At 6:05 p.m., Hezbollah claimed to have targeted Israeli soldiers gathered at Horsh Baraam, opposite the southern Lebanese village of Houla in the Marjayoun district.
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet his Israeli counterpart, Isaac Herzog, tomorrow as part of his talks on the sidelines of the Olympics. Macron will reiterate his commitment to “ensuring the safety of Israeli athletes” and his demand for an “immediate cease-fire” in Gaza.
In May, La France Insoumise MP Thomas Portes, a member of the far-left political party, sparked controversy by claiming that Israeli athletes were “not welcome” because of Israel's war in Gaza.
President Macron will reaffirm “France's commitment to ensuring the safety of the athletes in the Israeli delegation,” the Elysée Palace said in a statement today.
“In view of the unbearable human toll among the civilian population of Gaza and the unbearable humanitarian situation, the President of the Republic will call for an immediate and lasting cease-fire to be concluded without further delay to allow the release of all hostages held by Hamas, including our two compatriots, as well as the massive delivery of medical and humanitarian aid,” read the statement.
More update on the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border:
- An Israeli airstrike targeted a house in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), residents told our correspondent.
- Hezbollah claimed to have carried out an air strike with a squadron of drones on the artillery emplacement of the 411th Battalion in Naveh Ziv of the 288th Fire Brigade targeting its soldiers. The party claimed that the attack was in response to the Israeli strike on Rabb al-Thalatine. It also claimed to have “hit its target accurately and caused injuries”.
More updates from the South Lebanon-Israeli border
- Israeli artillery shelled Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil).
- Israeli artillery fire targeted Kfar Shuba and Kfar Hammam (Hasbaya).
- Hezbollah claimed to have fired missiles on the Israeli Ramtha position in the disputed Kfar Shuba hills, "hitting [the position] directly."
Smoke billows after an Israeli airstrike targeted Abu Laban mountain in Aita al-Shaab (Credit: Residents sent the photo to our correspondent in the region)
Updates from the southern Lebanese-Israeli border:
- Hezbollah claimed to have targeted Israeli soldiers deployed in Har Adir, south of Rmeish (Bint Jbeil), in response to the Israeli army's attempt to burn forests in Raheb.
- Israeli artillery fire targeted the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil).
- Israeli warplanes flew over Bint Jbeil and surrounding villages, launching incendiary balloons.
- Israeli artillery shelled the village of Hanine (Bint Jbeil).
"We are ready for war," said Israeli Air Force Commander Tomer Bar from northern Israel on Wednesday.
"Throughout the war, we have maintained a capability that if a war breaks out in the north and with Iran we can handle it," he continued. He stated that Israel would act decisively and in a "deadly" manner against its "enemy," asserting that "there will be surprises."
Bar also stated: “Who was the target of the attack against the Houthis? It was aimed at the entire Middle East, as well as Hezbollah and Iran." The Israeli army struck “military targets” in western Yemen on Saturday, under the control of the Houthi rebels, who had claimed responsibility the previous day for a drone attack that left one person dead in Tel Aviv.
⚡ The previously reported Israeli drone strike on a house in Rabb al-Thalatin (Marjayoun) killed a Hezbollah fighter and wounded three others, our correspondent reported.
In a statement, Hezbollah announced the death of Abdallah Faqih, 24, from Rabb al-Thalatin. The party said the victim had sat for and passed the official technical education exams last month.
Here are the latest developments on the southern Lebanese-Israeli border:
- Israeli artillery fire targeted the outskirts of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), igniting a fire. Rescue workers were deployed to extinguish the fire.
- The outskirts of Naqoura were also targeted by Israeli shelling.
- Israeli artillery and phosphorus shells targeted the northern outskirts of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun), causing fires. During extinguishing operations, a 155 mm rocket was fired near rescue teams from the Civil Defense, al-Rissala scouts, affiliated with the Amal movement, and the Islamic Health Committee, affiliated with Hezbollah, according to al-Rissala scouts. A phosphorus shell was also fired in their direction. No injuries were reported.
* Last night, Civil Defense firefighters had to suspend their operations while extinguishing a fire in the Hasbaya district, due to close Israeli fire.
Israeli artillery and warplanes have launched new deadly strikes in the Gaza Strip, reports AFP.
The Israeli army struck Gaza City and Beit Lahia (north), killing nine people according to medical sources, and hit al-Bureij (center), injuring seven Palestinians, mostly children, according to hospital sources. Israeli forces also continued operations in Khan Younis and Rafah (south).
"Israeli warplanes targeted civilians sitting near their homes," killing five, said Ahmed Kahlout, director of civil defense in Beit Lahia.
At Kamal Adwan Hospital in this city, injured and dead are being transported in chaos, in pickups or on stretchers. A man weeps near a deceased relative, a woman laments, and bodies covered in white sheets lie on the ground.
Gaza's Health Ministry has announced a new death toll of 39,175 in the Palestinian territory since the war with Israel began over nine months ago.
Thirty people were killed in the past 24 hours, the ministry stated in a communiqué, adding that 90,403 people have been injured in Gaza since Oct. 7.
Iran has condemned the warm reception given to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by the U.S. Congress amid the ongoing war in Gaza.
