Lübnan Başbakanı'ndan "İsrail'in provokasyonları bölgeyi topyekun savaşa sürükleyebilir" uyarısı - AA

 Başbakanlık ofisinden yapılan yazılı açıklamaya göre, Mikati, başkent Beyrut'ta İngiltere Dışişleri Bakanı David Cameron ile bir araya geldi.

İkili ilişkilerin yanı sıra Gazze ile Lübnan'ın güneyindeki durumun ele alındığı görüşmede Mikati, buralardaki saldırıların durmasını istedi.

"İsrail'in Lübnan'ın güneyindeki provokatif eylemleri, durumun kötüleşmesine ve bölgede topyekun bir savaş çıkmasına neden olabilir." ifadesini kullanan Mikati, İsrail'in saldırılarının durması için maksimum baskı uygulanması çağrısı yaptı.

Mikati, Gazze'de savaşın durması için öncelikle ateşkese varılması ardından da iki devletli çözüm ve Filistinlilere haklarının teslim edilmesi adına müzakere sürecine geçilmesi gerektiğini kaydetti.

Cameron ise Gazze'deki çatışmaların Lübnan'a, oradan Kızıldeniz'e oradan da tüm bölgeye yayılmasının dünyadaki risk ve güvensizlik düzeyini artıracağını vurguladı.

Cameron, Lübnan'ın bu tür bir gerilimin yaşanmaması adına sarf ettiği çabalardan ötürü Mikati'ye teşekkür etti.

https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/lubnan-basbakanindan-israilin-provokasyonlari-bolgeyi-topyekun-savasa-surukleyebilir-uyarisi/3095066

İsrail: Lübnan sınırındaki durumun 7 Ekim'den önceki haline dönmesine izin vermeyeceğiz - AA

 İsrail Ordusu radyosunda yer alan habere göre, Gallant, Hizbullah'a çok sert darbe indirdiklerini ifade ederek, 150'ya yakın Hizbullah mensubunun öldüğünü kaydetti.

Hizbullah mensuplarının büyük ölçüde sınır hattından Lübnan'ın iç kısımlarına doğru uzaklaştırıldığını ifade eden Gallant, Lübnan sınırındaki durumun 7 Ekim'den önceki haline dönmesine izin vermeyeceklerini söyledi.

Gazze'ye saldırıların başlamasının ardından Lübnan sınırına yakın İsrail beldeleri ve Yahudi yerleşim birimleri sakinlerinin evlerine dönmesi ihtimaline de değinen Gallant, vatandaşlarının kuzeye dönmesi için ya uzlaşıcı bir yol ya da askeri faaliyetler neticesinde farklı bir gerçeklik olacağını dile getirdi.

Hizbullah'tan Gallant'ın açıklamalarına ilişkin henüz bir yanıt gelmedi.

İsrail ordusu ile Lübnan'daki Hizbullah Hareketi arasında 8 Ekim'den bu yana 120 kilometrelik sınır hattı üzerinde neredeyse her gün karşılıklı olarak "kontrollü" şekilde sıcak çatışmalar yaşanıyor.

https://www.aa.com.tr/tr/dunya/israil-lubnan-sinirindaki-durumun-7-ekimden-onceki-haline-donmesine-izin-vermeyecegiz/3092409

2006 yılındaki Hizbullah ile 2023 yılındaki Hizbullah arasındaki fark - Şarkul Avsat

 Halid Hamade

Hamas’ın 7 Ekim’de düzenlediği Aksa Tufanı operasyonuyla Gazze duvarını aşarak İsrail yerleşimlerine saldırması üzerine gözler, Hizbullah gruplarının işgal altındaki Celile’ye doğru bir sınır ihlali yapacağı beklentisiyle Güney Lübnan’a çevrildi.

Gazze savaşçılarının ve Lübnan ile diğer ülkelerdeki Hizbullah tabanının Hizbullah’ın Gazze’deki savaşa müdahalesinin kaçınılmaz olduğuna dair kanaati, Direniş Ekseni gruplarının defalarca dile getirdiği ‘meydanların birliği’ ilkesine dayanıyordu. Dayanaklardan bir diğeri de Hizbullah Genel Sekreteri Hasan Nasrallah’ın birçok kez Hizbullah’ın savaşı İsrail içlerine doğru taşıyabileceğini belirtmesiydi.

Düzensiz çatışmalar, Şeb’a Çiftlikleri’nde başladı ve sonrasında tüm sınırlara yayıldı. Ancak bunlar, özellikle ABD’nin Tahran’ın Aksa Tufanı operasyonuna müdahalesine dair herhangi bir delilin olmadığını belirtmesinin ardından Tahran’ın Gazze’deki savaşa dair gerçek tutumunun ne olduğu yönündeki sorulara cevap bulmak için yeterli olmadı. Dışişleri Bakanı Hüseyin Emir Abdullahiyan tarafından Beyrut’a ve sonrasında birçok başkente yapılan ziyaretlerde sergilenen İranlı tutumu, ABD tutumuyla karşı karşıya geldi. Bu tutum ayrıca, Gazze’de olup bitenlere verilecek tepkinin düzeyini belirlemekten sorumlu Hizbullah liderliğindeki Direniş Ekseni gruplarına desteğini de vurguladı.  

