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France Warns against Lebanon Travel, Joining Western States

Smoke rises from Israeli artillery shelling in Dhayra village, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, Lebanon, 16 October 2023. (EPA)
Smoke rises from Israeli artillery shelling in Dhayra village, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, Lebanon, 16 October 2023. (EPA)
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France Warns against Lebanon Travel, Joining Western States

Smoke rises from Israeli artillery shelling in Dhayra village, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, Lebanon, 16 October 2023. (EPA)
Smoke rises from Israeli artillery shelling in Dhayra village, near the Lebanese-Israeli border, Lebanon, 16 October 2023. (EPA)

France on Tuesday joined several Western countries in warning its citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon as the security situation remains tense and as some airlines suspended flights.

Since Hamas attacked on October 7 triggering war between Israel and the Gaza-based militants, the Lebanese-Israel border has seen near daily tit-for-tat incidents involving Lebanon's Hezbollah or Palestinian groups including Hamas.

At least 18 have been killed on the Lebanese side, including a Reuters journalist and two other civilians, while on the Israeli side, at least three people have been killed.

"Given security tensions in the region and particularly on Lebanon's southern border, French travelers planning a trip to Lebanon are not advised to go there," the French foreign ministry said in a statement on its website.

France on Monday warned Lebanese officials to avert war with Israel, and the United States has urged Hezbollah to stay out of the conflict.

Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, has so far limited its cross-border attacks but analysts say the Iran-backed group with a powerful arsenal could open a front with Israel if it invades the Gaza Strip.

Swiss International Air Lines said Monday it was suspending flights between Switzerland and Beirut initially until October 28 due to unrest on the border.

Germany's Lufthansa has suspended flights until October 22, the airline's website says.

Middle East Airlines, Lebanon's national carrier, relocated five of its 24 planes to the Istanbul airport as a temporary "pre-emptive step" in light of regional developments, it said Monday.

During a 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel knocked out Beirut airport, Lebanon's only international facility.

"Events in Lebanon are fast moving. The situation has potential to deteriorate quickly and with no warning," Britain said in its travel advice, last updated on Monday.

"The British Embassy has temporarily withdrawn family members of staff," the government website said, advising "against all travel to some parts of Lebanon" including border areas and "against all but essential travel to the rest of Lebanon".

The United States on October 9 issued a broad "regional security alert" warning citizens to "take caution".

Canada has warned its citizens to "avoid non-essential travel to Lebanon", citing "an unpredictable security situation" and the "armed conflict with Israel".

Spain has also advised against non-essential travel.

Germany on Sunday urged its nationals not to travel to Lebanon because of "an escalation of violence" following the Hamas attacks on Israel. The travel warning is at the highest level given by the German government.

Australia has advised its citizens: "'Reconsider your need to travel' to Lebanon due to the security environment".

"If you wish to leave... you should consider the first available option," it said on the Australian government's Smartraveller website.

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Arab World

Türkiye Signals Possible Intervention in Northern Iraq over Kurdish Role in Iran War

Military exercises by fighters from PJAK in Erbil, northern Iraq, on February 26 (Reuters) 
Military exercises by fighters from PJAK in Erbil, northern Iraq, on February 26 (Reuters) 
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Türkiye Signals Possible Intervention in Northern Iraq over Kurdish Role in Iran War

Military exercises by fighters from PJAK in Erbil, northern Iraq, on February 26 (Reuters) 
Military exercises by fighters from PJAK in Erbil, northern Iraq, on February 26 (Reuters) 

Türkiye has signaled it could launch a military intervention in northern Iraq similar to its operations in Syria if Kurdish militants join ground fighting inside Iran, Turkish sources said.

The warning targets fighters from the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) and its Iranian affiliate, the Kurdistan Free Life Party (PJAK), should they take part in operations in western Iran, allegedly with Israeli backing.

Since US and Israeli strikes on Iran began on February 28, Ankara has warned multiple parties against plans to deploy Kurdish militants in the conflict, the sources said.

The pro-government daily Turkiye reported that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told US President Donald Trump in a phone call shortly after the war began that Türkiye would not accept the use of “terrorist organizations” in attacks on Iran, stressing its clear position on territorial integrity.

Turkish foreign ministry and intelligence delegations later conveyed a message to officials in Iraq’s Kurdistan Region: “We will intervene as we did in Syria,” the sources added.

Imprisoned PKK leader Abdullah Öcalan also warned the group’s leadership in Iraq’s Qandil mountains against being “deceived by Israel’s game”, a message that sources said shifted regional dynamics.

Analysts linked Ankara’s stance to remarks by Trump, who praised Türkiye’s conduct during the conflict.

“I think Türkiye was great — they were really amazing and stayed within the bounds we asked of them,” Trump said at a summit in Miami, while Erdogan described him as a “great leader”.

Political analyst Murat Yetkin said the remarks reflected US appreciation for Türkiye’s role in preventing direct confrontation between Israel and NATO.

He noted that NATO had intercepted missiles heading towards Turkish airspace, reinforced its air defenses with Patriot systems, and stepped up military coordination — signaling a new phase in Türkiye-NATO ties.

Yetkin said any attack on Türkiye would likely trigger a NATO response before Ankara acts, including against threats from the south and east.

He added that Washington may be seeking to keep Türkiye out of a direct conflict with Israel that could escalate into a broader crisis involving the alliance.

