عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Arab World

Lebanese Army Steps Up Security in the South Ahead of Technical Talks with Israel

A Lebanese soldier stands at a newly established checkpoint in the southern town of Froun, which is included in the proposed pilot zone. (AP)
A Lebanese soldier stands at a newly established checkpoint in the southern town of Froun, which is included in the proposed pilot zone. (AP)
TT
TT

Lebanese Army Steps Up Security in the South Ahead of Technical Talks with Israel

A Lebanese soldier stands at a newly established checkpoint in the southern town of Froun, which is included in the proposed pilot zone. (AP)
A Lebanese soldier stands at a newly established checkpoint in the southern town of Froun, which is included in the proposed pilot zone. (AP)

The Lebanese army has stepped up military and security measures in an area proposed for inclusion in a pilot zone in southern Lebanon, announcing deployments across towns in the districts of Bint Jbeil, Tyre and Nabatieh.

The measures come amid an Israeli military escalation and the start of construction of a line of permanent positions inside the security zone Israel occupies in southern Lebanon, Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported.

The Lebanese army said it had deployed patrols, checkpoints and observation posts in Froun, Ghandouriyeh, Qalawayh, Burj Qalawayh and Kfar Dounin in the Bint Jbeil district, as well as Qaaqaiyat al-Jisr in the Nabatieh district and Srifa in the Tyre district.

It also released photographs showing military vehicles and personnel deployed in the towns.

The measures were introduced ahead of a technical meeting scheduled to take place by video conference on Friday, with representatives of the Lebanese, Israeli and US militaries expected to discuss implementation mechanisms for the pilot zone and determine which towns it would cover.

The proposed zone could include Zawtar al-Sharqiya, which is occupied by Israel, and Zawtar al-Gharbiya, part of which is under Israeli occupation. It could also cover Froun, Ghandouriyeh, Srifa, Qalawayh and Burj Qalawayh, where Israel maintains fire control but has no forces stationed.

Airstrikes

Meanwhile, the Israeli military continued its violations of the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli warplanes carried out two strikes on Thursday afternoon targeting the outskirts of the al-Deir neighborhood in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, firing several air-to-surface missiles.

The explosions echoed across the Nabatieh area, sending thick plumes of smoke into the air.

Two people were killed in the strikes, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported.

The Israeli military also set fire to several homes and plots of land on the outskirts of Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district.

Later in the afternoon, an Israeli drone carried out a guided-missile strike on the Ali al-Taher woodland on the outskirts of Nabatieh al-Fawqa.

At dawn, Israeli warplanes had also struck the outskirts of Baraachit and Beit Yahoun in the Bint Jbeil district.

Most Viewed

 
 
Arab World

US Revokes Visa of Former Iraqi Finance Minister

The seal of the United States Department of State is seen in Washington, US, January 26, 2017. (Reuters)
The seal of the United States Department of State is seen in Washington, US, January 26, 2017. (Reuters)
TT
TT

US Revokes Visa of Former Iraqi Finance Minister

The seal of the United States Department of State is seen in Washington, US, January 26, 2017. (Reuters)
The seal of the United States Department of State is seen in Washington, US, January 26, 2017. (Reuters)

The Trump administration has revoked the U.S. visa of a former Iraqi finance minister who was honored in 2022 with an “International Women of Courage” award by the State Department.

The department said Friday it had revoked the visa of Taif Sami Mohammed Al Shakarchi, who served as Iraq’s finance minister from 2022 until July.

Earlier this month she was implicated by Iraqi authorities in a possible corruption scheme.

The department said her visa was revoked after the FBI added her to its “terrorism watchlist.”

It was not clear why she had been added to the watchlist but officials said she had left the United States before her visa revoked.

