4 aug 2020
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A massive explosion has ripped through the Lebanese capital of Beirut, leaving more than 50 people dead and thousands of others injured.
A warehouse at the Beirut Port caught fire on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a huge explosion, Lebanon’s official National News Agency (NNA) reported. Several smaller explosions were heard video before the bigger one occurred. video video video of drone Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon’s General Security, said that “highly explosive materials” confiscated earlier had been stored at the site. Footage shared on social media captured the moment of the bigger explosion, with a colossal shock wave seen traveling fast across several hundreds of meters and shrouding the area in thick smoke. video |
The blast left enormous material damage to the surrounding buildings and structures. video video But it was not immediately known how big an area was affected. video video
Graphic amateur video from the scene showed bodies strewn on the ground, with their clothes blown off.
The NNA said rescue operations were underway. Ambulances were seen heading toward the scene in central Beirut. video1 video2 video3 video4
Lebanese LBC television channel quoted Lebanon’s Health Minister Hamad Hasan as saying that the blast had caused a “very high number of injuries” and “extensive damage.”
The health ministery in Lebanon later announced that the death toll from the massive explosion in Beirut stood at more than 50, and the number of injured was over 2,700. video video
Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud said an unspecified number of firefighters dispatched to extinguish the initial fire had been killed in the explosion.
“As they were putting out the fire, the explosion took place and we’ve [lost them],” he said, breaking down on live TV.
The explosion comes at a time when the Arab country is passing through its worst economic and financial crisis in decades, and amid rising tensions with Israel.
PM: Those responsible will 'pay price'
Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab vowed on Tuesday that those responsible for the massive blast in the Beirut Port would be held to account.
"What happened today will not pass without accountability. Those responsible for this catastrophe will pay the price," Diab said in a televised address.
The Lebanese premier also called for international assistance to help the country, which is already beset by economic crises.
"I am sending an urgent appeal to all countries that are friends and brothers and love Lebanon, to stand by its side and help us treat these deep wounds," the prime minister said.
Diab also declared Wednesday as the day of national mourning for the victims of the deadly blast in Lebanon.
"It is a sad day, Beirut is afflicted, Lebanon is hit by a catastrophe, yes it is a big national catastrophe, the scenes we are seeing express the tragedy and reflect the size of the disaster that hit Lebanon. Beirut is mourning, and all of Lebanon is facing a catastrophe," Diab underlined.
23 june 2020
Israel's overflights in Lebanon could potentially lead to new "hostilities" on the Israeli-Lebanese border, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Stefano Del Col told Lebanon's National News Agency Monday.
"UNIFIL has spotted an uptick in the number of Israeli fighter jets flying in the Lebanese skies," he said.
"Such violations of Lebanese sovereignty and of [UN] Resolution 1701 escalate tensions and could potentially trigger incidents endangering the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel," he added.
Del Col also noted, however, a relative calm on the land border between the two countries despite a number of recent infiltration efforts made by migrants seeking to get into Israel in search of jobs as Lebanon struggles with a mounting financial crisis.
Lebanon, which previously accused Israel of "repeated violations of its airspace," appealed to a number of permanent members of the UN Security Council with a plea to "put a permanent end" to the alleged violations.
In April, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said his country "will not remain silent in the face of repeated violations by Israel."
According to some of the media reports, Israeli jets used Lebanese airspace was used during alleged strikes on targets in Syria. These strikes, not always acknowledged by the Jewish state, are aimed at curbing Tehran's efforts to entrench in the war-torn country, by creating a land bridge from Iran to the Mediterranean coast, via Syria and Lebanon.
"UNIFIL has spotted an uptick in the number of Israeli fighter jets flying in the Lebanese skies," he said.
"Such violations of Lebanese sovereignty and of [UN] Resolution 1701 escalate tensions and could potentially trigger incidents endangering the cessation of hostilities between Lebanon and Israel," he added.
Del Col also noted, however, a relative calm on the land border between the two countries despite a number of recent infiltration efforts made by migrants seeking to get into Israel in search of jobs as Lebanon struggles with a mounting financial crisis.
Lebanon, which previously accused Israel of "repeated violations of its airspace," appealed to a number of permanent members of the UN Security Council with a plea to "put a permanent end" to the alleged violations.
In April, Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab said his country "will not remain silent in the face of repeated violations by Israel."
According to some of the media reports, Israeli jets used Lebanese airspace was used during alleged strikes on targets in Syria. These strikes, not always acknowledged by the Jewish state, are aimed at curbing Tehran's efforts to entrench in the war-torn country, by creating a land bridge from Iran to the Mediterranean coast, via Syria and Lebanon.
17 may 2020
An Israeli patrol on Sunday opened fire at a shepherd in southeastern Lebanon along the border line and kidnapped him, according to Lebanese media sources.
Lebanon's National News Agency reported that an Israeli army patrol on Sunday shot and wounded Syrian shepherd Mohammed Noureddine Abdul Azim in the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Kfarshouba before abducting him into occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli army meanwhile claimed that troops spotted a suspect who crossed the border line from Lebanon into Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and opened fire at him.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the injured man was evacuated by a helicopter to a hospital in Haifa for treatment. His injury was described as moderate to serious.
It added that an investigation has been opened into the incident by the Israeli army.
Lebanon's National News Agency reported that an Israeli army patrol on Sunday shot and wounded Syrian shepherd Mohammed Noureddine Abdul Azim in the outskirts of the Lebanese border town of Kfarshouba before abducting him into occupied Palestinian territories.
The Israeli army meanwhile claimed that troops spotted a suspect who crossed the border line from Lebanon into Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories and opened fire at him.
Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth reported that the injured man was evacuated by a helicopter to a hospital in Haifa for treatment. His injury was described as moderate to serious.
It added that an investigation has been opened into the incident by the Israeli army.
7 may 2020
Israel’s U.N. ambassador said Wednesday that his government is demanding major changes in the way the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon operates on the ground and has support from the United States.
Ambassador Danny Danon told a video press briefing that Israel will insist that peacekeepers have access to all sites, that they have freedom of movement, and that any time they are being blocked the U.N. Security Council must be immediately informed.
The peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, was originally created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after a 1978 invasion.
The mission was expanded after a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah militants so that peacekeepers could deploy along the Lebanon-Israel border to help Lebanese troops extend their authority into their country’s south for the first time in decades.
Israel has repeatedly accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants of impeding the peacekeepers from carrying out their mandate.
“We have seen that slowly there are fewer places that the troops in the peacekeeping operation can actually travel in southern Lebanon,” Danon said. “So we want them to have full freedom of movement.”
“I have discussed it with the commander of the force and we tell them, `You are there, you cannot move and you can’t inspect, so why you are there?”’ he said. “`You have to be more active, you have to move freely and you have to inspect all sites.’”
UNIFIL includes more than 9,400 ground troops and over 850 naval personnel in a Maritime Task Force. Its budget from July 2018-June 2019 was $474 million.
Danon said Israel knows that on many occasions UNIFIL troops haven’t been able to enter suspicious sites, “and we proved in the past that Hezbollah is digging tunnels, they are bringing weapons to the border, and only in the last few weeks we have had a few incidents on the border.”
Danon said Israel will continue pushing for reforms before the mandate for UNIFIL is renewed during the summer and will be explaining Israel’s position to council members. He said Israel is grateful for U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft’s strong support.
He said the United States is raising the issue of the budget “and saying very clearly if they are not effective, why are we spending so much money on the troops?”
“We are not calling to shut down the mission tomorrow morning, but we are saying if they cannot change if they cannot function, why you are spending so much money?” Danon said. “We don’t want to send the troops back to their countries, but we want them to become more efficient.”
On Monday, the U.N. Security Council met to discuss the implementation of a 2004 resolution that called for the Lebanese government to extend its authority throughout the country and all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias to disband.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ latest report said Lebanon’s government continued with those efforts but Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias continue to operate outside government control in violation of the resolution and the Taif Accords that ended the country’s 1975-90 civil war.
“Several groups across the political spectrum in Lebanon possess weapons outside government control,” the U.N. chief said, adding that “Hezbollah is the most heavily armed militia in the country.”Guterres said he continues to urge Lebanon’s government and armed forces “to take all measures necessary to prohibit Hezbollah and other armed groups from acquiring weapons and building paramilitary capacity outside the authority of the state.”He also urged countries with close ties to Hezbollah “to encourage the transformation of the group into a solely civilian political party, as well as its disarmament.”
Ambassador Danny Danon told a video press briefing that Israel will insist that peacekeepers have access to all sites, that they have freedom of movement, and that any time they are being blocked the U.N. Security Council must be immediately informed.
The peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, was originally created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops after a 1978 invasion.
The mission was expanded after a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah militants so that peacekeepers could deploy along the Lebanon-Israel border to help Lebanese troops extend their authority into their country’s south for the first time in decades.
Israel has repeatedly accused Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants of impeding the peacekeepers from carrying out their mandate.
“We have seen that slowly there are fewer places that the troops in the peacekeeping operation can actually travel in southern Lebanon,” Danon said. “So we want them to have full freedom of movement.”
“I have discussed it with the commander of the force and we tell them, `You are there, you cannot move and you can’t inspect, so why you are there?”’ he said. “`You have to be more active, you have to move freely and you have to inspect all sites.’”
UNIFIL includes more than 9,400 ground troops and over 850 naval personnel in a Maritime Task Force. Its budget from July 2018-June 2019 was $474 million.
Danon said Israel knows that on many occasions UNIFIL troops haven’t been able to enter suspicious sites, “and we proved in the past that Hezbollah is digging tunnels, they are bringing weapons to the border, and only in the last few weeks we have had a few incidents on the border.”
Danon said Israel will continue pushing for reforms before the mandate for UNIFIL is renewed during the summer and will be explaining Israel’s position to council members. He said Israel is grateful for U.S. Ambassador Kelly Craft’s strong support.
He said the United States is raising the issue of the budget “and saying very clearly if they are not effective, why are we spending so much money on the troops?”
“We are not calling to shut down the mission tomorrow morning, but we are saying if they cannot change if they cannot function, why you are spending so much money?” Danon said. “We don’t want to send the troops back to their countries, but we want them to become more efficient.”
On Monday, the U.N. Security Council met to discuss the implementation of a 2004 resolution that called for the Lebanese government to extend its authority throughout the country and all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias to disband.U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ latest report said Lebanon’s government continued with those efforts but Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias continue to operate outside government control in violation of the resolution and the Taif Accords that ended the country’s 1975-90 civil war.
“Several groups across the political spectrum in Lebanon possess weapons outside government control,” the U.N. chief said, adding that “Hezbollah is the most heavily armed militia in the country.”Guterres said he continues to urge Lebanon’s government and armed forces “to take all measures necessary to prohibit Hezbollah and other armed groups from acquiring weapons and building paramilitary capacity outside the authority of the state.”He also urged countries with close ties to Hezbollah “to encourage the transformation of the group into a solely civilian political party, as well as its disarmament.”
