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Bodies of Lebanese Shepherds Shot at by Israeli Forces Found

An Israeli army battle tank moves at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 1, 2023 amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
An Israeli army battle tank moves at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 1, 2023 amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
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Bodies of Lebanese Shepherds Shot at by Israeli Forces Found

An Israeli army battle tank moves at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 1, 2023 amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
An Israeli army battle tank moves at a position in the upper Galilee region of northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on November 1, 2023 amid increasing cross-border tensions between Hezbollah and Israel as fighting continues in the south with Hamas group in the Gaza Strip. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

The bodies of two Lebanese shepherds who had been shot at by Israeli forces were found in an area near the border on Thursday, the Lebanese state National News Agency (NNA) reported.
A spokesperson for the Israeli army said it was looking into the report.
The NNA, which gave no source for its report, said they had been tending to their flock near the Wazzani river when they were shot at.
Lebanese security sources told Reuters the shepherds from the Lebanese border village of Wazzani were aged 20 and 21.
UNIFIL, the UN peacekeeping force operating in south Lebanon, said on Wednesday the Lebanese army had asked for its assistance to evacuate two people who had been injured in the Wazzani area.
It said the Israeli army suspended fire to allow the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to conduct a search, but this had been called off until Thursday morning due to darkness and the presence of landmines in the area.
The Lebanese army has no official spokesperson and did not immediately publish a statement.
Israeli forces and the heavily armed, Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah have been exchanging fire along the border since the eruption of the conflict between Hamas - a Hezbollah ally - and Israel on Oct. 7.

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Arab World

International Court Sentences Sudanese Militia Leader to 20 Years in Prison for Darfur Atrocities

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, a leader of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia, at the International Criminal Court, ICC, in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)
Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, a leader of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia, at the International Criminal Court, ICC, in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)
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International Court Sentences Sudanese Militia Leader to 20 Years in Prison for Darfur Atrocities

Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, a leader of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia, at the International Criminal Court, ICC, in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)
Ali Muhammad Ali Abd al-Rahman, a leader of the Sudanese Janjaweed militia, at the International Criminal Court, ICC, in The Hague, Netherlands, Tuesday, Dec. 9, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong, Pool)

Judges at the International Criminal Court sentenced a leader of the feared Sudanese Janjaweed militia to 20 years imprisonment Tuesday for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the catastrophic conflict in Darfur more than 20 years ago.

At a hearing last month, prosecutors sought a life sentence for Ali Muhammad Ali Abd–Al-Rahman who was convicted in October of 27 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity that included ordering mass executions and bludgeoning two prisoners to death with an ax in 2003-2004, The Associated Press said.

“He committed these crimes knowingly, wilfully, and with, the evidence shows, enthusiasm and vigor,” prosecutor Julian Nicholls told judges at the sentencing hearing in November.

Abd-Al-Rahman, 76, stood and listened, but showed no reaction as Presiding Judge Joanna Korner passed the sentence.

Arab World

Hamas Reports ‘More Serious’ Talks on Phase Two of Gaza Deal

A young girl walks through the site of an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah on December 9, 2025, which resulted in a Palestinian man being killed. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)
A young girl walks through the site of an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah on December 9, 2025, which resulted in a Palestinian man being killed. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)
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Hamas Reports ‘More Serious’ Talks on Phase Two of Gaza Deal

A young girl walks through the site of an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah on December 9, 2025, which resulted in a Palestinian man being killed. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)
A young girl walks through the site of an Israeli airstrike in Deir al-Balah on December 9, 2025, which resulted in a Palestinian man being killed. (Photo by BASHAR TALEB / AFP)

Hamas sources say negotiations over the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire agreement have entered a “more serious” stage, amid intensified efforts by mediators and growing US pressure on Israel to advance the process.

The sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that Hamas is awaiting confirmation from mediators on the start of the next round of indirect talks, expected once Washington and Tel Aviv finalize understandings. They anticipate discussions could begin late this month or early next month.

