Category Archives: Israel

Lebanon ceasefire hopes fade as Netanyahu issues contradictory statements

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Twin statements by Israeli PM appear to wrongfoot US officials ahead of his speech at UN general assembly

Optimism that a three-week ceasefire could be reached between Hezbollah and Israel appeared to recede as Benjamin Netanyahu issued a pair of contradictory statements on the proposal within hours of each other, as fresh Israeli strikes on Lebanon in the early hours of Friday killed 25 people.

In the latest statement from Netanyahu’s office, issued overnight on Friday, the Israeli prime minister chided reporting on the issue as he confirmed Israel had been consulted regarding a US-led ceasefire proposal.

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Middle East crisis: Israel launches more strikes in Lebanon – as it happened

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The Israeli military said drones and rockets crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon on Friday, as Lebanon’s Hezbollah claimed a rocket attack on the Israeli city of Tiberias (see 9am BST).

The drones infiltrated the coastal area of Rosh HaNikra and were intercepted by the military’s defences, the Israeli military said, adding several rockets were also intercepted.

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Israel accused of breaking global labor law by withholding Palestinian worker pay

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Unions say ‘blatant’ violations of international wage protections have tipped many into extreme poverty

Ten trade unions have accused Israel of breaching international labor law by holding back pay and benefits from more than 200,000 Palestinian workers since 7 October.

The Israeli government stands accused of “blatant” violations of the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) protection of wages convention, tipping many Palestinians into extreme poverty.

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Israel ‘needs to listen’ to international community, Albanese says as Wong calls for Lebanon and Gaza ceasefires

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‘War has rules – even when confronting terrorists,’ Australia’s foreign affairs minister tells UN security council

The Australian prime minister, Anthony Albanese, has urged his Israeli counterpart to “listen to the international community” amid fears of an escalating conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The foreign affairs minister, Penny Wong, also declared that the world “cannot allow any party to obstruct” peace in the Middle East as she pressed for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

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Netanyahu says Israel ‘will not stop’ attacks on Hezbollah despite ceasefire calls

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Israeli airstrikes killed 92 people in Lebanon on Thursday; John Kirby says White House had believed Israel was ‘on board’ with ceasefire proposal

Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel “will not stop” its attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon despite calls from the US, France and other allies for an immediate three-week ceasefire aimed at containing the spread of a conflict that is beginning to engulf Lebanon.

The calls for an immediate ceasefire were backed on Thursday night by Lebanon’s minister for foreign affairs, Abdallah Bouhabib, who told the UN general assembly his country was enduring a crisis that “threatens its very existence”.

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‘Stop killing children’: protests as Netanyahu arrives for UN address

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Protesters gather outside UN headquarters in New York to oppose Israeli PM’s visit and to call for end to Gaza war

As the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, arrived in New York on Thursday ahead of his address to the United Nations general assembly, scheduled for Friday morning, protesters opposed to the war in Gaza gathered near UN headquarters.

One group of people who waved Israeli flags and campaign banners described themselves as an informal coalition of Jewish and Israeli-led organizations taking an anti-occupation and anti-war stance in relation to the Palestinian territories. They assembled close to the UN building in Manhattan to protest against Netanyahu’s arrival after he flew in from Israel overnight.

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‘We always felt safer here’: Tel Aviv unmoved by Hezbollah missile attack

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Beachgoers say they are unafraid but in this one-time ‘capital of hostages’, Lebanon is now main talking point

Air raid sirens blared in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning as, for the first time, Hezbollah fired a surface-to-surface missile at the coastal city. A few minutes after the incident, beachgoers flooded the bustling promenade, playing beach volley, cycling and kite surfing.

“Was there an attack this morning?” asked Eyal Kadosh, 31, confused, while resting on a bench with a friend after their daily workout. “Well, I’m here, what should happen will happen anyway.”

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Middle East crisis threatens Lebanon’s ‘very existence’, foreign minister tells UN – as it happened

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Lebanon’s National News Agency reports that trade unions in the country have called on people to show solidarity, and for “the owners of food establishments, bakeries, gas stations and pharmacies to keep their establishments open, and facilitate everything necessary for our people.”

In a statement the trade unions also called on “merchants not to raise prices and not to exploit people.”

They want to do exactly what Hamas did in the south. Remember, we have been in this situation for a whole year. In the past week, the army has fought as it should, as we expect, to bring us back home. It seems we are again taking two steps back.

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France and US push for 21-day Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire in Lebanon as UN chief warns ‘hell is breaking loose’

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Fresh initiative comes amid tensions between US and Europe on how to press Israel to end offensive on Hezbollah

The US and France have called for a 21-day temporary ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah to make way for broader negotiations, as the UN secretary general, António Guterres, told a UN security council meeting that “hell is breaking loose” in Lebanon.

Israel’s top general has said the country is preparing for a possible ground operation into Lebanon after an intense three-day bombing campaign that has killed more than 600 people, further fuelling fears of a regional conflict.

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US thwarts French and British push for Lebanon ceasefire call at UN

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Washington says Israel has legitimate security problem and more complex diplomatic agreement is required

An effort led by France and Britain to secure a joint statement by the UN security council calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon has stalled in the face of US objections.

