Latest news with #Israel-Lebanon
United News of India
13-05-2025
- Politics
- United News of India
Hezbollah member killed in Israeli airstrike on S. Lebanon
Beirut/Jerusalem, May 13 (UNI) An Israeli drone strike killed a Hezbollah member riding a motorcycle in the southern Lebanese village of Houla on Tuesday, according to Lebanese security and official sources, as tensions persist along the Israel-Lebanon border despite a ceasefire. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) said the strike, carried out by a "hostile drone," targeted a motorcycle near a care center in Houla. The Health Ministry later confirmed one person was killed in the attack. A Lebanese security source, who requested anonymity, told Xinhua that the victim was Moussa Aboud, a Hezbollah member from Houla in the Marjayoun district. Also on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it had carried out two additional airstrikes on Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. One target was in Houla, while the second was near Beaufort Ridge, where the IDF said it struck a "Hezbollah military site used for both firing and defensive operations." The IDF said the site near Beaufort Ridge had previously been hit last week, adding that its reconstruction constituted "a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon." The cross-border strikes come despite a ceasefire agreement reached on Nov. 27, 2024, intended to halt more than a year of hostilities tied to the war in Gaza. The truce, mediated by the U.S. and France, had largely held, though sporadic flare-ups have continued. Israel has said its strikes are intended to neutralize Hezbollah threats. However, the Lebanese government and several Arab states have accused Israel of repeatedly violating the ceasefire agreement. Despite the truce's provision requiring a full Israeli withdrawal, Israeli forces continue to hold several strategically important positions in southern Lebanon. UNI XINHUA GNK
New Indian Express
02-05-2025
- Business
- New Indian Express
Gold price surge hits Proddatur market; sales drop by 20%, hardship for artisans
KADAPA: Gold, once a cherished adornment for the common man, has transformed into a premium commodity, with 10 grams of 24-carat gold now priced close to Rs 1,00,000. This unprecedented surge, driven by global factors such as the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, Israel-Lebanon tensions, a weakening US dollar, and political instability in Arab nations, has rendered gold jewellery unaffordable for many. In Proddatur, YSR Kadapa district, renowned as the 'Second Mumbai' and 'City of Gold' for its thriving gold market, the soaring prices have crippled businesses and pushed traditional goldsmiths into financial distress. The escalating cost of gold has shifted consumer behaviour, with middle- and upper-class buyers opting for gold biscuits as investments rather than ornate jewellery. This shift has led to a 20% decline in sales, severely impacting Proddatur's 350 jewellery showrooms and manufacturing units, which provide livelihoods for nearly 4,000 goldsmiths. Across the erstwhile Kadapa district, approximately 1,300 gold outlets employ over 8,000 artisans, many of whom now face unemployment due to dwindling orders. Goldsmiths, equipped with costly machinery and specialized skills, struggle to pay shop rents, electricity bills, and staff salaries. Many of the local artisans are forced to seek alternative employment, though transitioning to other fields proves challenging. Proddatur's gold market, with a rich heritage spanning over a century, gained national prominence when local traders made significant purchases during an auction conducted by RBI, establishing a reputation for reliable pricing and pure gold.
Bloomberg
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Bloomberg
How Giant, a Provocative New Play, Tackles Roald Dahl's Antisemitism
The summer of 1983 was a tough time to be—and to be around—Roald Dahl, according to Mark Rosenblatt, whose play about the iconic author, Giant, has just opened at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London's West End. Dahl, then 66, was recently divorced; his fiancée was renovating his home, so he was living amid a construction mess while working on edits of The Witches; and the press was tearing him apart for a review he penned about a book on the 1982 Israel-Lebanon conflict. His essay went beyond criticism of Israeli actions and was widely denounced as antisemitic. 'Never before in the history of man has a race of people switched so rapidly from being much-pitied victims to barbarous murderers,' Dahl wrote.
Shafaq News
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Lebanon's red line: President demands Israeli exit from occupied hills
Shafaq News/ Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Monday called for Israel to withdraw from five occupied hills along the southern frontier, warning that a return to the 'language of war' must be avoided. Speaking to a visiting delegation from the French Senate at the Baabda Presidential Palace, Aoun said the Israeli military's continued presence was obstructing the Lebanese Army's full deployment to the border, complicating efforts to stabilize the area, according to a statement from the presidency. "Israeli withdrawal from the occupied hills is necessary for the army to complete its deployment and for the Lebanese state to fully extend its authority over its lands," Aoun explained. The Lebanese Army, he added, continues to carry out its duties south of the Litani River under the terms of the agreement, including clearing villages of leftover munitions and armed groups, despite strained resources and limited manpower amid Lebanon's deepening economic crisis. Aoun also reaffirmed the state's exclusive right to bear arms, in line with the political platform he outlined at the start of his presidency. "The decision to confine weapons to the hands of the state has been made and is being implemented with calm and national responsibility, in order to protect civil peace.' The 2024–2025 Israel-Lebanon conflict erupted in October 2023 when Hezbollah launched cross-border attacks in support of Gaza after the October 7 assault. Israel responded with extensive airstrikes and launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon by late 2024, leaving more than 4,100 people dead and at least 17,000 wounded, including women and children. A US-brokered ceasefire, signed on November 26, 2024, mandated a 60-day cessation of hostilities, Hezbollah's withdrawal north of the Litani River, and Israel's pullback from southern Lebanon. A five-nation monitoring committee, led by the United States, was established to oversee implementation. However, violations persist. As of April 2025, Israeli airstrikes have continued to target southern Lebanon and Beirut's southern suburbs, citing threats from Hezbollah's military infrastructure, resulting in civilian casualties and renewed tensions across the region. Additionally, Israeli forces remain entrenched in five positions along the border.
The Guardian
27-04-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Israeli airstrike hits Beirut suburb despite ceasefire with Hezbollah
Israel conducted an airstrike on a residential neighbourhood of Dahiyeh in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday afternoon despite a November ceasefire that officially ended fighting with the militant group Hezbollah. Videos showed three bombs hitting a building in Dahiyeh and rescue crews working to extinguish blazes after the blast; however, no casualties were reported. The Israeli military issued an evacuation warning before the bombing, prompting panic as residents fled the area. A spokesperson for the Israeli army said in a post on X that Israeli warplanes destroyed storage sites housing Hezbollah precision missiles. The Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and the defence minister, Israel Katz, said in a joint statement: 'Israel will not allow Hezbollah to grow stronger and pose any threat to it – anywhere in Lebanon.' The Lebanese president, Joseph Aoun, called on the US and France – both partners in the Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire deal – to put pressure on Israel to stop its strikes on Lebanon. 'The ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon's sovereignty and territorial integrity are unacceptable under any pretext,' Aoun said. Israel's strikes on the greater Beirut area on Sunday pointed to the fragility of a November ceasefire agreement that put an end to over 13 months of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah. Fighting started after Hezbollah launched rockets at northern Israel on 8 October 2023 'in solidarity' with its ally Hamas's attack on southern Israel a day earlier. In late September, Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon and wide-ranging airstrikes across Lebanon that killed about 3,900 people and displaced almost a million people in Lebanon. Despite the implementation of the ceasefire, Israel has conducted hundreds of airstrikes across Lebanon since November, which it says are targeting members of Hezbollah or the group's infrastructure. Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for one rocket attack in north Israel which it called a 'warning shot' since the ceasefire. Two additional rockets were launched at Israel from Lebanon in March, which Lebanese authorities blamed on a separate armed group. As of yet, Hezbollah has not responded to the near-daily Israeli strikes, instead deferring to the Lebanese state. The capabilities of the group, most of whose senior leadership have been killed over the last two years of fighting, are severely diminished. Under the terms of the ceasefire deal, Hezbollah is to withdraw and be replaced by the Lebanese army south of the Litani river – about 18 miles from the Israel-Lebanon border – and Israel is to withdraw its troops from south Lebanon. Most Israeli troops have withdrawn from south Lebanon, with the exception of five military points it maintains in Lebanon. Ceasefire violations in south Lebanon are meant to be referred to an independent committee and addressed by the Lebanese army, but Lebanese officials have complained that Israel is bypassing this process by unilaterally conducting strikes in Lebanon. The UN special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said Sunday's strike 'generated panic and fear of renewed violence among those desperate for a return to normalcy'. Since the end of fighting, Lebanon's government has worked towards re-establishing a monopoly on arms within the country, under immense US pressure to disarm the group. Previously, the Iran-backed militia and political party's resources dwarfed the Lebanese army and the group dominated domestic politics for the two decades preceding the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. Hezbollah has said that it is in compliance with the terms of the ceasefire agreement as far as withdrawing from south Lebanon but its leader, Naim Qassem, said in an April speech that the group 'will not let anyone disarm it'.
