South Lebanon 'a battleground as long as Hezbollah operates there," warns Israel's Chief of Staff: Day 99 of the Hamas-Israel war

Thank you for following our LIVE coverage from day 99 of the Hamas-Israel war.

We'll be back tomorrow with more news updates and analysis, right here at L'Orient Today.

"We are driving away the destroyers of the al-Radwane force and hitting the capabilities that Hezbollah has built up over several years," Israeli Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi was quoted as saying by Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson, in a post on X.

"Southern Lebanon has become a battleground and will remain so as long as Hezbollah operates there. It could turn the whole of Lebanese territory into a battleground, and that will cost it dearly," he said.

Israel plans a "huge" addition to its defense budget as part of a build-up designed to cover its needs for years to come, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, adding that one goal was an independent military manufacturing sector, according to a Reuters report.

Briefing reporters, he said an inter-ministerial panel would in eight weeks present plans for "the huge additional [funding], to create that independence in force build-up and in other things required to ensure our security in the coming years."

On Dec. 22, the Wall Street Journal reported that The Bank of Israel forecast that government expenditures due to the war would total about $43.2 billion by the end of 2025.

Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official in Beirut, thanked Qatar for sending medicines to Gaza as Palestinians there face a life-threatening disintegration of healthcare services, Reuters reports, citing a press conference held by the official.

Hamdan also said that Hamas "greatly appreciates what South Africa has done in bringing this case before the International Court of Justice."

According to his statement, relayed on the movement's official Telegram channel, Hamdan believes the evidence provided by South Africa "shows the involvement of the Israeli colonizer in genocidal crimes and ethnic cleansing in Gaza." He added that Israel "has failed to refute these truths," which "increases its international isolation."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that a decision has yet to be made about a potential military takeover of the "Philadelphi Corridor" along the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, according to a report from Reuters.

Telling reporters that sealing off the zone to isolate Hamas was an aim of the Gaza war, Netanyahu said "there are a number of options," including moving forces into Philadelphi. "We have looked into these and have yet to make a decision," he said.

On Dec. 31, Reuters reported that Netanyahu had vowed to retake control of the Egypt-Gaza border in the process of expanding Israel's mission to neutralize Hamas. He is quoted as saying: "It must be shut. It is clear that any other arrangement would not ensure the demilitarization that we seek."

Israel will not be deterred by the International Court of Justice from pursuing its war on Gaza until total victory, says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, after South Africa lodged a lawsuit alleging genocide against the Palestinians.

"No one will stop us — not The Hague, not the Axis of Evil, no one," Netanyahu said in a televised address, cited in a Reuters report.

The International Court of Justice has a panel of 15 judges who are elected by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. In this case both Israel and South Africa have also appointed one additional judge each, who will sit on the bench on each country's behalf.

(Photo by Remko de Waal/AFP)

The Israeli military says it would consider allowing the return of Palestinian civilians displaced from the northern Gaza Strip when it deems there is no danger to them from fighting with Hamas, which it described as ongoing, Reuters reports.

Asked about the fate of hundreds of thousands of evacuees from northern Gaza, armed forces chief Lieutenant-General Herzi Halevi told reporters: "When we know there is no danger to the population, we will be able to consider bringing them back."

Around 85 percent of the total population of Gaza has been forcibly displaced by the Israeli air and ground offensive on the besieged enclave.

Correction: Earlier, we reported that Israeli artillery fire targeted the town of Abbasieh located northeast of Sour, but there is an area close to the Lebanese border with Israel that is referred to by the same name, which is where the Israeli strikes occurred.

Israeli artillery fire targeted the area around the southern Lebanese towns of Mais al-Jabal and Houla, Marjayoun district, local residents tell our correspondent. According to eyewitnesses, five shells fell on the hill of Rouaisseh and Bayad.

A new strike hit the Yemeni Red Sea port city of Hodeida following rocket fire by Houthi rebels, according to reports from AFP, citing security sources.

A military source allied with the rebels told AFP "the site from which a Houthi rocket was launched on the outskirts of Hodeida was hit," adding that it was not clear whether the strike came from the sea or the air. A police source confirmed the new strike. As of yet, no casualties have been reported.

