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In the latest incident, a UNIFIL patrol was hit by Israeli gunfire in the vicinity of Aytaroun of southern Lebanon, although there were no casualties. The force is deployed in southern Lebanon with the primary role of helping maintain international peace and security. Last December, an Irish soldier serving in UNIFIL was killed after the UNIFIL vehicle he was travelling in was fired on as it travelled in southern Lebanon. Seven people were charged by a Lebanese military tribunal in January for his death, the first fatal attack on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon since 2015. Calm had prevailed on the border since Hamas and Israel agreed a temporary truce that began on Nov. 24.

Persons: I've, Stephen MacEoin, Shamrock, MacEoin, Andrea Tenenti, Tenenti, We’ve, Aziz Taher, Hussein Al Waille, Maggie Fick, William Maclean Organizations: Camp Shamrock, United Nations Interim Force, UNIFIL, Reuters, United, Security Council, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, UNIFIL, Maroun, Ras, Lebanese, Israel, Gaza, Tiri, Lebanon's, Iran, United Nations, Aytaroun, Irish, Seven, U.N

Supporters watch Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah deliver an address in Lebanon on November 11. On the US: Nasrallah accused the US of “administering” the Israeli operation in Gaza and chastised it for supporting the continuation of Israel’s operation in Gaza. Hezbollah’s chief described Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria as having created “supporting fronts” for Hamas in Gaza. US officials are deeply concerned that the group’s internal politics may cause Hezbollah to escalate simmering tensions. He also urged for a ceasefire in Gaza, calling it Hezbollah’s first priority.

Persons: General Hassan Nasrallah, Aziz Taher, Nasrallah, ”, it’s, ” Nasrallah, Alaa, Israel, Hezbollah’s, –, Israel — Nasrallah Organizations: Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, “, Reuters Hezbollah, CNN, Hezbollah, Israel Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Iran, Lebanese, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, –

☆ Hezbollah says front with Israel will remain active
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah addresses his supporters through a screen during a rally commemorating the annual Hezbollah Martyrs' Day, in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon November 11, 2023. REUTERS/Aziz Taher Acquire Licensing RightsBEIRUT, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The head of Lebanon's powerful Hezbollah said on Saturday that his armed group had used new types of weapons and struck new targets in Israel in recent days, and pledged that the front in the south against its sworn enemy would remain active. It was Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's second speech since the war between Israel and Hamas began in October. But the tit-for-tat shelling has been largely restricted to the border and Hezbollah has mostly struck military targets. Israel tightened its siege of Hamas-ruled Gaza following the Oct. 7 cross-border assault by the group that Israel says killed around 1,200, with about 240 abducted as hostages back to the Palestinian enclave.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Aziz Taher, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah's, Nasrallah, Israel, Laila Bassam, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Lebanese, Iran's, Guards, Thomson Locations: Beirut's, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, Israel, Kiryat Shmona, Tehran, United States, Gaza

Two sources in Lebanon familiar with the Iran-backed group's arsenal say he was referring to Hezbollah's greatly enhanced anti-ship missile capabilities, including the Russian-made Yakhont missile with a range of 300 km (186 miles). Hezbollah perceives the U.S. warships as a direct threat because of their ability to hit the group and its allies. PAYING ATTENTIONThree current and one former U.S. official said Hezbollah has built an impressive array of weapons, including anti-ship missiles. Asked about the sources' accounts of Hezbollah having acquired Yakhont missiles, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "First of all, this is news without any confirmation at all. Moscow said in 2010 it had signed a deal to send anti-ship cruise missiles including a version of the Yakhont to Damascus.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Washington, Bashar al, Assad, Nasrallah, We're, Dmitry Peskov, Nasser Qandil, Qandil, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, John Davison, Maya Gebeily, Guy Faulconbridge, Tom Perry, Claudia Parsons Organizations: REUTERS, Group, U.S, Yakhont, Hamas, Hezbollah, Pentagon, Friday, Washington -, Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, Reuters, Marines, Thomson Locations: Aaramta, Lebanon, Russian, Syria, States, U.S, BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Washington, Jihad, United States, Gaza, Lebanese, Iraq, Beirut, Russia, Hezbollah, Moscow, Damascus

