Israel Threatens Massive Strikes against Lebanon

A United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeper soldier takes pictures of his comrades, along the Lebanese-Israeli border near the town of Naqoura, Lebanon, Monday, June 6, 2022. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Tel Aviv: Asharq Al Awsat

08:39-13 June 2022 AD ـ 15 Thul-Qi’dah 1443 AH

Tel Aviv: Asharq Al Awsat

08:39-13 June 2022 AD ـ 15 Thul-Qi’dah 1443 AH

Israel Threatens Massive Strikes against Lebanon

Israeli Chief of Staff Aviv Kochavi has warned that overwhelming force would be used in Lebanon during the next potential war.

Kochavi's threat was made on the eve of the arrival of US mediator Amos Holstein to Beirut, who is trying to revive the indirect negotiations on the maritime borders with Israel following the recent tensions.

Kochavi said the army is dealing with six battlefronts facing diverse threats, but the most dangerous of all is a nuclear threat.

Israel pinpointed thousands of targets in Lebanon in the event of a war, including Hezbollah headquarters and rocket-propelled grenades and rocket launchers.

"We will deal massive strikes in the war, but we will warn the residents and allow them to leave the areas. [...] I advise you to leave those areas because the attack force will be unimaginable – like nothing you have witnessed before," Kochavi said.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called on the Lebanese military to protect it and guarantee its security after civilians threatened its soldiers.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti said attacks, threats, and acts of intimidation against UNIFIL peacekeepers are a matter of grave concern, urging the Lebanese army to ensure the safety, security, and freedom of movement of UNIFIL forces.

Tenenti announced that on Saturday, a group of men in civilian clothes arrested UNIFIL peacekeepers while they were on a routine patrol in the vicinity of Arab Louwaize village in southern Lebanon, adding that "civilians threatened peacekeepers and tried to disarm them."

He explained that under UN Security Council Resolution 1701, UNIFIL has complete freedom of movement and the right to patrol within its area of operations.

The UN Secretary-General and the Security Council strongly condemned the recent deprivation of freedom of movement, said Tenenti, noting that the total freedom of movement of UNIFIL and the security and safety of its personnel is an integral part of the effective implementation of its tasks under Resolution 1701.

"Our primary concern is maintaining stability in southern Lebanon in coordination with the Lebanese Armed Forces and with the support of the residents of southern Lebanon," Tenenti stressed.

"We, in UNIFIL, appreciate our long and fruitful relations with the local community," he said, noting that "every day, peacekeepers carry out hundreds of patrols and operations aimed at maintaining stability in southern Lebanon and providing assistance to local communities."

Lebanon PM Tells Iran President Country Cannot Be Arena for Regional Wars

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. (NNA)

23:37-24 September 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Lebanon PM Tells Iran President Country Cannot Be Arena for Regional Wars

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. (NNA)

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam told Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Thursday that his country did not want to be an arena for regional wars, after Tehran-backed Hezbollah drew it into the Middle East conflict.

Lebanon has repeatedly accused Iran of interfering in its affairs, especially since the start of the latest war, saying that Tehran was using it as a "bargaining chip" in talks with the United States.

Salam's office said in a statement that he met with Pezeshkian on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Salam "stressed that Lebanon has paid a heavy price in terms of its security, stability and economy, and that it does not want to become an arena for regional conflicts or a venue for the exchange of messages between others", it said.

Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the broader Middle East war, which began with Israeli-US strikes on Iran, by attacking Israel in support of Tehran on March 2.

Israel responded with major airstrikes and a ground invasion that killed more than 4,300 people.

The war followed a 2023-2024 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which started when the group attacked Israel in support of its ally Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Violence declined following a June framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel and a wider US-Iran deal, but Israel has continued to carry out attacks on its northern neighbor.

Salam said his country looked forward "to turning a new page" in its ties with Iran.

He called for "building a sound state-to-state relationship based on mutual respect for each country's sovereignty and independence, non-interference in each other's affairs and shared interests".

Salam said the priority was for "Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanese territory and cease its attacks, and for Lebanon to move forward with extending the authority of the Lebanese state over all of its territory".

He said Lebanon needed to ensure "that weapons are held exclusively by the state", in a jab at Hezbollah, which has so far refused to lay down its arms.

In an interview with AFP last week, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said bilateral relations "must be based on mutual respect and non-interference".

Arab World

US to Hand Over Center at Baghdad Airport, Says Iraqi FM

A man walks past a billboard displaying the Iraqi flag in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on September 22, 2026. (AFP)

23:22-24 September 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

US to Hand Over Center at Baghdad Airport, Says Iraqi FM

A man walks past a billboard displaying the Iraqi flag in Baghdad's central Tahrir Square on September 22, 2026. (AFP)

The United States will transfer to Iraq a diplomatic and logistics hub at Baghdad airport that was repeatedly targeted by Iran-backed groups during the Middle East war, the foreign ministry said Thursday.

It said an agreement was signed with the US charge d'affaires Steven Fagin "to hand over the diplomatic support center affiliated with the US embassy at Baghdad International Airport to the Iraqi government".

