Latest from Al Arabiya
Al Arabiya
23 minutes ago
- Al Arabiya
Authorities to attempt to reopen Mosel river in Germany to shipping
Attempts will be made on Friday and over the weekend to reopen the river Mosel in west Germany on a limited scale to inland waterways freight shipping after an accident with a vessel damaged a lock, navigation authorities said on Friday. Shipping was stopped on the river, an important transit route for grains and rapeseed between Germany and France, after an accident involving a passenger vessel on Wednesday damaged a lock at Sankt Aldegund between Koblenz and Trier. Attempts are now starting to see if the lock can still be used for vessel transits on a limited scale after an initial assessment of damage, said a spokesperson for river navigation authority GDWS. The first test transits through the lock could be made over the weekend. If this is not feasible, attempts are planned to reopen the lock with temporary water control barriers. But this would be a slower process than using the damaged lock, possibly with each ship needing around an hour to transit the lock. About 50 inland waterways freighters are currently stranded on the river, called the Moselle in France. First efforts will be concentrated on enabling the stranded ships to pass through the lock to reach their destinations. But the aim is to allow normal sailings to resume, the spokesperson said. It is still not possible to say when the lock can be fully repaired. A similar lock accident on the Mosel in December that halted shipping led futures exchange operator Euronext to suspend physical delivery to river ports in eastern France for its rapeseed futures.
Al Arabiya
37 minutes ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Under pressure, Hezbollah weighs scaling back its arsenal without disarming completely
Hezbollah has begun a major strategic review in the wake of its devastating war with Israel, including considering scaling back its role as an armed movement without disarming completely, three sources familiar with the deliberations say. The internal discussions, which aren't yet finalized and haven't previously been reported, reflect the formidable pressures the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group has faced since a truce was reached in late November. Israeli forces continue to strike areas where the group holds sway, accusing Hezbollah of ceasefire violations, which it denies. It is also grappling with acute financial strains, US demands for its disarmament and diminished political clout since a new cabinet took office in February with US support. The group's difficulties have been compounded by seismic shifts in the regional power balance since Israel decimated its command, killed thousands of its fighters and destroyed much of its arsenal last year. Hezbollah's Syrian ally, Bashar al-Assad, was toppled in December, severing a key arms supply line from Iran. Tehran is now emerging from its own bruising war with Israel, raising doubts over how much aid it can offer, a regional security source and a senior Lebanese official told Reuters. Another senior official, who is familiar with Hezbollah's internal deliberations, said the group had been holding clandestine discussions on its next steps. Small committees have been meeting in person or remotely to discuss issues including its leadership structure, political role, social and development work, and weapons, the official said on condition of anonymity. The official and two other sources familiar with the discussions indicated Hezbollah has concluded that the arsenal it had amassed to deter Israel from attacking Lebanon had become a liability. Hezbollah 'had an excess of power,' the official said. 'All that strength turned into a weak point.' Under the leadership of Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed last year, Hezbollah grew into a regional military player with tens of thousands of fighters, rockets and drones poised to strike Israel. It also provided support to allies in Syria, Iraq and Yemen. Israel came to regard Hezbollah as a significant threat. When the group opened fire in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas at the start of the Gaza war in 2023, Israel responded with airstrikes in Lebanon that escalated into a ground offensive. Hezbollah has since relinquished a number of weapons depots in southern Lebanon to the Lebanese armed forces as stipulated in last year's truce, though Israel says it has struck military infrastructure there still linked to the group. Hezbollah is now considering turning over some weapons it has elsewhere in the country - notably missiles and drones seen as the biggest threat to Israel - on condition Israel withdraws from the south and halts its attacks, the sources said. But the group won't surrender its entire arsenal, the sources said. For example, it intends to keep lighter arms and anti-tank missiles, they said, describing them as a means to resist any future attacks. Hezbollah's media office did not respond to questions for this article. Isreal's military said it would continue operating along its northern border in accordance with the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, in order eliminate any threat and protect Israeli citizens. The US State Department declined to comment on private diplomatic conversations, referring questions to Lebanon's government. Lebanon's presidency did not respond to questions. For Hezbollah to preserve any military capabilities would fall short of Israeli and US ambitions. Under the terms of the ceasefire brokered by the US 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. Lebanon's government also wants Hezbollah to surrender the rest of its