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War of words sharpens between Hezbollah and Saudi rulers

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[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]US adopts Saudi policy on Lebanon

Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah has declared that Lebanese Prime Minister Sa’ad Hariri is currently being detained in Saudi Arabia preventing his departure after his “forced” resignation. He has also alleged that US President Donald Trump must have known of the plans to force Hariri’s resignation.

Hariri announced his resignation white travelling to Saudi Arabia on November 4. Nasrallah had earlier alleged that Hariri’s TV broadcast was a pre-recorded video run by Riyadh’s official Al-Arabia TV.

Lebanon’s President Michel Aoun has not yet accepted the resignation saying he will wait until Hariri returns to Lebanon. Hariri holds dual citizenship: Saudi Arabia and Lebanon.

According to Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV, Hassan Nasrallah stressed that Saad Hariri is detained in Saudi Arabia and cannot return to Lebanon and added that Riyadh regime has decided to impose a new PM on Lebanon belonging to Future Movement.

Nasrallah was addressing ceremony marking the commemoration of Arbaeen, the 40th day of Imam Hussein’s martyrdom and Hezbollah’s Martyr Day, on Friday. Hassan Nasrallah said that Saudi falsely thinks it can impose new PM on the country and the move is aimed to provoke internal clashes, political disputes and seditions in the country.

He further said, “All of a sudden, out of nowhere, Saudi Arabia called the prime minister on urgent matter without his aide or advisers, and was forced to tender his resignation, and to read the resignation statement written by them.”

Hezbollah leader expressed that “Sa’ad Hariri is our political opponent, but he is also our prime minister. We declare that the prime minister of Lebanon has not resigned.” Nasrallah also said “Lebanon had enjoyed unprecedented stability over the past year”, and appealed for national country.

Nasrallah alleged that Saudi Arabia was involved in “blunt, unprecedented interference” and it was preventing Hariri’s return to Lebanon which is why “we deem the resignation of Hariri illegal and invalid”.

Meanwhile, Saudi foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir has told US based CNBC on  Friday that his country would not allow Lebanon to “be the platform from which harm comes to Saudi Arabia.”

Accusing Hezbollah of hijacking the Lebanese system, the Saudi top diplomat said, “Lebanese people are innocent and have been dominated by Hezbollah and we need to find a way to help the Lebanese come out from under the thumb of Hezbollah.”

He also said, “Hezbollah has been an instrument used by Iran to dominate Lebanon, to interfere in Syria, with Hamas and Al Houthis in Yemen.” “Hezbollah continues to hold on to its militia although it should hand over its weapons,” he said, adding “there should be no weapons outside the scope of government institutions.”

Meanwhile US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, without naming Iran, has expressed similar views as of his Saudi counterpart saying, “There is no legitimate place or role in Lebanon for any foreign forces, militias or armed elements other than the legitimate security forces of the Lebanese state.”

Sa’ad Hariri is part of the unity government which includes rival political factions such as those supported by Hezbollah.

Currently in the 128-member parliament, March 8 Alliance holds 53 seats including FPM with 18 seats, Amal, 13 and Hezbollah 11 seats along with other smaller parties. March 14 Alliance is currently holding 50 seats which includes PM Hariri’s Future Movement with 29 seats, Lebanese forces-8.

Under the arrangement of accommodating all religious groups in the government, speaker must be a Shia Muslim elected for a four year term, President is required to be Maronite Christian while Prime Minister has to be a Sunni Muslim. The privileges of Speaker are unusually powerful. Currently Nabih Berri of Amal Party is holding this office.

Observers believe that the controversy surrounding Saudi Arabia’s interference in Lebanese affairs to counter widening Iranian influence in Israel’s immediate neighborhood seems to be sufficient reason of heightening tension in the region.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Amid India-Canada diplomatic tensions, Justin Trudeau shares video of his Diwali celebrations

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

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Amid the ongoing diplomatic tensions between Canada and India over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Sunday shared a video of his Diwali celebration on social media platform X.

Sharing a 44-second video of his Diwali celebrations on social media, the Canadian Prime Minister wrote, “Happy Diwali! So many special moments shared celebrating with the community this week.”

This comes a day after India expressed its concern over the reports of cancelled Diwali celebrations in Canada.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Saturday, while addressing the media over Canada’s serious allegation against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Nijjar, said it was unfortunate that the prevailing atmosphere in Canada has reached high levels of intolerance and extremism.

In the video, Prime Minister Trudeau showed off some colorful religious threads on his wrists, explaining that he received them during visits to three Hindu temples in Canada recently. He called them symbols of “good luck” and “protection,” adding with a smile, “I’m not taking them off until they fall off”.

Trudeau was also seen interacting warmly with the community, celebrating the festival, and enjoying delicious Indian sweets like jalebis, which he jokingly said he would “save for the team.”

