International
UN accuses Israel of ceasefire breach
UN accuses Israel of ceasefire breach
The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon accused Israel Saturday of a “flagrant violation” of the 2006 Security Council resolution that forms the basis of its November ceasefire with Hezbollah.
The statement from the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) came as Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem warned the militant group’s patience with Israeli violations could run out before the end of the ceasefire’s 60-day implementation timeframe.
The fragile truce, which took effect on November 27, has been marked by mutual accusations of violations from both sides.
“This morning, peacekeepers observed an (Israeli military) bulldozer destroying a blue barrel marking the line of withdrawal between Lebanon and Israel in Labbouneh, as well as an observation tower belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces immediately beside a UNIFIL position there,” the peacekeeping force said.
“The (military’s) deliberate and direct destruction of both clearly identifiable UNIFIL property and infrastructure belonging to the Lebanese Armed Forces is a flagrant violation of Resolution 1701 and international law.”
The force, which is represented on the panel overseeing the ceasefire’s implemenation, called on “all actors to avoid any actions, including the destruction of civilian property and infrastructure, that could jeopardise the cessation of hostilities”.
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Under the terms of the ceasefire, the Lebanese army is to deploy alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as the Israeli army withdraws over a 60-day period.
Hezbollah is to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River — some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the border — and dismantle any remaining military infrastructure in the south.
In late December, the UN peacekeeping force expressed concern at the “continuing” damage being done by the Israeli military in south Lebanon.
Detailing its latest air strikes in Lebanon on Thursday, the Israeli military said it was acting to remove any threat to Israel “in accordance with the ceasefire understandings”.
Qassem said Hezbollah had decided to show patience, but warned that would not last indefintely.
UN accuses Israel of ceasefire breach
International
Canada’s Prime Minister, Trudeau, resigns
Canada’s Prime Minister, Trudeau, resigns
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he will resign. He said this at a news conference on Monday, with a senior government source telling AFP the embattled premier had decided to leave office.
Trudeau, facing his worst political crisis since becoming premier in 2015, is scheduled to address reporters at 10:45 am (1545 GMT).
The government source told AFP that Trudeau had decided to step down, but the timeline remained uncertain.
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Trudeau’s political fortunes plunged to new depths following the surprise resignation in December of his former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland.
In a scathing resignation letter, Freeland accused Trudeau of focusing on political gimmicks to appease voters, including a costly Christmas tax holiday, instead of steadying Canada’s finances ahead of a possible trade war with the United States.
Incoming US president Donald Trump has promised to impose a 25 percent tariff on all Canadian imports, a measure that could prove devastating to Canada’s economy.
Canada’s Prime Minister, Trudeau, resigns
International
Russia ‘guilty’ over downed Azerbaijan plane – Azeri president
Russia ‘guilty’ over downed Azerbaijan plane – Azeri president
Azerbaijan president said on Monday that Russia was “guilty” over the downing of an airline last month that Baku says was shot by Russian air defences.
An Azerbaijan Airlines Embraer 190 jet crash-landed in Kazakhstan on December 25, killing 38 of the 67 people on board, after being diverted from a scheduled landing in the southern Russian city of Grozny.
Moscow has admitted its air defences were operational in the area at the time, which it said was under attack from Ukrainian drones.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has apologised that the “incident” occurred in his country’s air space but has not responded to claims the plane was hit by Russian weapons.
“The guilt for the death of Azerbaijani citizens lies with representatives of the Russian Federation,” Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said on Monday, according to a statement published by his office.
Aliyev was meeting surviving crew and family members of crew who died in the incident.
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The Azerbaijani leader, who is close to Putin, has issued rare fierce criticism of Moscow over the crash, demanding an apology, admission of guilt and the punishment of those found responsible for the “criminal” shooting of the plane.
On Monday he said Russia’s “concealment” of the causes and “delusional versions” being put forward “cause us justifiable anger”.
