Two dead, including a Hezbollah fighter, in an Israeli strike on Markaba, South Lebanon: Day 294 of the Gaza war

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U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein stated that the United States is working to "end the war in Gaza and South Lebanon," according to reports from several Lebanese media outlets.

He also assured that Washington is working to "end the presidential vacancy in Lebanon" and "revive the Lebanese economy (which has been in crisis since 2019) in various ways."

Update on the situation in South Lebanon:

- Israeli warplanes have bombed the town of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district).

- The rescue workers from the al-Rissala Scouts Association, affiliated with the Amal movement, reported that they intervened to extinguish a fire in Kfar Kila (Marjayoun) caused by an Israeli airstrike.

- Two Israeli shells landed on a house in Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya), causing a fire.

- Hezbollah announced its 9th operation of the day in response to Israeli bombings in Shihine (Sour). The party claimed to have targeted buildings used by the Israeli army in Misgav Am, across from Odaisseh (Marjayoun district).

Latest update on the situation in southern Lebanon:

- Hezbollah has announced that it targeted a building used by the Israeli military in Avivim, across from the Lebanese town of Maroun el-Ras (Bint Jbeil), in retaliation for Israeli attacks, including those on Aitaroun in the same district.

- The party also reported its 8th attack of the day on the Israeli site of al-Rahib, located across from the Lebanese town of Aita al Shaab, in the Bint Jbeil district.

Hezbollah has lost another one of its fighters, Fadl Samih Noureddine, born in 1992 in Markaba, located in the Marjayoun district of southern Lebanon.

This marks the 380th Hezbollah member killed in southern Lebanon since Oct. 8.

"The U.N. Security Council will make a decision regarding the extension of UNIFIL's mandate in Lebanon," said Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). This mandate is set to expire on Aug. 31.

In an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio, he expressed his "concern" over the increasing intensity of fighting in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and Israel, and the danger of a broader, uncontrollable war, urging all parties to agree to a cease-fire.

➡️ More details on the discussions regarding the renewal of UNIFIL's mandate can be found here.

The strike on Markaba has claimed a second victim, our correspondent in southern Lebanon reports, after one of the people in the bombed house succumbed to their injuries. The identity of the victim has not yet been disclosed.

Hezbollah announced that it targeted "a building used by Israeli soldiers in Shtoula," across from Aita al-Shaab, in retaliation for a bombardment on this locality in southern Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu voiced strong objections to White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Thursday regarding recent U.S. sanctions against Israeli settlers involved in violence against Palestinians in the West Bank, according to Israeli and U.S. officials, reported American News Website Axios.

During his visit to the White House, Netanyahu also raised the issue with Vice President Kamala Harris, who expressed concern about actions "undermining stability and security in the West Bank."

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The World Health Organization (WHO) is sending more than one million polio vaccines to Gaza to be administered over the coming weeks to prevent children from being infected after the virus was detected in sewage samples, its chief said on Friday.

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Britain said on Friday it would not proceed with efforts to question whether the International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction to issue arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The United Kingdom's PM Stramer's spokesperson stated that it is for the court to decide.

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More updates from the southern Lebanon-Israeli border:

-  The Israeli army fired what appears to be phosphorous munition in the village of Rashaya al-Fukhar in Hasbaya district, residents of the village told L'Orient-Le Jour.

- Hezbollah announced two attacks:

* At 12:45 p.m: they attacked the Israeli position of "Ramtha" in the disputed Kfar Shouba hills

* At 1 p.m.: they attacked the Zebdin position in the disputed Shebaa farms.

Here are the latest updates from southern Lebanon:

- The Israeli strike on a house in Markaba (Marjeyoun) resulted in one death and a casualty in critical condition, a medical source and a resident of the village told L'Orient-Le Jour. The strike damaged a number of houses nearby.

- After the strike, Hezbollah announced that one of its fighters, Abbas Hamoud, was killed in an Israeli attack without revealing the time and place of the killing. According to our local correspondent's information, Hamoud is the victim of the Markaba strike.

