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When engineer Tarek Mazraani started campaigning for the reconstruction of war-battered southern Lebanon, Israeli drones hovered ominously overhead — their loudspeakers sometimes calling him out by name.Despite a ceasefire struck last November aiming to put an end to more than a year of fighting with Hezbollah, Israel has kept up near-daily strikes on Lebanon. In addition to hitting alleged militants, it has recently also targeted bulldozers, excavators and prefabricated houses, often saying they were part of efforts to restore Hezbollah infrastructure.The bombing has prevented tens of thousands of people from returning to their homes, and has made rebuilding heavily-damaged border villages — like Mazraani’s Hula — almost impossible.”For us, the war has not ended,” Mazraani, 61, told AFP.”We can’t return to our villages, rebuild or even check on our homes.”In cash-strapped Lebanon, authorities have yet to begin reconstruction efforts, and have been hoping for international support, particularly from Gulf countries.They have also blamed Israeli strikes for preventing efforts to rebuild, which the World Bank estimates could cost $11 billion.Eager to go back home, Mazraani established the “Association of the Residents of Border Villages” to call for the return of displaced people and the start of reconstruction.He even started making plans to rebuild homes he had previously designed.But in October, Israeli drones flew over southern villages, broadcasting a message through loudspeakers. They called out Mazraani by name and urged residents to expel him, implicitly accusing him of having ties with Hezbollah, which he denies.Asked by AFP, the Israeli army would not say on what basis they accuse Mazraani of working with Hezbollah.”They are bombing prefabricated houses, and not allowing anyone to get close to the border,” said Mazraani, who has moved to Beirut for fear of Israel’s threats.”They are saying: no reconstruction before handing over the weapons,” he added, referring to Israel’s demand that Hezbollah disarm.- ‘Nothing military here’ -Amnesty International has estimated that “more than 10,000 structures were heavily damaged or destroyed” between October of last year — when Israel launched a ground offensive into southern Lebanon — and late January.It noted that much of the destruction followed the November 2024 truce that took effect after two months of open war.Just last month, Israeli strikes destroyed more than 300 bulldozers and excavators in yards in the Msaileh area, one of which belonged to Ahmed Tabaja, 65.Surrounded by burned-out machinery, his hands stained black, Tabaja said he hoped to repair just five of his 120 vehicles destroyed in the strikes — a devastating loss amounting to five million dollars.”Everyone knows there is nothing military here,” he insisted. The yards, located near the highway, are open and visible. “There is nothing to hide,” he said.In a nearby town, Hussein Kiniar, 32, said he couldn’t believe his eyes as he surveyed the heavy machinery garage his father built 30 years ago.He said Israel struck the family’s yard twice: first during the war, and again in September after it was repaired.The first strike cost five million dollars, and the second added another seven million in losses, he estimated.”I watched everything burn right before my eyes,” Kiniar said.The Israeli army said that day it had targeted “a Hezbollah site in the Ansariyah area of southern Lebanon, which stored engineering vehicles intended to rebuild the terrorist organisation’s capabilities and support its terrorist activity.” Kiniar denied that he or the site were linked to Hezbollah. “We are a civilian business,” he said.- Disarmament disagreements -In October, Israel killed two engineers working for a company sanctioned by the United States over alleged Hezbollah ties.Under US pressure and fearing an escalation in strikes, the Lebanese government has moved to begin disarming Hezbollah, a plan the movement and its allies oppose.But Israel accuses Beirut of acting too slowly and, despite the stipulation in the ceasefire that it withdraw, it maintains troops in five areas in southern Lebanon.Hezbollah, meanwhile, insists Israel pull back, stop its attacks and allow reconstruction to begin before it can discuss the fate of its weapons.In the aftermath of the 2006 war with Israel, Hezbollah spearheaded rebuilding in the south, with much of the effort financed by Iran.But this time, the group’s financial dealings have been under heightened scrutiny.It has insisted the state should fund post-war reconstruction, and it has only paid compensation for its own associates’ rent and repairs.For three long seasons, olive grower Mohammed Rizk, 69, hasn’t been able to cultivate his land.He now lives with his son just outside the city of Nabatiyeh, having been forced out of his border village where his once-vibrant grove lies neglected.”The war hasn’t ended,” he said. “It will only be over when we return home.”

