International
Israel continues to shank the ranks of Hizbula as it counterattacks the Houthis in Yemen
Israel continued to bomb southern Lebanon and the southern suburbs of Beirut on Sunday, in addition to expanding the range of combat with a new bombing against the Yemeni port city of Al Hodeida, causing the death of at least four people and injuries to 40 others, according to a preliminary assessment.
“The Army carried out a precise attack in the Dahye area of Beirut,” a military statement said on Sunday. In this same area, and in the same way, yesterday Saturday, Israel killed Nabil Qaouk, commander of the Hezbulah Preventive Security Unit and in the last week, most of its military top.
As announced today by the Army, in addition to the top leader of Hizbulah, Hassan Nasrala, and its commander of the southern front, Ali Karaki, more than twenty members “of various ranks” died with them in Friday’s massive bombing in the suburbs of Beirut.
“These deaths do not mean the end of Hezbollah because it is deeply rooted in Lebanese society, but it does allow us to push them to the north of Lebanon and thus be able to create the conditions for the evacuated residents to return to their homes,” the military spokesman, Roni Kaplan, explained to EFE today.
Similarly, Miri Eisin, who served more than 20 years in Israeli military intelligence and heads Israel’s International Counterterrorism Institute, said today that despite being “very effective” attacks, they cannot yet be described as a “mate checkmate” against the Lebanese Shiite group.
“Israel still has immediate additional military threats to continue to deal with, despite the death of Nasralá, such as the arsenal and weapons of Hezbulah as well as all the tunnels” near the border, he added.
That is why, according to the Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, pointed out yesterday, the military corps is studying an “expansion of the activities” of the armed forces on the northern front, which could take the form of a land invasion, according to the Hebrew press, although of a very limited nature.
Karaki had already survived another air attack against the Dahye a few days earlier, when Hizbulah came out to deny information about his death that emerged from Israel and to affirm that his high command had “moved to a safe place” after the failed bombing.
At least part of the missiles fired that day fell in the area without exploding, according to Lebanese media.
Security sources cited by the Israeli press already described him then as the head of the group’s military activity in southern Lebanon and assured that he was also a member of the Jihad Council, the movement’s body in charge of security plans.
In the last ten days, Israel has launched several bombings against alleged targets of Hizbula in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the most serious the one that last Friday ended the lives of Karaki, Nasrala and other high-ranking officials not yet announced by the formation.
Israel attacks South Beirut again
Israel launched an air strike again this Sunday against the southern suburbs of Beirut, just 24 hours after confirming the death of the leader of the Shiite group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrala, in a bombing on Friday against the Lebanese capital.
“The Army carried out a precise attack in the Dahye area of Beirut. More details will follow,” Israeli forces said in a brief statement.
This morning, the country announced the death of another senior official of the Shiite group, Nabil Qaouk, who was hit last night in an attack on the Dahye, a bastion of Hizbula and subjected to almost daily Israeli bombing since the beginning of the week.
International
Mexico requests extradition of ‘Mini Lic’ for murder of journalist Javier Valdez
The Mexican government has requested the extradition of Dámaso López Serrano, a former high-ranking member of the Sinaloa Cartel, who is accused of masterminding the 2017 murder of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez, the Attorney General’s Office announced on Tuesday.
López Serrano, known as “Mini Lic,” was arrested last Friday in Virginia, United States, on charges of fentanyl trafficking, a crime he committed while on parole.
“This is the key issue for us, he [López Serrano] is the mastermind of this murder. The rest of the perpetrators are already processed and in jail, he was the one missing,” said Attorney General Alejandro Gertz.
“We immediately made the extradition request,” the official added during the routine morning press conference of President Claudia Sheinbaum.
Valdez, an award-winning reporter specializing in drug trafficking and correspondent for AFP and the newspaper La Jornada, was murdered on May 15, 2017, in front of the office of his magazine Riodoce in Culiacán, the capital of Sinaloa state.
“Mini Lic” was originally arrested in 2017 when he voluntarily turned himself in to U.S. authorities and pleaded guilty to trafficking methamphetamine, heroin, and cocaine. In 2022, he was released on parole.
