Thank you for following our LIVE coverage. We will be back with more news updates tomorrow.
Update on explosion in Iraq:
Explosions were heard tonight at a base of the pro-Iranian militia Hashd al-Shaabi south of Baghdad, resulting in at least four deaths and injuries, according to a security source and a spokesperson for the group, which is now integrated into the Iraqi army.
According to this spokesperson, who wished to remain anonymous, "four members of Hashd al-Shaabi were killed." The spokesperson attributed the explosions to an "air raid: four or five missiles hit the base," located near the city of Babylon.
The Israeli military says it wants to avoid any wider war with Hezbollah but that its forces were ready for "any scenario".
"Hezbollah's ongoing aggression and brutal attacks are dragging the people of Lebanon and the entire Middle East into a wider escalation," military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a statement. It says that though it prefer to "resolve hostilities without a wider war" it says it is "fully prepared for any scenario."
The municipality of Aïnata (South Lebanon) has announced the names of the two children killed in the Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs. They are Hassan and Amira Fadlallah.
According to the channel al-Jadeed, the siblings were ten and six years old and were in their grandparents' house at the time of the incident. The identity of the woman killed in the strike has not yet been confirmed.
A woman and two children have been killed, and 74 people have been injured, according to Lebanon's ministry of health. Search operations are ongoing.
UN reaction: The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, expressed her "deep concern about the Israeli raid in a densely populated area in southern Beirut, which has resulted in numerous civilian casualties," Reuters reports.
In a statement, she "once again underscores that there is no military solution and calls on Israel and Lebanon to use all diplomatic channels with a view to returning to a cessation of hostilities." The Special Coordinator "is in close contact with key stakeholders and calls for calm," the statement concludes.
US reaction: The Democratic presidential candidate and Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, stated that Israel "has the right to defend itself against a terrorist organization, which is exactly the case with Hezbollah," Haaretz reported, citing an NPR journalist present at a press briefing.
"That being said, we still need to work towards a diplomatic solution to end these attacks," she added.
Update: The Israeli army has claimed that it killed Fouad Shukur, a senior military commander in Hezbollah and the head of the organization's strategic division, in the airstrike that targeted the southern suburbs of Beirut. In recent hours there have been conflicting reports as to whether he died or escaped.
In a post on X, the Israeli army's spokesperson for the Arab media, Avichay Adraee, claimed that Shoukor is Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's "right-hand man" and his advisor for planning and war management.
Adraee also said that Shoukor has been "directing the fight against the state of Israel since Oct. 8 and was responsible for the massacre of children in Majdal Shams." Hezbollah has repeatedly denied responsibility for the strike on Saturday that killed 12 children in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Adraee claims Shoukor heads the strategic division responsible for "most of Hezbollah's most advanced weapons, including precision, cruise and naval cruise missiles, long-range rockets."
➡️ Read more about Fouad Shukur here
Casualty update following Israeli strike on the southern suburb:
According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, a woman and two children have been killed, and 74 people have been injured. Search operations are ongoing.
More info from our political columnist, Mounir Rabih:
The Iranians claim they were informed by the United States that Israel would not target either Beirut or the southern suburbs. The latest message received from the United States stated that Israel was aiming to target a large Hezbollah military warehouse outside of Beirut.
This, according to Iran, is evidence that Israel is not responding to American pressures, especially since the decision was made by Benjamin Netanyahu after his return from Washington. We also learned that contacts were established between Iran and the United States immediately after the Israeli attack in an attempt to contain the escalation.
More information from our political columnist Mounir Rabih:
The United States has sent warships to the Mediterranean, while Israel has declared a state of full mobilization and prepared air raid shelters.
Israel has also prepared advanced weaponry, including tactical weapons capable of causing significant damage in the event of an escalation with Hezbollah.
Rewards for Justice poster about Fouad Shoukor. (Credit: Rewards for Justice Program)
Israel has confirmed it targeted the highest-ranking Hezbollah military commander, Fouad Shukur, in Haret Hreik. What do we know about him?
➡️ Read more about him, in this profile piece by L'Orient Today's Salah Hijazi.
