Foreign
Hezbollah Vows To Keep Fighting Israel After Nasrallah Killing
Hezbollah vowed on Monday to keep fighting Israel and said it was ready to face any ground operation into Lebanon, after its leader was killed in an air strike that dealt the group a seismic blow.
In a televised address, the Iran-backed group’s deputy chief Naim Qassem said a new leader to replace Hassan Nasrallah, who enjoyed cult status among his supporters, would be selected “at the earliest opportunity”.
He also said the group was ready for any Israeli ground offensive, even though Israel’s bombardment of its strongholds has in the past week killed a large number of its top commanders and officials.
Hezbollah began low-intensity cross-border strikes on Israeli troops a day after its Palestinian ally Hamas staged its unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, triggering war in the Gaza Strip.
Israel said earlier this month that it was shifting its focus from Gaza to securing its northern border with Lebanon, in order to allow Israelis displaced since October to return to their homes.
It has also not ruled out a ground offensive in order to achieve its goals.
Israel’s strikes on Lebanon have killed hundreds and forced hundreds of thousands more to flee their homes, and left people across the region fearful of more violence to come.
Qassem said Hezbollah would continue “confronting the Israeli enemy in support of Gaza and Palestine, in defence of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the assassinations and the killing of civilians”.
Warning that any battle with Israel would be long, he said: “We will face any scenario and we are ready if Israel decides to enter by land, the resistance forces are ready for any ground confrontation.”
On the other side of the border, Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops: “The elimination of Nasrallah is an important step, but it is not the final one.”
“In order to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities, we will employ all of our capabilities, and this includes you,” he said.
– Beirut strike –
Most of Israel’s strikes have targeted Hezbollah strongholds in eastern and southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut, the group’s main bastion.
On Monday, a drone strike hit a building in the Cola district in central Beirut, with an armed Palestinian group saying it had killed three of its members.
The strike, the first in the centre of the city in years, sparked panic, with 41-year-old resident Mohammed al-Hoss saying “the kids were in shock” after his house was damaged.
“We are with Gaza and support the Palestinian cause, but our country cannot cope with us going to war,” he said.
“Our country is in a wretched state. They (Israel) finished with Gaza and they have come to Lebanon.”
Lebanon’s health ministry also reported the strike, saying it had killed four people and wounded four others. Israel has yet to comment.
Palestinian Islamist group Hamas later announced that its leader in Lebanon, Fatah Sharif Abu al-Amine, had been killed along with his wife and two children in another strike on Al-Bass refugee camp in south Lebanon.
The Israeli military confirmed it had “eliminated” Sharif in a strike.
Lebanon’s health ministry said six rescuers affiliated with Hezbollah were killed in an Israeli strike Monday.
Around Lebanon, Israeli strikes killed more than 100 people on Sunday, including 45 near the southern city of Sidon, according to the ministry.
Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiad said Saturday that 1,030 people including 87 children had been killed since September 16.
UN refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi said “well over 200,000 people are displaced inside Lebanon”, while more than 100,000 have fled to neighbouring Syria.
Prime Minister Najib Mikati said up to one million people may have been uprooted, in potentially the “largest displacement movement” in Lebanon’s history.
– Yemen strikes –
The violence in Lebanon has raised fears of a much wider conflagration in the region.
On Monday, the Israeli army said it “successfully intercepted a suspicious aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory”.
Israel said it also carried out strikes on Sunday targeting Iran-backed Huthis in Yemen that the rebels said killed four people and wounded 33.
The raids in Yemen came a day after the Huthis said they launched a missile at Israel’s Ben Gurion airport, trying to hit it as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was returning from New York.
Iran has said Nasrallah’s killing would bring about Israel’s “destruction”, though the foreign ministry said Monday it would not deploy any fighters to confront Israel.
Lebanon began a three-day national mourning period for Nasrallah on Monday, with flags flying at half-mast.
In Israel, some had mixed feelings about the Hezbollah chief’s killing.
“Nasrallah was responsible for the deaths of many Israelis, so it is good news,” said Matan Sofer, 24, in the northern town of Rosh Pina.
