Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Ishaq Dar, the deputy prime minister/foreign minister of Pakistan, will share Pakistan&rsquo;s perspective on important regional and global issues at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Council of Heads of Government (CHG) meeting in Moscow. At the invitation of the Prime Minister of Russia, Mikhail Vladimirovich Mishustin, Dar will lead Pakistan&#39;s delegation to the SCO CHG meeting being held on 17-18 November, in Moscow, Russia, said a press release issued by Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Office of the Spokesperson) on Monday.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 946px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1990284237715730603&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=c6c830c5f4b9bd263ab7f8fd72bcc301b8411cdc&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1990284237715730603"></iframe></div></div>The CHG will be attended by the Heads of Government of Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, the vice president of Iran, and the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India. In addition to SCO member States, the Heads of Government of Mongolia, Bahrain, Egypt, Qatar, Kuwait, Turkmenistan and heads of international/regional organizations including Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), Euro Asian Economic Union (EAEU), Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), and Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) will also be attending the meeting. Pakistan&rsquo;s perspective&nbsp;In his address to the SCO CHG, the deputy prime minister will share Pakistan&rsquo;s perspective on important regional and global issues as well as ways to strengthen the Organization for the benefit of the SCO region, the press release said. The CHG is the second-highest decision-making institution in the SCO. It provides guidance in the areas of economy, finance, trade, connectivity, commerce, socio-economic cooperation, including the budgetary matters of the organization. The SCO CHG adopts Joint Communiqu&eacute;, statements, and important decisions. The deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Pakistan will also hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of other SCO countries on the sidelines of the CHG.

Foreign Affairs

The deputy prime minister of Pakistan, Dar, will also hold bilateral meetings with the leaders of other SCO countries on the sidelines of the CHG; CHG is the second-highest decision-making institution in the SCO.

Dar to share Pakistan’s perspective on regional, global issues at SCO meeting 

JOHANNESBURG: South Africa said Monday the surprise arrival of 153 Palestinians on a plane last week indicated &quot;a clear agenda to cleanse Palestinians&quot; out of the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. The group landed in Johannesburg on a chartered flight on Thursday without departure stamps from Israel in their passports. Reports said a shadowy organisation named Al-Majd was involved in their travel from Gaza. &quot;We are suspicious, as the South African government, about the circumstances surrounding the arrival of the plane,&quot; Foreign Minister Ronald Lamola told reporters. South African border police kept the group on the plane for 12 hours before President Cyril Ramaphosa allowed them entry on a standard 90-day visa exemption. It emerged later that a first plane carrying 176 Palestinians had arrived on October 28, according to the local Gift of the Givers charity that is assisting the arrivals. &quot;We do not want any further flights to come our way because this is a clear agenda to cleanse out Palestinians out of Gaza and the West Bank and those areas, which South Africa is against,&quot; Lamola said. &quot;It does look like it represents a broader agenda to remove Palestinians from Palestine into many different parts of the world, and is a clearly orchestrated operation,&quot; he said. &#39;Misled&#39; South Africa, which is set to host world leaders at the G20 summit this weekend, is seen as one of the strongest supporters of the Palestinian cause. Pretoria filed a case against Israel with the International Court of Justice in 2023, accusing it of genocide in Gaza. The Gift of the Givers NGO told AFP the Palestinians it is assisting said they had paid around $2,000 per person to Al-Majd for the trip and did not know they were going to South Africa. &quot;What we&#39;ve been told is that they were promised some type of travel out of Gaza to some form of safety in a country that would welcome them,&quot; representative Sarah Oosthuizen told AFP. Some of the passengers appeared to have been misled about their final destination, with a few believing they were headed to Indonesia, Malaysia or India, she said. Travellers in the first group &quot;definitely did not know that they were coming to South Africa&quot;, Oosthuizen said. The second plane -- which carried a group including men, women and children -- flew from Israel&#39;s Ramon airport to Nairobi before boarding the chartered plane to Johannesburg, she said. The accommodation they had been promised on arrival turned out to have been booked for only up to a week and &quot;when they were settled in these accommodations, their contact with Al-Majd went silent,&quot; Oosthuizen said. Some of the group had told the NGO that they wished to apply for asylum, she said. &#39;Investigating&#39; The Palestinian embassy in South Africa said Thursday the travel of both groups &quot;was arranged by an unregistered and misleading organisation that exploited the tragic humanitarian conditions of our people in Gaza.&quot; The group had &quot;deceived families, collected money from them, and facilitated their travel in an irregular and irresponsible manner,&quot; it said. When AFP in Jerusalem tried to contact Al-Majd, none of the numbers listed on their website were in service. Their linked address only led to the East Jerusalem neighbourhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Israeli authorities told AFP at the weekend that the 153 Palestinians had been allowed to leave Gaza after receiving &quot;approval from a third country to receive them&quot;, without naming the country in question. Lamola on Monday said Pretoria was investigating the matter.

