Egypt Ups Int’l Pressure Over GERD

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (AFP)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (AFP)
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Egypt Ups Int’l Pressure Over GERD

The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (AFP)
The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. (AFP)

Egypt has continued its international escalation on the issue of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD).

The North African nation affirmed in its fourth letter regarding the GERD to the UN Security Council that “Ethiopia's unilateral actions regarding the filling and operation of the dam constitute an existential threat to Egypt and a threat to its stability.”

The address was sent by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the UNSC on the occasion of Ethiopia announcing the completion of the fourth filling of the GERD.

In the message, Egypt emphasized that “for the fourth time in a row, the UNSC is being informed of Ethiopia’s repeated violations of international law and agreements, including the 2015 Declaration of Principles concerning the dam.”

Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed had announced on September 10 the success of his country in completing the fourth and final filling of the GERD, a move criticized by Egypt at the time.

According to the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the fourth filling exhibits “disregard for the interests and rights of the downstream states (Egypt and Sudan) and their water security guaranteed by international law.”

Egypt’s letter on Friday clarified that Ethiopia’s latest move “constitutes a continuous violation of the Declaration of Principles that obligates Ethiopia to reach a legally binding agreement on the rules governing the filling and operation of the dam.”

It emphasized that Ethiopia’s continued unilateral practices could impact Egypt and its stability, thereby endangering regional and international peace and security.

The Foreign Ministry expressed “Egypt's unequivocal rejection of these actions taken by Ethiopia and its complete disregard for the UNSC statement, which called on Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia to expeditiously reach a final, acceptable agreement on the filling and operation of the dam within a reasonable time frame.”

Ali Al-Hafny, Egypt’s former ambassador to China and a former deputy minister of foreign affairs for African affairs, pointed out that Egypt’s insistence on addressing the UNSC and keeping it informed of developments in the GERD issue “represents a genuine Egyptian right and the use of tools provided by international law for member states of the UN.”

Hafny, in statements to Asharq Al-Awsat, clarified that the Foreign Ministry’s message conveyed a “clear and disciplined diplomatic and legal language.”

This language, he asserted, should hold the international organization accountable for its responsibilities towards regional peace and security, given that Ethiopia’s unilateral actions represent “a violation of international law and a direct threat to the rights of downstream countries protected by international transboundary river agreements.”

Hafny further explained that Egypt’s repeated recourse to the UNSC came only after exhausting all bilateral and regional avenues, and due to what he described as the African Union’s “inability” to find a solution to the crisis.

The dispute over the GERD dates back to 2011 when Ethiopia began construction of the massive hydroelectric dam on the Blue Nile. For years, Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia engaged in intermittent negotiations brokered by the African Union, but the talks collapsed in April 2021.



Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
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Lebanon Security Source Says Hezbollah Official Targeted in Beirut Strike

Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi
Civil defense members work as Lebanese army soldiers stand guard at the site of an Israeli strike in Beirut's Basta neighbourhood, amid the ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, Lebanon November 23, 2024. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A Lebanese security source said the target of a deadly Israeli airstrike on central Beirut early Saturday was a senior Hezbollah official, adding it was unclear whether he was killed.

"The Israeli strike on Basta targeted a leading Hezbollah figure," the security official told AFP without naming the figure, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

The early morning airstrike has killed at least 15 people and injured 63, according to authorities, and had brought down an eight-storey building nearby, in the second such attack on the working-class neighbourhood of Basta in as many months.

"The strike was so strong it felt like the building was about to fall on our heads," said Samir, 60, who lives with his family in a building facing the one that was hit.

"It felt like they had targeted my house," he said, asking to be identified by only his first name because of security concerns.

There had been no evacuation warning issued by the Israeli military for the Basta area.

After the strike, Samir fled his home in the middle of the night with his wife and two children, aged 14 and just three.

On Saturday morning, dumbstruck residents watched as an excavator cleared the wreckage of the razed building and rescue efforts continued, with nearby buildings also damaged in the attack, AFP journalists reported.

The densely packed district has welcomed people displaced from traditional Hezbollah bastions in Lebanon's east, south and southern Beirut, after Israel intensified its air campaign on September 23, later sending in ground troops.

"We saw two dead people on the ground... The children started crying and their mother cried even more," Samir told AFP, reporting minor damage to his home.

Since last Sunday, four deadly Israeli strikes have hit central Beirut, including one that killed Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif.

Residents across the city and its outskirts awoke at 0400 (0200 GMT) on Saturday to loud explosions and the smell of gunpowder in the air.

"It was the first time I've woken up screaming in terror," said Salah, a 35-year-old father of two who lives in the same street as the building that was targeted.

"Words can't express the fear that gripped me," he said.

Saturday's strikes were the second time the Basta district had been targeted since war broke out, after deadly twin strikes early in October hit the area and the Nweiri neighbourhood.

Last month's attacks killed 22 people and had targeted Hezbollah security chief Wafiq Safa, who made it out alive, a source close to the group told AFP.

Salah said his wife and children had been in the northern city of Tripoli, about 70 kilometres away (45 miles), but that he had to stay in the capital because of work.

His family had been due to return this weekend because their school reopens on Monday, but now he has decided against it following the attack.

"I miss them. Every day they ask me: 'Dad, when are we coming home?'" he said.

Lebanon's health ministry says that more than 3,650 people have been killed since October 2023, after Hezbollah initiated exchanges of fire with Israel in solidarity with its Iran-backed ally Hamas over the Gaza war.

However, most of the deaths in Lebanon have been since September this year.

Despite the trauma caused by Saturday's strike, Samir said he and his family had no choice but to return home.

"Where else would I go?" he asked.

"All my relatives and siblings have been displaced from Beirut's southern suburbs and from the south."