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Lebanon PM, UN peacekeepers call for accelerated Israeli withdrawal

United Nations peacekeepers and Lebanon's prime minister called on Monday for the Israeli army to speed up its withdrawal from the country, nearly a month into a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah."UNIFIL strongly urges accelerated progress in the IDF's (Israeli military) withdrawal from and the LAF's (Lebanese army) deployment in south Lebanon," the force said in a statement.It called on "all actors to cease and refrain from violations of (Security Council) resolution 1701 and any actions that could jeopardise the fragile stability that currently prevails".
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Lebanon PM, UN peacekeepers call for accelerated Israeli withdrawal

Syrian medics say were coerced into false chemical attack testimony

Two Syrian doctors and a nurse told AFP in a series of interviews over the weekend that Bashar al-Assad's government coerced them into providing false testimony to international investigators after a deadly 2018 chlorine attack.The three, who treated the wounded at a field hospital in the rebel-held town of Douma near Damascus after the April 7, 2018 attack, said they were summoned to national security headquarters.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Syrian medics say were coerced into false chemical attack testimony

Security deployed as wartime Bethlehem readies for another sombre Christmas

Palestinian security forces deployed around the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank holy city of Bethlehem on Tuesday, as the faithful prepared for another solemn Christmas overshadowed by the war in Gaza.An unusual calm enveloped Manger Square, the heart of the Palestinian city dominated by the revered church that marks the site where Christians believe Jesus Christ was born.The white-walled compound and its surrounding plaza were empty, save for a few vendors selling coffee and corn and a significant contingent of journalists, an AFP reporter saw.
Source: Al Monitor
Full Article: Security deployed as wartime Bethlehem readies for another sombre Christmas