Who was Hassan Nasrallah?
NewsFeed Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader killed by Israel, has a mixed legacy; revered by many for standing up to Israel for decades, but loathed by others for fighting the Syrian opposition to Assad’s rule. Here’s how his life and death unfolded. Published On 28 Sep 202428 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
At least 17 killed in mass shooting in South African town
Police say a manhunt has been launched after the attack in the southeast of the country, were mass shootings have lately become common. Seventeen people, including 15 women, have been killed in two houses in close proximity to each other in a rural town in South Africa, according to the police. A search was under way for the suspects, national police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said in a statement on Saturday. The shooting took place on Friday night in the town of Lusikisiki in Eastern Cape province in southeastern South Africa. Video released by police showed the shooting occurred at two houses in the same neighbourhood, which is a collection of rural homesteads on the outskirts of the town. Twelve women and a man were killed in one house and three women and a man were killed in the other house, police said. Four women, one man and a two-month-old baby survived. Local media reported that the people were attending a family gathering at the time of the shooting, but the motives for the killing remains unknown. Manhunt under way Police minister Senzo Mchunu told a media briefing on Saturday that a team of detectives and forensic experts had been deployed. “We have full faith and confidence in the team that has been deployed to crack this case and find these criminals. Either they hand themselves over or we will fetch them ourselves,” Mchunu said. “We do not know the motive” and “we do not know if there is one or several suspects on the run”, national police chief Fannie Masemola said on SABC public television. South Africa, a country of 62 million, recorded 12,734 homicides in the first six months of this year, according to official crime statistics from the police. That is an average of more than 70 a day. Firearms are by far the biggest cause of death in those cases. Mass shootings have also become increasingly common in recent years, sometimes targeting people in their homes. Ten members of the same family, including seven women and a 13-year-old boy, were killed in a mass shooting at their home in the neighbouring KwaZulu-Natal province in April 2023. Firearm laws are reasonably strict in South Africa, but authorities have often pointed to the large number of illegal, unregistered guns in circulation as a major problem. Adblock test (Why?)
Israel kills Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut: What does this mean for Hezbollah?
Hezbollah’s leader for the past 32 years, Hassan Nasrallah, has been killed in an Israeli air strike on Lebanon’s capital Beirut on Friday evening. Ali Karki, the commander of Hezbollah’s southern front, and other Hezbollah commanders were also killed in the massive air attack on Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh, the Israeli military claimed. Just more than a week ago, Israel also killed senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in Beirut. These events come just two months after Hamas’s political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed by Israel in Iran. The deaths of Nasrallah and other leaders in these unprecedented attacks on Lebanon and during the mass detonation of pagers and handheld radios belonging to Hezbollah commanders earlier this month have left the group facing a potential power vacuum. Israel has claimed this as a huge victory, but observers fear an escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, backs Hezbollah. So what will happen next? Who was Hassan Nasrallah? Nasrallah, 64, became Hezbollah’s third secretary-general in 1992, after his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi, was killed by Israeli missiles. Hezbollah (Party of God in Arabic) is an Iran-backed group formed in 1982 to fight Israel’s occupation of southern Lebanon. It finds most of its support among Shia Muslims. Nasrallah reached the peak of his popularity in Lebanon and beyond in 2006 after a war with Israel. His speeches, which combined political and religious elements, also contributed to his widespread appeal. Critics, however, have also viewed Nasrallah as a leader of a Shia party fighting for Iranian interests, particularly after he sent fighters to help crush a 2011 uprising in Syria against Iran’s ally, President Bashar al-Assad. Since Israel’s war on Gaza began in October 2023, Nasrallah has given televised speeches extending support for Hamas, while Hezbollah has exchanged cross-border missiles with Israel. In his last speech on September 19, he addressed the pager attacks in Lebanon. What do we know about