{"id":36147,"date":"2026-08-16T08:41:07","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T08:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=36147"},"modified":"2026-08-16T08:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T08:41:07","slug":"lebanon-condemns-israels-systematic-destruction-in-the-south-as-a-violation-of-international-law","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/?p=36147","title":{"rendered":"Lebanon condemns Israel\u2019s \u2018systematic destruction\u2019 in the south as a violation of international law"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"A
A photograph taken from the southern Lebanese village of Zawtar al-Gharbiyah showing Israeli troops stationed in the nearby village of Zawtar al-Charkiyah on August 11, 2026. \u00a9 Ammar Ammar, AFP<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lebanon on Wednesday condemned Israel’s “systematic destruction” in the country’s south as a violation of international law, as Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said his country\u2019s military was “destroying all the houses” in the area. Read our liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US says permanent Israeli presence in south Lebanon violates framework<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A US State Department official responded, saying that the United States “expects all parties to act in a manner consistent with the Framework they agreed to, and Israel clearly stated that it has no territorial ambitions in Lebanon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“A permanent military presence in South Lebanon is not consistent with the commitments made in the Framework, or the long-term peace and security of both states,” he said in an email to AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taliban detain two Afghan staffers with UN political mission<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Afghanistan\u2019s Taliban rulers have detained two Afghan members of the UN political mission in the country, the United Nations said Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Taliban\u2019s General Directorate of Intelligence detained the two staffers in the western city of Herat on Sunday, UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq told UN reporters. He said the UN mission has not been informed of the charges against the two men or been able to visit them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mission has called on the Taliban “to ensure compliance with the privileges and immunities of the United Nations and its officials”, Haq said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US strikes targeting Houthis killed 153 civilians in Yemen last year, Pentagon review says<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

US airstrikes targeting Iranian-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen last year killed more than 150 civilians, according to a Pentagon review of the attacks, which comes as concerns rise over civilian casualties during military campaigns under the Trump administration. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The unclassified assessment, obtained by The Associated Press, was sent to Congress as part of an annual report on civilian casualties and reported earlier by NBC News. A Pentagon official, who was not authorised to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said the department will submit the report in the coming months but had nothing more to announce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon review focused on three air strikes in April 2025 that were launched during the US campaign against the Houthis. The militants were attacking commercial ships in the Red Sea, a crucial global trade route that leads to the Suez Canal and into the Mediterranean, as well as Israel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Those strikes targeted hostile forces in or near Yemen\u2019s rebel-held capital city of Sanaa as well as the Ras Isa port, the report said. A total of 153 civilians were killed and 243 were injured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The strike on the port was the most deadly, killing 80 people and injuring 171 others. It sent massive fireballs billowing skyward and turned tanker trucks into burning wrecks. The Houthis aired graphic footage of the aftermath on their al-Masirah satellite news channel, showing corpses strewn about the port.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lebanon condemns ‘systematic’ Israeli destruction in south<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Wednesday condemned Israel’s “systematic destruction” in the country’s south as a violation of international law, as Israel’s defence minister said its military was “destroying all the houses” there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Salam said Israeli “attacks, incursions, demolitions and the systematic destruction of homes”, infrastructure, government buildings and places of worship “represent a serious violation of the principles and rules of international law and international humanitarian law”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Claiming that villages and towns “are entirely ‘military facilities’ does not stand up to any logic and cannot be used as an excuse for destroying them, displacing their inhabitants and preventing them from returning,” he said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel’s Defence Minister Israel Katz visited southern Lebanon on Wednesday, vowing to keep troops in a so-called “security zone” there and saying the Israeli military was “destroying the underground infrastructure” in the area and “destroying all the houses”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israeli settlers clash with troops as siege on Palestinian homes in West Bank village continues<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Israeli military on Wednesday failed to remove settlers from blockaded Palestinian homes in the occupied West Bank. The siege began over the weekend, when a group