Information obtained by our political columnist Mounir Rabih:
Hezbollah has massively mobilized its military forces after the strike on the southern suburb of Beirut earlier this evening and has already begun preparing a response.
Contacts are being made with the party through intermediaries to avoid a widespread confrontation with Israel. Security, military, and diplomatic sources believe the situation has become very delicate and critical, with Hezbollah being compelled to respond significantly to the attack targeting one of its highest-ranking military officials.
The Jaafari Mufti Ahmad Kabalan, close to Hezbollah, declared that "No one will be able to protect Israel from the most dangerous battle, without borders."
The situation in northern Israel: The Upper Galilee Regional Council has asked its residents to stay near secure rooms and limit their movements, the Jerusalem Post has reported. It comes after a barrage of Hezbollah rockets in the area, the newspaper adds.
Breaking news from Iraq: Explosions occurred inside a base of the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF or Hashd al-Shaabi) south of Baghdad, causing casualties, according to police and medical sources cited by Reuters.
More political reactions from Lebanon:
Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh condemned "the brutal aggression against the southern suburb." In a post on X he wrote: "Every day, it becomes clearer that the only path to liberation or to confronting this enemy is resistance. May God protect Lebanon."
Reactions from Iran:
"The vicious and criminal action" will "certainly not ... prevent the proud Lebanese resistance from continuing ... to support the oppressed Palestinians and fight against the aggression of the Israeli apartheid regime," the spokesperson for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Kanani, said in a statement.
The latest from Beirut's southern suburbs:
A first responder from al-Risala Scouts, a health organization affiliated with the Amal Movement, tells our journalist on the ground, "There are still people under the rubble, but we do not know how many."
"We are used to this kind of situation, said one of his colleagues. "It looks like what we saw in 2006."
According to him, the strike caused "significant destruction, affecting about four buildings, although the attack primarily targeted a single building."
"Israel has never needed excuses to attack Lebanon," Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil wrote on X. "But it uses them to justify its brutality before the eyes of a passive world."
"Now that it has done it again, Israel must know that it will not defeat the will of the resistant Lebanon. As Lebanese, we must understand that our national solidarity, despite our political differences, is what saves us all from destruction."
Russia has accused Israel of violating international law during its strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut. "This is a gross violation of international law," the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Russian news agencies.
The mood on the ground in Beirut's southern suburbs:
Two sisters living in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, Lara and Lea, expressed their fear that "the war might start."
"We don't want war. We need to end it," Lara said. But still she asserted, "Even if there is war, we will be victorious."
Lea, on the other hand, believes that Hezbollah must respond to this attempted assassination.
The scene on the ground in Beirut's southern suburbs, following the Israeli strike. (Photo: Mohammad Yassine)
⚡ One woman has been killed and 68 people injured by a Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. Five people are in critical condition.
The ministry added that this casualty count might not be final as searches are ongoing amid the debris. The injured were transported to Bahman, Sahel, al-Rassoul al-Aazam, al-Zahraa, and Geitaoui hospitals.
"Israel has crossed red lines by targeting the Lebanese capital," outgoing Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told L’Orient Today.
He added, "If Hezbollah's response is to take place, we hope it will be proportional. But what matters even more to us is that this conflict comes to an end."
Situation update - what we know so far:
- At least 20 people have been injured and two have died, according to local media reports.
- Initially, sources claimed that Fouad Shukur, the principal military commander of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, had escaped the attack, but some media outlets are now reporting that he may have been killed.
- According to CNN, Israel informed the United States before the strike.
- Nagib Mikati denounced the incident as a "criminal act" and a "clear and blatant violation of international law," and has called for a Cabinet meeting at 8:30 AM tomorrow.
- Lebanon plans to file a complaint with the United Nations, as stated by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Abdallah Bou Habib.
- The Lebanese foreign minister hopes that any response from Hezbollah will be proportional, asserting that Israel crossed "red lines" by targeting Beirut.
- Both Hamas and the Houthis have condemned the attack.
- Hezbollah has not yet officially commented on the attack.