A Pro-Palestinian protester holds a placard depicting US President Joe Biden (L on poster) and Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R on poster) as they gather in front of the US Consulate in Sandton, Johannesburg, on Jan. 13, 2024. (Credit: Davide Longari/AFP)

Hezbollah announces its fighters targeted the Rouaisat al-Alm site in the occupied Shebaa Farms with missiles at around 4 p.m.

The party also claimed responsibility for another attack carried out at 4:55 p.m. on an Israeli Merkava tank in Metoula "while this tank was shelling the Lebanese villages opposite." It claims to have destroyed the tank and caused "deaths and injuries" among the targeted soldiers there.

Israeli artillery fire targeted the vicinity of southern Lebanese towns Alma al-Shaab, Dhaira, and Marwahine, all in Sour district, according to a security source cited by our correspondent in the south.

Hezbollah claims responsibility for a new attack on the Israeli position at Shtoula, carried out at 4:30 p.m., stating that its fighters "hit a building."

The party added that the attack came "in response to Israeli attacks on villages in southern Lebanon, most recently on Yarine," a town in Sour district.

US President Joe Biden says the United States delivered a private message to Iran about Iran-backed Houthis responsible for attacking commercial shipping in the Red Sea, Reuters reports.

"We delivered it privately and we're confident we're well-prepared," Biden told reporters at the White House before departing to the Camp David presidential retreat for the weekend.

The US army targeted Yemen again today, after the region's poorest country was struck with missiles at 30 different locations yesterday by a joint UK and US operation, an army spokesperson said. The attack was in response to Yemen's Houthi rebels' repeated attacks on ships associated with Israel on transit through the Red Sea.

As of yet, no casualties have been reported from Houthi attacks on ships. The rebel group says five of its fighters were killed in yesterday's strikes.

US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council yesterday that more than 2,000 ships have been forced by Houthi attacks to divert their transit from the Red Sea, a costly adjustment that often means traveling down and around the south of Africa.

Two Israeli artillery shells fell in the vicinity of a mosque in the southern Lebanese town of Abbasieh, Hasbaya district, residents in the area tell L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south, Muntasser Abdallah.

Israeli shelling has also hit, for the second time today, the hill of al-Hamams, in the southern outskirts of the town of Khiam, Marjayoun district, and in the vicinity of a new slaughterhouse in the same town.

Correction: Earlier, we reported that Abbasieh is located northeast of Sour but there is another Lebanese town on the border with Israel with the same name, which is where the Israeli artillery shells targeted.

Hezbollah announces that its fighters targeted a group of Israeli soldiers in the Hunin castle, opposite of the Lebanese border villages of Markaba and Houla, at 2:25 p.m.

The party also announced that its fighters hit a group of Israeli soldiers in the hill of al-Tayhat, opposite the southern Lebanese town of Mais al-Jabal, with missile weapons at 3:05 p.m.

Israeli artillery shelling has targeted the outskirts of Naqoura, Sour district, Habbariyeh, Kfar Hamam and Rashaya al-Foukhar, Hasbaya district, residents tell our correspondent in the south.

Missiles were fired from southern Lebanon at Israeli sites in the heights of Kfarshouba and the occupied Shebaa farms, according to a security source who spoke with our correspondent.

An update from the last 20 minutes in southern Lebanon:

• Four Israeli artillery missiles fell in the vicinity of Adaisseh, in Wadi (valley) Bayad and near Houla, Marjayoun district, according to testimonies from residents, gathered by our correspondent in the south.

• The Israeli army stationed in the Mtelleh settlement targeted, with heavy machine gun fire, the village of Kfar Kila and the Oueida hill, east of the village of Taybbeh and west of the village of Adaisseh, in Marjayoun district, according to local residents

• According to a security source, several missiles were launched at Israeli sites from southern Lebanon, but have not yet been officially claimed by Hezbollah.

• Israeli bombardment targeted the area around the Lebanese village of Alma al-Shaab and Dhayra, both in Sour district, local residents said.

Israeli artillery shelling targeted an area between the southern Lebanese towns of Mais al-Jabal and Houla, in Marjayoun district, residents tell L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.

The Disaster Management Unit in the Union of Municipalities of Sour District said in a statement that it registered more than 23,000 displaced persons as a result of the cross-border fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a statement published on the state-run National News Agency.

