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☆ Hezbollah Chief Says Shelling on Israel Will Stop Only When 'Aggression' on Gaza Ends
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Tuesday that his armed group's cross-border shelling into Israel would only end when Israel's "aggression" on the Gaza Strip stops, saying diplomatic efforts so far to bring a halt to hostilities along Lebanon's border seemed to only benefit Israel. Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said his group would only stop its exchanges of fire if a full ceasefire was reached for Gaza. War in Israel and Gaza View All 206 Images"On that day, when the shooting stops in Gaza, we will stop the shooting in the south," he said in a televised address. The cross-border shelling has already killed around 200 people in Lebanon, including more than 170 Hezbollah fighters, as well as 10 Israeli troops and five Israeli civilians. Nasrallah said residents of northern Israel "will not return" to their homes, and threatened that even more would be displaced.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, Alex Richardson, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Gaza, Hamas, Reuters Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Beirut, Lebanon, France, Britain

☆ U.S.-Led Coalition Blocks Attacks at Conoco Oil Field in Syria -Source
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) -Air defence systems operated by U.S.-led coalition troops based in eastern Syria halted six drone attacks targeting their base at the Conoco oil field on Saturday, a security source said. The source did not tell Reuters if there were casualties. Coalition troops and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), who together fight remnants of the Islamic State group, have faced increased attacks by Iran-backed groups in Syria and Iraq since Hamas’s attack against Israel on Oct. 7. Another drone attack blamed on Iran-backed groups on a border outpost in Jordan killed three U.S. soldiers. Photos You Should See View All 21 Images(Reporting by Orhan Qereman; Writing by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

Persons: Mazloum Abdi, Orhan Qereman, Maya Gebeily, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: U.S, Reuters, Coalition, Syrian Democratic Forces, Islamic State Locations: BEIRUT, Syria, Kurdish, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Jordan

☆ Iran Foreign Minister Says Iran, U.S. Have Exchanged Messages in Recent Weeks
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Iran and the United States have exchanged messages throughout Israel's four-month-old war on Hamas in Gaza, including about Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, the Iranian foreign minister said on Saturday. "During this war and in the recent weeks, there was an exchange of messages between Iran and America," Hossein Amirabdollahian said through a translator at a press conference capping a day-long visit to Beirut. He said the United States had asked Tehran to request Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran, "not to get widely, fully involved in this war against" Israel. Amirabdollahian on Saturday warned Israel against taking any steps towards a broader war against Lebanon, saying that would be Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's "last day." He also said Iran saw a political solution as the only way to end the Gaza war.

Persons: Hossein Amirabdollahian, Hamas, Amirabdollahian, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Abdallah Bou Habib, Netanyahu, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah Hezbollah's Al, Nasrallah, Bashar al, Assad, Maya Gebeily, Andrew Cawthorne, Frances Kerry Organizations: Hezbollah, Israel, Saturday, Hamas, Revolutionary Guards Corps, Guards Locations: BEIRUT, Iran, United States, Gaza, America, Beirut, United, Tehran, Israel, Lebanese, Lebanon, Washington, Irag, Syria, Yemen, U.S, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Hamas

☆ Exclusive-US-Backed Force in Syria: More Air Defence Needed After Deadly Drone Attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Feb. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

By Maya Gebeily(Reuters) - A force that has been the backbone of the U.S.-led campaign against Islamic State said additional air defences should be deployed in northeast Syria after six of its fighters were killed in a drone attack it blamed on pro-Iran factions. Mazloum Abdi, commander of the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces, said his force considered it "a dangerous development when our camps are targeted in drone attacks by factions backed by Iran." On Feb. 4, the SDF said an explosive drone attack by Iran-backed armed groups in eastern Syria killed six of their fighters. Asked whether he had requested additional military backing to fend off such attacks, Abdi said his Kurdish-led force would "require technical capabilities and an increase in the aerial defensive systems" deployed in northeast Syria. It holds a quarter of Syria, including oil fields and areas where some 900 U.S. troops are deployed.

