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Report: Nine Hezbollah fighters killed in Israeli raids in Lebanon

Hezbollah

Al-Manar television channel reported on Thursday that shells were fired at the villages of Taybeh, Kfarkela, Khiam and the Marjayoun Plain, as the occupying regime continues its aggressive attacks on southern Lebanon.

It also noted that an Israeli drone executed an aerial assault by launching a guided missile toward the southern Lebanese border town of Yaroun.

In a statement, the Israeli military claimed that they had been targeting Hezbollah sites in the southern part of Lebanon, adding that it is going to continue its attacks “ as it sees fit.”

It also said that the occupying forces’ alert is raised to the highest possible level on the northern border.

Since October 8, the day after the Israel onslaught against Gaza started, the frontier between Lebanon and the Israeli-occupied territories has seen deadly exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and the Hezbollah movement.

Reports say Israel has repeatedly used US-supplied internationally-banned white phosphorus munitions in its attacks on Lebanon.

The fighting has forced the evacuation of tens of thousands from the northern part of the Israeli-occupied territories, which have been pummeled by rocket fire and shelling carried out by Hezbollah and allied Palestinian groups.

Nearly 150 Hezbollah fighters have lost their lives since the beginning of the conflict, while some 11 Israeli soldiers have also been killed.

US says Israel cannot erase Hamas from existence

Hamas

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said it was an “attainable goal” for Israel to knock out the military threat posed by Hamas but it could probably not “erase the group from existence”.

“Are you going to eliminate the ideology? No. And are you likely going to erase the group from existence? Probably not,” Kirby added.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stressed that Israel would not agree to a cessation of hostilities with Hamas in the Gaza Strip and would press ahead with its plans to wipe out the group.

US President Joe Biden’s administration has also rejected genocide allegations against Tel Aviv by multiple nations, insisting that Washington sees no indication that Israeli soldiers are committing such acts as they pound Gaza in a campaign to destroy Hamas.

South Africa’s government filed a genocide case against Israel last week in the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and NATO member Turkey announced its official support for the charge on Wednesday. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller denounced the allegations at a press briefing later on Wednesday, stating there was no indication that the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were committing genocide against the Palestinians.

“Genocide is of course a heinous atrocity, one of the most heinous atrocities that any individual can commit,” Miller said, adding, “Those are allegations that should not be made lightly, and as it pertains to the United States, we are not seeing any acts that constitute genocide.”

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was more pointed in his response, saying the allegations against Israel were “meritless”. He added that the ICJ case filed by South Africa was “counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever”.

The ICJ will hold public hearings next week on South Africa’s allegation that Israel is committing a genocide in Gaza. According to a press release, the hearings are set to be held on Thursday, 11 January, and Friday, 12 January.

More than 22,000 Palestinians have been killed since the Israel-Hamas war began on October 7, according to Gaza health authorities. The UN warned last month that more than 500,000 Gazans were starving amid the Israeli bombardment, and 85% of the population had been displaced. The conflict began when Hamas fighters launched surprise attacks against villages in southern Israel, killing more than 1,100 people, including nearly 700 Israeli citizens, and taking hundreds of hostages back to Gaza.

Ex-diplomat: Israel seeking to drag Iran into confrontation with US

Kerman Terror Attack

Seyyed Hossein Mousavian, who has previously served as a member of Iran’s nuclear negotiating team, said the blasts in Kerman which left dozens of people dead and hundreds more injured, resembled the previous Israeli plots in the region, including the assassination of top Iranian military advisor General Seyyed Razi Mousavi in Syria on Dec. 25 and the targeting of high-ranking Hamas leader Saleh al-Arouri in southern Lebanon on Monday.

The former Iranian diplomat said Israel has failed to achieve any of its goals in its months-long carnage against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, and seeks to spread the tension in the region in order to get Iran militarily engaged with the US.

