اخبار لبنان
موقع كل يوم -صحيفة الجمهورية
نشر بتاريخ: ٢٧ شباط ٢٠٢٤
The military escalation continues on the southern borders following the Israeli aircraft widening their strikes to areas targeted for the first time, including the Hanita and Al-Bassariyah regions, while Hezbollah responded to the Israeli raids on Baalbek by targeting the Miroun military base twice consecutively.
The head of the UNIFIL mission and its Force Commander, General Arolde Leandro de Oliveira, stated, 'We have witnessed over the past few days a troubling shift in the exchange of fire' along the southern Lebanese border. He noted, 'This conflict has resulted in a very large number of casualties and caused extensive damage to homes and public infrastructure. It has also endangered livelihoods and affected the lives of tens of thousands of civilians on both sides of the Blue Line. However, we are now witnessing an expansion and intensification of the strikes.' Leandro clarified that 'in recent days, we have continued our active engagement with the parties to mitigate tensions and prevent dangerous misunderstandings, but recent events have the potential to jeopardize the political solution to this conflict.' He urged all relevant parties to halt hostile actions to prevent further escalation and leave room for a political and diplomatic solution that can restore stability and ensure the safety of people in this region.
Meanwhile, the US State Department announced that 'Israel has informed us that it does not want escalation with Lebanon and seeks a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.' It emphasized that Washington does not want escalation from both parties on the Lebanese-Israeli borders.
Despite diplomatic efforts, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant stated that Iran and Hezbollah are seeking to 'turn Ramadan into the second stage of October 7th, and we must stop them.' Reuters reported that Hezbollah would cease fire if Hamas agreed to a ceasefire with Israel unless Lebanon continued to be shelled. The Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defense Forces continued his threats, saying, 'Hezbollah must pay a very heavy price, and we will restore security to the residents of the north.'
Regionally, Israeli forces continued their intense shelling on Rafah and Khan Yunis in the south of the Gaza Strip, and Deir al-Balah in the central area, on the 144th day of the aggression on Gaza, resulting in casualties and injuries, most of whom were women and children.
Politically, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid al-Ansari stated that there were many developments within the framework of mediation efforts related to Israels war on Gaza, confirming that meetings are ongoing in this regard but have not yet yielded any results. He said, 'There is no breakthrough to announce regarding a ceasefire agreement in Gaza.'
The spokesperson for the Israeli government stated that Hamas presented unrealistic conditions during prisoner exchange negotiations, described by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as illusory, and 'it must present realistic conditions.' She added in a press conference that many humanitarian aid trucks are still waiting from Gaza, and the governments task is only to verify their contents, indicating that the government can inspect more trucks before they enter the sector.
Separately, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak criticized Netanyahu in an interview with the Israeli army radio, saying, 'Netanyahu is willing to risk the lives of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza if it benefits his image.' He added, 'For Netanyahu, it is important to appear strong rather than reach a deal. He is willing to risk the lives of hostages.'
Netanyahu, on his part, said that 'Israel faces pressure to end this war before achieving all our objectives.' He added, 'We want to release more hostages, and we are willing to make great efforts to achieve that, but we will not pay any price, especially the imaginary prices set by Hamas.'
In the context of events in the Red Sea, a spokesman for the Houthi Ansar Allah group in Yemen was quoted by Reuters as saying, 'Operations against Israeli ships in the Red Sea will not stop until the Israeli aggression on Gaza ends.' He added, 'If the Israeli aggression stops and aid enters Gaza, we will reassess the situation.'
In the Gulf, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, during which they reviewed the aspects of Saudi-Ukrainian relations and discussed the latest developments and the Ukrainian-Russian crisis.
The Saudi Crown Prince affirmed the Kingdoms keenness and support for all international efforts aimed at resolving the crisis, reaching peace, and continuing efforts to contribute to alleviating the humanitarian consequences.
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian President expressed appreciation and thanks for the efforts exerted by the Kingdom in this regard.
Internationally, on the events in the Red Sea, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that the issue of navigation safety in the Red Sea should be resolved through political and diplomatic means. He added that Moscow does not justify targeting commercial ships in the Red Sea, and likewise, Washingtons actions in Yemen should not be justified.
In the US, Reuters quoted a senior adviser to President Joe Bidens election campaign as saying that their situation has been more damaged by his support for Israel 'more than we expected.'
The agency also quoted US officials as saying that the depth of anger within the Democratic Party over Bidens handling of the Gaza war surprised his election campaign and could lead to a decline in support for him.
Furthermore, President Joe Biden said that the only way for Israel to survive is to seize the opportunity to achieve peace and security with the Palestinians.
Biden observed that Israel has received support from most countries in the past, 'but if it continues its current behavior with Ben Gvir and others, it will lose support, and this is not in its interest.'
