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Israeli planes bomb southern Lebanon after radio blasts

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By Walid Saleh and James Mackenzie

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel bombed southern Lebanon on Thursday and said it had thwarted an Iranian-led assassination plot, a day after explosions of Hezbollah radios that came on the heels of blasts in booby trapped pagers, setting the foes hurtling towards war.

The sophisticated attacks on armed group Hezbollah’s communications equipment, which killed 37 people and wounded around 3,000 over two days, sowed disarray in Lebanon, with panicked residents abandoning their mobile phones.

“This isn’t a small matter, it’s war. Who can even secure their phone now? When I heard about what happened yesterday, I left my phone on my motorcycle and walked away,” said Mustafa Sibal on a street near central Beirut.

A distant roar in the skies could be heard in Beirut from what Lebanese state media said was Israeli jets breaking the sound barrier – a sound that has grown increasingly common in recent months.

Israel said its warplanes struck villages in southern Lebanon overnight, and a security source and Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV reported airstrikes near the border resumed on Thursday just after midday.

Hand-held radios used by Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon’s south. The Lebanese health minister raised the death toll, saying 25 people had been killed and 608 injured in the country’s deadliest day since cross-border fighting erupted between the militants and Israel in parallel with the Gaza war last year.

The previous day, hundreds of pagers – used by Hezbollah to evade mobile phone surveillance – exploded at once, killing 12 people including two children, and injuring more than 2,300.

In a post on X, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the United Nations Security Council to take a firm stand to stop Israel’s “aggression” and “technological war” against his country.

Israel has not commented directly on the booby-trapped walkie-talkies and pagers, but multiple security sources have said the attacks were carried out by its spy agency Mossad.

Israel says its conflict with Hezbollah, like its war in Gaza against Palestinian militant group Hamas, is part of a wider regional confrontation with Iran, which sponsors both groups as well as armed movements in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.

On Thursday Israeli security forces announced that an Israeli businessman had been arrested last month after attending at least two meetings in Iran, where he discussed assassinating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the defence minister or the head of the Shin Bet spy agency.

Last week, Shin Bet uncovered what it said was a plot by Hezbollah to assassinate former Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon.

Israel has been accused of assassinations including a blast in Tehran that killed the leader of Hamas and another in a Beirut suburb that killed a senior Hezbollah commander within hours of each other in July.

Despite the events of the past few days, a spokesperson for the U.N. peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon said the situation along the frontier had “not changed much in terms of exchanges of fire between the parties”.

“There was an intensification last week. This week it is more or less the same. There are still exchanges of fire. It is still worrying, still concerning, and the rhetoric is high,” the spokesperson, Andrea Tenenti, told Reuters.

Israel and Hezbollah have been exchanging fire across the Israeli-Lebanon border in parallel with the war Israel has waged in Gaza against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group whose fighters attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

Tens of thousands of people have had to flee the Israel-Lebanon border area on both sides. Netanyahu vowed on Wednesday to return the evacuated Israelis “securely to their homes”.

SHIFTING FOCUS

The Israeli military said its overnight air strikes hit Hezbollah targets in Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, as well as a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area of Khiam.

Israeli media reported that a number of Israeli civilians had been wounded by anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon, but there was no official confirmation.

On Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said the war was moving into a new phase, with more resources and military units now being shifted to the northern border.

According to Israeli officials, the forces being deployed there include the 98th Division, an elite formation including commando and paratroop elements that has been fighting in Gaza.

Hezbollah launched missile barrages on Israel on the day after the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas, and since then there has been a constant exchange of fire that neither side has allowed to escalate into a full-scale war.

However, tens of thousands have been evacuated on both sides of the border, and there has been mounting pressure in Israel for the government to get the evacuees back home.

(Additional reporting by Tom Perry and Walid Saleh in BeirutWriting by Michael GeorgyEditing by Peter Graff)

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Despite criticism, Ibas swears in sole administrators for Rivers LGAs

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Despite widespread criticism over the appointment of Sole Administrators for the twenty-three local government areas of Rivers State, the state’s Sole Administrator, retired Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas, has officially sworn in all twenty-three appointees.