Her ne kadar Gazze’de şiddetin tırmanacağı konusunda uyarsa ve bir bölge patlaması olabileceğine işaret etse de İran’ın tutumları, İsrail’in Gazze’yi yakıp yıkması karşısında herhangi bir İranlı tepki göstermeden devam etti.

Ekim’de Gazze’deki operasyonların başlangıcından itibaren Hizbullah ile İsrail ordusu arasında her gün çıkan sınır çatışmalarının son derece koordineli ve disiplinli saha kısıtlamalarıyla yönetildiği görüldü. Bu, her iki tarafça da hedef alınan bölgelerin iki kilometreyi aşmayan sınırlı derinliğine bakılınca açıkça görülüyor. Sadece doğrudan askerî noktaların hedef alınmasına ve uygun mermi ve mühimmat kullanımında kontrollü olunmasına dair ortak bir sınır ötesi taahhüt de bunu ortaya koyuyor. Bu da operasyonların ritminin, İran ve ABD tarafından ABD’nin Tahran’a ve İran’ın da Gazze’ye yönelik tutumuyla örtüşecek şekilde yürütülen siyasi angajman kurallarının saha uygulamasından başka bir şey olmadığı sonucunu veriyor.  

https://turkish.aawsat.com/arap-d%C3%BCnyasi/4674536-2006-y%C4%B1l%C4%B1ndaki-hizbullah-ile-2023-y%C4%B1l%C4%B1ndaki-hizbullah-aras%C4%B1ndaki-fark

Lebanese Resistance targets Israeli military sites - Al-Mayadeen

The Lebanese Islamic Resistance announced that it has targeted a gathering of Israeli occupation soldiers near the Al-Tayhat Triangle, confirming direct hits.

Hezbollah announced in a statement, "In support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in solidarity with their courageous and honorable resistance, the fighters of the Islamic Resistance [In Lebanon] targeted, at 10:30 on Friday, November 17, 2023, a gathering of Israeli occupation soldiers near the Tayhat Triangle with appropriate weapons, achieving direct hits."

Additionally, the Islamic Resistance also announced in a separate statement that it had targeted a gathering of Israeli occupation soldiers near the "Marj" outpost and another gathering near the "Ramim" barracks causing direct injuries. The Islamic Resistance also targeted the Israeli site of al-Malikiyah.

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/lebanese-resistance-targets-israeli-military-sites

Hezbollah fires rockets at IDF posts on Lebanon border; army returns fire - The Times of Israel

 A number of rockets have been fired by the Hezbollah terror group from Lebanon at Israeli army positions on the border, close to the northern communities of Malkia and Menara.

There are no reports of injuries in the attacks.

The IDF says it shelled the sources of the fire with artillery.

Additionally, the IDF says fighter jets hit a number of Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, including a weapons depot.

It adds that troops also hit a terror cell in southern Lebanon that was preparing an attack near the northern village of Arab al-Aramshe.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/hezbollah-fires-rockets-at-idf-posts-on-lebanon-border-army-returns-fire/

Israeli army strikes locations near Syria's Damascus: State media - AA

The Israeli army early Friday struck missiles on several locations near the Syrian capital Damascus, the Syrian SANA news agency reported.

The Israeli attack was launched from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, according to a military source quoted by the agency.

Most of the Israeli missiles were intercepted but some caused material damage, it added.

There have been a spate of attacks in the region since the Oct. 7 Hamas offensive in Israel.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/israeli-army-strikes-locations-near-syrias-damascus-state-media/3056186

58 attacks on US bases in Iraq, Syria since Oct. 17: Pentagon - Yeni Şafak

 The US Department of Defense on Thursday said its military bases in Iraq and Syria were attacked 58 times since Oct. 17.

In a press briefing, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said the attacks have so far left more than 50 US troops lightly injured.

"All of our service members who have been injured have all returned to duty," Singh said.

She added that 31 of the attacks occurred in Syria and 27 in Iraq.

Singh noted that the US troops responded with airstrikes on command-and-control centers, weapons storage facilities and military training areas for Iran-backed groups.

https://www.yenisafak.com/en/news/58-attacks-on-us-bases-in-iraq-syria-since-oct-17-pentagon-3673578

Israel-Hezbollah border skirmishes - Naharnet

 Israeli warplanes and artillery bombed Friday the outskirts of the Lebanese border towns of al-Jebbayn, al-Labbouneh, Aitaroun, Yarine, Dhaira, Mays al-Jabal, Blida Houla, Tayr Harfa, Aita al-Shaab, Rab Tlatine, al-Taybe, Rmeish, and Wadi Mozlem.

