Israeli strikes kill 3 in south Lebanon; Benny Gantz cancels press conference: Gaza war, day 246

Thank you for following our live updates today. We'll be back tomorrow with all the latest developments.

Here's the latest from south Lebanon: 

* One of the three people injured in the Israeli strike on Markaba this evening has been pronounced dead, a medical source tells L'Orient Today.

* Hezbollah has announced the death of another of its fighters: Radwan Ali Issa, born in 1977 and from Houmin Tahta (Nabatieh district) in south Lebanon. As is usual, Hezbollah gave no details as to the time, place or circumstances of Issa's death.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has called for an emergency U.N. Security Council session on "the bloody massacre that was carried out by the Israeli forces" at the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, Reuters reports, citing the news agency WAFA. 

Here's the latest on the situation in south Lebanon:

* Israeli warplanes raided Markaba (Marjayoun district), wounding three people who were taken to a local hospital, according to a security source.

* Hezbollah announced that it shelled the settlement of Malikiya with a Katyusha rocket on Saturday afternoon "in response to Israeli attacks on villages in the south and targeting civilians, "particularly in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil district)."

* An Israeli drone fired two missiles at an area between Majdal Zoun and Shihine (Sour district), according to a security source.

* An Israeli drone fired a missile on the village of Zibqine (Sour).

* Israeli warplanes shelled Houla (Marjayoun) twice. Ambulances were dispatched to the area.

After the release of four Israeli hostages in Gaza, U.S. President Joe Biden assured from Paris on Saturday that the United States would continue to mobilize until "all" are released, AFP reports.

"We will not stop working until all the hostages have returned home," he said.

"We welcome the four hostages freed today," added his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron.

AFP quotes Hamas leader Ismail Haniye as saying that "resistance continues" after an Israeli army assault on a Gaza camp freed four hostages alive.

⚡ Hamas reports at least 210 dead in the area where the hostages were freed.

Here's an update on the situation in south Lebanon, according to security sources contacted by our correspondent:

* Israeli missile strikes killed two people in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil). One of those killed was driving a motorcycle, while the other was at a local gas station.

* Israeli aircraft bombed Khiam (Marjayoun), completely destroying a house.

* Israeli artillery fire targeted Dhaira (Sour).

Israeli war cabinet member Benny Gantz. (Credit: AFP)

⚡ Benny Gantz, a member of Israel's war cabinet, has canceled his press conference scheduled for this evening, according to his spokesperson. Several Israeli media outlets had expected Gantz to announce his resignation from the war cabinet at the press conference.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed Saturday's operation to free four Israeli hostages in Gaza as proof that Israel "does not give in to terrorism."

"You proved that Israel does not give in to terrorism and acted with limitless creativity and courage to bring our hostages home," Netanyahu told the Israeli forces, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office. "We will not give up until we have succeeded in the mission and brought all our hostages home, the living and the dead," he added.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says he sees "an important sign of hope" in the release of four hostages in the Gaza Strip during an Israeli military operation today.

"An important sign of hope — especially for the many Israeli families who continue to fear for their loved ones. Four hostages are now free. Hamas must finally release all hostages. The war must end," wrote the German leader in a message on social network X.

Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz is expected to postpone the press conference he had planned for this evening following the release of four Israeli hostages found alive in Gaza by the Israeli army, Haaretz reports. By all accounts, Gantz was preparing to announce his resignation from Benjamin Netanyahu's government, which he joined after Oct. 7.

On May 18, the leader of the National Union party (center) issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu, demanding the adoption of an "action plan" for the postwar period in Gaza, failing which he would be "forced to resign from the government."

A bushfire burns near the barracks of a UNIFIL battalion. (Credit: Photo sent by UNIFIL press service)

Contacted this lunchtime by L'Orient-Le Jour for further details on the fire that broke out near the barracks of one of its battalions, UNIFIL sent this press release, accompanied by photos:

"This morning, at around 7:15 a.m., UNIFIL peacekeepers observed bushfire near one of their positions in Houla, south-eastern Lebanon. UNIFIL firefighting assets were immediately mobilized and together with efforts of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the Civil Defense, the fire was completely put out by 10 a.m. The fire didn’t cause any damage to UNIFIL assets or personnel."

