Hezbollah tells Iran it would fight alone in any war with Israel

A supporter of Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah holds his picture during a rally commemorating the group’s late leaders in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon February 16, 2024. (REUTERS)

With ally Hamas under attack in Gaza, the head of Iran’s Quds Force visited Beirut in February to discuss the risk posed if Israel next aims at Lebanon’s Hezbollah, an offensive that could severely hurt Tehran’s main regional partner, seven sources said.

The conversation turned to the possibility of a full Israeli offensive to its north, in Lebanon, the sources said. As well as damaging the Shiite Islamist group, such an escalation could pressure Iran to react more forcefully than it has so far since Oct. 7, three of the sources, Iranians within the inner circle of power, said.

Over the past five months, Hezbollah, a sworn enemy of Israel, has shown support for Hamas in the form of limited volleys of rockets fired across Israel’s northern border.

At the previously unreported meeting, Nasrallah reassured Qaani he didn’t want Iran to get sucked into a war with Israel or the United States and that Hezbollah would fight on its own, all the sources said.

“This is our fight,” Nasrallah told Qaani, said one Iranian source with knowledge of the discussions.

Calibrated to avoid a major escalation, the skirmishes in Lebanon have nonetheless pushed tens of thousands of people from their homes either side of the border. Israeli strikes have killed more than 200 Hezbollah fighters and more than 50 civilians in Lebanon, while attacks from Lebanon into Israel have killed a dozen Israeli soldiers and six civilians.

In recent days, Israe’s counter-strikes have increased in intensity and reach, fueling fears the violence could spin out of control even if negotiators achieve a temporary truce in Gaza.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant indicated in February that Israel planned to increase attacks to decisively remove Hezbollah fighters from the border in the event of a Gaza ceasefire.

The Beirut meeting highlights strain on Iran’s strategy of avoiding major escalation in the region while projecting strength and support for Gaza across the Middle East through allied armed groups in Iraq, Syria and Yemen, analysts said.

A war in Lebanon that seriously degrades Hezbollah would be a major blow for Iran, which relies on the group founded with its support in 1982 as a bulwark against Israel and to buttress its interests in the broader region, two regional sources said.

Despite American Perception, Iran Does Not Control Yemeni Houthis

On Thursday, multiple media outlets reported on secret meetings between Iranian and US officials with Omani officials acting as a conduit. According to the reports, the US asked Iran to instruct the Yemeni Houthis to stop their blockade in the Red Sea.

However, Iran has made it very clear that they will not negotiate on behalf of their allies, Dr. Seyed Mohammad Marandi, a professor of English literature and Orientalism at the University of Tehran, told Sputnik’s The Critical Hour on Thursday.

“It’s obvious that the Iranians are not going to negotiate on behalf of Yemen,” Marandi explained, pointing to when Saudi Arabia and Iran were negotiating to reestablish diplomatic relations. “There were years of negotiations to reestablish ties. The sticking point was that the Saudis wanted Iran to negotiate on behalf of Yemen because [Saudi Arabia was] at war with Yemen… and the Iranians insisted that they [would] not negotiate on their behalf… ultimately, the Saudis removed that precondition.”

Marandi insisted that contrary to media reports, “No negotiations between Iran and the United States took place [regarding Houthi attacks in the Red Sea] because the Iranians would not accept such negotiations.”

To stop the Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, the US simply has to stop supporting Israel’s genocide in Gaza, Marandi argued. “[The Houthis] have said from the very beginning when the genocide in Gaza began that they will block shipping to Israel, to Israeli ports, in order to put pressure on the regime to stop the genocide and they said they will do it in accordance with the Genocide Convention,” Marandi explained. “They are actually working within the framework of international law and their position is a deeply moral position… Yemen has said repeatedly that if the genocide stops, their actions in the Red Sea will stop.”

Meanwhile, the US and its “sidekick, the British” are working to help the Israeli genocide, including by killing Yemeni citizens, Marandi said.

However, that has caused problems for those countries who were added to Yemen’s blockade list in response. “[The US and UK] created a problem for themselves,” he explained. “In this upside-down world that we live in today, the United States is attacking Yemen in order to help the Israeli regime continue with genocide unimpeded.”

The reverberations of that decision and the US insisting that shipping companies go around Africa instead of through the Red Sea, is hurting more than just the US and its allies. “What the Americans want to do, is they want to make this a crisis, a global economic problem,” Marandi said. “They want everyone to suffer so that they can gain leverage and put pressure on Yemen to end the blockade… for the sake of Israel and for the sake of the Israeli genocide, they’re willing to make everyone suffer.”

Israeli strikes kill at least 29 Gazans awaiting aid, say Palestinian officials

Smoke rises following an Israeli strike amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas (Reuters)

At least 29 Palestinians were killed while awaiting aid in two separate Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Gaza’s health ministry said.

In the first incident, Palestinian health officials in the Hamas-ruled strip said eight people were killed in an airstrike on an aid distribution center in Al-Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip. Later, at least 21 people were killed and more than 150 wounded by Israeli gunfire at a crowd awaiting aid trucks at a northern Gaza roundabout, Gaza’s health ministry said.

In a statement, Israel’s military denied attacking aid centers, describing the reports as “false.”

“As the IDF assesses the incident with the thoroughness that it deserves, we urge the media to do the same and only rely on credible information,” the statement said.

The Gaza conflict has displaced most of the enclave’s 2.3 million population. Chaotic scenes and deadly incidents have taken place during aid distributions as desperately hungry people scrambled for food.

On Feb. 29, Palestinian health authorities said Israeli forces shot dead more than 100 Palestinians as they waited for an aid delivery near Gaza City. Israel blamed the deaths on crowds that surrounded aid trucks, saying victims had been trampled or run over.

In Deir Al-Balah, also in central Gaza, an Israeli missile hit a house on Thursday, killing nine people, Palestinian medics said. Residents said Israeli aerial and ground bombardments persisted overnight across the enclave, including in Rafah in the south, where over a million displaced people are sheltering.

The war was triggered by a Hamas-led attack on southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7 that left 1,200 people killed and 253 taken hostage, according to Israeli tallies.

Since then, Israel’s air, sea and ground assault on Gaza has killed more than 31,000 people and wounded over 71,500, according to Gaza health authorities.

Efforts to reach a ceasefire between Israel and the Islamist militant Hamas have so far failed. While Israel said it sought a deal that would secure the release of hostages in Gaza in exchange for the release of Palestinians held by Israel, Hamas insists an agreement should end the war.

Late on Thursday, Hamas said it presented to mediators a comprehensive vision of a truce deal based on stopping what it calls Israeli aggression against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, providing relief and aid, the return of displaced Gazans to their homes, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the new Hamas position was based on “unrealistic demands.”

With the war now in its sixth month, the UN has warned that at least 576,000 people in Gaza – one quarter of the population – are on the brink of famine and global pressure has been growing on Israel to allow more access.

Israel denies obstructing aid deliveries into Gaza. It has blamed failures by aid agencies for delays and accuses Hamas of diverting aid. Hamas denies this and says Israel uses hunger as a weapon in its military offensive.

A ship carrying aid was approaching Gaza where the US military plans to set up a dock to enable distribution of up to two million meals a day. While welcoming aid ships, Palestinian and UN officials say maritime deliveries are not a substitute for sending aid through land crossings.

Hamas on Thursday called for an escalation of protests and attacks against Israel in Gaza, the West Bank, and Jerusalem on Friday, the first day of Friday prayers in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

In a restaurant at a southern Israel junction, a soldier was stabbed on Thursday, Israeli police said. It said the suspected attacker, a 22-year-old from the nearby Bedouin city of Rahat, was shot and “neutralized.”

MUI issues ban on Israeli dates

Indonesia, home to the world’s largest Muslim population, the boycott has also resonated with dates getting a call-out by religious authorities.

The country’s highest clerical body the Indonesian Council of Ulema (MUI) and Nadhatul Ulema, the largest Muslim mass organisation, issued separate injunctions against consuming dates imported from Israel or those grown in the West Bank.

“We wish to remind Indonesians, Muslim or otherwise, to be on the side of humanity and refrain from buying Israeli dates during Ramadan,” said Sudarnoto, MUI chair for international relations on Wednesday, adding emphatically the boycott of products by “corporations affiliated with Israel” must continue.

Separately, Nadhatul Ulema chairman Ahmd Fahrur Rozi, said his organisation, representing 40 million Indonesian Muslims, supported MUI’s fatwa on declaring Israeli dates “haram” or forbidden.

“This is the most peaceful way for us to show solidarity with the Palestinian people,” he said.

Indonesian media has released a host of brand names for Israeli dates.

A wholesale seller of dates based in southern Surabaya, who asked to remain anonymous, said it was possible some of the non-label dates sold in bulk had Israeli origin.

“But we can’t tell for sure because they arrived from importers with no label whatsoever,” she explained, adding unlabelled dates were typically cheaper.

According to data from the Central Bureau of Statistics, in 2023 Indonesia’s import of dates amounted to US$80.5 million, almost 30 per cent of which originated from Egypt. There is no specific data on dates imported from Israel.

Hasan Johnny Widjaya, chairman of the Indonesian Importers of Fruit and Vegetables claimed his members had no business links with Israeli companies. “No dealing with Israel at all, so no imported dates from them!”

Despite the assurances, Surabaya homemaker Amirah Purborekso, 35, admitted she was still worried about unknowingly buying Israeli dates.

“Logically, sellers, after knowing about the fatwa, would probably conceal the origin of their dates if they came from Israel.”

She said she had taken part in the ongoing boycott of Israeli-affiliated products for months now and was determined to carry on.

“So, for dates, I’ll just buy those that come in boxes with clear labels and information on where they came from.”

As part of the movement to boycott products and goods produced by Israel, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) has banned Muslims in the country from purchasing or consuming dates grown in the Jewish state

Sudarmoto, the head of international relations and cooperation at the MUI, announced earlier this week that Israeli-grown dates should be considered haram or forbidden by Islamic law.

"If you come across Israeli dates, please don't buy those," the senior MUI cleric was quoted by Detik.com as saying.

He said that the ban against Israeli dates was in fact a follow-up to an edict issued by the MUI in 2023 on the obligation to support the Palestinian cause.

"The MUI edict has been issued, and this is a reminder that that Muslims and Indonesians in general who care about humanity must boycott Israeli products and the products of companies or countries affiliated with Israel," he said.

The council also provided a list of brands of dates grown and packaged in Israel including "Star Dates," "Dates Medjoul" and "Jordan River".

Consumer boycott widens to include Israeli dates as Muslims in Malaysia, Indonesia observe Ramadan

Dates from Israel are the latest goods to fall foul of a consumer boycott across Muslim nations in Southeast Asia, after Malaysian customs arrested a man for allegedly mislabelling the fruit for local sale, while Indonesia’s highest Muslim authority reminded the public to snub Israeli imports of the sweet snack during the holy month of Ramadan.

Muslims across the region have observed a months-long boycott of Israeli goods and companies in protest against the brutal assault on Gaza, which has killed over 30,000 Palestinians so far, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, the overwhelming majority of them civilians. Israel says 1,200 of its citizens were killed by the October 7 attack on its territory by Hamas militants, who took scores more hostage into Gaza.

The boycott, amped up by social media, has hit the bottom line of some companies in Malaysia over apparent links to Israel, prompting a plea from the wealthy owner of the local unit of Starbucks for consumers to ease up on his firm, and legal action by McDonald’s for damages.

Now Israeli dates, a sweet fruit eaten to break fast during Ramadan, are in the cross hairs of a consumer campaign which is flying across Malaysian and Indonesian chat groups over fears Israeli dates are being sold to unwitting buyers in the Muslim nations.

A Malaysian minister on Thursday warned “strict action” would be taken against people who “mislead consumers” after a man was detained in a raid on a warehouse in Klang Port, Selangor.

“During the raid, officers confiscated 73 packs of jumbo medjool dates believed to have come from Israel,” Armizan Mohd Ali, minister in charge of domestic trade and cost of living told parliament on Thursday, responding to questions.

“We view this issue seriously and will take strict action against those who mislead consumers,” he said.

Customs officials on Wednesday said the dates were bulk-imported along with other food items from European countries in 2022, according to local news reports.

The dates were declared as “foodstuff” and later repackaged for sale on the local market, customs deputy director general Datuk Sazali Mohamad said.

Malaysia has long maintained strict trade sanctions on Israel. Any import or export between the two countries can only be carried out with a special permit from the ministry of investment, trade and industry.

Last December, Malaysia announced an immediate ban on vessels owned by Israeli shipping giant Zim from docking and unloading cargo at its ports, along with any ship bearing the Israeli flag.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim this week said he made “no apologies” for maintaining diplomatic links with Hamas despite Western pressure to denounce the militant group.

Anwar, who is seeking the approval of an increasingly vocal Muslim electorate, has been among the loudest critics of Israel’s assault on Gaza.

Malaysia’s public has also led Southeast Asia’s boycott drive.

A day before the start of the Ramadan fasting month, Malaysia’s national newswire released a graphic on its social media accounts on the various types of dates that were popular among Malaysians, which included a brief reminder to avoid buying boycotted goods such as dates from Israel, the West Bank and Jordan Valley.

In the weeks ahead of Ramadan, Malaysian social media was awash with posts urging Muslims to be wary of unknowingly buying dates from Israel, listing 32 brands which have allegedly flooded the local market.

“Be careful, everyone! Pay attention to everything we buy in our daily lives, continue the boycott of products from companies that are enriching Israel,” read a Facebook post by one Hairul Nizam, who shared a video claiming that Israel grows its dates for export on Palestinian land.

“Starbucks, McD, and all brands that fatten them up, we maintain a boycott. Replace them with local brands or companies that support the Palestinian struggle.”

Many of the posts included long lists of brands that allegedly sourced the mildly-sweet fruit from Israel, with some even accusing local Chinese businesses of ignoring Muslim sensitivities by selling repackaged Israeli dates on the local market.

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Houthis attack ship in Gulf of Aden

A missile believed to have been launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia struck a vessel off Yemen’s southern city of Aden on Thursday, as the US military said that it had shot down a fresh barrage of Houthi missiles and drones in the Gulf of Aden. (AFP/File)

A missile believed to have been launched by Yemen’s Houthi militia struck a vessel off Yemen’s southern city of Aden on Thursday, as the US military said that it had shot down a fresh barrage of Houthi missiles and drones in the Gulf of Aden.

The Houthis did not immediately take credit for assaulting the ship in the Gulf of Aden on Thursday or launching drones or missiles that were intercepted by US forces.

However, the Houthis routinely claim credit for Red Sea ship strikes hours after they occur.

Houthi media said on Thursday that the US and UK launched four strikes on the Al-Jah district of the Red Sea province of Hodeidah, a day after another round of strikes hit Hodeidah airport.

Since November, the Houthis have fired hundreds of drones, missiles, and remotely controlled boats at commercial and navy ships in the Red Sea, Bab Al-Mandab Strait, and Gulf of Aden, claiming that their actions are intended to force Israel to allow humanitarian assistance, including water and food, into the Palestinian Gaza Strip.

At the same time, the diplomatic missions of Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, the UK, and the US all (supporters of the Palestinian genocide by Israel) condemned the Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea, including the Houthi missile attack on the Liberian-owned MV True Confidence, which killed two Filipino and one Vietnamese civilian sailors.

“It is critical that the Houthis cease these attacks immediately. These illegal attacks have taken the lives of innocent sailors and only serve to destabilize the region and harm the people of Yemen,” the diplomats said in a joint statement.

The top Houthi negotiator, Mohammed Abdul Sallam, responded to the global condemnation of the militia’s attacks on ships by saying that they would continue to uphold their “religious, humanitarian and moral responsibilities” toward Palestinians by blocking the Red Sea before all ships headed to Israel and striking ships until Israel ends its siege on Gaza.

“We emphasize that Yemen’s stance is solid and will remain on Gaza’s side until the Israeli assault ceases, the blockade is removed, and aid reaches the whole Strip,” Abdul Sallam said on X.

Houthis Go Hypersonic? How Ansar Allah’s Advance in Missile Tech Could Trigger US Defeat in Mideast

©Photo : Courtesy of Ansar Allah Media office

A military source close to Yemen’s Ansar Allah (Houthi) movement has informed Sputnik that the militia has carried out a successful test flight of a hypersonic missile and is preparing to add it into its arsenal. Sputnik asked a leading Russian military observer about the development’s strategic implications.

Sputnik’s source has indicated that the new Houthi missile can accelerate to speeds up to Mach 8 (nearly 10,000 km per hour), and that it is powered by a solid fuel engine – which typically reduces launch preparation time dramatically and eases transport.

“Yemen intends to begin manufacturing it for use during attacks in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden, as well as against targets in Israel,” the source, who was not at liberty to speak publicly due to the sensitive nature of the information, said.

The Houthis themselves have dropped hints about their efforts to develop a hypersonic missile amid their increasingly fierce confrontation in the Red Sea with US, British and European warships, and a partial blockade of vital international shipping lanes – which has all but shut down Israel- and Europe-bound commercial travel through the strategic maritime chokepoint.

“Our enemies, our friends and our people will see a level of achievement of strategic importance which will place our country and its capabilities in the ranks of few countries in this world,” Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi said in an address last Thursday, adding that Ansar Allah has “surprises” in store for the US and Israel.

How are Houthis Able to Maintain an Arms Industry?

Yemen has been locked in a brutal civil conflict since 2014 involving a number of warring factions – including the Houthi-led Supreme Political Council, which is concentrated in the country’s northwest and controls most of the country’s population centers, the separatist Southern Transitional Council controlling much of the territory of the former South Yemen, and the Republic of Yemen, the UN-recognized state entity in control of lands in the country’s north and northeast.

Although Yemen is one of the poorest countries in the Middle East and North Africa, the Houthis have shown themselves to be masters of asymmetric warfare, regularly targeting US forces and their regional allies using cheap-to-build kamikaze drones and timeworn but effective ballistic missiles.

Divided during the Cold War, the southern Arabian nation was flooded with vast stocks of Soviet armaments, from portable anti-tank weapons to long-range Scud ground-to-ground missiles and sophisticated 2K12 Kub anti-air missile system defenses, modernized into the Fater-1 (lit. ‘Innovator-1’) and used to shoot down at least five US-made reaper drones to date.

In addition to the modernization of old Soviet weapons stocks, the Yemeni militia has managed to capture vast quantities of military equipment from their Arabian coalition-allied adversaries in the course of the 2014-2022 conflict, from light vehicles to gunboats, sea mines and artillery installations.

The Houthis pride themselves on the creation of weapons “developed with purely Yemeni expertise.” Western officials and Washington’s Middle Eastern allies have often alleged that the Houthis are getting help from outside, most notably from Iran. Iranian officials have not shied away from saying that they support the Houthis politically, but have repeatedly emphasized that this support does not extend to military-technical or planning support. The US Defense Intelligence Agency claimed in a February report that the Houthis receive technical assistance from the Islamic Republic, but no conclusive link has ever been established.

Houthi Carrier-Killing Missiles?

Sputnik's source did not offer any additional details about the hypersonic missile being tested by the Houthis, with its range, warhead weight and other key characteristics remaining unknown. But observers say that if the information about Houthi hypersonics pans out, it will be an unprecedented game-changer for the region.

“If the Houthis really have managed to accelerate a missile to Mach 8, that will mean that the ship-based air defense systems of the American naval group will be powerless,” says veteran Russian military observer Alexei Leonkov. “The air defenses of the carrier strike group presently parked off the coast of the Arabian Peninsula and sporadically firing at the Houthis will not be able to intercept these missiles if they approach at Mach 8. And if the Houthis have managed to make them even a little maneuverable, that’s it, they won’t be possible to intercept. If the Houthis learn to accurately hit warships with these missiles, we will see America’s defeat,” Leonkov told Sputnik.

Facing off against hypersonic missile-armed Houthis, the US would receive “something akin to Vietnam,” in the military observer’s estimation, with the Yemeni fighters receiving strike capabilities far outmatching those they currently enjoy, which have already managed to throw the Western-led international trading order into chaos, even if they haven’t sunk many ships.

“If they start using such missiles to attack ships, warships, the [result] will be devastating. How the United States will respond is an open question, of course,” Leonkov said, warning that he could not rule anything out – even a desperate turn to tactical nuclear weapons. Worryingly, the latest US Nuclear Posture Review in 2022 did not prohibit the president from launching a nuclear first strike, even against non-nuclear-armed adversaries.

“For the Americans to start thinking about using a weapon of last resort to impact the Houthis, they would have to sink an American aircraft carrier,” the observer said. “The Houthis do things incrementally. They started with commercial ships, and almost didn’t touch warships. Then warships began intercepting rockets being launched at them. If the Houthis get a hypersonic anti-ship missile, a rocket flying at hypersonic speeds, the result could be very different," Leonkov summed up.

BPBD Bogor - Bangunan SMAN 1 Ciampea ambruk sebabkan korban luka

Kondisi bangunan SMAN 1 Ciampea Kabupaten Bogor yang ambruk

Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD) Kabupaten Bogor, Jawa Barat, mengungkapkan, atap bangunan SMA Negeri 1 Ciampea ambruk. Sehingga kejadian itu menyebabkan korban luka-luka.

Kepala Bidang Kedaruratan dan Logistik BPBD Kabupaten Bogor M. Adam Hamdani di Cibinong, Bogor, mengungkapkan, saat ini, petugas gabungan sedang melakukan evakuasi terhadap siswa-siswi sekolah itu. Sejumlah pelajar menjadi korban ambruknya atap bangunan sekolah tersebut.

Meski belum mengetahui jumlah pasti dalam peristiwa tersebut, Adam memastikan, korban-korban luka telah ditangani oleh tim medis dari Puskesmas Ciampea.

”Iya betul, tim Puskesmas juga sudah meluncur ke sana,” kata Adam seperti dilansir dari Antara, Kamis (14/3).

Dia menyebutkan, peristiwa ambruknya atap sekolah yang berlokasi di Desa Cibadak, Kecamatan Ciampea, Kabupaten Bogor, itu terjadi sekitar pukul 10.00 WIB. Saat itu para siswa sedang mengikuti kegiatan belajar mengajar. ”Ambruknya atap bangunan SMAN 1 Ciampea dipicu hujan deras yang mengguyur wilayah Kabupaten Bogor sejak Kamis (14/3) dini hari,” papar Adam Hamdani.

"Yang luka delapan orang, merupakan siswa di kelas atas nama di atas dan semua korban sudah dibawa ke pusat kesehatan wilayah Ciampea. Empat korban luka dibawa ke RSUD Leuwiliang dan empat lainnya di bawa ke tukang urut di wilayah sekolahan," kata Staf Kedaruratan dan Logistik BPBD Kabupaten Bogor Jalaludin dihubungi terpisah.

"Disebabkan hujan deras dengan durasi yang cukup lama, disertai angin kencang di Wilayah kecamatan Ciampea yang berakibat 1 kelas di SMA Negeri 1 Ciampea ambruk," kata Jalal dalam laporannya.

Saat ini, petugas gabungan dari kepolisian, BPBD dan Damkar Kabupaten Bogor sudah berada di lokasi untuk melakukan penanganan. Petugas masih membereskan puing-puing reruntuhan.

"Saat ini tim sedang membersihkan puing kelas sekolah yang ambruk. Situasi belum kondusif, karena bangunan kelas belum sepenuhnya ambruk, dan tiang-tiang struktur bangunan masih dalam keadaan patah," terangnya.

Bibit siklon tropis perpanjang potensi cuaca ekstrem - BMKG

Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG) melaporkan potensi terjadinya cuaca ekstrem yang dapat berujung kebencanaan meningkat di sebagian besar daerah hingga sepekan ke depan dipicu akibat adanya intervensi bibit siklon tropis.

“Maka dengan adanya analisa keberadaan bibit siklon tropis ini masyarakat termasuk otoritas terkait mesti meningkatkan kewaspadaan dampak yang ditimbulkan,” kata Kepala BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati di Jakarta, Kamis.

Ia menjelaskan, tiga bibit siklon tropis; Bibit Siklon Tropis 91S, 94S, dan 93P termonitor berada di sekitar Samudera Hindia selatan Jawa, Laut Timor, dan Laut Australia menunjukkan pengaruh terhadap wilayah Indonesia bagian selatan.

Berdasarkan analisis meteorologi diketahui bahwa Bibit Siklon Tropis 91S memiliki kecepatan angin maksimum 30-35 knots (56 – 65 km/jam), tekanan udara di pusat sistem sebesar 994 hPa, pergerakan ke arah tenggara, dan peluang untuk menjadi Siklon tropis pada kategori sedang-tinggi dalam 24 jam ke depan.

Selanjutnya, bibit Siklon Tropis 94S memiliki kecepatan angin maksimum 15 - 20 knots (28 - 37 km/jam), tekanan udara di pusat sistem sebesar 999.9 hPa, pergerakan ke arah timur-tenggara, dan peluang untuk menjadi Siklon Tropis pada kategori rendah dalam 24 jam ke depan.

Begitu pula, Bibit Siklon Tropis 93P memiliki kecepatan angin maksimum 20 - 25 knots (37 - 46 km/jam), tekanan udara di pusat sistem sebesar 1003 hPa, pergerakan ke arah tenggara, dan peluang untuk menjadi Siklon Tropis pada kategori rendah dalam 24 jam ke depan.

Menurut dia, kombinasi pengaruh fenomena-fenomena tersebut diprakirakan menimbulkan potensi hujan dengan intensitas sedang-lebat yang disertai kilat, dan angin kencang di 18 daerah sepekan ke depan, atau setidaknya meningkat hingga 18 Maret 2024.

Masing-masing Bengkulu, Lampung, Banten, Jawa Barat, DKI Jakarta, Jawa Tengah, DI Yogyakarta, Jawa Timur, Bali, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kalimantan Utara, Sulawesi Selatan, Maluku, Papua Barat, dan Papua.

Bahkan, Deputi Bidang Meteorologi Guswanto menambahkan berdasarkan hasil analisa terkini pihaknya menetapkan beberapa daerah berstatus siaga dan waspada bencana hidro-meteorologi atas adanya peningkatan curah hujan mulai dari 14 - 16 Maret 2024.

Pada kategori siaga; Banten, Kalimantan Tengah, Nusa Tenggara Timur. Sedangkan kategori waspada; Bengkulu, Lampung, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, DI Yogyakarta, Jawa Timur, Bali, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Kalimantan Tengah, Sulawesi Selatan, Maluku, dan Papua.

Guswanto memastikan, BMKG terus melakukan pemantauan berkelanjutan untuk perkembangan kondisi cuaca serta potensi pembentukan bibit siklon tropis di sekitar wilayah Indonesia. Masyarakat juga dihimbau terus melakukan pemantauan perkembangan peringatan dini cuaca ekstrem dari BMKG.

BMKG: Penurunan tanah jadi pemicu Pulau Jawa rentan terdampak banjir

Kepala Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika (BMKG) Dwikorita Karnawati mengungkapkan selain kondisi anomali cuaca-iklim, penurunan permukaan tanah juga memicu sebagian besar daerah di Pulau Jawa rentan terkena bencana banjir dan tanah longsor.

“Fenomena penurunan muka tanah ini diketahui merujuk dari hasil penyelidikan geologi yang diikuti oleh tim BMKG,” kata dia dalam video konferensi bibit siklon tropis BMKG yang dipantau di Jakarta, Kamis.

Menurut dia, Kota Semarang, Pekalongan dan Demak menjadi salah satu contoh daerah di Pulau Jawa yang paling kentara mengalami penurunan permukaan tanah itu

Dari hasil penelitian itu diketahui, penurunan permukaan tanah menyasar wilayah pesisir Kota Semarang, Pekalongan dan Demak sekitar 10 centimeter per tahun. Fenomena ini sudah berlangsung terhitung sejak 10 tahun terakhir.

Ia menyebutkan akibat penurunan yang berkelanjutan membuat saat ini permukaan tanah wilayah pesisir Jawa Tengah itu terpaut lebih rendah dari muka air laut.

Kondisi kian diperparah setelah analisis meteorologi menemukan hingga beberapa waktu ke depan atmosfer Indonesia masih akan dilanda aktivitas Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) serta fenomena Gelombang Kelvin, Rossby Equatorial, dan tiga Bibit Siklon Tropis sekaligus.

“Itulah mengapa bila diguyur hujan air cepat menyebar, dan surutnya membutuhkan waktu lama dan juga tak sedikit berujung longsor,” ujarnya.

Kepala BMKG menilai hasil analisa saintifik tersebut menjadi dasar acuan untuk semua pihak baik pemerintah, legislatif maupun masyarakat memikirkan solusi bagaimana kerentanan bencana banjir bisa diminimalisasi dan dampaknya tidak meluas.

BMKG berkomitmen untuk siap melakukan apapun yang diperlukan; membantu baik dalam hal mitigasi kebencanaan maupun upaya penanganan darurat dampak bencana bersama lembaga/instansi lainnya demi kemaslahatan bangsa.