The statement say that "the increase in the number of displaced people happened after Israel expanded its attacks on the southern villages."

"This requires everyone to bear responsibility towards the citizens, alleviate their suffering and preserve their dignity," the unit added.

Hezbollah announces that its fighters hit the Pranit Barracks and its garrison, located across from the southern Lebanese village of Rmeish, Bint Jbeil district, with missile weapons at 2 p.m.

Israeli artillery shelling targeted the town of Kfar Kila and the outskirts of Khiam, Marjayoun district, residents there told our correspondent in the south.

Israel is shelling the outskirts of Hanine (Bint Jbeil district), residents tell our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Israeli warplanes have carried out new airstrikes on the town of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun district), residents tell our correspondent in south Lebanon. The following ares have been targeted:

- A house in the Ras al-Thahr area, west of the town

- The areas of al-Kasayer and al-Dabaka, east of the town

L'Orient Today earlier reported an airstrike on the western neighborhood of the same town.

Israeli artillery shelling has targeted Wadi Hanine (Bint Jbeil district), residents tell our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Israeli warplanes have raided the western neighborhood of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun district), residents of the town tell our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Image: Photo sent by Mais al-Jabal residents to our correspondent in the south.

A missile has been fired towards an Israeli site facing the Lebanese towns of Aita al-Shaab and Rmaish (Bint Jbeil district), a security source tells our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Two Israeli artillery shells have fallen on the outskirts of Rmaish (Bint Jbeil district), according to local residents contacted by our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Israel is shelling the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district), residents of the town tell our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Hezbollah has announced that it hit the Israeli site of Birkat Risha, facing the Lebanese town of Boustan (Sour district), at 12 p.m.

We have just received more details about the airstrikes that targeted an area between Yarine, Jibbayn and Tayr Harfa:

- One of the missiles completely destroyed a house on the outskirts of Yarine, residents of the town tell our correspondent in south Lebanon. They add that ambulances have headed to the destroyed house.

Israeli artillery shelling has targeted the outskirts of Naqoura, Umm al-Tout and Marwahin (Sour district), residents tell our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Israeli warplanes have fired two missiles on an area between Yarine, Jibbayn and Tayr Harfa (Sour district), eyewitnesses tell our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Health officials in Gaza say Israeli strikes overnight killed at least 60 people in the besieged territory, which was is grappling with a telecommunications blackout on the war's 99th day, AFP reports. More details here.

Image: People look for salvageable items amid the rubble following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Jan. 13, 2024. (Credit: AFP)

Hezbollah has announced that it hit the Israeli site of al-Assi, opposite the Lebanese towns of Mais al-Jabal and Mhaibib (Marjayoun district), at 11:20 a.m.

The head of UN peacekeeping operations, Jean-Pierre Lacroix, has, following a four-day visit to Lebanon, stressed "the need for all parties to cease hostilities, to comply with UN Resolution 1701, and to work towards a lasting political and diplomatic solution," saying, "This is the only way to achieve lasting peace." In a statement published today by the state-run National News Agency, Lacroix also highlighted "the importance of the role played by UNIFIL in reducing tensions along the Blue Line."

During his visit, Lacroix met several political leaders and visited UNIFIL headquarters in the south, against the backdrop of ongoing fighting between Hezbollah and Israel across the south Lebanon border.

Yemen's Houthi spokesman, Mohammed Abdulsalam, tells Reuters that US strikes on Yemen, including the most recent on a military base in Sanaa, are ineffective. Meanwhile, a Houthi official has told Al Jazeera that the latest US strike caused no injuries and vowed a "strong and effective response" to the attacks.

Gaza death toll update: 23,843 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7, Reuters reports, citing the Health Ministry in the enclave.

It adds that 60,317 have been wounded in strikes over the same period.

Two Israeli interceptor missiles have exploded over Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun district), eyewitnesses tell our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry has expressed its "deep concern about the recent escalation and military operations in the Red Sea as well as the strikes on Yemen."

In a statement obtained via our correspondent Hoda Chedid, the ministry called for "reducing tensions and stopping the escalation and military operations through concerted international and regional efforts to support stability in the region, including the security of maritime navigation in the Red Sea region."

