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EU Restarts Rafah Border Crossing Mission, Says Foreign Policy Chief Kallas

A view shows a gate at the Rafah border crossing, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, January 28, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a gate at the Rafah border crossing, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, January 28, 2025. (Reuters)
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EU Restarts Rafah Border Crossing Mission, Says Foreign Policy Chief Kallas

A view shows a gate at the Rafah border crossing, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, January 28, 2025. (Reuters)
A view shows a gate at the Rafah border crossing, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, in Rafah, Egypt, January 28, 2025. (Reuters)

The European Union has restarted its civilian mission to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah, a key entry and exit point for the Palestinian territory, the bloc's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on Friday.

The health ministry of Hamas-run Gaza said the first Palestinians - injured civilians and fighters - would enter Egypt on Saturday via the Rafah crossing, which has been shut to human traffic since last May.

People will only be allowed to travel in one direction, from Gaza to Egypt, for the time being, officials said.

Kallas announced on Monday there was broad agreement among member states that the EU Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) could play a "decisive role" in supporting the ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

"The EU’s civilian border mission deploys today (Friday) to the Rafah Crossing at the request of the Palestinians and the Israelis. It will support Palestinian border personnel and allow the transfer of individuals out of Gaza, including those who need medical care," she posted on X.

Egyptian security sources confirmed that members of the EU team had arrived at the facility.

The crossing will now be run by members of the Palestinian Authority and European monitors, PA and Hamas officials said.

It will be opened initially for 50 injured fighters and 50 wounded civilians, along with the people escorting them, the officials said, adding that a further 100 people, most likely students, would be allowed through on humanitarian grounds.

Gaza's health ministry said the transportation of patients from two hospitals in the north and south of the enclave would be coordinated with the World Health Organization.

A civilian EU mission to help monitor the Rafah crossing began work there in 2005 but was suspended in June 2007 after the Hamas group took over the Gaza Strip.

In standby mode thereafter, the mission had maintained 10 international and eight local staff.

Spain, Italy and France are now contributing personnel to the renewed mission.

The Spanish continent comprises eight security specialists and two agents assigned to the border management team, joining two Spanish members of the mission already deployed there, the foreign and interior ministries in Madrid said.

France said it had deployed three gendarmes specialized in border policing on Friday as part of the EU mission, while Italy said it had sent seven paramilitary Carabinieri officers to join two Italians already at the Rafah mission.

German ministries are also discussing sending a contingent.

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Arab World

Syria on Alert to Protect its Borders with Iraq, Wary of Intervening in Lebanon

Syria's (L) and Iraq's national flags are pictured near the Iraqi-Syrian border, in Al-Qaim, western Iraq on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
Syria's (L) and Iraq's national flags are pictured near the Iraqi-Syrian border, in Al-Qaim, western Iraq on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
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Syria on Alert to Protect its Borders with Iraq, Wary of Intervening in Lebanon

Syria's (L) and Iraq's national flags are pictured near the Iraqi-Syrian border, in Al-Qaim, western Iraq on January 23, 2026. (AFP)
Syria's (L) and Iraq's national flags are pictured near the Iraqi-Syrian border, in Al-Qaim, western Iraq on January 23, 2026. (AFP)

The Syrian armed forces said they were on full alert in wake of a rocket attack from Iraq against a Syrian military base in the Hasakeh province.

The army stressed that it will perform its duties in defending Syrian territories and deterring any attack.

Iraq arrested four people in connection with an earlier rocket attack launched against a military base in neighboring Syria, officials said late Tuesday.

Monday's attack targeted a northeastern Syrian military base in Hasakeh that had until recently hosted US forces with an international anti-ISIS coalition.

These are the first arrests announced in Iraq related to the Middle East conflict that broke out on February 28.

Monday’s attack took place hour after the bust of an Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) cell in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor province.

A Syrian security source told local radio that investigations are ongoing with the detainees to determine what they were planning. He revealed that they were collecting information and smuggling weapons in the area.

Assistant defense minister for the eastern region Sipan Hamo held Iraqi authorities fully and directly responsible for the attack on Hasakeh.

In a post on the X platform, he called on Baghdad to take the necessary measures to prevent a similar attack from taking place in the future.

The attack reflects the Iraqi authorities’ “inability” to impose control over their territories and failure “to prevent them from being used to launch attacks that threaten Syria’s security and safety,” he added.

Border with Lebanon

On the Syrian-Lebanese border, sources close to the Damascus government spoke of signs of an internal Lebanese escalation that is a “source of alarm for Syria.”

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat: “It will be difficult for Syria to steer clear of any possible internal unrest in Lebanon. It will work on preventing any threat to Syria’s security.”

Hezbollah leaders had warned Lebanese authorities in recent days that the Iran-backed party would adopt a different approach towards them when the war is over.

Hezbollah has been critical of the government for banning its military operations, calling for its disarmament, calling for negotiations with Israel and recently for expelling the Iranian ambassador to Beirut.

Syrian Defense Ministry sources told Asharq Al-Awsat said Damascus was weighing three options. The first favors waiting for the end of the war before acting in Syria’s interests; the second believes in striking Hezbollah during the war because it is hostile to the Syrian people and its illegal weapons are tied to Iran and so, their presence is a threat to Lebanon and Syria; the third calls for coordination with Arab and regional parties, led by Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Türkiye, before any intervention can happen.

The unrest along the borders with Lebanon and Iraq will prompt Damascus to increase its coordination with those countries to prevent the smuggling of weapons and drugs and dry up the sources of support for Hezbollah and Iran-backed militias.

