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Israel withdraws but keeps five positions in south Lebanon

Israeli troops withdrew from all but five points in south Lebanon on Tuesday, allowing displaced residents to return to border villages largely destroyed in more than a year of hostilities.Lebanon said any Israeli presence on its soil constituted “occupation”, warning it would ask the UN Security Council to push Israel to leave and that its armed forces were ready to assume duties on the border.In the south, many returned to destroyed or heavily damaged homes, farmland and businesses, after more than a year of clashes that included two months of all-out war and ended with a November 27 ceasefire.”The entire village has been reduced to rubble. It’s a disaster zone,” said Alaa al-Zein, back in Kfar Kila after the delayed withdrawal deadline expired under an Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal.Unable to reach Kfar Kila by car because of the destruction and army restrictions, residents parked at the entrance of the village and returned on foot.Israel had announced just before the pullout deadline that it would keep troops in “five strategic points” near the border, and on Tuesday its foreign minister, Gideon Saar, said they would withdraw “once Lebanon implements its side of the deal”.Israel’s army had said it would remain on the five hilltops, which overlook swathes of both sides of the border, “temporarily” to “make sure there’s no immediate threat”.Lebanon’s army announced it had deployed starting Monday in 11 southern border villages and other areas from which Israeli troops have pulled out.- ‘Embrace the land’ -The official National News Agency said two people had been found alive in Kfar Kila, three months after contact with them had been lost. One is a Hezbollah fighter thought to have been killed in fighting.It also said that “enemy forces” set off a powerful explosion outside the village of Kfarshuba.In a joint statement, UN envoy Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and the UNIFIL peacekeeping force said that at “the end of the period set” for Israel’s withdrawal and the Lebanese army’s deployment, any further “delay in this process is not what we hoped would happen” and a violation of a 2006 Security Council resolution that ended a past Israel-Hezbollah war.In Lebanon, the cost of reconstruction is expected to reach more than $10 billion, while more than 100,000 people remain displaced, according to the United Nations.But despite the devastation, Zein said villagers were adamant on returning.”The whole village is returning, we will set up tents and sit on the ground” if needed, he said, striking a defiant tone.Others were going south to look for the bodies of their relatives under the rubble.Among them was Samira Jumaa, who arrived in the early hours of the morning to look for her brother, a Hezbollah fighter killed in Kfar Kila with others five months ago.”We have not heard of them until now. We are certain they were martyred,” she said.”I’ve come to see my brother and embrace the land where my brother and his comrades fought,” she added.- Hezbollah disarmed? -Hezbollah strongholds in south and east Lebanon as well as Beirut suffered heavy destruction during the hostilities, initiated by Hezbollah in support of ally Hamas during the Gaza war.Under the ceasefire, brokered by Washington and Paris, Lebanon’s military was to deploy alongside United Nations peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period that was extended to February 18.Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle remaining military infrastructure there.Since the cross-border hostilities began in October 2023, more than 4,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the health ministry.On the Israeli side of the border, 78 people including soldiers have been killed, according to an AFP tally based on official figures, with an additional 56 troops dead in southern Lebanon during the ground offensive.Around 60 people have reportedly been killed since the truce began, two dozen of them on January 26 as residents tried to return to border towns on the initial withdrawal deadline.

