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Israel Strikes Deeper into Lebanon after Hezbollah Downs Drone

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanon's village of Blida as a result of an Israeli airstrike, as seen from an undisclosed location in northern Israel, 25 February 2024. (EPA)
Smoke rises from the southern Lebanon's village of Blida as a result of an Israeli airstrike, as seen from an undisclosed location in northern Israel, 25 February 2024. (EPA)
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Israel Strikes Deeper into Lebanon after Hezbollah Downs Drone

Smoke rises from the southern Lebanon's village of Blida as a result of an Israeli airstrike, as seen from an undisclosed location in northern Israel, 25 February 2024. (EPA)
Smoke rises from the southern Lebanon's village of Blida as a result of an Israeli airstrike, as seen from an undisclosed location in northern Israel, 25 February 2024. (EPA)

Israeli warplanes struck Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Monday, killing at least two Hezbollah members in its deepest attack into Lebanese territory since hostilities erupted with the Iran-backed group last October, sources in Lebanon said.

Underlining the risks of escalation, Hezbollah responded by firing 60 rockets at an Israeli army headquarters in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, the group's al-Manar television reported. An Israeli army spokesperson said dozens of rockets were fired towards the Golan Heights from Lebanon.

The attacks marked an intensification of the worst violence between the heavily armed Hezbollah and Israel since their 2006 war, fueling concern of the potential for further escalation and regional spillover of the Gaza war.

The Israeli army said its fighter jets had struck Hezbollah air defenses in the Bekaa Valley in response to the downing of an Israeli drone, which Hezbollah said it had shot down with a surface-to-air missile earlier on Monday.

The airstrikes hit part of the Bekaa Valley region near the Syrian border which is a political stronghold of the Shiite Hezbollah. The targeted area was some 18 km (11 miles) from the city of Baalbek, which is known for its ancient ruins.

The sources said Israel had carried out simultaneous strikes in the area. A Lebanese security source and a source familiar with the matter said two Hezbollah members had been killed.

Lebanese television station Al-Jadeed broadcast images of plumes of smoke rising from the area.

In a separate attack, an Israeli airstrike hit a car in the town of Mjadel in southern Lebanon, killing a Hezbollah field commander, three security sources in Lebanon said.

Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said Israel had widened its strikes by hitting Baalbek and other areas, and was seeking to "compensate" for the downing of its drone.

"Its aggression on Baalbek or any other areas will not remain without response," he said in televised remarks delivered at the funeral of a Hezbollah fighter killed in recent days.

The Israeli military said it would "continue operating to defend the State of Israel from the threat of Hezbollah terrorist organization, including in aerial operations above Lebanese territory".

Hezbollah has been waging a campaign of attacks on targets at the border with Israel since the Oct. 7 raid from the Gaza Strip by its Palestinian ally Hamas. Hezbollah describes it as an effort to support Palestinians under Israeli fire in Gaza.

Israel says to ‘increase the fire’ on Hezbollah

The hostilities have largely played out in areas near the Lebanese-Israeli border, but last week widened when Israel struck an area just south of the coastal city of Sidon.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated on Sunday that Israel planned to increase attacks on Hezbollah in the event of a possible ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.

"If a temporary pause is reached in Gaza, we will increase the fire in the north separately, and will continue until the full withdrawal of Hezbollah [from the border] and the return of Israeli citizens to their homes," he said.

The violence has uprooted tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border.

Hezbollah said earlier on Monday it had shot down an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over Lebanese territory with a surface-to-air missile.

The Israeli military said two missile launches had targeted an Israeli Air Force unmanned aerial vehicle operating over Lebanon. The first, it said, was intercepted by Israel's "David's Sling" Aerial Defense System but the drone "fell inside Lebanese territory" after a second launch.

Israeli strikes since October have killed some 50 civilians in Lebanon, in addition to some 200 Hezbollah fighters.