The Sahel Hospital has told Lebanese broadcaster, LBCI, that they have received eight injured patients, one of whom is in critical condition. Additionally, Al-Rissala Hospital informed Al-Jadid that they had admitted 17 injured people, including six children. More details to follow...
Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned in a statement “Israel's blatant aggression against Beirut's southern suburbs.”
“The Israeli war machine never tires of targeting Lebanese areas from the south through Beirut to the Bekaa,” Mikati accused, denouncing "a criminal act" and a "clear and manifest violation of international law and international humanitarian law." “This is an issue we submit to the international community, which must assume its responsibilities and exert strong pressure to force Israel to stop its aggressions and threats, and to implement international resolutions,” he also says.
“We will also retain our full right to take all measures that will contribute to deterring Israeli aggression,” he concludes, recalling that he has called the Cabinet to a meeting tomorrow.
In a statement, Hamas “strongly condemned” the Israeli strike on a “Hezbollah headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which martyred and wounded a number of innocent citizens.”
The Palestinian movement described the attack as a “dangerous escalation” for Israel, which “bears full responsibility for its repercussions.” It also considered the U.S. administration “responsible for the crimes and violations” of Israel, due to its “political and military support.”
Hamas called on “the international community and the United Nations to assume their legal and political responsibilities to put an end to the genocide and ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinians, and “stop the Zionist aggression against Lebanon.”
According to CNN, citing a well-informed source, Israel informed the United States prior to the Israeli strike in southern Beirut. The source indicated that the information had been transmitted through “security channels”. He did not specify when it was given.
The building targeted by Israel was a residential building, according to local residents. It had eight floors, three of which collapsed.
While the death toll from the strike is still uncertain, with some sources suggesting at least two, the area's hospitals, Bahman and Rassoul al-Aazam, refused to give L'Orient Today any further information on the casualties they have received in the last few hours.
“Lebanon condemns the Israeli strike and plans to lodge a complaint with the United Nations,” caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib tells Reuters.
According to a rescue worker who arrived on the scene five minutes after the strike, interviewed by L'Orient Today, there are still victims under the rubble. Three of the building's floors have collapsed, as has the roof of the adjacent building.
“We weren't expecting a strike on Beirut. It shook the city. They want to hit a particular target, but there are only civilians here,” a young man told our reporter at the scene of the strike. "We'll see tonight if this will start a war. I want a war, to get it over with, whether it's them or us.”
In the southern suburbs, a foreign journalist was taken to task by men present at the scene of the strike: “She has no right to say that Hezbollah is a militia. Hezbollah is an honor."
According to our colleague Caroline Hayek, who was present in Haret Hreik, Hezbollah members then took the journalist aside for questioning, while others tried to calm the angry crowd, who wanted to “teach foreign journalists a lesson.”
The Cabinet will hold a session at 8:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Grand Serail to discuss “recent developments,” reports our correspondent.
At the scene of the strike, local residents suspect that a drone is flying overhead. “A drone, a drone,” they shout from time to time.
In the minutes following the strike in the southern suburbs, Haaretz reported that around “20 rockets” had been fired from southern Lebanon towards northern Israel, and more specifically towards the Upper Galilee, causing fires in the impact areas. Hezbollah has yet to issue a statement confirming the attack.
What we know so far:
- An Israeli strike targeted the Haret Hreik district in Beirut's southern suburbs shortly before 8 p.m.
- The target was Fouad Shukur, Hezbollah's main military commander in southern Lebanon.
- Several sources indicate that the operation failed and that he is still alive.
- At least one person killed, Hezbollah spokeswoman tells OLJ
- Hezbollah has yet to comment officially on the attack.
- “Whether or not a war breaks out depends on Hezbollah,” said a senior Israeli official quoted by Channel 12.
“I don't know what the response to this strike should be, they know better than us,” a local resident at the scene of the strike told our reporter Lyana Alameddine.
According to Reuters, Russia considers the strikes on Lebanon to be a flagrant violation of international law.
U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told reporters that the U.S. and Israel were in “ongoing discussions” prior to the strike, refusing to answer whether Washington had been warned that the Israelis would target Beirut. “I won't go into the details of diplomatic discussions,” he replied simply.