Israel’s attack on Nasrallah? On Friday evening, Israel carried out a wave of air raids on the densely populated Haret Hreik neighbourhood in Dahiyeh, southern Beirut. These continued through to early on Saturday, forcing thousands of residents to flee the area. On Saturday, Israeli forces said they had targeted Hezbollah’s headquarters and killed Nasrallah. Following hours of speculation, Hezbollah confirmed Nasrallah’s death. At least 11 people were killed and 108 wounded in the attacks, according to Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health. Israel media says about 85 so-called “bunker-buster” bombs were used in Friday’s attack. Also known as “ground penetration munition”, these missiles burrow deep into the ground before they detonate and weigh between 2,000 to 4,000 pounds (900-1,800kg) each. The Geneva Convention has outlawed their use in densely populated areas. Dahiyeh is a densely packed Beirut neighbourhood, and the Israeli missiles flattened multiple residential buildings. Who will succeed Nasrallah and how will this be decided? Hezbollah’s seven-to-eight-member shura council is expected to convene to decide who will now lead the party. Hashem Safieddine, head of Hezbollah’s executive council, is believed to be among the choices as the group’s new secretary-general. As executive council head, Safieddine oversees Hezbollah’s political affairs. He also sits on the Jihad Council, which manages the group’s military operations, and is Nasrallah’s maternal cousin. Following Israel’s recent pager explosions, Safieddine said Israel had initiated a “new confrontation” and the response to the attack would be a “special punishment”. How has Hezbollah responded to the latest attacks? In a statement on Saturday, in which it confirmed the death of Nasrallah, Hezbollah said it would continue its military operation in support of Gaza and the defence of Lebanon. It launched five rocket attacks into northern Israel following the announcement that Nasrallah had been killed, according to Al Jazeera correspondent Imran Khan, reporting from Marjayoun, Lebanon. Will Nasrallah’s killing weaken Hezbollah? While Hezbollah has been hit hard in the short term, analysts say it is unlikely that the group will be badly affected in the long run as one leader can be replaced with another and the group maintains its vast military arsenal and strength. Beirut is considered to be Hezbollah’s “weakest point” as it is also where Western embassies and people who are affiliated with Western intelligence agencies are, said Mohammad Marandi, a professor at the University of Tehran. Overall, however, “Israel does not have the capability to defeat Hezbollah militarily”, Marandi told Al Jazeera. Analysts say the group now faces strategic choices amid a temporary leadership vacuum rather than a full blow to its survival. “Hezbollah is not going to disappear,” said Yezid Sayig, senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Programme. It will “exercise strategic patience” even if Iran does not sweep in to defend them now, he added. Experts do believe, however, that Hezbollah has made other mistakes that have weakened it relative to Israel. “The big mistake that Hezbollah has made is to allow the Iranians to use them too much as a proxy,” said Sultan Barakat, senior professor in public policy at Hamad Bin Khalifa University. “Hezbollah were very effective when they fought for the liberation of the Lebanese land – for their own people.” For the last year, however, Iran has given them little agency around how to use weapons they were given, while the group has miscalculated how much violence Israel is willing to exert, not just on the people of Gaza, but on the Lebanese people as well, he told Al Jazeera. Is this a win for Israel? At the UN General Assembly in New York on Friday – before the latest strikes – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had one main message when he told members: “We are winning.” Israel is claiming this devastating assault on Hezbollah as a major victory. Experts largely agree that Israel will continue on the offensive. “Israel views it has momentum on its side following Nasrallah’s death and would want to take maximum advantage of a leadership vacuum,” Ali Rizk, a security and policy analyst, told Al Jazeera on Saturday. The perceived success of its assault
US to end anti-ISIL operation in Iraq but unclear if troops will remain
