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Hamas Reveals Its Account of Al-Aqsa Flood Operation

This photograph taken on January 22, 2024 from Rafah, shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment over Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP)
This photograph taken on January 22, 2024 from Rafah, shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment over Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP)
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Hamas Reveals Its Account of Al-Aqsa Flood Operation

This photograph taken on January 22, 2024 from Rafah, shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment over Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP)
This photograph taken on January 22, 2024 from Rafah, shows smoke billowing during Israeli bombardment over Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, amid ongoing battles between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas. (AFP)

Hamas issued on Sunday an 18-page document about its Oct.7 Al-Aqsa Flood attack against Israel. In its first public report on the attacks that sparked the Gaza war, Hamas said they were a “necessary step” against Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories.

The group emphasized that the operation was a necessary and natural response to counter Israel’s alleged plans to “terminate the Palestinian cause.”

Titled “Our Narrative,” the document was released in both the Arabic and English by the Hamas Media Office.

Hamas attributed the alleged chaos and breaches in the security fence to failures in the Israeli security and military systems.

It also called for an immediate end to Israeli aggression in Gaza, demanding a halt to “crimes and genocide,” the lifting of the blockade, and the opening of border crossings for aid.

The group rejected any international or Israeli plans for Gaza’s future, insisting that the Palestinian people have the right to self-determination without external interference.

While Israeli airstrikes continue in Gaza for the fourth month, US intelligence sources estimate that Israeli forces have killed 20-30% of Hamas members since the conflict began, according to the Wall Street Journal.

However, this falls short of Israel’s goal to dismantle the movement entirely.

US officials also said Hamas still has enough ammunition to target Israel and its forces in the besieged territory for several more months.

Current and former Israeli military officials have said Hamas doesn’t aim to win but rather to endure the ongoing conflict in Gaza.

A senior Israeli military official, who chose anonymity, said Hamas “doesn’t have to win or lose the war.”

The conflict has displaced over 80% of Gaza’s population.

Hamas took around 250 Israelis hostage during its October 7 attack. About 100 of them were released during a ceasefire in late November.

Israel believes that 132 of them are still in Gaza, while 27 were killed.

Israeli airstrikes on Gaza have killed more than 25,000 people, predominantly women and children, with over 52,000 reported injuries, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Health.

International health organizations have expressed concern over the “inhumane living conditions” in Gaza, where 2.4 million people face severe shortages, including basic necessities and communication services.

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Arab World

Lebanon Army Says Soldiers Loyal after US Sanctions One over Alleged Hezbollah Links

Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Army Says Soldiers Loyal after US Sanctions One over Alleged Hezbollah Links

Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)
Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. (Reuters)

Lebanon's military said Friday its soldiers were loyal to the institution after the US announced sanctions that included, for the first time, an army officer accused of sharing information with Hezbollah.

In a statement, the army said it "affirms that all officers and members of the military institution are performing their national duties with utmost professionalism, responsibility, and discipline, in accordance with the decisions and directives issued by the army command".

It emphasized that "the loyalty of military personnel is solely to the military institution and the nation, and that they are committed to fulfilling their national duties without any other considerations or pressures", also saying it was not informed of the sanctions beforehand.

Washington on Thursday sanctioned what it called nine Hezbollah-linked individuals in Lebanon, including army colonel Samir Hamadi, and Khattar Nasser Eldin, an officer at another state security service.

The US said Hamadi and Nasser Eldin "shared important intelligence" with Hezbollah over the past year.

It marked the first time Lebanese officers have been sanctioned by the United States.

Hezbollah on Thursday condemned the sanctions, calling them "an attempt to intimidate the free Lebanese people in order to bolster the Zionist aggression against our country".

Arab World

Israel Ignores Lebanon’s Ceasefire Request as US Imposes New Sanctions

Children inside a tent at a camp for displaced people set up along Beirut’s seafront (Reuters) 
Children inside a tent at a camp for displaced people set up along Beirut’s seafront (Reuters) 
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Israel Ignores Lebanon’s Ceasefire Request as US Imposes New Sanctions

Children inside a tent at a camp for displaced people set up along Beirut’s seafront (Reuters) 
Children inside a tent at a camp for displaced people set up along Beirut’s seafront (Reuters) 

Washington moved ahead of the Lebanese-Israeli security negotiations scheduled for May 29 by imposing sanctions on two officers from the Lebanese Army and General Security, marking the first time US measures have targeted Lebanese security officials alongside figures affiliated with or accused of cooperating with Hezbollah.

The sanctions, announced Thursday, targeted nine individuals, including Mohammad Fneish, head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council; Iranian Ambassador to Beirut Mohammad Reza Sheibani; and three Hezbollah lawmakers: Hassan Fadlallah, Ibrahim al-Moussawi, and Hussein Hajj Hassan. Also sanctioned were Ahmad Baalbaki and Ali Safawi, both considered close to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

In a notable development, the measures also targeted Colonel Samer Hamadeh, head of Army Intelligence in Beirut’s southern suburbs, and Brigadier General Khattar Nassereddine, head of the Analysis Department at General Security.