Persons: Maya Gebeily, Mazloum Abdi, Jan, Abdi, That's, Bashar al, Assad, Phil Stewart, William Maclean Organizations: Islamic State, Syrian Democratic Forces, U.S, Hamas, SDF, Reuters, Pentagon, State Department, White, Islamic Locations: U.S, Syria, Iran, State, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Jordan, Kurdish, Washington, Islamic State, Turkey

☆ Gaza Ceasefire Plan for Hostage Release Awaits Hamas Response
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

"We don't know and we cannot predict what Hamas' response will be," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar's prime minister, said on Monday. Hamas told Reuters in a statement on Tuesday the proposal would involve three stages, including the release of hostages held by the group and Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. "After that, the Hamas leadership will meet to discuss the paper and express its final opinion on it," the statement said. More than 100 Israeli hostages are still held, following the release of a similar number in an earlier truce in November that involved the release of scores of Palestinian prisoners. The Hamas statement said the second phase would also involve the release of male military recruits.

Persons: Jonathan Landay, Maya Gebeily, Andrew Mills, Nidal, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, David Barnea, Sheikh Mohammed, Jordan, Ismail Haniyeh, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Islamic Jihad, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Dan Williams, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Michael Georgy, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Palestinian, U.S, Paris, Islamic, Hamas, Washington's Atlantic Council, Israeli Defense Forces Locations: Mughrabi WASHINGTON, BEIRUT, DOHA, Gaza, Israel, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Paris, Qatar, Egypt, U.S, France, Cairo

☆ UAE Sends First Ambassador to Syria Since Conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-30 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

Incoming Emirati envoy Hassan al-Shehi presented his credentials to Syria's foreign affair minister Faysal al-Meqdad at the foreign ministry on Tuesday. Saudi Arabia, Qatar and, to a lesser extent, the UAE then backed rebels against Assad - but Abu Dhabi has rebuilt ties with Damascus in recent years. Assad visited the UAE in 2022 - his first trip to an Arab state since the civil war erupted - and again in 2023 after a devastating earthquake killed thousands in Syria. The tragedy cleared the way for a thaw in Arab ties with Assad and months later the Arab League reversed its more than decade-long suspension of Syria's membership. Hundreds of thousands of people have died in the Syria conflict, which spiralled out of an uprising against Assad, drew in numerous foreign powers and splintered the country.

Persons: Hassan al, Shehi, Faysal, Bashar al, Assad, Abu Dhabi, Firas Makdesi, Maya Gebeily, Ed Osmond Organizations: United Arab Emirates, Incoming, Arab League, Regional Locations: DAMASCUS, Damascus, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Iran, Al, Riyadh

☆ Israeli Strike on Damascus Kills Four Iranian Revolutionary Guards -Source
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-20 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Laila Bassam and Kinda MakiehBEIRUT/DAMASCUS (Reuters) -An Israeli missile strike on Syria's capital Damascus on Saturday killed four members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards, including the head of the force's information unit in Syria, a security source in the regional pro-Syria alliance told Reuters. Syrian state media said a building in the Mazzeh neighbourhood of Damascus was targeted in a likely Israeli attack, without giving further details. Iran's state-run Press TV said two Iranian Guards military advisers were killed in the Israeli strike on Damascus. Essam Al-Amin, head of the Al-Mowasat Hospital in Damascus, told Reuters that his hospital had received one corpse and three wounded people, including a woman, following Saturday's attack. In December, an Israeli strike killed two Guards members in Damascus, and another on Dec. 25 killed a senior adviser to the Guards who was overseeing military coordination between Syria and Iran.

