A group, the Energy Transparency Initiative (ETI) has added its voice to the face-off between Dangote Refinery on the one hand, and Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) and the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) on the other.
The group expressed dismay over recent statements made by the Deputy Spokesman of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, concerning the NNPCL and NMDPRA.
The regulatory agency and the national oil corporation had in recent times been in a face-off with Africa’s wealthiest man, Aliko Dangote, owner of Dangote Refinery accusing the private refiner of producing low quality fuel, and seeking to establish a monopoly of fuel supply in Nigeria.
On his part, Dangote denied the accusation, and accused the government bodies on frustrating its efforts to reduce the burden of fuel scarcity in the country.
ETI while reacting to the ripple effect that have trailed the face-off in a statement by its convener, Ganzallo Gbenga, and programme officer, Chinelo Ochiaga, said the allegations by Agbese that the NNPCL and NMDPRA are involved in a deliberate attempt to undermine the Dangote refinery, is an affront to the House of Representatives.
They noted that such remarks were not only misleading but also demonstrated a concerning departure from his responsibilities as a federal lawmaker.
“While we are not willing to be mouthpiece of both regulatory authorities, being accused by Mr Agbese, we cannot but remind Nigerians that as an organization with over a decade of involvement in series of advocacy on transparency and accountability in the sector, we have full knowledge of issues that are responsible for the recent dispute between Dangote Refinery and the regulatory authorities.
“It is troubling that Agbese has chosen to abandon his duty as a representative of the people and instead assumed the role of an advocate for the Dangote Refinery.
“His position should obligate him to act impartially, especially in matters involving multiple stakeholders. By aligning himself so closely with a single business interest, he undermines the very essence of his role as an unbiased arbitrator within any relevant committee.
“In the House of Reps, his voice has never been heard, no bills sponsored, no motions moved and has also not carried out empowerment to his Constituency.
“Agbese’s actions reveal a troubling pattern of prioritizing the interests of a single entity over the broader collective welfare of Nigerians. The Dangote refinery, while a significant player in the industry, represents individual business interests that do not necessarily align with the national interest.
“The apparent bias demonstrated by Agbese risks neglecting the broader implications of the refinery’s operations on the general populace and undermines the regulatory framework designed to ensure fair play and transparency.
“It is imperative to remind the lawmaker that his call for the dismissal of the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL and the Authority Chief Executive of NMDPRA is not only misplaced but lacks merit.
“We had expected all parties involved in this NNPCL and Dangote feud to maintain their silence but were shocked to realise that Agbese who’s a member of the committee set up by the House to investigate surrounding allegations chose to take a side and has made statements that are uncalled for.”
The Energy Transparency Initiative said Agbese needs to be schooled on how both the NNPCL and NMDPRA works and not dabble into affairs that are beyond his literacy level.
The group noted that the era where Agbese blackmails public institutions will not fly with government agencies as they won’t succumb to such.
“We call on the leadership of the House of Representatives to address this matter with the seriousness it deserves. It is crucial that members of the House focus on their legislative duties and refrain from interfering in regulatory issues they do not fully understand.
“This will ensure that the integrity of the legislative process is maintained and that public trust is upheld,” it said.
The Energy Transparency Initiative urged the House leadership to rein in Agbese and his associates.
“Their current approach not only jeopardizes the effective functioning of regulatory bodies but also risks undermining the efforts to achieve transparency and accountability in the oil and gas sector.
“We further implore all stakeholders to remain vigilant and uphold the principles of fairness and transparency.
“The progress of Nigeria’s oil and gas sector depends on the collective efforts of all parties involved, and it is imperative that individual agendas do not derail this important endeavor”.
The post Group joins in on Dangote, NNPC, NMDPRA face-off, accuses lawmaker, Agbese, of false claims appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
Group joins in on Dangote, NNPC, NMDPRA face-off, accuses lawmaker, Agbese, of false claims
Police defend request for details, cite security concerns
The Nigeria Police Force has explained the reasons why details of the organisers for the proposed nationwide protests were requested.
The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had, on Friday, directed the protest organisers to submit their details, proposed routes and assembly points to the Commissioners of Police in their respective states.
However, the organisers of the protest disagreed with the IG and accused him of trying to rewrite the constitution.
One of them who spoke with Sunday According, Deji Adeyanju, said there was no provision in the constitution to support the requests made by the IG.
He said, “When the constitution was conferring the right to protest on the citizens, did the constitution give conditions for protests? Is the IG trying to rewrite the constitution? Is he trying to donate rights to the citizens or what? He has no such powers. The constitution and other laws of the land do not give the IG the power to dictate how citizens should protest.”
