Hezbollah Announces 509 Operations against Israel Since War Began

A man walks near a destroyed home in Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon after an Israeli strike (AFP)
A man walks near a destroyed home in Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon after an Israeli strike (AFP)
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Hezbollah Announces 509 Operations against Israel Since War Began

A man walks near a destroyed home in Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon after an Israeli strike (AFP)
A man walks near a destroyed home in Kafr Kila in southern Lebanon after an Israeli strike (AFP)

Hezbollah conducted 509 operations against Israel in northern Palestine and southern Lebanon since the beginning of the war on Gaza until Dec. 14.

Clashes between Israel and Hezbollah continued, and the Israeli army said on Saturday that it targeted an area in southern Lebanon after three rockets were launched from Lebanese territory.

Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee said via his "X" account that warplanes raided a series of Hezbollah targets, referring to several missiles launched from Lebanon towards Israel in recent hours.

Adraee indicated that the army responded with artillery shelling towards areas in Lebanon.

Al-Manar channel quoted Israeli media as saying that a bomb-laden drone was launched from Lebanon and hit an army gathering in Margaliot, causing two casualties. It also noted that Israeli military censorship banned publishing information about the security event.

Hezbollah mourned one of its fighters while announcing several military operations that targeted gatherings of Israeli soldiers and military sites, in addition to two homes where soldiers were stationed.

In separate statements, the Islamic Resistance announced that its fighters targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the Ramim forest.

They also spotted a group of Israeli soldiers entering two houses in the al-Manara settlement. They targeted the two houses with appropriate weapons, directly hitting them and causing deaths and injuries.

A drone attacked a position of Israeli soldiers outside the Ramim barracks, the occupied Lebanese village of Honin, which led to confirmed casualties. ‏

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the operation, followed by another statement in which it said that the resistance fighters attacked the Israeli Metula site using guided munitions, adding that it was able to verify several casualties.

Earlier in the day, the Islamic Resistance announced that its fighters targeted a bunker where Israeli soldiers were entrenched in the occupied Birket Risha military site with a guided missile, resulting in confirmed casualties.

The National News Agency (NNA) reported that the operation was hours after Israel targeted the position in Birkat Risha on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab and Ramieh.

An Israeli raid targeted the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab and Wadi Hassan between Majdal Zun and al-Jebain, and attacks were recorded on a valley near Ramiya and Jabal Balat in the western sector.

It was also reported that an interceptor missile had exploded in the airspace of al-Dhahira.

The NNA reported that the Israeli army escalated its violent attacks at night until just before midnight, as military aircraft raided an area between Mansouri and Majdal Zoun and on the outskirts of Naqoura and Jabal al-Labouneh.

The drones fired a ground-air missile targeting the vicinity of Aita al-Shaab. The artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of most of the towns in the western and central sectors adjacent to the Blue Line.

On Friday evening, CNN quoted US officials saying that Israelis attacked Lebanese Armed Forces positions more than 34 times since Oct. 7, including with small arms and artillery fire, drones, and helicopters.

The Biden administration has told Israel that the strikes against the Lebanese military are unacceptable, officials said.

According to a senior US official, Washington believes at least some of those strikes have been accidental, intended instead for Hezbollah.

But the intention of other strikes has been less clear, the official said, and more junior Israeli troops may not be exercising enough restraint.



Türkiye Plans First Overseas Deepwater Drilling in Somalia Next Month

Türkiye Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the conference 'Energy Security in the World and Türkiye: Risks and Solutions in Critical Minerals' at the Sabanci University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 26, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Türkiye Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the conference 'Energy Security in the World and Türkiye: Risks and Solutions in Critical Minerals' at the Sabanci University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 26, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
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Türkiye Plans First Overseas Deepwater Drilling in Somalia Next Month

Türkiye Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the conference 'Energy Security in the World and Türkiye: Risks and Solutions in Critical Minerals' at the Sabanci University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 26, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas
Türkiye Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Alparslan Bayraktar speaks during the conference 'Energy Security in the World and Türkiye: Risks and Solutions in Critical Minerals' at the Sabanci University Istanbul International Center for Energy and Climate (IICEC), in Istanbul, Türkiye, December 26, 2025. REUTERS/Umit Bektas

Türkiye will send a drilling vessel to Somalia in February to carry out the country's first deepwater exploration project abroad, ‌Energy Minister ‌Alparslan Bayraktar ‌said.

