Middle East latest: Israeli ambassador to US says Hezbollah cease-fire deal could come 'within days'
The Israeli ambassador to Washington says that a cease-fire deal to end fighting between Israel and the Lebanon-based Hezbollah could be reached 鈥渨ithin days.鈥�
Ambassador Mike Herzog told Israeli Army Radio on Monday that there remained 鈥減oints to finalize鈥� and that any deal required agreement from the government. But he said 鈥渨e are close to a deal鈥� and that 鈥渋t can happen within days.鈥�
Among the issues that remain is an Israeli demand to reserve the right to act should Hezbollah violate its obligations under the emerging deal. The deal seeks to push Hezbollah and Israeli troops out of southern Lebanon.
Israel accuses Hezbollah of not adhering to a U.N. resolution that ended the 2006 war between the sides that made similar provisions, and Israel has concerns that Hezbollah could stage a Hamas-style cross-border attack from southern Lebanon if it maintains a heavy presence there. Lebanon says Israel also violated the 2006 resolution. Lebanon complains about military jets and naval ships entering Lebanese territory even when there is no active conflict.
It is not clear whether Lebanon would agree to the demand.
___
Lebanon's Shiite Muslims pay high price in war between Israel and Hezbollah
BEIRUT (AP) 鈥� The Lebanese civilians most devastated by the Israel- Hezbollah war are Shiite Muslims, and many of them believe they are being unfairly punished because they share a religious identity with Hezbollah militants and often live in the same areas.
鈥淭his is clear,鈥� said Wael Murtada, a young Shiite man who anxiously watched paramedics search rubble after a recent Israeli airstrike destroyed his uncle鈥檚 two-story home and killed 10 people. 鈥淲ho else is being attacked?鈥�
Israel has concentrated its attacks on villages in southern and northeastern Lebanon and neighborhoods south of Beirut. This is where many Hezbollah militants operate from, and their families live side by side with large numbers of Shiites who aren鈥檛 members of the group.
Israel insists its war is with Hezbollah and not the Lebanese people 鈥� or the Shiite faith. It says it only targets members of the Iran-backed militant group to try to end their yearlong campaign of firing rockets over the border. But Israel鈥檚 stated objectives mean little to people like Murtada as growing numbers of Shiite civilians also die in a war that escalated sharply in recent months.
Shiites don鈥檛 just measure the suffering of their community in deaths and injuries. Entire blocks of the coastal city of Tyre have been flattened. Large parts of the historic market in the city of Nabatiyeh, which dates to the Ottoman era, have been destroyed. And in Baalbek, an airstrike damaged the city鈥檚 famed Hotel Palmyra, which opened in the late 19th century, and a home that dates to the Ottoman era.
___
Trump 2.0 has a Cabinet and executive branch of different positions and eclectic personalities
WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� Donald Trump鈥檚 personnel choices for his new Cabinet and White House reflect his signature positions on immigration and trade but also a range of viewpoints and backgrounds that raise questions about what ideological anchors might guide his Oval Office encore.
With a rapid assembly of his second administration 鈥� faster than his effort eight years ago 鈥� the former and incoming president has combined television personalities, former Democrats, a wrestling executive and traditional elected Republicans into a mix that makes clear his intentions to impose tariffs on imported goods and crack down on illegal immigration but leaves open a range of possibilities on other policy pursuits.
鈥淭he president has his two big priorities and doesn鈥檛 feel as strongly about anything else 鈥� so it鈥檚 going to be a real jump ball and zigzag,鈥� predicted Marc Short, chief of staff to Vice President Mike Pence during Trump鈥檚 2017-21 term. 鈥淚n the first administration, he surrounded himself with more conservative thinkers, and the results showed we were mostly rowing in the same direction. This is more eclectic.鈥�
Indeed, Secretary of State-designee Marco Rubio, the Florida senator who has pilloried authoritarian regimes around the world, is in line to serve as top diplomat to a president who praises autocratic leaders like Russia鈥檚 Vladimir Putin and Hungary鈥檚 Viktor Orban.
Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer of Oregon has been tapped to sit at the Cabinet table as a pro-union labor secretary alongside multiple billionaires, former governors and others who oppose making it easier for workers to organize themselves.
___
Senators took down one Trump Cabinet pick. But the fight over their authority is just beginning
WASHINGTON (AP) 鈥� It's a short phrase in the Constitution, mentioned in passing. But it's already taking on an outsize significance as President-elect Donald Trump charts his return to office.
The withdrawal of Matt Gaetz as Trump's nominee for attorney general dramatically affirmed that the Senate still maintains its 鈥渁dvice and consent鈥� powers when it comes to vetting and installing a president's Cabinet. Yet it may be only a brief reprieve from the intense struggles to come as Senate Republicans try to preserve their constitutional role.
Trump has been making his Cabinet announcements at a rapid clip, often over social media, and frequently catching GOP senators off guard. Gaetz鈥檚 selection on Nov. 13, in particular, left Republicans shocked and momentarily dumbfounded. His withdrawal just over a week later came just as suddenly, leaving many grasping for words.
Within hours, Trump had moved on, announcing on social media that he had selected another loyalist, former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, to run the Justice Department. Over the weekend, Trump filled out the rest of his Cabinet selections.
The dizzying speed of the picks has given Trump's second term in office a bracing start, a show of force from a president-elect who has made clear he intends to fill his administration with officials who are willing to upend the ways of Washington. His desire to pack the government with loyalists and wield executive power in expansive ways seems certain to result in frequent clashes with Congress, even with Republicans in control.
___
Russia reportedly captures a Briton fighting for Ukraine as Russian troops advance
Russia's military captured a British national fighting with Ukrainian troops who have occupied part of Russia's Kursk region, according to reports Monday, as Moscow began daylight drone attacks on civilian areas of Ukraine and its ground forces accelerated gains along parts of the front line.
The Briton was identified by state news agency Tass and other media as James Scott Rhys Anderson. Tass quoted him as saying that he had served as a signalman in the British army for four years and then joined the International Legion of Ukraine, formed early on in Russia's nearly 3-year-old war against its neighbor.
On the battlefield, Ukrainian forces are straining to hold at bay a push by Russia's bigger army at places in the eastern Donetsk region. Russian forces recently have gained ground at 鈥渁 significantly quicker rate鈥� than they did in the whole of last year, according to the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington think tank.
The Russians have detected and are exploiting weaknesses in the Ukrainian defenses, it said in an analysis late Sunday.
The war surpassed 1,000 days last week, and the milestone coincided with a significant escalation in hostilities.
___
Foreign ministers meet in Italy for the last G7 of the Biden administration
FIUGGI, Italy (AP) 鈥� Foreign ministers from the world鈥檚 leading industrialized nations are meeting Monday, with the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East entering decisive phases and a certain pressure to advance diplomatic efforts ahead of the new U.S. administration taking over.
Hopes for brokering a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon are foremost on the agenda of the Group of Seven meeting outside Rome that is gathering ministers from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States, in the last G7 encounter of the Blinken administration.
On the first day of the two-day gathering Monday, the G7 will be joined by ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar, as well as the Secretary General of the Arab League.
鈥淲ith partners will be discussed ways to support efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon, initiatives to support the population and the promotion of a credible political horizon for stability in the region,鈥� the Italian foreign ministry said.
The so-called 鈥淨uintet鈥� grouping of the U.S., Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the UAE has been working to finalize a 鈥渄ay after鈥� plan for Gaza, and there is some urgency to make progress before the Trump administration takes over in January. President-elect Donald Trump is expected to pursue a policy that strongly favors Israel over the aspirations of the Palestinians.
___
DHL cargo plane crashes and skids into a house in Lithuania, killing Spanish crew member
VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) 鈥� A DHL cargo plane crashed on approach to an airport in Lithuania's capital and skidded into a nearby house Monday morning, killing a Spanish crew member, officials said. The cause of the accident is under investigation.