The move, it added, was part of efforts to end the US-led coalition's military presence in Iraq, with the remaining troops set to complete their exit by September 30.

For years, Iran-backed armed groups that have long called for the withdrawal of foreign troops have targeted US facilities and coalition forces in Iraq.

During the Middle East war, those groups targeted US sites more than 600 times, including the Baghdad airport facility.

An Iraqi security official and a diplomatic source told AFP earlier this month that US troops have already evacuated the site.

Baghdad and Washington agreed in 2024 to end the coalition's mission against the ISIS group in Iraq.

Coalition forces are now only present at Erbil airport after having withdrawn from other bases.

The coalition's presence, especially after the defeat of ISIS, has been a persistent point of friction between Iraqi authorities and Tehran-backed factions in the country.

Since taking office this year, Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi has pledged to reinforce the state's monopoly on arms and ensure that armed factions hand over their arms to the state.

Authorities say that ending the coalition's mission removes a key justification used by those groups to keep their weapons.

Arab World

Ground Fighting Eases in Sudan as Drone Warfare Intensifies

Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan inside the presidential palace on March 26, 2025. (Reuters)

Kampala : Ahmed Younes

18:57-24 September 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Kampala : Ahmed Younes

18:57-24 September 2026 AD ـ 13 Rabi’ Al-Thani 1448 AH

Ground Fighting Eases in Sudan as Drone Warfare Intensifies

Sudanese army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan inside the presidential palace on March 26, 2025. (Reuters)

Ground fighting has eased on Sudan’s main fronts after army advances and a retreat by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in North Kordofan in recent days. Drone attacks have increased, while limited skirmishes continue on several fronts.

Witnesses and field sources said the lull followed heavy fighting that significantly changed the areas held by each side in North Kordofan.

The army captured several towns, strengthened its hold on Bara and the surrounding area, and secured the export road. It also opened a supply route from Omdurman through White Nile and North Kordofan states to El Obeid.

The RSF withdrew to the north and northwest.

The sources said the army’s advance west of El Obeid stopped abruptly when its forces reached Umm Sumaymah. A counterattack forced them back toward the outskirts of El Obeid. No further major attempt to advance has been reported on that front.

Activists said the army also pulled back from around Sodari and Mazrub after extending its defensive lines through several nearby towns. The RSF returned to the strategic town of Mazrub, which it had left during the army’s wider offensive.

In Blue Nile state, the army held its positions. Pro-army sources said its forces repelled RSF attacks and inflicted casualties and equipment losses, preventing the RSF from making further gains. The RSF and its allies still control Kurmuk and Geissan.

Direct ground fighting there has also eased in recent days, though both sides have continued attacks with drones and artillery.

Drone warfare

The army said on Thursday that its air defenses had shot down a long-range FH-95 drone it described as hostile. The announcement came days after intensive drone attacks on military sites in El Obeid.

North Kordofan residents said the RSF had stepped up drone attacks on government-held cities in the state, disrupting daily life and deepening their sense of insecurity.

Reuters recorded footage of the aftermath of major attacks this month on two cities along the front line. Residents described them as part of a new wave of strikes, following weeks in which the RSF appeared to have reduced its drone use under international pressure.

Drone use has increased sharply during Sudan’s three-and-a-half-year war. Both the army and the RSF use technology that has become central to other conflicts, including the war in Ukraine.

The United Nations says drone attacks by both sides killed more than 1,000 civilians in the first half of this year. The toll highlights the growing cost to civilians as such attacks spread beyond traditional front lines.

On September 8, a drone struck a crowded courtroom in the government-held city of Umm Rawaba. The city is in North Kordofan, a central Sudanese state that has become one of the war’s main fronts.

Emergency Lawyers, which describes itself as an independent volunteer professional group defending rights, said about 10 people were killed and dozens wounded. The courthouse was extensively damaged, with columns from its facade and debris from one of the city’s prominent buildings strewn around the site.

A day later, a drone struck the College of Development and Technological Sciences in El Obeid, the capital of North Kordofan. The strike destroyed its roof and extensively damaged its buildings.

Standing amid the wreckage as workers cleared debris, the college’s dean, Abdelaziz al-Sheikh, said a security guard had been killed and eight lecture halls badly damaged.

“We lost the college guard. Eight halls were targeted and completely destroyed,” he said. Other parts of the college had also sustained extensive damage, he added.

Omnia Abulgasim, a student who had taken an exam at the college the day before the attack, stood beside the rubble. “The whole college was destroyed. We feel our dreams and our future have been destroyed,” she said.

At a hospital in Umm Rawaba, Salah Bakhit said his arm had been crushed and his body struck by shrapnel in the courthouse attack. He had fled El Obeid for safety after months of drone attacks on the city earlier this year, as the RSF sought to increase pressure on it.

As ground fighting eases on several fronts, drones are playing a growing role in attacks on military positions, as well as on cities and civilian facilities relatively far from the fighting. Residents and vital infrastructure are bearing an increasing share of the war’s cost.

Israel Threatens Massive Strikes against Lebanon

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