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In a wooded valley close to the Israeli border, United Nations peacekeepers showed AFP journalists a Hezbollah bunker they had uncovered in southern Lebanon, a former bastion of the militant group.The UN Security Council voted on Thursday to end the mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 2027, with the peacekeeping force facing US and Israeli opposition.The peacekeepers, first deployed in 1978, have recently been working with the Lebanese army to enforce a November ceasefire that followed more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.The Lebanese group was badly weakened and, as part of the ceasefire deal, is required to withdraw from south Lebanon.”This morning we conducted a recce in this valley that we identified as… of valuable interest” because it was hit by the Israeli military during the conflict, said Captain Tanguy, commander of the French reconnaissance and intervention troops, on Wednesday.The site, on the outskirts of the village of Meri, was hidden among trees and accessible only on foot via a rough mountain path.Green boxes filled with shells were scattered on the ground, while others were inside a storeroom that appeared to have been bombed.”Inside the bunker we found an artillery cannon of 152 mm calibre. It’s Russian-made. It was facing eastward and southward,” Tanguy said.- ‘Provide security’ -“This type of cannon has a range of about 15 kilometres (around 10 miles) effectiveness,” he added.Next to it were several dozen boxes each containing a 152 mm shell “ready to be used”. “And as you can see the cannon is still intact”, Tanguy said.”The next step would be for us to provide security in the area so the Lebanese Armed Forces can intervene and retrieve the valuable assets,” he said.Under the US-brokered ceasefire, Hezbollah and Israel were both required to withdraw from south Lebanon, while UNIFIL has deployed alongside the Lebanese military to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure there, including a substantial network of tunnels.Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in June that the Lebanese army had dismantled more than 500 Hezbollah military positions and weapons depots in the south.UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP that since the ceasefire, peacekeepers had found 318 weapons caches in southern Lebanon.Earlier this month, six Lebanese soldiers were killed in a blast at a weapons depot near the border that a military source said belonged to Hezbollah.Under heavy US pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli military action, Lebanon’s government this month tasked the army with drawing up a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year.For its part, Israel has retained troops at five points within Lebanon that it deems strategic. This month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested they would be withdrawn if Hezbollah were successfully disarmed.- ‘Monitor and report’ violations -Around 10,800 peacekeepers are stationed in southern Lebanon, where UNIFIL has been deployed since shortly after the Israeli invasion of 1978.Their deployment has spanned the Israeli invasion of 1982, its subsequent occupation of southern Lebanon until 2000, the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah as well as the recent hostilities which began in October 2023 and culminated in open war last year during which Israel sent in ground troops.The Security Council voted on Thursday to extend UNIFIL’s mandate one last time to the end of next year, with the force withdrawing by the end of 2027.The definitive end to the mission was pushed for by the United States and welcomed by Israel.Colonel Arnaud de Coincy, the commanding officer of UNIFIL’s quick-reaction Force Commander Reserve, said the peacekeepers would continue to support the Lebanese army “to provide all the expertise, all the assets we have, in order to help them” restore state authority to Lebanon’s south.UNIFIL’s main role is to “monitor and to report any violation” of the ceasefire, he noted.Clearly visible behind him was one of the five sites still held by Israeli troops, between the border towns of Kfar Kila and Burj al-Muluk.Israel has also kept up regular strikes on what it says are Hezbollah sites and operatives in Lebanon despite the truce.Tenenti said UNIFIL had recorded 5,095 Israeli air violations since the ceasefire began.

The Security Council voted Thursday for UN peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027, allowing only one final extension after pressure from Israel and its US ally to end the nearly 50-year-old force.Israel hailed the upcoming termination of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and urged the Beirut government to exert its authority after an Israeli military campaign devastated Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.With the United States dangling a veto threat, the Security Council voted unanimously for a resolution that will extend UNIFIL’s mandate “a final time.”France, which has a long legacy in Lebanon, had initially sought the routine one-year extension to the force without a firm commitment to ending it.But faced with US pressure, France put forward the compromise that authorizes UNIFIL through December 31, 2026 and then an “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal” within a year.Some 10,800 peacekeepers have been acting as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, remaining after Israel ended an occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. UNIFIL’s mandate had been due to end on Sunday.Israel, which has been sharply critical of the United Nations over its condemnation of its relentless offensive in Gaza, hailed the UN vote.”For a change, we have some good news coming from the UN,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s envoy to the world body.”I want to remind you, 47 years ago, the Security Council decided to send the UNIFIL force to South Lebanon in order to stabilize the region. We all know they failed. Hezbollah took over the region,” he said.”Today, the Lebanese government has the responsibility to take control of the area and to understand that they have to be there — not Hezbollah, not anyone else.”Dorothy Shea, the US envoy at the United Nations, noted that UNIFIL was explicitly meant to be “interim” and said the security situation in Lebanon was “radically different from just one year ago.” She reiterated that the United States, whose historic support for Israel has only increased under President Donald Trump, would reject any further extensions.”We urge the international community to use the coming year to bolster the Lebanese armed forces,” she said.- Weakening fortunes for Hezbollah -Israel has gone on the offensive against Hezbollah and other enemies since the devastating October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. Israel killed the leader of Hezbollah, a Shiite movement forged during the 22-year Israeli occupation that frequently fired missiles over the Blue Line that separates the countries.Under a truce between Israel and Hezbollah, the long-fledgling Lebanese national army has been deploying in southern Lebanon and dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had last week called for the UN peacekeepers to remain, arguing that curtailing UNIFIL’s mandate “will negatively impact the situation in the south, which still suffers from Israeli occupation.”But Lebanon’s government quickly welcomed the new resolution after it passed, emphasizing the securing of one last renewal.Aoun in a statement expressed hope “that the additional year for withdrawal will be a fixed deadline for confirming and strengthening Lebanon’s sovereignty over its borders.”French UN envoy Jay Dharmadhikari praised the “ambitious” work being taken by the Lebanese Armed Forces and said the extra year for UNIFIL would give it time to establish authority.- Hezbollah can exploit gap? -Britain, normally in lockstep with the United States, voiced appreciation for the French diplomacy but regretted that the decision was not made “on the basis of an evidence-based assessment.” “The United Kingdom believes that a premature withdrawal of UNIFIL would risk fostering a security environment that Hezbollah can exploit,” British envoy James Kariuki said. “That would harm communities both on sides of the Blue Line and set back efforts for a long-term political agreement,” he said. China, in a thinly veiled swipe at the United States, denounced the “stubborn insistence of a permanent member” that has shown “total disregard” for the situation on the ground.”Indeed no UN mission should exist permanently. But no mission should withdraw in haste while the situation remains tense,” Chinese envoy Geng Shuang said.

