Author: France 24

Since Israel launched a war against Hamas in October, there have been fears of the conflict spreading across Israel’s northern border to Lebanon. The targeted killing of Hamas deputy Saleh al-Arouri in a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut increased the risk, putting the focus on the Lebanese Shiite group’s next moves. The shockwaves triggered by Tuesday’s Israeli strike that killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri in a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut continues to ripple through Lebanon and the region.While the drone strike did not target the Lebanese Shiite group, the assassination in the heart of the Hezbollah stronghold of Dahiyeh, a teeming southern…

Saleh al-Arouri, the senior Hamas official killed in a suspected Israeli strike in the suburbs of Beirut, played a crucial role in building up the Palestinian group’s military capabilities and maintaining its links with regional allies. Arouri, 57, was one of the founders of Hamas’s armed wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, in the early 1990s.More recently, he served as the “channel or link” between the Hamas movement, Iran and Hezbollah, a Hamas source told AFP. He had regularly visited Iran.On October 25, the Hezbollah-owned Al-Manar TV channel reported that Arouri held a meeting with Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and…

Sierra Leone on Wednesday charged former president Ernest Bai Koroma with treason and other offences for his alleged role in what authorities have called an attempted coup on November 26, authorities said. Issued on: 03/01/2024 – 17:46 1 min Koroma, who led the West African nation from 2007 to 2018, had previously been questioned, with authorities saying he was an official suspect in the organisation of the coup attempt.”The former president is charged with four offences, including treason, misprision of treason, and two counts of harbouring,” a statement signed by Information Minister Chernor Bah said.Sierra Leone on Tuesday charged 12…

The future of Kylian Mbappe and his protracted courtship by Real Madrid is expected to be the key theme of the transfer window that opens in Europe on Monday. Issued on: 01/01/2024 – 03:51Modified: 01/01/2024 – 11:30 3 min Arsenal’s search for a proven goalscorer to spearhead their challenge for a first Premier League title since 2004 could also loom large.Manchester City meanwhile are widely expected to let Kalvin Phillips leave the club, ending a disappointing stay for the former Leeds midfielder who has failed to make his mark at the world champions.Much attention though will again focus on Mbappe,…

Issued on: 03/01/2024 – 16:28Modified: 03/01/2024 – 16:42 01:45 Israeli forces intensified their bombing of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday while the country’s defese miniser said the country remained “determined to achieve our goals” in the enclave, despite Israel being widely thought to be entering a third, less intense phase, of its assault on Gaza. Read more on related topics: Source link

Russia and Ukraine said Wednesday that they had exchanged hundreds of captive soldiers, the first such prisoner of war exchange in months. Issued on: 03/01/2024 – 17:56 The two warring sides had carried out several rounds of exchanges during Moscow’s 22-month long invasion, but the process had stalled in the latter half of last year.In almost simultaneous statements Wednesday, the Russian defence ministry and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced they had received over 200 soldiers each.”More than 200 of our soldiers and civilians have been returned from Russian captivity,” Zelensky said on Telegram, posting a video of uniformed men celebrating.Ukraine’s…

Former world champion cyclist Rohan Dennis has been charged in connection with the death of his wife, Olympic cyclist Melissa Hoskins, Australian media said Monday. Hoskins, a mother of two, died after being struck by a vehicle while riding in Adelaide. Issued on: 01/01/2024 – 17:03 2 min Dennis was charged with causing death by dangerous driving, endangering life and driving without due care, local media said. The reports said he had been released on bail to appear at the Adelaide Magistrates Court in March.Hoskins, 32, competed for Australia at the London and Rio de Janeiro Olympics.Police said emergency services…

Issued on: 03/01/2024 – 14:36Modified: 03/01/2024 – 15:31 04:13 Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group warned that Israel’s killing Tuesday of the deputy Hamas leader in a Beirut suburb they control “will not go unanswered or unpunished”. Read more on related topics: Source link

Two explosions minutes apart Wednesday in Iran targeted a commemoration for slain general Qassem Soleimani, killing at least 103 people and wounding more than 140, according to Iran’s official news agency. The attack came on the anniversary of Soleimani’s killing in a US drone strike as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel’s war on Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Issued on: 03/01/2024 – 13:47Modified: 03/01/2024 – 15:04 2 min The incident took place near the grave of the head of foreign operations of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards in the Saheb al-Zaman mosque in the southern city of Kerman, state…

Spanish World Cup-winning star Jenni Hermoso told a judge on Tuesday that the kiss forced on her by disgraced former Spanish football chief Luis Rubiales was “at no point consensual” and that she had come under pressure to defend his actions. Issued on: 02/01/2024 – 15:13Modified: 02/01/2024 – 16:53 2 min After arriving at the Audiencia Nacional in Madrid just before 10:00 am (0900 GMT), the 33-year-old went to testify before Judge Francisco de Jorge, who is investigating Rubiales on allegations of sexual assault and coercion.”At the end of her declaration, she ratified the statement made at the public prosecutor’s…