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Tunisia Frees Cartoonist after His Arrest over Drawings Mocking PM

Policemen stand guard in Tunis. (Reuters)
Policemen stand guard in Tunis. (Reuters)
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Tunisia Frees Cartoonist after His Arrest over Drawings Mocking PM

Policemen stand guard in Tunis. (Reuters)
Policemen stand guard in Tunis. (Reuters)

Tunisia's public prosecutor on Friday released the cartoonist Tawfiq Omrane, after he was detained for hours over drawings mocking the prime minister.
Omrane is well known for publishing satirical cartoons featuring President Kais Saied, who seized almost all powers two years ago after he shut down Tunisia's elected parliament.
"They interrogated me on suspicion of insulting the prime minister. They showed a drawing that they considered offensive", Omrane told Diwan FM Tunisian radio.
Omrane pledged that he would continue his satirical drawings.
Ahmed Hachani is the prime minister, appointed last month to replace Najla Bouden.
Many Tunisians see free speech as a principal reform won after the 2011 revolution that toppled President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Activists, journalists and politicians have warned this freedom is under threat.
"Omrane's arrest reinforces authorities' efforts to suppress critical voices of the president," said Amira Mohamed, a senior official at the country's Journalists' Syndicate.
Kais Saied strongly criticized state TV in a speech this week, including the arrangement of headlines in a bulletin, in a move that the Journalists Syndicate said was "blatant interference".
Saied rejects accusations of targeting freedoms and has said he will never be a dictator.

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Israel Launches 1st Airstrike on Lebanon Since Ceasefire

This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
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Israel Launches 1st Airstrike on Lebanon Since Ceasefire

This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)
This aerial view taken a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold shows traffic driving past destroyed buildings in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh on November 28, 2024. (Photo by AFP)

The Israeli military on Thursday said its warplanes fired on southern Lebanon after detecting Hezbollah activity at a rocket storage facility, the first Israeli airstrike a day after a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took hold.

There was no immediate word on casualties from Israel's aerial attack, The Associated Press reported.

The Israeli army said a warplane carried out an airstrike after "terrorist activity was detected at a Hezbollah facility containing medium-range rockets in south Lebanon."

"The IDF (Israeli army) is deployed in southern Lebanon, acting to thwart any violation of the ceasefire agreement," the Israeli military added.

The mayor of the town of Baysariyeh in southern Lebanon, Nazih Eid, told AFP that a warplane launched a raid "on the eastern edge of the town of Baysariyeh. They targeted a forested area not accessible to civilians."

The aerial attack came hours after the Israeli military said it fired on people trying to return to certain areas in southern Lebanon. Israel said they were violating the ceasefire agreement, without providing details. Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency said two people were wounded.

The back-to-back incidents stirred unease about the agreement, brokered by the United States and France, which includes an initial two-month ceasefire in which Hezbollah militants are to withdraw north of the Litani River and Israeli forces are to return to their side of the border. The buffer zone would be patrolled by Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers.

On Thursday, the second day of a ceasefire after more than a year of bloody conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, Lebanon's state news agency reported that Israeli fire targeted civilians in Markaba, close to the border, without providing further details. Israel said it fired artillery in three other locations near the border. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

The Israeli military said in a statement that “several suspects were identified arriving with vehicles to a number of areas in southern Lebanon, breaching the conditions of the ceasefire.” It said troops “opened fire toward them” and would “actively enforce violations of the ceasefire agreement.”

Israeli officials have said forces will be withdrawn gradually as it ensures that the agreement is being enforced. Israel has warned people not to return to areas where troops are deployed, and says it reserves the right to strike Hezbollah if it violates the terms of the truce.

A Lebanese military official said Lebanese troops would gradually deploy in the south as Israeli troops withdraw.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said on Thursday it was ending some protective restrictions that had limited the size of gatherings in parts of central and northern Israel.

The change was made following a situational assessment, the military said.