The Hezbollah commander targeted by the Israeli strike survived, two security sources told Reuters news agency.
The wounded are being taken to the Bahman and al-Rassoul al-Aazam hospital in Beirut's southern suburbs, a first-aider told our reporter on the scene.
It was an Israeli drone that carried out the strike in the southern suburbs, a security source told our reporter on the spot.
Our reporter Lyana Alameddine is in the southern suburbs of Beirut: hundreds of people are present at the scene of the strike and numerous ambulances are coming and going.
At least one person was killed in the Israeli strike, Hezbollah spokeswoman tells L'Orient Today. It was a woman. She was unable to confirm whether Fouad Shukur was targeted by Israel. She added that the strike was probably carried out by a drone, “because the building targeted did not collapse.”
If Shoukor “had been killed, it would have been a very powerful strike,” added Mohammad Obeid. “Now, Hezbollah will wait, while it decides on the timing and target of its retaliation.”
Mohammad Obeid, a political analyst close to Hezbollah, told L'Orient Today that Fouad Shukur, who was targeted in Haret Hreik, was not killed in the strike.
The Israeli army said on its account that it “carried out a targeted strike in Beirut on the commander responsible for the murder of the Majdal Shams children and the killing of many other Israeli civilians”. It added that “for the time being, there is no change in the defensive directives of the home front command” and that “if any changes are made, an update will be issued.”
As a reminder, the United States, through its “Rewards for Justice” program had offered in 2017 a reward of up to $5 million for any information concerning Fouad Shukur. According to the RFJ website, Shukur “is a senior advisor on military affairs to Hasan Nasrallah and is part of Hezbollah's highest military body, the Jihad Council.”
“Shoukor was a close associate of Hezbollah commander Imad Moghniyeh (and) played a central role in the Oct. 23, 1983 bombing of the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 U.S. servicemen and wounded 128 others,” RFJ adds.
“Whether or not we start a war depends on Hezbollah. We have no intention of starting a regional war,” says a senior Israeli official quoted by Channel 12.
The United States will continue its diplomatic efforts to prevent an escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the State Department said on Tuesday, quoted by Reuters.
“We continue to work toward a diplomatic resolution that would allow Israeli and Lebanese civilians to return home and live in peace and security. We certainly want to avoid any form of escalation,” State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel told a news briefing.
In accordance with Israeli army directives, residents of northern Israel are asked to reduce gatherings and cancel non-essential activities until further notice, says the Golan Regional Council, quoted by Haaretz.
Sources at Bahman Hospital, in Beirut's southern suburbs, told LBCI that the remains of a woman had arrived at the facility, along with several wounded, including one in critical condition.
“According to several sources, the target of the Israeli attack appears to be Fouad Shukur, Hezbollah's main military commander in southern Lebanon. He's Nasrallah's right-hand man and a senior leader, alongside Ibrahim Akil and Ali Karachi. He is also a senior member of the Jihad Council. He can be compared to Imad Moghniyeh and Moustapha Badreddine”, explains Hanine Ghaddar, a Hezbollah specialist at the Washington Institute on X. “Hezbollah says the attack failed, while Israel says it was a success,” she adds.
At the time of the explosion, Hezbollah issued five communiqués in a row reporting as many operations against Israeli positions:
- At 5:30 p.m., the first attack targeted a deployment of Israeli soldiers in Avivim, opposite the Lebanese town of Maroun el-Ras (Bint Jbeil caza).
- At 6:20 p.m., a second attack targeted the Ramtha site in the disputed Kfar Shuba hills.
- Also at 6:20 p.m., a third attack targeted the Zebdine site in the disputed Shebaa farms.
- At 6:35 p.m., a second attack targeted the Bayad Blida site, opposite the Lebanese town of Blida (Marjayoun district).
- A fifth attack, without specifying the time, targeted “the air and missile defense headquarters in Kila'a with dozens of Katyusha rockets.”
According to Haaretz, citing an Israeli source, the strike was “in response to the murder of the Majdel Shams children” and “the ball is now in Hezbollah's court.”
