Latest news with #SecondLebanonWar
Ya Libnan
08-06-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
US and Israel agreed to end UNIFIL mission in south Lebanon
The United States and Israel agreed that United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) must cease its operations in southern Lebanon, The Jerusalem Post reported Sunday The American administration has decided not to renew UNIFIL's mandate, and Israel reportedly 'did not try to convince the US otherwise.' The vote on the mandate in the United Nations Security Council is expected to occur within a few months. UNIFIL's mandate was most recently renewed by the Security Council on August 28, 2024, through resolution 2749 (2024), extending it until August 31, 2025. This is a yearly renewal, requested by the Lebanese Government. What is UNIFIL? UNIFIL was created in 1978 following the First Lebanon War, and was founded with the intention of confirming Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon, as well as assisting the Lebanese government with restoring authority in the area. After the Second Lebanon War in 2006, UNIFIL's mandate was extended to monitor hostilities in the region and ensure humanitarian access to local civilian populations. UNIFIL currently has over 13,000 uniformed personnel, and its top military contributor is Indonesia . No officials from the US, Israel, or the UN have commented on the announcement. Source: Jerusalem Post
Arab News
09-04-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Indonesia deploys 1,090 soldiers for UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon
JAKARTA: The Indonesian military dispatched 1,090 peacekeepers on Wednesday to serve in the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, for which Indonesia is the main troop-contributing country. Indonesia has contributed troops to UNIFIL since 2006, after the operation's mandate was expanded by the UN Security Council following the Second Lebanon War to help the Lebanese Army keep control over the south of the country, which borders Israel. The new batch of Indonesian soldiers will replace the current group serving in the country's Garuda Contingent, which consists of 1,230 personnel and whose terms expire at the end of this month. 'Today, I am very proud to send off 1,090 selected Indonesian soldiers to join the Garuda Contingent, which is on duty in the UNIFIL Mission in Lebanon,' Indonesian Armed Forces Chief Gen. Agus Subiyanto said at a pre-departure briefing in Jakarta. 'The trust that the UN has given to Indonesia to continue sending forces for its peacekeeping operations is proof that the world recognizes the professionalism, discipline and dedication of the Indonesian Armed Forces.' As of December 2024, UNIFIL's force consists of 10,251 peacekeepers from 48 troop-contributing countries, with Indonesia topping the list, followed by Italy and India. 'The Indonesian Army's involvement in UN peacekeeping operations is not merely a military mission, but also a humanitarian and cultural mission, and a national diplomacy at the global level,' Subiyanto said. 'I wish to remind every soldier that this mission is a sacred and noble mandate, so carry out this task as best as you can.' UNIFIL has been patrolling the border area between Lebanon and Israel for almost 50 years. The peacekeeping forces have been attacked multiple times by Israeli troops since Israel's invasion of Lebanon last year. Two Indonesian soldiers were among those wounded in October when Israeli tanks entered Naqoura village — where UNIFIL headquarters is located — and began firing on peacekeepers. 'The escalating conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has been intensifying more lately. This tension has a huge impact on the south Lebanon region, where you have been assigned. For this I ask that you always prioritize safety while conducting your duties,' Subiyanto told the new batch of Indonesian peacekeepers. 'If the threat escalates and you are required to leave the area of operations, implement the contingency plan prepared by the UN.' Indonesia is among the main troop-contributing countries in UN's global peacekeeping operations, with 2,736 soldiers serving across eight missions.
Al Manar
31-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Manar
Netanyahu Picks Former Navy Commander Eli Sharvit to Be Next Head of Shin Bet
Zionist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to appoint former Navy commander Vice Adm. (res.) Eli Sharvit as the next head of the Shin Bet instead of Ronen Bar, whom the cabinet voted to dismiss earlier this month, the Prime Minister's Office announced Monday morning. Bar has not been formally relieved from his post, with a temporary injunction imposed on his dismissal by the High Court of Justice. While the court froze Bar's firing, it allowed Netanyahu to interview candidates to replace him. Netanyahu interviewed seven candidates, the PMO said in its announcement. Sharvit's candidacy will now be reviewed by a vetting committee before the decision reaches the cabinet. Officers in Haifa Naval Base on March 6, 2019 (Meir Vaknin/Flash90) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has decided to appoint former Navy commander Vice Adm. (res.) Eli Sharvit as the next head of the Shin Bet instead of Ronen Bar, whom the cabinet voted to dismiss earlier this month, the Prime Minister's Office announced Monday morning. Bar has not been formally relieved from his post, with a temporary injunction imposed on his dismissal by the High Court of Justice. While the court froze Bar's firing, it allowed Netanyahu to interview candidates to replace him. Netanyahu interviewed seven candidates, the PMO said in its announcement. Sharvit's candidacy will now be reviewed by a vetting committee before the decision reaches the cabinet. The PMO statement about Sharvit's appointment noted that he had led the design of naval capabilities , and that he oversaw complex operations against Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran. 