Military expert Abdul Jabbar al-Oqaidi told Asharq Al-Awsat that the possibility of Syria joining the conflict through intervening in Lebanon “is a very great challenge” and will have dire consequences for the security of the region and Syria that Iran can exploit.

Perhaps Iran is trying to lure Syria into the conflict “given that Tehran has been impatiently waiting for a moment to unleash its fury on the new Syria that expelled its forces, which marked the beginning of the end of the Iranian expansionist project in the region,” he added.

Al-Oqaidi said, however, it would be wise for Syria to stay out of the war. It should limit its role to securing borders and security coordination with the relevant parties.

He predicted that Syria would stay on the side and avoid becoming involved in a conflict that does not benefit it.

The Iranian and Zionist projects only have ill intentions towards the region and Syria, he warned.

The Defense Ministry sources noted the Lebanese government’s recent decision to ban Hezbollah’s military and security operations, saying it was a positive sign.

The Syrian state will “strike with force any attempt by the party to cross the border. At the same time, it is avoiding escalation and assuring Lebanese parties,” they added, underlining the importance of stability in Syria and Lebanon and the need to avert sectarian wars.

Arab World

Israeli Strikes Kill 9 in South Lebanon

Women stand next to a building destroyed by an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, March 24, 2026. REUTERS/Manu Brabo
Women stand next to a building destroyed by an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, March 24, 2026. REUTERS/Manu Brabo
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Israeli Strikes Kill 9 in South Lebanon

Women stand next to a building destroyed by an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, March 24, 2026. REUTERS/Manu Brabo
Women stand next to a building destroyed by an Israeli strike in Tyre, Lebanon, March 24, 2026. REUTERS/Manu Brabo

Israeli strikes killed at least six people in a town and a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern Sidon area, and three more in another town, Lebanese state media, NNA, reported on Wednesday.

Citing the health ministry, NNA said four people were killed in an "Israeli enemy raid" on the town of Adloun, and another two in a strike on an apartment in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp that left four wounded.

In another area of southern Lebanon, the news agency earlier said an Israeli raid on the town of Habboush killed at least three people and wounded 18 others.

In a statement, the Israeli military said ground troops in southern Lebanon "dismantled a weapons storage facility", and the air force killed "several terrorists" who had fled the targeted site.

The statement also said that "troops dismantled Hezbollah command centers in which numerous weapons were located", without specifying where.

Hezbollah meanwhile said its fighters had launched numerous attacks targeting Israeli troops in south Lebanon and inside Israel, where there were no reports of casualties.

Debris and damaged buildings in the aftermath of Israeli strikes in Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon, March 25, 2026. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

A military spokesman earlier warned of an imminent attack on Beirut's southern suburbs.

The spokesman, Avichay Adraee, said in a statement posted online that Israeli forces were targeting Hezbollah's "military infrastructure... throughout the suburb with increasing force".

"For your safety, you must evacuate immediately," Adraee told residents.

The Israeli campaign has killed at least 1,072 people in Lebanon, with more than one million people displaced, according to Lebanese authorities.

Arab World

Lebanon: Arrest Warrants Issued for Hezbollah Members over Rocket Transfers

A poster of the slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei hangs near the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 24, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A poster of the slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei hangs near the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 24, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
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Lebanon: Arrest Warrants Issued for Hezbollah Members over Rocket Transfers

A poster of the slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei hangs near the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 24, 2026. (Photo by AFP)
A poster of the slain Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei hangs near the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Haret Hreik neighborhood on March 24, 2026. (Photo by AFP)

Lebanon’s military judiciary has shifted course in handling security cases involving Hezbollah members, with the military court in Beirut interrogating four suspects in a case tied to the possession and transport of rockets and military-grade weapons.

On Tuesday, two Hezbollah members appeared before First Military Investigative Judge Ghada Abu Alwan, who questioned them and issued in-person arrest warrants.

The move came more than two weeks after their arrest in Kfarhouneh, Mount Lebanon, for transporting 21 rockets from the Bekaa to southern Lebanon, in breach of a government decision banning Hezbollah’s military and security activities.

A judicial source said the three-hour session was attended by their defense lawyer, Maan al-Asaad.

The detainees admitted moving the rockets, the source told Asharq Al-Awsat, saying they were carrying out their duty in confronting the Israeli army, which they said occupies Lebanese land and repeatedly attacks the country.

They described their actions as part of a resistance duty protected under international law.

Abu Alwan ordered their detention based on charges filed by the Government Commissioner to the Military Court, Judge Claude Ghanem, under Article 72 of the arms law and Article 288 of the penal code.

Article 72 criminalizes the possession or transport of military weapons without a license, while Article 288 provides for temporary hard labor for acts that could expose Lebanon to hostile actions.

Article 288 also penalizes anyone who violates state measures to preserve neutrality in war, or carries out unauthorized acts, writings or speeches that could expose the country or its citizens to hostile or retaliatory actions.

Asharq Al-Awsat has learned that the suspects’ lawyer requested their release, either unconditionally or on bail, but the judicial source said the judge is likely to reject the request given the charges.

An indictment is expected within days, with the case to be referred to the Permanent Military Court. Authorities have also ordered the confiscation of the seized weapons for the Lebanese army.

In a related case, Military Investigative Judge George Mezher questioned another Hezbollah member detained for transporting military weapons after he was found with six machine guns and four pistols, and ordered his detention.

Another suspect had earlier been detained by Investigative Judge Rayan al-Masri on similar charges of transporting unlicensed weapons in violation of the government ban.

Separately, lawyers and activists staged a sit-in outside the Palace of Justice in solidarity with the detainees, calling for their release.