of settlers blocked essential supplies\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel carries out first Gaza strike in more than week, one dead: officials<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Israel on Wednesday carried out its first air strike in more than a week in Gaza, both sides said, breaking a lull as the United States pressed a peace plan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We carried out a strike to remove a threat,” an Israeli military spokesperson told AFP, while the Gaza civil defence agency said that one person was killed and several were injured and taken to a Gaza City hospital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Families of Lebanese seized by Israel ask for news of loved ones<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Relatives of Lebanese seized by Israel during its last two wars with Hezbollah held a rally in front of the International Committee of the Red Cross in Beirut to demand information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israel is estimated to have seized dozens of people in Lebanon since 2024, including Hezbollah fighters but also numerous civilians. Its military occasionally reports capturing Hezbollah fighters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In its last round of negotiations with Israel, Lebanon demanded the release of a first batch of people seized from Lebanese territory, a Lebanese official told AFP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump says US has ‘total control’ over Strait of Hormuz<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

US \u2060President \u200bDonald Trump said the United States has “total control” of \u2060the Strait of \u200cHormuz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“The U.S.A. has \u2060total control over the Strait \u200bof Hormuz. I THINK \u200cWE WILL KEEP IT! Our \u200cNaval Blockade is \u200bbeing called, by everyone, \u201cA WALL OF STEEL,\u201d and \u200bthere is \u200bnothing Iran \u200bcan do about it,” \u200bhe wrote on his Truth Social platform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EU, 26 countries condemn Iran’s executions of protesters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The \u200bEU and \u200b26 countries condemned Iran’s executions of protesters \u200bin \u200ca \u2060joint statement, \u200cFrench Foreign Minister Jean-No\u00ebl Barrot said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The countries \u200bcalled on \u200cIran to listen to \u200cits people, \u200btake meaningful steps toward ensuring respect for human \u200brights, immediately end \u200buse \u200bof the death \u200bpenalty and release those arbitrarily detained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHARE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12\/08\/2026 18:30<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kuwait says it foiled attack plot, arrests one national affiliated with Islamic State group<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kuwait’s \u200binterior \u200bministry said on Wednesday it foiled \u200ba \u200cterrorist \u2060scheme \u200cto attack a \u2060vital facility in the country, \u200bthe \u200cstate news agency reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u200cministry said \u200bone national was arrested as \u200bhe was affiliated \u200bwith the Islamic \u200bState group before carrying out any \u2060attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gulf oil spill fast becoming worst in years, agencies warn<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A vast oil spill \u200bin the Gulf is quickly becoming one of the world\u2019s worst in years after being allowed to spread almost unchecked for weeks, according to international agencies, satellite imagery and environmental groups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The slick off the coast of Oman from a grounded tanker carrying Russian crude had reportedly reached the mainland by Wednesday, the UN’s shipping agency told Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The slick now covers an area \u200bof more than 2,000 \u200csquare km, said John Amos, an oil spill specialist who reviewed satellite imagery obtained by Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Caroline Bezengi, carrying an estimated 800,000 \u2060barrels of Russian oil and under international sanctions, ran aground on June 30 at an Omani island that is part of a marine nature reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ship first reported difficulties off Yemen on June 8. Maritime sources said a blast appeared to have \u200coccurred aboard the Caroline Bezengi.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No party has claimed an attack, but the vessel was navigating two separate wars on its journey from Russia \u2060to India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

F-16 aircraft crashes in training flight in Turkey, defence ministry says<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A \u200bmilitary F-16 \u200baircraft crashed on Wednesday during \u200ba \u200ctraining \u2060flight in \u200cthe northwestern Turkish province \u2060of Yalova, Turkey’s defence ministry \u200bsaid, adding \u200cthat the pilot \u200chad ejected \u200band survived the crash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Israeli troops clash with settlers besieging Palestinian homes in West Bank<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Israeli troops clashed with \u200bJewish settlers on Wednesday while trying to disperse them from a West Bank outpost they set up directly in front of Palestinian homes, and later withdrew from the area after failing to clear the settlers, witnesses said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The incident \u200bon the outskirts \u200cof the Palestinian village of Qusra in the occupied West Bank marked a \u2060rare confrontation between settlers and the military and comes amid a sharp increase in settler land seizures and attacks on Palestinians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The