☆ Explainer: What you need to know about Hezbollah, the group backing Hamas against Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Members of Hezbollah march with party's flags during a rally marking al-Quds Day, (Jerusalem Day) in Beirut, Lebanon May 31, 2019. Backed by Iran, Hezbollah has said it is ready to help when the time comes in the war between Israel and Hamas, which is also backed by Tehran. While other groups disarmed after Lebanon's civil war, Hezbollah kept its weapons to fight Israeli forces that were occupying the predominantly Shi'ite south of the country. Hezbollah demonstrated its military advances in 2006 during a five-week war with Israel, which erupted after it crossed into Israel, kidnapping two soldiers and killing others. Hezbollah's influence is underpinned by its sophisticated arsenal and the support of many Lebanese Shi'ites who say the group defends Lebanon from Israel.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Tzachi Hanegbi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hanegbi, Lebanese Shi'ites, Rafik al, Hariri, Michel Aoun, Imad Moughniyah, Nasrallah, Tom Perry, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Guards, United, Islamic, West, Maronite Christian, Marine, U.S ., European Union, Thomson Locations: Quds, Jerusalem, Beirut, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, Israel, Palestinian, Iran, Tehran, Lebanese, United States, Syria, ISRAEL, Gaza, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, LEBANON, Saudi, U.S, Arab, Argentina, Buenos Aires

☆ Explainer: What is Hezbollah? The Lebanese group backing Hamas in its war with Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

☆ Iran-backed Hezbollah joining Israel-Hamas conflict would be a 'game changer'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( Emma Graham | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Supporters of Lebanon's Hezbollah party parade to mark the last day of Ashura ceremony in Beirut. Aziz TaherAn exchange of fire between Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and the armed forces in northern Israel signal that the conflict in Gaza could spread regionally. Political party and paramilitary groupHezbollah operates as both a political party and paramilitary group and is designated by the U.S. as a terrorist organization. It holds a great deal of power in Lebanon in the form of its Shiite political party, which holds 62 seats in the country's Parliament, alongside its Iran-backed proxy militant unit. Hezbollah "do have to take into consideration public opinion in Lebanon," Maksad told CNBC.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Joseph Daher, Daher, Benjamin, Israel, Hezbollah's, Naim Qassem, Bashar Assad, Maksad Organizations: Hezbollah, Middle East Institute, CNBC, U.S, Party of God, Iran's Revolutionary Guard, doesn't, Lebanon's Party of God, Hilal, American University of Beirut, Reuters, United Nations Locations: Beirut, Israel, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon, country's, Israel's, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanese, Syria

☆ Lebanon's Hezbollah on war footing but moves carefully as conflict widens
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

The Iran-backed group is on a war footing, deploying special forces and priming its rockets in preparation for the possibility of war. Tensions are higher than at any point since it fought a 2006 conflict with Israel, the sources said. Hamas ignited the war on Saturday when its gunmen infiltrated Israel from Gaza, killing 1,200 people and abducting dozens more. Palestinian and Hezbollah flags flutter in Khiam, near the border with Israel, in southern Lebanon October 9, 2023. All-out war would likely derail Lebanon's offshore oil and gas exploration efforts, for which Hezbollah has voiced strong support.

Persons: Israel, Aziz Taher, NASRALLAH, Mohanad Hage Ali, Hezbollah's, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Ibrahim al, Amin, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Hezbollah, Islamic, Iran's, Guards, United, Embassy, Reuters, State Department, REUTERS, Carnegie Middle East Center, Palestinian, Lebanese, Thomson Locations: Israel, Iran, Lebanon, BEIRUT, Lebanese, Gaza, Syria, Hamas, Tehran, United States, U.S, Palestinian, Beirut

