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Arab World

Large-Scale Israeli Exercise in West Bank Simulates October 7 Attack 

An Israeli soldier takes position during clashes with Palestinian farmers and international activists after they try to reach olive farms outside the village of Beit Led and close to an Israeli settler outpost, near the West Bank city of Qalqilya, 07 November 2025. (EPA)
An Israeli soldier takes position during clashes with Palestinian farmers and international activists after they try to reach olive farms outside the village of Beit Led and close to an Israeli settler outpost, near the West Bank city of Qalqilya, 07 November 2025. (EPA)
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Large-Scale Israeli Exercise in West Bank Simulates October 7 Attack 

An Israeli soldier takes position during clashes with Palestinian farmers and international activists after they try to reach olive farms outside the village of Beit Led and close to an Israeli settler outpost, near the West Bank city of Qalqilya, 07 November 2025. (EPA)
An Israeli soldier takes position during clashes with Palestinian farmers and international activists after they try to reach olive farms outside the village of Beit Led and close to an Israeli settler outpost, near the West Bank city of Qalqilya, 07 November 2025. (EPA)

The Israeli Army kicked off on Monday large-scale multi-branch military exercises across the West Bank and Jordan Valley to boost readiness and simulate events similar to the Oct. 7, 2023 in the Gaza Strip.

The three-day “Lion's Roar” exercise involves forces of the army’s Central Command, as well as “special units,” the air force, the army Technology and Logistics Directorate and other military branches and security forces, according to an army spokesperson.

A military statement said drones and various weapons will be used during the drill, and “increased movement of security forces and aircraft will be felt in the area.”

The drill is taking place as part of the Operations Directorate’s training schedule, aimed at training and implementing operational plans with a multi-arena perspective. This exercise was preplanned as part of the Army’s annual training program for 2025, the army statement said.

Renewed calls for annexation

The exercises come while Israeli transportation Minister Miri Regev said her ministry is already enforcing “de facto sovereignty” over the occupied West Bank through a network of state-funded infrastructure projects, effectively implementing annexation on the ground.

Speaking on Israel’s Channel 12 News, Regev described road construction and transportation development in the territory as practical acts of sovereignty, reflecting a broader governmental strategy to integrate settlements into Israel’s national infrastructure grid.

Her statements appear to challenge the decision of US President Donald Trump, who said last month he will now allow Israel to annex the West Bank.

Israel plans to annex 82% of the West Bank to prevent the establishment of a Palestinian state.

The Oslo Accords have divided the West Bank into three areas: A, B, and C, each with a different level of Palestinian and Israeli control.

Area A (18% of the West Bank) is under full Palestinian Authority (PA) civil and security control.

Area B (21% of the West Bank) is under PA civilian control with Israeli security control while Area C (61% of the West Bank) is under full Israeli civil and military control.

Although Trump has said he will not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, Israel has pushed for large-scale settlement projects and has given settlers a free hand to control more areas of the West Bank.

According to Palestinian figures, there are 200 Israeli settlements, 243 settlement outposts and 129 farm outposts in the West Bank.

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Arab World

Israeli Army Sets Gaza-style ‘Yellow Line’ in Lebanon amid Differences with Govt

The rubble of a destroyed building, seen from inside a heavily damaged building, after an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 2, 2026. (Reuters)
The rubble of a destroyed building, seen from inside a heavily damaged building, after an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 2, 2026. (Reuters)
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Israeli Army Sets Gaza-style ‘Yellow Line’ in Lebanon amid Differences with Govt

The rubble of a destroyed building, seen from inside a heavily damaged building, after an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 2, 2026. (Reuters)
The rubble of a destroyed building, seen from inside a heavily damaged building, after an Israeli strike, amid escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, as the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran continues, in Tyre, Lebanon, April 2, 2026. (Reuters)

Israeli forces have advanced into Lebanon’s Ras al-Bayada area, a hilly region about 14 kilometers from the Galilee border overlooking the Litani River, with the army saying it plans to remain there for an extended, though temporary, period.

The move comes as tensions emerge between the military and the government over the scope of operations in southern Lebanon.

Families of several soldiers from the Nahal Infantry Brigade have written to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defense Minister Israel Katz and senior commanders, urging a reassessment of their sons’ deployment.

They warned that the “risks are unjustified due to a lack of air support” and cited rising casualties. “Remaining in Lebanon, under current conditions, exposes soldiers to danger in an extremely unreasonable way,” they said, calling for an urgent review and alternative strategies.

The government has advocated full control of South Lebanon and making the Litani River Israel’s new border. The army has rejected that approach, saying it will instead treat the Litani as a “line of fire,” monitored from what it calls a “yellow line” — a concept previously applied to the Gaza Strip border and viewed as temporary pending a withdrawal decision.

Tens of thousands of troops have been deployed to Lebanon under this framework.

The soldiers’ families said 13 people have been killed so far — 10 soldiers and three civilians — and 20 soldiers wounded. They added that “since most air force resources are currently devoted to Iran, soldiers in Lebanon are not receiving sufficient air support,” which they said was likely a key factor behind the casualties.

