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Israeli warplanes have carried out at least a dozen attacks across southern Lebanon, targeting what the military claims are Hezbollah training facilities in the latest flagrant near-daily violations that have further undermined a year-old ceasefire.
The raids hit hills and valleys in the Jezzine and Zahrani areas, including locations near al-Aaichiyeh, between al-Zrariyeh and Ansar, and around Jabal al-Rafie and the outskirts of several towns, according to Lebanon’s state news agency.
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Israel’s military said it struck a compound used by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force for weapons training, claiming the facilities were being used to plan attacks against Israeli forces and civilians.
Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut described the ceasefire in Lebanon as “a one-sided truce, since Israel has continued near-daily attacks on the country.”
Khodr said the latest attacks avoided densely populated areas. “The locations were in hills and valleys, not population centres,” she said, noting this marked a repeated pattern.
“In fact, just a few days ago, in the middle of the night, they did the same thing.”
The Israeli military said it also hit what it said were rocket-launching sites and other infrastructure, describing the operations as necessary to counter what it deemed violations of understandings between Israel and Lebanon.
However, the continued bombardment has drawn sharp criticism from the United Nations, which reported in November that at least 127 civilians, including children, have been killed in Lebanon since the ceasefire took effect in late 2024. UN officials have warned the attacks amount to “war crimes”.
Khodr explained that the attacks form part of a sustained military pressure campaign.
“This is all part of military pressure on Hezbollah to force it to disarm,” she said. Israel wants the group “to give up its strategic weapons, its long-range weapons, its precision-guided missiles, its drones” which the Israeli military believes are stored in the Bekaa Valley and further inland.
But Hezbollah has sharply refused to relinquish its arsenal as long as Israel bombards and occupies parts of Lebanon. The group “doesn’t want to give up its weapons because it would view that as surrender”, Khodr added, noting that “Hezbollah and Lebanon do not have the upper hand. Israel enjoys air superiority.”
Tensions escalated further two weeks ago when Israel bombed Beirut’s southern suburbs, killing Hezbollah’s top military commander, Haytham Ali Tabatabai. The group has yet to respond, but said it will do so at the right time.
The attacks come as Lebanon and Israel recently dispatched civilian envoys to a committee monitoring their ceasefire for the first time in decades, a move aimed at expanding diplomatic engagement.
However, Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem criticised Lebanon’s decision to send former Ambassador Simon Karam to the talks, calling it a “free concession” to Israel.
Lebanese officials have expressed frustration over Israel’s near-daily attacks.
“It is one of the reasons why Lebanon agreed to sit down for face-to-face talks with the Israelis,” Khodr said, “engaging in diplomatic talks that are seen as very sensitive in Lebanon, in the hopes that it would avoid war.”
President Joseph Aoun said last week that Lebanon “has adopted the option of negotiations with Israel” aimed at stopping the continued attacks, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam called for a more robust verification mechanism to monitor both Israeli violations and Lebanese army efforts to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure.
Lancashire have appointed Sir James Anderson as captain of their Championship side for 2026.
Anderson led the team in five games last summer and had a winning record but he has now been given the job full-time after signing a new one-year contract.
Now 43, England’s leading Test wicket-taker, has taken 1,143 wickets in 304 first-class matches since his debut in 2002.
Despite playing his 188th and final Test for England in 2024 at the age of 41 in July 2024, Anderson has carried on his county career.
After a turbulent summer at Emirates Old Trafford in which head coach Dale Benkenstein left mid-season and Jennings stepped down as red-ball captain, Anderson found himself standing in as skipper when chosen replacement Marcus Harris returned to Australia.
He led the team to two wins, two draws and a defeat in his five games in charge and lifted the mood after a dismal start.
Now he will work alongside new permanent head coach Steven Croft, who was in interim charge for the second half of last season and a former Red Rose team-mate of Anderson, as they aim to lead Lancashire back to Division One after relegation from the top flight in 2024.
“Captaining Lancashire for the first time last season was a huge privilege, and I’m honoured to take on the role full-time heading into the new season,” Anderson told the club’s website.
One of the two men facing trial over Liam Payne’s hotel plunge death has been allowed to leave prison. Braian Paiz will have to wear an electronic tag on his ankle as part of his home arrest.
The waiter has been languishing in jail since the start of January after being charged with selling the former One Direction singer the cocaine he snorted and smoked before his fatal third-storey drug-fuelled balcony plunge on October 16 last year.