The statement from UNIFIL did not specify what caused the bushfire to break out in the first place.

The Economic Cooperation Organization of eight developing countries (D-8), most of them Muslim, has called on all states to put pressure on Israel to comply with international law and for Palestine to become a member state of the United Nations, AFP reports.

Meeting in Istanbul, the foreign ministers of the D-8 - Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey, demanded an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and called on "all states" to exert "all diplomatic, political, economic and legal pressure" on Israel to this end.

MP Mohammed Raad. (Photo courtesy of Muntasser Abdallah)

The head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, Mohammad Raad, said on Saturday that "the great victory" in the party's conflict with Israel is imminent. ➡️ More details here. 

Here's what's been happening in south Lebanon since 1 p.m.:

* Israeli artillery fired incendiary munitions into the forests bordering Alma al-Shaab (Sour), causing fires, residents reported.

* The Israeli army also shelled the outskirts of Kfar Hammam (Hasbaya), according to local residents' accounts.

* Hezbollah issued a statement announcing an attack at 2 p.m. on the Israeli Samaka position on the disputed Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya) heights (opposite the village of the same name in the Hasbaya district) with "appropriate weapons."

The French envoy for Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, announced on X that he visited the Vatican yesterday as the "personal envoy of the President of the French Republic, to exchange views on Lebanon with Cardinal Parolin, secretary of state of the Holy See, and with Archbishop Gallagher, head of Vatican diplomacy."

The former French minister gave no further details on the content of the discussions.

⚡ Gaza casualty toll update: The Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says that at least 36,801 people have been killed in the territory during the eight months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants, AFP reports.

The toll includes at least 70 deaths over the past 24 hours, a ministry statement said, adding that 83,680 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on Oct. 7.

⚡ The Israeli army has freed four hostages in the Nuseirat camp in the center of the Gaza Strip, Haaretz and AFP report. The hostages were among those kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7.

During "a difficult daytime special operation in Nusseirat, four Israeli hostages were freed," the Israeli army wrote in a statement. They are Noa Argamani, 25, Almog Meir Jan, 21, Andrey Kozlov, 27, and Shlomi Ziv, 40, all four of whom were kidnapped by Hamas on Oct. 7 from the site of the Nova music festival, according to the army.

A new update on the situation in southern Lebanon, where only one incident related to cross-border exchanges of fire has been reported since midday. According to reports from local residents, Israeli artillery fired six shells at the outskirts of Beit Leif (Bint Jbeil).

Photo provided by the Hezbollah press office

Speaking from Sour at a ceremony organized in honor of a fighter killed on the border between southern Lebanon and Israel, Hezbollah MP Ihab Hamade said that the turn events are taking on the ground suggests Israel is about to "pay the price" for its commitment against the party, drawing a parallel with Israel's withdrawal from certain territories in southern Lebanon in 2000 and the outcome of the 2006 war.

"Every time the resistance reveals another of its capabilities, it frightens and deters the enemy," he added. On Thursday, Hezbollah announced that it had succeeded for the first time in repelling an Israeli fighter jet flying over southern Lebanon.

More updates from this morning in south Lebanon:

* The Israeli army shelled the areas of Jabal Blat, near Marwahine, and Ramieh (Sour), according to reports from residents.

* Hezbollah announced that it had targeted the Zar'it barracks at 10:45 a.m.

Yemen's Houthis have launched four more anti-ship ballistic missiles from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen over the Red Sea, the U.S. military's Central Command said last night, adding that no injuries or damage had been reported by American, coalition or commercial ships.

Here's what has been happening in south Lebanon this morning, according to security sources and residents contacted by our correspondent:

* At around 6 a.m., Israeli aircraft flew intensively over southern Lebanon.

* At around 6:30 a.m., Israeli artillery and heavy machine-gun fire targeted the locality of Houla (Marjayoun).

* At 7:30 a.m., Hezbollah issued a statement announcing an attack on an Israeli position in the Golan.

