Israeli defence minister says strikes underway in Lebanon are 'clear message' to Hezbollah
FILE PHOTO: Defence Minister Israel Katz, then Israel's foreign minister, looks on, amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza between Israel and Hamas, in Jerusalem, November 7, 2024. REUTERS/Ronen Zvulun/File Photo
JERUSALEM - Israel's ongoing military strikes in Lebanon send a "clear message" to Hezbollah, Defence Minister Israel Katz said on Tuesday, accusing the Iran-backed Islamist group of seeking to rebuild its forces in violation of a ceasefire agreement.
The Israeli military said earlier on Tuesday it had begun striking targets belonging to Hezbollah's elite unit, the Radwan Force, in the Bekaa region of eastern Lebanon. The Lebanese health ministry said at least six people were injured in the Israeli strikes.
"The Israel Defence Forces' strikes currently underway in Lebanon are a clear message to the Hezbollah terrorist organization, which is plotting to rebuild raid capabilities against Israel through the Radwan Force," Katz said in a statement.
The strikes are also a message to the Lebanese government, which is responsible for upholding the ceasefire agreement, he added.
There was no immediate public response from Hezbollah or from the Lebanese government to the latest Israeli strikes.
Israel and Hezbollah reached a ceasefire deal in November ending more than a year of fighting that had spilled over from Israel's war with Hamas in Gaza.
The agreement calls for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon and says that all "unauthorized arms" and military infrastructure should be dismantled, starting with southern Lebanon.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Business MAS records net profit of $19.7 billion, fuelled by investment gains
Business Singapore financial sector growth doubles in 2024, assets managed cross $6 trillion in a first: MAS
Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw acts against 4 law firms and 1 lawyer over seized properties
Singapore Man charged with attempted murder of woman at Kallang Wave Mall
Singapore Ex-cleaner jailed over safety lapses linked to guard's death near 1-Altitude rooftop bar
Singapore SJI International resumes overseas trips amid ongoing probe into student's death in Maldives in 2024
Singapore Sengkang-Punggol LRT gets 15.8 per cent capacity boost with new trains
Singapore 'Nobody deserves to be alone': Why Mummy and Acha have fostered over 20 children in the past 22 years
However, Hezbollah says the agreement applies exclusively to southern Lebanon. REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
US envoy meets Israeli hostage families in Tel Aviv
TEL AVIV: United States envoy Steve Witkoff on Saturday (Aug 2) met the anguished families of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, as fears for the captives' survival mounted almost 22 months into the war sparked by Hamas' October 2023 attack. Witkoff was greeted with some applause and pleas for assistance from hundreds of protesters gathered in Tel Aviv, before going into a closed meeting with the families. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum confirmed the meeting was underway, and videos shared online showed Witkoff arriving as families chanted "Bring them home!" and "We need your help". The visit came one day after Witkoff visited a US-backed aid station in Gaza, to inspect efforts to get food into the devastated Palestinian territory. Yotam Cohen, brother of 21-year-old hostage Nimrod Cohen, told AFP in the square: "The war needs to end. The Israeli government will not end it willingly. It has refused to do so. "The Israeli government must be stopped. For our sakes, for our soldiers' sakes, for our hostages' sakes, for our sons and for the future generations of everybody in the Middle East." After the meeting, the Forum released a statement saying that Witkoff had given them a personal commitment that he and US President Donald Trump would work to return the remaining hostages. The US, along with Egypt and Qatar, had been mediating ceasefire talks between Hamas and Israel that would allow the hostages to be released and humanitarian aid to flow more freely. But talks broke down last month, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is under increasing domestic pressure to come up with another way to secure the missing hostages, alive and dead. He is also facing international calls to open Gaza's borders to more food aid, after United Nations and humanitarian agencies warned that more than two million Palestinian civilians are facing starvation. "WITHOUT REST" But Israel's top general warned that there would be no respite in fighting in Gaza if the hostages were not released. "I estimate that in the coming days we will know whether we can reach an agreement for the release of our hostages," said army chief of staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, according to a military statement. "If not, the combat will continue without rest," he said, during remarks to officers inside Gaza on Friday. Of the 251 people who were kidnapped from Israel during Hamas' attack in October 2023, 49 remain in Gaza, 27 of them dead, according to the military. Palestinian armed groups this week released two videos of hostages looking emaciated and weak. Zamir denied that there was widespread starvation in Gaza. "The current campaign of false accusations of intentional starvation is a deliberate, timed and deceitful attempt to accuse the IDF (Israeli military), a moral army, of war crimes," he said. "The ones responsible for the killing and suffering of the residents in the Gaza Strip is Hamas." Hamas' 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to a tally based on official figures. A total of 898 Israeli soldiers have also been killed, according to the military. Israel's campaign in Gaza has killed at least 60,332 people, mostly civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory's health ministry, deemed reliable by the UN. CIVILIAN DEATHS Gaza's civil defence agency said Israeli strikes killed 21 people in the territory on Saturday. Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said two people were killed and another 26 injured after an Israeli strike on a central Gaza area where Palestinians had gathered before a food distribution point run by the US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF). He added that Saturday's bombings mostly targeted the areas near the southern city of Khan Younis and Gaza City in the north. Witkoff visited another GHF site for five hours on Friday, promising that Trump would come up with a plan to better feed civilians. Adnan Abu Hasna, of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, told AFP that the agency had "approximately 6,000 trucks ready for the Gaza Strip, but the crossings are closed by political decision. There are five land crossings into the Strip through which 1,000 trucks can enter daily". The UN human rights office in the Palestinian territories on Friday said at least 1,373 Palestinians seeking aid in Gaza had been killed since May 27, most of them by the Israeli military.