Middle East

South Africa suspects a scheme to forcibly relocate Palestinians after 153 arrived unexpectedly on a flight, possibly misled by unregistered group Al-Majd; investigations ongoing.

South Africa says 'suspicious' flights from Israel an 'agenda to cleanse Palestinians'

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Sunday organized the Uraan Pakistan Fest in the capital&rsquo;s F-9 Park, reported Radio Pakistan.&nbsp;The festival, held under the government&rsquo;s public-engagement initiatives, drew large crowds despite heightened security concerns in the city.&nbsp;The ministry said the event was arranged under the guidance of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and in line with the administration&rsquo;s focus on public-oriented cultural activities.&nbsp;Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Islamabad&rsquo;s district authorities oversaw what officials described as foolproof security arrangements, following recent advisories urging caution at public gatherings.&nbsp;Federal Information Minister Ataullah Tarar reviewed preparations ahead of the festival.&nbsp;&ldquo;Healthy recreational activities are included in the government&rsquo;s priorities,&rdquo; he said, noting that the turnout showed residents&rsquo; desire for safe public spaces even during periods of tightened vigilance.&nbsp;Entry was free as crowds packed the venue throughout the night, with many families staying for hours as musicians Atif Aslam, Farhan Saeed, Nimra Mehra, Jabar Abbas, and Zunair Zahid took the stage. Hosts Shafaat Ali and Sofia Ahmad guided the program, which mixed music, comedy, and family-oriented entertainment.&nbsp;Officials said the strong attendance reflected public confidence and a broader appetite for positive community-oriented events after weeks of concerns about threats to large gatherings.&nbsp;According to organizers, the festival succeeded in offering &ldquo;pleasant, safe, and quality entertainment&rdquo; for Islamabad residents.

Culture

The government-organized Uraan Pakistan Fest drew large crowds to Islamabad’s F-9 Park despite security concerns, offering free entry, major musical performances, and heightened safety measures as officials highlighted public demand for safe, positive recreational events.