“But do we risk it getting worse, who knows?”
– Calls for halt –
World leaders have called for a de-escalation.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot met with the Lebanese premier in Beirut Monday, and said his government sought “an immediate halt” in the strikes.
He is the first high-level foreign diplomat to visit since the Israeli strikes intensified.
US President Joe Biden, whose government is Israel’s top arms supplier, said Sunday a wider war “really has to be avoided”.
In Gaza, AFP journalists said the number of air strikes across the territory has dropped significantly in recent days.
Hamas’s unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,205 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures that include hostages killed in captivity.
Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 41,615 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures provided by the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN has described the figures as reliable.
Foreign
Ukraine alleges N’Korea is sending troops to Russia
He was speaking days after visiting several European capitals to press his case for more military and financial help in the war against invading Russian forces.
“We see an increasing alliance between Russia and regimes like in North Korea,” Zelensky said in his evening address.
“It is no longer just about transferring weapons. It is actually about the transfer of people from North Korea to the occupier’s military forces.
“Obviously, in such circumstances, our relations with our partners need to be developed. The frontline needs more support,” he said.
Zelensky completed a whirlwind two-day tour of European capitals last week including Berlin, London and Paris to ask for sustained military aid as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grinds on through its third year.
“When we talk about more long-range capability for Ukraine and more decisive supplies for our forces, it is not just a list of military equipment,” Zelensky said.
“It is about increasing the pressure on the aggressor, which will be stronger for Russia than they can withstand. And it is about preventing a bigger war.”
AFP.
Foreign
Kenyan Governor Detained Over Violent Clan Disputes
A regional governor in Kenya has been taken into custody due to his involvement in clan violence in the Tana River County, where multiple fatalities have occurred.
Dhadho Godhana, along with a local legislator, were arrested separately for failing to comply with summonses regarding the clashes, as stated by the police on Saturday. The accused individuals have not publicly addressed the allegations.
The clashes in southeast Kenya have resulted in the deaths of at least 14 people, leading the authorities to declare two areas in the county as hazardous and insecure for the next 30 days.
According to an official notice from the Interior Ministry, security measures have been intensified in these areas, and residents are prohibited from carrying weapons.
DCI chief Mohamed Amin confirmed that Godhana presented himself at the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters in Nairobi on Saturday morning and is being interrogated about the clashes.
Five politicians from Tana River County have been summoned to appear before the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) on Monday for questioning regarding allegations of instigating conflict between two communities.
Tana River has previously experienced ethnic clashes over disputes about grazing rights, resulting in numerous fatalities.
Foreign
North Korea Removed as Observer from Regional Anti-Money Laundering Group
North Korea has lost its observer status in a regional group that fights money laundering. This decision was announced on Monday by the South Korean foreign ministry. The reason for this action is North Korea’s lack of involvement and its failure to fulfill its responsibilities to the group.
The decision was made unanimously at the 26th general assembly of the Asia Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), which convened last Tuesday in the United Arab Emirates.
The South Korean ministry released a statement explaining the outcome.
Established in 1997, the APG is an intergovernmental body dedicated to enforcing international standards against money laundering and combatting terrorism financing, including preventing the spread of weapons of mass destruction.
The group currently consists of 42 member states, including key global powers such as the United States, Japan, China, and South Korea, which joined in 1998.
North Korea gained observer status in the APG in July 2014. However, it was warned by the group that its continued lack of engagement would lead to disqualification. The North failed to meet even the minimal requirements to retain its status, prompting the members to endorse the revocation.
To maintain its observer status, a country is required to permit visits from APG delegations, facilitate information exchange, and cooperate with the group in publishing regular reports on the nation’s anti-money laundering efforts. The APG found that North Korea had not participated in the group’s activities for six consecutive years, nor had it responded to any of the group’s attempts to establish contact.
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In response, North Korea issued a statement through its state-run Chosun Central News Agency on October 3rd, protesting the APG’s decision. The regime claimed the APG had become a “puppet group” serving the interests of the United States and suggested the move was a result of America’s continued “hostile policy” towards the country.
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