Iraq, Syria Reopen Qaim Border Crossing

A view of the Iraqi-Syrian borders at the al-Qaim border crossing, after being reopened for travelers and trade in Anbar province, in Qaim, Iraq September 30, 2019. (Reuters)
A view of the Iraqi-Syrian borders at the al-Qaim border crossing, after being reopened for travelers and trade in Anbar province, in Qaim, Iraq September 30, 2019. (Reuters)
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Iraq, Syria Reopen Qaim Border Crossing

A view of the Iraqi-Syrian borders at the al-Qaim border crossing, after being reopened for travelers and trade in Anbar province, in Qaim, Iraq September 30, 2019. (Reuters)
A view of the Iraqi-Syrian borders at the al-Qaim border crossing, after being reopened for travelers and trade in Anbar province, in Qaim, Iraq September 30, 2019. (Reuters)

Iraq and Syria reopened on Monday the al-Qaim border crossing.

Located on a vital highway that connects Baghdad and Damascus, the crossing was seized by the ISIS terrorist group in 2014.

The opening of the crossing between the Iraqi town of Qaim and Syria's al-Boukamal is expected to strengthen trade between the two countries.

The crossing was closed in 2012 due to the war in Syria.

Qaim and al-Boukamal were controlled by ISIS until 2017, when Syrian and Iraqi troops captured the towns from the extremist.

The group's territorial defeat was announced in Syria earlier this year.



UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon Say they Observed Israeli Army Destroying Residential Areas

 This picture taken on October 13, 2024 during a controlled embed organised by the Israeli military, shows Israeli troops patrolling in the southern Lebanon's Naqoura region near the border. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
This picture taken on October 13, 2024 during a controlled embed organised by the Israeli military, shows Israeli troops patrolling in the southern Lebanon's Naqoura region near the border. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
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UN Peacekeepers in Lebanon Say they Observed Israeli Army Destroying Residential Areas

 This picture taken on October 13, 2024 during a controlled embed organised by the Israeli military, shows Israeli troops patrolling in the southern Lebanon's Naqoura region near the border. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)
This picture taken on October 13, 2024 during a controlled embed organised by the Israeli military, shows Israeli troops patrolling in the southern Lebanon's Naqoura region near the border. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon on Monday said it has observed recent “concerning actions” by the Israeli army in southern Lebanon, including the destruction of residential areas and road blockages.
A spokesperson for the peacekeeping mission, Kandice Ardiel, told The Associated Press that peacekeepers also observed on Monday an Israeli flag flying in Lebanese territory near Naqoura. The town hosts the headquarters of the peacekeeping mission, known as UNIFIL.
Under the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire agreement that ended the 14-month war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Israeli army is required to complete its withdrawal from Lebanon within 60 days of the agreement’s signing on Nov. 27.
Since the ceasefire went into effect, the Israeli army has conducted near-daily military operations in southern villages, including firing gunshots, house demolitions, excavations, tank shelling and strikes. These actions have killed at least 27 people, wounded more than 30, destroyed residential buildings and, in one case, a mosque.
“Peacekeepers continue to monitor the situation on the ground and report violations of Resolution 1701,” Ardiel said. “We reiterate our call for all actors to cease and refrain from violations of Resolution 1701 and any actions that may upset the current delicate balance.”
On Monday, Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati visited the site of an Israeli airstrike in the southern town of Khiam as part of a tour of front-line areas alongside army chief Joseph Aoun and UNIFIL Head of Mission Aroldo Lazaro. Mikati and Lazaro urged the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese territory to allow the army to fully assume its duties.