“Hezbollah has crossed the red line,” briefly wrote Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on X.
According to Haaretz, “the target of the Israeli strike in Beirut was Fouad Shukur, also known as Hajj Mouhassin.”
“Shoukor is considered Hezbollah's number two and is responsible for the organization's military activities,” adds the Israeli daily.
The local TV station al-Jadeed also reported that many ambulances were on the scene, and speculated that the number of injured was high. The channel mentions the possibility of two deaths, including an unnamed Hezbollah official.
Photo sent by Hassan Chaitani, Haret Hreik resident, to L'Orient Today.
"I'm still shaking. I'm in shock, before looking out of the window I thought is was Israel breaking the sound barrier," Dana Issam, 19 year old university student who resides in Haret Hreik told L'Orient Today. "But I believe in the resistance, and I know their response won't be long."
A Hezbollah military leader was targeted by the Israeli strike in Haret Hreik, a source close to the party told AFP.
An AFP photographer on the ground said the last floor of an eight-story building was hit and that ambulances had converged at the site of the strike.
⚡Breaking: Israeli army spokesperson Daniel Hagari says it has targeted, in Beirut, the "commander responsable for the murder of children in Majdal Chams" in a post on X.
Hezbollah has denied responsibility for Saturday's strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights which killed 12 children. The U.S. and Israel say they believe the rocket used was Iranian made, and fired from southern Lebanon, by Hezbollah.
A resident of Bourj Barajneh (a district in Beirut's southern suburbs) contacted by our journalist Lyana Alameddine, claims to have “heard two strikes.”
Strike on Beirut's southern suburb targets senior Hezbollah commander, fate unknown, a security source told Reuters.
⚡ According to several witnesses and residents contacted by our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah, the Israeli strike targeted an area near the Bahman Hospital in Haret Hreik. It is unclear at this stage whether the strike was carried out by a drone or a fighter jet.
⚡ Explosion heard in Beirut and surrounding areas, with smoke over the southern suburbs.
A video filmed by our journalist Wael Taleb from Baabda shows a column of smoke rising from this part of the capital.
Rockets were fired from southern Lebanon towards the Golan Heights, a security source told our correspondent.
In addition, Israeli warplanes targeted the village of Deir Siryan, in the Marjayoun district, according to local residents.
The building targeted by an Israeli airstrike in Markaba (Marjayoun). (Credit: Muntasser Abdallah/L'Orient Today)
Latest updates from the Lebanese-Israeli border:
* Israeli drones have targeted the village of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district) and a house in Kfar Kila (Marjayoun), residents told our correspondent in the South.
* Rocket sirens have sounded in Israel's Mevo'ot Hermon Regional Council and Yiftah, according to Haaretz.
The Director General of Beirut's Port, Omar Itani, said that “the port has put its staff in full readiness ... to complete the transactions of imported food commodities [that are] inside the port," according to the state-run National News Agency.
"The work will be 24/24 to facilitate everything required with the concerned ministries and departments", he said.
He added that this is being done for the "benefit of Lebanon and the Lebanese people" and "in line with the call launched by the Syndicate of Food Importers to preserve food security."
Israel is expected to retaliate for a deadly strike that killed 12 children in the occupied Golan Heights on Saturday evening, raising the fears of an all-our-war between Hezbollah and Israel.
Residential neighborhood in Taybeh, the villages of Kfar Kila (Marjeyoun district) and Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), as well as the outskirts of Odaisseh, Markaba (Marjayoun) and Yaroun (Bint Jbeil), have been subjected to Israeli artillery shelling, according to residents' testimonies relayed by our correspondent in the South.
Latest updates from South Lebanon, according to residents' testimonies relayed by our correspondent in the South:
* The Israeli army has been targeting the outskirts of Markaba (Marjayoun district) with phosphorous shells.
* The outskirts of the villages of Rabb Thalathin and Taybeh have been subjected to Israeli artillery shelling.
Hezbollah announced three new attacks against Israel in response to different Israeli strikes that targeted Lebanese villages yesterday and today.