Meanwhile, Lebanese ministerial sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Beirut is awaiting an Israeli response, through the United States, to its request that Washington pressure Israel to comply with the ceasefire agreement. According to the sources, Tel Aviv has neither responded nor adhered to the terms of the deal. “Lebanon is still waiting for a response that the United States will convey from Israel,” the sources said.

Last week, Lebanon held its first direct negotiation session with Israel in Washington, while the ceasefire agreement was extended for an additional six weeks. The extension, however, appears limited to Beirut and its southern suburbs, excluding southern Lebanon, where exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the Israeli military continue.

A Lebanese military delegation is due to participate on May 29 in security talks with Israeli army representatives at the US Department of Defense headquarters.

The Lebanese sources said Beirut had finalized the composition of its military delegation, which will consist of four officers, though the Army Command has yet to issue the official order naming them.

Responding to media speculation over the delegation’s makeup, the Lebanese Army Command said in a statement that discussion of the “sectarian distribution” of the officers “has no connection whatsoever to the principles of the military institution.”

The command stressed that the delegation, regardless of its composition, “remains committed to national constants,” adding that the officers assigned to the mission represent the nation and remain bound by the army’s doctrine and national duty.

Since the truce was announced on April 17 - and its 45-day extension took effect Monday - Israel has continued carrying out strikes it says target Hezbollah operatives and infrastructure, while also conducting demolition operations in border areas occupied by its forces.

The Israeli military has also continued issuing near-daily evacuation warnings for villages and towns, with the affected areas often extending far beyond the border region and including communities hosting displaced residents from elsewhere in the country.

French Warning

French President Emmanuel Macron’s special envoy to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, warned Thursday that Lebanon is “in a dangerous situation.”

In an interview with BFM TV and RMC Radio, Le Drian said Lebanon faces “a dangerous situation regarding its unity and territorial integrity,” citing divisions among Lebanese factions over Hezbollah and Israel.

“Lebanon’s territorial integrity is under threat,” he stated, adding that Israel occupies part of Lebanese territory while Hezbollah operates in another “in service of Iranian interests — the interests of a foreign power.”

Despite that, Le Drian welcomed the continuation of the truce, saying it opens “a 45-day horizon for continuing discussions.”

He also praised Lebanese leaders engaged in the process as “high-level” and “courageous,” referring to their request for direct negotiations with Israel aimed at freeing Lebanon “from this stranglehold” and restoring the Lebanese state’s ability “to function and exist.”

Le Drian further described US involvement in the negotiations as “a positive thing,” even though, he noted, Israel has rejected French participation in the talks despite Lebanon’s request for it.

Arab World

Australian Women Linked to ISIS Leave Syrian Camp

Members of Australian families believed to be linked to the ISIS militants wait to leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria April 24, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo
Members of Australian families believed to be linked to the ISIS militants wait to leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria April 24, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo
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Australian Women Linked to ISIS Leave Syrian Camp

Members of Australian families believed to be linked to the ISIS militants wait to leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria April 24, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo
Members of Australian families believed to be linked to the ISIS militants wait to leave Roj camp near Derik, Syria April 24, 2026. REUTERS/Orhan Qereman/File Photo

A second group of Australian women and children linked to the ISIS extremist group have departed a refugee camp in northeast Syria and may be returning to Australia, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on Friday.

The broadcaster said a bus carrying the group left the Al-Roj camp on Thursday afternoon under escort by a convoy of Syrian government officials. The group is expected to reach Damascus, though it remains unclear when they might travel ‌to Australia, the report ‌said.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said ‌Australia's ⁠security and intelligence agencies ⁠had been preparing for the return of women linked to ISIS for more than a decade, reported Reuters.

"This is not a coherent group, there is a spectrum in terms of the actions of the individuals while they have been away from Australia," Burke said by email.

He did not ⁠provide details about the group's travel ‌to Australia.

The Australian government has previously ‌ruled out providing direct assistance for the return of Australian ‌families linked to ISIS but has acknowledged "very serious limits" ‌to preventing citizens from re-entering the country. Earlier this month, four women and nine children linked to ISIS returned to Australia after spending seven years in detention camps. Upon arrival, Kawsar Ahmad, 54, ‌and her daughter Zeinab Ahmad, 31, were charged with slavery offences, while 32-year-old Janai Safar ⁠faced terror-related ⁠charges.

The return of the women drew criticism, with opponents accusing Australia's center-left government of failing to prevent their repatriation.

Between 2012 and 2016, some Australian women travelled to Syria to join their husbands who were allegedly members of ISIS. Following the collapse of the “caliphate” in 2019, many were detained in camps, while others returned home. In January, the United States began moving detained ISIS members out of Syria after the collapse of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, which had been guarding several detention facilities housing ISIS fighters and affiliated civilians, including foreigners.