Persons: Laila Bassam, Bashar al, Essam Al, Amin, Makdesi, Nayera Abdallah, Maya Gebeily, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Saturday, Iran's, Guards, Reuters, Hamas, Iranian Guards, Mowasat, Jihad Locations: BEIRUT, DAMASCUS, Israeli, Damascus, Syria, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Syrian, Mazzeh, Iran's, Beirut, Dubai

☆ Hezbollah Rejected US Overtures, Still Open to Diplomacy to Avoid Wider War
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has been leading a diplomatic outreach to restore security at the Israel-Lebanon frontier as the wider region teeters dangerously towards a major escalation of the conflict ignited by the Gaza war. Israel has also said it wants to avoid war, but both sides say they are ready to fight if necessary. Branded a terrorist organisation by Washington, Hezbollah has not been directly involved in talks, three Lebanese officials and a European diplomat said. Hezbollah has dismissed both ideas as unrealistic, the Lebanese officials and the diplomat said. Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday said attacks against Israel and its interests by the "Axis of Resistance" will stop if the Gaza war ends.

Persons: Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily, Amos Hochstein, Hochstein, Israel, Spokespeople, Eylon Levy, Najib Mikati, Mikati, Hamas, Mohanad Hage Ali, Hage Ali, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Gebeily, Dan Williams, Tom Perry, Steve Holland, Edtiing, Frank Jack Daniel Organizations: U.S, Yemen's, Reuters, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Iran's, Guards, Carnegie Middle East Center Locations: Maya, Maya Gebeily BEIRUT, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen's Iran, Red Sea, U.S, Lebanese, Beirut, Jan, Washington, European, Hochstein, United States, IRAN, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, France, Jerusalem

☆ Turkish Strikes Hit Water, Power Infrastructure in Syria’s Kurdish-Held Northeast
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Turkey has carried out a wave of air strikes on electricity and oil infrastructure in Syria's Kurdish-held northeast that has put several power stations out of service, local sources and Syrian state media said on Monday. Hogir Najar, a media official at the Kurdish-run autonomous administration, told Reuters that at least 40 sites had been hit in Turkish shelling in the last two days, including power stations, water pumping stations and oil infrastructure. Syrian state television also reported the strikes on Monday, saying a Turkish drone had hit the Dirbasiyah power station and that Turkish air bombardment hit a power transfer station in the main town of Qamishli. Two water stations were also put out of service as Turkish strikes on Monday had cut off their electricity supply, Syria's state news agency SANA said. The air strikes destroyed targets consisting of caves, shelters and depots as well as a natural gas production facility, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Persons: Hogir, Najar, SANA, Hussein Seifo, We're, Maya Gebeily, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Reuters, Kurdistan Workers Party, European Union, Turkey's National Intelligence Agency, MIT, Anadolu Agency Locations: BEIRUT, Turkey, Kurdish, Turkish, Qamishli, Syria, United States, Iraq, Anadolu

"While it's Syrians that are calling for it, for the use of chemical weapons in Syria, if states so wish, it could be far beyond Syria," Olabi told Reuters. The Exceptional Chemical Weapons Tribunal proposal was launched on Nov. 30, the day victims of chemical attacks are remembered worldwide. 'SOME KIND OF JUSTICE'The use of chemical weapons is banned under the Geneva Conventions that codified the laws of war. That ban was strengthened by the 1997 Chemical Weapons Convention, a non-proliferation treaty joined by 193 states which is overseen by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The OPCW has the power to investigate claims of chemical weapons use and in some cases identify alleged perpetrators, but it has no prosecutorial powers.

Persons: Safaa Kamel, We'll, Ibrahim Olabi, Olabi, Bashar al, Akande, Mohamad Salim Namour, IIIM, Catherine Marchi, Uhel, Maya Gebeily, Stephanie van den Berg, Anthony Deutsch, Mahmoud Hasano, Angus MacSwan, Bernadette Baum Organizations: HAGUE, Reuters, Diplomats, Convention, Organisation, Chemical Weapons, United Nations, United Nations International Law Commission, ICC, UN, Islamic, TEN, International, Thomson Locations: Eastern Ghouta, Syria, Syrian, Afrin, BEIRUT, The Hague, Jobar, Syria's, Damascus, Ghouta, British, Geneva, France, Balkans, Rwanda, Lebanon, Douma, Russia, Beirut

