Israel Establishes Rapid Intervention Force to Prevent Hezbollah Incursion

Hezbollah flag flies over a replica of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock during a protest to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Kfar Kila near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
Hezbollah flag flies over a replica of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock during a protest to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Kfar Kila near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
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Israel Establishes Rapid Intervention Force to Prevent Hezbollah Incursion

Hezbollah flag flies over a replica of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock during a protest to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Kfar Kila near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Aziz Taher
Hezbollah flag flies over a replica of Jerusalem's Dome of the Rock during a protest to express solidarity with the Palestinian people, in Kfar Kila near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, May 14, 2021. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

The Israeli army spokesman announced the establishment of a “rapid intervention unit”, with the aim of confronting an expected scenario, in which a Hezbollah force, in the event of war, would penetrate the Galilee region.

The unit is made up of a few hundred soldiers - most of whom are demobilized from special units and infantry - all residents of Galilee, who have good knowledge of the area.

The unit will be provided with weapons and equipment, while its tasks include emergency deployment with the aim of securing protection before the transfer of Israeli army soldiers to the border area.

The unit is subordinate to the 91st Military Division, which is today tasked with protecting the border with Lebanon, and will act as a rapid intervention force.

Operations officer in the military division Benny Meir said on Friday that the formation of the unit was based on a previous model used in the southern city of Eilat, under the name of the anti-terror unit.

He added that its goal was to “help the army in the battle.”

“If Hezbollah succeeds in carrying out its declared plan to bring forces into our lands, the counter-organization will be extremely important,” he underlined.

Military sources said that the Israeli army was not particularly concerned about the possibility of a war with Hezbollah. The situation in Lebanon remains unstable, and part of the population is on the verge of starvation, according to the sources.

They added, however: “Israel is planning for the far future. Hezbollah has more than 70,000 different rockets, and most importantly, more than a hundred of them are equipped with systems that allow them to accurately hit a target, with a range of a few meters.”



UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
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UN Seeks $6 Billion to Ease Hunger Catastrophe in Sudan

Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)
Displaced Sudanese, who fled the Zamzam camp, gather near the town of Tawila in North Darfur on February 14, 2025. (AFP)

UN officials on Monday asked for $6 billion for Sudan this year from donors to help ease what they called the world's worst ever hunger catastrophe and the mass displacement of people brought on by civil war.

The UN appeal represents a rise of more than 40% from last year's for Sudan at a time when aid budgets around the world are under strain, partly due to a pause in funding announced by US President Donald Trump last month that has affected life-saving programs across the globe.

The UN says the funds are necessary because the impact of the 22-month war between Sudan's army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - that has already displaced a fifth of its population and stoked severe hunger among around half its population - looks set to worsen.

World Food Program chief Cindy McCain, speaking via video to a room full of diplomats in Geneva, said: "Sudan is now the epicenter of the world's largest and most severe hunger crisis ever."

She did not provide figures, but Sudan's total population currently stands at about 48 million people. Among previous world famines, the Bengal Famine of 1943 claimed between 2 million and 3 million lives, according to several estimates, while millions are believed to have died in the Great Chinese Famine of 1959-61.

Famine conditions have been reported in at least five locations in Sudan, including displacement camps in Darfur, a UN statement said, and this was set to worsen with continued fighting and the collapse of basic services.

"This is a humanitarian crisis that is truly unprecedented in its scale and its gravity and it demands a response unprecedented in scale and intent," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said.

One of the famine-stricken camps was attacked by the RSF last week as the group tries to tighten its grip on its Darfur stronghold.

While some aid agencies say they have received waivers from Washington to provide aid in Sudan, uncertainty remains on the extent of coverage for providing famine relief.

The UN plan aims to reach nearly 21 million people within the country, making it the most ambitious humanitarian response so far for 2025, and requires $4.2 billion - the rest being for those displaced by the conflict.