The terrorist attack in Kerman, which left 84 people dead and over 280 people injured, was carried out while tens of thousands of people had gathered in Kerman to mark the fourth assassination anniversary of Qasem Soleimani, the prominent Iranian anti-terror commander.

People in Iran’s capital hold gathering to condemn Kerman terrorist act

Two strong bombs on Wednesday targeted a huge gathering of people who had convened in Kerman’s Martyr’s Cemetery to mark the fourth anniversary since senior Iranian commander General Qassem Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike outside the Iraqi capital Baghdad.

The blasts left 84 dead and 284 wounded. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Here are some of the pictures of the convention in Tehran to denounce the terrorist act:

Russia, Ukraine exchange record number of prisoners of war

Russia Ukraine War

The swap of captured personnel was the result of a “complex negotiation process” facilitated by the “humanitarian mediation” of the United Arab Emirates, the Russian military said.

The freed captives are being provided with medical and psychological assistance, and will be transported home by Russia’s Aerospace Forces, for treatment and rehabilitation in military medical facilities.

Shortly after the Russian announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted on his Telegram channel that “more than 200” Ukrainian servicemen have been released in exchange, later claiming the exact number was 230.

Neither side mentioned the other’s prisoners in their statements.

The exchange was reportedly the largest of the entire conflict so far. The last public PoW swap was in early August 2023, and involved 22 soldiers from each side.

In an early December interview with AP, Zelensky stated that small, local swaps continued to take place, claiming that Kiev had managed to retrieve about 100 personnel in this fashion.

Interior minister: Terrorists should be afraid of Iranian nation’s wrath

Kerman Terror Attack

In an interview with the state-run IRINN news channel earlier on Thursday, Ahmad Vahidi said the security situation in Kerman is under control and the security forces are working to identity and arrest those who were involved in the deadly blasts.

He also said healthcare and medical teams have been mobilized to treat the wounded.
Two bombs went off on Wednesday evening at a ceremony commemorating the prominent Iranian General Qassem Soleimani who was assassinated in US drone strike in 2020 at Baghdad International Airport.

Official figures put the number of the fatalities at 84, revised down from an earlier 103, and the injured at 284.

No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the attacks bear the hallmarks of terrorist attacks by Daesh.

Some Iranian media have also blamed Israel for the deadly incident, running headlines in their Thursday editions that the Israeli regime should await ‘harsh revenge.’

US says had no role in Iran terror attack

White House

Asked about the two Iran blasts, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters, “No. 1, the United States was not involved in any way, and any suggestion to the contrary is ridiculous. And No. 2, we have no reason to believe that Israel was involved in this explosion.”

Speaking at a press briefing in Washington, Miller also denied any US involvement or prior knowledge of the attack that killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri and six other people in a Beirut suburb.

Although he expressed sympathies to the victims of the Iran bombings, he claimed Al-Arouri was a “brutal terrorist” who was “was centrally responsible” for the October 7 attacks that triggered the Israel-Hamas war.

White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby made a similar statement on Wednesday, telling reporters, “I would just tell you that al-Arouri was a noted designated global terrorist, and if he is in fact dead, nobody should be shedding a tear over his loss.”

He added that US officials have no indication that Israel was involved in the drone strike.

Hezbollah and Hamas leaders, as well as Lebanese security officials, blamed Israel for the attack. Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah stated on Wednesday that the drone strike was a “major, dangerous crime about which we cannot be silent”. Israeli military officials declined to comment on the incident, in keeping with their policy of silence regarding extraterritorial assassinations.

Miller and Kirby both stated US President Joe Biden’s administration has been working since the Israel-Hamas war began to prevent the conflict from spreading to other fronts.

The State Department spokesman noted that while Washington remains “incredibly concerned” about the potential for such an escalation, those worries aren’t any greater in the wake of the attacks in Lebanon and Iran.

Wednesday’s explosions ripped through a memorial event in Kerman, Iran, marking the four-year anniversary of Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani’s death.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has vowed to bring the perpetrators behind Wednesday’s attack to justice, stressing, “The enemies of the nation should know that such actions can never disrupt the solid determination of the Iranian nation.”