Six people listed on Israel's previous Tron seizure notices who responded to Reuters questions denied connections to militant groups. Iran has previously used Tron to skirt U.S. sanctions. 'BLINDSPOT'Since its 2008 birth, the Bitcoin blockchain, and since then crypto more widely, have been magnets for criminals drawn by liquidity and a reputation for anonymity. In 2021, the first year NBCTF published seizure notices, it froze 30 Bitcoin wallets. No Bitcoin wallets appear in notices in the subsequent years.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Mriganka Pattnaik, Merkle, Hayward Wong, Tron, Wong, Israel, NBCTF, Weeks, Justin Sun, Sun, Binbin Deng, Shlomit Wagman, VanEck, Wagman, Tom Wilson, Elizabeth Howcroft, Nidal al, Gebeily, Frank Jack Daniel Our Organizations: REUTERS, Hezbollah, Reuters, Israel's, Bureau for, British Virgin Islands, Dubai Co, Israel, Hamas, Islamic, West Bank, Tron, U.S . Securities, Exchange Commission, SEC, Sun, Force, Harvard University, Authority, Militant, Thomson Locations: Iran, Israel, United States, New York, Britain, Singapore, Gaza, British Virgin, Jihad, Dubai, Venezuela, Jenin, Tehran, Paris, U.S, London, Beirut

☆ Lebanon mourns two journalists killed in Israeli air strike
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The crowds gathered around the two coffins of correspondent Farah Omar and camera operator Rabih al-Maamari, both draped in Lebanese flags and topped with wreaths of flowers, outside the Al Mayadeen headquarters in Beirut. The Committee to Protect Journalists said deaths added to a toll of over 50 journalists killed covering the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and its spillover to other regions including the Lebanon-Israel border area, where Israeli and Lebanese Hezbollah forces have been exchanging fire since Oct. 7. Al Mayadeen said the Israeli strike occurred near the town of Tayr Harfa, about a mile from the Israeli frontier. A third person, who was not working with the channel but was accompanying them as they filmed, was also killed. The Israeli military has previously said it cannot guarantee journalists' safety in areas of military activity.

Persons: Al Mayadeen, Farah Omar, Al, Israel, Najib Mikati, Nabih Berri, Jazeera, Maya Gebeily Organizations: Protect Journalists, Caretaker, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, BEIRUT, Israel, Gaza, Lebanese, Tayr, France, Yaroun

☆ South Lebanon shepherds face risk and ruin from cross-border hostilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Abdelaziz Boumzar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

But they are now off-limits, rendered too dangerous for sheep, cows and their herders by Israeli air raids and artillery fire. Lebanese Hezbollah, a Hamas ally, has fired rockets at Israel, which has retaliated with air strikes and artillery shells. The resulting fires have burned olive trees and torched agricultural land across southern Lebanon, devastating herders and farmers already hit hard by a four-year economic meltdown. Two Lebanese shepherds were also found dead after being shot at by Israeli troops earlier this month. Lebanese herders have long learned to live with the cross-border tensions between Lebanon and Israel.

Persons: Tony al, Mays, Ali Beber, Jihad Said, Beber, AbdelAziz Boumzar, Abdelhadi Ramahi, Ahmad Kerdi, Maya Gebeily, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hezbollah, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Rmeich, Lebanon, Beirut, Fanar, SELM, Houla, Majdal, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Lebanese

☆ Exclusive-Qatar Seeking Israel-Hamas Deal to Release 50 Hostages and 3-Day Truce, Sources Say
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-15 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

