In the past few hours, Israel’s military has said it has “eliminated” the head of Hezbollah’s communication networks, Mohammad Rashid Sakafi.
The Israel Defence Forces said in a statement it carried out a “precise, intelligence-based strike in the area of Beirut”.
“As part of his position, Sakafi invested significant efforts to develop communication capabilities between all of Hezbollah’s units, in all periods of operation, in order to maintain the flow of information throughout the terrorist organisation,” the military added.
Path to peace begins with ‘ending Israel’s illegal occupation’, says Western ally Oman
The only solution for peace lies in “ending Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine”, Oman’s foreign minister has said.
As an ally of the UK and the US, Oman has a reputation as a mediator between Iran and the West.
Standing apart from rivalries in the Middle East, it has acted as a crucial backchannel between Tehran and Washington.
Given this context, comments overnight from the country’s foreign minister – which contain strong criticism of the West’s approach to the crisis in the region – may be considered of some significance.
In a lengthy post on X, Badr al Buseidi wrote it is “easy” for “certain governments” to stand by and condemn Iranian actions, referring to Tehran’s missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.
‘Undeniable reality’
“But that solves nothing,” he continued.
“Nor does the familiar policy of defending Israel come what may. Instead we have to address the real cause of the present crisis.
“That means facing the undeniable reality that it is only by ending Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine that we can hope to restore peace to the region.
“Anyone who believes we can achieve peace by other means – by containing Iran, by eliminating Hamas, by defeating Hezbollah, or by steadfast political, military and financial support for Israel – is either deluded, naive or deliberately trying to avoid the truth.”
‘This must change’
For too long, many Western governments have “postponed reckoning with this reality and failed to guarantee the Palestinian people the security and stability that only statehood can provide”, he added.
“Supporters of Israel speak in the name of international law while they repeatedly prevent its implementation in the case of Palestine,” he wrote.
“This must change now.”
He called for Israel to suspend its offensive in Gaza, the West Bank and Lebanon – which should be followed “by collective international action to end Israel’s illegal occupation of Palestine”.
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