US officials offer little clarity on future of two-decade US military presence in Iraq amid ‘transition’. The United States and Iraq have said that a US-led coalition in the country to fight ISIL (ISIS) will wind down by the end of 2025, but they left the door open to a prolonged military presence. The joint announcement on Friday did not specify what the future of US troops in Iraq will be, with officials stressing that the move represents more of a “transition” than a “withdrawal”. A senior official from US President Joe Biden’s administration who briefed reporters said the wind-down would involve two phases. The first phase – expected to end in September 2025 – will include “ending the presence of coalition forces in certain locations in Iraq as mutually determined”, the official said. The second phase would see the US continue to operate in Iraq in some capacity “at least through” 2026 to support ongoing anti-ISIS coalition efforts in Syria. US-Iraq defence ties would then shift away from the coalition to “an expanded US-Iraqi bilateral security relationship”, the official said. They declined to say whether that shift would signal a full withdrawal of US troops. “We’re not in a position right now to begin to either speculate or discuss exactly where we’re going to end up on all of it,” the official said. The US initially invaded Iraq in 2003 as part of its so-called global “war on terror” in the wake of the September 11, 2001, attacks, with a peak of 170,000 troops deployed by 2007. Washington withdrew most US forces from Iraq by 2011. However, the administration of US President Barack Obama again redeployed forces to the country in 2014, as ISIL overran large swaths of Iraq and Syria. While ISIL continues to exist, the group lost control of its last pieces of territory in Iraq in 2017 and in Syria in 2019. Then, in 2021, the Biden administration ended what it described as a US “combat mission” in Iraq, with the about 2,500 US troops in the country shifting to an “advisory role”. Talks about further winding down troops began in January and included Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, as well as top-ranking officials from both the Iraqi armed forces and the US-led coalition. The continued presence of US troops in Iraq has been a political thorn for Sudani and has long been opposed by influential segments of the government. Bases housing US soldiers have for years come under attack by Iran-aligned militias. Those attacks increased in the early months of Israel’s war in Gaza, which began in October 2023 but have since reduced in frequency. Adblock test (Why?)
Sombre mood after a Kolkata rape and murder dampens Durga Puja celebrations
Kolkata, India: Tapas Pal has been making clay idols of various gods and goddesses for the past two decades at Kumartuli, a traditional potters’ hub in Kolkata in eastern India’s state of West Bengal. The 42-year-old, who makes six-metre (20ft) high idols from unfired clay, told Al Jazeera that he would not normally have any spare time in the two months leading up to Durga Puja, the biggest festival of the state, as he would be on deadline to deliver the idols to the festival organisers. But the situation this year is completely different, he says, with fewer orders and scaled-down budgets, as the residents of the city are in no mood for festivities after the brutal rape and murder of a 31-year-old woman doctor at the government-run RG Kar Hospital on August 9. “The festival offers [a] chunk of our annual business, and we expect high returns. But there is hardly any business this time due to the severe protests in the state,” and his business is down two-thirds, he said. Durga Puja is a 10-day worship of the Hindu goddess Durga to celebrate her victory over a shape-shifting demon and embodies joy. Durga is one of the most powerful goddesses in Hinduism. She represents woman power and her legend is centered around her ability to vanquish evil. In 2021, Durga Puja in Kolkata was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. In the lead-up to the festival, artisans spend months making idols of Durga – shown as a beautiful woman riding a lion or a tiger, with many arms each of which is carrying a weapon used to destroy evil. The idols, often depicting some of this battle, are intricately hand-painted, beautifully dressed in clothes, bejewelled and displayed at the pandals. The state comes to a standstill in the days leading up to the festivities, which are scheduled to start on October 9 this year. Schools and offices shut down and people pandal hop – a tradition in which people visit multiple venues where the idols are housed to offer prayers and eat prasad – as neighbourhoods compete for the biggest, fanciest idols and decorations. Last year, state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee pegged the festival economy to be about 840 billion rupees ($10bn). Idol maker Tapas Pal in Kolkata, India, says organisers have scaled back orders [Gurvinder Singh/Al Jazeera] But it’s not clear if the numbers this year would come even close to that as people are still in shock after a trainee doctor’s dead body bearing multiple injuries was found at the government hospital. Hospital authorities initially told her parents that she had died by suicide. But an autopsy revealed she had been raped and murdered. The police have since arrested Sanjoy Roy, a civic volunteer at the hospital who had unrestricted access to the