Paiz, who has admitted to taking drugs with Liam at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel in Buenos Aires but denies selling him narcotics, lost an initial prison release bid after it was opposed by public prosecutors and a judge ruled he remained a flight risk. But three higher court judges agreed he could swap jail for house arrest and the ankle tag after he appealed, arguing his near year-long incarceration had caused him health problems and his family situation had worsened.
The other suspect, former hotel worker Ezequiel David Pereyra who is also facing drug charges, remains in jail and it was not immediately clear this morning if he would now apply for a similar home arrest regime ahead of their trial.
Public prosecutors have yet to make any official comment on the appeal judges’ decision, said to have been taken yesterday.
Paiz claimed in an interview from prison in October he had been beaten, scalded and threatened with electrocution since being arrested and remanded in custody. He also said he was sharing his remand cell with another 15 people who had nicknamed him ‘killer’ and left him in fear of his life.
At the time it emerged the 26-year-old had to give away some of his food and cigarettes to other inmates in an attempt to guarantee his safety.
Shortly after his interview he was moved from the cramped Buenos Aires police cell where he was held at first to a special LGBT wing in a new prison with better conditions.
His mum Sandra has complained massive legal bills have had a devastating effect on their family, forcing her to sell her hairdressing salon and downsize to a dilapidated home in Berazategui on the outskirts of Buenos Aires.
Like 24-year-old Pereyra, Paiz has been accused of selling cocaine to Liam, just 31 when he died, on two separate occasions and warned the prison sentence if convicted could be between four and 15 years.
He met the singer in a restaurant he served him at shortly before Liam’s fatal fall from the balcony of room 310 at the CasaSur Palermo Hotel.
Paiz has previously protested his innocence by claiming he is being scapegoated, but in a prison interview with Argentinian magazine Gente in October he made a series of new bombshell claims about the time he spent with the famous Brit.
Recalling the night they got chatting in Cabana Las Lilas, the restaurant in the upmarket neighbourhood of Puerto Madero Braian used to work at and Liam had picked for dinner, he said: “Liam approached me several times, always asking where the toilet was. But what he really wanted was to interact with me. He asked for my Instagram in front of his girlfriend.
“We started talking on a parallel account that he had created just for that purpose. It had no followers, nothing. We never used WhatsApp, as they said in the case. It was always on Instagram and then on iCloud.
“The prosecutor’s office deleted all my locations, but I have the screenshots.”
Braian said the first visit he paid Liam, on October 2 at the luxury Palacio Duhau – Park Hyatt Hotel in Buenos Aires where he was staying before switching to the CasaSur Palermo, lasted an hour and a half.
He said the singer showed him three new songs he was going to bring out and a photo of a young boy he believes was his now eight-year-old son Bear after sketching his face from a snap he took of him.
Speaking of his prison hell at his first lock-up, he repeated his earlier insistence he was innocent in an Argentinian TV interview in November last year: “I’m being accused of something I didn’t do. We shared less than two grams of cocaine that I had for personal consumption.
“I don’t deal drugs. I was just a user. What I experienced with Liam wasn’t a crime, it was a human moment.”
No date has yet been set for Paiz’s and Pereyra’s trial and sources close to the case are saying they don’t expect it to take place now until next year.
Pereyra is being held on remand in Marcos Paz Prison on the outskirts of Buenos Aires. The maximum-security federal prison is known for housing some of the country’s most dangerous men including drug lords.
Argentinian public prosecutors say their case against Pereyra and Paiz is based on phone, CCTV and witness evidence.
Lead prosecutor Andres Madrea said in June when he confirmed the two men would go to trial for selling Liam with drugs: “Based on the information obtained from the mobile phone seized from the late Liam James Payne, it was possible to establish that the defendant Paiz supplied narcotics to the aforementioned individual for consumption in exchange for money on at least two occasions.”
Three other men initially charged over Liam’s death were told in February the case against them had been dropped.
Liam’s close friend Rogelio Nores, hotel receptionist Esteban Grassi and hotel head of security Gilda Martin were accused of his manslaughter by a female lower court judge before her decision was overturned on appeal.
Lionel Messi will unveil a 21-metre (70-foot) statue of himself in India on Saturday as he embarks on a three-day tour of the country that has sparked a fan frenzy.
The iron sculpture in Kolkata, which shows Messi holding aloft the World Cup, is part of a so-called GOAT Tour that will take in four Indian cities and a possible meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The 38-year-old Argentina and Inter Miami superstar will unveil the monument virtually rather than in person for security reasons.