Israel had shelled overnight with heavy and flare shells al-Naqoura, Blida, al-Khiam, Borj al-Moulouk, Kfarshouba, and Kfarhamam.

Hezbollah for its part targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near al-Taihat and other groups of soldiers near al-Marj post, the Ramim Barracks, al-Dhaira, and Yir'on, "inflicting casualties." It also targeted the Malkia post.

https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/301597-israel-hezbollah-border-skirmishes-latest-developments

Who is army chief candidate on whom parties have agreed? - Naharnet

There are currently three candidates for the army chief post but one of them has the highest chances, a media report said on Friday.

“His appointment has been settled in principle and he enjoys the acceptance of all political parties and has close ties to foreign forces,” the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper quoted informed sources as saying.

“A meeting was held Wednesday evening between parties concerned with the file and an agreement was reached on naming an army commander instead of postponing the retirement of the incumbent chief,” the daily added, citing “credible reports.”

“The candidate has been informed of the decision and he has met with (Speaker Nabih) Berri and a number of officials, who put him in the picture of their deliberations,” the newspaper said.

The candidate was also “one of the military figures who were visited by a U.S. delegation that discussed the situation of the military institution,” Nidaa al-Watan added.

Al-Akhbar newspaper meanwhile said that the Free Patriotic Movement has three candidate for the army chief post: Intelligence Directorate chief Tony Qahwaji, Elie Akl and Maroun Qbayati.

https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/301611-who-is-army-chief-candidate-on-whom-parties-have-agreed

The Army air defenses repel Israeli aggression on the surroundings of Damascus - SANA

 Damascus, SANA- The army air defenses repelled an Israeli missile attack that targeted a number of points in the surroundings of Damascus.

“At around 2:25 a.m. Friday, the Israeli enemy carried out an aerial attack from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting a number of points in the surroundings of Damascus,” a military source said in a statement to SANA.

The source added that the Army air defense forces responded to the missile aggression and shot down most of them, saying the damage was limited to materials.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=320437

Israeli enemy shells with artillery villages and towns in southern Lebanon - SANA

 Beirut, SANA- The Israeli enemy targeted on Friday the towns of Naqoura and Aita al-Shaab and their neighboring areas in southern Lebanon.

Lebanese National News Agency reported that the Israeli enemy shelled in the morning the outskirts of the towns of Naqoura and Alma al-Shaab, and at night it shelled the outskirts of the towns of Aita al-Shaab and Ramiya, as well as the enemy aircraft raided on Thursday the vicinity of Naqoura town and Jabal al-Labouneh.

During the dawn hours, Israeli artillery targeted the areas of al-Harj, Tal al-Nahhas and Aaziyyeh on the outskirts of Kafr Kila town, in addition to the outskirts of al-Dhahira town, the agency noted.

The Lebanese agency added Enemy reconnaissance aircraft also flew until this morning, while enemy flares filled the skies of the western and central sectors.

https://www.sana.sy/en/?p=320447

Israel caused 37% of Lebanon's forest fires in 2023 - L'Orient Today

 BEIRUT — Lebanon's caretaker Minister of the Environment, Nasser Yassin, claimed on Thursday that "774 hectares of land, including 296 hectares of forest" were incinerated this summer as temperatures rose, before the Israeli army began on Oct. 8 to drop phosphorus bombs in southern Lebanon. The attacks by Israel are responsible for numerous forest fires, according to remarks reported by state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Israel's use of phosphorus has burned 460 hectares of forests and orchards, "which constitutes 37% of the areas affected by fires in 2023," the minister added.

The use of white phosphorus bombs by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon is causing a large number of fires, but also represents a danger to human health, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, which published recommendations in early November for the treatment of people affected by contact with this chemical.

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1357672/israel-caused-37-of-lebanons-forest-fires-in-2023.html

Lebanese army leadership doubts grow after talks fail - Arab News

BEIRUT: An emergency meeting by the Lebanese caretaker Cabinet on Thursday failed to extend the term of Lebanese Armed Forces Commander Joseph Aoun, whose mandate ends in 55 days.

Aoun is also a possible presidential candidate.

A fresh political statement is expected to be released as the military situation remains tense on Lebanon’s southern border with Israel.

Hezbollah has targeted Israeli sites, including the Misgav Am, Bayad Blida, Metula, Asi, and Harmon areas, as well as the Yiftah barracks.

The group also targeted an Israeli ground force gathering on Karantina hill near the Hadab Yaron site with “appropriate weapons and achieved direct hits.”

Israeli forces responded with aerial bombardment of Lebanese border villages, towns, plains and forests using phosphorus missiles.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2410181/middle-east

Israeli army fighter jets strike Hezbollah targets in Lebanon - Al-Arabiya

Israeli fighter jets carried out strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Thursday.

