EU Chief to Visit Egypt, Jordan on Saturday

In this Thursday, July 2, 2020 file photo, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen addresses a press conference at EU Headquarters in Brussels. - AP
In this Thursday, July 2, 2020 file photo, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen addresses a press conference at EU Headquarters in Brussels. - AP
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EU Chief to Visit Egypt, Jordan on Saturday

In this Thursday, July 2, 2020 file photo, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen addresses a press conference at EU Headquarters in Brussels. - AP
In this Thursday, July 2, 2020 file photo, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen addresses a press conference at EU Headquarters in Brussels. - AP

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen will visit Egypt and Jordan, her spokesman said Wednesday, amid fighting between Israel and Hamas that has raged for more than five weeks.

The EU chief will on Saturday meet with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before travelling to Sinai, near the border with Israel, for the arrival of an EU humanitarian convoy, Eric Mamer said.

She will then meet King Abdullah II in Jordan, he wrote on X, formerly Twitter, AFP reported.

In Gaza, more than 11,500 people, also mostly civilians, have been killed in the ensuing aerial bombardment and ground offensive, health officials in the Hamas-run territory have said.

In a speech to EU diplomats at the beginning of November, von der Leyen said the 27-member bloc -- the biggest donor to the Palestinian territories -- would increase its humanitarian aid for Gaza by 25 million euros ($27 million).



Israeli Military to Target Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hasan in Lebanon

People drive next to a building, targeted in an Israeli airstrike the night before, in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
People drive next to a building, targeted in an Israeli airstrike the night before, in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
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Israeli Military to Target Hezbollah's Al-Qard Al-Hasan in Lebanon

People drive next to a building, targeted in an Israeli airstrike the night before, in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)
People drive next to a building, targeted in an Israeli airstrike the night before, in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 20, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Hezbollah and Israel. (Photo by Ibrahim AMRO / AFP)

Israel will carry out targeted strikes on sites belonging to Hezbollah's financial arm in Lebanon in coming hours and Lebanese residents should evacuate areas close to those facilities, an Israeli military spokesperson said on Sunday.

"We will attack a number of targets in the coming hours," spokesperson Daniel Hagari told a news briefing.

"In the coming hours we will issue an evacuation warning to Lebanese residents in Beirut and other locations to evacuate from sites that are used to fund Hezbollah's terrorism activities."

A senior Israeli intelligence official added that they were going to be attacking different branches of Iran-backed Hezbollah's financing arm Al-Qard Al-Hasan.

No details were given about the locations of the sites that would be targeted.

The United States imposed sanctions on Al-Qard al-Hasan in 2007, saying it was used by Hezbollah "as a cover to manage the terrorist group's financial activities and gain access to the international financial system.”