LEBANON – BBC analysis has uncovered the extent of damage caused by nine months of fighting between the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel. Satellite photos, radar imagery and records of military activity show that entire communities have been displaced, with thousands of buildings and large swathes of open land damaged on the border between Israel and Lebanon. Both sides have so far stopped short of all-out war, but evidence shows that near daily attacks have left communities in both Israel and Lebanon devastated.

The current fighting began when Hezbollah fired rockets at Israeli positions, which the group said was in solidarity with the Palestinians, a day after the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war. Israel’s military offensive on Gaza was triggered by Hamas’s unprecedented attack on Israel on 7 October 2023. Data gathered by the US-based Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project Acled and analysed by the BBC suggest both sides together carried out a combined 7,491 cross-border attacks between 8 October 2023 and 5 July 2024. These figures indicated that Israel has carried out around five times as many as Hezbollah. The UN says the attacks have forced more than 90,000 people in Lebanon from their homes, with around 100 civilians and 366 Hezbollah fighters killed in Israeli strikes.

In Israel, officials say 60,000 civilians have had to abandon their homes and 33 people have been killed, including 10 civilians, because of attacks by Hezbollah. Analysis reveals more than 60% of the border communities in Lebanon have suffered some kind of damage as a result of Israeli air and artillery strikes. As of 10 July, more than 3,200 buildings may have suffered damage.The findings were put together by Corey Scher of City University of New York Graduate Center. They are based on comparisons of two separate images, revealing changes in the height or structure of buildings which suggests damage.

The towns of Aita el Shaab, Kfar Kila and Blida appear to have been among the worst affected. The BBC spoke to the mayor of Aita el Shaab, who described the town “as if it was hit by an earthquake Majed Tehini said 17 people from the town have been killed in the Israeli strikes, including two civilians He left Aita el Shaab with his family immediately after the hostilities started in October last year, but he said he returned almost every fortnight, mainly to attend funerals. Every time I visit, I feel it has changed. The sight of the destruction is just terrible,” he told the BBC.

The houses of Aita have become mere structures. The destroyed ones have been reduced to rubble. Those still standing are uninhabitable”, he added. Mr Tehini recalled seeing the town destroyed in the past, mainly in the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, but he says the bombs have caused much bigger destruction this time. He explained that all the infrastructure has been damaged, including the electrical grid and the water supply system.   (BBC) …[+]

HUNGARY – The European Union’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borell, has stripped Hungary of the right to host the next meeting of foreign and defence ministers over its stance on the war in Ukraine. It comes weeks after Hungary assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, a role in which it would normally host the event, and amid anger over a meeting Prime Minister Viktor Orban held with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow earlier this month.

Mr Borrell said Hungary’s actions should have consequences and that “we have to send a signal, even if it is a symbolic signal”. Every six months, under each new council presidency, the EU’s foreign and defence ministers hold informal meetings to discuss the biggest global issues facing the bloc. The next set of meetings will take place on 28-30 August and were to be held in Budapest, but on Monday Mr Borrell announced they would instead take place in Brussels. Citing comments made after the meeting with Mr Putin in which Mr Orban accused the EU of having a “pro-war policy”, Mr Borrell told reporters: “If you want to talk about the war party, talk about Putin. However. Luxembourg’s Foreign Minister Xavier Bettel, told reporters that he would go to Budapest because a boycott would be “nonsense”. Mr Bettel felt that it was better to tell the Hungarians the EU was unhappy with their actions as “ignoring or not choosing dialogue would be a mistake Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski proposed that the August meeting should take place in western Ukraine, but that idea was blocked by Budapest. Responding to Mr Borrell’s decision, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto wrote on Facebook: “What a fantastic response they have come up with.

Mr Orban’s meeting with Mr Putin came as part of what he described as a “peace mission” – launched days after Hungary assumed the council presidency – that also saw him visiting the leaders of Ukraine and China, as well as Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in the US. The trip sparked condemnation from leaders across the EU, with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen describing it as “nothing but an appeasement mission Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said Mr Orban had “no mandate to negotiate or discuss on behalf of the EU”, while Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said the trip sent “the wrong signal to the outside world and is an insult to the Ukrainian people’s fight for their freedom”. (BBC) …[+]

NAIROBI –  Protesters in Kenya have vowed “a total shutdown” as they seize control of Nairobi’s main international airport on Tuesday as deadly anti-government demonstrations intensify, now entering their sixth week.

At least 50 people have been killed during the protests and more than 400 injured, according to the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights. Widely shared social media posters encourage protesters to close all roads leading to the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and cause a “total shutdown.”

Authorities said in a statement on Monday night that they increased security at the airport and warned against trespassing on protected areas, saying it was an offense punishable by law. “We urge all individuals participating in demonstrations to respect these legal provisions from attempting to enter or interfere with protected areas,” acting Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja said.

The youth-led protests began last month after national outrage about a controversial finance bill that would have dramatically raised taxes on basic commodities. After President William Ruto was forced to pull the bill, demonstrators shifted their attention to protesting against his legitimacy, corruption in his government and police brutality.

Ruto on Friday renominated six ministers after he fired the entire cabinet last month due to public pressure, reigniting public anger over their renomination. The cabinet nominees still need parliamentary approval, but they’re likely to be confirmed since Ruto’s party holds the required majority. On Sunday, the president expressed frustration with the protests, declaring that “enough is enough” after failed attempts at dialogue. (CNN) …[+]