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Published January 8, 2024last updated January 8, 2024
On a visit to Israel, Germany’s foreign minister called for the Israeli government to ease its military campaign in Gaza amid rising Palestinian casualties. Meanwhile, a cyberattack hit Beirut airport. DW has the latest.
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German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock met with President Isaac Herzog during a visit to IsraelImage: Michael Kappeler/dpa/picture allianceSkip next section What you need to knowWhat you need to know Baerbock calls for Israel to do more to protect Palestinian civilians Beirut airport hit by reported cyberattack amid Israel-Hezbollah clashes US Secretary of State Blinken to visit UAE, Saudi Arabia, Israel Skip next section Beirut airport hit by cyberattack amid Israel-Hezbollah tensionsJanuary 8, 2024
Beirut airport hit by cyberattack amid Israel-Hezbollah tensionsAn airport in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, has been hit by a cyberattack, according to state news agency NNA.
The agency said that the attack temporarily crippled Rafic Hariri Airport’s baggage handling system. It said authorities were working to “maintain normal movement at the airport.”
Social media reports said that electronic screens were hacked to show a message criticizing Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and its leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“Hassan Nasrallah, you will have no more defenders if Lebanon goes to war,” the message reportedly read. “We fight in the name of no one.”
Images of the screens shared by Lebanese media also showed the emblem of the Christian “Soldiers of God” group.
Lebanese authorities said they were investigating the incident.
Hezbollah has repeatedly exchanged fire with Israeli forces across Lebanon’s southern border since the war with Hamas broke out on October 7.
The group controls large swaths of eastern and southern Lebanon and its political wing is one of the major parties in the country’s coalition government.
Hezbollah is classified as a terrorist organization by Israel, the US, Germany and several other states, while the European Union designates the group’s military wing as a terror group.
https://p.dw.com/p/4axQFSkip next section Baerbock calls for less ‘intensive’ Gaza operations during Israel visitJanuary 8, 2024
Baerbock calls for less ‘intensive’ Gaza operations during Israel visitGerman Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has urged Israel to act with restraint in its offensive in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
“The suffering of many innocent people cannot continue in this way,” she said on a visit to Israel on Sunday. “We need a less intensive operation.”
“It’s becoming clearer and clearer: the Israeli army needs to do more to protect civilians in Gaza,” she said.
“You must find ways to fight Hamas where so many Palestinian people aren’t harmed,” she said, addressing Israeli authorities.
The minister warned against any expulsion of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip. “It is irrevocable: Gaza belongs to the Palestinians.”
At the same time, Baerbock reassured Israel that it can count with Germany’s solidarity “in the battle against the blind terror that wants to wipe Israel off the map.”
Baerbock urged Israeli authorities to engage in renewed talks with the West Bank-based Palestinian National AuthorityImage: Dominik Butzmann/AA/photothek/picture alliance The Hamas militant-Islamist group launched attacks on Israel on October 7, after which Israel began its offensive in Gaza. According to Israeli authorities, Hamas killed 1200 people in the attacks, most of them civilians, and took 240 hostages.
Hamas is classified as a terror group not only by Israel, but also the US, Germany, the EU and others.
Baerbock said that Berlin will continue to support in all forums “Israel’s right to self-defense within the confines of international humanitarian law.”
Baerbock said that she told Israeli President Isaac Herzog and Foreign Minister Israel Katz that the way in which Israel handles the offensive and its aftermath will have an impact on Israel’s security. She called for Israeli authorities to enter talks with a reformed Palestinian National Authority over the implementation of a two-state solution to the conflict in Israel and the Palestinian territories.
“A reformed [Palestinian] Authority is the non-violent alternative to Hamas,” she said. “This is unavoidable for the security of the West Bank, and thus also Israel’s security.”
Baerbock: ‘Gaza belongs to the Palestinian people’To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
She also expressed concern over attacks by radical Israeli settlers on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
Baerbock stressed that Israel must defend itself against attacks by the Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group and Yemen’s Houthi rebels while still avoiding the outbreak of a broader regional conflict.
Baerbock also said that Berlin will no longer oppose the delivery of Eurofighter jets to Saudi Arabia given Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea.
She said that Saudi Arabia had intercepted multiple rockets launched by Houthi militants, adding that Berlin was “thankful” for this.
The United Kingdom has long sought to provide Riyadh with Eurofighters, but needs Germany’s approval, as the jets are jointly produced by the two European countries.
sdi/wd (Reuters, AP, AFP, dpa)
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