Recent days have seen multiple bilateral and trilateral meetings between Hamas leaders and mediators in Doha, Cairo, and Istanbul, alongside continuous communications. Additional sessions are being planned.

According to the sources, Israel now has “no valid justification” to delay the transition to phase two, despite the ongoing search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in Gaza. Israel insists the body must be recovered before any progress, while mediators acknowledge the difficulty of the operation.

They noted that Egyptian engineering teams have helped retrieve all remains except one, whose recovery remains extremely challenging. Search efforts resumed this week in eastern Zaytoun neighborhood after coordination between Israel and the mediators.

Hamas and other Palestinian factions are preparing for a “comprehensive national meeting” in Cairo aimed at resolving core issues, including the governance of Gaza, administration of public services, and the future of factional weapons. Fatah representatives are expected to participate.

Sources say current discussions include clear proposals on the deployment and mandate of an international stabilization force, as well as the handling of armed factions’ weapons, “not through forced disarmament,” but via a Palestinian consensus backed by mediators. Hamas considers transferring Gaza’s administration to an agreed technocratic committee the “easiest” step and says it is ready to implement it immediately.

They also report growing convergence among Hamas, other factions, and Arab mediators on a formula allowing weapons to be held by a Palestinian authority under guarantees preventing their transfer to Israel or the United States. This would form part of a defined political process on the future of the Palestinian issue. Hamas has proposed a long-term truce of at least ten years, during which weapons use would be frozen under binding guarantees.

US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at month’s end to discuss Gaza and the transition to phase two. Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has also held talks with Israeli and Palestinian officials on Gaza governance as part of preparations for a proposed “Peace Council” he is expected to help lead under the ceasefire framework.

 

 

Arab World

EU Looking at Options for Boosting Lebanon's Internal Security Forces

Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo 
Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo 
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EU Looking at Options for Boosting Lebanon's Internal Security Forces

Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo 
Lebanese army members stand on a military vehicle during a Lebanese army media tour, to review the army's operations in the southern Litani sector, in Alma Al-Shaab, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, November 28, 2025. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo 

The European Union is studying options for strengthening Lebanon’s Internal Security Forces (ISF) to help free up the Lebanese army to focus on disarming the armed group Hezbollah, according to a document seen by Reuters on Monday.

A 2024 truce between Lebanon and Israel remains fragile, with Israel carrying out regular strikes on Lebanese territory that it says are targeting Hezbollah’s efforts to rearm.

The document, produced by the EU’s diplomatic arm and circulated to the 27 member states, said it would pursue consultations with Lebanese authorities and that a scoping mission would take place in early 2026 on possible new assistance for the country’s ISF.

EU efforts could “focus on advice, training and capacity-building,” the paper said, adding that the bloc would not take over the tasks of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), whose mandate is set to expire at the end of 2026, when it is expected to begin a year-long drawdown and withdrawal.

Instead, the EU “could contribute to the gradual transfer of internal security tasks” from the Lebanese Armed Forces to the ISF, allowing the army to focus on its core defense tasks, the document said.

The UN secretary general is expected to produce a transition plan in June 2026 that will address risks stemming from UNIFIL’s departure.

The paper from the European External Action Service comes ahead of a planned meeting between senior EU and Lebanese officials in Brussels on December 15.

“Through a combination of advice, training and possibly the provision of certain equipment, the overall objective would be to enable the Police and the Gendarmerie to fulfil their mandates in cities and rural areas across the country,” it said, adding the EU could also help Lebanon to better secure its land border with Syria.

French President Emmanuel Macron’s special envoy on Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, was in Beirut on Monday to propose a roadmap that aims to assess independently Hezbollah’s disarmament, diplomatic sources told Reuters.

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said last week that Lebanon wanted to see a ceasefire monitoring mechanism play a more robust role in verifying Israel's claims that Hezbollah is rearming as well as the work of the Lebanese army in dismantling the armed group's infrastructure.

Asked whether that meant Lebanon would accept US and French troops on the ground as part of a verification mechanism, Salam said, “of course.”