First, the party said that, in response to the Israeli attack that targeted the Lebanese village of Beit Lif, it launched an aerial attack with a squadron of drones on the headquarters of the Sahel Battalion in the Beit Halal barracks, "killing and wounding" Israeli officers and soldiers.
In response to the Israeli attack on Kfar Roummane (Nabatieh district), Hezbollah launched an aerial attack with a squadron of drones, targeting an Israeli army positioning point "created to protect" the village of Kfar Yuval. The party added that it "killed and wounded" Israeli soldiers. Israeli drones launched a missile at a motorcycle in the village of Kfar Roummane yesterday, killing a Syrian person and wounding others.
Hezbollah finally said that, in response to the Israeli attack on Jebsheet, it fired Katyusha rockets on the headquarters of the Sahel Battalion in the Beit Hillel barracks. It is the third attack against this target today.
Latest updates from the Lebanese-Israeli border:
* As part of the response to the Israeli attack on the Southern Lebanese village of Beit Lif (Bint Jbeil district), Hezbollah announced that it fired artillery shells on the Israeli site of Jal al-Alam, facing Naqoura. Yesterday night, an Israeli drone targeted the village of Beit Lif, killing a Hezbollah member.
• Citing the Israeli army, Haaretz reported that a rocket hit a home in the northern Israeli town of Hillel and that a fire broke out in the area. Hezbollah earlier announced that it fired Katyusha rockets on the headquarters of the Sahel Battalion in the Beit Hillel barracks.
* Sirens over rockets and a "hostile aircraft intrusion" have sounded in Northern Israel, according to Haaretz.
* Residential neighborhoods in the center of the village of Khiam (Marjayoun) have been subjected to artillery and phosphorus shelling, residents told our correspondent in the South.
* In response to the Israeli airstrike on the Southern Lebanese village of Jibsheet earlier today, Hezbollah announced that it fired Katyusha rockets on the headquarters of the Sahel Battalion in the Beit Hillel barracks, facing the Lebanese village of Khiam (Marjayoun district). The party claimed in its statement that the Jibsheet airstrike caused injuries "among civilians." L'Orient Today earlier reported that four people were injured by flying glass and stones as a result of the strike.
* Israeli artillery shelling targeted the outskirts of Naqoura (Sour district) and Khiam, residents told our correspondent in the South.
Nepal urged its citizens in Lebanon to "exercise caution," according to the state-run National News Agency.
Nepal's Foreign Ministry urged, in a statement, all Nepalese nationals in Lebanon to "exercise caution and follow the required precautionary measures ... in light of the current events and developments in Lebanon."
The Ministry also called upon all Nepalese citizens to immediately contact the Nepalese Embassy in Cairo or the Consulate in Beirut in case any assistance is needed" and asked them to register their names via a link included in the statement so that the ministry can update contact lists and help in emergencies.
⚡ A 30-year-old man from HaGoshrim, near Israel's border with Lebanon, was killed after a rocket was fired from southern Lebanon towards communities in the Upper Galilee, Haaretz reports.
According to the Israeli media, the Israeli army targeted launch sites in Lebanon.
“My message to British nationals in Lebanon is clear – leave,” British Secretary of State David Lammy said in a recorded statement, amid rising tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.
“Over the weekend we saw a tragic attack in the Golan Heights which killed 12 young people,” Lammy continued, “this government is unequivocal: We condemn this horrific attack and call on Hezbollah to cease."
“You should leave while commercial flights are running,” Lammy continued, “and if you are in the U.K., do not travel to Lebanon.”
The Gaza Civil Defense announced that the Israeli military operation launched on July 22 in the governorate of Khan Younis, in the south of the Palestinian territory, had left around 300 dead, reports AFP.
"Since the beginning of the Israeli ground invasion of the eastern regions of Khan Younis governorate, which began on the 22nd of this month and lasted eight days, the Civil Defense and medical teams have recovered about 300 martyrs, a large part of whom are decomposing corpses," Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
Hezbollah said its "air defense unit engaged Israeli warplanes that broke the sound barrier over Lebanese airspace, forcing them" to return to Israel.
According to L'Orient Today's correspondent, Israeli jets broke the sound barrier over the city of Sidon and Palestinian camps in southern Lebanon more than an hour ago.