ward where the doctor worked, and four others including the former principal of the college, Dr Sandeep Ghosh, and a police officer. The brutality of the crime and allegations of apathy by the state administration have shocked citizens who have taken to the streets in protest especially as the city prided itself in being safe for women. Activists say the doctor’s rape and murder showed how women in India continue to face sexual violence despite tougher laws introduced after the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a bus in New Delhi, the national capital. Crimes against women in India rose 4 percent in 2022 from the previous year, data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), released late last year, showed. So far, Banerjee’s request urging people to return to the festivities has failed to yield any results. On the contrary, the locals have emotionally united with the victim’s family after the father broke down in a TV interview, saying that no one would want to celebrate the festival this year, and that whoever does, will not celebrate with happiness. The sombre mood has affected several hundred artisans and entrepreneurs who depend on the festival for their livelihood. The brutality of the crime and allegations of apathy by the state administration have shocked citizens who have taken to the streets in protest [File: Sahiba Chawdhary/Reuters] Business ‘ruined’ Artisans say the incident could not have come at a worse time as several organisers place orders for idols in the second or third week of August every year and have either scaled those back or paused altogether. “The incident is unfortunate and condemnable. We demand strict punishment for the perpetrators of the crime and justice for the victim’s family. But the timing badly coincided with our peak season that has completely ruined our business, this year,” Subhendu Pal, 52, an idol maker at Kumartuli, told Al Jazeera. Subhendu Porel, 35, who makes decorative polystyrene items for pandals, said that business had more than halved. “There is hardly any enthusiasm among the people for the festival. We usually go to other states during this season to make the decorative items as there is a huge demand for us. But this time, people from other states have not come to take us for their work fearing [the] deteriorating law and order situation here. It seems that the festival is just a formality this year and nothing else,” Porel said. Prabhakar Porel, 32, an artisan who designs the bamboo structures used to hold up the pandals, said: “We make tents that go up to the height of 60ft [18 metres], but the organisers are scaling down orders to 30ft [nine metres] and even less as budget constraints are an issue this time. Sponsors are not willing to spend whole-heartedly sensing the dull mood in the state,” he said. State grants declined In West Bengal, about 43,000 Durga Pujas are held by community clubs every year, 3,000 of which are held in Kolkata alone. The state government offers 70,000 rupees ($840) to the clubs to organise the festival every year, which was increased to 85,000 rupees ($1,013) this year. But several
Israel ‘escalates to de-escalate’ with Hezbollah
Israel reverts to its wartime playbook as it manufactures consent for all-out war on Lebanon. In the past couple of weeks, the low-intensity war that Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting across the Lebanon-Israel border for a year has metastasised. Thousands of Lebanese have been forced from their homes as Israeli bombardment has intensified. More than 600 have been killed. Alongside air raids and preparations for a land invasion, there is an element of psychological pressure Israel exerts too, designed to terrorise people and manufacture consent for war. Contributors:Habib Battah – Founder, Beirut ReportOri Goldberg – Academic and political commentatorZahera Harb – Senior lecturer in journalism, City UniversityAssal Rad – Author, State of Resistance On our radar: A terrifying new plan to ethnically cleanse North Gaza has made its way onto Netanyahu’s desk. Tariq Nafi looks at the man behind the “The Generals’ Plan” and the support he has received across the Israeli political spectrum. Online Zionist Influencers “Hasbara” – the Hebrew word that translates to “explanation”, “persuasion” – has been a central strategy of the Zionist movement. It’s taken the form of media-trained government spokespeople delivering soundbites on TV, PR campaigns advertising the Israeli army not just as moral but also cool, and extensive messaging on social media. Nicholas Muirhead reports on the work of online hasbarists and how the genocide in Gaza has made their jobs a lot more challenging. Featuring: Hen Mazzig – Israeli author, commentator and influencerSaree Makdisi – Professor of English and comparative literature, UCLATamara Nassar – Associate editor, Electronic IntifadaMatt Lieb – Host, Bad Hasbara Adblock test (Why?)