US and Russia hold talks in Saudi, no seat for Ukraine

Top US and Russian diplomats met in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for talks on resetting their fractured relations, the first such discussions since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.Both sides downplayed expectations of a breakthrough in this first high-level meeting between the countries since US President Donald Trump took office.Still, the very fact the encounter is taking place has triggered concern in Ukraine and Europe following the United States’ recent overtures towards the Kremlin.At Diriyah Palace in Riyadh, the talks began without visible handshakes, and no statements were made.A stern-faced US Secretary of State Marco Rubio sat across from Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, with US National Security Advisor Mike Waltz and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff by his side.Lavrov was accompanied by senior Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov. Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and national security adviser Musaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban also attended.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Kyiv was not invited to the discussions. European leaders met in Paris on Monday for emergency talks on how to respond to the radical pivot by the new Trump administration.Preparations for a possible summit between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are also expected to be on the agenda.Trump is pushing for a swift resolution to the three-year conflict in Ukraine, while Russia sees his outreach as a chance to win concessions.Zelensky said Kyiv “did not know anything about” the talks in Riyadh, according to Ukrainian news agencies, and that it “cannot recognise any things or any agreements about us without us”.As the Riyadh meeting got underway, the Kremlin said a lasting settlement in Ukraine would be “impossible” without addressing the wider issue of European security and that Ukraine had the “sovereign right” to join the European Union but that it was opposed to it joining NATO.”A lasting and long-term viable resolution is impossible without a comprehensive consideration of security issues on the continent,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding Putin was ready to talk to Zelensky “if necessary”.In Beijing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun welcomed “efforts towards peace” in Ukraine, adding that “at the same time, we hope that all parties and stakeholders can participate” in talks.Russia said ahead of the meeting that Putin and Trump wanted to move on from “abnormal relations” and that it saw no place for Europeans to be at any negotiating table.- Possible Trump-Putin summit -Moscow’s economic negotiator for talks with Washington, Kirill Dmitriev, told state TV on Tuesday that he expected “progress in the not so distant future, in the next two-three months”.”We have a series of proposals, which our colleagues are thinking about,” said Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund.Peskov earlier told reporters the Riyadh talks would be “primarily devoted to restoring the whole complex of Russian-American relations”, alongside discussions on “possible negotiations on a Ukrainian resolution, and organising a meeting between the two presidents”.Moscow, which for years has sought to roll back NATO’s presence in Europe, has made clear it wants to hold bilateral talks with the United States on a plethora of broad security issues, not just a possible Ukraine ceasefire.The prospects of any talks leading to an agreement to halt the Ukraine fighting are unclear.Three years after Moscow invaded Ukraine in February 2022, both Russia and the United States have cast Tuesday’s meeting as the beginning of a potentially lengthy process.”I don’t think that people should view this as something that is about details or moving forward in some kind of a negotiation,” US State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.Russia’s Ushakov told state media the talks would discuss “how to start negotiations on Ukraine.”- Europe meeting ‘not an option’ -Both Ukraine and Russia have ruled out territorial concessions and Putin last year demanded Kyiv withdraw its troops from even more territory.Zelensky was in Turkey on Tuesday for discussions on the conflict with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He is due in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday.Zelensky said last week he was prepared to meet Putin, but only after Kyiv and its allies had a common position on ending the war.As European leaders gathered in Paris for an emergency security summit, Russia’s Lavrov said Monday he saw no point in them taking part in any Ukraine talks.The significance of the talks taking place in Riyadh — once a diplomatic pariah under the former US administration — was not lost on analysts.”Europe’s the traditional meeting place for the Americans and the Russians, but that’s not an option in the current environment,” said James Dorsey of the National University of Singapore. “You either go to Asia or you go to Saudi Arabia,” he said.Moscow heads into the talks boosted by recent gains on the battlefield, while Kyiv also faces the prospect of losing vital US military aid, long criticised by Trump.burs-jc/ami/dv

Iran mulls moving capital to ‘lost paradise’ on southern coast

Faced with myriad problems including gridlocked traffic and a sinking earth surface in its current capital, Iran is considering a drastic solution — moving it to an altogether different location on the Gulf of Oman.Though the idea of moving the capital has cropped up on various occasions since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the proposals were repeatedly shelved as unrealistic due to the massive financial and logistical hurdles.But reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who took office in July, has recently revived the idea, citing Tehran’s growing challenges.These include traffic snarls, water shortages, resource mismanagement, extreme air pollution, as well as subsidence — the gradual sinking of land mass due to either natural processes or human activity.In January, government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani said the authorities were studying the possible relocation.”The Makran region is being seriously considered,” she said, without specifying a timeline.Makran is a largely undeveloped coastal area on the Gulf of Oman, stretching across Iran’s southern, impoverished Sistan-Baluchistan province and part of neighbouring Hormozgan province. It has repeatedly been touted as a frontrunner for the move.”The ‘lost paradise’ of Makran must be transformed into the future economic hub of Iran and the region,” said Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi in a Sunday speech.In September, Pezeshkian said “we have no choice but to move the economic and political centre of the country to the south and near the sea”.Tehran’s problems had “only worsened with the continuation of existing policies”.- ‘Safe and appropriate’  -The revival of relocation plans has reignited a debate over their necessity, with many highlighting Tehran’s historic and strategic significance.Lawmaker Ali Khazaei said that whatever future city is chosen, it must take into consideration Iran’s “rich culture”. Tehran, designated the capital by Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar in 1786, has served as Iran’s political, administrative and cultural hub for over two centuries.Tehran province is currently home to around 18 million people, as well as a floating population of about two million people who commute there during the daytime, according to governor Mohammad Sadegh Motamedian.The landlocked city sits on a sloping plateau at the foot of the snow-capped Alborz mountain range, blending modern high-rises with historic palaces, bustling bazaars and leafy parks.Makran is meanwhile known for its fishing villages, sandy beaches and ancient history dating back to the time of Alexander the Great. Still, many oppose the possible relocation.”This would be a completely wrong move because Tehran really represents Iran,” said 28-year-old engineer Kamyar Babaei, a resident of the capital.”This city is a symbol of the historic Qajar dynasty… a symbol of modernity, and of urban life,” he added. Similarly, urban planning professor Ali Khaksar Rafsanjani noted Tehran’s “strategic location”. The city “is safe and appropriate in emergency and war situations”, he told the reformist Etemad newspaper, adding that Makran is on the other hand “very vulnerable” as it sits on the Gulf of Oman.Former Tehran mayor Pirouz Hanachi says the capital’s problems “can be solved” and only required “investment” and taking measures to develop the city. There was no official estimate for the budget required to tackle Tehran’s urban challenges. But in April 2024, then-interior minister Ahmad Vahidi said relocating the capital could require a budget of “around $100 billion”, according to Tehran municipality news website Hamshahri.- ‘Economic hub’ -The local ISNA news agency weighed the pros and cons of moving to Makran, saying the region holds “the potential of becoming an important commercial and economic hub”.But it also noted that the relocation would add to Iran’s already heavy financial burdens, in part the result of decades of international sanctions.Etemad also listed among the advantages of moving to Makran “regional development, access to open water, and reduced vulnerability to earthquakes,” as opposed to Tehran which is prone to seismic activity.  But it pointed to the heavy costs and disruption of lives, noting that the move would pose massive logistical challenges.Another outlet, Khabar Online, also pointed to the Makran region’s vulnerability to climate change. “Climate changes and a lack of water resources in the Makran region, combined with rising temperatures and declining rainfall, have created very fragile environmental conditions that limit the potential of extensive development,” it reported, quoting ecologist Hossein Moradi.For Banafsheh Keynoush, a fellow at the International Institute for Iranian Studies, the choice of Makran could reflect broader strategic ambitions. “By selecting Makran as possibly the next capital, Iran aims to compete with seaports like Dubai and Gwadar” in neighbouring Pakistan, she said in a post on X.She added that it would provide a boost to the nearby coastal city of Chabahar “despite sanctions” and, crucially, “reassert [Iran’s] role in the Persian Gulf waterway”.