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
India will continue to buy Russian oil, government sources say
India will keep purchasing oil from Russia despite U.S. President Donald Trump's threats of penalties, two Indian government sources said, not wishing to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter. "These are long-term oil contracts," one of the sources said. "It is not so simple to just stop buying overnight." Trump last month indicated in a Truth Social post that India would face additional penalties for purchases of Russian arms and oil. On Friday, Trump told reporters that he had heard that India would no longer be buying oil from Russia. The New York Times on Saturday quoted two unnamed senior Indian officials as saying there had been no change in Indian government policy, with one official saying the government had "not given any direction to oil companies" to cut back imports from Russia. Reuters reported this week that Indian state refiners stopped buying Russian oil in the past week after discounts narrowed in July. "On our energy sourcing requirements ... we look at what is there available in the markets, what is there on offer, and also what is the prevailing global situation or circumstances," India's foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters during a regular briefing on Friday. Jaiswal added that India has a "steady and time-tested partnership" with Russia, and that New Delhi's relations with various countries stand on their own merit and should not be seen from the prism of a third country. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Opening of Woodlands Health has eased load on KTPH, sets standard for future hospitals: Ong Ye Kung Singapore $3b money laundering case: MinLaw names 6 law firms taken to task over involvement in property deals Asia KTM plans new passenger rail service in Johor Bahru to manage higher footfall expected from RTS Singapore HSA investigating teen allegedly vaping on MRT train Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Singapore New S'pore jobs portal launched for North West District residents looking for work near home Singapore Tengah facility with over 40 animal shelters, businesses hit by ticks Business Property 'decoupling' illegal if done solely to avoid taxes: High Court The White House in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Indian refiners are pulling back from Russian crude as discounts shrink to their lowest since 2022, when Western sanctions were first imposed on Moscow, due to lower Russian exports and steady demand, sources said earlier this week. The country's state refiners - Indian Oil Corp, Hindustan Petroleum Corp, Bharat Petroleum Corp and Mangalore Refinery Petrochemical Ltd - have not sought Russian crude in the past week or so, four sources familiar with the refiners' purchase plans told Reuters. INDIA'S TOP SUPPLIER On July 14, Trump threatened 100% tariffs on countries that buy Russian oil unless Moscow reaches a major peace deal with Ukraine. Russia is the top supplier to India, responsible for about 35% of India's overall continued to be the top oil supplier to India during the first six months of 2025, accounting for about 35% of India's overall supplies, followed by Iraq, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab the world's third-largest oil importer and consumer, received about 1.75 million barrels per day of Russian oil in January-June this year, up 1% from a year ago, according to data provided to Reuters by sources. Nayara Energy, a major buyer of Russian oil, was recently sanctioned by the European Union as the refinery is majority-owned by Russian entities, including oil major month, Reuters reported that Nayara's chief executive had resigned after the imposition of EU sanctions and company veteran Sergey Denisov had been appointed as CEO. Three vessels laden with oil products from Nayara Energy have yet to discharge their cargoes, hindered by the new EU sanctions on the Russia-backed refiner, Reuters reported late last month. REUTERS
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
Gaza war protesters arrested at offices of US Senators Schumer and Gillibrand
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox More than 100 protesters, who were organised by anti-war group Jewish Voice for Peace, chanted and banged pots and pans in the lobby of the Third Avenue building where the two senators have office space. – Dozens of demonstrators protesting against Israel's war in the Gaza Strip were arrested on Aug 1 at the midtown Manhattan offices of New York Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, days after they broke with many of their fellow Democrats by voting against a resolution to halt US arms sales to Israel. Pressure has mounted on Democratic lawmakers to press Israel to end its military activity in Gaza, where famine and starvation have spread in recent weeks, and allow in a flood of aid. On Aug 1, more than 100 protesters, who were organised by anti-war group Jewish Voice for Peace, chanted and banged pots and pans in the lobby of the Third Avenue building where Mr Schumer, the Senate minority leader, and Ms Gillibrand have office space. 'New Yorkers are heartbroken, America is heartbroken,' said City Council member Alexa Aviles, who protested on Aug 1. 'We want an end to the war, we want peace.' The traditional bipartisan consensus in support of Israel among US lawmakers has collapsed over the course of Israel's nearly two-year war in Gaza, which has killed more than 60,000 people, according to Gaza officials. Support for the war has plunged into the single digits among Democratic voters, and on July 30, 27 Democratic senators voted to halt US weapons transfers to Israel in protest against the war and the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza. On Aug 1, two elected Democrats, City Council member Tiffany Caban and Assembly member Claire Valdez, were arrested outside Mr Schumer and Ms Gillibrand's offices. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Opening of Woodlands Health has eased load on KTPH, sets standard for future hospitals: Ong Ye Kung Singapore New vehicular bridge connecting Punggol Central and Seletar Link to open on Aug 3 Singapore New S'pore jobs portal launched for North West District residents looking for work near home Singapore HSA investigating teen allegedly vaping on MRT train Asia KTM plans new passenger rail service in Johor Bahru to manage higher footfall expected from RTS Singapore Tengah facility with over 40 animal shelters, businesses hit by ticks Business Property 'decoupling' illegal if done solely to avoid taxes: High Court Singapore 60 years of building Singapore Gaza has teetered on the brink of famine since the early months of the war, which began after a Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that killed more than 1,000 people on Oct 7, 2023, but the crisis has exploded since March, when Israel blocked the entry of humanitarian goods into the enclave in a bid to squeeze concessions from Hamas. Israel later established a new aid distribution system. But the Gaza Ministry of Health reported more than 40 hunger-related deaths in July, including 16 children, and at least 111 since the beginning of the war, 81 of them children. The data could not be independently verified. NYTIMES