☆ Israel strikes Lebanon after Hezbollah hits Shebaa Farms
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Smoke rises from Halta village as seen from Ibl al-Saqi village in southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, October 8, 2023. REUTERS/Aziz Taher Acquire Licensing RightsOct 8 (Reuters) - Israel fired barrages of artillery into southern Lebanon on Sunday after Hezbollah targeted three Israeli military positions in the disputed Shebaa Farms. Israel has held the Shebaa Farms, a 15-square-mile (39-square-km) patch of land, since 1967. Both Syria and Lebanon claim the Shebaa Farms are Lebanese. The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Har Dov, Israel's, Ari Rabinovitch, William Mallard 私 Organizations: REUTERS, Sunday, Israel Defense Forces, United Nations Locations: Halta, Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Shebaa . Israel, Syria, Gaza, Beirut, Jerusalem

☆ Israel, Hezbollah exchange artillery, rocket fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

BEIRUT, Oct 8 (Reuters) - Israel and Lebanon's powerful armed group Hezbollah exchanged artillery and rocket fire on Sunday following the deadliest attack in years by Palestinian gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah on Sunday said it had launched guided rockets and artillery onto three posts in the Shebaa Farms "in solidarity" with the Palestinian people. Israel has held the Shebaa Farms, a 15-square-mile (39-square-km) patch of land, since 1967. A Lebanese security source told Reuters that a tent set up by Hezbollah in the Shebaa Farms had been hit and that Hezbollah fighters had erected a new one. On Saturday, UNIFIL said it had enhanced its presence in southern Lebanon following developments in Israel and Gaza, including its operations to counter rocket launches.

Persons: Hashem Safieddine, Gil Eliyahu, Har Dov, Israel, Andrea Tenenti, Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, Laila Bassam, Aziz Taher, Karamallah Daher, Gebeily, Ari Rabinovitch, William Mallard, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Hezbollah, Palestinian, Twitter, Israeli Defence Forces, Patriot, REUTERS, Reuters, United Nations, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Dahieh, Beirut's, Lebanon, Syria, Shebaa, Kfar Shouba, Gaza, Jerusalem

☆ What is Lebanon's Hezbollah?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

ORIGINSIran's Revolutionary Guards founded Hezbollah in 1982 to export its Islamic Revolution and fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon. Lebanese parties opposed to Hezbollah say the group has undermined the state and accuse it of unilaterally leading Lebanon into conflicts. Hezbollah fighters took over parts of Beirut after the government vowed to take action against the group's military communications network. Referring to those attacks and hostage-taking, Hezbollah leader Nasrallah said in a 2022 interview they were carried out by small groups not linked to Hezbollah. TERRORIST DESIGNATIONSWestern countries including the United States designate Hezbollah a terrorist organisation.

Persons: Aziz Taher REFILE, Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Saudi Arabia spiralled, Syria, Rafik al, Hariri, Michel Aoun, Imad Moughniyah, Nasrallah, Tom Perry, Elaine Hardcastle Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Guards, Islamic, POWER Hezbollah, United, West, Marine, U.S ., European Union, Thomson Locations: Halta, Lebanon, Israel, Rights BEIRUT, Gaza, Iran, Lebanese, United States, Syria, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, LEBANON, Beirut, Saudi, U.S, Arab, Argentina, Buenos Aires

☆ Israel, Hezbollah Exchange Artillery, Rocket Fire
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-08 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +4 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Israel and Lebanon's powerful armed group Hezbollah exchanged artillery and rocket fire on Sunday following the deadliest attack in years by Palestinian gunmen on Israel. Hezbollah on Sunday said it had launched guided rockets and artillery onto three posts in the Shebaa Farms "in solidarity" with the Palestinian people. Israel has held the Shebaa Farms, a 15-square-mile (39-square-km) patch of land, since 1967. A Lebanese security source told Reuters that a tent set up by Hezbollah in the Shebaa Farms had been hit and that Hezbollah fighters had erected a new one. On Saturday, UNIFIL said it had enhanced its presence in southern Lebanon following developments in Israel and Gaza, including its operations to counter rocket launches.