“The targets included a number of military posts from which Hezbollah terrorists operated. In addition… [Israeli army] soldiers struck a terrorist who was operating in Lebanese territory, adjacent to the area of Shlomi in northern Israel,” the Israeli army said in a statement.

Earlier, the Israeli army said: “An anti-tank missile was launched from Lebanon toward the area of Shlomi in northern Israel. In response, the [Israeli army] struck the Hezbollah launch post from which the missile was fired.”

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/middle-east/2023/11/16/Israeli-army-fighter-jets-strike-Hezbollah-targets-in-Lebanon

Jumblat defends al-Rahi after attacks by pro-Hezbollah activists -Naharnet

 Druze leader Walid Jumblat on Thursday defended Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi after he was attacked on social media by pro-Hezbollah journalists and activists.

“We condemn any domestic inflammatory remarks, especially against Patriarch al-Rahi, during this extraordinarily dangerous period in the history of Lebanon and the region,” Jumblat said in a post on the X platform, formerly Twitter.

“Internal unity is above any consideration,” he added.

Al-Rahi had on Wednesday said: “Our people in the South are leaving their homes and this means further poverty, that’s why we have asked our parishioners to offer sums of money and to present Sundays’ trays (of donations) to our people who are coming from the southern towns.”

Since October 8, thousands of residents have fled the southern border towns amid daily clashes between Israel and Hezbollah against the backdrop of the war in Gaza.

Al-Rahi’s remarks infuriated some pro-Hezbollah activists, including al-Manar reporter Ali Shoaib and al-Mayadeen reporter Ali Murtada, who launched vehement attacks and insults against al-Rahi on their social media accounts.

https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/301579-jumblat-defends-al-rahi-after-attacks-by-pro-hezbollah-activists

Hezbollah targets Israeli posts after 'preemptive' strikes on south - Naharnet

Israeli warplanes and artillery bombed Thursday morning several border towns including al-Khiyam, al-Naqoura, al-Labbouneh, Aita al-Shaab, and Marjeyoun's plain, in strikes described as preemtive.

Israel later shelled Kfarkela, Ramia, Odeisseh, Markaba, Beit Leef, Dhaira, Alma al-Shaab, Houla, Mays al-Jabal, Mhaibib, Aitaroun and other border towns after Hezbollah targeted several Israeli posts including al-Assi, Miskav Am, al-Marj, al-Bayyad, Metulla, and the Yiftah barracks.

The Israeli army said its fighter jets attacked Hezbollah military positions and a fighter who was operating in Lebanese territory near Shlomi.

https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/301586-hezbollah-targets-israeli-posts-after-preemptive-strikes-on-south

Hizbullah, İsrail’in elektronik ekipmanlarını hedef alıyor - Şarkul Avsat

 Hizbullah, İsrail elektronik ekipmanını bombalama savaşına yeniden başladı. İsrail ordusu ise bunları onarmaya ve sınır bölgelerine yerleştirmeye çalışıyor. Elektronik ekipmanların bulunduğu direkleri kaldırmaya çalışan vinçler hedef alınırken sınır bölgesindeki gerilim ise artıyor. Meclis Başkanı Nebih Berri, ‘bölgede İsrail savaşının ateşini körüklemenin tehlikeleri’ uyarısında bulundu.

Karşılıklı bombardımanın doğu, orta ve batı olmak üzere üç kesimi kapsaması nedeniyle güney cephesi 14 Kasım’da sabahtan bu yana sakinleşmedi. İsrail güçleri ağır toplar ve insansız hava araçlarıyla fırlatılan füzeler kullanırken, Hizbullah ise güdümlü füzeler ve havan topları kullandı. Hizbullah’a bağlı medya, partinin daha önce yok ettiği elektronik cihazları yeniden takmak için sınır bölgelerinden birinde bulunan dört vinçten birinin hedef alındığını gösteren bir video yayınladı.

Hizbullah 8 Ekim'den bu yana, sınır bölgesindeki 42 İsrail bölgesinde elektronik ekipman içeren 105 direği hedef aldı. Bombalamanın ilk haftasındaki görüntülere göre operasyona ‘düşmanın gözlerinin oyulması’ adı verildi. İsrail ordusu, geçen haftadan bu yana sütunları ve ekipmanı yeniden kurmaya çalışıyor. Bu durum üzerine Hizbullah ise yeni hedefler belirliyor.

