Hugo Bechega
Appearances
Global News Podcast
Mayor of Istanbul dismisses charges against him
It's just after quarter past eight o'clock at night here, and just moments ago we had confirmation from the Israeli military that a second wave of Israeli airstrikes were being carried out across Lebanon. There's been footage posted online of destruction in Tyre, which is the largest Lebanese city in the south of the country.
Global News Podcast
Mayor of Istanbul dismisses charges against him
There have been reports on Israeli radio saying that only today the Israeli military attacked 50 targets across Lebanon in response to those rockets that were fired from Lebanese territory into Israel. So this is the worst violence since the ceasefire came into effect here in November, the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. And I think
Global News Podcast
Mayor of Istanbul dismisses charges against him
We're seeing that Hezbollah is denying any kind of involvement in the attack. A number of armed groups operate in Lebanon, especially in southern Lebanon. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Global News Podcast
Mayor of Istanbul dismisses charges against him
But I think this is another demonstration of the challenges that the Lebanese authorities are facing in trying to control those areas in the south, where for decades, militants, armed groups, including Hezbollah, have operated. And I think it is also very interesting that the attack that happened today from Lebanon happens just days since the Israeli military renewed its offensive in Gaza.
Global News Podcast
Mayor of Istanbul dismisses charges against him
So what we saw here today could be a reaction to that. But again, a huge wave of Israeli attacks and I think a lot of destruction across the country after months of relative quiet.
Global News Podcast
Mayor of Istanbul dismisses charges against him
This has been a very fragile truce and Hezbollah hasn't reacted to these Israeli attacks that have been happening almost every day. Since the implementation of the ceasefire, the Israeli military has attacked positions, people it says are related to Hezbollah. It says that these attacks are trying to prevent Hezbollah from regrouping and rearming people.
Global News Podcast
Mayor of Istanbul dismisses charges against him
The Israeli military also continues to occupy five positions in southern Lebanon. And the Lebanese authorities say that these are breaches of the deal that was signed with Israel. So it really shows that despite the ceasefire, violence has continued here.
Global News Podcast
Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
So this is coming from the monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which for years has been documenting incidents across Syria. They have a network of sources and activists working with them. And they say that... They have verified videos and also gathered testimonies from relatives of the dead, saying that 52 Alawite men were executed by Syrian security forces.
Global News Podcast
Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
Now, we haven't been able to independently verify those claims. We've seen one footage that has been released by activists. Dozens of bodies of men and boys in civilian clothing are piled in the yard of a house.
Global News Podcast
Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
Again, we haven't been able to independently verify the authenticity of the footage, but this follows those clashes in Latakia between government forces and supporters of the deposed president Bashar al-Assad.
Global News Podcast
Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
Exactly. And this started yesterday. What we're hearing is that there was a significant military operation targeting an official from the Assad government in Latakia. This is a region on the Mediterranean coast in Syria. And government forces were then ambushed by fighters loyal to Bashar al-Assad. This led to some violent clashes. Confrontations then spread to other parts of the region.
Global News Podcast
Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
And what we're seeing today is this massive response by the authorities. Reinforcements with possibly hundreds of security forces have been sent from other parts of the country to coastal areas of Syria. Now there is a curfew until tomorrow. in both Latakia and Tartus, two major cities on the coast. And again, this is a stronghold of the Assad family.
Global News Podcast
Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
So a snapshot of the tensions in Syria, a country that remains deeply divided.
Global News Podcast
Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
Yeah, I don't think it's a surprise that we're seeing these clashes. I was in Damascus earlier this year, and I met several high-level security officials in the new administration.
Global News Podcast
Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
And what they told me is that this was one of their main security challenges in the country, the resistance of Assad loyalists and the possibility that they could try to mount some kind of insurgency against the new leaders of the country. So I think it was almost inevitable. that we would see some kind of violence, especially in that part of the country.
Global News Podcast
Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
I think this is a very serious challenge for the interim president, Ahmed Alshara. He's trying to consolidate his authority across the country. There are many parts of Syria that are not controlled by his forces, by, you know, the government in Damascus. So I think a lot of people will be paying attention to this reaction from the security forces that's happening now in those parts of Syria.