Iran UN envoy: Tehran to use all available mechanisms to ensure accountability for Kerman bombings

Kerman Terror Attack

Amir Saeid Iravani, the Islamic Republic’s permanent ambassador to the United Nations, made the remarks in a letter to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the world body’s Security Council on Wednesday.

Hours earlier, at least 103 people were killed and 211 others injured in two explosions that took place near the burial site of Iran’s former senior anti-terror commander Lieutenant General Qassem Soleimani.

Iravani denounced the blasts as “a heinous terrorist act and an appalling crime.”

“This reprehensible act,” the ambassador said, “deliberately targeted innocent people.”

The envoy asserted that comprehensive investigations were underway to identify and apprehend the perpetrators and organizers of this “premeditated crime.”

He reiterated that Iran remained “steadfast” in both the pursuit of justice for the victims and the country’s ongoing fight against terrorism.

UN Maritime Organization calls for enhanced security measures in Red Sea amid rising attacks

IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez condemned the recent series of attacks on international vessels claimed by Yemen’s Houthis, emphasizing that such acts disrupt trade and are unacceptable under international law.

“The initial targets were ships with links to Israel, but this doesn’t seem to be the case at the moment,” Dominguez said.

Dominguez highlighted the economic and logistical repercussions of these threats while noting that 18 shipping companies have rerouted around South Africa, adding 10 days to journeys and increasing freight rates.

Dominguez stated the IMO remains committed to monitoring the situation and collaborating with member states, industry partners and naval forces.

A group of countries led by the United States have also warned Yemen’s Houthis of “consequences” unless they stop their attacks on Red Sea shipping vessels.

“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” said the statement released by the White House on Wednesday.

“The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways,” it added.

The United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Germany and Japan are among the 12 signatories. The only country in the Middle East to sign the statement was Bahrain.

The statement comes after several reports that US President Joe Biden’s administration is considering direct strikes on the rebels if the attacks continue.

The Houthis have announced that their attacks in the busy waterway are an act of solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza and that they are targeting ships with links to Israel.

The attacks have forced some of the world’s biggest shipping and oil companies to suspend transit through one of the world’s most important maritime trade routes, which could potentially cause a shock to the global economy.

The US has sent an aircraft carrier, the USS Dwight D Eisenhower, to the area and earlier announced a coalition of countries to protect movement in the Red Sea, through which 12 percent of global trade passes.

UN says totally against forced displacement of Palestinians in Gaza

Gaza War

“As a principle, we are completely against forced displacement. So that needs to be made very, very clear. The aim really should be for Palestinians to be safe in Gaza, for the civilians to be safe in Gaza,” Florencia Soto Nino, associate spokesperson for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, told reporters.

Her remarks came after Israeli officials called for the “voluntary evacuation” of Palestinians from Gaza and urged various countries to take in Palestinians from the enclave.

“We’ve been very clear that we’re not advocating, that no one should be advocating for mass displacement of Palestinians out of Gaza, and that they should be safe in their homes,” Nino said.

Every person has the right to be protected from forced displacement from their home or residence, she continued, adding that so far 85% of Gaza’s population has been internally displaced and living in “pretty dire conditions”.

“They have the right to return to their homes.”

Israel has launched relentless air and ground attacks on the Gaza Strip since a cross-border raid by the Palestinian group Hamas on Oct. 7.

At least 22,313 Palestinians have since been killed and 57,296 others injured, according to Gaza’s health authorities, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The forcible transfer of people in Gaza is an “act of genocide”, a UN special rapporteur said on Wednesday, warning other states to not be part of such a move.

“Forcible transfer of Gazan population is an act of genocide especially given the high number of children,” Balakrishnan Rajagopal, the special rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, wrote on X.

“Congolese or other states’ officials will be guilty of aiding and abetting genocide if they agree to any transfer of population,” he warned.