18,000 Lebanese Force-cross Into Iraq

Over than 18,000 Lebanese have entered Iraq since the start of Israeli airstrikes on the country since late September, Iraqi authorities stated, Sunday.

“Efforts are underway to receive Iraq’s guests from Lebanese citizens in batches,” Alaa al-Din al-Qaisi, a spokesman for Iraq’s Border Ports Authority, said in statements carried by the official news agency INA.

News about the influx of Lebanese citizens is making headways on the social media with whole families being forced out of the country due to the high intensity of fighting on the areas at the rim of southern and southwestern Lebanon.

Al-Qaisi said the influx follows orders from Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia Al-Sudani to allow visa-free entry on Lebanese citizens, pointing out that over 18,000 Lebanese nationals arrived in Iraq since 27 September.

A massive Israeli air campaign in Lebanon has been ongoing since late September against what it claims are Hezbollah targets, an escalation in year-long cross-border warfare since the start of the Gaza war.

More than 3,100 people have been killed and over 13,800 injured in Israeli attacks since October 2023, according to Lebanese health authorities according to the Anadolu news agency.

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More European Airlines Cancel Flights to Israel

Three major European airlines have canceled their flights to and from Israel due to rising regional tension, Israeli media said on Sunday.

Italian airline ITA Airways said all flights to and from Israel will be halted until Jan. 12, Israel Hayom newspaper said.

ITA Airways is the only Italian airline operating regularly in Israel.

French carrier Air France also extended its suspension of all flights to Israel until Dec. 26.

Air France had previously canceled its flights on a weekly basis but now it has issued a suspension lasting nearly 45 days.

The airline had initially canceled its flights for the period up to Nov. 12 but has now extended it further.

Greek airline Aegean Airlines also announced that it would not resume flights to Israel until Dec, 3, according to the daily.

In recent days, several other European carriers have either canceled flights to Israel or extended their suspensions due to escalating regional tension.

On Wednesday, Spanish airline Iberia canceled its flights to Israel through the end of November, following a missile strike from Lebanon that landed near a parking area at Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport. In addition, American Airlines has removed all flights to Israel from its system until September 2025.

Several other international airlines, including Virgin and Delta, have canceled flights to Israel through the spring of 2025 according to Anadolu.

Regional tension has escalated due to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 43,500 people, mostly women and children, since last year.

The conflict has spread to Lebanon, with Israel launching deadly strikes across the country in an escalation from a year of cross-border warfare between Israel and Hezbollah since the start of the Gaza war.

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Ethnic Cleansing

The commander of the Israeli occupation army’s 162nd Division has admitted to carrying out “cleansing” operations against Palestinians in northern Gaza, preventing their return based on orders from Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi, Southern Command, and political leadership under Netanyahu, according to Haaretz.

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