Birleşmiş Milletler Geçici Barış Gücü (UNIFIL) Komutanı General Aroldo Lazaro, dün yaptığı açıklamada, Güney Lübnan'da gerilimin arttığı uyarısında bulundu. Geçici Başbakan Necib Mikati ve Meclis Başkanı Nebih Berri ile görüşen Lazaro, “Güneydeki durum ve daha kapsamlı, daha şiddetli düşmanlık potansiyeli konusundaki derin endişemi dile getirdim. UNIFIL'in öncelikleri artık gerilimin tırmanmasını önlemek, sivillerin hayatını korumak ve bunu başarmaya çalışan barış güçlerinin güvenliğini sağlamaktır.

https://turkish.aawsat.com/arap-d%C3%BCnyasi/4670401-hizbullah-i%CC%87srail%E2%80%99-elektronik-ekipmanlar%C4%B1n%C4%B1-hedef-al%C4%B1yor

‘Scorched earth policy’: Will Lebanon be compensated for Israel’s environmental crimes? - L'Orient Today

 Since Oct. 15, a week after the start of clashes between Hezbollah and Israel on the southern border, the Israeli Army has burned Lebanese forests, olive groves and other agricultural land, often with white phosphorus bombs. This military practice has been described as a "scorched earth policy" by caretaker Minister of Environment Nasser Yassin. Last week, Yassin announced Lebanon's intention to "lodge a documented complaint" against the attacks, which are prohibited by international law and have already destroyed 4.6 million m2 of woodland, 20 hectares of olive groves and 20 hectares of century-old olive groves (some 40,000 olive trees).

Who can submit such a claim and to which legal bodies? Given the ongoing financial crisis, and the government’s inability to compensate farmers for their losses, what chance does Lebanon have of receiving reparations for the chemical attacks? We asked Rizk Zgheib, Associate Professor of International Law at Saint Joseph University (USJ).

Q- When is a strategy described as a "scorched earth policy?"

A- This is a military tactic whereby one side involved in a conflict deliberately destroys another's resources, means of production or the surrounding environment. When such destruction is intentional rather than collateral damage, it is a violation of international humanitarian law.

Q- Israel has not ratified Protocol III of the UN Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, prohibiting the use of white phosphorus.

A- Nevertheless, its [Israel’s] use [of white phosphorous] still violates customary international humanitarian law, especially as it is indiscriminately and disproportionately aimed at civilians, rather than military targets.

https://today.lorientlejour.com/article/1357336/scorched-earth-policy-will-lebanon-be-compensated-for-israels-environmental-crimes.html

Abbas İbrahim, ‘arenaların birliği’ olgusunu savundu - Şarkul Avsat

 Lübnan Kamu Güvenliği eski Genel Müdürü Tümgeneral Abbas İbrahim, yaralı Filistinlilerin tedavi için Mısır'a götürülmesi ve Gazze Şeridi'ne insani yardım girişi karşılığında yabancıların Gazze'den çıkarılmasına ilişkin anlaşmada ‘mütevazı bir rol’ oynadığını açıkladı.

İbrahim, Al Majalla ile gerçekleştirdiği röportajda İran ve müttefiklerinin, Gazze'de ‘Hamas'ın parçalanmasını önlemek’ de dahil olmak üzere askeri müdahale için ‘kırmızı çizgiler’ belirlediğini söyledi. “Arenaların birliği askeri bir gerçekliğe dönüşecek” diyen İbrahim, ABD'nin Akdeniz'e iki uçak gemisi göndermesinin İsrail'i ‘daha fazla çılgınlığa’ sürükleyeceğine inandığını belirtti. İbrahim ayrıca ‘insani bir anlaşma’ sağlamak amacıyla İtalya ve Katar'a yaptığı ziyaretlere ilişkin de bilgi verdi.

Şarku’l Avsat’ın Al-Majalla’dan aktardığına göre İbrahim, röportajda gizli arabuluculuklara da değindi. Geçtiğimiz yıllarda Suriye Devlet Başkanı Beşşar Esed ile ABD yönetimi arasındaki arabuluculuk da bunlardan biri. Dönemin ABD Başkanı Donald Trump'ın Şam'a gönderdiği elçilerin Suriye Ulusal Güvenlik Büro Başkanı Tümgeneral Ali Memlük’le görüşmesi için düzenlenen ziyaret ile Fransız İstihbarat Direktörü’yle görüşülmesi için Suriye'nin başkentinde gerçekleştirilen temaslar da bu gizli arabuluculuklar kapsamında gerçekleşti.

İşte Al Majalla’nın, Lübnan'daki duruma ve siyasi geleceğine değinen Lübnan Kamu Güvenliği eski Genel Müdürü Tümgeneral Abbas İbrahim'le gerçekleştirdiği röportajın ilk bölümü:

- Gazze Şeridi’ne yardım götürülmesi ve yaralıların tedavi edilmesi karşılığında yabancıların bölgeden Mısır’a geçirilmesi anlaşmasında rol oynadınız mı?