Reacting in a statement on Sunday, the Force’s spokesperson, Olumuyiwa Adejobi said the IG’s request was a standard procedure to facilitate effective communication, ensure the safety of all participants and prevent any unlawful activities.
Adejobi said, “The Nigeria Police Force hereby addresses the recent accusations made by one activist, Deji Adeyanju, and others via various fora, alleging that the IGP is attempting to rewrite the constitution by requesting the details of the organisers and leaders of the planned nationwide protests.
“It is essential to know who is planning the assembly (protests) in each state as allowing faceless groups to operate unchecked could jeopardise the peace and stability of the country, and leave us with pains, sorrows and tears as experienced in the 2020 violent EndSARS protests. If organised labour and other recognised bodies were involved, it would have provided a more structured and safer environment for such public protests.
“In this wise, requesting the details of protest organisers and their leaders and the schedules of their protests which include location, period, routes etc., is a standard procedure to facilitate effective communication, ensure the safety of all participants, and prevent any unlawful activities.”
Adejobi noted that the IGP “has never denied the constitutional right of every citizen to freedom of association and expression, but has rather, at every point, emphasised that the right is to peaceful assembly and expression,” while maintaining that the police “holds the responsibility to ensure that any activity, including protests, does not pose a threat to national security.”
The statement continued, “It is also vital for Deji Adeyanju to note that in the interest of defence, public safety, public order, public morality or public health; or to protect the rights and freedom of other persons as enshrined in Section 45 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, this request by the IGP is not out of place.”
Adejobi urged the activist and other organisers “not to mislead Nigerians. We, therefore, call on them to join hands in working together to uphold the security and well-being of our nation. “
We have no time to waste on nationwide protest – Former Taraba Gov, Nyame
Former governor Jolly T. Nyame of Taraba State, said the youths of Yorro nation in both Taraba and Adamawa States, have no time to waste in a national protest that can only promote destruction, anarchy and loss of lives.
Nyame, who made this known on Sunday at a World press conference in Jalingo, called on the youths spread across the Yorro nation in both states to distance themselves from participating in the forthcoming nationwide protest slated for August 1, 2024.
Flanked by representatives of the Yorro nation from the two states, he said the proposed protest which is being planned against the government under the guise of advocating for good governance, is uncalled for.
“The language employed by the planners is threatening, divisive and is clearly aimed at removing a democratically elected government.
”This action can only worsen the situation and endanger the lives of thousands of people,” Nyame stated.
Rather than embarking on protest, he called for re-planning and reorganization of the political interest in both Taraba and Adamawa states, stressing that “there is already a constitutional means of removing a bad government through the ballot box and not brigandage and terrorism.”
The former governor said, we have no time to waste in a national protest that can only promote destruction, anarchy and loss of lives, said, that as a peaceful and law-abiding community, the Yorro nation should not join the so-called nationwide protest against the government, for our own good people and the safety of the communities.
Nyame, who admitted that there is hunger in the nooks and crannies of the country, said no amount of protest would address the situation.
“There is no doubt that our beloved country is going through one of the toughest challenges in history. There is a glaring shortage of all the basic things we need to survive, including food, education for our children and affordable health facilities.”
Adding that, “I am aware that many families stay for days without food and other necessities. This unfortunate situation has exposed us to all types of lamentations against the privileged class and all levels of governance in our country.”
We have no time to waste on nationwide protest – Former Taraba Gov, Nyame
Putin threatens to restart mid-range nuclear weapons production
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday threatened to relaunch production of intermediate-range nuclear weapons if the United States confirmed its intention to deploy missiles to Germany or elsewhere in Europe.
“If the United States carries out such plans, we will consider ourselves liberated from the unilateral moratorium previously adopted on the deployment of medium- and short-range strike capabilities,” Putin said during a naval parade in Saint Petersburg.
Putin added that now in Russia “the development of a number of such systems is in the final stages”.
“We will take mirror measures in deploying them, taking into account the actions of the US, its satellites in Europe and in other regions of the world,” the Russian president warned.
Such missiles, which can travel between 500 and 5,500 kilometres (300-3,400 miles), were the subject of an arms control treaty signed by the US and the Soviet Union in 1987.
But both Washington and Moscow withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty in 2019, each accusing the other of violations.
Russia subsequently said it would not restart production of such missiles as long as the United States did not deploy missiles abroad.
