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Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Pakistan condemns Israeli attacks on Beirut and southern Lebanon
Listen to article Pakistan strongly condemned Israeli airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and parts of southern Lebanon on Friday, calling the attacks a violation of international law and a threat to regional peace. Israel's June 5 attacks, carried out just ahead of the Muslim festival of Eidul Azha, breached Lebanese sovereignty and the terms of the November 2024 ceasefire agreement, according to a statement from Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 'These strikes represent a blatant disregard for international norms,' a MOFA spokesperson said, warning that the use of force could endanger civilian lives and spark broader instability. Pakistan expressed solidarity with Lebanon, affirming support for its government and people 'during this difficult time.' Islamabad also urged the United Nations and international ceasefire mediators to take immediate steps to hold Israel accountable and prevent further escalation. 'Pakistan remains firmly committed to peace, justice, and the principles of international law,' the statement added. Read: Netanyahu admits arming criminal groups in Gaza Moreover, Iran has aslo sharply criticised Israel's overnight air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs and parts of southern Lebanon, calling them 'a blatant act of aggression' and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty. The strikes targeted the densely populated Dahiyeh area, a known Hezbollah stronghold, as well as locations in South Lebanon. Smoke and flames rise following an Israeli attack on Beirut's southern suburbs on June 5, 2025 [Mohamed Azakir/Reuters] (Reuters) Israel claimed the strikes hit underground Hezbollah facilities used for drone manufacturing and storage. The Israeli military stated that at least 100 housing units were destroyed in the operation, allegedly used by Hezbollah operatives. Hezbollah has not commented on the Israeli claims. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei condemned the raids, saying they reflect Israel's disregard for regional peace and Lebanese sovereignty. This marks the fourth Israeli strike on Beirut since a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect in November last year. The WAFA news agency confirmed widespread damage in affected neighbourhoods. No official casualty figures have been released. The air strike comes amid Israel's ongoing onslaught on Gaza that did not spare Palestinians on the first day of Eidull Azha, one of Islam's holiest festivals, killing 11 people and injuring several others, according to eyewitnesses and medical sources. Despite the festive occasion, many Palestinians performed Eid prayers amid the rubble of their destroyed homes, as Israel's genocidal war continues to devastate the besieged enclave. This marks the fourth Eidul Azha observed under the shadow of war in Gaza, which has been reeling from a deliberate and systematic campaign of extermination since October 7, 2023. Israel, rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, has pursued a genocidal offensive in Gaza since October 2023, killing nearly 54,700 Palestinians, most of them women and children. Aid agencies have warned about the risk of famine among the enclave's more than 2 million inhabitants. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war crimes against civilians in the enclave.
ABC News
27-04-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Israel carries out strikes on Lebanese capital Beirut
Israel has launched air strikes on the Lebanese capital, targeting what it says were "Hezbollah facilities" in the group's southern Beirut stronghold of Dahiyeh. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued an "urgent" evacuation warning for a building in the Al-Hadath neighbourhood on Sunday evening local time. Locals were told to move "at least 300 metres away" from the area, and Lebanese media reported the sounds of gunfire in the area ahead of the strike. The building was hit almost an hour later, sending smoke plumes across the city. It is the first Israeli strike against Hezbollah in over a month. ( Reuters: Mohamed Azakir ) The IDF later said the building stored some of Hezbollah's supply of precision guided missiles. A joint statement by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz said the strikes demonstrated areas of Beirut would not serve as a "sanctuary city" for Hezbollah. "Under the direction of Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister of Defense Katz, the IDF strongly attacked an infrastructure where Hezbollah precision missiles were stored in Beirut, which posed a significant threat to the State of Israel," the statement said. "Israel will not allow Hezbollah to grow stronger and pose any threat to it — anywhere in Lebanon." Projectiles could be seen falling from the sky towards the area Israel had issued a warning over. ( Reuters: Mohamed Azakir ) The statement added that the Lebanese government bore "direct responsibility for not preventing these threats". The United Nations' special coordinator for Lebanon urged both sides to stop undermining the ceasefire. "Today's strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut generated panic and fear of renewed violence among those desperate for a return to normalcy," Jeanine Hennis posted on social media platform X. Israel has been accused of repeatedly breaching a ceasefire with Hezbollah, which came into force in November after more than a year of fighting. Photo shows crowds of people protest in tel aviv holding signs of the hostages faces who were taken by Hamas The families demand Benjamin Netanyahu end the war, saying if he refuses, they will "take action to topple him in order to save the hostages". In early April, Israel launched a strike on Beirut for the first time since that truce began. Lebanon's health ministry said four people were killed in that attack, while seven more were injured. Israel had said it was targeting a Hezbollah commander, who the group later confirmed had been killed in the strike. Lebanon's president and prime minister condemned Israel's actions, labelling it as a violation of the ceasefire. The United States and France are in charge of monitoring the truce, and are meant to be given advance warning of any Israeli military action. At the height of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group's leader Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated. Israeli spies embedded explosives in thousands of pagers the group was using for communications, killing dozens and maiming thousands more, including civilians. The deadly attack was planned a decade earlier, according to former Israeli agents in an interview with US broadcaster CBS.
