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📰 Israel ground incursion begins

📰 Israel ground incursion begins

and Pentagon deploys more troops

Ross Crabtree & Billy Robinson
October 01, 2024

Hello,

Today's update features key developments from the UN, where the Security Council has extended the mandate of a multinational police mission in Haiti for another year. Additionally, China has cautioned the General Assembly against the "expansion" of the Ukraine war, while world leaders express growing concerns about the future of multilateralism.

In the Middle East, Israel launched an invasion of Lebanon during the early hours this morning, prompting the Pentagon to announce the deployment of additional troops to the region.

More details below ⤵️

Top 5 Stories

1️⃣ 🇮🇱 🇱🇧 Israel invades Lebanon, over a million Lebanese displaced: Israeli bombardment of Beirut has intensified over the past week, with ground raids commencing in southern Lebanon early Tuesday. Thousands have been forced to flee their homes, with many left stranded. In downtown Beirut, displaced families sleep on makeshift beds of mattresses and Styrofoam on the streets or take refuge under a nearby mosque with their few belongings. Israel's military announced that "limited, localised, and targeted" ground raids had begun. Strikes, targeting Hizbollah positions, have killed over 1,000 people and injured more than 6,000, according to Lebanon’s Health Ministry. Prime Minister Najib Mikati warned that up to 1 million people could be displaced. However, Lebanon, struggling with severe economic challenges, lacks the resources to accommodate the growing number of displaced individuals.

2️⃣ 🇺🇳 🇭🇹 UN Security Council convenes for Haiti talks: The United Nations Security Council has extended the mandate of a multinational police mission in Haiti for another year, as the country grapples with escalating gang violence and instability. The unanimously adopted resolution expressed "deep concern" over Haiti's deteriorating situation, including rampant violence, crime, and widespread displacement. The Kenyan-led mission, which supports the Haitian National Police in reclaiming gang-controlled areas, will now continue until October 2, 2025. This decision follows a UN report revealing that 3,661 people were killed in Haiti during the first half of 2024 due to pervasive gang violence. Haitian leaders admitted they are far from defeating these armed groups, while many citizens remain skeptical of UN interventions, recalling past harms, including a cholera outbreak linked to UN peacekeepers in 2010 and allegations of sexual abuse.

3️⃣ 🇺🇳 World leaders voice concern for the future of multilateralism: World leaders convened in New York for the 79th UN General Assembly, overshadowed by the Israeli invasion of Lebanon. Diplomats also spotlighted the crises in Gaza, Ukraine, Sudan, Haiti, and Myanmar. Member states adopted the "Pact for the Future," a broad agreement aimed at reforming multilateral cooperation. Despite growing concerns about the UN's diminishing role in global conflict resolution, particularly due to the Security Council's P5 veto power, the organisation remains a key player in managing conflicts and responding to humanitarian crises worldwide.

4️⃣ 🇨🇳 🇺🇳 🇺🇦 🇷🇺 China warns UN General Assembly against ‘expansion’ of Ukraine war: China's Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, warned against the escalation of the Ukraine war after Kyiv accused Beijing of supporting Russia. Despite Ukraine's dismissal of China's calls for negotiations, Wang reaffirmed China's commitment to facilitating peace talks. At the General Assembly, he stated, “The priority is to prevent the battlefield from expanding, avoid escalating conflict, and discourage provocation from any side, pushing for a quick de-escalation.” He assured that China aims to mediate and promote dialogue without exacerbating tensions for selfish gains. Wang also called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza, briefly acknowledging renewed fighting in Lebanon but refraining from commenting on Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s death in an Israeli strike. He emphasised that achieving a comprehensive ceasefire is essential, with the two-state solution as the fundamental resolution, asserting, "China firmly supports the Palestinian people's legitimate rights and their full U.N. membership."

5️⃣ 🇮🇳 🇵🇰 Kashmiri political leader accuses Delhi of fuelling India-Pakistan tensions amidst regional elections: As local elections close in Indian-controlled Kashmir, resistance leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq emphasised that these polls will not resolve the long-standing conflict with Pakistan. Under house arrest for most of the past five years, he criticised the elections as occurring while dissenting voices against India’s sovereignty were silenced after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 2019 revocation of the region's semi-autonomy. Mirwaiz stated that the elections, termed a “festival of democracy,” are inadequate for addressing the broader Kashmir issue. The final phase, taking place Tuesday, will establish a limited local government. While officials claim it will restore democracy, many locals view it as a protest against changes that threaten the region's demographics, leaving them feeling dispossessed and disempowered.

Major Story

🇹🇳 TUNISIA’S DEMOCRATIC DECLINE DEEPENS AS THE MILITARY’S POLITICAL INFLUENCE RISES

The military’s influence has expanded significantly since President Kais Saied took office, raising concerns about the potential militarisation of Tunisian politics. Historically sidelined under Presidents Habib Bourguiba and Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali, the military gained prominence during the 2011 ‘Jasmine’ revolution as a “guardian of democracy.” However, since Saied's 2019 election, the army's political role has grown, culminating in the president’s 2021 power grab, which would not have been possible without military backing.

Saied has since appointed senior military officers to ministerial positions—a first in Tunisia’s history. This shift has sparked worries about the army’s role in future political developments, especially ahead of a widely criticised presidential election.

Unlike other regional militaries in Algeria, Libya, or Egypt, Tunisia’s army traditionally avoided politics and economics, with soldiers largely confined to their barracks since independence in 1956. President Bourguiba, a lawyer, preferred the French political model, and this approach was reinforced after a failed coup attempt in 1962. Even under Ben Ali, who ousted Bourguiba in 1987, the military remained marginalised and viewed as a potential threat.

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Other News

1️⃣ 🇺🇸 Pentagon to deploy more troops to the Middle East: President Biden is deploying “a few thousand” additional troops to the Middle East, according to the Pentagon, as tensions escalate amid Israel's intensified attacks on Hezbollah in Lebanon and its ongoing ground invasion. This decision follows increased clashes between armed groups in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen, which have directly engaged U.S. troops. The potential for a broader regional conflict remains significant, although Hezbollah and the Houthi-aligned Iran have so far exercised restraint.