'The Shin Bet is an organization with much credit to its name,' the PMO said, 'which underwent a severe trauma on October 7.' Netanyahu, said his office, 'is convinced that Sharvit is the right person to lead the Shin Bet on a path that will continue the organization's glorious tradition.' Despite the vote of confidence from the premier, Sharvit previously participated in protests against his government's judicial overhaul plans. According to a report by Ynet in March 2023, Sharvit joined a protest on Tel Aviv's Kaplan Street, alongside other former military officers. He did not issue a call to refuse to show up for duty, as some other reservists did, but only expressed concern over the planned legislation, according to the report. In 2006, Sharvit was the deputy commander of the Navy's missile boat fleet, and amid the Second Lebanon War that year he commanded one of its squadrons. It is worth recalling that Hezbollah attacked with missiles and hit Sa'ar V warship and Dvora gunboat during that war. Sharvit's selection comes after the government voted earlier this month to fire Bar, sparking mass protests. After previously doing so anonymously, Netanyahu on Thursday claimed that Bar knew several hours before Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack that an invasion by the group was likely but did not alert him. Critics of the prime minister have accused him of seeking to fire Bar due to an ongoing Shin Bet probe of alleged ties between Netanyahu's top aides and Qatar. Bar himself, in a letter to the cabinet this month, said that he issued 'countless warnings to the political echelon' ahead of the October 7 attack, and said Netanyahu's purported reasons for firing him include 'baseless claims, serving only as a cover for entirely different, improper motives.'
Arab News
09-03-2025
- Politics
- Arab News
Israel military appoints new top spokesman
JERUSALEM: Israel's military on Sunday announced the appointment of a new spokesman to replace Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, who became the face of the country's war effort and is due to step down.A military statement said that the newly sworn-in chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir, 'has appointed (Brig. General) Effie Defrin as the IDF spokesperson.'As a tank battalion commander, Defrin 'fought and was wounded in the Second Lebanon War' in 2006, the statement said, adding that he went on to serve in 'key roles,' most recently as head of the International Cooperation predecessor, Hagari, became a household name after the war with Hamas erupted in October 2023, briefing the media and the general public almost daily — and sometimes several times a army announced on Friday that Hagari would be stepping down at the end of his term in to the Israeli media, he had decided to leave the army because the new chief of staff refused him a statements Hagari made during the war triggered criticism from the December, Hagari apologized for publicly criticizing a bill that would protect soldiers who disclose classified information to the prime also prompted a knee-jerk reaction from the government in June when he said that Hamas cannot be eliminated.'To say that we are going to make Hamas disappear is to throw sand in people's eyes,' Hagari told Israel's Channel 13 broadcaster, adding: 'Hamas is an ideology, we cannot eliminate an ideology.'His comments were quickly rebuffed by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Ya Libnan
15-02-2025
- Politics
- Ya Libnan
Hezbollah supporters set fire to UNIFIL convoy injuring its Deputy Commander
Scenes of a UNIFIL jeep being burned on the Beirut Airport Road, in the vicinity of Cocody, have spread across social media, as the road continues to be blocked in the area. احراق سيارة تابعة لليونيفيل على طريق المطار#لبنان #مطار_بيروت — Ahmad Hamieh🇦🇷🇦🇷 (@Ahmadhamieh313) February 14, 2025 The outgoing deputy commander of UNIFIL was injured Friday, the international peacekeeping force said, after a convoy taking troops to the Beirut airport was attacked amid pro-Hezbollah demonstrations in the area. Supporters of the Hezbollah militant group have blocked the road to the country's only airport for two consecutive nights over a decision barring two Iranian planes from landing in the Lebanese capital. The decision came after the Israel Defense Forces said Iran was smuggling cash to Hezbollah via civilian flights. According to Al-Arabiya, the three-car UNIFIL convoy was assaulted by young men who beat officers, stole equipment and burned at least one vehicle. In a statement, UNIFIL demanded a full and immediate investigation by Lebanese authorities and for all perpetrators to be brought to justice. 'We are shocked by this outrageous attack on peacekeepers who have been serving to restore security and stability to south Lebanon during a difficult time,' said the UN peacekeeping force. 'Attacks on peacekeepers are flagrant violations of international law and may amount to war crime.' 'Peacekeepers continue to work to restore security and stability in south Lebanon in accordance with our mandate under Security Council Resolution 1701,' the statement added, referring to the UN decision ending the 2006 Second Lebanon War that requires Hezbollah to pull its fighters north of the Litani River. UNIFIL Maj. Gen. Chok Bahadur Dhakal, of Nepal, who was set to leave the country after completing his mission when the convoy was attacked and injured The statement did not name the injured deputy commander, a post held since 2022 by Maj. Gen. Chok Bahadur Dhakal, of Nepal, who was set to leave the country after completing his mission when the convoy was attacked.