The head of the country's firefighting service said that the plane skidded a few hundred meters (yards), and photos showed smoke rising from a damaged structure in an area of barren trees.
A surveillance video from a nearby company showed the plane descending normally as it approached the airport, and then exploding into a huge ball of fire behind a building. The moment of impact could not be seen in the video.
Rescue workers sealed off the area, and fragments of the plane in the company鈥檚 trademark yellow color could be seen amid wreckage scattered across the crash site.
The cargo aircraft was carrying four people when it crashed at 5:30 a.m. local time. One person, a Spanish citizen, was declared dead and the other three crew members 鈥� who were Spanish, German and Lithuanian citizens 鈥� were injured, said Ram奴nas Matonis, the head of communications for Lithuanian police in an email.
___
Prosecutors demand maximum sentence for Gis猫le Pelicot's ex-husband in mammoth rape trial in France
AVIGNON, France (AP) 鈥� A mammoth rape trial in France moved into a new phase Monday with prosecutors beginning to lay out the verdicts and punishments they want for dozens of men accused of raping Gis猫le Pelicot while she was drugged and rendered unconscious by her husband.
After hearings stretching over nearly three months, the trial in the southern city of Avignon is beginning to wrap up, with the prosecutors鈥� summing up of the verdicts they want for the 51 accused.
They started Monday by focusing on Dominique Pelicot, the man that 71-year-old Gis猫le Pelicot was married to for nearly 50 years. He has acknowledged that for years, he mixed sedatives into her food and drink, so he could rape her and also invite dozens of strangers to rape her, too.
Prosecutor Laure Chabaud asked for the maximum possible penalty for aggravated rape 鈥� 20 years 鈥� against Gis猫le Pelicot鈥檚 now ex-husband. The 72-year-old stared down at the floor, one hand on the handle of his cane, as the prosecutor spoke.
鈥淭wenty years between the four walls of a prison,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 both a lot and not enough.鈥�
___
Thousands of Imran Khan supporters defy tear gas, lockdown and arrest to head to Pakistani capital
ISLAMABAD (AP) 鈥� Thousands of supporters of Pakistan's imprisoned former premier Imran Khan have defied a lockdown and widespread arrests to head to the capital Monday to demand his release.
Khan, who has been in jail for over a year and faces more than 150 criminal cases, remains popular. His party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI, says the cases are politically motivated.
The 鈥渓ong march鈥� comes ahead of a visit by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to Islamabad.
The convoy of vehicles carrying protesters is expected to reach the capital later Monday. Security officials say they expect between 9,000-11,000 demonstrators, while the PTI claims the number will be much higher.
The lockdown, which has been in place for two days, has disrupted daily life. Travel between Islamabad and other cities has become nearly impossible. Ambulances and cars were seen turning back from areas along the key Grand Trunk Road highway in Punjab province, where shipping containers were used to block roads.
___
鈥楤usiest Thanksgiving ever鈥�: How the TSA plans to handle record air travel
DALLAS (AP) 鈥� Just as there are good odds the turkey will taste dry, airports and highways are expected to be jam-packed during Thanksgiving week, a holiday period likely to end in another record day for air travel in the United States.
The people responsible for keeping security lines, boarding areas and jetliners moving 鈥� from the U.S. transportation secretary and airline chiefs on down the line 鈥� swear they are prepared for the crowds.
Airline passengers might get lucky like they did last year, when relatively few flights were canceled during the holiday week. A repeat will require the weather's cooperation. And even if skies are blue, a shortage of air traffic controllers could create delays.
Auto club and insurance company AAA predicts that nearly 80 million Americans will venture at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday and next Monday. Most of them will travel by car.
Drivers should get a slight break on gas prices. The nationwide average price for gasoline was $3.06 a gallon on Sunday, down from $3.27 at this time last year.
The Associated Press
