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The National
19 hours ago
- Politics
- The National
South Lebanese watched war next door in Israel while still facing attacks from their neighbour
For 20-odd days last autumn, Lt Col Alok Kumar Singh and his 70 fellow UN peacekeepers were trapped at their Unifil base in Shebaa village as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah raged around them. From their vantage point 1,385 metres above sea level they were able to observe the culmination of a nearly year-long war between the Israeli military and the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group that reduced many towns and villages across southern Lebanon to rubble. 'We saw the movement of various Israeli vehicles in the vicinity of this post. And then there was a tank which was firing from that [hilltop],' Lt Col Singh says, pointing into the distance and then to a map showing where artillery shells had landed in the area. 'It was difficult, definitely it was difficult. But we were following the procedures, the alert levels,' he says. The peacekeepers spent many hours sheltering in the base's fortified bunkers, unable to conduct their usual patrols or receive fresh supplies. More than six months later, the Unifil soldiers are back on their patrols amid the comparative calm that has followed a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel in November. Lt Col Singh says the patrols are conducted in co-ordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), which has increased its deployment in southern Lebanon to ensure the withdrawal of Hezbollah from the region, collect its weaponry and dismantle its military sites; all conditions of the US-brokered truce. However Israel has continued to conduct air strikes inside Lebanon on a near daily basis. The Israeli army says the attacks target Hezbollah figures, weapons and military sites, but they have also killed civilians and destroyed infrastructure. On Friday, at least one civilian was killed and 20 injured in Israeli strikes near the city of Nabatieh. Despite these attacks, residents of the south who fled the war have returned to their wrecked homes and villages. Lt Col Singh points to an Israeli base on a ridge opposite the Unifil base, from where Israeli soldiers opened fire a week ago. In the valley below sits Shebaa Farms, an Israeli-occupied sliver of land claimed by both Syria and Lebanon that has long been the scene of sporadic clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli troops. His finger moves left to Mount Hermon in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, an area seized from Syria during the 1967 Middle East war. Another UN peacekeeping force is deployed there to monitor a buffer zone between Israeli-occupied territory and Syria, established under a ceasefire agreement following a war between the two countries in 1973. Despite this, Israeli troops invaded the zone after former Syrian president Bashar Al Assad was toppled in December. Mount Hermon is also visible from Deir Mimas – a small Lebanese village to the south-west that sits about 2km from the UN-demarcated border between Israel and south Lebanon. Israeli troops entered the village in late September as Israel ramped up its response to Hezbollah's cross-border fire with a ground invasion of border areas and intensified bombardment across Lebanon. Footage emerged of Israeli soldiers desecrating a church in the village. The end of September should have been the time of the olive harvest in the picturesque village, perched above a steep valley from where Hezbollah would launch rockets at Israel. Instead, its residents fled. 'Some trees were damaged by the missiles,' said Michel Bechara, an olive farmer from Deir Mimas who decided to remain in Beirut. 'Others don't carry olives because of the bombs that came. 'Some people moved back to the south, but definitely life is not that stable there." Though Israeli troops have left the village, they continue to occupy five points of Lebanese territory along the border, in another violation of the ceasefire. 'We've had enough' Beirut resident Hassan Fakih says Israel's continuing attacks weigh on his mind as he awaits the arrival of his brother with his family for their annual visit to the family home in south Lebanon. His concerns rose after Israel launched devastating air strikes on Iran on June 13 and Iran responded with drone and missile attacks. The 12-day war sparked fears of a wider regional conflict before it ended this week after US President Donald Trump declared a ceasefire. The war provided Lebanese with the rare sight of Tel Aviv being struck. 