Tensions between the Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel are escalating more and more each day. On Monday, August 5, three people were killed in an Israeli strike on Meiss El-Jabal, a Lebanese village bordering Israel. While the Israeli army reported two soldiers injured in a Hezbollah airstrike in Lebanon’s Upper Galilee. Faced with this explosive situation, China, in turn, called on its nationals not to travel to Lebanon. And the head of American diplomacy, Antony Blinken, urged all the protagonists of the conflicts in the Middle East to “break this cycle” of violence, in particular by sealing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.
Key information to remember
⇒ US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken urged all parties to “break this cycle” of violence
⇒ Nine UNRWA employees “may have been involved” in October 7 attack, UN investigation finds
⇒ China, in turn, advises its nationals not to travel to Lebanon
Blinken calls on all parties in the Middle East to “break this cycle” of violence
US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken on Monday urged all parties to the Middle East conflicts to “break this cycle” of violence, notably by sealing a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip between Israel and Hamas.
The Secretary of State assured that the United States was doing everything to prevent a risk of military confrontation between Iran and Israel since the assassination of the leader of the Palestinian Hamas movement, Ismail Haniyeh. “Escalation is in no one’s interest. It can only lead to more conflict, violence and insecurity. It is therefore crucial that we break this cycle by achieving a ceasefire in Gaza,” Antony Blinken pleaded to the press at the State Department. “We are involved in intense diplomacy day and night with a very simple message: all the protagonists must avoid escalation,” hammered the American Secretary of State alongside his Australian counterpart Penny Wong whom he received at the State Department.
Nine UNRWA employees ‘may have been involved’ in October 7 attack
Nine employees of the UN refugee agency (UNRWA) “may have been involved” in the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel, according to the UN’s internal investigation into 19 people accused by Israel.
In late January, Israeli authorities first accused 12 UNRWA employees of involvement in the October 7 attack by the Palestinian Islamist group, sparking a storm against the agency, the backbone of humanitarian aid in Gaza. Seven more names were later added to the list. Major donors then suspended funding for the agency, which has more than 30,000 employees serving 5.9 million Palestinians in the region, including 13,000 in Gaza. According to a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, the employees will be fired.
China advises its citizens against traveling to Lebanon
“Given the current special circumstances,” Chinese nationals traveling to Lebanon “may face higher security risks and the assistance (of the embassy) may be affected,” the Chinese representation in Beirut said. Chinese citizens are urged to be “highly vigilant, strengthen their security measures and be prepared for emergency situations,” the embassy added in a statement released Monday evening, in a more moderate tone than other countries.
Several capitals have called on their nationals to leave Lebanon in recent days, amid fears of a military escalation in the region. Lebanese Hezbollah has been exchanging fire daily with the Israeli army on the border for months, in support of the Palestinians since the start of the war in Gaza.
Palestinian prisoners tortured: UN experts denounce “absolute impunity”
Ten UN experts warned Monday against “the escalation of the use of torture” in Israel against Palestinian prisoners since the war in Gaza, denouncing “absolute impunity” and calling for the prevention of a crime against humanity.
They denounce “the silence of the States […] following the emergence of testimonies and reports of allegations of ill-treatment and torture”, and call for “pressure on Israel” to implement a system of access, surveillance and protection of Palestinian detainees. The experts say they have received “substantiated information” reporting numerous cases of torture, sexual assault and rape, “in atrocious inhumane conditions”.