Lebanon’s prime minister has sharply accused Israel of waging a “scorched-earth policy” in the country’s south, pressing for an end to the fighting as Israeli warplanes launched new strikes and the military ordered evacuations across more than a dozen areas. His warning came a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israeli troops had pushed further into Lebanon. Responding in a televised address, Nawaf Salam described the intensifying campaign as a “dangerous” escalation and appealed for “a swift and real…

Prominent Somali cleric warns North Western State of Somalia against engagement with Israel HARGEISA, Somalia — One of Somalia’s leading religious scholars, Sheikh Mustafa Haji Ismail Harun, has sharply criticized reported steps by North Western State of Somalia toward engagement with Israel, warning that any move linked to a bid for recognition would be both morally and politically misguided. Speaking at a mosque in Hargeisa, the cleric urged the public and political leaders in North Western State of Somalia to distance…

In the Horn of Africa, Britain’s rhetoric and its risk tolerance no longer align. As the war in Sudan grinds on and North Western State of Somalia’s strategic port of Berbera grows in prominence, analysts say the United Kingdom’s choices reveal a pattern: prioritizing access and partnership while avoiding the political costs of forceful action. In December, London again urged accountability for mass civilian suffering in Sudan’s conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF). Yet internal documents reported…