Israel Reports Soldier Killed in South Lebanon, Orders Evacuation of 5 Villages
Israel's military said Friday that one of its soldiers died in combat in southern Lebanon, bringing its losses to 20 personnel since the war with Hezbollah began in early March.
Staff Sergeant Negev Dagan, 20, "fell during combat in southern Lebanon", the military said, without providing additional information.
Since the war began, 19 Israeli soldiers and one civilian contractor have been killed.
Moreover, Israel's military called on residents of five villages in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate ahead of expected attacks against Hezbollah, despite a truce with Lebanon intended to halt the fighting.
"In light of the terrorist Hezbollah's violation of the ceasefire agreement, the Defense Army is compelled to act against it forcefully," the military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X, listing five villages near the city of Tyre, on the south Lebanon coast.
"For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and stay away from the villages and towns by a distance of no less than 1,000 meters," he added.
Syria Arrests Cell Leader over Security Force Deaths
Syrian authorities said on Saturday they arrested a leader of a cell involved in the deaths of three security force personnel during an anti-extremists operation in the south.
"The internal security forces of Daraa province have arrested Walid al-Fallah, one of the main leaders of the cell involved" in the deaths of the personnel in the town of Al-Sanamein in Daraa province, state news agency SANA reported.
The security force members were killed as they were attempting to arrest a member of the ISIS group, a local government official had told AFP.
The group has been territorially defeated in Syria but maintains sleeper cells.
Interior ministry spokesman Noureddine al-Baba said the anti-extremists operation, which saw five people arrested, "succeeded in dismantling criminal cells and others linked to ISIS that were coordinating with each other".
ISIS used to control vast areas of Syria and neighboring Iraq before being defeated in the two countries in 2019 and 2017, respectively.
However, in Syria it continues to periodically claim attacks against government forces, particularly in the vast desert region, as well as in the north and northeast.
It had also been established in the past in Daraa province, where its leader Abu Hassan al-Hashimi al-Qurashi was killed in October 2022 in clashes with local gunmen.
Last year, the new Syrian authorities, who overthrew president Bashar al-Assad in 2024, joined the US-led international coalition against ISIS.
EU Urges US to Reconsider Visa Denial to Palestinian Delegation for UN Meeting
The European Union said on Saturday it regretted Washington's decision to deny visas for the second year running to Palestinian officials seeking to attend the UN General Assembly, urging a rethink, AFP said.
The US State Department said this week it was refusing to grant visas to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and other members of his delegation ahead of next week's meeting in New York.
"We regret the decision to extend the denial of entry visas for members of the Palestinian delegation for a second year in a row," said Anouar El Anouni, a spokesman for the EU's diplomatic service.
"In light of its existing headquarters agreements with the UN and its obligations as host state, we urge the United States for this decision to be reconsidered."
The administration of US President Donald Trump denied visas for the Palestinian delegation also last year, forcing Abbas, a regular at the UN General Assembly, to address the body of global leadership by video.
The General Assembly voted 152-3 on Thursday for Abbas to be able to appear virtually once again this year.
As it stands, only members of the Palestinian mission to the UN will be able to attend the meeting, which begins Tuesday.
On Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres also expressed regret at Washington's decision, adding he was concerned about its impact "on the ability of the State of Palestine to participate fully in the work of the United Nations".
The United States and Israel have objected to the Palestinian Authority's historical payments to families of imprisoned or slain Palestinians, including those who carried out attacks against Israelis.
The PA recently reformed this system, allocating welfare payments to families on a needs basis rather than political affiliation or prisoner status.
The State Department said Washington also opposed Palestinian "actions to internationalize the Israeli-Palestinian conflict including through the International Criminal Court (ICC) and International Court of Justice (ICJ), seeking to bypass negotiations through seeking unilateral recognition".
They accused them of "continuing to pay stipends to terrorists and to glorify acts of terrorism and terrorists in public pronouncements and school textbooks".
The United States is at odds with the 142 UN member states that recognized a Palestinian state at the United Nations last year.
The decision to deny Abbas a US entry visa comes as violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has escalated in recent months in the West Bank.
Mokha after Houthi Takeover: Looting, Poverty, Fear and Displacement
Since the Houthis seized the western Yemeni coastal city of Mokha a week ago, widespread looting has targeted homes, private property, government facilities and humanitarian organizations, while deteriorating basic services and soaring prices have added to pressure on residents, thousands of whom have fled fearing Houthi reprisals.
