Middle East – Israel dey insist on di right to take act against Hezbollah for any deal to end fighting

Relatives of Hezbollah chief spokesman Mohammed Afif wey dem kill for Israeli airstrike for Beirut on Sunday, dey mourn during him funeral for di southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024.

Israel defense minister talk say him country insist on di right to take act militarily against Hezbollah for any agreement to end di fighting for Lebanon.

Lebanon government likely go see di demand as infringement on dia sovereignty, wey go complicate efforts to end more than one year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah wey erupt into all-out war for September.

Defense Minister Israel Katz talk for statement Wednesday say “di condition for any political settlement for Lebanon na di preservation of di intelligence capability and di preservation of di (Israeli military) right to act and protect di citizens of Israel from Hezbollah.”

Lebanese officials wey dey mediate between Israel and Hezbollah don call for return to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, wey end di 2006 war between di sides.

E call for Hezbollah militants and Israeli forces to withdraw from buffer zone for southern Lebanon wey U.N. peacekeepers and Lebanese troops dey patrol.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, wey don spend months dey try broker cease-fire, hold second round of talks on Wednesday with Lebanon parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, wey be ally of Hezbollah wey dey mediate on dia behalf.

Hochstein tell reporters say di talks don make “additional progress,” and say e go head to Israel “to try bring dis to a close, if we fit.” E decline to talk wetin be di sticking points.

Israeli strikes and combat for Lebanon don kill more than 3,500 pipo and wound 15,000, according to di Lebanese Health Ministry.

Di war don dis place nearly 1.2 million pipo, or quarter of Lebanon population.

For di Israeli side, 87 soldiers and 50 civilians, including some foreign farmworkers, don die from attacks wey involve rockets, drones and missiles.

Hezbollah begin fire on Israel di day after Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack trigger di war for Gaza.

Dat attack kill about 1,200 pipo for Israel, mostly civilians, and anoda 250 dem abduct.

Around 100 hostages still dey inside Gaza, at least one-third of dem dem believe don die.

Israel retaliatory offensive don kill nearly 44,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.

Israeli bill target families of minors convicted of security offenses

Di Israeli parliament don pass bill wey strip some insurance benefits from families of minors wey dem convict of security offenses.

One rights group condemn di legislation as form of collective punishment of Palestinians.

Di bill, wey pass 29-8 late Monday, ban direct family members of minors wey dem convict of security offenses from receiving child allowance, study grants, or oda welfare benefits under Israel National Insurance program while di minor dey imprisoned.

E pass to “cause parents to supervise dia children and make sure say dem no engage in terrorist activity,” according to press release on di website of di Knesset, Israel parliament.

Legal group Adalah, wey call on Israel attorney general to withdraw di law, talk say di true aim of di legislation na “to impose punitive measures under di pretext of counterterrorism by denying welfare benefits.”

Adalah talk say bicos di legislation only apply to those wey dem convict of security offenses, wey overwhelmingly be Palestinian, e “create distinction on di basis of nationality.”

E be di latest in series of measures wey di Knesset don pass wey rights groups don dey anounce as draconian.

One law wey dem pass earlier dis month go allow Israel to deport family members of Palestinian attackers to Gaza or oda locations.

For late October, di Knesset pass two laws wey ban UNRWA, di UN agency for Palestinian refugees, from operating on Israeli soil.

Lebanese army talk say one of its soldiers die from Israeli airstrike

One Lebanese army soldier die Wednesday from Israeli airstrike wey hit him vehicle on di road wey link Burj al-Muluk and Qalaa for southern Lebanon, di army talk for statement.

Di Israeli military talk say dem dey look into reports.

One day earlier, three soldiers die from airstrike wey target army post for di town of Sarafand, near di coastal city of Saida.

Wissam Khalifa, one resident of Sarafand wey live next to di army post and wey injure for di strike, talk say e shock say dem target am.

“E be safe residential neighborhood. Nothing dey here at all” wey go present target, e talk.

“Regarding di martyred soldiers, I no even know if gun dey for di center. Why dis strike happen? We no get idea.”

Di Lebanese army no dey active participant for di fighting between Israeli forces and di Lebanese militant group Hezbollah over di past 13 months, but more than 40 soldiers don die for di conflict.

Altogether, more than 3,500 pipo don die for Lebanon since Oct. 8, 2023, di vast majority of dem for di past two months.

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