Gertz confirmed that the Mexican Attorney General’s Office had requested López Serrano’s extradition “countless times,” but Washington had declined to act on the request because he had become a “protected witness” for the U.S. government and “was providing a lot of information.”
“Now, with this situation where they themselves are acknowledging that this individual is still committing crimes, I think there are more than enough reasons for them to support us,” the prosecutor added.
The Sinaloa Cartel is one of the largest drug trafficking organizations in Mexico and was founded by Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, who is serving a life sentence in the United States.
Culiacán has been shaken by a wave of murders since the arrest of Ismael “Mayo” Zambada, another key leader of the cartel alongside Guzmán, on July 25 in New Mexico, United States.
International
Cuba’s government stresses openness to serious, respectful U.S. relations
Cuba reiterated on Tuesday its willingness to engage in dialogue with the United States, just weeks before Republican President Donald Trump assumes office. During his first term, Trump halted the historic rapprochement between the two countries, which had been initiated just ten years earlier by Democrat Barack Obama.
“It will not be Cuba that proposes or takes the initiative to suspend the existing dialogues, to suspend the existing cooperation. Not even the discreet exchanges on some sensitive issues,” said Cuban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Fernández de Cossío at a press conference in Havana.
“We will be attentive to the attitude of the new government, but Cuba’s stance will remain the same as it has been for the last 64 years. We are willing to develop a serious, respectful relationship with the United States, one that protects the sovereign interests of both countries,” he added.
His statements come on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the historic rapprochement announcement between Washington and Havana.
On December 17, 2014, Cuban leader Raúl Castro (2006-2021) and Barack Obama (2008-2016) announced the beginning of a thaw in relations, which led to the restoration of diplomatic ties in 2015, after more than half a century of confrontation.
This process of thawing bilateral relations was later halted by businessman Donald Trump, who significantly reinforced economic sanctions against the communist-ruled country. The Republican will return to the White House on January 20.
Cuba, under a U.S. trade embargo since 1962, was re-listed in 2021 on the “blacklist of countries supporting terrorism,” blocking financial and economic flows to the island of 10 million inhabitants.
Subsequently, the administration of current Democratic President Joe Biden made only slight adjustments to the sanctions and also kept Cuba on this list. However, his administration resumed bilateral contacts with Havana on migration issues and the fight against terrorism.
International
Mexican government to use church atriums for gun surrender program to combat violence
The atriums of Mexican Catholic churches will be used for the voluntary surrender of weapons in exchange for economic and legal incentives as part of a plan announced on Tuesday by the government to reduce violence.
According to the Mexican government, there is a link between the illegal trafficking of weapons—almost entirely coming from the United States—and the spiral of criminal violence that has plagued the country since late 2006, when a controversial military anti-drug offensive was launched.
“The idea is to set up areas in the church atriums where people can voluntarily surrender their weapons, and in return, they will receive financial resources based on the weapon they are turning in,” explained President Claudia Sheinbaum during her regular press conference.
The left-wing leader emphasized that the program, called “Yes to Disarmament, Yes to Peace,” guarantees that those who surrender their weapons will not face any “investigation.”
“What we want is to disarm. This will be implemented next year. We also did it in Mexico City, and it had significant results,” added the former mayor of the capital, with a population of 9.2 million.
The disarmament plan is part of the government’s “comprehensive security strategy,” one of whose pillars is promoting a culture of peace, especially in regions severely affected by organized crime violence, Sheinbaum pointed out.
More than 450,000 people have been murdered in Mexico since the government launched its military-led anti-drug operation, alongside about 100,000 people who have gone missing.
Despite being a secular state, the Mexican Catholic Church has played a key role in efforts to contain violence, with priests acting as mediators between citizens and criminals. Several clergy members have been killed for this cause.
Just last week, the Catholic hierarchy called on cartels to declare a truce in their violent actions during the celebration of the Virgin of Guadalupe on December 12 and the upcoming Christmas holidays.
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