In early July, Washington and Berlin announced that the “episodic deployments” of long-range US missiles, including Tomahawk cruise missiles, to Germany would begin in 2026.
Putin said that “important Russian administrative and military sites” would fall within the range of such missiles that “could in the future be equipped with nuclear warheads, such that our territories would be within around 10 minutes” of a strike being launched.
The Russian president also mentioned that the US has deployed Typhon mid-range missile systems in Denmark and the Philippines in recent exercises.
‘Cold War’ reminder –
“This situation reminds us of the events of the Cold War linked to the deployment of American Pershing medium-range missiles in Europe,” said Putin.
The US deployed US Pershing ballistic missiles in West Germany in the 1980s at the height of the Cold War.
US missiles continued to be stationed through the reunification of Germany and into the 1990s.
But following the end of the Cold War, the United States significantly reduced the numbers of missiles stationed in Europe as the threat from Moscow receded.
The Kremlin had already warned in mid July that the proposed US deployment would mean that European capitals would become a target for Russian missiles.
“We are taking steady steps towards the Cold War. All the attributes of the Cold War with the direct confrontation are returning,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a state TV reporter.
AFP
South-East monarchs beg for release of IPOB leader, Kanu
The Council of South East Traditional Rulers has told the Federal Government that releasing the incarcerated leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, will reduce tension in the region.
Chairman of the Council, Igwe Samuel Asadu, who made the appeal during an interaction with journalists in Abuja on Sunday, said Kanu’s freedom will not only bring down tension but will reduce security challenges in the South-East.
Igwe Asadu stated that the council was in support of governors, lawmakers, religious and traditional rulers as well as stakeholders in the South-East who have called for the release of the IPOB leader.
“He is our son. He has been there for a long time, in spite of the ups and down with the judiciary,” he said.
“Off course, we back the Governors Forum and other stakeholders’ call for his release so that tension will be reduced.
“We pray that the government will do its due diligence to ensure that people are guaranteed that the release won’t go beyond what is expected. There should be some form of measures, a deal to be made.”
The Royal Father emphasized that the eventual release of Kanu would, to a large extent, usher in a relative calmness and evoke joy to the people of the zone.
“If the President looks into that and gives him a pardon, we will be excited. It is affecting our area, because of his absence. Some of the people are his die hard fans.
“So, who will want to have his son locked up for a long time, of course we are praying every day, all the traditional rulers are praying for Nnamdi Kanu to be released.
“We feel his pains and the pain of his family. It will be a gift, if the President does that. We come back to thank him in a big way,” Igwe Asadu added.
The post South-East monarchs beg for release of IPOB leader, Kanu appeared first on Latest Nigeria News | Top Stories from TVN.
Channel your hardship protests to your governors – Eradiri tells aggrieved citizens
A former President of the Ijaw Youths Council, IYC, Worldwide, Udengs Eradiri has said it was unfair and premature to hold any hardship protest against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Eradiri, however, asked residents and citizens to direct their angst against their governors and local government chairmen, insisting that the President’s economic policies had generated more revenues and humongous resources for states across the country.
Eradiri, a former Commissioner for Youths and later Environment in Bayelsa State asked people in their different states to protest against their governors and mount pressure on them to judiciously use improved resources accruing to them through Tinubu’s efforts to fight hardship in their states.
Eradiri in a statement in Port Harcourt on Sunday recalled that the removal of fuel subsidies had led to improved revenue allocations to the states adding that the President had continued to send different kinds of palliatives to states through their governors.
Besides, Eradiri, who was a Governorship Candidate of the Labour Party in Bayelsa State said it was premature to hold an organised protest against Tinubu’s government a year after he assumed office and was confronted by a failed economy.
He said: “I would have joined and mobilised youths for this protest if the motive was for nation building. The motive behind this protest is purely political. I have analysed the situation.
“Any protest against President Tinubu one year after he took over the government is premature and unfair. This President inherited the worst economy in the history of this country.
“President Tinubu is practically building a new economy from scratch. He is not building on the efforts of his predecessors because he inherited an economy struggling to survive in an intensive care unit.
“He has demonstrated the will to lay a foundation for a strong economy. Anybody expecting the gains of these difficult economic policies he has undertaken to spread magically within one year is unrealistic. The gains are already trickling down and in the next two or three years, this country will have a solid economy”.
Eradiri advised the youths not to engage in the protest saying it was a ploy to unleash violence on innocent people, loot shops and slow down the already achieved gains of Tinubu’s policies.
He said the situation in Nigeria would be worse after the planned protest, adding that some enemies of the country were behind the action.
