Lebanon will file a complaint against Israel at the UN Security Council over the construction of a concrete wall described as a new "act of aggression" within Lebanese borders.
The office of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said an “urgent complaint” would be sent by Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji. It will include evidence from the UN that the wall has made more than 4,000 square metres of Lebanese territory inaccessible to the local population, it said.
Construction of the wall, encroaching on the Lebanese side of the UN-demarcated Blue Line, has provoked anger in a country where Israel already carries out regular air strikes. Independent MP Marc Daou denounced “an act of aggression against Lebanon, its sovereignty and its land”.
The complaint to the UN “is necessary”, as well as increased action by UN peacekeepers, he said. “The signal here is clear: the Israeli aggression continues, and there is no serious intent to stabilise the situation or to co-operate with the Lebanese government to resolve the current conflict.”
Israeli wall in southern Lebanon - in pictures
A Hezbollah source condemned the move as an “Israeli escalation” and a “de facto annexation of Lebanese territory”. They said it “confirms Israel’s ambitions and its intention to continue its occupation and avoid committing to any agreement,” the source said.
The land grab, the source added, gives Hezbollah further legitimacy in its argument for refusing to surrender its weapons in the current situation – as the Lebanese government proceeds with a US-backed plan to disarm it. “This is why the resistance insists that weapons, within a national security strategy, are essential to preserving our rights,” the source said.
“We are making concessions, while Israel continues to expand and take steps that further undermine Lebanese sovereignty,” they added.
The UN peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon said on Friday that the Israeli army had built the wall near the UN-demarcated Blue Line, to which Israeli forces withdrew when they left south Lebanon in 2000.
A statement from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon said a survey last month showed a section of the wall south-east of the town of Yaroun crossed the line and was a violation of Lebanon's sovereignty. Unifil said it had informed the Israeli army of the findings and requested it move the wall.
The Israeli military has said the wall does not cross the Blue Line. It said the structure was part of a broader military plan comprising work that began in 2022.
In a separate incident, Unifil said on Sunday that Israeli troops fired at them from a tank near a position held by Israel inside Lebanese territory. The “heavy machine gun rounds” flew approximately five metres from the UN forces, who were not hurt.
Israel said it had misidentified the troops as "suspects" due to poor weather. The peacekeepers said they had recorded more than 7,300 Israeli “air violations” and more than 2,400 activities by Israeli forces north of the Blue Line since last year's ceasefire.
Last November a ceasefire was struck between Israel and militant group Hezbollah that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between the two sides, including two months of all-out war.
Under the truce, Israel was supposed to completely withdraw its forces from south Lebanon but has since held on to five positions it deems strategic. It has also kept up regular air strikes in the area, saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives.
Unifil says the Israeli military has continued to fortify these five positions over the past year. Israel says it will not pull back unless Hezbollah is disarmed.
“Since the start of the war, and as part of lessons learnt from it, the [Israeli military] has been advancing a series of measures, including reinforcing the physical barrier along the northern border,” the Israeli military said regarding the wall.
Unifil, established in 1978, operates in Lebanon between the Litani River and the Blue Line in the south. The mission has more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries and about 800 civilian staff, according to its website.
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
- Then came the international super rich, including the last king of Greece, Constantine II, the Sultan of Brunei and Indian steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal who was at one point ranked the third richest person in the world.
- Turkish tycoon Halis Torprak sold his mansion for £50m in 2008 after spending just two days there. The House of Saud sold 10 properties on the road in 2013 for almost £80m.
- Other residents have included Iraqi businessman Nemir Kirdar, singer Ariana Grande, holiday camp impresario Sir Billy Butlin, businessman Asil Nadir, Paul McCartney’s former wife Heather Mills.
Hunting park to luxury living
- Land was originally the Bishop of London's hunting park, hence the name
- The road was laid out in the mid 19th Century, meandering through woodland and farmland
- Its earliest houses at the turn of the 20th Century were substantial detached properties with extensive grounds
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Favourite piece of music: Horse Dance by Naseer Shamma
Favourite book: Science and geology
Favourite place to travel to: Washington DC
Best advice you’ve ever been given: If you have a dream, you have to believe it, then you will see it.
When is VAR used?
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
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- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
New schools in Dubai
Groom and Two Brides
Director: Elie Semaan
Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla
Rating: 3/5
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIERS
Qualifier A, Muscat
(All matches to be streamed live on icc.tv)
Fixtures
Friday, February 18: 10am Oman v Nepal, Canada v Philippines; 2pm Ireland v UAE, Germany v Bahrain
Saturday, February 19: 10am Oman v Canada, Nepal v Philippines; 2pm UAE v Germany, Ireland v Bahrain
Monday, February 21: 10am Ireland v Germany, UAE v Bahrain; 2pm Nepal v Canada, Oman v Philippines
Tuesday, February 22: 2pm Semi-finals
Thursday, February 24: 2pm Final
UAE squad:Ahmed Raza(captain), Muhammad Waseem, Chirag Suri, Vriitya Aravind, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Raja Akifullah, Karthik Meiyappan, Junaid Siddique, Basil Hameed, Zafar Farid, Mohammed Boota, Mohammed Usman, Rahul Bhatia
AUSTRALIA SQUAD
Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Chadd Sayers, Mitchell Starc.
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THE BIO
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Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