Attacks from Lebanon into Israel have killed a dozen Israeli soldiers troops and five civilians.

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Arab World

Sudan Oil Minister Says War Losses in Billions

File photo of the Heglig oil field in southern Kordofan, Sudan (Reuters)
File photo of the Heglig oil field in southern Kordofan, Sudan (Reuters)
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Sudan Oil Minister Says War Losses in Billions

File photo of the Heglig oil field in southern Kordofan, Sudan (Reuters)
File photo of the Heglig oil field in southern Kordofan, Sudan (Reuters)

Sudan’s Oil and Energy Minister Al-Mutasim Ibrahim said the estimated cost of heavy losses and damage inflicted on the oil and energy sector by the war amounts to billions of dollars, blaming the Rapid Support Forces for directly targeting infrastructure across the country.

In exclusive remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, Ibrahim said the government had fully restarted the Heglig oil field and that “all employees on site are carrying out their duties normally.”

He said the protection and operation of the field are a joint responsibility between Sudan and the Republic of South Sudan, as provided for in previously signed agreements between the two countries.

Ibrahim strongly denied recent reports of a three-way agreement between the governments of Sudan and South Sudan and the Rapid Support Forces regarding the Heglig field, located in the far south of the Kordofan region bordering South Sudan.

Authorities in South Sudan announced a settlement between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces after the latter took control of the area, stipulating the withdrawal of both sides and assigning the South Sudan army the task of securing oil facilities in Heglig.

Heglig is Sudan’s largest oil field, producing between 40,000 and 80,000 barrels per day of crude. Output fell by about 20,000 to 25,000 barrels per day after the outbreak of war due to the shutdown of many wells and damage to infrastructure.

The field also serves as the central processing facility for South Sudan’s crude, which produces nearly 130,000 barrels per day and is exported through Sudanese ports on the Red Sea coast.

China talks

Meanwhile, the minister said negotiations with the Chinese government were ongoing over its return to operations in Block 6 in the Balila area of West Kordofan. China had announced the termination of its agreement with the Sudanese government due to deteriorating security conditions and the collapse of supply chains caused by the fighting.

“Work at the Balila field is currently suspended, but the Chinese partner has not withdrawn from the country,” Ibrahim said.

“We recently held joint meetings with the Chinese side in Cairo and informed them of our desire to continue the partnership in the field, and we also presented opportunities to invest in other fields.”

He expressed optimism about the continuation of the partnership between Khartoum and Beijing in the sector, pointing to various oil investments expected to flow in after the war ends, particularly in areas under army control, which he said are witnessing significant security stability.

Last December, the Chinese government informed Sudan that it was ending the oil partnership after years of cooperation.

Khartoum refinery

According to the minister, preliminary estimates of heavy losses to the oil and energy sector since the war erupted in mid-April 2023 amount to billions of dollars, with damage assessments still underway.

He said the Rapid Support Forces had deliberately sabotaged infrastructure in both sectors, adding that the government had made progress in rehabilitating them after the army pushed the forces out of many areas across the country.

Ibrahim put losses at the Khartoum oil refinery at around $6 billion, saying it would need to be rebuilt from scratch.

“We have begun preparing the necessary designs and securing requirements to restart it,” he said, noting that several countries had expressed serious interest in investing in refineries in Khartoum, El-Obeid, and Port Sudan.

Before the war, the Al-Jaili refinery north of the capital, Khartoum, met more than 40 percent of the country’s demand for gasoline, diesel, and cooking gas. Still, it halted operations due to severe damage to its processing and refining facilities.

Ibrahim said petroleum products were flowing normally and that their availability had helped stabilize fuel supplies nationwide. He added that most fuel stations in areas without electricity had been equipped with solar power.

