US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
The U.S. has rejected an Israeli request to impose sanctions on Lebanon over cross-border tunnels allegedly dug by Lebanese group Hezbollah, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Wednesday.
During a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Brussels last week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for imposing sanctions on Beirut and the Lebanese army, citing their alleged responsibility for violating UN resolution 1701, which put an end to Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006.
While Pompeo rejected the Israeli request, he agreed to draw up sanctions on Hezbollah, the Israeli newspaper said.
An Israeli rights group has released a video showing Israeli forces shooting down a mentally ill Palestinian in the occupied West Bank.Mohammed Hossam Habaly, 18, was shot in the head by Israeli soldiers during a dawn raid in the city of Tulkarm last week.The Israeli military claimed that the Palestinian youth was killed during “violent disturbance” in the area.B’tselem rights group said Israeli forces fired rubber-coated bullets and teargas to disperse stone-throwing Palestinians, who had gathered to protest the Israeli raid.According to a statement, B’tselem said 30 soldiers moved down western Tulkarm where several Palestinians were standing, including Habaly.“An Israeli officer and two soldiers advanced towards Palestinian young men and fired four or five shots,” the statement said.“Halaby was the last to leave. After he took several steps, he was shot in the head from behind, from a distance of about 80 meters,” it added.Disputing Israeli claims about “violent disturbance” in the area, B’tselem said video footage from security cameras installed in western Tulkarm showed that the area was perfectly quiet and that there were no clashes there with Israeli soldiers.The Israeli military, for its part, said the killing was being investigated by the military police."When the investigation is completed, the findings will be examined by the Military Prosecution,” it said in a statement.
Video shows Israeli army killing mentally ill youth
According to Haaretz, Washington made clear that the U.S. and Lebanon have close military ties and there is no interest in undermining them.
There was no comment from either the Lebanese government or Hezbollah on the report.
Last week, the Israeli army launched a military operation to “thwart” and “expose” tunnels allegedly dug by Hezbollah along the border with Lebanon.
Since then, the Israeli army announced it had discovered three tunnels leading into Israeli territory from southern Lebanon.
In 2006, Israel launched a war against Hezbollah during which at least 1,200 people, mostly Lebanese civilians, were killed.
Israeli forces rounded up six Palestinians in overnight raids carried out across the occupied West Bank, according to the Israeli military on Wednesday.The individuals were arrested for “suspected involvement in popular terrorist activities”, the army said in a statement, without elaborating on the nature of these activities.The Israeli army frequently carries out wide-ranging arrest campaigns across the occupied West Bank on the pretext of searching for “wanted” Palestinians.According to Palestinian figures, some 6,000 Palestinians continue to languish in Israeli detention facilities, including scores of women and hundreds of minors.
Israel arrests 6 Palestinians in overnight raids
Australia's government met on Tuesday to discuss whether to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, two sources familiar with the matter said, a decision that would break with decades of policy and risk angering Asian neighbours."Cabinet met today and the issue of moving the Israeli embassy was discussed. The decision is still pending," said one of the sources who declined to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the media.Prime Minster Scott Morrison in October said he was "open" to moving the embassy to Jerusalem, following the lead of U.S. President Donald Trump.The United States opened a new embassy in Jerusalem in May, a move that delighted Israel, infuriated Palestinians and upset the wider Arab world and Western allies.The Australian newspaper reported several senior cabinet members were leaning towards recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital while stopping short of moving the embassy.Jerusalem's status is a major obstacle to a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians. Israel regards all of the city, including the eastern sector that it annexed after a 1967 war, as its capital.The Australian newspaper said a decision could be announced this week.By recognising Jerusalem as Israel's capital, Morrison would be hoping to keep his conservative backbench happy but it would likely anger neighbours, including Indonesia, the world's biggest Muslim-majority country.The Palestinian question is sensitive in Indonesia and it has refused to sign a free trade agreement with Australia until it confirms its plans towards Israel.Israel’s government regards Jerusalem as the eternal and indivisible capital of the country. Palestinians feel equally strongly, saying that East Jerusalem must be the capital of a future Palestinian state. 
Australian government discusses moving Israel embassy to Jerusalem