Lebanon Cracks Down on 2 Houthi-Affiliated TV Stations

A general view of Beirut central district, Lebanon, August 22, 2019. Picture taken August 22, 2019. (Reuters)
A general view of Beirut central district, Lebanon, August 22, 2019. Picture taken August 22, 2019. (Reuters)
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Lebanon Cracks Down on 2 Houthi-Affiliated TV Stations

A general view of Beirut central district, Lebanon, August 22, 2019. Picture taken August 22, 2019. (Reuters)
A general view of Beirut central district, Lebanon, August 22, 2019. Picture taken August 22, 2019. (Reuters)

Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi requested that the General Security and Internal Security Forces probe two television stations affiliated with the Iran-backed Houthi militias in Yemen that are operating from Beirut.

He ordered the probe to determine from where the al-Masira and al-Sahat channels are being broadcast so that the necessary measures can be taken against them.

The Interior Ministry announced it had received a letter from Yemeni Foreign Minister Ahmed bin Awad bin Mubarak over how the Houthis were "carrying out hostile acts of incitement from within Lebanese territories" through those stations, which are operating without a license.

The Ministry said the channels "may impede official efforts to bolster Lebanese relations with Arab countries and undermine their sovereignty, international laws and the Arab League charter."

Mawlawi also requested that the Information and Telecommunications Ministries probe the channels.



Israeli Ground Troops in Lebanon Reach the Litani River

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
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Israeli Ground Troops in Lebanon Reach the Litani River

Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)
Smoke rises as a result of an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Al-Khiam, as seen from northern Israel, 26 November 2024, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel. (EPA)

The Israeli military says its ground troops have reached parts of Lebanon’s Litani River — a focal point of the emerging ceasefire.

In a statement Tuesday, the army said it had reached the Wadi Slouqi area in southern Lebanon and clashed with Hezbollah forces.

Under a proposed ceasefire, Hezbollah would be required to move its forces north of the Litani, which in some places is some 30 kilometers (20 miles) north of the Israeli border.

The military says the clashes with Hezbollah took place on the eastern end of the Litani, just a few kilometers (miles) from the border. It is one of the deepest places Israeli forces have reached in a nearly two-month ground operation.

The military says soldiers destroyed rocket launchers and missiles and engaged in “close-quarters combat” with Hezbollah forces.

The announcement came hours before Israel’s security Cabinet is expected to approve a ceasefire that would end nearly 14 months of fighting.