Arab World

US Increases its Pressure on Iran in Iraq

Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency
Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency
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US Increases its Pressure on Iran in Iraq

Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency
Coordination Framework leaders during a meeting in Baghdad. Iraqi News Agency

US pressure over Iranian influence in Iraq is increasing amid consultations to form a new government and messages from Washington affirming its willingness to use “the full range of tools” to counter what it describes as “Iran’s destabilizing activities.”

US Chargé d’Affaires Joshua Harris confirmed during a meeting on Thursday with Abdul Hussein Al-Mousawi, head of the National Approach Alliance, that any Iraqi government “should remain fully independent and focused on advancing the national interests of all Iraqis.”

A US embassy statement said the meeting addressed the importance of a strong partnership between the United States and Iraq that delivers “tangible benefits” for both sides within the framework of safeguarding Iraqi sovereignty, bolstering regional stability, and strengthening economic ties.

Harris stressed his country’s readiness “to use the full range of tools to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in Iraq,” a statement seen as a dual message directed at forces linked to Tehran and at blocs engaged in government formation negotiations.

The media office of the National Approach Alliance, which is part of the Coordination Framework, stated that the meeting discussed the latest developments in Iraq and the region, and ways to strengthen bilateral relations “in line with the principle of mutual sovereign respect and shared interests.”

It also addressed consultations among political parties to abide by constitutional mechanisms and the results of elections.

Both sides stressed the importance of ensuring the success of negotiations between the US and Iran in a way that contributes to de-escalation and the adoption of dialogue.

Last month, US President Donald Trump warned Iraq over a reinstatement of Nouri al-Maliki as prime minister, saying that the country “descended into poverty and total chaos” under his previous leadership.

“That should not be allowed to happen again” Trump wrote on social media.

Al-Maliki, who has long-standing ties to Iran, dismissed Trump’s threat as “blatant American interference in Iraq’s internal affairs,” and vowed to “continue to work until we reach the end.”

The Coordination Framework, which holds a parliamentary majority, has named al-Maliki to serve again as Iraq’s prime minister, citing his “political and administrative experience and role in managing the state.”

Arab World

German Parliament Speaker Visits Gaza

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
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German Parliament Speaker Visits Gaza

Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)
Displaced Palestinians fleeing Israeli military operations in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza strip walk along the Salah al-Din main road in eastern Gaza City making their way to the city center, on October 22, 2024, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (AFP)

The speaker of Germany's lower house of parliament briefly visited the Israeli-controlled part of the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the body told AFP.

Julia Kloeckner spent "about an hour in the part of Gaza controlled by Israeli army forces", parliament said, becoming the first German official to visit the territory since Hamas's attack on Israel in October 2023 that sparked the devastating war.

Since the start of the conflict, Israel has drastically restricted access to the densely populated coastal strip.

In a statement shared by her office, Kloeckner said it was essential for politicians to have access to "reliable assessments of the situation" in Gaza.

"I expressly welcome the fact that Israel has now, for the first time, granted me, a parliamentary observer, access to the Gaza Strip," she said.

However, she was only able to gain a "limited insight" into the situation on the ground during her trip, she said.

Kloeckner appealed to Israel to "continue on this path of openness" and emphasised that the so-called yellow line, which designates Israeli military zones inside the Gaza Strip, must "not become a permanent barrier".

Contacted by AFP, the German foreign ministry said it would "not comment on travel plans or trips by other constitutional bodies that wish to assess the situation on the ground".

Germany has been one of Israel's staunchest supporters as the European power seeks to atone for the legacy of the Holocaust.

But in recent months, Chancellor Friedrich Merz has occasionally delivered sharp critiques of Israeli policy as German public opinion turns against Israel's actions in Gaza.

In August, Germany imposed a partial arms embargo on Israel, which was lifted in November after the announcement of what has proved to be a fragile ceasefire for Gaza.

Merz visited Israel in December and reaffirmed Germany's support.

But in a sign of lingering tension, Germany's foreign ministry on Wednesday criticized Israeli plans to tighten control over the occupied West Bank as a step toward "de facto annexation".