A man mourns over the coffin of Abbas Raad, son of the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc Mohammed Raad, who was killed in southern Lebanon in cross-border fire with Israeli troops, during his funeral in Jbaa, on Nov. 23, 2023 The Lebanon-Israel border has seen regular cross-border shelling over the past month, with firing between the Israeli military on one side and the powerful Hezbollah and its allies on the other. (Credit: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)
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Catch up on yesterday’s LIVE coverage of Day 48 Israel-Hamas war here.
Hezbollah surpassed its previous record for attacks on Israel with 22 strikes on northern Israel in a single day, while Israeli strikes killed one person and injured two others in Aita al-Shaab, southern Lebanon. Hezbollah announced the death of two of its fighters, increasing the total killed since Oct. 7 to 86. The party held funerals for those slain Wednesday night — including Abbas Raad, son of Hezbollah parliamentary bloc chief Mohammad Raad. Hezbollah claimed to have killed four Israeli soldiers in some of its 22 announcements of cross-border strikes. The party also announced it attacked Israel with 48 rockets in a single attack in its largest salvo since the start of the conflict. Israeli shelling struck around the southern Lebanese areas of Alma al-Shaab, Ain Ebel, Aita al-Shaab, Aitaroun, al-Jabine, Blida, Houla, Jibbayn, Kfarkila, Majdel Zoun, Markaba, Maroun al-Ras, Marwahin, Mays al-Jabal, Mhaibib, Naqoura, Rashaf, Rmaish, Shihine, Tayr Harfa, Yaroun and Wadi Slouqi.
One person was killed when a building collapsed in Saida, the state-run National News Agency reported. Last month, eight people were killed when a building collapsed in Mansourieh. Head of Lebanese Property Owners’ Association Andira al-Zouheiri told L’Orient Today more than 16,200 buildings across Lebanon are “at risk of collapse,” a condition exacerbated by the February earthquake and harsh weather conditions. Last November, a parliamentary subcommittee was formed to track buildings at risk of collapse after a Tripoli school’s roof fell in, killing a 16-year-old student. In the last year, Tripoli experienced a number of incidents where ceilings and walls, sometimes entire buildings, collapsed on residents.
Dollarized tuition and the resulting 580.9 percent monthly hike of education fees drove October’s 17.2 percent consumer price index (CPI) increase, which was in the single digits since March. The Central Administration of Statistics' (CAS) compiled figures continued to rise, showing a year-on-year increase of 215.4 percent amid a fourth year of economic crisis. Education fees saw a similar jump of 186 percent last October, as the public school year was mired with issues from the start and went on to be marked by months of teachers’ strikes protesting low wages.
Relatives of victims from the Aug. 4, 2020 Beirut port blast protested to demand an expedited ruling on the complaint filed against lead investigator Judge Tarek Bitar by top prosecutor Ghassan Oueidat. Oueidat claimed Bitar abused his power during an attempt to relaunch the case after over a year of paralysis despite complaints by suspects in the case requesting his recusal. Oueidat freed detainees who had been held since the blast’s immediate aftermath and shut down the attempt to relaunch the probe. In his attempt to restart the probe, Bitar named new suspects, including Oueidat. Blast victims’ relatives regularly protest delays to the case.
Ten Hamas-held hostages and 30 people detained by Israel are set to be released today, initiating a four-day truce in the relentless fighting that has killed at least 14,854 people in Gaza since the war began. An estimated 74 percent of the casualties are women and children, according to figures from the United Nations Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA). Hamas said that over the four-day truce, it will release 50 women and children under the age of 19 from the hostages abducted on Oct. 7. During this period, 150 women and children held in Israeli jails are set to be released, and 200 truckloads of relief and aid and four fuel trucks will enter Gaza daily. Israeli wartime Cabinet Minister Benny Gantz says that Israel "will resume fighting after the truce" and that the fighting "is expected to continue for at least another two months."
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “Inflation surges in October, driven by education costs”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz