09/27/2024September 27, 2024
Netanyahu hones in on Iran during General Assembly speech, accuses UN of slandering Israel
Israeli Prime Minister started his speech at the UN General Assembly by pledging to counter “slander” against Israel at the international organization.
Israel and several UN organizations have locked horns and criticized each other in recent months amid the fighting in Gaza, in particular.
“We are winning,” Netanyahu said regarding the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. “My country is at war, fighting for its life. We must defend ourselves against these savage murderers. Our enemies seek not only to destroy us, they seek to destroy our common civilization and return all of us to a dark age of tyranny and terror.”
Netanyahu said the threat of Iran had prompted Israel’s actions.
“Iran seeks to impose its radicalism well beyond the Middle East,” he said.
https://p.dw.com/p/4lAjf
Skip next section UN says more than 30,000 people crossed into Syria from Lebanon
09/27/2024September 27, 2024
UN says more than 30,000 people crossed into Syria from Lebanon
The UN refugee agency said “significantly more” than 30,000 people have fled from Lebanon to Syria since the beginning of the heavy Israeli strikes.
“Both Syrians and Lebanese are crossing from a country at war to one that has faced crisis and conflict for 13 years. We cannot imagine what an incredibly difficult choice that is, Over 30,000 have made that choice,” said Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, the UNHCR’s representative in Syria.
He added that around 80% of them were Syrian citizens, while the rest were predominantly Lebanese.
Well over a million Syrians fled to Lebanon during the Syrian civil war that erupted in 2011.
At least 118,000 people have also been internally displaced in Lebanon since fighting intensified in the last week, said Imran Riza, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Beirut.
https://p.dw.com/p/4l9gg
Skip next section Hezbollah fire rocket salvo into Israel
09/27/2024September 27, 2024
Hezbollah fire rocket salvo into Israel
said it had fired rockets into Israel on Friday at Kiryat Ata near the city of Haifa, some 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border, and the city of Tiberias, saying the attacks were a response to Israeli strikes.
The Israeli military said some of the missiles had been intercepted, and others had landed in open areas.
It also intercepted four unmanned aircraft that crossed from Lebanese territory into the maritime space off the coast of Rosh Hanikra at the Lebanese border.
The fighting between Israeli forces and Hezbollah is their worst in more than 18 years and part of the regional spillover of the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
https://p.dw.com/p/4l9Oz
Skip next section 9 killed in strike on Shebaa in Lebanon
09/27/2024September 27, 2024
9 killed in strike on Shebaa in Lebanon
A family of nine was killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese border town of Shebaa, Mayor Mohammad Saab told the Reuters news agency.
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported the strike happened at around 3 a.m. but published no further details.
The Israeli military did not immediately claim responsibility for the strike.
According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, nearly 700 people have been killed in Lebanon this week as Israel dramatically escalated strikes against .
https://p.dw.com/p/4l91g
Skip next section Israeli and US teams discuss cease-fire proposal
09/27/2024September 27, 2024
Israeli and US teams discuss cease-fire proposal
Prime Minister office said Israeli officials and their US counterparts met on Thursday to discuss a cease-fire proposal.
Netanyahu’s office said officials would continue talks in the coming days despite his apparent rejection of the US-led proposal.
On Wednesday, the US and , including France and Germany, called for a 21-day cease-fire to allow for negotiations in the escalating conflict between Israel and in .
But Netanyahu seemingly rejected that on Thusday, saying Israel’s “policy is clear.”
“We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we reach all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes,” he said.
Despite this, his office later said Israel appreciated the US efforts.
“Our teams met [on Thursday, September 26] to discuss the US initiative and how we can advance the shared goal of returning people safely to their homes. We will continue those discussions in the coming days.”
https://p.dw.com/p/4l8fA
Skip next section Lebanon foreign minister says crisis ‘threatens entire Middle East’
09/27/2024September 27, 2024
Lebanon foreign minister says crisis ‘threatens entire Middle East’
‘s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bouhabib has called for an immediate cease-fire and has warned that the crisis in Lebanon is a threat to the entire region.
“The crisis in Lebanon threatens the entire Middle East,” Bouhabib said. “We wish today to reiterate our call for a cease-fire on all fronts.”
Bouhabib welcomed efforts by the United States and France to move urgently toward a cease-fire before the situation spiraled out of control.
https://p.dw.com/p/4l8dN
Skip next section Germany pushes for Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire
09/27/2024September 27, 2024
Germany pushes for Israel-Hezbollah cease-fire
German Foreign Minister called on Israel and the Lebanese militant group to agree to a 21-day cease-fire in her address before the United Nations General Assembly.
She warned of the harm an escalation would have to peace and security.
“A broader regional escalation would not bring anyone long-lasting security,” Baerbock said.
Germany’s top diplomat also said that the lack of progress was sometimes frustrating and painful: “We are not giving up on seeking a political vision for Israelis and Palestinians to be able to live peacefully side by side.”
“For me, resignation is simply not an option, because that would mean that the playbook of terrorism and extremism carries the day,” Baerbock said.
Wednesday saw a group of states — Western nations such as the US, France and Germany, together with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar — call for a three-week cease-fire.
A halt in fighting is intended to create space to explore diplomatic solutions. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said a truce was not imminent and that it would continue with attacks in Lebanon.
kb/rc (dpa, AP, Reutes, AFP)
https://p.dw.com/p/4l8cu
The post Middle East updates: Netanyahu blames Hamas, Hezbollah at UN appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