'People were running in Tel Aviv. A lot of people's homes are destroyed, it looks like south Lebanon,' said Mr Fakih, who admitted to a sense of satisfaction at seeing the tables turned. 'But I'm happy it was not Hezbollah doing it. We've had enough,' he said. The same sentiment was expressed by Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Qatar's capital on Tuesday. Like aircraft across the region, his flight to Doha was diverted the previous evening as Iran launched missiles at the Al Udeid American airbase in Qatar in retaliation for the US bombing of its nuclear sites at the weekend. "We thank God for having succeeded, over the past two weeks, in preventing Lebanon from being drawn into a new war. We now aspire to open a new page of diplomatic action," Mr Salam told reporters. 'Normality has returned' Hezbollah, severely weakened by Israel's attack's, ultimately did not intervene in support of its patron. The group has vacated its most threatening positions in the south and much of its arsenal is believed to have been destroyed by Israel. On the outskirts of a town to the north of Nabatieh, near a bridge across a small ravine, a mound of dirt visible in the distance indicates where a major Hezbollah tunnel was destroyed earlier this year, according to a local. 'It was big,' he says. 'But not Emad-4,' he adds, referring to a large underground tunnel facility seen in a video Hezbollah released last year. As incoming missiles triggered sirens across northern Israel during the war with Iran, farmers across the border in Lebanon were harvesting fields of wheat that line the road running north of the battered town of Khiam and then east to the Unifil base in Shebaa 'The difference between now and the [Hezbollah] war is that at that time the LAF was not here, the civilians had moved out. Shebaa, the village, was empty," Lt Col Singh says. 'But after the war, the LAF came in, they have occupied all the posts that were there. The civilians have come – they are now into a normal routine and have celebrated Eid and had their festivals. 'Normality, we can call it, has returned.'
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
RBI extends market hours for call money and repo to boost liquidity and efficiency
The Reserve Bank of India has extended the market hours for call money and repo transactions to boost efficiency of financial markets. The central bank is making the changes in market hours for the first time since 2019. The extension of the market hours is in sync with the increasing size of different domestic markets. The number of participants in different markets has also increased as has the diversity of products. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Médico: Eu imploro que os Brasileiros usem isso para emagrecer Palmilha Emagrecedora Compre já Undo The new market timings for call money will be from 9 AM to 7 PM from July 1, instead of 9 AM to 5 PM. The trading hours of market repo and tri-party repo (TREP) will be 9 AM to 4 PM from August 1. At present, market repo transactions for government securities closed at 2.30 PM while the tri-party repo for government dated stock closed at 3 PM, while corporate bond repos are being done until 5 PM. The central bank took the decision after examining the recommendations by a working group, which reviewed the trading and settlement timings of financial markets, as well as the public comments. The report prepared by the group was published on the RBI 's website. Live Events The group, set up in February, recommended preponing the timing of pre-announced LAF auction to 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM currently. Market trading hours are critical for the efficient functioning of financial markets, as they influence liquidity , volatility, and facilitate price discovery by ensuring timely incorporation of information into asset prices, RBI said in its report. The trading hours for the government securities market, foreign exchange market and interest rate derivatives market remain unchanged. The last comprehensive review of market timings, for financial markets regulated by RBI -- the government securities market, the money markets, the foreign exchange market and the markets for derivatives on interest rate, foreign exchange and credit -- was undertaken in 2019. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, financial markets in India broadly functioned from 9:00 AM till 5:00 PM. During the pandemic, market trading hours were truncated to minimise the risks arising from the outbreak. The market hours were restored to their pre-pandemic level along with the graded roll-back of the lockdown.