weapons as it works to establish a state monopoly on arms. Failure to do so could stir tensions with the group's Lebanese rivals, which accuse Hezbollah of leveraging its military might to impose its will in state affairs and repeatedly dragging Lebanon into conflicts. All sides have said they remain committed to the ceasefire, even as they traded accusations of violations. Part of Hezbollah's 'DNA' Arms have been central to Hezbollah's doctrine since it was founded by Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to fight Israeli forces who invaded Lebanon in 1982, at the height of the 1975-1990 Lebanese civil war. Tensions over the Shia Muslim group's arsenal sparked another, brief civil conflict in 2008. The United States and Israel deem Hezbollah a terrorist group. Nicholas Blanford, who wrote a history of Hezbollah, said that in order to reconstitute itself, the group would have to justify its retention of weapons in an increasingly hostile political landscape, while addressing damaging intelligence breaches and ensuring its long-term finances. 'They've faced challenges before, but not this number simultaneously,' said Blanford, a fellow with the Atlantic Council, a US think tank. A European official familiar with intelligence assessments said there was a lot of brainstorming underway within Hezbollah about its future but no clear outcomes. The official described Hezbollah's status as an armed group as part of its DNA, saying it would be difficult for it to become a purely political party. Nearly a dozen sources familiar with Hezbollah's thinking said the group wants to keep some arms, not only in case of future threats from Israel, but also because it is worried that Sunni Muslim extremists in neighboring Syria might exploit lax security to attack eastern Lebanon, a Shia-majority region. Despite the catastrophic results of the latest war with Israel - tens of thousands of people were left homeless and swathes of the south and Beirut's southern suburbs were destroyed - many of Hezbollah's core supporters want it to remain armed. Um Hussein, whose son died fighting for Hezbollah, cited the threat still posed by Israel and a history of conflict with Lebanese rivals as reasons to do so. 'Hezbollah is the backbone of the Shias, even if it is weak now,' she said, asking to be identified by a traditional nickname because members of her family still belong to Hezbollah. 'We were a weak, poor group. Nobody spoke up for us.' Hezbollah's immediate priority is tending to the needs of constituents who bore the brunt of the war, the sources familiar with its deliberations said. In December, Secretary General Naim Qassem said Hezbollah had paid more than $50 million to affected families with more than $25 million still to hand out. But there are signs that its funds are running short. One Beirut resident said he had paid for repairs to his apartment in the Hezbollah-controlled southern suburbs after it was damaged in the war only to see the entire block destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in June. 'Everyone is scattered and homeless. No one has promised to pay for our shelter,' said the man, who declined to be identified for fear his complaints might jeopardize his chances of receiving compensation. He said he had received cheques from Hezbollah but was told by the group's financial institution, Al-Qard Al-Hassan, that it did not have funds available to cash them. Reuters could not immediately reach the institution for comment. Other indications of financial strain have included cutbacks to free medications offered by Hezbollah-run pharmacies, three people familiar with the operations said. Squeezing Hezbollah finances Hezbollah has put the onus on Lebanon's government to secure reconstruction funding. But Foreign Minister Youssef Raji, a Hezbollah critic, has said there will be no aid from foreign donors until the state establishes a monopoly on arms. A State Department spokesperson said in May that, while Washington was engaged in supporting sustainable reconstruction in Lebanon, 'this cannot happen without Hezbollah laying down their arms'. Israel has also been squeezing Hezbollah's finances. The Israeli military said on June 25 that it had killed an Iranian official who oversaw hundreds of millions of dollars in transfers annually to armed groups in the region, as well as a man in southern Lebanon who ran a currency exchange business that helped get some of these funds to Hezbollah. Iran did not comment at the time, and its UN mission did not immediately respond to questions from Reuters. Since February, Lebanon has barred commercial flights between Beirut and Tehran, after Israel's military accused Hezbollah of using civilian aircraft to bring in money from Iran and threatened to take action to stop this. Lebanese authorities have also tightened security at Beirut airport, where Hezbollah had free rein for years, making it harder for the group to smuggle in funds that way, according to an official and a security source familiar with airport operations. Such moves have fueled anger among Hezbollah's supporters towards the administration led by President Joseph Aoun and Nawaf Salam, who was made prime minister against Hezbollah's wishes. Alongside its Shia ally, the Amal Movement, Hezbollah swept local elections in May, with many seats uncontested. The group will be seeking to preserve its dominance in legislative elections next year. Nabil Boumonsef, deputy editor-in-chief of Lebanon's Annahar newspaper, said next year's poll was part of an 'existential battle' for Hezbollah. 'It will use all the means it can, firstly to play for time so it doesn't have to disarm, and secondly to make political and popular gains,' he said.