The Security Council voted Thursday for UN peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027, allowing one final extension after pressure from Israel and its US ally to end the nearly 50-year-old force.Israel hailed the termination of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and urged the Beirut government to exert its authority after an Israeli military campaign devastated Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.With the United States dangling a veto threat, the Security Council voted unanimously for a resolution that will extend UNIFIL’s mandate “a final time.”France, which has a long legacy in Lebanon, had initially sought a one-year extension to the force without a firm commitment to end UNIFIL.But faced with the US opposition, France put forward the compromise resolution that authorizes UNIFIL through December 31, 2026 and then an “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal” within a year.Some 10,800 peacekeepers have been acting as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978. The mandate had been due to end on Sunday.Israel, which has been sharply critical of the United Nations over its condemnation of its relentless offensive in Gaza, hailed the UN vote.”For a change, we have some good news coming from the UN,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s envoy to the United Nations.”I want to remind you, 47 years ago, the Security Council decided to send the UNIFIL force to South Lebanon in order to stabilize the region. We all know they failed. Hezbollah took over the region,” he said.”Today, the Lebanese government has the responsibility to take control of the area and to understand that they have to be there — not Hezbollah, not anyone else.”Dorothy Shea, the US envoy at the United Nations, noted that UNIFIL was explicitly meant to be “interim” and said that the security situation in Lebanon was “radically different from just one year ago.” She reiterated that the United States, whose historic support for Israel has only increased under President Donald Trump, would reject any further extensions.Under a truce that ended the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the long-fledgling Lebanese national army has been deploying in south Lebanon and dismantling the militant group’s infrastructure.As part of the ceasefire, and under pressure from Washington, the plan is for Hezbollah’s withdrawal to be complete by the end of the year.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun last week called for the UN peacekeepers to remain, arguing that any curtailment of UNIFIL’s mandate “will negatively impact the situation in the south, which still suffers from Israeli occupation.”But Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday welcomed the decision of the Security Council, pointing to its extension of the force.

Chinese-owned luxury carmaker Lotus said Thursday that it planned to cut up to 550 UK jobs, in part over uncertainty caused by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.The layoffs represent over forty percent of its 1,300 employees in Britain. Lotus said the restructuring was necessary to “secure a sustainable future,” citing the “rapidly evolving automotive environment, which …

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A British couple held in Iran on espionage charges have appeared in a Tehran court represented by a state-appointed lawyer, their family said on Thursday.Little has been known about the plight of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52, since Iranian authorities seized the pair in Kerman, in central Iran, in early January.They were passing through the country while on a round-the-world motorbike trip, but Tehran has claimed they are spies. Their family has rejected the claim.In Thursday’s update, relatives said in a statement sent to AFP that the couple was “unexpectedly brought before a court in Tehran yesterday (Wednesday) with a state-appointed lawyer”, prompting fresh fears over their treatment.”We cannot see how being suddenly whisked into a court room with no warning, with a state-appointed lawyer they only just met, could be considered to be a fair trial,” Lindsay’s son Joe Bennett said.The family added they understood Lindsay also met the UK’s ambassador to Iran, Hugo Shorter, on Wednesday and received a “comfort pack of essential supplies”.But an expected consular visit for Craig failed to materialise, they added.Relatives welcomed Lindsay’s meeting with Shorter, but said they remained “alarmed” by the conditions both detainees were facing.Earlier this month, they spoke by phone with them for the first time since the couple were detained in January. Days before the call, they learned the pair had been moved to separate prisons in and near Tehran. Lindsay was transferred to Qarchak women’s prison, which human rights groups have repeatedly criticised for its reported dire conditions.”Lindsay is likely sharing a cell of just 13 square metres (140 square feet) with nine other women,” Bennett said Thursday, noting it was so overcrowded amid three-tier bunk beds “only two prisoners can stand at one time”.He added his mother made a request to Shorter that she be transferred to Evin Prison, where Craig is being held and where “conditions are understood to be less severe”.Meanwhile, Bennett said the lack of a meeting between the ambassador and his stepfather was “deeply worrying”, in particular because Britain’s Foreign Office has been unable to transfer money to him to buy essentials.”It has been well over three and a half months since Craig was last seen. At that time, he had already lost weight. Now, with no funds and no access to food beyond the bare minimum, I can only guess at how he must be,” he added.Bennett urged the UK government to “act swiftly” and said the family had requested an urgent meeting with Foreign Secretary David Lammy.Rights groups and families of other Westerners who have been detained by Iran accuse Tehran of grabbing foreigners in a bid to get leverage over their respective governments.

