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Sudan’s El Fasher Sees Fiercest Fighting Since Start of City Siege

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher in Darfur following earlier clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) (DPA).
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher in Darfur following earlier clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) (DPA).
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Sudan’s El Fasher Sees Fiercest Fighting Since Start of City Siege

Thick smoke rises over El Fasher in Darfur following earlier clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) (DPA).
Thick smoke rises over El Fasher in Darfur following earlier clashes between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) (DPA).

Fighting in El Fasher, the capital of Sudan’s Darfur region, has turned into fierce street battles after the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) entered the city following months of siege.
Conflicting reports emerged about the situation, but videos showed the RSF advancing into residential areas near the army’s headquarters.
Witnesses told Asharq Al-Awsat that hundreds of RSF fighters attacked the city from three directions early on Saturday, describing the clashes as the most violent since the start of the siege.
They said bodies of fighters from both sides were scattered on the streets.
The RSF has been pushing to capture El Fasher, the army’s last stronghold in Darfur, after taking control of the region’s other four states.
The army, with support from armed groups and civilians, claimed to have repelled the attack, killing hundreds of RSF fighters and capturing military equipment.
Darfur Governor Minni Arcua Minnawi, who is fighting alongside the army, said El Fasher is defending itself against the RSF, led by Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, known as “Hemedti.”
Heavy clashes were reported in El Fasher’s northern, eastern, and southern areas, according to the city’s Resistance Committees on Facebook. The group later claimed the attackers had been pushed out and the fighting had ended.
Pro-RSF social media accounts shared videos showing their fighters advancing and capturing army positions, with footage of destroyed military vehicles.
The army’s 6th Infantry Division said its forces were making steady progress and had inflicted significant losses on the RSF, capturing many of their combat vehicles.
The United Nations has warned that hundreds of thousands of lives in El Fasher are at risk due to the ongoing fighting.
Sudan has been in conflict since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the army, led by General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and the RSF, commanded by Hemedti.

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Arab World

Israeli Army Reaches Outskirts of Litani River in Southern Lebanon

An Israeli tank loaded onto a truck being transported to the border with southern Lebanon in the Upper Galilee (EPA)
An Israeli tank loaded onto a truck being transported to the border with southern Lebanon in the Upper Galilee (EPA)
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Israeli Army Reaches Outskirts of Litani River in Southern Lebanon

An Israeli tank loaded onto a truck being transported to the border with southern Lebanon in the Upper Galilee (EPA)
An Israeli tank loaded onto a truck being transported to the border with southern Lebanon in the Upper Galilee (EPA)

Israeli forces have launched their largest ground incursion into southern Lebanon since the conflict began, reaching the outskirts of the Litani River near Deirmimas.

They entered the town’s edges in an effort to separate Nabatieh from Marjayoun and prepare for an attack on the town of Taybeh from the west and north.

This move also aimed to neutralize Taybeh hill, which overlooks the Khiam plain, where Israel plans to extend its operations and capture the city of Khiam.

Lebanese media reported that Israel set up a checkpoint at the Deirmimas junction, cutting off Marjayoun from Nabatieh.

They also blocked the western entrance to Deirmimas near a fuel station using earth mounds, with Israeli military vehicles stationed there. Reports also said Israeli forces prevented UNIFIL and the Lebanese army from passing toward Marjayoun.

Lebanese sources following the battle in the south reported that Israeli forces advanced five kilometers west from the town of Kfar Kila, moving through olive groves. This advance took advantage of the absence of Hezbollah fighters in Christian areas like Qlayaa, Bir al-Muluk, and Deirmimas.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that this allowed Israeli forces to reach the outskirts of the Litani River for the first time since 2006, cutting off Nabatieh from Marjayoun. Israeli artillery had previously targeted this route several times, and drones had carried out strikes there.

Israel supported its ground advance with heavy artillery fire. Lebanese security sources said Israeli artillery targeted hills overlooking Deirmimas throughout Thursday night into Friday, hitting locations like Beaufort Castle, Arnoun, Yihmour, Wadi Zawtar, and Deir Siryan.

This fire typically provides cover for infantry advances. The sources also confirmed that Israeli ground movements were backed by airstrikes and drones for added security.

They speculated the advance followed a route from Kfar Kila through Tall al-Nahas and Bir al-Muluk toward Deirmimas, which is almost empty of residents and has no Hezbollah presence.

Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli forces in the area, with three statements confirming the targeting of Israeli positions and vehicles near Deirmimas.

Media reports mentioned multiple rocket strikes on Israeli targets in Khiam and near Tall al-Nahas, as well as a guided missile attack on Israeli movements near oil groves close to the Marqos station at Deirmimas’ edge.

A photo shared by Lebanese media showed an Israeli tank behind an exposed hill east of Qlayaa, protected from the west and north. To the south, Israeli forces entered the town of Deirmimas, which overlooks the position.

Military expert Mustafa Asaad said the image, showing a bulldozer behind a tank at the Qlayaa-Marjayoun-Deirmimas junction, suggests that infantry units secured the area—either on foot or in fast vehicles—before entering Deirmimas.

The town’s mayor confirmed to local media that Israeli forces made a “small incursion” into Deirmimas, advancing through olive groves from Kfar Kila.

Hezbollah has stated it does not have military positions in Christian or Druze areas in southern Lebanon, as these communities oppose its presence. Sources close to Hezbollah say this is due to political reasons and security concerns.