Straits Times
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Syrian letter delivers response to US conditions for sanctions relief
FILE PHOTO: Smoke rises, after Syrian rebels announced that they have ousted Syria's Bashar al-Assad, in Damascus, Syria, December 8, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo BEIRUT - Syria has responded in writing to a list of U.S. conditions for possible partial sanctions relief, saying it had acted on most of them but others required "mutual understandings" with Washington, according to a copy of the letter seen by Reuters. The United States last month handed Syria a list of eight conditions it wants Damascus to fulfill, including destroying any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles and ensuring foreigners are not given senior governing roles. Syria is in desperate need of sanctions relief to kickstart an economy collapsed by 14 years of war, during which the United States, Britain and Europe imposed tough sanctions in a bid to put pressure on former president Bashar al-Assad. In January, the U.S. issued a six-month exemption for some sanctions to encourage aid, but this has had limited effect. In exchange for fulfilling all the U.S. demands, Washington would extend that suspension for two years and possibly issue another exemption, sources told Reuters in March. Reuters was first to report that senior U.S. official Natasha Franceschi handed the list of conditions to Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani at an in-person meeting on the sidelines of a Syria donor conference in Brussels on March 18. Shibani, in his first address to the United Nations Security Council on Friday, sought to show that Syria was already addressing the demands, including on chemical weapons and the search for missing Americans in Syria. His public comments were consistent with the contents of Syria's private letter to the U.S., an undated copy of which was seen by Reuters. Its contents have not been previously reported. Two Western officials and a Syrian official briefed on the letter said it was consistent with the copy seen by Reuters. In the four-page document, Syria pledges to set up a liaison office at the foreign ministry to find missing U.S. journalist Austin Tice and details its work to tackle chemical weapons stockpiles, including closer ties with a global arms watchdog. But it had less to say on other key demands, including removing foreign fighters and granting the U.S. permission for counterterrorism strikes, according to the letter. A State Department spokesperson confirmed Washington had received a response from Syrian authorities to a U.S. request for them to take "specific, detailed confidence building measures'. 'We are now evaluating the response and do not have anything to share at this time,' the spokesperson said, adding that the U.S. 'does not recognize any entity as the government of Syria and that any future normalization of relations will be determined by the interim authorities' actions. " Syria's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment. FOREIGN FIGHTERS The letter said Syrian officials had discussed foreign fighters with former U.S. envoy Daniel Rubinstein but that the issue "requires a broader consultative session." "What can be confirmed for now is that the issuance of military ranks has been suspended following the earlier announcement regarding the promotion of six individuals," the letter says, an apparent reference to the appointment in December of foreign fighters including Uyghurs, a Jordanian and a Turk to positions in the country's armed force. It did not say whether those appointed ranks had been removed from the foreign fighters and did not list future steps to be taken. A source briefed on the Syrian government's approach to the issue said Damascus would delay addressing it as much as possible given its view that non-Syrian rebels who helped oust Assad should be treated well. On a U.S. request for coordination on counterterrorism matters and the ability to carry out strikes on terror targets, the letter said the "matter requires mutual understandings." It pledged that Syria's new government would not tolerate any threats to U.S. or Western interests in Syria and vowed to put in place "appropriate legal measures," without elaborating. Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa had said in an interview earlier this year that U.S. troops deployed in Syria were there without government approval, adding any such presence should be agreed with the state. A Syrian official briefed on the letter said Syrian officials were brainstorming other ways to weaken extremists without explicitly giving the U.S. permission to carry out strikes, seeing that as a controversial move after years of foreign air forces bombing Syria during its war. VOWS NOT TO THREATEN ISRAEL A senior diplomat and another person briefed on the letter told Reuters that they deemed it addressed five demands in full, but that the remaining were left "outstanding". They said the letter was sent on April 14 - just 10 days before Shibani arrived in New York to address the Security Council. It was unclear whether the United States had sent a reply to Syria's letter. A Syrian official and a U.S. source briefed