UN Chief Urges Israel to Halt, Reverse Settlement Decisions

FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference at the United Nations complex in Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference at the United Nations complex in Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo
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UN Chief Urges Israel to Halt, Reverse Settlement Decisions

FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference at the United Nations complex in Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks at a press conference at the United Nations complex in Gigiri, Nairobi, Kenya May 3, 2023. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya/File Photo

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday urged Israel to halt and reverse what he described as troubling and alarming decisions on settlement activity in the occupied West Bank, a UN spokesperson said.

"The Secretary-General reiterates that settlements are a flagrant violation of international law. They are a major obstacle to the realization of a viable two-State solution and a just, lasting and comprehensive peace," deputy UN spokesperson Farhan Haq said in a statement.

"The expansion of these illegal settlements is a significant driver of tensions and violence and deepens humanitarian needs," Haq said.



Israel Says Hit Around 10 Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon, Killed One Fighter

A picture taken from the outskirts of south Lebanon's village of Aitaroun shows smoke billowing after a raid carried out by Israeli warplanes on December 17, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
A picture taken from the outskirts of south Lebanon's village of Aitaroun shows smoke billowing after a raid carried out by Israeli warplanes on December 17, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
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Israel Says Hit Around 10 Hezbollah Targets in Lebanon, Killed One Fighter

A picture taken from the outskirts of south Lebanon's village of Aitaroun shows smoke billowing after a raid carried out by Israeli warplanes on December 17, 2023. (Photo by AFP)
A picture taken from the outskirts of south Lebanon's village of Aitaroun shows smoke billowing after a raid carried out by Israeli warplanes on December 17, 2023. (Photo by AFP)

The Israeli army said Tuesday it had struck around 10 Hezbollah targets overnight in seven different areas of south Lebanon, killing one fighter from the Iran-backed militant group.

The army also "struck a Hezbollah weapons storage facility, terror infrastructure sites, military structures and a launcher in southern Lebanon", the army said, AFP reported.

The strikes came after a rocket fired from Lebanon hit a Druze Arab town in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights on Saturday and killed 12 children aged between 10 and 16.

On a visit to Majdal Shams on Monday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Israel would deliver a "severe response" to the strike.

Israel says the rocket that killed the children was an Iranian-made Falaq and was fired by its ally Hezbollah.

Hezbollah has denied responsibility for firing the rocket though it claimed multiple launches towards Israel on Saturday.

Israeli forces and Hezbollah have been engaged in near-daily clashes along the border since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7.

The violence has so far killed 22 soldiers and 24 civilians on the Israeli side, including in the Golan, according to army figures.