The deal, under discussion, which has been coordinated with the U.S., would also see Israel release some Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails and increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into Gaza, the official said. It would mark the biggest release in hostages held by Hamas since the Palestinian militant group burst over the Gaza border, attacked parts of Israel and took hostages into the enclave. Hamas has agreed to the general outlines of this deal, but Israel has not and it is still negotiating the details, the official said. It is not known how many Palestinian women and children Israel would release from its jails as part of the agreement under discussion. (Reporting by Andrew Mills in Doha, Maya Gebeily in Beirut, Aidan Lewis and Ahmed Mohamed Hassan in Cairo; Additional reporting by Dan Williams and Mayaan Lubell in Jerusalem; Writing by Andrew Mills and Angus McDowall; Editing by Michael Georgy and Gareth Jones)

Persons: Andrew Mills, Aidan Lewis DOHA, Israel, Gebeily, Aidan Lewis, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Dan Williams, Mayaan, Angus McDowall, Michael Georgy, Gareth Jones Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Hamas Locations: CAIRO, Israel, Gaza, Palestinian, Doha, Beirut, Cairo, Jerusalem

Hamas has agreed to the general outlines of this deal, but Israel has not and it is still negotiating the details, the official said. The wealthy Gulf state of Qatar, which has ambitious foreign policy goals, has a direct line of communication with Hamas and Israel. Such a deal would require Hamas handing over a complete list of remaining living civilian hostages held in Gaza. The Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hamas political office in Doha declined comment. There was no immediate comment from Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Hamas political office in Doha.

Persons: Anas, Israel, Benny Gantz, Gantz, Benjamin Netanyahu, Andrew Mills, Gebeily, Aidan Lewis, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Dan Williams, Mayaan, Angus McDowall, Michael Georgy, Gareth Jones Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, U.S, Hamas, Qatari, Palestinian, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Qassam Brigades, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Rights DOHA, CAIRO, Israel, Palestinian, Gulf, Qatar, Doha, Western, Beirut, Cairo, Jerusalem

☆ Israel approves some fuel for UN trucks in Gaza, source says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An aid truck arrives at a UN storage facility as the conflict between Israel and Palestinian Islamist group Hamas continues, in the central Gaza Strip October 21, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIRUT, Nov 14 (Reuters) - Israel has given approval for 24,000 litres (6,340 gallons) of diesel fuel to be used by trucks for United Nations operations in the Gaza Strip, a humanitarian source said on Tuesday. The fuel is only meant for U.N. trucks, and not for hospitals, the source said. Gaza health officials have suspended operations at many of the enclave's hospitals due to lack of fuel and other supplies. Colonel Moshe Terto, who heads an Israeli defence ministry body that handles civil affairs in Gaza, said Israel is monitoring the fuel situation "on a daily basis".

Persons: Mohammed Salem, Axios, Israel, Moshe Terto, Terto, Maya Gebeily, Emily Rose, Chris Reese, Howard Goller Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Rights, United Nations, ., United, UNRWA, Thomson Locations: UN, Israel, Palestinian, Gaza, Rights BEIRUT, United States, Egypt, Beirut, Jerusalem

☆ 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

☆ Hezbollah Says Front With Israel Will Remain Active
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-11 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (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. Nasrallah said on Saturday there had been "an upgrade" in Hezbollah's operations along its front with Israel. 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's, Nasrallah, Israel, Laila Bassam, Giles Elgood Organizations: Hamas, Lebanese, Iran's, Guards Locations: 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

☆ Lebanese painter says Christie's withdrawal of his works from auction is 'discrimination'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-08 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT, Nov 8 (Reuters) - Christie's auction house has removed two paintings by Lebanese artist Ayman Baalbaki from its London sale this week following complaints, according to emails seen by Reuters, with the artist criticising the decision as a form of "discrimination". Both are no longer available on the website for Christie's auction on modern and contemporary Middle Eastern Art. A third piece by Baalbaki, depicting red flags seemingly on fire, remains on sale. A Christie's spokesperson said: "Decisions relating to sales remain confidential between Christie's and our consignors." The email said it was "normal policy" to remove pieces "if a work receives multiple complaints" in order to avoid "damaging press".