Washington is eager to avoid any suggestion there is any equivalence of blame for the eruption of the crisis that has led to the loss of life of hundreds of people in Lebanon.

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Israel preparing for possible ground offensive in Lebanon, military chief says

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Strikes designed to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure before possible incursion by troops, says Israel’s top general

Israel’s top general has said the country is preparing for a possible ground operation into Lebanon amid growing international pressure for a negotiated ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel.

As an intense bombing campaign inside Lebanon stretched into a third day, Israel’s chief of staff, Maj Gen Herzi Halevi, said the airstrikes aimed to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure and prepare for the possibility of Israeli troops crossing the border.

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Can Israel avoid same pitfalls of past ground offensive in Lebanon?

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A land incursion would be a far more complex undertaking than the intelligence-led strikes pursued so far

No two wars are alike, even those fought between the same two combatants on the same terrain. But many of the challenges remain the same.

Israel’s most senior military commander has told troops that airstrikes will continue inside Lebanon as the Israeli military prepares for a possible ground operation. If its forces do cross the northern border they are likely to face obstacles they have seen before.

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Israel has ‘legitimate problem’ with Hezbollah on border, says Blinken

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US secretary of state emphasises he wants diplomatic solution, but remarks unlikely to be seen as warning against Israeli ground offensive

Israel has a legitimate interest in seeking to remove Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group, from the borders of northern Israel, the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said as he rebuffed calls to take a tougher line over the Israeli bombardment.

Speaking before an emergency meeting of the security council in New York, Blinken emphasised that he would prefer a diplomatic solution to the crisis, but his tone is unlikely to be seen as a warning to Israel to stop, or to reconsider its plan for a ground offensive.

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UK ministers monitoring Beirut airport in case Lebanon evacuation required

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Emergency rescue not thought imminent but commercial flight halt would probably trigger sea rescue, say sources

The UK is closely monitoring Beirut’s international airport amid fears it may be forced to close by escalating fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, which would probably lead to an evacuation of British and other foreign nationals from Lebanon.

Defence sources said a halt to commercial flights out of the country would be a “big trigger” to launch what would most probably be an international evacuation by sea, though for now an emergency rescue is not thought imminent.

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US and France working on Hezbollah-Israel ceasefire plan – as it happened

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Lebanon’s minister of culture, Judge Mohammad Wissam El-Mortada, has been speaking to Sputnik Radio, and Lebanon’s National News Agency is carrying some quotes from the interview.

In it, he said “Lebanon is engaged in a confrontation in defence of everything that is humane in this world against the enemies of humanity. Israel is exceeding all restrictions.”

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New Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon as Hezbollah confirms death of senior commander

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Lebanon says only US can end conflict, as Hezbollah confirms death of Ibrahim Qubaisi in Israeli attack on Beirut

Israel began a third day of strikes in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, hours after Hezbollah confirmed the death of a senior commander in an airstrike on Beirut and a Lebanese minister said only Washington could help end the fighting.

Lebanese media reported that Israeli airstrikes had targeted several areas in the country’s south, beginning at around 5am, causing unspecified casualties.

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UK moves 700 troops to Cyprus ready to evacuate Britons from Lebanon

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Keir Starmer urges UK citizens to leave immediately as Israel continues to bombard south of country

Britain is moving 700 troops to Cyprus to be ready for an emergency evacuation of UK citizens from Lebanon, as the prime minister urged those still in the country to leave immediately.

The government said military teams were moving there to further support British nationals in Lebanon, where Israel has been bombarding the south of the country.

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Israel escalation based on risky belief it can bomb Hezbollah into a ceasefire

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With no diplomatic ‘off-ramp’ the stage is set for more strikes and counter-strikes from an opponent unlikely to bend the knee

It is now clear that last Tuesday’s exploding pager operation was just a first step. What is now unfolding is an Israeli strategy of military escalation against Hezbollah, premised on the risky belief that the militant group can be bombed into a ceasefire before fighting in Gaza ends.

Monday’s wave of airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 558 people and displaced many thousands, and there is little sign of the campaign slowing. Israel’s air force has said it had dropped 2,000 bombs in 24 hours – and there can be little doubt that this is now a full-on war, though it is not yet an all-out conflict.

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UN chief calls Middle East crisis ‘nightmare’ amid push for Lebanon ceasefire

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António Guterres says violence puts region at risk as Hezbollah and Israel seem unwilling to dial down fighting

The UN secretary general has told world leaders that Lebanon is on the brink of becoming a second Gaza, adding that the crisis has “become a non-stop nightmare that threatens to take the whole region down”.

António Guterres made his warning as diplomats meeting in New York for the UN general assembly battled to impose a ceasefire in Lebanon and to hold Israel back from a possible ground invasion.

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Airlines suspend more Lebanon flights amid Israeli airstrikes

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Emirates, Qatar Airways, Air France and Lufthansa among carriers pausing services to and from Beirut

International airlines have suspended more flights to Lebanon amid an Israeli bombardment that authorities said had killed almost 560 people since Monday.

The United Arab Emirates-based airline Emirates announced the temporary suspension of its flights to Beirut on Tuesday and Wednesday. Its sister airline flydubai also cancelled flights to Beirut on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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