Debate over protecting northern civilians

Citing military sources, the families said one objective of the ground incursion is to draw Hezbollah fire toward Israeli troops rather than civilians in northern Israel.

While stressing the importance of protecting border communities, they argued this should not come at the direct expense of soldiers’ lives. “It is not legitimate to define drawing fire toward fighters as a war objective... without using all available tools to ensure their safety,” they wrote.

They suggested temporary alternatives, including evacuations or expanding shelters and fortified rooms in threatened areas.

“Exploiting our sons — young men who have been fighting for three years in a multi-front war — is a grave injustice,” they added, calling for accountability and an immediate review of operational decisions.

An Israeli report on Wednesday said Hezbollah is not currently capable of launching mass daily barrages toward central Israel, and that many recent projectiles have missed their targets.

However, it retains the ability to wage guerrilla warfare and target Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, where four divisions are operating.

According to Haaretz military analyst Amos Harel, Hezbollah is firing around 200 rockets and drones daily toward northern Israel and Israeli forces — more than many Israelis had expected at the start of the war.

He said the situation is “more complex” than official narratives suggest, adding that Hezbollah has used months of fighting and a ceasefire period since November 2024 to regroup and rebuild its capabilities.

A report in Maariv cited a senior officer who fought in the 2006 Lebanon war as saying current troop levels are insufficient for the political objectives being set.

“Promises of a decisive victory over Hezbollah do not match the reality on the ground,” he stated, warning of a repeat of past scenarios in which Israeli forces come under sustained anti-tank fire in exposed positions.

“A decisive outcome would require greater effort and larger forces,” he added, noting that the war with Iran and ongoing operations in the West Bank continue to stretch military resources.

Arab World

Russia, Egypt Discuss Means to Secure Energy, Food Supplies

Russian President Vladimir Putin receives Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow on Thursday. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Russian President Vladimir Putin receives Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow on Thursday. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
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Russia, Egypt Discuss Means to Secure Energy, Food Supplies

Russian President Vladimir Putin receives Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow on Thursday. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)
Russian President Vladimir Putin receives Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in Moscow on Thursday. (Egyptian Foreign Ministry)

Egypt stressed on Thursday its keenness on developing its bilateral ties and strategic partnership with Russia, along with coordinating over regional and international affairs, most notably the impact of the war on Iran.

Russian President Vladimir Putin received in Moscow on Thursday Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, who handed him a message from President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that tackled bilateral ties and the strategic partnership between their countries.

The FM had arrived in Moscow on Wednesday on a visit aimed at exploring means to develop bilateral cooperation and exchange views on several regional issues.

Experts said the visit aimed at “bolster balances in alliances and secure energy and food supplies.”

During his talks with Abdelatty, Putin hailed the depth of Egyptian-Russian ties and the fruitful cooperation in all fields.

He praised the role Sisi is playing in leading mediation to ease the escalation, support security and stability in the Middle East and prevent the conflict from expanding, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.

Abdelatty and Putin discussed the “intense diplomatic efforts aimed at de-escalation in the Middle East.” They also tackled the outcomes of the ministerial meeting that was held in Pakistan earlier this week that brought together the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Türkiye to discuss the conflict.

Calm and diplomacy are the best choices to avoid the expansion of the conflict, they stressed.

Sisi and Putin held telephone talks on Tuesday during which the former stressed the need for de-escalation in the Middle East.

Russia, with its international standing, can use its influence to end the war, he added.

Arab World

UN Resumes Operations in Sudanese Capital after 3 Years of War

Officials are seen at the reopening ceremony in Khartoum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials are seen at the reopening ceremony in Khartoum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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UN Resumes Operations in Sudanese Capital after 3 Years of War

Officials are seen at the reopening ceremony in Khartoum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Officials are seen at the reopening ceremony in Khartoum. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The United Nations announced on Thursday that it was officially resuming operations in the Sudanese capital Khartoum after three years of war.

UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian and Development Coordinator in Sudan Denise Brown said the move was significant and allows UN agencies to reach all areas that were previously inaccessible.

Speaking at a press conference at the UN mission in central Khartoum, she added that the organization will continue its support to the state and individuals to end the war and reconstruct Sudan.

The UN quit Khartoum for Port Sudan shortly after the eruption of the war between the army and Rapid Support Forces in April 2023.

Sudanese Foreign Minister Mohi El-Din Salem said the UN’s return to Khartoum was an important message to internal partners that “we are working side by side to restore peace and stability in Sudan.”

“As we have reclaimed Khartoum from the rebel RSF, we will reclaim the regions of Darfur and Kordofan,” he told a press conference.

“We will work with the UN through the initiative proposed by Prime Minister Kamil Idris to the Security Council in December to end the war and restore peace and stability in Sudan,” he stressed.

Moreover, he said that Sudan was “open to all initiatives to reach sustainable peace,” while also rejecting any truce that allows the RSF to return to the Sudanese scene.

Sudan and the UN will work together to restore stability through intra-Sudanese dialogue, declared the FM. “Only the Sudanese people will decide the fate of their country.”