said showed the laser systems in action during the war. One clip looks to show at least one fixed-wing drone falling from the air after one of the wings is damaged by a laser. The footage is "entirely plausible," said David Hambling, a U.K.-based weapons and technology expert. "Drones are great targets for lasers because they are much smaller and more fragile than crewed aircraft and generally fly at slow speed without evading," he told Newsweek. "This make sit possible to focus a laser on one for long enough to burn through the skin and cause real damage, which is exactly what the video appears to show." But with drone technology evolving at a rapid pace, they could end up fitted with countermeasures to make it much harder for lasers to intercept these targets, Hambling suggested. The U.K. military said in April that British soldiers had used an "invisible radio-wave weapon" to knock out swarms of drones for the first time. Radio waves can be used as another type of directed energy weapon. The U.K. is also developing a laser-directed energy weapon dubbed DragonFire. Related Articles Iran May Hold the Key to Trump's Nuclear RevolutionUS and Iran Nuclear Deal Could Be Sealed at Next Meeting: ReportViral Video Shows Gazans Cheering USA. But Is It Real?Trump Says Iran Strike Would Be 'Inappropriate' for Israel Amid Talks 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
Newsweek
14 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Israel Lasers Intercept 'Dozens' of Drones in Major Leap
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Israel's military used a high-powered laser to take out drones in combat, the Israeli Defense Ministry said, a significant step toward laser technology being used to intercept real-life threats on the battlefield. Two laser air defense systems have intercepted "dozens and dozens" of threats, most of which were unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched by Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah from Lebanon, retired Brigadier General Daniel Gold, the head of defense research and development for the Israeli Defense Ministry, told Newsweek. Israel first used a laser system in the early days of the war, Gold said. Israel launched a full-scale war on Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza following the organization's unprecedented October 7 attacks in 2023, and battled Hamas-aligned Hezbollah over Israel's northern border until a fragile ceasefire ended full-scale hostilities in November 2024. Israel is one of several countries developing high-powered lasers to take out threats in the sky, most suited to intercepting cheap drones that would be incredibly expensive to shoot down with interceptor missiles. Israel has used a laser directed-energy system to intercept real-life targets for the first time, according to the Israeli government. Israel has used a laser directed-energy system to intercept real-life targets for the first time, according to the Israeli government. Israel Ministry of Defense While costing almost nothing to fire, the setup costs for these laser systems are huge. But interceptor missiles for Israel's vaunted Iron Dome short-range air defense system cost tens of thousands of dollars each, racking up an eye-watering bill when defending against high numbers of targets. Analysts say lasers, a type of directed energy weapon, can be very useful as part of a larger web of air defenses, able to knock out smaller, slower targets but vulnerable to bad weather conditions. The U.S. military said in 2024 the Army had used lasers to intercept drones in the Middle East, but did not provide further details. The U.S. military has tested directed energy weapons in the Middle East, the commander of the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), General Michael Erik Kurilla, separately told lawmakers back in March 2024. The Israeli Defense Ministry said the government, military and Rafael Advanced Defense Systems—Israel's state-owned defense giant—had accelerated the development of "revolutionary" systems and achieved "outstanding" results. It is a "major milestone," Gold said. Rafael's chairman, Yuval Steinitz, said Israel was the "first country in the world to transform high-power laser technology into a fully operational system—and to execute actual combat interceptions." Rafael is also building the Iron Beam laser system, expected to come into service in the latter half of the year. "This system will fundamentally change the defense equation by enabling fast, precise, cost-effective interceptions, unmatched by any existing system," said Rafael chief executive, Yoav Tourgeman. The two deployed laser systems are lower-powered, more mobile and slightly less costly than the Iron Beam, Gold said. The Israeli government published footage it said showed the laser systems in action during the war. One clip looks to show at least one fixed-wing drone falling from the air after one of the wings is damaged by a laser. The footage is "entirely plausible," said David Hambling, a U.K.-based weapons and technology expert. "Drones are great targets for lasers because they are much smaller and more fragile than crewed aircraft and generally fly at slow speed without evading," he told Newsweek. "This make sit possible to focus a laser on one for long enough to burn through the skin and cause real damage, which is exactly what the video appears to show." But with drone technology evolving at a rapid pace, they could end up fitted with countermeasures to make it much harder for lasers to intercept these targets, Hambling suggested. The U.K. military said in April that British soldiers had used an "invisible radio-wave weapon" to knock out swarms of drones for the first time. Radio waves can be used as another type of directed energy weapon. The U.K. is also developing a laser-directed energy weapon dubbed DragonFire.