Al Arabiya
37 minutes ago
- Climate
- Al Arabiya
Crete wildfire ‘retreating,' say Greek firefighters
A wildfire on the Greek island of Crete that forced the evacuation of 5,000 tourists and locals is 'retreating,' firefighters told AFP on Friday. Some 230 firefighters and six helicopters are still at the scene near the resort town of Ierapetra, where 3,000 visitors had to leave their hotels and guest houses on Wednesday evening. 'The fire is retreating,' fire department spokesperson Vassilios Vathrakoyannis told AFP. 'There are still fears of flare-ups, but there is no longer a major front,' he added. Scattered hot spots still remain, and firefighters are dealing with several smoke-filled areas from which flare-ups have restarted, the fire department told the ANA press agency. However, weakening winds in the hard-to-reach area have improved the situation, firefighters said. Another blaze, fanned by strong winds, that broke out near the port of Rafina — about 30 kilometers (18 miles) east of Athens — was brought under control on Thursday evening, authorities said. However, with the wildfire not far from Athens International Airport, fire crews remain on alert as winds remain strong. The fire, which led to the evacuation of 300 people, destroyed a few houses and vehicles, local mayor Dimitris Markou told public broadcaster ERT. It also disrupted ferries to and from tourist islands in the western Aegean, including Mykonos. Greece has so far been spared from the heatwave roasting parts of Europe — particularly Spain, Portugal, and France. But starting this weekend, temperatures will rise and reach up to 43 degrees Celsius (109 degrees Fahrenheit) in some areas of the country. Hot, dry weather is not unusual for Greece at this time of year, with the heightened risk of devastating wildfires that have plagued the country in recent years.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Politics
- Al Arabiya
Gaza civil defense says Israeli strikes kill 15
Gaza's civil defense agency said Friday that overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 15 people, after nearly 21 months of war in the Palestinian territory. Israel has recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip, where the war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the territory's population of more than two million. Gaza civil defense official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP that seven people, including a child, were killed in an Israeli air strike on displaced people's tents near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis. Mughayyir said eight more people were killed in two other strikes on tent encampments on the coast of Khan Younis, including one that killed two children early Friday. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific attacks without precise coordinates, but noted it was 'operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities'. On Thursday, the agency reported that 73 people were killed in Israeli strikes. Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense. Israel's leaders have held firm to their aim of crushing Hamas, even as the Palestinian militant group said Thursday it was discussing new proposals for a ceasefire from mediators. It came after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas that could lead to the release of hostages remaining in Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under heavy domestic pressure to return the remaining captives. Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack that prompted the Israeli offensive resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures. Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,130 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Entertainment
- Al Arabiya
Tiffany Trump shares first photos of son with Lebanese husband Michael Boulos
Tiffany Trump, the daughter of US President Donald Trump, has shared the first photos of her newborn son with her Lebanese husband Michael Boulos. As the only child of president Trump and Marla Maples, she welcomed her first child Alexander Trump Boulos on May 15, 2025. 'The love of our lives, ATB,' the new mother captioned the photos she posted on social media. The love of our lives, ATB 🧸 — Tiffany Ariana Trump (@TiffanyATrump) July 3, 2025 At 29-years-old, Trump married 25-year-old Lebanese-American billionaire Boulos at Donald Trump's private club Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida. The couple met in 2018 at Lindsey Lohan's Beach club while vacationing in Santorini, according to US media.
