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Morocco World
23-03-2025
- Politics
- Morocco World
Israel Escalates Ceasefire Violations in Lebanon
Rabat – Israel has carried out multiple airstrikes on Lebanon, on Saturday, at what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu and Defense Minister Israel Kats claimed to be 'dozens of Hezbollah targets.' The deadly strikes killed seven people, including two children, and injured 40 others. Israel alleges that the strikes were in response to several rockets that were intercepted after being fired from Lebanon, and claims that the 'counterattacks' have succeeded in hitting dozens of rocket launchers and a Hezbollah command center. Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam warned that his country is being dragged into a war that will lead to grave consequences on Lebanon and its people, mainly placing the blame on the military action in the south of Lebanon and called for 'decisive action to ensure that only the Lebanese state retains the authority to declare war or peace.' Reiterating its commitment to the November ceasefire, Hezbollah, in turn, issued a statement definitively denying any involvement in the attacks on Northern Israel, accusing Netanyahu of creating a pretext to renew its war on Lebanon. Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa said that the Lebanese army has launched an investigation on the circumstances of the alleged rocket fire and called on the states sponsoring the ceasefire to 'deter the Israeli enemy from its continued violations and tracks under flimsy pretexts and false pretexts.' Salam also decried Israel's continued occupation of parts of the Lebanese territory as a violation of the November ceasefire and called on the international community to 'exert greater pressure on Israel to withdraw from the occupied territories.' In fact, Hezbollah's latest rocket fires are the first they have launched since the ceasefire, whereas Israel has breached the agreement several times, repeating its exact playbook from Gaza. Under the ceasefire agreement, Israel was set to withdraw from the occupied parts of Lebanon by January; however, the IOF remain in five locations inside Lebanon and have carried out dozens of deadly strikes, striking civilians under the guise of targeting Hezbollah. By January 26, the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) reported that the IOF carried out 330 air strikes and shelling attacks since November, recording 260 residential properties destroyed alongside roads and other civilian infrastructure. Tags: (Israel) Newshezbollah lebanonlebanon
Middle East Eye
26-02-2025
- Politics
- Middle East Eye
Israel bombs Syria following days of threats against new rulers
The Israeli army carried out a series of air strikes on Tuesday on what it said were military bases in Syria, days following Prime Minister Benjamin Netnayahu's demand for a 'complete demilitarisation' of the country's south. According to local Syrian media, the strikes hit the town of Kiswah, south of Damascus, and several parts of the Daraa province. Low-flying Israeli jets could still be heard over Damascus after the strikes. Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz confirmed the strikes, saying his country 'will not allow southern Syria to become southern Lebanon'. 'Any attempt by the Syrian regime forces and the country's terrorist organisations to establish themselves in the security zone in southern Syria will be met with fire,' he added. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters At least two people were killed in the attacks, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor. Protests broke out in southern Syria and Damascus overnight, condemning the attacks and asking the country's new leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, to respond. Syrians protest over Netanyahu's call for a demilitarised south Read More » The protests follow days of demonstrations in the south, demanding an end to Israeli attacks and insisting on the unity of Syrian lands. Hours before the strikes, Sharaa had concluded a national unity conference in Damascus in which he decried Israel's incursions into Syria that started right after the fall of president Bashar al-Assad in December. Sharaa also rejected 'the provocative statements of the Israeli prime minister'. Syria's government said that Israel was violating the country's sovereignty and called on the international community to pressure it 'to stop the aggression', demanding an 'immediate and unconditional withdrawal'. Aside from verbal condemnations, Syria's new administration has not engaged militarily with Israel. Israel carried out heavy air strikes against all types of Syrian military infrastructure since December, leaving the new rulers already battered from 14 years of civil war, with little capacity to face it in a war.