Crowds pack Islamabad’s F-9 park to attend Uraan family festival   

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MoIB) rejected claims made by former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad, that a senior commander of ISIS-Khorasan (ISIS-K) was killed in the Punjab region of Pakistan. The controversy began when Khalilzad shared a post on X (Twitter) from Al-Mirsad English. The post claimed that a commander named Burhan, also known as Zaid, had been gunned down by armed men in Akhtar Abad, Punjab. <div class="fr-embed"><div></div></div> It described Burhan as a key figure in ISIS-K and alleged he had been involved in operations across Afghanistan. Khalilzad, a prominent figure in US foreign policy, retweeted the post. He called the report &ldquo;good news&rdquo; and linked it to broader regional security concerns, suggesting it marked a blow to ISIS-K&rsquo;s operations. <div class="fr-embed"><div></div></div> However, Pakistan&rsquo;s MoIB in a post on X called the claim &ldquo;false and misleading.&rdquo; The ministry said the incident took place in Habibabad, not Akhtar Abad, as claimed. Habibabad is located in the Kasur district of Punjab. The killing occurred on March 5, 2025. <div class="fr-embed"><div></div></div> The MoIB clarified that the incident was not related to ISIS-K. It wrote that it was likely a result of a robbery or a personal dispute. Official records show Burhan had been living with his father-in-law in Habibabad and had no known ties to ISIS-K or any militant group. A police report, filed on March 6, 2025, confirmed the incident was a local crime. The Saddar Patoki police station registered a First Information Report, and investigations are ongoing. Authorities have found no evidence linking the killing to terrorism. &ldquo;There is no credible evidence to suggest Burhan was involved in ISIS-K,&rdquo; the MoIB statement said. &ldquo;This was a criminal act, not terrorism.&rdquo; The ministry also rejected the broader narrative. It dismissed suggestions that ISIS-K had a presence in Punjab. &ldquo;The claim that ISIS-K is active in Punjab is false,&rdquo; the statement said. &ldquo;Pakistan&rsquo;s security agencies have found no evidence of ISIS-K elements operating in the province.&rdquo; Khalilzad&rsquo;s post had raised concerns among some observers. They feared it could signal a shift in the security situation. The MoIB asked both local and international media to verify such claims through reliable sources before reporting. The ministry also&nbsp;cautioned against sharing unverified or sensationalized information.

Security

Ministry of Information and Broadcasting refutes the post by former US Ambassador to the United Nations, Zalmay Khalilzad; clarifies that the incident was not related to ISIS-K and was likely the result of a robbery or a personal dispute.

Pakistan denies report of ISIS-K commander killed in southern Punjab

V&Eacute;LIZY-VILLACOUBLAY: France&#39;s President Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky Monday signed an accord for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 Rafale fighter jets and other hardware, a boost for Ukraine as it fights the Russian invasion.&nbsp;The letter of intent inked by the two leaders sets out possible future contracts for Ukraine to acquire 100 Rafale fighter jets &quot;with their associated weapons&quot;, the French presidency said.&nbsp;It also lays out deals for the new generation SAMP-T air defense systems which are under development, radar systems and drones.&nbsp;The accord signed at France&#39;s Villacoublay air base is not a purchase and sales contract and is projected to be realized &quot;over a timeframe of about 10 years&quot;, the presidency added.&nbsp;Zelensky, who has suffered setbacks over the last week due to a corruption scandal at home and Russian forces closing in on the Ukrainian city of Pokrovsk, wrote on X ahead of meeting Macron that the accord would be a &quot;historic deal&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;A great day,&quot; Macron wrote in a brief post on X in French and Ukrainian over a picture of the deal being signed.&nbsp;The aim is to &quot;enable it (Kyiv) to acquire the systems it needs to respond to Russian aggression&quot;, added a French presidential official, asking not to be named.&nbsp;The Ukrainian president had already signed a letter of intent last month to acquire 100 to 150 Swedish Gripen fighter jets.&nbsp;France has delivered Mirage fighter jets to Kyiv, but until now there had been no talk of Ukraine acquiring the Rafale, the crown jewel of French combat aviation.

Europe

France and Ukraine signed a letter of intent for Kyiv to acquire up to 100 Rafale jets plus air-defense systems, radars, and drones over 10 years, strengthening Ukraine amid battlefield pressure and following its earlier Gripen plans

Macron, Zelensky sign accord for Ukraine to buy French fighter jets

BERLIN:&nbsp;Germany is set to remove restrictions it imposed in August on arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, the government announced Monday. &ldquo;The restrictions on arms exports to Israel ... will be lifted,&rdquo; government spokesman Sebastian Hille told reporters, adding that the decision &ldquo;will take effect on 24 November.&rdquo; Chancellor Friedrich Merz had justified the original August decision as a reaction to plans announced by the Israeli government at the time for an escalation in its Gaza City offensive. &ldquo;We have always stated that we would review this practice in light of developments on the ground,&rdquo; Hille said on Monday. &ldquo;Since 10 October, there has been a cease-fire in Gaza, which has also fundamentally stabilised,&rdquo; he added, noting that &ldquo;this forms the basis for this decision&rdquo; to lift the restrictions. &ldquo;We expect everyone to adhere to the agreements that have been made,&rdquo; Hille said, including &ldquo;maintaining the cease-fire, providing large-scale humanitarian aid.&rdquo;