Evet. Hem çifte vatandaşlığa sahip Filistinlilerin Gazze Şeridi'nden çıkarılmasında hem de Gazze Şeridi'nde tedavi edilemeyen yaralı Filistinlilerin tedavi için Mısır'a nakledilmesinde mütevazı bir rol oynadım. Maalesef İsrail'in yolları, geçitleri ve güzergahları bombalaması anlaşmanın tamamlanmasını sekteye uğrattı.

https://turkish.aawsat.com/arap-d%C3%BCnyasi/4670406-abbas-i%CC%87brahim-%E2%80%98arenalar%C4%B1n-birli%C4%9Fi%E2%80%99-olgusunu-savundu

Lübnan kamuoyu ülkenin savaşa dahil olmamasını istiyor - Şarkul Avsat

 Lübnan ile İsrail arasındaki güney cephesi karşılıklı gerilime tanık oluyor. Hizbullah, İsrail ordusunun onarmaya ve sınır bölgelerine yerleştirmeye çalıştığı elektronik ekipmanları bombalamaya devam etti. Hizbullah, elektronik ekipmanların bulunduğu sütunları kaldırmaya çalışan vinçleri hedef aldı. Bu durum Lübnan Meclis Başkanı Nebih Berri’yi “İsrail savaşının yangınlarının bölgede yayılmasının tehlikelerine” karşı uyarıda bulunmaya itti.

Karşılıklı bombardıman güney Lübnan’daki üç bölümü (doğu, orta ve batı) kapsadı. İsrail güçleri ağır toplar ve insansız hava araçlarıyla (İHA) füzeler kullanırken, Hizbullah güdümlü füzeler ve havan topları kullandı.

Birleşmiş Milletler (BM) Lübnan Geçici Barış Gücü (UNIFIL) Komutanı Aroldo Lazaro, tırmanışın yoğunluğunun artmasına ve “daha geniş ve daha şiddetli saldırıların patlak verme olasılığına” karşı uyarıda bulundu. Lazaro “UNIFIL’in şu anki öncelikleri gerilimi önlemek, sivillerin hayatını korumak ve bunu yapmaya çalışan barışı koruma güçlerinin emniyetini ve güvenliğini sağlamaktır” dedi.

Lübnan Meclis Başkanlığı tarafından yapılan açıklamada, Lazaro ile görüşmesi sırasında Berri “düşman İsrail’in sivilleri, medya mensuplarını ve acil sağlık görevlilerini tekrar tekrar hedef alarak saldırganlığını aşırı bir şekilde tırmandırmasının, Güney Lübnan’ın derinliklerine doğru saldırılarını genişletmesinin ve Lübnan başkenti Beyrut’u tehdit etmesinin; BM’nin 1701 sayılı Kararı ve angajman kurallarıyla temsil edilen uluslararası meşruiyete bağlılık çağrısında bulunan uluslararası toplumun ve Arap dünyasının tutumlarının aksine, İsrail’in savaş ateşinin bölgede yayılması tehlikesini artırdığını” söyleyerek uyarıda bulundu.

https://turkish.aawsat.com/arap-d%C3%BCnyasi/4670431-l%C3%BCbnan-kamuoyu-%C3%BClkenin-sava%C5%9Fa-dahil-olmamas%C4%B1n%C4%B1-istiyor

Lebanon’s struggling hospitals could collapse if war escalates, doctors fear - Arab News

 MARJAYOUN, Lebanon: From his office overlooking the border with Israel, Dr. Mounes Klakesh can hear the thump of artillery rounds and air strikes landing on nearby Lebanese towns. The increasing frequency of those strikes has the staff of his small hospital on edge.

“We’ve already had to treat 51 people wounded by explosions in the last month or so. Seventeen of those died, or arrived dead. More than that and we’d be overwhelmed,” Klakesh said.

Klakesh, director of the Marjayoun Hospital in southern Lebanon, said it serves nearly 300,000 people in the area. It has 14 emergency beds and struggles to operate because of a lack of staff and, crucially, lack of fuel.

The hospital runs on generators 20 hours a day and has to pay up to $20,000 a month for the fuel. “None of that money comes from the government anymore. We rely on what funds the hospital has from one week to the next,” Klakesh said.

If the fuel runs out, the hospital closes. “We can’t just switch off part of the hospital.”

Dozens more public hospitals are in a similarly precarious state. Lebanon’s economic collapse in 2019 left them barely able to cope in peacetime.

Now, an escalating conflict on the southern border with Israel is pushing the health care sector into a new crisis. Doctors worry the latest Middle East war could stretch it beyond breaking point.

Fighting broke out here after Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas went to war in the Gaza Strip on Oct. 7.

The Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, has fired rockets at Israeli troops and Israel has bombed and shelled areas along the border in increasing attacks that are fueling concerns of a widening conflict.

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2409341/middle-east

Missile strikes end lull on Lebanon border - Arab News

BEIRUT: Missile warning sirens sounded in the Israeli settlements of Kiryat Shmona and Margaliot on Wednesday afternoon, ending an 18-hour period of cautious calm on the border with Lebanon.

Israeli media reported that about 20 missiles fired from Lebanon toward the Galilee region fell near Kiryat Shmona.

Hezbollah said that it struck the Israeli Defense Forces’ Ramim barracks with missiles, achieving “direct hits,” and also targeted Israeli military sites in Ruwaizat Al-Alam in the Kafr Shuba hills.