A “Hola Messi” fan zone has also been set up in Kolkata, where on display is a life-sized replica of Messi sitting on a throne.
The hall also recreates his Miami home, complete with mannequins of his family members.
Football fan Samir Nandy said it would be “a dream come true” to catch a glimpse of his idol.
“Legends are not made by success alone. It is his resilience that made me believe in him,” Nandy, 64, said in Kolkata.
“The statue is a fitting tribute to him.”
Monti Paul, the statue’s main sculptor, told AFP the structure was built in 40 days.
“It’s a matter of pride to build the sculpture of Messi. It’s the tallest statue I have made,” he said.
The eight-time Ballon d’Or winner will also meet Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan and former India cricket captain Sourav Ganguly during his whirlwind trip to Kolkata.
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Ahead of his arrival, Messi said it was an honour to visit India and interact with the fans.
“India is a very special country, and I have good memories from my time there 14 years ago — the fans were fantastic,” Messi said in a statement.
“India is a passionate football nation, and I look forward to meeting a new generation of fans while sharing the love I have for this beautiful game.”
After Kolkata, where Messi will play a short friendly match, he will head to Hyderabad, Mumbai and New Delhi.
In Hyderabad he will attend a concert in his honour and play another friendly.
He is reportedly scheduled to meet Modi in the capital.
Messi won his second consecutive Major League Soccer Most Valuable Player award this week after propelling Inter Miami to the MLS title and leading the league in goals.
The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain attacker will spearhead Argentina’s defence of the World Cup in June-July in North America.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed that he will meet with Mohamed Salah to decide whether the Egyptian international will be involved in the Premier League champions match at Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday.
The 33-year-old forward, who has won both the UEFA Champions League and two Premier League titles with the Anfield-based club, caused controversy with his reaction to being named on the bench for the 3-3 draw with Leeds United last Saturday.
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It was the third consecutive game that Salah had been benched for and he told reporters after the Leeds match he had been “thrown under the bus” by the club following their slow start to their latest title defence, with the team languishing in 10th place with 23 points from 15 matches.
That led to the former Chelsea and Roma forward being left out of the squad that travelled to Italy for Tuesday’s 1-0 win at Inter Milan in the Champions League.
As a result, rumours grew about Salah’s future at Liverpool, with interest confirmed from the Saudi Pro League.
Slot was reticent to be drawn on the subject after the match in Milan, but has moved to calm speculation over Salah’s future after the player’s fiery criticism.
“I will have a conversation with Mo this morning, the outcome of that conversation determines how things will look tomorrow,” Slot told reporters on Friday.
When asked if he wanted Salah to stay at the club, Slot said: “I have no reasons to not want him to stay.”
Pressed on Salah’s status, Slot refused to offer any guarantees.
“I think the next time I speak about Mo should be with him and not in here. You can keep on trying but there is not much more to say about it,” he said.
The Dutchman did confirm that talks had begun between both parties following the second of the three matches that saw Salah dropped to the bench.
“After the Sunderland game, there were a lot of conversations between his representatives and ours, between him and me,” he added.
Slot also chose to reveal that the decision to leave Salah at home for the trip to Milan followed discussions within the club.
“I am always in contact with them (sporting director Richard Hughes and chief executive of football Michael Edwards) but when it comes to the decision-making of the lineup or the squad, they leave that open to me.
“That’s not to say I don’t talk to them. Mainly Richard, not Michael. The decision to play a player or have them in the squad is entirely up to me.”
Salah, nicknamed the “Egyptian King,” has endured a turbulent campaign following an extraordinary 2024-25 season.
He is set to depart for the Africa Cup of Nations on Monday – with his international teammates already backing their colleague – leaving Liverpool to attempt to extend their four-game unbeaten run across all competitions while silencing the off-field turmoil.
Whether he returns to Anfield afterwards remains uncertain, with Saudi suitors circling and Salah hinting that his Liverpool chapter may be drawing to a close.
There is a question mark over Alexander Isak’s status for Saturday, with Slot saying the forward picked up a knock in the first half against Inter Milan, and that he will be evaluated on Friday before they decide whether or not he can start.
Slot is pleased with how Isak and Hugo Ekitike have played together, saying their partnership will continue to improve.
“The more they play together, the more they will adapt to each other and the better they will cooperate,” Slot said. “I saw promising things from the both of them, it’s only the second time they’ve played together. We will see more of them playing together in the future.”