“Palestinian children are massacred daily by the butcher of Tel Aviv, and despite all these crimes, the U.S. government and Congress welcome this executioner with applause,” said Nasser Kanani, spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, in a message on X. “The criminal Prime Minister of a fictional regime is warmly received by his supporters after nine months of genocide and infanticide,” he added.
For its part, Hezbollah claimed two new attacks against Israeli positions:
- Hezbollah said it successfully targeted a building used by Israeli soldiers in the Manara settlement, opposite Houla in South Lebanon.
- Hezbollah said it successfully targeted buildings used by Israeli soldiers in the Shtula settlement, opposite Aita al-Shaab in South Lebanon.
The situation in South Lebanon:
- Israeli drones targeted Rabb Thalathin (Marjayoun district), according to residents. Ambulances arrived at the scene and reported one death and three injuries.
- Phosphorous artillery shelling targeted the northern outskirts of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun district), according to residents.
France's permanent representative to the U.N., Nicolas de Riviere, expressed his country's "concern" about the worsening situation along the Blue Line, stating that France "remains committed to finding a diplomatic solution to achieve de-escalation and prevent a full-scale war." Riviere made these comments ahead of a Security Council consultation session on the situation along the Blue Line and the implementation of Resolution 1701.
"The consequences of such a conflict would be unbearable and catastrophic for both countries and for the region," he added.
Hezbollah issued updates on several operations last night:
- Around 11 p.m.: Hezbollah announced that it had targeted and directly hit Israeli military vehicles at the border site of Malkiya, extending from Jabal Amel.
- At midnight: A new statement from Hezbollah reported that it had targeted Israeli surveillance equipment at the site of Birkat Richa.
- At 12:30 a.m.: Hezbollah claimed it had fired anti-aircraft missiles at Israeli planes over South Lebanon, forcing them to turn back and withdraw from Lebanese airspace.
- At 1 a.m.: Hezbollah stated that it had launched shells at the site of Hanita, west of the Galilee.
Here’s what happened last night in South Lebanon, according to security sources cited by our correspondent:
- After 9 p.m.: The Islamic Scouts (al-Rissala, affiliated with the Amal movement) reported having cleared nails from the road between Kfar Kila and Odaisseh (Bint Jbeil district) that had been scattered by Israeli drones.
- After 11 p.m.: The areas around Beit Lif, Kawzah, and Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) were targeted by Israeli artillery, while Israeli aircraft broke the sound barrier over Bint Jbeil and launched incendiary balloons, which Hezbollah targeted with surface-to-air missiles.
- At midnight: Israeli aircraft bombarded the village of Shihine (Sour district), as well as the al-Dabakeh neighborhood to the northeast of Mais al-Jabal (Nabatiyeh district).
Netanyahu will meet with Donald Trump at his Florida residence tomorrow, with whom he claims to have an excellent relationship. In his speech before Congress, Netanyahu expressed extended gratitude to the former president and right-wing presidential candidate.
During this address, Republicans applauded him vigorously, giving him dozens of standing ovations, while more than 60 Democratic lawmakers, including former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, boycotted his speech. They condemned his conduct in the war, which has resulted in tens of thousands of Palestinian deaths—39,145 according to the latest figures from Gaza's Ministry of Health—and a humanitarian catastrophe.
Yesterday, a senior U.S. administration official stated that the president would attempt to close some "final gaps" in the cease-fire discussions when he meets Netanyahu at the White House. The negotiations for a cease-fire agreement in Gaza and the release of hostages are "nearing conclusion," said the official, speaking anonymously.
"I don't expect the meeting [with Netanyahu] to be a yes or no; rather, it will be about how we bridge these final gaps," he said.
After being warmly received by the U.S. Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to meet today in Washington with President Joe Biden and later with Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden, who recently announced he will not seek a second term, aims to exert more pressure on Netanyahu in hopes of achieving a cease-fire agreement in the devastating Gaza war. However, it remains uncertain if Netanyahu, whose relationship with the Democratic president is famously strained, will be receptive to these efforts, especially given that Biden will leave office in a few months.
Israeli forces have recovered the bodies of five hostages taken on Oct. 7, the army announced this morning.
The army stated that the bodies of hostage Maya Goren and soldiers Ravid Aryeh Katz, Oren Goldin, Tomer Ahimas, and Kiril Brodski have been returned to Israel. Two kibbutzim, where Oren Goldin and Maya Goren were from, had previously announced that their bodies had been brought back by the army.
South Lebanon experienced a tumultuous morning, according to security sources and residents cited by our local correspondent:
- Around 6 a.m., Israeli drones launched two missiles at houses in the village of Qabrikha (Marjayoun district), according to residents.
- The village of Houla (Marjayoun district) was targeted by Israeli artillery.
- Israeli bombardments also hit the village of Yarine (Sour district).
- The Civil Defense announced that its members withdrew from the vicinity of the village of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya district) in an area called Midan el-Kalb. They were extinguishing a fire around 5 a.m. when two Israeli shells were launched near their location.
Two aerial targets were intercepted over Israel, one over the northern city of Nahariya, Haaretz reports.
Make sure to read today's Morning Brief to get caught up on yesterday's key events and today's upcoming ones.
Good morning! Thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the Gaza war and its regional impacts.
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