On November 1, Trudeau posted on X, “Happy Diwali! Today, Hindu, Sikh, Buddhist, and Jain families will celebrate the triumph of light over darkness with festivities, candles, diyas, and fireworks. Wishing you all joy and prosperity during this special time.”

Addressing a press conference in Delhi, Jaiswal said India condemns the recent allegations made by the Canadian government against Shah that he was purportedly involved in the killing of Nijjar and called it “absurd and baseless”.

Jaiswal also said that India had summoned the Canadian High Commissioner on Friday to protest in the strongest terms for the references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the Committee by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

On Tuesday, Morrison claimed that Shah orchestrated a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering aimed at Sikh separatists on Canadian soil. He informed members of Canada’s national security committee in Parliament that he had confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not provide details on how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

The Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks.

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India, China complete disengagement in Depsang, Demchok at LAC after 4 years standoff

In a significant development, India and China have completed the disengagement exercise in the Depsang and Demchok friction points at the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh. The troops of both the countries are now verifying the vacation of positions and removal of infrastructure.

Reportedly, the Indian Army said that coordinated patrolling will start soon by both sides, and the ground commanders will continue to hold talks. The two sides will exchange sweets for Diwali tomorrow.

Earlier, Foreign secretary Vikram Misri announced that New Delhi and Beijing reached an agreement to disengage in the remaining friction points at LAC in eastern Ladakh. After the agreement, the two countries began troops disengagement at the two friction points at Demchok and Depsang plains on October 23.

India-China relations worsened because of the Chinese troops’ aggression along the Line of Actual Control, the de facto border, in April 2020. It further deteriorated on June 15, 2020, after 20 Indian soldiers died in the line of duty thwarting the Chinese offensive in the Galwan Valley. New Delhi had said India’s bilateral relations with China will normalise only after the situation at the LAC returns to what it was before May 2020.

Reports said that the Indian Army and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) have pulled back their forward-deployed troops and equipment from the two flashpoints, and have also dismantled temporary structures that had been built during the four-year-long standoff.

The Indian soldiers will resume their patrolling in areas that had been cut off because of the PLA’s presence. Nonetheless, the disengagement in Depsang and Demchok will not lead to the creation of buffer zones.

Both the countries had disengaged from Galwan Valley, Pangong Tso, Gogra (PP-17A) and Hot Springs (PP-15) areas and created buffer zones. Speaking to a newspaper publication, Lieutenant General Vinod Bhatia (retd), a former director general of military operations said that the disengagement at Depsang and Demchok will facilitate patrolling by both sides in a coordinated manner, and in the agreed upon frequency and strength of the patrolling parties.

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Iran says 2 soldiers killed in Israeli air strikes

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

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The Iranian Army said on Saturday that two of its soldiers were killed in Israeli air strikes that targeted military bases.

Iran stated that its air defenses effectively countered the attack, resulting in the unfortunate deaths of two soldiers and some areas suffering limited damage.

The Israeli military conducted strikes on Iranian military sites after 2 am on Saturday, responding to what they cited as ongoing attacks by Iran and its allies in the region.

Following the strikes, the Israeli military announced they had successfully completed the mission and achieved their objectives.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the precise targeting of military sites in Iran to neutralize immediate threats to Israel.

“I can now confirm that we have concluded the Israeli response to Iran’s attacks against Israel. We conducted targeted and precise strikes on military targets in Iran — thwarting immediate threats to the State of Israel,” the Israel Defence Force posted on X.

Iran’s air defense headquarters acknowledged the hits on bases in Ilam, Khuzestan, and Tehran but asserted that these attacks were effectively repelled, with investigations ongoing to assess damages. Moreover, Iran indicated its readiness to retaliate against any Israeli aggression, stating that Israel would face proportional consequences for its actions.

Iran expressed its intentions to respond to the Israeli attacks on its military bases, condemning the actions as a violation of international law and the UN Charter’s principles on the use of force.

Emphasising Iran’s right to self-defense under the UN Charter, the Iranian Foreign Ministry highlighted its obligation to counter foreign aggression.

Pakistan strongly condemned Israel’s strikes on Iran, attributing the escalation to Israel and urging the UN Security Council to intervene for peace and security.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasised that Iran should refrain from retaliating against Israel, advocating for restraint on all sides to prevent further escalation.

“I am clear that Israel has the right to defend itself against Iranian aggression. I’m equally clear that we must avoid further regional escalation and urge all sides to restrain. Iran should not respond,” the PM said at a Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting.

The United States advised Iran to halt its attacks on Israel to cease the ongoing violence and break the cycle of conflict, underlining the importance of de-escalation.

“We urge Iran to cease its attacks on Israel so that this cycle of fighting can end without further escalation,” U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett told reporters.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the Israeli operation throughout its development and execution by his National Security Adviser, Jake Sullivan.

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