Persons: Hashem Safieddine, Har Dov, Israel, Andrea Tenenti, Lebanon Joanna Wronecka, Laila Bassam, Aziz Taher, Karamallah Daher, Gebeily, Ari Rabinovitch, William Mallard, Barbara Lewis Organizations: Hezbollah, Palestinian, Twitter, Israeli Defence Forces, Patriot, Reuters, United Nations Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Dahieh, Beirut's, Lebanon, Syria, Shebaa, Kfar Shouba, Gaza, Jerusalem

☆ Lebanese army says it exchanged tear gas, smoke bomb fire with Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

A view shows the border area between Lebanon and Israel as pictured from Bastra farms, in southern Lebanon, August 8, 2023. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsCAIRO, Sept 23 (Reuters) - Lebanon's army said it fired tear gas at Israeli forces over the border on Saturday in response to smoke bombs fired at its troops, though Israel said Lebanon started the confrontation. "Elements of the Israeli enemy violated the withdrawal line and fired smoke bombs at a Lebanese army patrol that was accompanying a bulldozer removing an earthen berm erected by the Israeli enemy north of the withdrawal line, the blue line, in the Bastra area," the Lebanese army said in a statement. "The Lebanese patrol responded to the attack by firing tear bombs ... forcing them to withdraw to the occupied Palestinian territories," Lebanon's army added. The Israeli military said it was Lebanon that started the violence.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Mount Dov, Andrea Tenenti, Maya Gebeily, Emily Rose, Muhammad Al Gebaly, Peter Graff, Andrew Heavens Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, UNIFIL, UN, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Rights CAIRO, Lebanese, United Nations, Mount, Jerusalem

☆ Ten dead as clashes resume in Palestinian camp in south Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Residents carry belongings on their heads as they walk near the entrance of Ain el-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp during Palestinian faction clash, in Sidon, Lebanon September 11, 2023. The Ain el-Hilweh camp has been rocked by factional clashes since late July between the Palestinian mainstream movement Fatah and Islamist fighters. The two remaining victims were civilians, a Lebanese security source and two Palestinian sources said. One was killed on Saturday when a stray bullet from the clashes reached a town near the camp, the Lebanese security source said. Residents fear a similar scenario to the northern Palestinian camp of Naher al-Bared, where Lebanon's army waged a 15-week onslaught to dislodge Islamist groups in 2007.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Fatah, Fighting, Ain, Naher, Maya Gebeily, Mark Heinrich, Hugh Lawson Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, United, Fatah, Security, UNRWA, Thomson Locations: Ain el, Sidon, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, Ain, Palestine, Israel's

☆ France, US compromise to renew UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-31 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) - established in 1978 - patrols Lebanon's southern border with Israel. A planned Wednesday vote was delayed as France, the United States and the United Arab Emirates argued over language on U.N. freedom of movement. France kept language in the resolution that spells out that peacekeepers should coordinate with the Lebanese government. That has sparked friction with Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon despite the presence of the Lebanese army. In December, an Irish peacekeeper was killed when his UNIFIL vehicle came under fire in southern Lebanon.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Najib Mikati, Andrea Tenenti, Michelle Nichols, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, Doina Chiacu, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Lebanese, UN, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, United Nations Security, Interim Force, United, U.S, UNIFIL, United Nations, Irish, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Israel, Lebanon, France, United States, Russia, China, Emirates, UAE, Iran, Lebanese

☆ UN vote on Lebanon peacekeeping force delayed as France, US, UAE argue
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-30 | by ( Michelle Nichols | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) - established in 1978 - patrols Lebanon's southern border with Israel. France has drafted a U.N. Security Council resolution to extend the peacekeeping mission for another year, but the United States and the United Arab Emirates argue it has weakened some language on the ability of U.N. troops to move freely. Lebanon's caretaker foreign affairs minister Abdallah Bou Habib has said that the new Security Council resolution should stipulate that UNIFIL coordinate with the Lebanese army. That has sparked friction with Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon despite the presence of the Lebanese army. In December, an Irish peacekeeper was killed when his UNIFIL vehicle came under fire in southern Lebanon.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Antonio Guterres, Guterres, Linda Thomas, Greenfield, Gilad Erdan, Abdallah Bou Habib, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Michelle Nichols, Dan Williams, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, David Holmes Organizations: Lebanese, UN, REUTERS, UNITED NATIONS, Nations, United, Interim Force, Security, Security Council, Reuters, Israel's Army Radio, Irish, UNIFIL, Thomson Locations: Israel, Lebanon, France, United States, Emirates, Iran, UAE, Lebanese