on the letter both said Shibani was set to discuss its contents with U.S. officials during his trip to New York. Syria's letter said it hoped the actions taken, which it described as "guarantees," could lead to a meeting to discuss each point in detail, including reopening embassies and lifting sanctions. On Palestinian militants in Syria, it said Sharaa had formed a committee "to monitor the activities of Palestinian factions," and that armed factions outside state control will not be permitted. It was sent just days before Syria detained two Palestinian officials from the Islamic Jihad militant group. "While discussions on this matter can continue, the overarching position is that we will not allow Syria to become a source of threat to any party, including Israel," it said. The letter also acknowledged "ongoing communication" between Syria's counterterrorism authorities and U.S. representatives in Amman over combating Islamic State, and said Syria was inclined to expand that collaboration. The direct talks between Syria and the U.S. in Amman have not previously been reported. 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Ya Libnan
28-03-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Israel hits Hezbollah drone storage in southern Beirut suburb
Smoke billows over Beirut's southern suburbs following Israeli strike after issuing an evacuation warning for the area, as seen from Baabda, Lebanon. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir By Laila Bassam, Jana Choukeir and Tala Ramadan HIGHLIGHTS Israel said it hit a Hezbollah drone storage in Beirut suburb Strike followed three smaller warning shots Panicked residents fled on foot amid gridlock Beirut – Israel's air force conducted a large strike on a building in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital on Friday, a Reuters reporter said, the first heavy bombardment there since a truce deal in November ended a war between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel's military said it hit a drone storage facility in the area belonging to Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. The strike, which was heard across Beirut and produced a large column of black smoke, followed an evacuation order by the Israeli military for the neighbourhood and three smaller targeted drone strikes on the building intended as warning shots, security sources told Reuters. The evacuation order sent residents of the area into a panic, rushing to escape on foot as traffic clogged the streets out of the area, Reuters reporters in the area said. Beirut's southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh, were pounded last year by Israeli strikes that killed many of the group's top leaders, including its powerful chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a September air attack. A U.S.-brokered truce in November put an end to the fighting and mandated that southern Lebanon be free of Hezbollah fighters and weapons, that Lebanese troops deploy to the area and that Israeli ground troops withdraw from the zone. But the truce has been shaken over the last week by two cases of outgoing fire from southern Lebanon – several rockets fired on March 22 and another set fired on Friday morning. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said the Lebanese government bore direct responsibility for the attack and said that as long as there was no peace in Galilee, 'there will be no peace in Beirut either.' Israeli ministers have vowed to ensure that the tens of thousands of Israelis who evacuated their homes in border areas when Hezbollah began bombarding the area in 2023 would be able to return safely. But with more Israeli units deployed around Gaza, where a separate ceasefire has also broken down, it remained unclear whether Israel was prepared for any wider intervention. Hezbollah denied links to either attack. No other group has claimed responsibility. But Israel's statement confirming its raid on Dahiyeh said that the Friday morning rocket fire 'constitutes a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon and a direct threat to the citizens of the State of Israel.' It added that the Lebanese state bears responsibility for upholding the agreement. Israel also bombarded Hezbollah targets in south Lebanon on Friday after intercepting the incoming rocket fire, the Israeli military said. Israel has vowed a strong response to any threats to its security, prompting fears that last year's conflict, which displaced more than 1.3 million people in Lebanon and destroyed much of the country's south – could resume. Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, in Paris to meet his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, said in a written statement from France that the onus was on the international community to 'put an end to these attacks and force Israel to abide by the agreement, just as Lebanon is committed to it.' The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the exchange of fire across the southern border on Friday was 'deeply concerning.' 'Any exchange of fire is one too many. A return to wider conflict in Lebanon would be devastating for civilians on both sides of the Blue Line and must be avoided at all costs,' she said in a written statement. Reuters