* Mid-morning, local residents reported that a large fire had broken out at Lebanese Army and Nepalese UNIFIL battalion positions opposite the Israeli locality of Manara, on the north-eastern outskirts of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun). Rescue workers from the al-Rissala Scouts Association, affiliated with the Amal Movement, worked alongside the army and UNIFIL to extinguish the fire. The fire has now been brought under control.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said Hezbollah issued a statement announcing an attack on an Israeli position in the disputed Shebaa Farms. The attack announced was on the Golan.

On the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel, exchanges of fire have clearly dropped in intensity since yesterday compared with the start of the week, according to reports from our correspondent in the region, Muntasser Abdallah. However, the front remains active.

Here's what happened last night:

* Shortly after 9.30 p.m., Hezbollah claimed to have targeted Israeli soldiers with rockets in the Netu'a forest south of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil) at 8:34 p.m. According to security sources, Israeli aircraft overflew several villages in southern Lebanon, and Israeli soldiers fired incendiary munitions in the Khallet Warda wood near Aita al-Shaab.

* After 10:30 p.m., Israeli artillery bombarded the eastern outskirts of the town of Alma al-Shaab and the town of Dhaira in the Sour district.

* After 11:30 p.m., the Israeli army fired flares over the town of Mais al-Jabal (Bint Jbeil), according to security sources. These sources also reported artillery fire on Kfar Kila (Marjayoun) from the Israeli town of Metulla.

* Around midnight, Hezbollah announced that it had launched a rocket attack at 11:25 p.m. on a group of Israeli soldiers on Tahyiyat hill, opposite Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun).

* At around 1:30 a.m., the party announced another attack launched 20 minutes earlier on the Israeli site of al-Rahib, opposite the Lebanese town of Aita al-Shaab, in the Bint Jbeil distruct.

Israel's ambassador to the UN yesterday said the state had been notified that it had been added to the UN's "list of shame" on the rights of children in conflict in a report due by the end of June. Gilad Erdan added that he was "shocked and disgusted" by Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' decision.

A diplomatic source told AFP that Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the second largest armed Islamist movement in the Gaza Strip, would also be added to the list.

But by the time Blinken returns to the Middle East, the Israeli political scene may have changed.

Benny Gantz, former head of the Israeli army and now a political rival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is expected to announce his resignation from the Netanyahu government this evening, the Israeli media is reporting. Gantz joined Netanyahu's war cabinet when it was formed in the wake of Oct. 7.

On May 18, the leader of the National Union party (center) issued an ultimatum to Netanyahu, demanding the adoption of an "action plan" for the post-war period in Gaza, failing which he would be "forced to resign from the government."

And last week his party tabled a bill to dissolve Parliament, with little chance of success at this stage, since Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party still has a majority of MPs, along with its allies in the ultra-Orthodox and far-right parties.

But Netanyahu is also facing pressure from his far-right allies, including his National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, who have threatened to quit his government in the event of a cease-fire agreement with Hamas.

Since Oct. 7, the conflict has claimed almost 40,000 lives, including more than 36,000 Palestinians.

Only a week after a new roadmap was announced by U.S. President Joe Biden, diplomatic efforts to achieve a cease-fire appear to be stalling despite talks this week in Doha, Qatar.

Washington has announced that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Israel, Egypt, Qatar and Jordan next week.

We start with an update on the situation in Gaza, where Israel's bombardment continues.

In the early hours of this morning, witnesses and AFP crews reported strikes in various sectors of the besieged Palestinian enclave, including the central area, which has been the focus of violent strikes in recent days.

On Thursday, one of these strikes hit a school belonging to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), killed 37 people, according to a local hospital. The Israeli army claimed responsibility for the strike, but said was aimed at "a Hamas base" and yesterday said the action had killed "17 terrorists."

But last night, Hamas accused the Israeli army of promulgating "false information," claiming that three people presented as "dead" by Israel were still "alive" and that at least two people had been killed elsewhere.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini accused Israel of striking the school, which he said housed "6,000 people displaced" by the fighting, "without prior warning."

Good morning, 

Today marks the 246th day of the war in the Gaza Strip. It is also the 245th day since the opening of a front in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.

Follow our live updates on the conflict and its repercussions across the region here.