Hezbollah Says Reinforced Fighters in South Lebanon Despite Disarmament

Smoke rises in Habboush, Nabatiyeh Governorate, in southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, Lebanon, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)

16:45-1 May 2026 AD ـ 15 Thul-Qi’dah 1447 AH

Smoke rises in Habboush, Nabatiyeh Governorate, in southern Lebanon, following Israeli strikes, Lebanon, May 1, 2026. (Reuters)

Lebanese group Hezbollah has brought reinforcements and weapons to the south of the country since the start of the war with Israel on March 2, the organization's director of media relations said on Friday.

The Lebanese army said in January it had finished disarming the group near the Israeli border in southern Lebanon, the scene of multiple wars between Israel and Hezbollah, the most recent of which was brought to a halt on April 17 by a ceasefire.

The army had been enacting a plan that it drew up after a 2024 ceasefire agreement that ended the last war between the two.

Speaking during an interview with a group of journalists including from AFP, Youssef Al Zein said the group had been able to "introduce forces and arms in the course of the battle" with Israel.

Zein said the reinforcements did not use roads controlled by the Lebanese army.

"We are convinced that the army is a national army" that "will not enter into a confrontation with Hezbollah", he said.

He said that if Israel had been able to penetrate deeper into Lebanese territory it was because Hezbollah had been disarmed south of the Litani River, which runs around 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and its infrastructure there, including tunnels, destroyed.

Nevertheless, he insisted that Hezbollah was able to "reconstitute its forces" after the last war with Israel, and that it was "prepared for a long battle".

Israel announced on April 7 that it had completed the deployment of its ground forces in southern Lebanon and would maintain a 10-kilometer-deep "security zone".

Asked about Hezbollah's recent use of cheap one-way attack drones controlled via fiber-optic cable against Israeli forces, Zein said it was one of the group's tactics.

"We are aware of the enemy's superiority, but at the same time we are exploiting its weak points," he said.

The use of such drones which, unlike radio-controlled UAVs, can't be electronically jammed and are hard to track, was popularized by the Ukraine conflict.

Zein, whose predecessor Mohammed Afif was killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut during the 2024 war, said the drones were "manufactured in Lebanon".

Attacks using such drones have killed two Israeli soldiers and a civilian contractor in under a week, according to the Israeli military.

Hezbollah dragged Lebanon into the wider regional war started by US-Israeli attacks on Iran, when it launched rockets at Israel.

Israel's retaliation has killed more than 2,600 people, with its strikes on Lebanon continuing despite the truce.

Israeli Military Says Killed Two After West Bank Shooting

Israeli soldiers and emergency personnel gather near ambulances following a shooting attack near Yehuda Junction, near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP)

07:05-23 October 2026 AD ـ 12 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Israeli Military Says Killed Two After West Bank Shooting

Israeli soldiers and emergency personnel gather near ambulances following a shooting attack near Yehuda Junction, near Hebron, in the occupied West Bank, Friday, Oct. 23, 2026. (AP)

Israeli troops on Friday shot dead two suspected Palestinian assailants in the West Bank after a shooting that left at least five people wounded, officials said.

Footage shared by rescuers showed a lifeless body in casual attire on the ground next to a petrol station as Israeli troops patrolled in all directions.

The Israeli military said soldiers had rushed to the Judea Junction area near the flashpoint city of Hebron after the early-morning shooting attack.

"Israeli soldiers eliminated two terrorists and continue searches in the area," it said in a statement.

The initial shooting wounded five people, two of whom were in critical condition, said Magen David Adom, Israel's emergency medical rescue service.

The incident comes as tensions soar in the West Bank, including over attacks by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinian olive harvesters, and days ahead of Israeli elections.

Arab World

Istanbul Hosts Middle East, European FMs to Discuss Regional Crises

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan meet in Amman on August 5. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

05:56-23 October 2026 AD ـ 12 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Istanbul Hosts Middle East, European FMs to Discuss Regional Crises

The foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan meet in Amman on August 5. (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Foreign ministers from seven European and Middle Eastern countries will hold talks in Istanbul Friday focusing on the Strait of Hormuz and the crises in the Middle East.

Ministers from the so-called E3 group -- Britain, France and Germany -- will meet counterparts from the newly created R4 group comprising Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Türkiye and Pakistan to discuss the Palestinians, developments in Yemen and the Strait of Hormuz, and ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war, a Turkish foreign ministry source said.

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan is hosting the meeting, the first to bring together the two groups.

In chairing the talks, Fidan was to stress that "regional security first and foremost requires countries of the region to assume responsibility" and within that context, Türkiye "prioritizes strengthening cooperation mechanisms based on regional ownership".

He would also say "existing disputes should not be allowed to feed one another, conflicts should not be allowed to spread to new areas, and regional tensions should not be allowed to turn into broader instability".

Fidan will focus on the international community "increasing pressure on Israel" in response to its settlement expansion and its "encouragement of settler terrorism".

He will also underline Türkiye's support for Saudi Arabia's security in the face of Houthi attacks and the need for permanent freedom of navigation in the Hormuz and Bab el-Mandeb Straits.

British foreign minister Ed Miliband's office said the talks would essentially revolve around "the Strait of Hormuz and the situation in Saudi Arabia".

"Despite positive progress from the US and regional partners, passage through the Strait remains under threat, with traffic through the waterway sharply down on pre-war levels," a foreign ministry statement said.

It said Miliband "will advocate for a diplomatic solution to the crisis that restores full navigational rights and freedoms" and stress "how Iranian tactics are being replicated across the region, with attacks on Saudi Arabia further destabilizing the region and increasing pressure on vital waterways and global chokepoints, such as Bab El-Mandeb and the Suez Canal."