military, in a statement late \u200bon Tuesday, described the Qusra outpost as “illegal, reprehensible, and unacceptable activity that harms the \u200cresidents of the areas and disrupts their daily lives”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, when troops deployed to the area to attempt to disperse the settlers on Wednesday morning, clashes broke out between the settlers and the troops, who deployed tear gas against the settlers, witnesses \u200csaid, and video reviewed by Reuters showed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army removed the cover of one of the outpost’s tents and then withdrew from the area, after which \u200bthe settlers tried to break the gate to one of the Palestinian homes, witnesses said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\ud83d\udcfd\ufe0fDonald Trump says he faced \u2018greater risk\u2019 on swapped plane<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

US President Donald Trump reportedly took a secret military flight out of Turkey last month in an undercover operation prompted by fears that Iran was planning an assassination attempt against the US president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The operation reportedly involved Trump being transferred between aircraft inside a catering truck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan interior minister in Iran to discuss regional security<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan’s interior minister is visiting Iran to discuss regional security, stability and other developments as Islamabad tries to mediate a resolution to the Middle East war.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mohsin Naqvi, previously involved in mediation efforts between Iran and the US, is known to be close to the powerful head of the Pakistani army, Asim Munir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iranian state news agency IRNA reported late Tuesday that Naqvi met with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“He is discussing bilateral relations, security, regional security and stability, and constructive engagement amongst the parties in the region and regional developments,” Pakistani foreign ministry spokesman Tahir Andrabi told reporters in Islamabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oil rises after attacks on ships in Hormuz, Bab el-Mandeb<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Oil prices rose on Wednesday after attacks on two ships reinforced worries about disruptions to Middle East supplies, while \u200bindustry data \u200cshowing swelling inventories of US crude might keep bulls in check.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brent futures \u2060were up 90 cents, or 1%, at $89.81 a barrel by 0757 GMT, set for their sixth day of gains. US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) \u200ccrude climbed 88 cents, or 1.1%, to $84.08, up for a fifth day. Both \u2060contracts earlier rose more than $1.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US and Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis reported separate attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait on Tuesday, two crucial \u200bexport valves for Middle Eastern oil and gas in addition to the \u200cSuez Canal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shipping data showed the number of vessels transiting Hormuz fell to \u200ca one-week low of eight on Tuesday. Before the war, 125 to 140 vessels passed through the crucial waterway each day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four drones hit Iranian Kurdish opposition camps near Iraq’s Erbil, sources say<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Four \u2060drones \u200bhit \u200bthree Iranian \u200bKurdish opposition \u200ccamps \u2060near \u200cErbil in \u2060Iraq on \u200bWednesday, \u200cwith no casualties \u200creported, \u200bsecurity sources told Reuters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Earlier Wednesday, Kurdish news site Rudaw reported that Iran fired missiles and drones at locations in the Alana Valley, about 90 kilometers north of Erbil, targeting positions of Iranian Kurdish opposition groups Komala and the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran (KDPI).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They included drone strikes on locations across Soran, Khalifan, and Harir districts in Iraqi Kurdistan at around 6 am local time. Two drones crashed in Khalifan, while another struck a civilian home in Soran and one crashed in Harir, where it caused a fire in the brushwood and grasslands of Mount Bani Harir.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more background on Iranian Kurdish opposition groups, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Three Pakistani nationals killed in attack on ship in Red Sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Three Pakistani citizens were killed in an attack by Houthi rebels on a vessel in the Red Sea, according to the Pakistani foreign minister.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement came a day after Yemen’s coastguard confirmed Houthi strikes on a vessel in the Red Sea killed at least six people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Three Pakistani nationals have lost their lives and one has sustained injuries in the incident,” Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on X. “Pakistan strongly condemns the Houthi attack on a non-combatant commercial vessel,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistani authorities are “in contact with the relevant Saudi authorities, as well as the internationally recognized Government of Yemen, to ascertain further details of the incident and the circumstances surrounding it,” said Dar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Palestinian students and staff sue Columbia University, alleging discrimination<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A group of \u200bcurrent and former Palestinian students and staff have sued Columbia University, alleging discriminatory \u200btreatment by the school against its Palestinian community since late 2023, according to a court filing in New York.