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz speaks during an economic summit hosted by German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung at the Adlon Hotel in Berlin on November 17, 2025. (Photo by Tobias SCHWARZ / AFP)

Americas

Germany is set to remove restrictions it imposed in August on arms exports to Israel that could be used in the Gaza Strip, the government announced Monday.

Germany to lift curbs on arms exports to Israel

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ruled on Saturday that the state must ensure every woman receives her share of inheritance, calling the right &ldquo;divinely bestowed.&rdquo; &quot;It is incumbent upon the State under the Constitution and the clear injunctions of Islam to ensure the effective and unfettered realization of women&#39;s right to inheritance,&quot; says a seven-page judgment authored by Justice Athar Minallah and concurred by Justice Irfan Saadat Khan. The verdict came as a result of the Supreme Court&rsquo;s dismissal of a petition submitted by Abrar Hussain, who had spent years attempting to prevent his sister, Mst. Bibi Shahida, from receiving her legal share of a Karachi property left behind by their late father, Irfan Hussain Khan, who died in 2002. Shahida originally filed a lawsuit in 2015, claiming that her brother had taken over their father&#39;s house, blocked her access to her inheritance, and rented out portions of it without paying her a share of the income. The bench upheld prior decisions of the trial court, appellate court, and the Sindh High Court, all of which ruled that Abrar Hussain unfairly deprived his siblings, particularly his sister, Bibi Shahida, of their legitimate inheritance for more than two decades. According to the SC ruling, Hussain &quot;took exclusive possession of the property; thereby depriving the other legal heirs of their lawful shares.&quot; &ldquo;The petitioner (Hussain) had no case on merits and yet persisted in litigation, thereby prolonging the deprivation of his siblings of their lawful inheritance, which devolved upon them on 1.1.2002, the date of their father&rsquo;s demise,&rdquo; Justice Minallah wrote. The basis of the petitioner&rsquo;s claimShahida&#39;s claim was supported by all of her siblings, with only Hussain contesting it, arguing that their father had &lsquo;gifted him&rsquo; the property before his death. Abrar used two documents to support this claim:&nbsp;An alleged &quot;iqrar nama&quot; from 2000 and a&nbsp;supposed &quot;possession certificate&quot; issued by a union council nazim. The Supreme Court declared the documents &ldquo;dubious and unreliable,&rdquo; saying Hussain&nbsp;failed to present credible witnesses or proof. The bench stated that the so-called iqrar nama lacked basic information such as witnesses&#39; addresses and CNIC numbers. &ldquo;The challenge before this Court was nothing more than an attempt to delay and frustrate the rights of the other legal heirs, amounting to a mere abuse of process,&rdquo; Justice Minallah noted. The final orderThe judgment reiterated that the state has a constitutional duty to ensure that &ldquo;every woman is informed of, and enabled to claim, her rightful share in inheritance without delay, fear or dependence on lengthy litigation.&rdquo; The bench called for the establishment of a proactive state-run mechanism to assist women in claiming their inheritance, adding that those who deprive women of their rights &ldquo;through coercion, deceit or undue influence&rdquo; must be held accountable. The judgment also referred to the Federal Shariat Court&#39;s landmark decision earlier this year, which determined that customs such as Chaddar, Parchi, or Haq Bakhshwai &mdash; often used to deprive women of inheritance &mdash; were &ldquo;un-Islamic&rdquo; and held no legal validity. The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, refused leave to appeal, and ordered Abrar Hussain to deposit Rs500,000 within seven days, to be distributed among the rightful heirs.