Israel’s Channel 14 television channel reported that drones crossed into the Zar’it area on the border with Lebanon.

Israeli forces directed artillery fire at areas between Khiam, Ebl Al-Saqi, and the outskirts of the towns of Hula, Rab El Thalathine, Markaba, Burj Al-Muluk, and Labouneh, south of Naqoura.

An explosion from an Israeli Iron Dome interceptor missile echoed in the skies above the Khiam Plain.

Confrontations were confined to the area south of the Litani River.

Suggestions that the lull in clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army was linked to meetings between UNIFIL’s mission head Maj. Gen. Aroldo Lazaro Saenz and Lebanese political leaders on Tuesday were rejected by one source, who told Arab News: “This matter has nothing to do with what is happening on the ground. The southern front moves in line with field developments in the Gaza Strip.” 

https://www.arabnews.com/node/2409476/middle-east

Lebanon releases suspected Hezbollah member accused of killing Irish UNIFIL peacekeeper - Al-Monitor

 BEIRUT — Reports about the release of the main suspect in the killing last year of an Irish peacekeeper in southern Lebanon are raising controversy, as tensions escalate between Israel and Hezbollah along the Lebanon-Israel border.

Lebanon’s military court released on bail Mohamad Ayyad, who had been detained since December 2022 over his involvement in the killing of Pvt. Sean Rooney, the local Nidaa al-Watan paper reported on Wednesday.

Rooney was killed and another seriously injured when two UNIFIL armored vehicles came under small arms fire in the southern village of al-Aqbiya, a Hezbollah stronghold. In June, the first military investigation judge, Fadi Sawan, charged Ayyad with murder, along with four other suspects who remain at large.

Hezbollah has denied any links to the five suspects. The paramilitary group and the Lebanese army have yet to comment on the report.

The Irish Defense Department said it was aware of the reports on Ayyad’s release.

“The Department has engaged a Lebanese legal firm to represent the interests and concerns of the Irish government at the court hearings, and they will be in contact with the court today to establish the circumstances of Ayyad’s reported release,” a Defense Department spokesman said in a statement.

Reports of Ayyad’s release come as 334 Irish soldiers prepare to join UNIFIL’s 123rd battalion in southern Lebanon.

UNIFIL has patrolled the border with Israel since its establishment in 1978 following the withdrawal of Israeli forces that briefly invaded Lebanon. The mission was amended several times over the years. In 2006, the UN Security Council strengthened UNIFIL’s mandate following the war that Israel and Hezbollah fought for more than a month. Today, some 10,500 peacekeeping forces patrol the area.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2023/11/lebanon-releases-suspected-hezbollah-member-accused-killing-irish-unifil

Border clashes intensify after relatively calm morning - Naharnet

 Israeli drones and artillery bombed Wednesday several southern towns including Markaba, Rab Tlatine, al-Khiyam, Tayr Harfa, al-Jebbayn, Yarine, Blida, Kfarkela, Jabal Blat, Aita al-Shaab, Yaroun, Houla, al-Labbouneh, Marwahine, Rmeish, Odeisseh, al-Bustan, al-Naqoura, Mays al-Jabal, Kfarshouba and al-Dhaira.

Hezbollah for its parts targeted several Israeli posts including the Ramim barracks, the Rwaisat al-Alam post on the occupied Shebaa Farms, Berket Risha, Jabal al-Tiyarat, and Jal al-Alam, "inflicting casualties", amid reports of a volley of rockets launched from Lebanon, which activated alert sirens in Kiryat Shmona, Margaliot and Misgav Am. These Israeli towns have been largely evacuated of civilians. Israeli reports said the volley of rockets has landed in open areas in the Kiryat Shmona region.

Also on Monday, an Iron Dome interception missile exploded over the Khiam plain and another one exploded over Zar'it on the Israeli side.

Since the Palestinian militant group Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel from Gaza, Lebanon's southern border has seen intensifying tit-for-tat exchanges, mainly between Israel and Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, stoking fears of a broader conflagration.

At least 88 people have been killed in Lebanon since hostilities began: more than 60 Hezbollah fighters, 13 other combatants including from Palestinian groups, and 10 civilians, according to a revised AFP tally.

https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/301547-border-clashes-intensify-after-relatively-calm-morning

Geagea says border clashes not in Lebanon's interest -Naharnet

 Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea stressed the need for a two-state solution as "Palestinians cannot remain without a state."

In a meeting Wednesday with United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, Geagea said that the border skirmishes between Israel and Hezbollah in the south do not serve anyone, "especially Lebanon and its people."

As he called anew for the implementation of U.N. resolution 1701, Geagea warned against involving the Lebanese army in "adventures and experiments with uncertain results."

https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/301550-geagea-says-border-clashes-not-in-lebanon-s-interest

Hezbollah vows to defeat Israeli regime if Gaza war expands - IRNA

Tehran, IRNA- Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement vows it will deploy “all the power” at its disposal to defeat the Israeli regime if the war against the Gaza Strip spills over to other fronts.