Netanyahu attacks UN as “anti-Israel Flat Earth Society”
NewsFeed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attacked the United Nations as an “antisemitic swamp” and an “anti-Israel Flat Earth Society” during his address to the UN General Assembly, defending his government’s bombardment of both Gaza and Lebanon. Published On 27 Sep 202427 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
NYC mayor Adams to be arraigned on federal corruption charges
Eric Adams says he will fight charges stemming from alleged illegal campaign contributions from Turkish sources. New York City Mayor Eric Adams has arrived at the federal court in Manhattan, where he is set to be arraigned on corruption charges stemming from alleged bribes taken from Turkish diplomats and businesspeople. The court appearance on Friday comes three days after a grand jury moved to indict Adams, a former police officer. The indictment, unsealed on Thursday, said Adams received campaign funding and luxury travel perks – including rooms at opulent hotels and meals at high-end restaurants – in exchange for pressuring city officials to allow Turkey’s new 36-storey consulate to open despite safety concerns. Speaking at a news conference on Thursday, Adams pledged to fight the charges and said he would not respond to calls from some of his fellow Democrats to step down as the top elected official in the largest city in the US, with a population of 8 million people. “I will continue to do my job as mayor,” he said. Prosecutors allege the scheme in question dates back to 2014, when Adams became Brooklyn borough president. The alleged illegal campaign contributions later helped finance his 2021 campaign for mayor. He faces five criminal charges and could face decades in prison if found guilty. Among those calling for Adams to resign is US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who represents New York’s 14th congressional district. New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference outside Gracie Mansion [Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo] House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, two influential Democrats from New York, have stopped short of joining that appeal. For her part, New York Governor Kathy Hochul – who has the power to remove Adams from office through a complicated process – said in a statement she would “review my options and obligations as the Governor of New York”. “I expect the Mayor to take the next few days to review the situation and find an appropriate path forward to ensure the people of New York City are being well-served by their leaders,” Hochul said. Hiding campaign funds The indictment alleged Adams hid campaign contributions from Turkish sources by funnelling them through US citizens. That allowed him to receive an additional $10m in public matching for his campaign. US law forbids foreign contributions to American political campaigns. Adams also repeatedly accepted free flights from a Turkish airline, worth tens of thousands of dollars, while staying at luxury hotels at far below market rate. Meanwhile, Adams, at the behest of a Turkish diplomat, pressured city safety inspectors to allow Turkey’s new consulate to open in time for a September 2021 visit by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the indictment said. That came even though the building would have failed a fire inspection at the time, the indictment said. Amid the pressure campaign from Adams, a senior Fire Department official told a subordinate he would lose his job if he did not allow the consulate to open, according to prosecutors. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Long arm of Israel’ can reach anywhere in Iran, Netanyahu tells UNGA
NewsFeed The “long arm of Israel” can reach the “tyrants of Tehran” anywhere in Iran and the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told the UN General Assembly. Published On 27 Sep 202427 Sep 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
Who’s in the running to be Japan’s next prime minister?