Eradiri said: “Instead of diverting attention with this protest, people should be worried about the inability of their state governors to translate huge revenue allocations accruing to them to solving the common problems of the people.
“It is embarrassing that over 200 million people are complaining of hunger amidst vast arable land in their various states. Why are the governors not driving an agricultural revolution in their various states?
“This President has been outstanding in generating revenues and sending palliatives to the governors. Why are the governors not complementing the efforts of the President by making deliberate efforts to ameliorate the hardship in their states?”
Eradiri maintained that the planned protest was unnecessary, anti-people and politically motivated and asked the people to abstain from it.
Channel your hardship protests to your governors – Eradiri tells aggrieved citizens
Stakeholders harp on collaboration for sustainable maternal health
Stakeholders in the health sector have stressed the need for collaborative advocacy towards achieving sustainable progress in maternal health across Nigeria.
The call was made during a webinar organised by Pathfinder International in partnership with the Center for Communication and Social Impact to create awareness about the critical issues of maternal health.
Speaking during the virtual event on Sunday, the Country Director of Pathfinder International, Dr Amina Dorayi, emphasised the need to explore advocacy to hold stakeholders accountable for their commitment to improving maternal health outcomes.
“We all know that maternal health is a cornerstone for public health and also improves outcomes to ensure that everyone has access to quality care to enable families and communities to live the lives they deserve,” Dorayi said.
Dorayi who lamented the high rate of maternal mortality in Nigeria despite several interventions, said the webinar was part of measures to strengthen multi-state partnerships for advocating women’s health.
“We believe that collaboration among government agencies and healthcare providers is very crucial to the work that we do, and the community is also critical to achieving sustainable progress on maternal health.” She added.
In her remarks, the Executive Director of the CCSI, Mrs Babafunke Fagbemi, outlined the contributions of the centre towards complementing the advocacy task, including strategic communication and media advocacy to inspire change.
Fagbemi noted that the project allows the CCSI to shape the advocacy agenda through the SMART methodology to achieve the desired results.
“We are also delighted that the project encourages existing policies that support women’s health and, by the way, showcases these efforts in the spotlight, which poses an opportunity to improve maternal health in Nigeria,” she said.
Also speaking, the Head of Family Health and Nutrition Directorate, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Folashade Oludara, outlined some policy documents for maternal health in Lagos state.
According to her, they include six months of maternity leave for exclusive breastfeeding and free antenatal and postnatal care, among others.
Oludara identified some challenges to maternal health in the state, including a growing population against overstretched facilities, staff apathy from multitasking, financial constraints, medical litigation, and poor documentation.
She opined that, if adopted, partner support, women’s enrollment in the health scheme, the use of volunteers, the updating of health worker skills, and the domestication of motherhood guidelines could bridge some of the aforementioned gaps.
Speaking from Kano’s perspective, the Director of Public Health and Disease Control, Kano State Ministry of Health, Dr. Imam Bello, said a lack of dedicated funding for maternal health was one of the factors responsible for the high maternal mortality rate in the state.
According to him, the government’s reluctance to publicly share budget data was also a major challenge, therefore recommending community-based monitoring and planning, budget tracking and analysis, and maternal death audits as accountability mechanisms to yield the desired result.
“Strategic advocacy is also a crucial means of improving maternal health. We also need increased resource allocation for maternal health programs and to ensure funds are utilized to improve outcomes,” Bello said.
Also delivering his paper, the Public Relations Officer of the Kano State-Led Accountability Mechanism (KanSLAM), Salisu Yusuf, advocated for policy reforms to support maternal health policies.
Such reform, according to Salisu, would address the challenges of inadequate facilities and equipment, a shortage of trained healthcare professionals, and socioeconomic factors such as poverty, education, and cultural barriers.
He also noted that community engagement would build trust and collaboration with communities to improve maternal health, adding that there was a need to ensure sustainable funding for long-term financial support for the programmes
Ogun to partner religious camps on waste management
As part of its continued efforts at institutionalising best waste management practices and to forestall outbreaks of diseases, especially cholera, the Ogun State Waste Management Authority, has stated that it would collaborate with all religious camps to check against cholera and other diseases in the state.
The Special Adviser to the governor of Ogun State, Waste Management Authority OGWAMA, Abayomi Hunye, stated this in a statement made available to According Online on Sunday, when he led the management team of the Authority on a visit to the Redeemed Christian Church of God RCCG Camp along the Lagos – Ibadan Expressway to inspect the waste management facilities of the camp.