The swearing-in ceremony took place on Friday at the Government House in Port Harcourt.

Videos circulating on social media show jubilant scenes involving the newly appointed administrators, many of whom are believed to be loyalists of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

A human rights group, Pilex Center for Civic Education, had on April 7 approached the Federal High Court in Port Harcourt seeking to halt the appointments, challenging the legality of the move.

The court has summoned the Sole Administrator to appear and explain why an interim injunction should not be granted to restrain him from proceeding with the appointments.

The suit was filed by the Coordinator of the Pilex Center, Courage Nsirimovu.

Justice Adamu Mohammed had adjourned the matter to April 14 for hearing.

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Kano lawyer petitions Tinubu over ‘politically motivated’ police invitation of Emir Sanusi

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A prominent legal practitioner and human rights activist, Hamza N. Dantani, Esq., has formally petitioned President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, regarding what he has described as a “politically motivated” invitation extended to the Emir of Kano, His Royal Highness Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, Ph.D., by the Inspector General of Police.

In an open letter that strongly criticizes the police’s actions, Dantani voiced serious concerns about the summons issued to the Emir in relation to an incident during the recent Eid-el-Kabir (Sallah) celebration in Kano State. Dantani argues that the invitation is not only unfounded but also represents a direct affront to the traditional institution, warning that such actions could destabilize the peace in Kano and the wider northern region.

“It is deeply troubling that this invitation appears to be politically motivated rather than rooted in the interest of justice, fairness, or national security,” Dantani wrote. “The actions of the Inspector General of Police in this case amount to a deliberate affront not only to the person of the Emir but also to the traditional institution as a whole.”

The incident in question pertains to the cancellation of the traditional Durbah ceremony, which followed a security advisory issued by the police. In compliance with this directive, the Emir chose to participate in the celebrations by car rather than on horseback. Tragically, an aide to the Emir lost his life that day in an incident unrelated to the canceled Durbah. According to reports, the Kano State Commissioner of Police conducted an investigation and confirmed that the death had no connection to the police advisory or the Emir’s compliance.

Despite this, Dantani pointed out that the Inspector General disregarded the findings of his subordinate and summoned the Emir for questioning. This, he argued, suggests an attempt to use the security apparatus to target a traditional leader for political reasons.

“This amounts to harassment and undermines the peace-building role of traditional leaders,” Dantani warned, adding that such actions could “stir unnecessary tension, chaos, and even a breakdown of law and order in Kano State.”

Dantani cited Section 4 of the Police Act, which mandates the police to maintain law and order, condemning what he called the politicization of police duties. He called on President Tinubu to intervene in the matter.

“The conventional institution deserves to be protected, not ridiculed or undermined,” the letter emphasized.

The letter was also copied to the Senate President, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Police Service Commission, the National Security Adviser, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Nigeria Police Force. Dantani urged these officials to take collective action to protect the dignity and integrity of traditional institutions.

This development comes amid rising political tensions in Kano State, following the state government’s decision to reinstate Emir Sanusi, a move that has sparked significant national debate and political interest.

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U.S withdraws military aid from Niger, redirects to Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, Ghana

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The United States has officially transferred 12 armoured vehicles to the Armed Forces of Côte d’Ivoire, part of a broader support package originally designated for Niger before the July 2023 military coup disrupted bilateral ties.

In total, 36 armoured vehicles were reallocated to Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Ghana, following Washington’s suspension of military cooperation with Niger. The handover ceremony took place on April 10, 2025, signaling continued U.S. commitment to partnering with democratic and stable West African nations.

The shift in military aid comes amid Niger’s growing isolation under its ruling junta, the National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland (CNSP), whose populist posture and fractured international relations have coincided with a worsening security crisis and rising terrorist control across parts of the country.

U.S. officials have reaffirmed their focus on supporting nations upholding democratic values, with Côte d’Ivoire, Benin, and Ghana now positioned as key allies in maintaining regional security across the Sahel and Gulf of Guinea.

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