Incumbent Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, who is vying for a second term, has scored a big win in general elections, sources close to the premier said on Wednesday.Iraqis on Tuesday headed to the polls for a general election that came as the country experiences a rare moment of calm in a region roiled by recent conflicts.The next premier must answer to Iraqis seeking jobs, better infrastructure, and improved education and health systems in a country plagued by corruption and mismanagement.But he also faces the exacting task of maintaining the delicate balance between Iraq’s allies, Iran and the US, even more so now that the Middle East is undergoing seismic changes, with new alliances forming and old powers weakening.Iraq’s electoral commission is expected to announce preliminary results later in the evening, but an official close to the premier said that his “Reconstruction and Development list has secured a major victory”.Another two sources said Sudani’s alliance has “won the largest bloc”, with approximately 50 seats.Sudani has emerged as a major force in Iraqi politics, after he was brought to power three years ago by an alliance of pro-Iran groups.- Difficult task -Once final results are confirmed, lawmakers are set to begin negotiations to nominate the prime minister — an often painstaking task that has at times taken months.With an outright majority almost impossible to achieve by any single list, the role of prime minister is determined by the coalition that can secure enough post-election allies to form the largest alliance.In Iraq, the role of prime minister goes to the Shiite majority, the speaker of parliament to a Sunni Muslim, and the largely ceremonial presidency goes to a Kurd. In previous parliaments, Shiite-majority parties have struck compromise deals to work together and form a government.Sudani was brought to power in 2022 by the Coordination Framework, an alliance of powerful pro-Iran Shiite parties who formed the largest parliamentary bloc.A senior Iraqi politician told AFP last month that the Coordination Framework is divided over supporting Sudani, with former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki reportedly likely to oppose a second term for the incumbent.- Always a balance -Even as Iraq tries to move past two decades of war since a US-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein, the country of 46 million suffers from poor infrastructure and public services, mismanagement and corruption.Many Iraqis who boycotted the elections told AFP the vote wouldn’t bring meaningful change to their daily lives and said that it was a sham that only benefits political elites and regional powers.Sudani has nonetheless vowed to continue on the path of “reconstruction and development”.During his three-year tenure, Baghdad has been transformed into a bustling construction hub, with new tunnels and bridges springing up across the city.He also maintains that his government helped shield Iraq from regional turmoil in the past two years.The next premier will have to maintain the balance between Iran and the US, the long term foes for whom Iraq has often served as a proxy battleground.Since the US-led invasion, Iran has held sway in Iraqi politics, not only backing influential politicians but also supporting armed groups there.The past two years have seen Israel inflict heavy losses on Tehran-backed groups in the region, and Iran itself was on the receiving end of an unprecedented Israeli bombing campaign that led to a 12-day war in June.In addition to maintaining its foothold through the groups it backs, Tehran is also seeking to keep the Iraqi market open to products from its crippled economy.Washington meanwhile hopes to cripple Tehran’s influence, and has long pressured Baghdad to disarm Iran-backed groups.

A Danish court put two Swedish teenagers on trial on terrorism charges for having thrown two hand grenades at the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen last year.The two men, aged 18 and 21, have also been charged with aggravated assault and attempted murder.”My client pleads not guilty to the charge of terrorism,” Jakob Buch-Jepsen, the lawyer for the 18-year-old, told the court. The defendant pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of aggravated assault.”He admits to throwing two grenades… but he did not throw them at the embassy,” Buch-Jepsen said, while his client, dressed in a white t-shirt, looked on.According to Swedish media, the young man was recruited by Swedish criminal network Foxtrot while he was in secondary school.The same teenager is also being prosecuted in Sweden for a shooting at the Israeli embassy in Stockholm on October 1, 2024.The second defendant, wearing a black puffer jacket, pleaded not guilty to all charges. Two explosions were reported near the Israeli embassy in the area of Hellerup in Copenhagen in the middle of the night on October 2, 2024.According to prosecutors, the men had transported five hand grenades to the area near the embassy.They then threw two of the hand grenades in the direction of the embassy, but they hit a nearby residential building and exploded.Police identified the DNA of the 18-year-old man on one of the grenades, which was found in a garden, said prosecutor Soren Harbo.The two men, aged 16 and 18 at the time, were arrested at Copenhagen’s train station as they prepared to travel to Amsterdam.A six-day trial has been scheduled, with the days spread out and it is expected to end on February 3.The embassy attack came hours after the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, in neighbouring Sweden, had been hit by shots.A trial for that incident has still not taken place.In May 2024, Swedish intelligence services claimed that Iran was recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs to carry out attacks against Israeli institutions, which Tehran has denied.