He ‌said the operation with the Cagri Bey vessel will focus on offshore areas ⁠in Somali waters but did not ‍provide ‍details on targeted ‍reserves or investment size.

In 2024, Türkiye signed an energy exploration deal with Somalia. It has been ⁠seeking to diversify its energy sources and reduce reliance on imports, investing in exploration at home and overseas.


Libya Says UK to Analyze Black Box from Crash That Killed General

Military personnel carry portraits of the Libyan chief of staff, General Mohamed al-Haddad (2-R), and his four advisers, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye, during an official repatriation ceremony at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tripoli, Libya, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Military personnel carry portraits of the Libyan chief of staff, General Mohamed al-Haddad (2-R), and his four advisers, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye, during an official repatriation ceremony at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tripoli, Libya, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
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Libya Says UK to Analyze Black Box from Crash That Killed General

Military personnel carry portraits of the Libyan chief of staff, General Mohamed al-Haddad (2-R), and his four advisers, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye, during an official repatriation ceremony at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tripoli, Libya, 27 December 2025. (EPA)
Military personnel carry portraits of the Libyan chief of staff, General Mohamed al-Haddad (2-R), and his four advisers, who were killed in a plane crash in Türkiye, during an official repatriation ceremony at the Ministry of Defense headquarters in Tripoli, Libya, 27 December 2025. (EPA)

Libya said on Thursday that Britain had agreed to analyze the black box from a plane crash in Türkiye on December 23 that killed a Libyan military delegation, including the head of its army.

General Mohammed al-Haddad and four aides died after a visit to Ankara, with Turkish officials saying an electrical failure caused their Falcon 50 jet to crash shortly after takeoff.

Three crew members, two of them French, were also killed.

The aircraft's black box flight recorder was found on farmland near the crash site.

"We coordinated directly with Britain for the analysis" of the black box, Mohamed al-Chahoubi, transport minister in the Government of National Unity (GNU), said at a press conference in Tripoli.

Haddad was very popular in Libya despite deep divisions between west and east.

Haddad was chief of staff for the Tripoli-based GNU.

Chahoubi told AFP a request for the analysis was "made to Germany, which demanded France's assistance" to examine the aircraft's flight recorders.

"However, the Chicago Convention stipulates that the country analyzing the black box must be neutral," he said.

"Since France is a manufacturer of the aircraft and the crew was French, it is not qualified to participate. The United Kingdom, on the other hand, was accepted by Libya and Turkey."

After meeting the British ambassador to Tripoli on Tuesday, Foreign Minister Taher al-Baour said a joint request had been submitted by Libya and Türkiye to Britain "to obtain technical and legal support for the analysis of the black box".

Chahoubi told Thursday's press briefing that Britain "announced its agreement, in coordination with the Libyan Ministry of Transport and the Turkish authorities".

He said it was not yet possible to say how long it would take to retrieve the flight data, as this depended on the state of the black box.

"The findings will be made public once they are known," Chahoubi said, warning against "false information" and urging the public not to pay attention to rumors.


STC Says Handing over Positions to National Shield Forces in Yemen's Hadhramaut, Mahra

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)
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STC Says Handing over Positions to National Shield Forces in Yemen's Hadhramaut, Mahra

National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)
National Shield forces in Hadhramaut. (National Shield forces)

Southern Transitional Council (STC) forces in Yemen began on Thursday handing over military positions to the government’s National Shield forces in the Hadhramaut and al-Mahra provinces in eastern Yemen.

Local sources in Hadhramaut confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that the handover kicked off after meetings were held between the two sides.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the National Shield commanders met with STC leaderships to discuss future arrangements. The sourced did not elaborate, but they confirmed that Emirati armored vehicles, which had entered Balhaf port in Shabwah were seen departing on a UAE vessel, in line with a Yemeni government request.

The National Shield is overseen by Presidential Leadership Council (PLC) Chairman Dr. Rashad al-Alimi.

A Yemeni official described Thursday’s developments as “positive” step towards uniting ranks and legitimacy against a common enemy – the Houthi groups.

The official, also speaking on condition of anonymity, underscored to Asharq Al-Awsat the importance of “partnership between components of the legitimacy and of dialogue to resolve any future differences.”

Meanwhile, on the ground, Yemeni military sources revealed that some STC forces had refused to quit their positions, prompting the forces to dispatch an official to Hadhramaut’s Seiyun city to negotiate the situation.