Israel Retaliates against Hezbollah after Rockets Fired from Lebanon

Smoke billows across the horizon along the hills in the Naqura area of southern Lebanon following Israeli bombardment from a position along the border in northern Israel on December 24, 2023. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Smoke billows across the horizon along the hills in the Naqura area of southern Lebanon following Israeli bombardment from a position along the border in northern Israel on December 24, 2023. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
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Israel Retaliates against Hezbollah after Rockets Fired from Lebanon

Smoke billows across the horizon along the hills in the Naqura area of southern Lebanon following Israeli bombardment from a position along the border in northern Israel on December 24, 2023. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
Smoke billows across the horizon along the hills in the Naqura area of southern Lebanon following Israeli bombardment from a position along the border in northern Israel on December 24, 2023. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

The Israeli army said on Sunday that its troops retaliated to a barrage of rocket strikes coming from Lebanon and hitting areas in the north of Israel.
In a statement on Telegram, the Israeli army said its warplanes raided a number of Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon, including infrastructure and military facilities, and several rocket launch pads, the Arab World News Agency reported.
On Saturday, Israel said it targeted a Hezbollah military position and several other areas in South Lebanon.
The statement added that several missiles were launched from the Lebanese side towards areas in North Israel and that its troops retaliated with heavy bombardment at the source of fire.
One of the Israeli soldiers was moderately injured as a result of the bombing that targeted the town of Al-Manara in northern Israel, it added.
Cross-border shelling escalated between the Israeli army on one hand and Hezbollah and armed Palestinian factions in Lebanon on the other following the outbreak of war in the Gaza Strip on October 7.



Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon's Presidential Elections to Be Held on Time, No Prior Deal over Govt

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (National News Agency)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (National News Agency)
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Berri to Asharq Al-Awsat: Lebanon's Presidential Elections to Be Held on Time, No Prior Deal over Govt

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (National News Agency)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. (National News Agency)

Lebanon’s parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Friday that efforts are ongoing to hold the presidential elections on time on January 9.

Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said he had no intention to delay the elections and he had not received any request to that end from any of the political powers.

Lebanon has been without a head of state since October 2022 when the term of President Michel Aoun ended without the election of a successor. Bickering between the political blocs over a suitable candidate has thwarted the polls.

Efforts are underway to ensure that the elections are a success, declared Berri.

He denied claims that he was seeking understandings over the shape of the new government, including its prime minister, lineup and agenda, ahead of the elections.

The presidential elections come first, he stated.

There are constitutional guidelines that dictate what happens after the elections, he added, referring to the binding parliamentary consultations the new president will hold to name a new prime minister.

The prime minister, in turn, will hold non-binding consultations with lawmakers over the government lineup.

Berri declined to comment on his ally, former MP Walid Jumblatt’s endorsement of army commander Joseph Aoun as president, saying: “Everything will become clear during the elections.”

The speaker had previously said that Aoun’s election requires a constitutional amendment that demands the resignation of first-rank civil servants, including the army commander, at least two years before their election as president.

Aoun, who is not related to Michel Aoun, is projected to win 86 votes in the elections.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan dismissed the figure, saying no candidate has the needed number of votes to be elected president.

He added that Hezbollah is holding contacts over the elections but it does not have time to reveal what they have yielded.

The results will be revealed during the elections in January, he told the Sputnik news agency.