In a Sudanese city long besieged by paramilitary forces, the war has taken an even more violent and terrifying turn, leaving residents facing hunger and death with little chance of escaping.The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), at war with the regular army since April 2023, has launched its fiercest assault to date on El-Fasher, the only major city in the western Darfur region still in army hands.Witnesses, volunteer groups and aid workers have reported in recent weeks intensifying RSF bombardment of El-Fasher and a nearby displacement camp, with relentless artillery fire, drone strikes and ground incursions.The United Nations says El-Fasher, the North Darfur state capital where about 300,000 people live, has become an “epicentre of child suffering”.Those able to escape the increasingly unlivable city have said the road out is lined with dead bodies.Mohamed Khamis Douda, a humanitarian worker who fled to El-Fasher in April from the Zamzam displacement camp, said the city faces “famine and other disasters”.He told AFP that disease is rampant, clean water is gone and medicine is unavailable, impacting especially the many wounded by shrapnel or gunfire.”We’re pleading with all parties to intervene, stop the fighting and help save the lives of those still left.”- Vanishing lifelines -El-Fasher, which the RSF has besieged since May 2024, is effectively sealed off — no aid, no trade and hardly any way out.Constant bombardment and restricted communications make it nearly impossible to share images of life inside El-Fasher, and residents say filming certain areas exposes them to attacks.Rare footage obtained by AFP shows children crouched around a single pot of food in a smoke-filled communal kitchen, their faces gaunt and expressionless.Nearby, women swirl long wooden paddles through a simmering mass of brown paste as families, silent and sunken-eyed, wait for whatever comes next.The high-pitched shriek of incoming mortars or the crack of gunfire are ever-present as RSF fighters push to capture the city and the adjacent Abu Shouk camp, pressing a campaign that in April brought Zamzam under their control.Famine was declared last year in Abu Shouk, Zamzam and a third camp near El-Fasher, with the United Nations warning it could spread to the city.Most residents rely on communal kitchens to eat, but even these lifelines are vanishing as supplies dry up.In one crowded kitchen, the traditional Sudanese dish assida is nearly unrecognisable — its usual grain base replaced with ombaz, a foul animal feed that can be deadly for humans.This week, a volunteer-run aid group said a mother, her three children and their two grandmothers had died after weeks of surviving on ombaz.According to UN estimates, nearly 40 percent of children under five in El-Fasher are either acutely or severely malnourished.Community leader Adam Essa told AFP this month that at least five children die daily in Abu Shouk alone.- Death on the way to safety -Since losing the capital Khartoum to the army in March, the RSF has shifted west to tighten its hold on Darfur, aiming to establish a rival authority and risking Sudan’s territorial fragmentation.The latest offensive has targeted El-Fasher’s airport, some neighbourhoods and the Abu Shouk camp, which is now largely under RSF control, as is the local police headquarters.In just 10 days this month, the UN reported at least 89 people killed in El-Fasher and Abu Shouk.Zamzam’s capture has triggered massive displacement toward El-Fasher and further west to towns like Tawila.Now the violence at Abu Shouk raises fears of another mass exodus.But the only escape route from El-Fasher, a 70-kilometre (45-mile) rugged road westward, has become a graveyard, strewn with dozens of unburied bodies.Local activists said many have died from hunger, thirst or violence.An AFP correspondent in Tawila said many arrivals are traumatised and exhausted, often bearing gunshot wounds from attacks along the route.- ‘Dangerous’ -Ibrahim Essa, 47, had tried to flee El-Fasher with his family in May but was forced to turn back amid clashes.Now, the family hide in a makeshift bomb shelter carved into the earth behind their home.”If there’s shelling, we all go into the bunker,” he told AFP.Civil servant Saleh Essa, 42, had walked for three days with his family, travelling under cover of darkness to avoid checkpoints until they finally reached Tawila.”It is safe here, but water and food are scarce,” he said.For some, escape is not an option.”We have no money,” said 37-year-old Halima Hashim, a schoolteacher and mother of four.Staying behind is like a slow death, she said, but “leaving is dangerous.”vid-ab-nda-maf/ami