Smoke billows after Israeli bombardment near the village of Tayr Harfa (foreground) on the outskirts of the villages of Marwahin and al-Bustan in southern Lebanon near the border with northern Israel on Dec. 13, 2023. (Credit: AFP)
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Catch up on yesterday’s LIVE coverage of Day 68 of the Israel-Hamas war here.
More than a third of children in Lebanon “believe their lives will be worse one year from now,” the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a report published yesterday urging “strong action” from the Lebanese government. The report, compiling data from surveys administered over the past month, shows a drop in schooling due to the cost of school supplies; that more than a tenth of Lebanese households and a third of displaced Syrian households sent their children to work; and that more than 80 percent of households “had to borrow money or buy on credit to purchase essential grocery items.” The severe crises are "crushing children's dreams and taking away their learning, their happiness and their future," said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF representative in Lebanon.
An Israeli airstrike destroyed a home in Yater, southern Lebanon, killing two Hezbollah members parked in a nearby car. A Hezbollah source confirmed with L’Orient Today that the two men in the vehicle were party members after earlier announcing an Israeli strike on Kafr Kila Tuesday evening killed another party member inside his home. At least 103 Hezbollah members have been killed since Oct. 8, by our count. Clashes between Hezbollah and Israel continued, with shelling hitting the vicinities of dozens of villages in southern Lebanon. Several civilian sites were hit by Israel including several homes, one of which was completely damaged, and a car wash, which left one woman slightly injured.
Parliament is scheduled to convene today for a legislative session addressing the future of the Lebanese Army’s leadership ahead of current chief Gen. Joseph Aoun’s scheduled retirement in January with no successor in place. The caretaker cabinet is scheduled to convene to discuss the same issue tomorrow. On Tuesday, Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil reiterated his party’s refusal for an extension to Aoun’s term after party-affiliated defense and social affairs ministers. The Lebanese Forces propose a law, backed by the Maronite Patriarch, extending army generals’ age of retirement by one year. Bassil proposes the appointment of an interim chief or a leader to the army with a one-year term.
Yesterday, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called on the United Nations Global Refugee Forum to support the repatriation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon ahead of a cabinet session tomorrow addressing the topic. Mikati called for a plan that “deals with the essential reasons for the [Syrian refugee] crisis” that would guarantee “the reintegration and support for Syrian refugees in Syria.” Since June, the Lebanese Army has made regular announcements of the arrest of thousands of people attempting to illegally cross the border from Syria to Lebanon. The mass arrests and border insecurity were followed by ramped-up policing of displaced Syrians in Lebanon, including restrictive policies, a sharp rise in deportations and attempts to restart mass return trips. Lebanese security forces have regularly announced foiling attempts by displaced Syrians to informally migrate to Europe.
The Gaza Health Ministry updated its death toll to 18,608 people killed by Israel in the enclave since Oct. 7. Israel’s Foreign Minister said the war in Gaza would continue "with or without international support,” after US President Joe Biden warned against waning international support for Israeli military operations which have failed to protect civilians. Read the full summary of events from day 68 of the war here.
In case you missed it, here’s our must-read story from yesterday: “South Lebanon: Airstrikes and diplomacy efforts intensify”
Compiled by Abbas Mahfouz