When the army overthrew Myanmar's elected government on Feb. 1, 2021, it looked like a walkover that could entrench the military in power indefinitely. Three years later, a poorly armed grassroots resistance movement has shaken the military’s grip in a modern-day David vs. Goliath conflict. Overshadowed by the wars in Ukraine and Gaza, Myanmar's civil war is no longer on the front pages, even as violence perpetrated under the military government has risen.
China's military will begin "combat training activities" from Saturday on its side of the border with Myanmar, it said on social media, a day after a convoy of trucks carrying goods into the neighbouring Southeast Asian nation went up in flames. The incident, which Myanmar state media called an insurgent attack, came amid insecurity concerns in China, whose envoy met top officials in Myanmar's capital for talks on border stability after recent signs of rare strain in their ties. The training aims to "test the rapid maneuverability, border sealing and fire strike capabilities of theatre troops," the Southern Theatre Command, one of five in China's People's Liberation Army, said on the WeChat messaging app.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah resistance movement has launched rocket attacks against Israeli military positions in the northern sector of the 1948-occupied territories.