International News
US, Israel Await Action From Lebanon On Disarming Hezbollah
US envoy Morgan Ortagus said on Tuesday that Lebanese authorities must execute their decision to disarm Hezbollah militants, adding that Israel would respond in kind to any government steps.
Beirut has ordered the Lebanese army to draw up a plan to disarm the Iran-backed group which was severely weakened by a war with Israel last year, but has opposed laying down its arms.
“We’re all greatly encouraged by the historic decision of the government a few weeks ago, but now it’s not about words, now it’s about action,” Ortagus told journalists at Lebanon’s presidential palace in Baabda.
Her comments came after talks between a US delegation and Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
On Monday, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered a phased pullout of troops from Lebanon if Beirut implements its decision to disarm Hezbollah — part of a November ceasefire agreement brokered by Washington.
Ortagus said that Israel was “willing to go step by step, it might be small steps… but they’re willing to go step by step with this government”.
US envoy Tom Barrack, who was also part of the visiting delegation, said that when the Israelis see action from Lebanon, “they will give their counterproposal” on troop withdrawal and security arrangements.
Barrack noted that Israeli officials had made it clear they “don’t want to occupy Lebanon”.
Hezbollah has was the only group to keep its weapons after Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, doing so in the name of “resistance” against Israel, which occupied the south until 2000.
Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has repeatedly refused to give up the group’s weapons.
The Lebanese government’s decision to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year was made under heavy US pressure and amid fears of expanded military action by Israel, which has continued to carry out attacks in Lebanon despite the November ceasefire.
Barrack, responding to a question on an Axios report detailing a US plan to establish a special economic zone in southern Lebanon, said it could help “substitute” Iranian influence.
“When we say disarm Hezbollah, we have 40,000 people that are being paid by Iran to fight. What are you going to do with them?” he said.
“The way we help them is to say, we — all of us, the Gulf, the US, the Lebanese — are all going to act together in creating an economic forum that will produce a livelihood.”
According to Axios, Saudi Arabia and Qatar have already agreed to invest once Israel withdraws from areas it holds in Lebanon’s south, in a bid to limit the return of Hezbollah and help address Israel’s security concerns.
AFP
German authorities deported at least 137 Nigerian citizens across five chartered flights between February and June 2026, according to migration monitoring reports.
Data from the DERS Team and Refugees4refugees.org shows the deportations occurred in phases, with 27 Nigerians returned in February, 37 in March through a joint European Union operation, 24 in April, 23 in May, and 26 in June.
The February operation departed from Stuttgart and landed at Lagos Cargo Airport, with Baden-Württemberg listed as a primary participant. The March operation represented the largest single return of Nigerians recorded over three years and was executed in collaboration with Spain, Austria, and Belgium.
The reports indicate a growing reliance on multi-national chartered flights by European states to repatriate undocumented or non-resident individuals to Nigeria.
The United States has condemned the killing of members of the family of Plateau-based cleric, Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo, describing the attack as horrific and urging Nigerian authorities to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
In a statement shared on X on Thursday, the US Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs expressed condolences to the victims’ families and called for stronger measures to prevent further attacks on vulnerable communities across Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
“The United States strongly condemns the horrific killing of members of Rev. Ezekiel Dachomo’s family in Plateau State, Nigeria. The continued violence targeting Christian communities and other vulnerable populations in Nigeria’s Middle Belt is deeply alarming,” the bureau said
The US said it had already engaged Nigerian officials on the worsening security situation, stressing that urgent action was needed to curb recurring attacks and hold perpetrators accountable.
“As I discussed last week with Nigerian officials, we must do more to prevent violent acts. The perpetrators must be held accountable, and urgent action is needed to strengthen security and protect Christians and other vulnerable communities,” the statement added.
The bureau reaffirmed Washington’s commitment to working with the Nigerian government to combat terrorism and violent extremism, stressing that Christians and other Nigerians should be able to practise their faith without fear of violence.
The statement followed the July 12 attack on Kum community in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, where nine members of Rev. Dachomo’s extended family, including a two-month-old baby, were killed.
According to the cleric, the attackers, believed to be armed Fulani militias, asked for him by name before opening fire on his relatives.
Dachomo, who serves as Regional Chairman of the Church of Christ in Nations (COCIN) in Barkin Ladi Local Government Area, said his family had repeatedly been targeted because of his outspoken criticism of the violence in Plateau State.
He recalled that his grandmother and an uncle were also killed in previous attacks, adding that days after burying his relatives, he received a written death threat from the same group, warning that he would be their next target.
Saudi Arabia has updated its tourist eVisa programme for 2026, limiting eligibility in Africa to only three countries as part of its list of 66 nations whose citizens can apply through the Kingdom’s online visa platform.
The move leaves most African countries, including Nigeria, outside the simplified entry scheme.
The electronic visa allows eligible travellers to visit Saudi Arabia for tourism, leisure activities, family visits and Umrah, excluding the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Applications are completed online, eliminating the need for embassy visits and lengthy visa processing.
Saudi authorities said the eVisa forms part of ongoing efforts to expand tourism, attract international visitors and simplify travel procedures through a fully digital application system. The visa is available only to citizens of approved countries and territories listed on the Kingdom’s official tourism portal.
Below is the list of African countries eligible for Saudi Arabia’s eVisa.
1. Mauritius
2. Seychelles
3. South Africa
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