"The UK is stepping up to help stabilize the region, having this week committed RAF Typhoons to defend Saudi Arabia from Houthi attacks in their airspace," it added.

- Black Sea security -

Unrest in the Black Sea would also be a key focus, with the minister pointing to Türkiye's ongoing "warnings and proposals" to prevent the Russia-Ukraine war from spreading to the Black Sea and to draw a line under the civilian deaths there.

Armed attacks on commercial ships, often with drones, have multiplied in recent months as the war has spilled into the Black Sea, with Turkish ships increasingly in the firing line.

Last month, Türkiye sent a proposal to Russia and Ukraine to end the strikes, but it appears to have fallen on deaf ears with the attacks increasing in recent weeks, notably near Romania and Bulgaria.

NATO said Tuesday it was deploying additional planes, drones and radar systems to the Black Sea, calling for more "situational awareness" in the region through increased sensors and more data-sharing.

The E3 was set up more than 20 years ago to advance diplomatic coordination over Iran's nuclear program.

The R4 was formed this year and brings together Egypt with the signatories to the Makkah Defense Agreement -- a mutual defense pact set up by Saudi Arabia, Türkiye and Pakistan in August.

Arab World

Iraq Fears Return of ‘Shadow Factions’ to Regional ‘Unity of Fronts’ Campaign

Members of Harakat al-Nujaba movement attend a gathering in Baghdad on Oct. 8, 2023 (AFP)

Baghdad: Asharq Al Awsat

18:08-22 October 2026 AD ـ 11 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Baghdad: Asharq Al Awsat

18:08-22 October 2026 AD ـ 11 Jumada Al-Ula 1448 AH

Iraq Fears Return of ‘Shadow Factions’ to Regional ‘Unity of Fronts’ Campaign

Members of Harakat al-Nujaba movement attend a gathering in Baghdad on Oct. 8, 2023 (AFP)

Fears are mounting in Iraq that armed factions’ refusal to surrender their weapons may be an attempt to buy time ahead of a possible resumption of the war with Iran and the revival of the so-called “Axis of Resistance,” as Baghdad faces growing security and political pressure to prevent attacks on regional targets from Iraqi soil.

Political sources close to the Coordination Framework, an alliance of Iraq’s main Shiite political forces, said negotiations to bring all weapons under state control had made no tangible progress, with several factions yet to hand over the rockets and drones in their possession.

However, the sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that some alliance leaders considered it unlikely that the factions would attack countries in the region in support of Iran if the war resumed, given the potential repercussions for Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi’s government, which could face mounting regional and international pressure.

Nujaba Reaffirms Refusal to Surrender Weapons

Those assessments have failed to ease fears that smaller armed groups could resume attacks that would be difficult to attribute directly to major factions, amid rising regional tensions and continuing divisions in Iraq over weapons outside state control.

Underscoring resistance to any change in the factions’ military status, Abdul Qadir al-Karbalai, military deputy of the Harakat al-Nujaba movement, said Wednesday that the group would not participate in the political process and that its position remained unchanged.

In a statement, al-Karbalai rejected the terms “placing weapons under state control,” “handing over weapons” and “disarmament” in reference to what the group calls resistance weapons.

His remarks pose an additional challenge to the government’s efforts to bring weapons under state control, with concerns extending beyond the political standoff between Baghdad and the factions to the possibility of renewed attacks on regional targets from Iraqi territory.

‘Shadow Factions’

Iraqi newspaper Al-Mada, citing informed sources, reported that the closure of the al-Sheeb border crossing with Iran in Maysan province was not solely related to the technical reasons cited by the government.

The move also came amid security fears of a return by so-called “shadow factions,” small groups of five to 10 members suspected of being used to carry out attacks that would be difficult to trace to those responsible.

Security agencies have stepped up surveillance of suspected attack sites over the past two weeks, the newspaper’s sources said, after attacks targeting Saudi Arabia reportedly shifted from areas in the Najaf desert in July to locations near the al-Sheeb crossing in September.

The developments suggest that armed groups may be changing tactics, avoiding heavily monitored sites and seeking new areas from which to operate.

The assessments and the identities of those behind the reported attacks could not be independently verified.

The Iraqi government has maintained that the crossing’s closure is temporary and intended to improve operational efficiency.

Government spokesman Haider al-Aboudi denied any political motive, describing the closure as “a purely administrative measure that requires no political interpretation.”

Meanwhile, Prime Ministerial adviser Abdul Amir Taiban accused the Iranian side of “serious violations” of Iraqi sovereignty, creating chaos along the shared border and deliberately undermining Iraq’s economy through the smuggling of counterfeit currency and drugs.

Mounting US Pressure

The closure comes as Washington steps up pressure on Baghdad over cross-border trade with Iran.

AFP quoted an Iraqi source Wednesday confirming the closure, while an Iranian official said border crossings with Iraq remained open to travelers, although truck traffic was experiencing delays.

Two political sources said Washington was pressing Baghdad to close additional crossings with Iran. One said the US Treasury Department had raised the issue with al-Zaidi during his visit to New York last month.

Security concerns also extend beyond Iraq’s land borders.

A security source in Basra province said Wednesday that a drone fell into the sea about 200 meters from an oil tanker identified as the Corden Eikel, after its crew alerted Iraqi naval forces to the presence of two drones.

One crashed into the water, while the other disappeared from sight, the source said.

Meanwhile, Baghdad is pursuing diplomatic contacts with regional countries in an effort to contain the escalation.

Iraq’s Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and his Emirati counterpart, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, discussed by phone ways to create conditions conducive to peaceful understandings that could ease regional tensions and strengthen security and stability.

Hezbollah Says Reinforced Fighters in South Lebanon Despite Disarmament

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