☆ Factbox: Lebanon's Hezbollah rises from shadows into regional force
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Governments including the United States deem it a terrorist organisation. ORIGINSIran's Revolutionary Guards founded Hezbollah in 1982 to export its Islamic Revolution and fight Israeli forces that had invaded Lebanon. The United States estimates Iran has allocated it hundreds of millions of dollars annually in recent years. Hezbollah fighters took over parts of Beirut after the government vowed to take action against the group's military communications network. TERRORIST DESIGNATIONSWestern countries including the United States designate Hezbollah a terrorist organisation.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Aziz Taher, Imad Moughniyah, Bashar al, Assad, Nasrallah, Critics, Saudi Arabia spiralled, Syria, Rafik al, Hariri, Michel Aoun, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Guards, Islamic, United, Marine, U.S ., POWER Hezbollah, West, European Union, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Houla, Israel, Rights BEIRUT, Lebanese, United States, Syria, Beirut, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, LEBANON, Saudi, U.S, Arab, Argentina, Buenos Aires

[1/9] United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) members stand near their vehicles in Naqoura near the Lebanese-Israeli border, southern Lebanon, August 16, 2023. Israel and Hezbollah have avoided war across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since their last major clash 17 years ago, deterred by mutual threats of destruction. The tensions come against the backdrop of a political crisis in Israel that has emboldened its enemies. Lebanon can ill afford conflict four years into a financial meltdown that has paralysed the state. Hezbollah last year gave its blessing to a maritime border deal with Israel that allows Lebanon to explore for offshore energy.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, Hassan al, Baghdadi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Mohanad Hage Ali, General Lázaro, Andrea Tenenti, Tom Perry, Nick Macfie Organizations: United Nations Interim Force, REUTERS, Reuters, National Security, Iran's, Guards, Carnegie Middle East Center, West Bank, UNIFIL, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Naqoura, Lebanese, Israel, JERUSALEM, BEIRUT, Iran, Syria, Ghajar, Western, Tel Aviv, Palestinian, Gaza, Jerusalem, Al, Aqsa, Beirut

☆ Hezbollah members wounded in flare-up on Lebanon border with Israel -sources
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/5] A Lebanese army vehicle drives in Khiam, near the border with Israel, in southern Lebanon July 12, 2023. REUTERS/Aziz TaherBEIRUT/JERUSALEM, July 12 (Reuters) - Several members of Lebanon's powerful armed Hezbollah group were wounded on Wednesday in a flare-up on the southern border with Israel, two Lebanese security sources and a source briefed on the developments told Reuters. The Lebanese source briefed on developments described the incident as an attack and said several Hezbollah members had been wounded, but could not immediately provide more details. A Lebanese security source said Israeli troops had fired "something like a grenade" that emitted shrapnel and hurt three Hezbollah members. A Lebanese parliamentary delegation planning on visiting the southern border on Thursday indefinitely postponed the visit "due to the security developments on the border".

Persons: Aziz Taher, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Maya Gebeily, Laila Bassam, Dan Williams, Toby Chopra, Howard Goller, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, United Nations, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Thomson Locations: Lebanese, Khiam, Israel, Lebanon, Aziz Taher BEIRUT, JERUSALEM, U.S, New York, Ghajar, Syria, Beirut, Jerusalem