Initial statements by Russia’s air transport agency that the plane had been forced to divert after a bird strike have triggered fury in Baku.
Aliyev said air defence measures for Grozny — the capital of Russia’s southern Chechnya region, where the plane was set to land — were only announced after the plane had been “shot from the ground”.
“If there was a danger to Russian airspace, then the captain of the plane should have been informed straight away,” Aliyev said.
He also questioned why the plane was sent hundreds of kilometres (miles) across the Caspian Sea to the Kazakh city of Aktau for an emergency landing.
“Why it was directed to Aktau, we have no information,” Aliyev said.
Azerbaijan says preliminary results of its investigation show the plane was hit accidentally by a Russian air defence missile.
Russia has opened its own criminal probe but has not said whether it agrees with Baku’s assessment.
The plane’s black boxes have been sent to Brazil for analysis.
Russia ‘guilty’ over downed Azerbaijan plane – Azeri president
International
Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia’s Kursk
Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia’s Kursk
Ukraine has launched a counter-attack in Russia’s Kursk region, the Russian defence ministry says.
As officials in Ukraine also suggested an operation was under way, Moscow said it had met the attack with artillery and air power.
Ukrainian forces entered Kursk region in August, seizing a chunk of territory. Russian forces have pushed them back in some areas without managing to eject them entirely.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said that security guarantees leading to an end to the war would only be effective if the US under Donald Trump provided them.
During a podcast interview with Lex Fridman, Zelensky praised the incoming US president’s influence and suggested Trump had the leverage to at least halt Russia’s ongoing invasion.
Trump pledged during his election campaign to quickly end the war, without giving details.
Zelensky said “Trump and I will come to an agreement and… offer strong security guarantees, together with Europe, and then we can talk to the Russians”.
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According to the Russian defence ministry, a Ukrainian assault detachment consisting of two tanks, one military engineering vehicle and 12 armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) attacked near the village of Berdin around 09:00 (06:00 GMT) on Sunday.
Russian forces hit back, it said, destroying both tanks, the military engineering vehicle and seven armoured fighting vehicles. Fighting continued, it added.
Aerial video of a column of armour moving through snow-covered countryside in daylight and coming under fire, with vehicles taking hits, was published by Russian state news agency Ria.
The BBC was not immediately able to verify the Russian footage or claims.
Speaking earlier, the head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Andriy Yermak, said there “was good news from Kursk Region” and that Russia was “getting what it deserves”.
Ukraine’s top counter-disinformation official Andriy Kovalenko said in a Telegram post on Sunday: “The Russians in Kursk are experiencing great anxiety because they were attacked from several directions and it came as a surprise to them.”
Oner Russian blogger, Yury Podolyaka, suggested the operation might have been diversionary, while another, Alexander Kots, did not rule out that the main attack could be launched somewhere else.
Kyiv’s forces are reportedly suffering from manpower shortages and have been losing ground in the east of Ukraine in recent months, as Russian troops advance.
It comes as the Ukrainian Air Force said Russia launched another drone attack on Ukraine overnight.
It said it had shot down 61 drones over Kyiv, Poltava, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Cherkasy, Dnipropetrovsk, Zhytomyr, and Khmelnytskyy regions
There were no direct hits, but a few houses were damaged in Kharkiv Region by an intercepted drone, the air force said.
In November, Ukraine reported its troops had engaged in combat with North Korean troops in the Kursk region.
The reported appearance of North Korean soldiers was in response to a surprise attack launched across the border by Ukrainian troops in August, advancing up to 18 miles (30km) into Russian land.
Moscow evacuated almost 200,000 people from areas along the border and President Vladimir Putin condemned the Ukrainian offensive as a “major provocation”.
After a fortnight, Ukraine’s top commander claimed to control more than 1,200 sq km of Russian territory and 93 villages.
Some of that territory has been regained by Russia.
Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia’s Kursk
BBC
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