Israeli strike kills at least three people in northern Lebanon
The attack in the Ayrounieh area on Tuesday came as Israel intensifies its strikes in Lebanon amid Hezbollah's weakened position, the Lebanese army's inability to fight back and the international community's failure to pressure Israel to abide by the truce.
The strike near Lebanon's northernmost major city – more than 180km (110 miles) from the Israeli border – highlights Israel's willingness to launch assaults across the country, not just in the south.
The Israeli military claimed that it struck a 'key' figure from the Palestinian group Hamas without identifying the target.
A Hamas source in Lebanon told Al Araby TV that no senior official from the group was killed in the strike. Lebanon's Annahar newspaper reported that initial reports indicated that the assassination attempt might have failed.
Hamas and other Palestinian groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in refugee camps that have housed Palestinians for decades. Tripoli is home to the large Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp.
Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has carried out attacks against the Lebanese group Hezbollah and members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon.
Hamas's deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an Israeli air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs in early 2024.
While the ceasefire last year ended the conflict, Israel has continued to carry out strikes on what it says are Hezbollah arms depots and fighters, mostly in southern Lebanon. Israeli attacks have also targeted homes, municipal workers and civilian infrastructure.
On Monday, at least one person was killed in a suspected Israeli air attack on a van in the town of Deir Kifa in southern Lebanon.
The recent attacks were launched as United States envoy Thomas Barrack was in Lebanon for a two-day visit to discuss disarming Hezbollah.
On Monday after meeting Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, Barrack told reporters he was 'unbelievably satisfied' with Lebanon's reply to a US proposal on taking away Hezbollah's weapons.
Barrack, a longtime adviser to US President Donald Trump who also serves as US ambassador to Turkiye and special envoy for Syria, said he believed 'the Israelis do not want war with Lebanon'.
'Both countries are trying to give the same thing – the notion of a stand-down agreement, of the cessation of hostilities and a road to peace,' he said.
On Sunday, Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem ruled out giving up the group's weapons before Israel withdraws from the areas it still occupies in southern Lebanon in violation of the ceasefire.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Qatar Tribune
4 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Qatar working to bridge gaps in Gaza ceasefire talks: Al Ansari
Hanane Djoua Doha Advisor to the Prime Minister and Official Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dr Majed bin Mohammed Al Ansari has affirmed that the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, currently hosted by Doha, aim to bridge the gap between the two parties regarding the negotiating framework. 'Both the Palestinian and Israeli delegations are in Doha, and discussions are currently under way with each delegation separately, with the aim of creating anappropriate environment for agreement on key issues between the two sides,' Dr Al Ansari said during the weekly media briefing on Tuesday. He said separate discussions are being held with each side in an effort to bridge the gap between them. The focus, he said, is on establishing a 'negotiation framework'—a document that precedes official talks. This framework would serve as a foundation for agreement on core issues before entering the final phase of negotiations. 'The negotiations are still ongoing, and it is too early to provide impressions about their outcome. But we can say that the discussions are continuing, and the parties are present and engaged here in Doha.' Dr Al Ansari expressed appreciation for the role of the United States in supporting the mediation efforts and noted that both the Qatari and Egyptian mediation teams are working around the clock in Doha in pursuit of a viable negotiation framework. He added that there is still hope surrounding the current efforts. Dr Al Ansari also addressed reports of statements made by Israeli officials regarding plans for the displacement of Palestinians, reiterating Qatar's clear and longstanding opposition to any such actions. He stressed that Qatar is against any forced transfer of Palestinians, whether outside or within their homeland. 'Palestinians, like any people in the world, have the right to exist where their land lies,' he said, referencing international law. He called on the international community to support Qatar's position and noted that there is widespread international rejection of any attempts to remove Palestinians from Gaza. 'This is their land,' he said. Dr Al Ansari clarified that the discussions currently under way do not represent the start of formal negotiations but are aimed at agreeing on a framework to reduce the time needed for actual talks once they begin. 'We are still in the framework stage,' he noted. 'That's why we are discussing principles that will allow the negotiations to be more efficient. It is too early to speak about where the negotiations will lead, but there is engagement from both sides.' He stressed that the Qatari and Egyptian mediation teams continue their work with the goal of building consensus around the framework. 'This process needs time,' he said. 'We are working around the clock, but it's too soon to provide a timeframe.' Dr Al Ansari affirmed that the ultimate goal of the mediation efforts is to end the war and the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Gaza. He explained that the document under discussion is an agreed framework for the negotiations, not a final agreement. It includes the conditions for a ceasefire and the guarantees required to ensure that the truce leads to positive outcomes. 'We are not yet talking about a final agreement,' he said. 'We are focusing on the ceasefire and what it could lead to in terms of resuming talks toward a lasting solution to this humanitarian catastrophe.' Turning to the Afghan file, Dr Al Ansari confirmed that Qatar continues to communicate with the caretaker government in Afghanistan and maintains confidence in its role supporting the Afghan people. He reviewed Qatar's contributions to peace and stability in Afghanistan, including the mediation between the Taliban and the United States that led to the US troop withdrawal, representation of foreign missions including American interests in Kabul, and the hosting of meetings between UN envoys and Afghan officials in Doha. He emphasized that the question of recognition is a sovereign matter and part of broader international understandings, with each country free to handle it as it sees fit. He said Qatar welcomes the security and stability measures taken by the Afghan caretaker government but acknowledged there are still areas of ongoing discussion. Qatar continues its role as a mediator between the Afghan authorities and the international community. 'There is currently no new information regarding formal recognition or natural resumption of Egyptian relations,' he said. 'However, there is a functioning Afghan mission in Doha, and we hope to strengthen ties with the caretaker government and the Afghan people.' Dr Al Ansari referenced recent statements by US President Donald Trump supporting progress in the Gaza talks and affirmed that Qatar builds on this through joint mediation with the United States. However, he clarified that issues beyond the scope of mediation—such as bilateral matters between Israel and the US—do not fall within Qatar's role, except where they directly relate to the American stance on mediation. He stated that the ongoing Gaza negotiations in Doha are now in their third day and that both delegations remain present in the country. While no timeline can yet be given, he described the presence of the delegations and their engagement as positive. 'This is still the early phase,' he said, cautioning against premature expectations. 'Mediation is, by definition, a difficult process. We are sitting between two sides in the context of an ongoing war.' Nonetheless, the fact that both parties are engaging seriously and remain in Doha, he concluded, is itself a positive development.
Qatar Tribune
4 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Israeli strike kills at least three people in northern Lebanon
Agencies Beirut An Israeli strike on a vehicle near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has killed at least three people and injured 13 others, Lebanon's Health Ministry says, in the latest breach of a ceasefire between the two countries. The attack in the Ayrounieh area on Tuesday came as Israel intensifies its strikes in Lebanon amid Hezbollah's weakened position, the Lebanese army's inability to fight back and the international community's failure to pressure Israel to abide by the truce. The strike near Lebanon's northernmost major city – more than 180km (110 miles) from the Israeli border – highlights Israel's willingness to launch assaults across the country, not just in the south. The Israeli military claimed that it struck a 'key' figure from the Palestinian group Hamas without identifying the target. A Hamas source in Lebanon told Al Araby TV that no senior official from the group was killed in the strike. Lebanon's Annahar newspaper reported that initial reports indicated that the assassination attempt might have failed. Hamas and other Palestinian groups maintain a presence in various areas of Lebanon, mostly in refugee camps that have housed Palestinians for decades. Tripoli is home to the large Beddawi Palestinian refugee camp. Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023, Israel has carried out attacks against the Lebanese group Hezbollah and members of Palestinian factions in Lebanon.
Qatar Tribune
4 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Gazans reject Trump's displacement plan despite death and destruction
Agencies Gaza Whenever Mansour Abu Al-Khaier stares across Gaza, all the 45-year-old Palestinian man sees is death, destruction and starvation after nearly two years of war between Hamas and Israel. But even though Palestinian lives have been shattered during the course of Israeli airstrikes and heavy bombardment, Al-Khaier and others flatly reject US President Donald Trump's Israeli-backed plan to displace Gaza's 2.3 million population. 'This is our land. Who would we leave it to, where would we go?' asked Al-Khair, a technician. Trump, hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, indicated progress on a disputed initiative to relocate Palestinians out of the coastal enclave. Speaking to reporters at the start of a dinner between US and Israeli officials, Netanyahu said the United States and Israel were working with other countries who would give Palestinians a 'better future,' suggesting that Gazans would be able to move to neighbouring nations. In an exchange with Trump, Netanyahu said: 'You know if people want to stay, they can stay. But if they want to leave they should be able to leave. It shouldn't be a prison. It should be an open place and give people free choice.' Netanyahu himself said Israel was working with Washington to find other countries to agree to such a plan. Five days after becoming president in January, Trump said Jordan and Egypt should take in Palestinians from Gaza while suggesting he was open to this being a long-term plan. Cairo and Amman quickly rebuffed Trump's idea to turn impoverished Gaza into the 'Riviera of the Middle East', and so did Palestinians and human rights groups who said the plan would amount to ethnic cleansing. When asked this week about displacing Palestinians, Trump said the countries around Israel were helping out. 'We've had great cooperation from ... surrounding countries. ... So something good will happen,' Trump said. Saed, a 27-year-old Gaza Palestinian, woke up troubled to the news that Trump and Netanyahu, whose military has flattened much of Gaza, were again floating the displacement idea. Even after more than 20 months of war and repeated internal displacement, he remains deeply attached to Gaza, a tiny, densely-populated strip that is itself home to generations of refugees from the 1948 war that led to the creation of Israel. 'We have the right to leave of our own free will and visit other countries, but we reject the plan of displacement as Palestinians,' said Saed. Palestinians have long sought to create an independent state in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem through a US-mediated peace process. Many Palestinians accuse Israel of having methodically undermined their statehood prospects through increased settlement building in the West Bank and by levelling much of Gaza during the current war. Displacement is one of the most emotional issues for Palestinians, who fear a repetition of the 1948 'Nakba' (catastrophe) when hundreds of thousands were dispossessed of their homes in the war of Israel's birth. The Nakba has been one of the defining experiences for Palestinians for more than 75 years, helping to shape their national identity and casting its shadow on their conflicted relationship with Israel in the decades since. Some Palestinians who have faced relentless Israeli airstrikes and severe shortages of food, fuel, medicine and water are looking for a way out, according to findings by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research. 'Almost half want to leave the Gaza Strip if they could,' the think tank said in a report in May. A proposal seen by Reuters and bearing the name of a controversial US-backed aid group described a plan to build large-scale camps called 'Humanitarian Transit Areas' inside - and possibly outside - Gaza to house the Palestinian population. It outlined a vision of 'replacing Hamas control over the population in Gaza'. As far as Gaza Palestinian Abu Samir el-Fakaawi was concerned, 'I will not leave Gaza. This is my country.' He added: 'Our children who were martyred in the war are buried here. Our families. Our friends. Our cousins. We are all buried here. Whether Trump or Netanyahu or anyone else likes it or not, we are staying on this land.'