Hunye said since the camp and many others across the state host thousands of people who are either residents or visitors, there is a need for OGWAMA to collaborate with them to get their waste management practice right as any lapse could lead to serious outbreak especially water-borne diseases such as cholera which would spread quickly to residents of the state who daily, weekly and monthly visit the camp for supplications, businesses or corporate transactions.”Part of the collaboration will be to expose their environmental health management teams to the bestwaste management practices which will safeguard the immediate and general environment as well as public health.
“Our experts will be visiting them periodically to organise training, and workshops and inspect their dumpsite and other facilities especially that of medical waste with the sole aim of instituting global best standards in their operations so that their camps will not only be clean, but safe and healthy for human visitation and habitation, “Hunye added.
He therefore called on various campgrounds across the state to cooperate with the OGWAMA officials who will be visiting them to inspect their waste management facilities so that they will get it right going forward and save the state from any outbreak of diseases emanating from improper waste management.
Responding, the National Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God RCCG, Pastor Sunday Akande, said the global church has given waste management and environmental sector the attention they deserve as all its facilities are top-notch and can be compared to any of its contemporary worldwide.
While praying for the good health of all the residents of the state, Akande said the church is open to new ideas in waste and environmental management, stating that the world is not static.
Ogun threatens to revoke land allocation in Ibara GRA
The Ogun State Government on Saturday threatened to revoke the land allocation of erring subscribers under its Regeneration Housing Scheme at the Ibara Government Residential Area in Abeokuta, the state capital.
The government noted that it won’t hesitate to sanction any subscriber who violates the rules set out in the subscription and agreement forms completed and signed by them, no matter how highly placed in the society.
The allocation of undeveloped land is part of the process for the ongoing Ogun State GRA’s Regeneration Scheme in various parts of the state.
The Commissioner for Housing, Jamiu Omoniyi, handed down the warning while addressing the 95 subscribers at an event held at the MTR Hall in Ibara GRA on Saturday.
Omoniyi warned that allottees who fail to start developing their lands within 60 days as stipulated in the agreement form, would forfeit the allocation and appropriate rules shall be applied in case of a refund of the deposit.
He said the state government took the position to check land speculators who may buy the land and wait for it to appreciate and resell.
The commissioner also stated that houses that must be built in a particular area must conform with the prototype, particularly the exterior, while he clarified that subscribers can do whatever they want in the interior of the building, but the exterior must be uniform.
Omoniyi said, “Everyone that applied for clusters one and two was considered because we did not sell more than what we have on the ground. Numerically, a total of 95 applicants applied and 100% were successful, and those are the ones we have given it to today.
“The agreement was that you will not buy land for speculative purposes; we will not allow anyone to buy and sell this plot within two years. As a matter of fact, from 60 days from today, you start developing your plot. If you don’t, there is an agreement under oath that everyone has signed, we will revoke those plots no matter how highly placed you are if you deviate from the agreement. We will revoke the land from you and allocate it to another person.
“We have given them 60 days to move to the site and start building and within those 60 days, you must process your building plan approval and do the needful. After 60 days, you are given a maximum of nine months to build your house.”
The commissioner explained that subscribers would also be required to pay Infrastructure Upgrade Charges to take care of some facilities like drainage and culvert, just as the ministry was already discussing with the State Water Corporation so that subscribers would not need to sink boreholes.
Speaking on the security within the GRA, Omoniyi said the matter would be addressed and may involve blocking some access routes.
Omoniyi said an enlarged meeting that would involve those already residing within the GRA would be summoned to fashion new ways of doing things.
Speaking at the event, the Osi of Egbaland, Bode Mustapha, commended Governor Dapo Abiodun for his bold move to regenerate the GRA.
He said the areas where civil servants quarters were living before the commencement of the regeneration were already an eyesore that did not depict Abeokuta as a state capital.
Some subscribers who spoke at the event, lauded the state government decision, noting that the established policies would ensure a quick development of the area.
Also speaking, the Chairman, Real Estate Development Association of Nigeria, Ogun State branch, Dr. Adeniyi Adeyemi, commended the efforts of the government for the move.
Our correspondent gathered that after the meeting, allottees were taken to the site where plots were shown to each subscriber.
Israel vows retaliation after rocket kills 12 in Golan Heights
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday vowed to “hit the enemy hard” after rocket fire from Lebanon killed 12 young people in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights and again raised fears that the war in Gaza would spread.
Iran warned Israel any new military “adventures” in Lebanon could lead to “unforeseen consequences”. Western powers, including France and Germany, condemned the attack and appealed for calm.