Arab World

Israeli Strike Kills Three in West Bank; Israel Says It Targeted Hamas Operative

Israeli troops search the area following an airstrike that killed three Palestinians near the West Bank city of Jenin, 28 August 2026. (EPA)
Israeli troops search the area following an airstrike that killed three Palestinians near the West Bank city of Jenin, 28 August 2026. (EPA)
TT
TT

Israeli Strike Kills Three in West Bank; Israel Says It Targeted Hamas Operative

Israeli troops search the area following an airstrike that killed three Palestinians near the West Bank city of Jenin, 28 August 2026. (EPA)
Israeli troops search the area following an airstrike that killed three Palestinians near the West Bank city of Jenin, 28 August 2026. (EPA)

Israel's military said it ‌carried out an airstrike in the West Bank on Friday that killed a Palestinian it described as a Hamas operative, as well as two of his accomplices, in a rare use of deadly Israeli air power in the occupied territory.

Hamas condemned the strike but did not claim the person targeted, whom the Israeli military named as Qais Bitawi, as a member. The strike targeted a car in the area of Jenin in the northern West Bank, the military and medics said.

The West Bank has seen a surge ‌in militant ‌Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians, as well as military ‌raids ⁠into Palestinian towns. The ⁠northern West Bank, where Jenin sits, was the site of a major Israeli assault last year, which the military says was aimed at targeting militant strongholds.

In a statement, the military said Bitawi was involved in directing, funding and executing attacks on Israeli civilians and security forces. It said he maintained ties with Hamas members in Gaza, ⁠where the group is based, as well as ‌abroad.

The Palestine Red Crescent ambulance ‌service said Israeli ground troops raided the site of the drone strike, briefly detained ‌medics and prevented them from transporting those wounded or killed ‌to hospital.

Israel's military did not immediately provide comment on the ambulance service's statements.

Israel's 2025 operations in the northern West Bank forced thousands of Palestinians from their homes, with Israeli forces clearing out refugee camps and maintaining their ‌longest presence in some West Bank cities for decades.

Human Rights Watch has accused Israel of war ⁠crimes and crimes ⁠against humanity over what it said were forced expulsions. Israel denies committing such crimes.

In Gaza, where the US has been working to salvage a deal that would disarm Hamas in exchange for Israel withdrawing from the territory, at least five Palestinians were killed in three Israeli strikes on Friday, Gaza health officials said.

Those incidents included an Israeli strike near Deir Al-Balah that killed three people from the same family; a strike on a motorbike that killed one in Gaza City; and a separate strike in Gaza City that killed one Palestinian, according to health officials.

The Israeli military did not immediately provide comment on the strikes.

Arab World

Drone Strikes Kill 8 Civilians in Sudan’s North Kordofan

Sudanese army solders take part in a military parade on August 17, 2026, in the city of Gedaref in eastern Sudan during celebrations to mark the 72nd anniversary of the Sudanese Armed Forces. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese army solders take part in a military parade on August 17, 2026, in the city of Gedaref in eastern Sudan during celebrations to mark the 72nd anniversary of the Sudanese Armed Forces. (Photo by AFP)
TT
TT

Drone Strikes Kill 8 Civilians in Sudan’s North Kordofan

Sudanese army solders take part in a military parade on August 17, 2026, in the city of Gedaref in eastern Sudan during celebrations to mark the 72nd anniversary of the Sudanese Armed Forces. (Photo by AFP)
Sudanese army solders take part in a military parade on August 17, 2026, in the city of Gedaref in eastern Sudan during celebrations to mark the 72nd anniversary of the Sudanese Armed Forces. (Photo by AFP)

Drone strikes have killed eight civilians and wounded dozens in Sudan's Kordofan region, a rights group said Friday.

Emergency Lawyers, an independent group documenting atrocities in Sudan, said a drone targeted a group of civilians traveling Thursday in the desert town of Sowdari in North Korodofan state. As others rushed to help the victims, a second drone struck, the group said.

The group said in a statement posted on Facebook that targeting civilians and then attacking again while they were being rescued amounts to a violation of international humanitarian law and is a war crime. It called for an independent investigation to determine who was responsible.

Sudan plunged into all-out war in April 2023 as fighting erupted between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military. The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people killed, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, a conflict monitoring group. Aid groups say the figure is an undercount and the true number could be many times higher.

Drone warfare has become a defining feature in the country's war, with both sides carrying out strikes. Drone strikes are now the leading cause of death in Sudan, according to the United Nations, accounting for 80% of civilian deaths during the first four months of 2026.