Japan’s governing party will choose a new leader on Friday to replace Fumio Kishida who announced his resignation in August. The winner of the contest for leadership of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), the largest in parliament, will become the country’s next prime minister. Most analysts expect the new leader to call a snap election to secure a mandate from voters. A record nine candidates have been campaigning and the break-up of the LDP’s usual power structures as a result of a series of corruption scandals have made it harder to predict the outcome. Many candidates “have claimed that ‘I’m the one who can handle Trump’ or ‘I’m the one who can stand up to China’”, Jeffrey J Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies, told the AFP news agency. But there are significant differences in their approach to such issues, and although some of the nine have “no hope whatsoever”, the race remains “a toss-up”. “This is the most unpredictable that an LDP election has been in many years,” Hall said. The first round of voting starts at 1pm (04:00 GMT) with the eventual winner expected to hold a news conference at about 6pm (09:00 GMT). The contest might also produce Japan’s first woman or youngest-ever prime minister. Candidates will go through several rounds of voting to whittle down the field [Issei Kato/Reuters] Here are some of the more prominent contenders: Shigeru Ishiba, 67 A former defence minister, Shigeru Ishiba is popular with the public but has failed four times to secure the post of party leader. Ishiba’s campaign has focused heavily on security issues, and he has indicated he will push for more oversight over Washington’s use of its bases in Japan, and also for Japan to have a say in how the US might use its nuclear weapons in Asia. Other suggestions have included the creation of an ‘Asian NATO’. On the economy, the 67-year-old has questioned the Bank of Japan’s maverick interest rate policy. A former agriculture minister, he has also called for more efforts to address rural depopulation. Takeshi Iwaya, one of the LDP legislators supporting Ishiba’s candidacy, describes the veteran politician as a man with a “sincere and honest attitude towards politics”. Ishiba graduated from Keio University with a law degree. He enjoys making military models, including one of a Soviet aircraft carrier for the visit of a Russian defence minister, as well as trains and 1970s pop idols. Shinjiro Koizumi, 43 The 43-year-old son of popular former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has positioned himself as the change candidate, with the vision and charisma to help the party rebuild after its recent scandals. Koizumi was first elected to parliament in 2009 and established his credentials by working on reconstruction in eastern Japan following the devastating 2011 earthquake. He was environment minister under the administration of Shinzo Abe who was assassinated in July 2022, as well as that of his successor Yoshihide Suga. Koizumi has supported the development of renewables. Unusually, he also took paternity leave for the birth of his children. He has promised to hold a snap election if he wins the party leadership. “With the rapidly declining birthrate and ageing population, we need leaders who have the antennae and sensibility to pick up on diverse voices, including those of young people and women,” said Ayuko Kato, an LDP legislator backing Koizumi’s candidacy. Shinjiro Koizumi is positioning himself as the change candidate. His sign reads ‘Political Reform’ [File: Takashi Aoyama/Pool Photo via AP Photo] Koizumi has an economics degree from Kanto Gakuin University, and a master’s from Columbia University, He also spent time working at the US think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He enjoys surfing and in July spent a day at the beach with US ambassador to Japan, Rahm Emanuel. Sanae Takaichi, 63 Sanae Takaichi, whose hero is former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, could follow in her idol’s footsteps to become her country’s first woman prime minister. A vocal nationalist popular with the LDP’s conservative faction, Takaichi was close to Abe, whose supporters within the party remain powerful. She has aroused controversy with her promise to visit the Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japan’s war dead including a number of convicted war criminals. Japanese leaders stopped going to the shrine in 2013 amid criticism from the US and condemnation from South Korea, China and other nations that see it as a symbol of Japan’s wartime aggression. The 63-year-old, who is currently the minister of state for economic security, also supports a strong military and nuclear power and is against social change on issues such as same-sex marriage. She previously ran for leadership in 2021 when she had Abe’s support. Takaichi is a graduate of the Matsushita Institute of Government and Management. The Yasukuni Shrine honours Japan’s war dead, but is controversial because it also includes several war criminals [File: Hiro Komae/AP Photo] Taro Kono, 61 Taro Kono, currently minister for digital transformation, is an experienced and outspoken reformist who also ran for leadership in 2021. Kono has held multiple jobs at ministerial level, including foreign affairs and defence, and is seen as one of the more liberal candidates. The 61-year-old has amassed 2.5 million followers on social media platform X. Opposed to nuclear power after the 2011 quake and nuclear disaster, he has since softened his stance amid growing demands for energy from AI data centres. Kono was first elected to parliament in 1996. He graduated from Georgetown University in the US. Yoko Kamikawa, 71 Currently foreign minister, Yoko Kamikawa was the last to join the race for the presidency, announcing her candidacy on September 11. She is serving her seventh term in the House of Representatives and was appointed to her first cabinet post in 2006 under Abe. The 71-year-old has won plaudits for her work on the international stage, including a visit to Kyiv, but reportedly struggled to secure the support she needed to run as a candidate. Kamikawa graduated from the University of