The European Union called for an independent probe into what happened.
Israel’s army called it “the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians” since the October 7 attack that began the war in Gaza and triggered regular exchanges of fire across the Lebanese border.
Israel blamed Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement for firing a Falaq-1 Iranian rocket but the Iran-backed group — which has regularly targeted Israeli military positions — said it had “no connection” to the incident.
It said, however, that it had fired one such rocket on Saturday toward an Israeli military target in the Golan.
The rocket fire in Majdal Shams, whose population are Arabic-speaking Druze, prompted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to return early from the United States. Upon arrival he went immediately into a security cabinet meeting, his office said.
Druze women mourn by a coffin during a funeral of a person killed in a rocket strike from Lebanon a day earlier, that Israeli authorities said killed 12 people including children in the Druze town of Majdal Shams in the Israel-annexed Golan Heights, on July 28, 2024. (Photo by Menahem Kahana / AFP)
He said “Hezbollah will pay a heavy price” for the attack, “a price it has not paid before.”
The Israeli foreign ministry said Hezbollah had “crossed all red lines”.
Tearful farewell
Israel’s military said later on Sunday it had hit Hezbollah targets “both deep inside Lebanese territory and in southern Lebanon”.
An Israeli drone fired two missiles at Taraiyya village in eastern Lebanon destroying a hanger and a home without causing casualties, a Lebanese security source told AFP.
Hezbollah has said its cross-border fire is an act of support for Palestinian Islamists from Hamas who have been fighting Israel’s military in Gaza since October 7 when they attacked southern Israel.
That attack resulted in the deaths of 1,197 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures.
Militants also seized 251 hostages, 111 of whom are still held captive in Gaza, including 39 the military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory military campaign in Gaza has killed at least 39,324 people, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, which does not provide details on civilian and militant deaths.
The rocket strike on Majdal Shams hit a football pitch and killed young people who local authorities said were aged 10 to 16. Israeli police said an 11-year-old boy was still missing. Thousands of residents, who follow an offshoot of Shiite Islam, crowded the town’s streets in a tearful funeral ceremony for many of the dead.
Bloodbath’
Early on Sunday, Gallant visited the scene, where a building was pockmarked by shrapnel.
According to Riad Kahwaji, head of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, the position Hezbollah said it targeted is about 2.4 kilometres (1.5 miles) from the town, putting it “within margin of error” of the inaccurate rockets.
But he said “the possibility of a misfire” from an Israeli air defence missile could not be ruled out and there should be an independent investigation into what happened.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Sunday said there was “every indication” Hezbollah was behind the rocket strike.
The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the “bloodbath” and also said there should be “an independent international investigation into this unacceptable incident.”
The United Nations urged “maximum restraint”, in a joint statement from their special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) chief Aroldo Lazaro.
Intensifying exchanges of fire “could ignite a wider conflagration that would engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief,” they said.
The United States National Security Council condemned the attack, as did Germany, whose foreign ministry urged “cool heads.”
The rocket fire on Majdal Shams came after an Israeli strike killed four Hezbollah fighters in south Lebanon, prompting the militant group to announce a flurry of retaliatory rocket attacks against the Golan and northern Israel.
Lebanon’s government called for “an immediate cessation of hostilities on all fronts”.
Gaza ceasefire effort
But inflammatory comments escalated once again.
“Any ignorant action of the Zionist regime can lead to the broadening of the scope of instability, insecurity and war in the region,” said Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani.
Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the incident in Majdal Shams a “massacre” and accused Hezbollah of deliberately targeting civilians.
Many residents of the Druze town have not accepted Israeli nationality since Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967.
Syria denounced Israel’s “false accusations” against Hezbollah and said Israel was looking for “pretexts to enlarge its aggression.”
The violence since October has killed at least 527 people in Lebanon, according to an AFP tally. Most of the dead have been fighters but the toll includes at least 104 civilians.
According to Israel’s army, 22 soldiers and 24 civilians have been killed so far in northern Israel.
In a speech to the United States Congress on Wednesday, Netanyahu said Israel will do “whatever it must” to secure its northern border.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah has said that if a ceasefire is reached in Gaza his movement would stop cross-border attacks.
Blinken said the best way to prevent the Gaza conflict from escalating “is to get the ceasefire in Gaza that we’re working so hard on”.
Months of effort by the US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators have failed to secure a deal, but Egyptian state-linked media said talks were to take place Sunday in Rome.
AFP