Israel pulls out of Lebanon villages, but holds five positions

Israel’s army has pulled out of southern Lebanese villages but remains in five positions, as a delayed withdrawal deadline expired Tuesday under a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.The ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed militant group has been in effect since November 27, following more than a year of hostilities, including two months of all-out war in which Israel launched ground operations.Israel had announced hours before the pullout deadline that it would keep troops in “five strategic points” near the border, and on Tuesday its defence minister, Israel Katz, confirmed the deployment and vowed action against any “violation” by Hezbollah.A Lebanese security source earlier told AFP that “the Israeli army has withdrawn from all border villages except for five points.”Lebanon’s army announced it had deployed in southern border villages and areas from which Israeli troops have pulled.Hezbollah strongholds in south and east Lebanon as well as Beirut suffered heavy destruction during the of cross-border hostilities.Hezbollah launched the attacks in support of ally Hamas, at war with Israel in the Gaza Strip since the Palestinian militant group’s October 7, 2023 attack.The Israel-Hezbollah conflict killed thousands in Lebanon and dozens in Israel, displaced tens of thousands on both sides and decimated the armed movement’s leadership.In Lebanon, the cost of reconstruction is expected to reach more than $10 billion, while more than 100,000 people remain displaced, according to the United Nations.Despite the devastation, thousands of those uprooted by the conflict have been waiting to return home, inspect their properties and in some cases search for the remains of loved ones.”I miss sitting in front of my house, near my roses and having a morning cup of coffee,” said Fatima Shukeir, in her 60s, who planned to return to her border village after more than a year and a half of displacement.”I miss everything in Mais al-Jabal, I miss my neighbours. We were separated and I don’t know where they went,” Shukeir said.Several border towns and villages, including Mais al-Jabal’s municipality, have called on displaced residents to wait for the Lebanese army to deploy there before coming back, so as to guarantee their “safe” return.Lebanese television channel LBCI reported Tuesday that the country’s army had moved overnight into Mais al-Jabal, Blida, Yaroun, Maroun and Mahbib.- ‘Lost young people’ -Under the ceasefire, brokered by Washington and Paris, Lebanon’s military was to deploy alongside United Nations peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period that was extended to February 18.Hezbollah was to pull back north of the Litani River, about 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border, and dismantle remaining military infrastructure there.Israel’s military said late Monday it would remain temporarily “in five strategic points” dotted along the length of the shared border in order to “continue to defend our residents and to make sure there’s no immediate threat”.Lebanese authorities have rejected any further extension of the withdrawal period, urging sponsors of the deal to pressure Israel to pull out.Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israel would do what it has to in order to “enforce” the ceasefire.”Hezbollah must be disarmed,” he added.Despite the destruction in the border area, Shukeir said she was eager to return home.”We’ll go to our town and be happy (again), despite the fact that our homes have been destroyed and we lost young people,” she said.On Monday, Ramzi Kaiss from Human Rights Watch said “Israel’s deliberate demolition of civilian homes and infrastructure” was making it “impossible for many residents to return”.Since the cross-border hostilities began in October 2023, more than 4,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the health ministry.On the Israeli side of the border, 78 people including soldiers have been killed, according to an AFP tally based on official figures, with an additional 56 troops dead in southern Lebanon during the ground offensive.Around 60 people have reportedly been killed since the truce began, two dozen of them on January 26 as residents tried to return to border towns on the initial withdrawal deadline.On Monday, Lebanon’s government said the state should be the sole bearer of arms, in a thinly veiled message on Hezbollah’s arsenal.Calls for the Iran-backed group’s disarmament have multiplied since the end of the war that has weakened the group.