Media Summary
Hezbollah claims to have more fighters than Lebanese army
BBC News reports that a bomb attack on a Syrian military bus has killed at least 13 people, according to Syrian state media SANA. The bomb was detonated in central Damascus shortly after dawn. This is reportedly the deadliest bombing in central Damascus since 2017. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State is suspected to be behind it.
The Times and The Associated Press report that Hezbollah has claimed to have more soldier that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). Hassan Nasrallah said the group now commands 100,000 fighters – the LAF is estimated to have 75,000 fighters. One expert said: “Nasrallah’s brag is likely to further ratchet up anxiety about a return to sectarian fighting in the small country roiled by a series of devastating crises.”
BBC News reports that investigations into abuse by British soldiers in Iraq have now ended, without any prosecutions proceeding. The body responsible for investigating claims looked into 1,291 cases of alleged abuse between 2003 and 2009.
BBC News reports that Egypt sworn in 98 women judges yesterday. The country’s State Council had been exclusively male since its inception in 1948, but over the last couple of months Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi has called for women to join the country’s two main judicial bodies.
The Financial Times reports that the Director General of the UN’s nuclear watchdog has warned Iran’s nuclear activities are no longer “intact”. Rafael Grossi, the Director General of the IAEA, told the paper he has not been able to talk to the country’s new foreign minister, adding: “I need to have this contact at the political level. This is indispensable. Without it, we cannot understand each other.”
The Telegraph reports on private generator owners in Lebanon. The paper notes that: “For years private generator owners have reaped fat profits by charging a hefty premium to supply a gap in the electricity market. But amid Lebanon’s economic collapse, business is no longer booming – and the head of the ‘generator mafia’ is today threatening to plunge Lebanon ‘into darkness’. ‘Be ready in two days: We’re going to hand our generators over to the government and tell them it’s their problem to deal with. We cannot keep going.’”
Reuters reports that Israel has approved residency for 4,000 undocumented Palestinians in the West Bank. The undocumented Palestinians will now be officially registered in the Palestinian Population registry, which will allow them to receive identification cards and could enable them passage through Israeli military checkpoints.
The Guardian reports that a group of human rights lawyers will today file a legal complaint accusing Saudi Arabia and the UAE of being involved in war crimes in Yemen. The complaint will name around 20 key members in the political and military circles of both countries. It calls for their immediate arrest, should they ever enter the UK.
Reuters and The Associated Press report that according to the UN children’s agency, 10,000 children have been killed or maimed since fighting broke out in 2015. James Elder, a spokesperson for UNICEF, called the findings a “shameful milestone,” saying the figure was the “equivalent of four children every single day”. Some 11 million children still require humanitarian assistance.
The Independent reports that an amateur scuba diver has found a 900-year-old sword off the coast of Israel in the Mediterranean Sea. The sword is believed to have belonged to a crusader. A representative of Israel Antiquities Authority said: “The sword, which has been preserved in perfect condition, is a beautiful and rare find and evidently belonged to a crusader knight. It was found encrusted with marine organisms, but it’s apparently made of iron. It is exciting to encounter such a personal object, taking you 900 years back in time to a different era, with knights, armour, and swords.”
Kan Radio News reports on ongoing tensions in East Jerusalem. Last night 21 Palestinians were arrested during protests near the Damascus Gate. Police officers used tear gas to disperse the rioters in response to rocks being thrown at them. The outlet also notes that an IDF soldier was wounded by rocks thrown by Palestinians amid ongoing protests in Hebron.
Ariel Kahana writes for Israel Hayom about the government’s plans to double the number of settlers in the Jordan Valley. The Housing and Construction Ministry is drafting a motion will designate 90 million NIS to the project, but it does not call to establish any new settlements, only to expanding existing ones. Currently, the Jordan Valley is home to roughly 1,500 families.
Barak Ravid writes for Walla News about a meeting former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had with Russian Ambassador Anatoly Viktorov. Russian President Vladimir Putin had tasked the ambassador to hand Netanyahu a personal farewell letter. Netanyahu reportedly told the Ambassador to convey back to putting that he will “be back in the Prime Minister’s Bureau very soon.” Ravid writes about the close ties between Netanyahu and Putting noting that “Netanyahu’s relations with Putin also served him politically. The Likud hung up huge posters of Netanyahu and Putin on billboards across the country, coupled with a caption that read: ‘a different league.’ Before every one of the general elections that were held in the last three years Netanyahu, went to the Kremlin for a photo-op with Putin in hope of winning over Israelis who had emigrated from Russia and the other former Soviet republics. Putin never had any qualms about helping Netanyahu politically, especially when doing so served him as well. One example was his invitation to Netanyahu to attend the Red Army parade to celebrate the victory over Nazi Germany, which was boycotted by many other world leaders. Putin and Netanyahu both profited politically from that photo-op.”
Maariv reports on news that the US is preparing to reopen its consulate in East Jerusalem. The paper references reports in the Palestinian media that the reopening in imminent. Sources close to Israel’s Foreign Minister denied the report and noted that Israel has not given consent for the US to reopen its consulate in East Jerusalem. The report elicited fiery reactions on the Israeli right. MK Nir Barkat (Likud) wrote on Twitter: “We won’t allow a Palestinian consulate to be opened, which will divide united Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Jewish people.”
Maariv reports that the National Home Front will carry out exercises at the end of October simulating war time scenarios as well as rioting inside Israel. The decision to simulate rioting inside Israel was made following the May Gaza conflict, which saw widespread rioting inside Israel. The exercises will simulate war with Hezbollah in the north, rocket fire from Gaza, and rioting inside Israel. It will essentially simulate a simultaneous war on two of Israel’s borders.