Persons: Ayman Baalbaki, Al Moulatham, Baalbaki, Maya Gebeily, Abdelhadi, Alison Williams Organizations: Reuters, Eastern, Hamas, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, London, Christie's, Israel, Gaza, Beirut, Frankfurt

☆ Lebanon's Hezbollah: What weapons does it have?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here is an overview of some of Hezbollah's most significant weapons, based on Hezbollah statements, security sources, weapons experts and academic reports. Hezbollah says it has rockets that can hit all areas of Israel. Last year, he said Hezbollah had the ability within Lebanon to retrofit thousands of rockets with guidance systems to make them precision missiles. Hezbollah has posted videos of what it says are direct hits on Israeli tanks and other military vehicles since Oct. 7. Hezbollah has since broadcast videos that it says show more of the same weapons that were used in 2006.

Persons: Amr Alfiky, Israel, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Maya Gebeily, Timour Azhari, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Palestinian, Raad, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Beirut, Lebanon, Iran, Islamic Republic, Iraq, Syria, Dawn, Haifa

Iran-backed Hezbollah knows this and is keeping Lebanon's crises in mind as it plots the next steps in the conflict with Israel, sources say. As the war between Israel and Hezbollah's Palestinian ally Hamas reverberates across the Middle East, the risk of war between Hezbollah and Israel remains higher than at any point since their last big conflict in 2006. Lebanon has no interest in war", a source familiar with Hezbollah thinking said. However, Hezbollah has also indicated a readiness for war, reflecting its position as the spearhead of an Iran-backed alliance against Israel and the United States. Lebanon took years to rebuild from the 2006 war which killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 158 Israelis, most of them soldiers.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Israel, Walid Jumblatt, Isaac Herzog, Hezbollah's, Suleiman Frangieh, Nabil Boumonsef, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Ghassan Hasbani, Mohanad Hage Ali, Maya Gebeily, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Analysts, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanese, Annahar, Lebanese Forces, Christian, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Lebanon, Israel, BEIRUT, Iran, Hamas, Gaza, Arab, United States, Lebanese, LEBANON, Beirut

☆ One killed, 3 wounded in cross-border Hezbollah attack on northern Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-15 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

JERUSALEM, Oct 15 (Reuters) - Lebanese Hezbollah fighters launched a missile at an Israeli northern border village on Sunday, killing one person and wounding three others, the militant group and Israeli medics said. The medics had initially said two people were wounded in the attack on Shtula, a farming community the abuts the border fence, opposite the Lebanese community of Ayta a-Shab. The Israeli military said it was striking in Lebanon in retaliation and it declared a zone within 4 km (2 miles) of the Lebanese border off-limits to public access. Three security sources confirmed to Reuters that Israeli artillery was striking several areas in the south. Reporting by Dan Williams, additional reporting by Maya Gebeily; Editing by Jon BoyleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Dan Williams, Maya Gebeily, Jon Boyle Organizations: Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lebanese, Israeli, Ayta, Lebanon

☆ Israeli shelling strikes Lebanese army post after infiltration warning
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-13 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Smoke rises after Israeli shelling , as seen from Lebanese side, near the border with Israel, in Alma Al-Shaab, southern Lebanon, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Israeli shelling struck a Lebanese army observation post at the border on Friday, three sources in Lebanon told Reuters, after the Israeli military warned of a suspected armed infiltration that it said it was responding to with artillery fire. The alert was issued in Hanita, 500 metres (yards) from the tense border and opposite Aalma El-Chaeb. The military statement said there had been an explosion at the adjacent border fence, which was lightly damaged. Reporting by Timour Azhari, Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily; writing by Dan Williams; editing by Alex Richardson and Mark HeinrichOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Thaier, Aalma, Israel, Timour Azhari, Laila Bassam, Gebeily, Dan Williams, Alex Richardson, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Lebanese, Israel, Alma Al, Lebanon, Hanita, Lebanon's Iran

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