Lebanese Army Commander Calls for Full Readiness to Confront ‘Israeli Threats’

Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun. (NNA)
Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun. (NNA)
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Lebanese Army Commander Calls for Full Readiness to Confront ‘Israeli Threats’

Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun. (NNA)
Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun. (NNA)

Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun called on the military to be completely prepared on the country’s southern border to “confront Israeli threats and violations,” said the military in a post on its official Twitter account.

Aoun urged soldiers on the eve of Lebanon’s Independence Day to remain vigilant in the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 in cooperation with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon.

An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, deemed the Lebanese warning as “nonsense.”

Separately, the Israeli army said that it had been holding a drill near Israel's border with Syria since Sunday.

The army commander’s rare acknowledgment of the possibility of a conflict erupting with Israel comes at a time of a political crisis in Lebanon that was sparked by the surprise resignation of Prime Minister Saad Hariri on November 4.

In his address to the soldiers, Aoun said: “The extraordinary political circumstances that Lebanon is passing through demands that you display the greatest levels of diligence and awareness.”

“You must exert efforts to take the necessary measures to preserve security stability,” he added.

The last conflict involving Lebanon and Israel took place in 2006 when Tel Aviv waged a war against the Iranian-backed “Hezbollah” armed group.

Lebanon and Israel have been avoiding getting involved in a conflict ever since the end of that 33-day war.

Resolution 1701 helped end the conflict and the two sides brokered a ceasefire.



Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
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Palestinian Authority Says Internet Down in Gaza After Attack on Fibre Optic Cable

Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed
Palestinians charge their mobile phones from a point powered by solar panels provided by Adel Shaheen, an owner of an electric appliances shop, as electricity remains cut during the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip October 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed

The Palestinian Authority said internet and fixed-line communication services were down in Gaza on Thursday following an attack on the territory's last fibre optic cable it blamed on Israel.

"All internet and fixed-line communication services in the Gaza Strip have been cut following the targeting of the last remaining main fibre optic line in Gaza," the PA's telecommunications ministry said in a statement, accusing Israel of attempting to cut Gaza off from the world, AFP reported.

"The southern and central Gaza Strip have now joined Gaza City and the northern part of the Strip in experiencing complete isolation for the second consecutive day," the ministry said in a statement.

It added that its maintenance and repair teams had been unable to safely access the sites where damage occurred to the fibre optic cable.

"The Israeli occupation continues to prevent technical teams from repairing the cables that were cut yesterday", it said, adding that Israeli authorities had prevented repairs to other telecommunication lines in Gaza "for weeks and months".

The Palestinian Red Crescent said the communication lines were "directly targeted by occupation forces".

It said the internet outage was hindering its emergency services by impeding communication with first responder teams in the field.

"The emergency operations room is also struggling to coordinate with other organisations to respond to humanitarian cases."

Maysa Monayer, spokeswoman for the Palestinian communication ministry, told AFP that "mobile calls are still available with very limited capacity" in Gaza for the time being.

Now in its 21st month, the war in Gaza has caused massive damage to infrastructure across the Palestinian territory, including water mains, power lines and roads.