Cyprus Offers to Assist on Lebanon Ceasefire as More Nations Welcome Agreement

 Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)
Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)
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Cyprus Offers to Assist on Lebanon Ceasefire as More Nations Welcome Agreement

 Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)
Displaced residents drive past the rubble of destroyed buildings as they return to their villages, following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that went into effect on Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2024, in Tyre, southern Lebanon. (AP)

Cyprus is willing to assist in any way possible in helping implement a ceasefire brokered between Lebanon and Israel, its government said on Wednesday.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides spoke by phone with Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday, a statement from the government spokesperson's office said.

"(Christodoulides) expressed the readiness of the Republic of Cyprus to assist in any way requested - taking into account Cyprus's proximity as an EU member state closest to the region and its excellent relations with all parties - both in implementing the ceasefire and any other request," the government spokesperson said in a statement.

Egypt welcomed the ceasefire, the foreign ministry said in a statement, while Jordan said the deal should prompt greater international efforts to bring an end to the war in Gaza.

In an official statement, the kingdom said the move was also a first step towards reversing a dangerous escalation of tensions across the region that had threatened peace and security.

Türkiye welcomed the ceasefire, hoping the truce will be lasting, its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, calling on the international community to pressure Israel into fully implementing it.

"It is imperative for the international community to exert pressure on Israel to fully comply with the ceasefire and to provide reparations for the damages it has caused in Lebanon," the ministry said in a statement, adding Türkiye was ready to support peace efforts in Lebanon.

It added that a ceasefire must also be declared in Gaza as soon as possible for lasting regional peace and stability.



KSrelief Masam Project Clears 908 Mines Across Yemen in One Week

Saudi Arabia, through its humanitarian arm KSrelief, continues its efforts to clear mines in Yemen, enhancing civilian safety and supporting safe and dignified living conditions for Yemenis - SPA
Saudi Arabia, through its humanitarian arm KSrelief, continues its efforts to clear mines in Yemen, enhancing civilian safety and supporting safe and dignified living conditions for Yemenis - SPA
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KSrelief Masam Project Clears 908 Mines Across Yemen in One Week

Saudi Arabia, through its humanitarian arm KSrelief, continues its efforts to clear mines in Yemen, enhancing civilian safety and supporting safe and dignified living conditions for Yemenis - SPA
Saudi Arabia, through its humanitarian arm KSrelief, continues its efforts to clear mines in Yemen, enhancing civilian safety and supporting safe and dignified living conditions for Yemenis - SPA

The Project Masam for clearing landmines in Yemen, implemented by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), removed 908 mines from various areas of Yemen during the second week of March 2026, including three anti-personnel mines, nine anti-tank mines, 890 unexploded ordnance, and six IEDs, SPA reported.

The team conducted clearance operations across several governorates, removing mines, explosive devices, and unexploded ordnance.

In Aden Governorate, it dismantled two anti-tank mines, 215 pieces of unexploded ordnance, and two IEDs.

It also removed one anti-tank mine and seven pieces of unexploded ordnance in Al-Khawkhah District of Al-Hudaydah Governorate; three anti-personnel mines, three anti-tank mines, 513 pieces of unexploded ordnance, and two IEDs in Al-Mukalla District of Hadhramaut Governorate; and one piece of unexploded ordnance in Midi District of Hajjah Governorate.

The number of mines removed in March rose to 2,171, bringing the total cleared since the launch of the Project Masam to 548,123.

Saudi Arabia, through its humanitarian arm KSrelief, continues its efforts to clear mines in Yemen, enhancing civilian safety and supporting safe and dignified living conditions for Yemenis.


Germany Warns Major Israeli Ground Campaign in Lebanon Would Worsen Humanitarian Situation

A displaced woman and a child sit in a tent in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 15 March 2026.  EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
A displaced woman and a child sit in a tent in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 15 March 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
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Germany Warns Major Israeli Ground Campaign in Lebanon Would Worsen Humanitarian Situation

A displaced woman and a child sit in a tent in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 15 March 2026.  EPA/WAEL HAMZEH
A displaced woman and a child sit in a tent in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, 15 March 2026. EPA/WAEL HAMZEH

Germany is enormously concerned by the developments in Lebanon, said a government spokesperson in Berlin on Monday, and warned that ‌a major Israeli ‌ground offensive ‌would ⁠significantly worsen the ⁠already tense humanitarian situation in the region.

"A glance at this part ⁠of the war ‌zone ‌fills us ‌with concern because we ‌see preparations for a major Israeli ground offensive, which ‌would significantly worsen the already tense humanitarian ⁠situation ⁠in the region," said the spokesperson.

The spokesperson added that Germany welcomed efforts to restart talks between Israel and Lebanon.


Israeli Forces Kill 16 People in Gaza and West Bank

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that targeted a police vehicle in Zawaida in the central Gaza Strip on March 15, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that targeted a police vehicle in Zawaida in the central Gaza Strip on March 15, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
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Israeli Forces Kill 16 People in Gaza and West Bank

Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that targeted a police vehicle in Zawaida in the central Gaza Strip on March 15, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike that targeted a police vehicle in Zawaida in the central Gaza Strip on March 15, 2026. (Photo by Eyad Baba / AFP)

Israeli forces killed 16 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, health officials said, in one of the heaviest death tolls in a single day in weeks.

Medics and the interior ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza said an Israeli airstrike killed a senior police official and eight other officers when it hit their vehicle near the entrance to Zawayda town in the central Gaza Strip. At least 14 other people, mostly bystanders, were wounded, the Gaza health ministry said.

Earlier on Sunday, health officials said an Israeli airstrike had killed three people - a man, his pregnant wife, and their son - in the western area of Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip.

The Israeli military said it had carried out a strike in Gaza on Sunday in response to an incident a day earlier in ⁠which Hamas militants opened ⁠fire on Israeli troops. It did not say if it was referring to the strike that killed the officers or the strike that killed the family in Nuseirat.

In the Israeli-occupied West Bank, a Palestinian father, mother, and two of their children were killed as they drove in the occupied West Bank, Palestinian health authorities said, and the Israeli military said the incident was under review.

In Gaza there have been regular outbreaks of violence since a ceasefire went into effect in October following two years of devastating war triggered by Hamas-led attacks in Israel on October 7, 2023.

While Israeli ⁠attacks in Gaza declined in the days after the US and Israel launched attacks on Iran on February 28, according to residents, medics and analysts, they have since begun to rise again.