Netanyahu Says Israel Will Exact Heavy Price for Revenge Attacks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Craig Hudson/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Craig Hudson/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Netanyahu Says Israel Will Exact Heavy Price for Revenge Attacks

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Craig Hudson/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint meeting of Congress at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, US, July 24, 2024. REUTERS/Craig Hudson/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Israel will respond forcefully to any attack on it, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and of a senior Hezbollah leader in Beirut.

Netanyahu said Israel had delivered crushing blows to Iran's proxies over the past few days, including Hamas and Hezbollah. But he did not mention Haniyeh's killing, which has drawn threats of revenge on Israel and fuelled further concern that the conflict in Gaza was turning into a

"Citizens of Israel, challenging days lie ahead. Since the strike in Beirut there are threats sounding from all directions. We are prepared for any scenario and we will stand united and determined against any threat. Israel will exact a heavy price for any aggression against us from any arena," Netanyahu said in a televised statement, Reuters reported.

Israel's military announced late on Tuesday it had killed Fuad Shukr, whom it named as Hezbollah's most senior commander and whom it blamed for an attack at the weekend that left a dozen youngsters dead in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Shukr was an adviser to Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, according to Hezbollah sources and to Israeli officials.

Iran-backed Hezbollah confirmed his death on Wednesday, hours after the Palestinian armed group Hamas announced its leader, Haniyeh, had been assassinated in Teheran.

Although the Tehran attack was widely assumed to have been carried out by Israel, Netanyahu's government made no claim of responsibility and said it would make no comment on Haniyeh's killing.



Libya's Factions Make Progress in Central Bank Crisis Talks, Says UN Libya Mission

A view of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 26, 2024. REUTERS/Aymen Sahli/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A view of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 26, 2024. REUTERS/Aymen Sahli/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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Libya's Factions Make Progress in Central Bank Crisis Talks, Says UN Libya Mission

A view of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 26, 2024. REUTERS/Aymen Sahli/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
A view of the Central Bank of Libya in Tripoli, Libya, August 26, 2024. REUTERS/Aymen Sahli/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Libya's rival factions made progress on talks over the central bank crisis and will continue discussions on Thursday to reach a final agreement, the UN Libya mission said on Wednesday, in a bid to defuse a crisis that has slashed oil output and exports.

"The participants of the two (legislative) chambers made progress in agreeing on the general principles governing the interim period leading to the appointment of a new governor and board of directors for the Central Bank," the United Nations Libya mission (UNSMIL) said in a statement.

According to Reuters, the meeting hosted by UNSMIL featured representatives from the Benghazi-based House of Representatives, the High Council of State and the Presidential Council, which are both based in Tripoli.

The standoff began last month when western Libyan factions moved to oust a veteran central bank governor, prompting eastern factions to declare a shutdown to all oil output.

Although Libya's two legislative bodies said last week they agreed to jointly appoint a central bank governor within 30 days, the situation remains fluid and uncertain.

Libyan oil exports fell around 81% last week, Kpler data showed on Wednesday, as the National Oil Corporation cancelled cargoes amid a crisis over control of Libya's central bank and oil revenue.