Lebanese Minister: Israeli Strike Closes Off Road Used to Flee Lebanon to Syria

Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon November 1, 2018. Picture taken November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi
Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon November 1, 2018. Picture taken November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi
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Lebanese Minister: Israeli Strike Closes Off Road Used to Flee Lebanon to Syria

Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon November 1, 2018. Picture taken November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi
Masnaa border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, Lebanon November 1, 2018. Picture taken November 1, 2018. REUTERS/Jamal Saidi

An Israeli strike on Friday morning near Lebanon's Masnaa border crossing with Syria cut off a road used by hundreds of thousands of people to flee Israeli bombardments in recent days, Lebanon Transport Minister Ali Hamieh told Reuters.
Hamieh said the strike hit inside Lebanese territory near the border crossing, creating a four-meter (12 feet) wide crater.
An Israeli military spokesman had accused Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on Thursday of using the crossing to transport military equipment into Lebanon.
Israel “will not allow the smuggling of these weapons and will not hesitate to act if forced to do so, as it has done throughout this war," Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.
Hamieh had said at a press conference on Thursday that the crossing was subject to the authority of the Lebanese state.
According to Lebanese government statistics, more than 300,000 people - a vast majority of them Syrian - had crossed from Lebanon into Syria over the last 10 days to escape escalating Israeli bombardment.



Sudanese Paramilitary Forces Kill at Least 28 People in an Attack in Darfur

FILE PHOTO: Displaced people ride a an animal-drawn cart, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on Zamzam displacement camp, in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Displaced people ride a an animal-drawn cart, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on Zamzam displacement camp, in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
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Sudanese Paramilitary Forces Kill at Least 28 People in an Attack in Darfur

FILE PHOTO: Displaced people ride a an animal-drawn cart, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on Zamzam displacement camp, in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Displaced people ride a an animal-drawn cart, following Rapid Support Forces (RSF) attacks on Zamzam displacement camp, in the town of Tawila, North Darfur, Sudan April 15, 2025. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo

An attack by the Sudanese paramilitary forces on a stronghold of a Darfur tribal leader left at least 28 people dead, a doctors group said on Tuesday.

The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces on Monday rampaged through the town of Misteriha in North Darfur province, according to the Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks the country’s ongoing war.

The town is a stronghold of tribal leader Musa Hilal who also hails from the Rizeigat tribe as the majority of the members of the paramilitary RSF.

At least 39 people, including 10 women, were wounded in the attack, the medical group said.

Sudan’s war erupted in 2023 after tensions between the Sudanese army and the rival RSF escalated into fighting that began in Khartoum and spread nationwide, killing thousands, triggering mass displacement, disease outbreaks, and severe food insecurity. Aid workers were frequently targeted.


Israel Warns Lebanon It Would Hit Hard if Hezbollah Gets Involved in Any US-Iran War, Lebanese Officials Say 

People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. (EPA)
People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. (EPA)
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Israel Warns Lebanon It Would Hit Hard if Hezbollah Gets Involved in Any US-Iran War, Lebanese Officials Say 

People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. (EPA)
People gather near a building damaged in an Israeli strike in the village of Bednayel in eastern Lebanon, 21 February 2026. (EPA)

Israel has sent an indirect message to Lebanon that it would strike Lebanon ‌hard, targeting ‌civilian infrastructure ‌including ⁠the airport, in ⁠the event that Hezbollah gets involved in any ⁠US-Iran war, ‌two senior ‌Lebanese officials ‌said ‌on Tuesday.

The office of the Israeli Prime ‌Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ⁠Lebanese presidency ⁠did not immediately respond to requests for comment.


PSG Coach Luis Enrique Must Decide Whether to Protect Lead or Attack Against Monaco 

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique reacts during the French League One match between Paris Saint-Germain and Metz in Paris, France, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP)
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique reacts during the French League One match between Paris Saint-Germain and Metz in Paris, France, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP)
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PSG Coach Luis Enrique Must Decide Whether to Protect Lead or Attack Against Monaco 

PSG's head coach Luis Enrique reacts during the French League One match between Paris Saint-Germain and Metz in Paris, France, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP)
PSG's head coach Luis Enrique reacts during the French League One match between Paris Saint-Germain and Metz in Paris, France, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2026. (AP)

Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique may be unsure how to approach the second leg of the Champions League playoff against Monaco on Wednesday.

Although PSG is 3-2 ahead, protecting leads is not his style. But attacking too much against a technically strong Monaco side could expose his team to costly counterattacks.

Coach Sébastien Pocognoli's Monaco has 13 goals in the past six games. Although two of those have been defeats, the attack is looking much sharper.

Monaco went 2-0 up inside 20 minutes against PSG last week, only for clumsy defending to allow PSG back into the game. Against Lens on Saturday, Monaco overturned a 2-0 deficit with a three-goal burst in 10 second-half minutes.

PSG's defense looks weaker than last season — conceding against Monaco after just 55 seconds — and is not helped by uncertainty over the goalkeeper.

Since Gianluigi Donnarumma’s departure, Luis Enrique has alternated between Matvei Safonov and summer signing Lucas Chevalier.

Pairing Ansu Fati and Folarin Balogun in attack could be Pocognoli’s best option.

Fati has nine goals in 20 games, including a fine lob in against Lens on Saturday.

The former Barcelona teenage prodigy has been hampered by minor injuries this season. He went on as a substitute against Lens, but Pocognoli is likely to start him against PSG.

Balogun has also dealt with injuries but finally seems fully fit. The American forward's two goals against PSG last week and his opportunist strike against Lens showed he is back in form.

Their movement up front, allied to the runs of attacking midfielder Maghnes Akliouche, may stretch PSG's defense and leave space for midfielders behind.

Fati and Akliouche can dribble at speed, while Balogun’s versatility allows him to play wide or through the middle.

Rapid counterattacks are Monaco's strength.

When Monaco beat PSG 1-0 in Ligue 1 in November the goal came from a quick break. On Saturday, the third goal against Lens was a slick counterattack ending with Fati's lob.

PSG showed vulnerability to quick balls played behind the full backs when it lost at Rennes 3-1 this month; while Monaco's first goal last Tuesday saw left back Caio Henrique finding space behind right back Achraf Hakimi and Aleksandr Golovin crossing for Balogun to head in.

Henrique and right back Vanderson both like to attack. This may force Luis Enrique to instruct his own attacking full backs, Hakimi and left back Nuno Gomes, not to push up too much.