Informed sources reported that the Lebanese Hezbollah received Iranian funds, despite the United States tightening its sanctions on Tehran and the increasing difficulty of delivering funds to its Lebanese ally.
Reuters quoted sources as saying that the party received $200 million from Iran last month with the aim of helping the Lebanese who were displaced as a result of the war with Israel this year. Brokers who transferred the money reported that they received a 20 percent commission, which is four times the usual commission. In response to a request for comment, a party official said that a sum of money had been made available, without going into details of its source.
In a related context, a ministerial source confirmed to Asharq Al-Awsat that Lebanon will present, in the Lebanese-Israeli military meeting under American sponsorship in Florida, between 20 and 22 October this year, Israel’s withdrawal from the towns located in the vicinity of Beaufort Castle, allowing its army to deploy there. The source stressed that the Israeli army’s continued bulldozing of towns located within the “yellow line,” and its systematic destruction of the remaining homes therein, will also be on the agenda of the meeting.
Iraqi security imposed a curfew yesterday (Wednesday) in villages in the city of Hawija (north of Baghdad), following surprise attacks, believed to be carried out by ISIS cells.
Armed men attacked federal police detachments on Monday and Tuesday, killing and wounding security personnel. Security sources said that the gunmen used machine guns and sniper rifles, while security sources confirmed that thermal cameras were out of service.
For its part, the Federal Police Forces Command said, in a statement, that one of its members died while confronting the attack, while the Chairman of the Security and Defense Committee in the Kirkuk Council, Ahmed Ramzi, confirmed that “the attack confirms the continued danger of sleeper cells,” calling for intensifying the intelligence effort and security operations to prevent the recurrence of these attacks.
Experts ruled out ISIS's ability to establish its presence on the ground, but they pointed out that active cells still possess "explosive devices and belts."
The United Nations Interim Force operating in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) announced that its position near the border with Israel came under fire with small arms on Wednesday, but the incident did not result in casualties, according to what was reported by Agence France-Presse.
UNIFIL said in a statement: “A UNIFIL position near Kfar Shuba on the Blue Line in the eastern sector came under fire from small arms this morning.”
It added that all of its members stationed at the site rushed to “take cover,” without any casualties being recorded among their ranks, while the bullets hit the “external wall” of the site and some of them hit “housing units and United Nations vehicles inside the base.”
UNIFIL denounced the shooting as “unacceptable” and bearing “clear signs.”
She added that “such deliberate attacks put the lives of peacekeepers in grave danger,” noting that she had opened an investigation into the incident.
The UNIFIL force, deployed in southern Lebanon since 1978, includes about 7,500 members from 46 countries.
But the UN Security Council decided in August last year, under American pressure, to end UNIFIL’s mandate on December 31, 2026.
The approaching end of UNIFIL's mission comes at a time when Israel continues to occupy large areas in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had confirmed in an interview with Agence France-Presse in September that Lebanon was open to any force to replace the United Nations Interim Force operating in southern Lebanon, stressing the need to avoid any “vacuum” after the withdrawal of UNIFIL.