*This brings the total number of Hezbollah fighters killed in Lebanon since Oct. 8 to 337. 

- Commenting on that attack, the Israeli army said in a statement that a Hezbollah "terror squad" was struck by the air force after being detected entering one of the group's military compounds in Markaba, according to Haaretz. The statement added that Hezbollah targets were also struck in the southern Lebanon village of Aita al-Shaab.

Israeli airstrikes wounded two people in Markaba, in the Marjayoun district, according to residents and rescue workers. 

The strike destroyed a house and damaged three others.

The Monastery of Saint Hilarion, in the Gaza Strip, has been put on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites in danger due to the war in Gaza, the UN Education, Science and Culture Organization (UNESCO) has announced.

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Here are the latest updates from South Lebanon: 

- Israeli artillery fired several shells on the outskirts of Shebaa, a village in the Hasbaya district, residents told our correspondent.

- Two Israeli artillery shells also hit the Lebanese village of Aita al-Shaab, in the Bint Jbeil district.

Hezbollah announced two attacks this morning: 

At 7:10 a.m.: Using guided missiles, its fighters "targeted the technical system of the Israeli site in Ramia," located opposite the town of Ramiyeh (Bint Jbeil).

At 8:44 a.m.: Its fighters targeted a group of  "Israeli enemy soldiers in Hadab Yaroun," opposite Yaroun (Bint Jbeil).

This morning, the situation at the Lebanese-Israeli border has been relatively calm.

Shortly after midnight, Hezbollah stated that its fighters "from the air defense units fired anti-aircraft missiles at enemy planes in Lebanese airspace in the south, forcing them to retreat and withdraw."

Here are last night's updates from the southern Lebanon-Israel border:

- Shortly after 10 p.m., an Israeli fighter jet flew over the southern border, reaching Saida — dropping thermal balloons, according to security sources and testimonies from residents cited by our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah.

- Due to the thermal balloons, a fire broke out between the villages of Shehabiyeh and Kfar Dounine, east of Sour.

- After an Israeli strike on Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), civil defense members fought the fires. 

- Israeli attacks on Qabrikha (Marjayoun) resulted in road damage and blockage. Civil defense members reported participating in clearing and road-opening operations.

- An Israeli airstrike targeted Rabb al-Thalathine (Marjayoun), where injuries were recorded and transported to hospitals in the region.

- Shortly after midnight, Israeli artillery fire targeted the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil) with several shells. Later, Israeli fighter jets targeted the village with two missiles.

While being held in Israel, a Hamas leader in the West Bank has died, Palestinian authorities and the militant group announced.

Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara, 63, died after being transferred from his prison in southern Israel to a hospital, according to a joint statement from the Palestinian Authority’s prisoners’ department and the Prisoners’ Club, a Palestinian NGO defending detainees. Abu Ara was arrested in October while suffering from serious health issues, the same source said. In detention, he was subjected to torture and starvation, they added.

When contacted by AFP, the Israeli army did not respond. 

Netanyahu also met yesterday with the Democrat presidential candidate, Vice President Kamala Harris, who after the meeting stated that she "will not be silent" on Gaza. She said she "expressed with the prime minister my serious concern about the scale of human suffering in Gaza, including the death of far too many innocent civilians."

"What has happened in Gaza over the past nine months is devastating. The images of dead children and desperate hungry people fleeing for safety, sometimes displaced for the second, third or fourth time," Harris told reporters.

"As I just told Prime Minister Netanyahu, it is time to get this deal done," she said.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with U.S. President Joe Biden yesterday to discuss a cease-fire and hostage deal, amidst the raging war in Gaza.

Biden called Netanyahu to swiftly finalize a deal on a Gaza cease-fire and the release of hostages, reported AFP.

"President Biden expressed the need to close the remaining gaps, finalize the deal as soon as possible, bring the hostages home, and reach a durable end to the war in Gaza," according to a White House readout, which added they discussed the "humanitarian crisis" in the war-torn Palestinian territory and the need to remove obstacles to the flow of aid.

Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the Gaza was and its implications on the region, specifically Lebanon