Lebanon ‘Will Not Allow’ Flare-up Along Southern Front with Israel

Lebanese soldiers near the Israeli border after people attempted to approach the crossing. (dpa)
Lebanese soldiers near the Israeli border after people attempted to approach the crossing. (dpa)
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Lebanon ‘Will Not Allow’ Flare-up Along Southern Front with Israel

Lebanese soldiers near the Israeli border after people attempted to approach the crossing. (dpa)
Lebanese soldiers near the Israeli border after people attempted to approach the crossing. (dpa)

A senior political source ruled out an escalation along the southern Lebanese border that could be an extension to the open military confrontation between the Gaza Strip and Israel.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, the source said that Hezbollah had no interest in expanding the confrontation to the South, which has been witnessing marches near the borders in solidarity with the Palestinians.

The prominent politician confirmed ongoing coordination between the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) command, Lebanese Army and the ruling forces in the South, represented by Hezbollah and the Amal movement.

The Eid al-Fitr celebrations in the southern villages were not affected by the tensions witnessed in some border areas. Those areas witnessed limited confrontations between demonstrators in front of Fatima Gate in the border town of Kafr Kila and Israeli soldiers. Lebanese army units, in cooperation with UNIFIL, managed to restore calm to the area.

According to the source, the symbolic participation of Hezbollah in the protest movements had more than a political meaning, which was evident in the modest presence of party members.

Moreover, the firing of three rockets from the southern village of Qoleilat was only a message of solidarity with the Gaza Strip and would not lead to a confrontation between Hezbollah and Israel, especially as the two sides have no interest in sparking a conflict in this area.

The source noted that any confrontation in the South would push Iran’s opponents to place the precision missiles, which Hezbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah constantly boasts about, on the negotiating table.

The party wants to avoid such a scenario, according to the source, in light of the escalating political impasse in Lebanon over the stalled formation of a new government and the insistence of the Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rai on the “internationalization” of the Lebanese crisis.

The patriarch has called for holding an international conference under the auspices of the United Nations to declare Lebanon’s neutrality, which would put Hezbollah’s weapons in the spotlight.



US Says Israel Must Improve Gaza's Humanitarian Situation or Risk Aid

 People attempt to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
People attempt to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
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US Says Israel Must Improve Gaza's Humanitarian Situation or Risk Aid

 People attempt to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed
People attempt to extinguish a fire at the site of an Israeli strike on tents sheltering displaced people, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip. REUTERS/Ramadan Abed

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Israel must take urgent steps to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza to avoid legal action involving US military aid, according to news reports on Tuesday.

"We are writing now to underscore the US government's deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and seek urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory," they wrote in an Oct. 13 letter to their Israeli counterparts, posted by an Axios reporter on X, according to Reuters.

The State Department and Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Israel's government also could not be immediately reached for comment.

The report comes as Israeli forces expand operations into northern Gaza amid ongoing concerns about access to humanitarian aid throughout the enclave and civilians' access to food, water and medicine.

US officials earlier this year said Israel may have violated international humanitarian law using US-supplied weapons during its military operation in Gaza.

This week's letter cited Section 620i of the Foreign Assistance Act, which restricts (prohibits) military aid to countries that impede delivery of US humanitarian assistance.

It also cited a National Security Memorandum that US President Joe Biden issued in February that requires the State Department to report to Congress on whether it finds credible Israel's assurances that its use of US weapons does not violate US or international law.