File:Supreme Court of Pakistan.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Education

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that women’s inheritance is a 'divinely bestowed' right; dismissed a man’s petition blocking his sister’s share; fined him Rs500,000; urged the state to establish mechanisms to ensure women receive their inheritance.

Supreme Court: State must ensure women’s inheritance, a 'divinely bestowed' right 

NEW DELHI: India said Monday it had signed a &quot;significant&quot; deal that will see the United States supply nearly 10 percent of the Asian giant&#39;s liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports as it seeks to diversify its energy sources. Relations between Washington and New Delhi plummeted in August after President Donald Trump raised tariffs on India to 50 percent, with US officials accusing the country of fueling Russia&#39;s war in Ukraine by buying its discounted oil. Trump has claimed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed to cut its Russian oil imports as part of a prospective trade deal &mdash; something New Delhi has not confirmed. India and the United States remain in talks despite disagreements over a range of issues including agricultural trade and the Russian oil purchases. Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said India had signed the one-year deal for 2.2 million tonnes per annum of LPG, sourced from the US Gulf Coast, providing &quot;close to 10 percent&quot; of India&#39;s annual imports of the fuel. Puri said it was &quot;the first structured contract of US LPG for the Indian market.&quot; &quot;In our endeavour to provide secure, affordable supplies of LPG to the people of India, we have been diversifying our LPG sourcing,&quot; Puri said in a statement, adding that &quot;one of the largest and the world&#39;s fastest growing LPG market opens up to the United States.&quot; In October, Indian state-backed refiner HPCL-Mittal Energy said it halted purchases of Russian crude after Washington imposed sanctions on Moscow&#39;s two largest oil companies. Reliance Industries, the privately owned main Indian buyer of Russian crude, has also said it is assessing the implications of the US restrictions, as well as those imposed by the European Union. India&#39;s economy, the fifth-largest in the world, grew at its fastest pace in five quarters in the three months ending June 30, helped by higher government spending and improved consumer sentiment. But US tariffs continue to overshadow the economy, with experts projecting that they could shave anywhere between 60 to 80 basis points off GDP growth this fiscal year if there is no relaxation soon.

FILE PHOTO - US President Donald Trump speaks during a swearing-in ceremony for the newly appointed Ambassador to India Sergio Gor in the Oval Office of the White on November 10, 2025 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP)

Asia

India said Monday it had signed a "significant" deal that will see the United States supply nearly 10 percent of the Asian giant's liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) imports as it seeks to diversify its energy sources.

India strikes US gas deal under Trump pressure

ISLAMABAD: An Indian news channel, News9 Live, has apologized for wrongfully releasing a Muslim Kerala doctor&rsquo;s picture as a suspect in the November 10 Delhi blast. Although several news outlets carried the picture, only one channel aired an apology. The blast in the Indian capital killed at least eight people, and 19 others were injured when flames ripped through several vehicles, according to AFP. An Indian fact-checking website, Alt News, reported that various Indian media outlets misidentified the accused, Dr Mohammad Arif, and shared the image of his namesake, who had no connection with the incident. Dr Arif Mohammed, whose photograph was used by news channels, is a resident of Kerala. Journalist Mohammed Zubair, who is co-founder of the fact-checking website, in a social media post, stated: &ldquo;Several channels including Aaj Tak, Times Now, ABP &amp; Republic shared a photo they claimed was of the arrested suspect in the Delhi blasts.&rdquo; &ldquo;The picture, however, was actually of Dr. Mohammed Arif from Kerala, who is completely unrelated to the incident,&rdquo; he added.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 712px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=e30%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1989762220847476914&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=241ff128e006ebdef2d0357f9be287583a102012&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="1989762220847476914">&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>News9 Live broadcast a &ldquo;corrigendum&rdquo;, a &ldquo;clarification on wrong image used for Dr Arif Mohammed&rdquo; on its YouTube channel. The statement published long with the YouTube video stated: &ldquo;We sincerely apologise for an inadvertent error in our earlier broadcast. The image used in connection with the terror-suspect Dr Arif Mohammed detained from Kanpur was incorrect.&rdquo; &ldquo;The photo shown was of Dr Arif Mohammed A &mdash; a respected cardiologist from Kerala &mdash; who has no connection whatsoever with the ongoing Delhi terror investigation. We regret the mistake and deeply apologise for any distress caused,&rdquo; it said.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WNcnUA6sRDo" title="CORRIGENDUM | Clarification on Wrong Image Used for Dr Arif Mohammed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div>A November 14, 2023, Instagram post on KMCT Group of Institutions, Kerala, carries a profile of Dr Mohammed Arif.<div class="fr-embed instagram-embed" style="width: 50%; display: block; max-width: 600px;"><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/Czp78PhpaER/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=675&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com&rp=%2Farticles%2Fnew#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A3281371.800000012%2C%22ls%22%3A5319.5%2C%22le%22%3A12647.100000023842%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="1179" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background: white; max-width: 540px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;"></iframe></div>