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The lawsuit said the university \u200bfailed to \u200cprotect its Palestinian members from harassment and targeted \u2060them through what it cast as “unfair and biased disciplinary hearings”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Columbia has previously denied being \u200cdiscriminatory and has condemned hate. Local media reported that it declined \u2060to comment on pending litigation. It did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Protests took place at Columbia \u200band around the US after the start of Israel’s \u200cassault on Gaza following the October 2023 Hamas attack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In May 2025, Columbia suspended \u200bmore than 65 students for their role in shutting down the university’s main library in a pro-Palestinian demonstration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US military operations in Yemen in 2025 killed 153 civilians<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

US military strikes in Yemen in 2025 killed 153 civilians and wounded 243, a US official said on Tuesday, citing Pentagon assessments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This compares with a Pentagon assessment that two civilians were killed and two were injured by US military operations in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US helicopter fires missiles at cargo ship attempting to break Iran blockade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A US helicopter fired missiles on Tuesday into the engine room of a Panama-flagged cargo ship that attempted to break the American blockade of Iran’s ports, the United States military said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The US Navy MH-60 helicopter fired on and disabled the M\/V Vela Nova “after the ship’s civilian crew ignored repeated warnings from American forces,” US Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X, adding that the vessel “is no longer transiting to Iran in violation of the US blockade.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was the third time the United States, in a months-long war against Iran, has forcibly halted a vessel since reinstating the ports blockade on July 14.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CENTCOM said it has redirected 55 ships that tried to run the blockade and boarded two others as of Tuesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

US forces previously blockaded Iranian ports from April 13 to June 18, during which they disabled nine ships and redirected more than 140, according to CENTCOM.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trump says he secretly switched planes in Turkey over assassination threat<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he secretly switched planes in Turkey last month at the direction of the US Secret Service, but that the plane he ultimately flew on was still more vulnerable than Air Force One.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Following a NATO summit in Ankara, Trump was transferred from Air Force One to a military plane via a catering truck in an extraordinary deception prompted by an Iranian assassination threat, US media reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The White House did not disclose the change and it remained a secret until the Washington Post first reported it on Monday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some media commentators questioned whether the operation left Trump’s aides and journalists travelling with him at risk aboard the plane presumed to be carrying the president.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Welcome to this France 24 liveblog covering events in the Middle East. You can catch up on recent developments here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SHARE<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reference Link:- <\/em>https:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/middle-east\/20260812-middle-east-live-us-military-strikes-ship-violating-blockade-of-iranian-ports<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Lebanon on Wednesday condemned Israel’s “systematic destruction” in the country’s south as a violation of international law, as Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said his country\u2019s military was “destroying all the houses” in the area. Read our liveblog to see how the day’s events unfolded. US says permanent Israeli presence in south Lebanon violates framework […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":32231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"aside","meta":{"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2],"tags":[23876,24508,23877,33608,26530,26357,1510,25171,33604,33605,76,29326,33607,25456,33606,26276,4935],"class_list":["post-36147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-aside","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sample-category","tag-agression-2","tag-atrocities-2","tag-brutalities-2","tag-causalities","tag-hazbullah-2","tag-international-law-2","tag-israel-2","tag-israeli-attacks-on-lebanon","tag-israeli-invasion","tag-israeli-occupation","tag-lebanon","tag-south-lebanon","tag-systematic-destruction","tag-violation-of-human-rights-2","tag-violation-of-lebanese-sovereignity","tag-violation-of-un-charter-2","tag-war-crimes-2","post_format-post-format-aside"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=36147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36149,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36147\/revisions\/36149"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/32231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=36147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=36147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gsrra.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=36147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}