Ethiopia
Explosions were heard in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa overnight, Reuters reported, citing three unnamed diplomats in the city, as fighting between government forces and a coalition of rebel groups intensified in the north of the country. A source linked to the new rebel alliance, which brings together the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), the Oromo Liberation Army, the Fano militia in the Amhara region and four smaller groups, told the news agency it had carried out several drone strikes on the capital. If confirmed, it would be the first drone attack by anti-government forces on Addis Ababa, which is hundreds of km from the front lines in the north. Separately, Ethiopia closed its embassy in neighboring Eritrea, accusing Asmara of supporting the rebels, and ordered 10 Eritrean diplomats to leave Ethiopia within 48 hours.
More from Reuters here.
Lebanon
Israel has carried out widespread war crimes in southern Lebanon, including destroying entire villages and towns and killing civilians, journalists and medical personnel, according to a new report exclusively seen by The New Arab. The more than 200-page document, which catalogued Israeli attacks since March, was handed to Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri on Tuesday by Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri, who heads the country’s National Committee for International Humanitarian Law, which compiled the report. The investigation was carried out despite Lebanon agreeing to waive its right to take legal action against Israel over war crimes as part of a ceasefire agreement in June.
More from The New Arab here.
Algeria
The Algerian parliament has adopted a law that would introduce the death penalty for people convicted of arson attacks on forests or fields after deadly wildfires swept the country. President Abdelmadjid Tebboune called for an amendment to the penal code after fires last month in which 12 people were killed, according to official figures. Independent news outlets have reported that the true number could be vastly higher. Though Algeria has had the death penalty for specific offenses for decades, there has been an effective moratorium, and an execution has not been carried out since 1993. Amnesty International called the move “a deeply retrograde response” to the fires.
More from Al Jazeera here.