☆ Rocket launch at Israel from Lebanon draws Israeli cross-border shelling
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Summary Two rockets fired from southern Lebanon towards IsraelIsrael responds with cross-border strikesIncident follows large Israeli incursion in West BankBEIRUT/JERUSALEM, July 6 (Reuters) - Two rockets were fired from southern Lebanon toward Israel on Thursday, prompting cross-border strikes by the Israeli military, sources on both sides said. Three security sources in Lebanon said two rockets were fired toward Israel, one of them landing in Lebanese territory and the second near a disputed area at the border. After initially saying it had no indications of any unusual incidents on its side of the border, the Israeli military said a projectile had exploded there. One resident of Wazzani, the village in southern Lebanon where one of the rockets fell, said artillery fire had hit there from the direction of Israel. Israel blamed the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas for firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon in April during another flare-up in Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Persons: Israel Israel, Najib Mikati, Israel, Laila Bassam, Aziz Taher, Maya Gebeily, Dan Williams, Ahmed Elimam, Gebeily, Tom Perry, Gareth Jones, Ros Russell Organizations: West Bank, IDF, Israel Defence Forces, Lebanon's National News Agency, Caretaker, Lebanese, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Israel, West Bank BEIRUT, JERUSALEM, Jenin, Palestinian, Wazzani, Ghajar, Syria, Iran, Jerusalem

☆ Lebanese MPs denounce top prosecutor's moves against judge probing port blast
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File PhotoBEIRUT, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Some 40 Lebanese lawmakers on Friday became the latest group to back the judge investigating the catastrophic 2020 Beirut port blast and call for the country's top prosecutor to be held accountable for steps taken against the judge and his probe. Judge Tarek Bitar on Monday resumed his probe into the blast that killed more than 220 people after a 13-month suspension caused by legal wrangling and high-level political pressure. He issued charges against senior security, political and judicial officials, including top public prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat. It said judges who have "sold themselves in service of political authorities" should resign and be held accountable. The Beirut Bar Association, representing lawyers, said that Oueidat's decisions "constituted an abuse of power and a violation of the law".

"He is not above God," Oweidat told Reuters, referring to Bitar. Several members of parliament had earlier met with the justice minister and the head of the supreme judicial council. 'JUDICIAL SCANDAL'Families of those killed in the blast, members of parliament and other Lebanese flocked to Lebanon's justice palace on Thursday to demand Bitar be allowed to carry on. This week's developments have set up a tug-of-war in Lebanon's judiciary, where politicians have influence over many appointments. Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Wednesday that splits in the judiciary could have "dangerous consequences" if left unresolved.

[1/3] George Bezdjian, whose daughter Jessica died in 2020 port explosion, holds her picture during a protest against steps taken this week to hamstring a probe into the 2020 port blast, in Beirut, Lebanon January 26, 2023. With friends and allies of Lebanon's most powerful factions, including Hezbollah, among those charged, the establishment struck back swiftly on Wednesday, when the prosecutor general charged Bitar with usurping powers. With deep fissures in the judiciary exposed, the tussle adds to the unravelling of a state accelerated by a three-year-long financial crisis, left to fester by the ruling elite. Attempts by a Lebanese judge to investigate Salameh have hit obstacles in Lebanon, where politicians have big sway over the judiciary. In opposing Bitar, Hezbollah has accused the United States of meddling in the investigation and Bitar of political bias.

☆ Lebanon army shoots at Israeli drone - statement
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] United Nations peacekeepers (UNIFIL) stand together in Houla near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon January 13, 2023. REUTERS/Aziz TaherBEIRUT, Jan 13 (Reuters) - The Lebanese army said on Friday its troops shot at an Israeli drone that crossed into Lebanon's southern airspace, with a security source saying the drone was not brought down. Israel regularly flies military aircraft in Lebanon's airspace without permission but it is rare for troops to target them. The Lebanese army statement said a patrol was inspecting a separate incident in the south when a "drone belonging to the Israeli enemy violated Lebanese airspace," prompting troops to begin shooting in its direction. A Lebanese security source told Reuters they did not shoot it down.

read moreIt will take effect once Lebanon and Israel send letters to Washington, which will issue a notice announcing the deal is in place. Parties to the deal would seek to resolve any further maritime differences through the United States, securing an ongoing guarantor role for Washington. A centrist, Lapid's caretaker government wants the deal done soon but has denied that the country's election is the deadline. TotalEnergies is set to begin exploration at the Qana prospect immediately after the deal takes effect, though Lebanon's energy minister said preparations would take a number of months. Seeking to play down future Lebanese profits, Israeli Energy Minister Karine Elharrar told Tel Aviv's 103 FM radio initial estimates put that prospect's total value at some $3 billion.

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