It also warned that failure to address the real cause of this escalation, which is the "Israeli war on Gaza," may expand the conflict and allow it to "spread to the entire Middle East, threatening regional and international peace and security."

For months, the CIA has been gathering information on Hamas leaders in Gaza and on the whereabouts of Israeli hostages in the Palestinian enclave and passing it on to Israel as it continues its war there, The New York Times cites US officials as saying on condition of anonymity. This task was entrusted to a task force specially created for the purpose in the days following the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, according to the same officials. Click here to read the full report.

Hezbollah member and former government minister Muhammad Fneish says that nowadays Israel is "obliged to submit to the rules of engagement imposed by the resistance."

When Israel "transgresses" the rules of engagement between Lebanon and Israel, Hezbollah "quickly retaliates," Fneish said, giving the example of the party's attack on Kiryat Shmona on Thursday after Israel struck a civil defense center in Hanine (Bint Jbeil district).

The strike killed two rescue workers affiliated with Hezbollah, the party said.

"Public opinion and the [Israeli] settlers are fully aware of the importance and the effects of this response," Fneish added in a speech delivered in Burj Qalaouiye during a ceremony in honor of Hezbollah member Issa Nour al-Din who was killed in the fighting between the party and Israel few days ago.

"Israel used to commit all transgressions ... if anyone thought of carrying out an operation on its positions, but today it is obliged to submit to the rules of engagement imposed by the resistance," Fneish said.

Click here to revisit our journalist Sally Abou AlJoud's report on "the rules of the game" between Israel and Hezbollah in south Lebanon.

The Israeli army says it killed three militants who attacked a Jewish settlement in the occupied West Bank overnight.

The military said in a statement that there had been a "terrorist infiltration" in the Adora settlement, around 20 kilometers (12 miles) west of Hebron city, and that Israeli soldiers had come under fire, AFP reports. The soldiers searched the area and "three assailants were identified and neutralized by the security forces," the statement said.

The Palestinian news agency Wafa has identified those killed as a 19-year-old and two 16-year-olds. More details here.

Israeli artillery shelling has targeted the Hamames hill, south of the town of Khiam (Majayoun district) and the outskirts of the Khiam plain, residents tell our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Israeli artillery has targeted the outskirts of Houla, Wadi al-Bayad and Wadi al-Jamal, located between Houla and Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun district), residents of Mais al-Jabal tell our correspondent in south Lebanon.

Updates from the Lebanon-Israel border last night and this morning:

 - Israel shelled the outskirts of Yaroun (Bint Jbeil district) at 9:30 p.m., security sources told our correspondent in south Lebanon.

 - Israel combed with heavy machine-gun fire the outskirts of Alma al-Shaab, Dhayra and the surrounding forests (Sour).

 - After 10:30 p.m., Israeli artillery launched flare bombs over Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun).

- At 11 p.m., the Israeli site of al-Jardah, opposite the town of Dhayra, was attacked and Israeli artillery fire targeted the outskirts of Yaroun and Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil).

- The outskirts of Alma al-Shaab, Jibbayn, Yarin (Sour) and Mais al-Jabal (Marjeyoun) were targeted by Israeli artillery shelling after 11:30 p.m.

- Israeli artillery shelled the al-Tarash area, southwest of the town of Mais al-Jabal (Marjsyoun) at 7:30 a.m., residents of the town told our correspondent in the south.

The United States carried out a fresh strike today on a Houthi rebel target in Yemen, AFP reports, citing US Central Command, after the Iran-backed militants warned of further attacks on ships in the Red Sea.

The strike on a Houthi radar site comes a day after scores of attacks across the country heightened fears that Israel's war with Palestinian militant group Hamas could engulf the wider region. More details here.

Witnesses cited by AFP report the ongoing Israeli bombardment of Gaza early this morning, and an AFP journalist yesterday said that strikes and shelling had hit areas between Gaza's southern cities of Khan Younis and Rafah, which are crowded with people who have fled from the north. All internet and telecommunications services in Gaza were cut yesterday as a result of Israeli bombardment, the main operator Paltel said. Click here for more.

Welcome back, 
We'll be with you all day with live coverage of the news from Gaza, Israel, southern Lebanon, the occupied West Bank, Yemen and the wider region as the Israeli army continues to pound Gaza as the war enters its 99th day.