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Economic Times
RBI extends market hours to boost efficiency##
The Reserve Bank of India has extended the market hours for call money and repo transactions to boost efficiency of financial markets. The central bank is making the changes in market hours for the first time since 2029. ADVERTISEMENT The extension of the market hours has been in sync with the increasing size of different domestic markets. The number of participants in different markets has also increased as has the diversity of products. The new market timings for call money will be from 9 AM to 7 PM from July 1, instead of 9 AM to 5 PM. The trading hours of market repo and tri-party repo (TREP) will be 9 AM to 4 PM from August 1. At present, market repo transactions for government securities closed at 2.30 PM while the tri-party repo for government dated stock closed at 3 PM, while the repo in corporate bonds are being done till 5 PM. The central bank took the decision after examining the recommendations by a working group, which reviewed the trading and settlement timings of financial markets, as well as the public comments. The report prepared by the group was published on the RBI's website. The group, set up in February, recommended preponing the timing of pre-announced LAF auction to 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM currently. ADVERTISEMENT Market trading hours are critical for the efficient functioning of financial markets, as they influence liquidity, volatility, and facilitate price discovery by ensuring timely incorporation of information into asset prices, RBI said in its report. The trading hours for the government securities market, foreign exchange market and interest rate derivatives market remain unchanged. ADVERTISEMENT The last comprehensive review of market timings, for financial markets regulated by RBI -- the government securities market, the money markets, the foreign exchange market and the markets for derivatives on interest rate, foreign exchange and credit -- was undertaken in the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, financial markets in India broadly functioned from 9:00 AM till 5:00 PM. During the pandemic, market trading hours were truncated to minimise the risks arising from the outbreak. ADVERTISEMENT The market hours were restored to their pre-pandemic level along with the graded roll-back of the lockdown. (You can now subscribe to our ETMarkets WhatsApp channel)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
RBI extends market hours to boost efficiency##
The Reserve Bank of India has extended the market hours for call money and repo transactions to boost efficiency of financial markets. The central bank is making the changes in market hours for the first time since 2029. The extension of the market hours has been in sync with the increasing size of different domestic markets. The number of participants in different markets has also increased as has the diversity of products. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Play War Thunder now for free War Thunder Play Now Undo The new market timings for call money will be from 9 AM to 7 PM from July 1, instead of 9 AM to 5 PM. The trading hours of market repo and tri-party repo (TREP) will be 9 AM to 4 PM from August 1. At present, market repo transactions for government securities closed at 2.30 PM while the tri-party repo for government dated stock closed at 3 PM, while the repo in corporate bonds are being done till 5 PM. The central bank took the decision after examining the recommendations by a working group, which reviewed the trading and settlement timings of financial markets, as well as the public comments. The report prepared by the group was published on the RBI's website. Live Events The group, set up in February, recommended preponing the timing of pre-announced LAF auction to 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM from 10:00 AM to 10:30 AM currently. Market trading hours are critical for the efficient functioning of financial markets, as they influence liquidity, volatility, and facilitate price discovery by ensuring timely incorporation of information into asset prices, RBI said in its report. The trading hours for the government securities market , foreign exchange market and interest rate derivatives market remain unchanged. The last comprehensive review of market timings, for financial markets regulated by RBI -- the government securities market, the money markets, the foreign exchange market and the markets for derivatives on interest rate, foreign exchange and credit -- was undertaken in 2019. Before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, financial markets in India broadly functioned from 9:00 AM till 5:00 PM. During the pandemic, market trading hours were truncated to minimise the risks arising from the outbreak. The market hours were restored to their pre-pandemic level along with the graded roll-back of the lockdown.
Lebanese Army
4 days ago
- Politics
- Lebanese Army
The LAF Commander Visits Several Units Deployed in the Western Bekaa
Monday, 23 June 2025 On Monday, June 23, 2025, the Lebanese Armed Forces Commander General Rodolph Haykal visited the command of the 3rd Infantry Brigade in Joub Jannine, where he met with the officers and the soldiers. He praised their success in ensuring the security of the municipal and mayoral elections, commending their outstanding performance in maintaining stability despite the delicate situation in the region. He also listened to a briefing on the tasks executed in the area of responsibility and visited the Bayader El Aadas – Rashaya post. The LAF Commander emphasized that the efforts of the military personnel, regardless of their ranks and roles, contribute to safeguarding the nation and protecting the Lebanese people's security from the current crises. He added, "The military institution will continue to fulfill its responsibilities and will not back down regardless of the challenges." Additionally, General Haykal visited the command of the 3rd Land Border Regiment in Aita El Foukhar, where he received a briefing on the regiment's missions. He addressed the officers and soldiers, stating, "Your efforts in maintaining security are significant, as security is the foundation for the stability necessary to boost the economy and enhance confidence in Lebanon. We must continue to sacrifice and exhibit determination and resolve in the face of difficulties." He concluded by noting that the Command is making diligent efforts to improve the conditions of military personnel and is in continuous communication with the relevant parties in the Lebanese state. He also visited the Idris Castle center near the Lebanese-Syrian border, emphasizing the importance of soldiers' role in monitoring and securing the borders.