India

Indian channel News9 Live apologized after wrongly showing a Kerala Muslim cardiologist’s photo as the Delhi blast suspect; multiple outlets misidentified him, corrected by fact-checkers, and News9 issued a public corrigendum acknowledging the error.

Indian media apologizes for portraying Muslim doctor as suspect in Delhi blast 

BEIRUT:&nbsp;The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Israeli soldiers shot at its troops on Sunday in the south of the country, while Israel&#39;s military said it mistook blue helmets for &quot;suspects&quot; and fired warning shots. The Israeli military blamed &quot;poor weather conditions&quot; and said it had not deliberately targeted UN troops. Earlier on Sunday, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said in a statement that Israeli forces &quot;fired on UNIFIL peacekeepers from a Merkava tank from near a position Israel has established in Lebanese territory,&quot; adding that heavy machine gun rounds hit about five meters from their personnel. The force said the peacekeepers were able to &quot;leave safely 30 minutes later&quot; after the tank withdrew inside the Israeli position. &lsquo;Poor weather conditions&rsquo;In a statement, the Israeli military said &quot;two suspects were identified&quot; in the El Hamames area of southern Lebanon. &quot;The troops subsequently fired warning shots, and the suspects distanced themselves. No injuries were reported,&quot; it said. &quot;After a review, it was determined that the suspects were UN soldiers who were conducting a patrol in the area and were classified as suspects due to poor weather conditions. &lsquo;Violation&rsquo; of UNSC resolution&nbsp;&quot;No deliberate fire was directed toward UNIFIL soldiers.&quot; UNIFIL has been working with the Lebanese army to consolidate a truce between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah reached last November. It said the incident &quot;represents a serious violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701&quot;, which ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and also formed the basis of last November&#39;s truce. That ceasefire sought to end more than a year of hostilities between the parties, which broke out after the start of the Gaza war. Under the deal, Israel was to withdraw its forces from south Lebanon, but it has kept them in five areas it deems strategic. &lsquo;Aggressive behavior&rsquo;It has also carried out regular strikes on targets in Lebanon, arguing it is hitting Hezbollah sites and operatives. The Israeli military said the incident was under examination and was being handled through official military liaison channels. Sunday&#39;s incident was not the first in which UNIFIL accused Israel of endangering its troops. &quot;Yet again, we call on the IDF to cease any aggressive behavior and attacks on or near peacekeepers,&quot; the force said. &lsquo;Violating Lebanese sovereignty&rsquo;&nbsp;Lebanon&#39;s army, meanwhile, accused Israel of &quot;violating Lebanese sovereignty, causing instability and obstructing the full deployment of the army in the south&quot;. The army is meant to deploy to the area alongside UNIFIL as part of the ceasefire agreement. It said it was &quot;working, in coordination with friendly countries, to put an end to the continuous violations&quot;.

UNIFIL says the incident "represents a serious violation of UN Security Council resolution 1701", which ended a 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, and also formed the basis of last November's truce.