 

 

 

Arab World

Israel Army Withdraws West Bank Battalion after CNN Journalist Assault

Israeli security forces work at the site of an Iranian missile strike, in Beersheba, southern Israel Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Maya Levin)
Israeli security forces work at the site of an Iranian missile strike, in Beersheba, southern Israel Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Maya Levin)
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Israel Army Withdraws West Bank Battalion after CNN Journalist Assault

Israeli security forces work at the site of an Iranian missile strike, in Beersheba, southern Israel Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Maya Levin)
Israeli security forces work at the site of an Iranian missile strike, in Beersheba, southern Israel Sunday, March 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Maya Levin)

Israel's military said Monday it had pulled a battalion out of the West Bank after a soldier assaulted a CNN photojournalist last week in a village in the occupied Palestinian territory.

A CNN team was reporting on the aftermath of an assault by Israeli settlers and the establishment of an illegal outpost near the Palestinian village of Tayasir on Thursday when they were detained by Israeli soldiers, the Foreign Press Association said in a statement.

After the soldiers pointed their guns at the CNN crew, "an IDF soldier approached CNN's photojournalist from behind, placed him in a chokehold, slammed him to the ground, and damaged his camera", said the association, which represents hundreds of journalists in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

CNN corroborated the details in its own report on the incident, identifying the photojournalist as Frenchman Cyril Theophilos.

"This was not a misunderstanding... It was a violent assault on clearly identified journalists and a direct attack on press freedom," the FPA said.

On Monday, the military, in a rare move, withdrew a battalion from the West Bank following the incident.

"The operational deployment currently being carried out by the reserve battalion will be suspended," AFP quoted it as saying in a statement.

"The battalion will remain in reserve service and will undergo a process aimed at reinforcing its professional and ethical foundations."

The battalion would resume operational activity once the process is completed, the military added.

It was the second such incident involving CNN this month.

Earlier in March, a CNN producer was left with a fractured wrist following an "unprovoked assault" by Israeli police officers in Jerusalem.

Journalists in the West Bank have on numerous occasions been detained, harassed or beaten, with a notable rise in incidents after the start of the war in Gaza in October 2023, according to rights groups.

Israel has been listed as a "top jailer of journalists" since then, according to the US-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).

The committee said at least 60 Palestinian journalists have been detained or jailed by Israeli forces since the start of the Gaza war.

Though foreign journalists are less at risk, soldiers at checkpoints or at sites of breaking news frequently aim their weapons at reporters.

Arab World

Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Qassam Field Commander Abducted in Gaza

Fighters of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, stand guard as they search for the bodies of Israeli hostages alongside Red Cross workers in Al Shejaeiya neighborhood in the east of the Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 05 November 2025. (EPA)
Fighters of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, stand guard as they search for the bodies of Israeli hostages alongside Red Cross workers in Al Shejaeiya neighborhood in the east of the Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 05 November 2025. (EPA)
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Sources to Asharq Al-Awsat: Qassam Field Commander Abducted in Gaza

Fighters of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, stand guard as they search for the bodies of Israeli hostages alongside Red Cross workers in Al Shejaeiya neighborhood in the east of the Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 05 November 2025. (EPA)
Fighters of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas movement, stand guard as they search for the bodies of Israeli hostages alongside Red Cross workers in Al Shejaeiya neighborhood in the east of the Gaza City, Gaza Strip, 05 November 2025. (EPA)

Unidentified gunmen abducted a field commander in the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas’ armed wing, on Sunday evening in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood southwest of Gaza City, field sources in Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat.

The sources said the abducted man commands a unit in the Qassam Brigades. They added that large numbers of Qassam fighters deployed across Gaza City on Sunday evening local time and began pursuing “two vehicles believed to be carrying the kidnappers”.

Heavy gunfire was heard in several parts of Gaza City, apparently linked to the pursuit of the abductors.

According to one Hamas source, “it is likely that an Israeli special force, or members of an armed gang collaborating with Israel, was behind the abduction”.

The incident coincided with an attempted assassination on Sunday of an officer in the Hamas government’s security apparatus, who is also a prominent Qassam activist, in the al-Zawayda area of central Gaza. He was lightly wounded, while one of the attackers was arrested after being chased down.

In recent weeks, the Gaza Strip has seen repeated infiltration attempts by members of armed gangs backed by Israel, at times leading to clashes and reciprocal pursuit operations with Qassam Brigades fighters. Drones have also appeared in attacks targeting Qassam members, killing and wounding some of them, as happened earlier this month in Khan Younis.

About two weeks ago, Hamas sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the interrogation of a man accused of working with armed gangs active in areas of the Gaza Strip under Israeli control showed growing support from Israeli forces for those groups.

According to the sources, the interrogation showed that Israel is training members of the gangs to use drones carrying explosives and weapons.

Since the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas in October last year, a notional boundary known as the “Yellow Line” has separated areas controlled by the movement to the west from areas to the east where the Israeli army and allied Palestinian armed gangs are deployed.

The Hamas sources, citing the interrogation, said the drone training was not limited to offensive use. They noted that members of those armed gangs, particularly in Khan Younis and northern Gaza, had recently managed to use drones to carry weapons and drop them in remote areas for operatives recruited by sleeper cells deep inside Hamas-controlled territory.