“We are not afraid of Israel, and if it decides to wage war against Lebanon and Hezbollah, we will confront it with all the power we have to overturn this regime,” Sheikh Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, said on Wednesday.

“When a war is initiated by the Israeli regime against us, we have no choice but to defend ourselves with all our might,” he added. “In any war against the occupying regime, we can emerge victorious.”

Sheikh Qassem did not say whether a war was likely to break out in Lebanon at this point, but warned that a broader conflict hinged on the actions taken by the Israeli regime.

The Hezbollah official blamed the occupying Israeli regime for triggering the Operation Al-Aqsa Storm by the Hamas resistance movement on October 7.

https://en.irna.ir/news/85292556/Hezbollah-vows-to-defeat-Israeli-regime-if-Gaza-war-expands

Lebanon: Israeli Strike an Apparent War Crime - HRW

 (Beirut) – An unlawful Israeli strike on a family in a car on November 5, 2023, should be investigated as an apparent war crime, Human Rights Watch said today. The attack killed three girls and their grandmother and wounded their mother.

The family had been traveling from south Lebanon to Beirut in the late afternoon, following heavy shelling by Israeli forces in the area earlier that day, Samir Ayoub, the girls’ uncle, said in a televised interview the night of the attack. Ayoub, a journalist, was traveling in a separate car in front of the car that was hit.

“This attack by Israeli military forces that struck a car carrying a family fleeing violence shows a reckless disregard for civilian life,” said Ramzi Kaiss, Lebanon researcher at Human Rights Watch. “Three young girls and their grandmother have lost their lives, our investigations show, as a result of the Israeli military’s failure to distinguish between combatants and civilians. Their killing is a violation of the laws of war, and Israel’s allies, like the US, should respond to this apparent war crime by demanding accountability for this unlawful strike.”

https://www.hrw.org/news/2023/11/14/lebanon-israeli-strike-apparent-war-crime

Hezbollah figured out Israeli Air Force's tactics: Israeli media - Al-Mayadeen

Israeli occupation forces lack the ability to conduct wide-scale ground maneuvers past the Palestinian-Lebanese borders, Israeli media outlets reported on Sunday.

The effectiveness of the occupation's air force against Hezbollah's anti-tank units has decreased in the past few days, Israeli Channel 13 reported following several operations conducted from South Lebanon, targeting various Israeli positions alongside the Lebanese-Palestinian border.

The Israeli broadcaster noted that the number of red alerts in northern occupied territories exceeded those that originated from the Gaza Strip.

The occupation is "in a defensive situation in the north, where we receive hits and injuries," and Hezbollah's tactics have become more effective in the face of Israeli airstrikes, Channel 13 reported.

More importantly, the Israeli broadcaster revealed that Hezbollah has figured out the tactics used by the Israeli Air Force to target its positions, which means that the Resistance party's operations on the Northern Front have become more effective. 

https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/hezbollah-figured-out-israeli-air-force-s-tactics--israeli-m

US announces fresh strikes on Iran-linked sites in Syria - The Guardian

 The United States carried out strikes against two Iran-linked sites in Syria on Sunday in response to attacks on American forces, the US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, said.

It is the third time in less than three weeks that the US military has targeted locations in Syria it said were tied to Iran, which supports armed groups that Washington blames for a spike in attacks on its forces in the Middle East.

“US military forces conducted precision strikes today on facilities in eastern Syria used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran-affiliated groups in response to continued attacks against US personnel in Iraq and Syria,” Austin said in a statement.

“The strikes were conducted against a training facility and a safe house near the cities of Albu Kamal and Mayadeen, respectively.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/nov/13/us-announces-fresh-strikes-on-iran-linked-sites-in-syria

Israeli drone targets journalists in Yaroun - Naharnet

 Two Israeli shells targeted Monday a gathering of reporters in the town of Yaroun on the Lebanese border. Al-Jazeera cameraman was lightly injured and cars were damaged.

Two Israelis were earlier wounded in a Hezbollah attack on Netu'a and an Israeli who got injured by an anti-tank missile strike near the northern community of Dovev on Sunday night was reported dead on Monday. Twenty-one Israelis were wounded in total on Sunday in two anti-tank guided missile attacks.

As reporters from al-Mayadeen, MTV, al-Manar, al-Jadeed, al-Jazeera and other outlets gathered in Yaroun to cover an earlier strike on a house in the town, they got targeted twice by a drone. The second missile was captured on air as an MTV journalist was reporting the first attack.

This is not the first targeting of Lebanese journalists since October 8. Earlier this month, Israeli strikes hit a group of journalists in southern Lebanon, killing Reuters videographer Issam Abdallah and wounding six journalists from Reuters, AFP and al-Jazeera, although the journalists were clearly identified as press.

https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/301509