The Israeli airstrike that targeted the outskirts of Jibsheet (Nabatieh) destroyed a house, damaged neighboring buildings and cut electric wires, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South.
In addition, four people were injured by flying glass and stones in the surrounding areas, rescuers told our correspondent.
The Gazan government's health ministry in the Gaza Strip announced a new death toll of 39,400 in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war.
At least 37 people have been killed in the past 24 hours, the ministry said in a statement, adding that 90,996 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7.
Thousands of Palestinians have returned to their homes in the ruins of Khan Younis after the end of the incursion by Israeli forces in the area, which was aimed "at preventing the armed Islamist group Hamas from regrouping," according to the forces, reports Reuters.
Palestinian health authorities said rescuers had so far recovered 42 bodies of Palestinians killed in the Israeli incursion into eastern Khan Younis. Gaza's Civil Emergencies Service noted that further searches were underway and that 200 people were still missing.
The Israeli army said it killed more than 150 armed Palestinians during the week-long raid, destroyed militant tunnels and seized weapons.
After the Israeli forces left, residents returned to their homes on foot or by donkey cart. Many found their homes damaged or destroyed.
The Israeli air force struck a village in the southwest of Nabatieh located between Shukin and Jibsheet, reports L'Orient Today's correspondent in South Lebanon, informed by residents.
The Israeli army announced that it had hit about ten Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and killed one of the party's members in air and ground strikes overnight.
The army "struck about ten Hezbollah terrorist targets in seven different areas," it said, citing in particular a weapons storage warehouse and various infrastructures. During these operations, the army also "eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist," it added in a statement.
Greek airline Aegean Airlines has announced that it is canceling flights to Beirut until Aug. 1, due to the security situation in the country.
"We are constantly assessing the evolving situation following the instructions of the relevant authorities," the airline said, according to a statement relayed by Reuters
Britain has delayed its decision to ban arms exports to Israel by several weeks, British publication The Times reports.
According to a report in the newspaper, the British Foreign Office made the decision to take time to examine possible evidence of war crimes committed by Israel during the fighting in Gaza.
The British government will then be able to focus on stopping exports of weapons that have been proven to have been used in war crimes.
A senior Hezbollah source told Al-Jazeera that the party "takes Israel's threats seriously."
"Hezbollah will consider any strike – whether limited or not – as aggression," the source added, saying that "there will be a response."
Druze leaders in Majdel Shams have said they reject Israel's call for retaliation after a rocket attack on Saturday killed 12 young people in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan, AFP reports.
Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Majdal Shams the day before, the leaders issued a statement stressing that "the tragedy is immense, the impact is painful and the loss is shared by all households in the Golan."
Due to the Druze doctrine which "prohibits murder and revenge in any form, we reject shedding even a drop of blood under the pretext of avenging our children," they add.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni called on Israel not to fall into the "trap" of retaliation, saying she was "very, very worried" about the situation in Lebanon and the risk of a regional escalation, according to Reuters.
Speaking during an official visit to China, Meloni said the international community must continue to send messages of moderation, and that China could contribute to these efforts through its "strong ties" with Iran and Saudi Arabia.
The Gaza health ministry announced on Monday a polio outbreak in the Palestinian enclave, saying the Israeli military offensive is worsening the spread of the virus.
He also called for "immediate intervention to end the aggression and find radical solutions" to the health emergency.
The Iraqi Al-Nujaba movement of Islamic resistance announced today the end of the truce between the armed factions and the U.S. forces. In an interview, a member of the movement, Mahdi Al-Kaabi said that the truce was over, reports the news website alarabiya.net.
This movement, which is part of the Popular Mobilization Forces, announced last February that it would stop its attacks against American forces in the country. However, it subsequently participated in the actions of the Islamic resistance in Iraq, close to Tehran, against Israel, in particular in the form of launching missiles towards Israel.
The "martyr" poster for Hezbollah member Hassan Hussein Malak. (Credit: Hezbollah Media Office)
Hezbollah announced this morning the death of one of its members, Hassan Hussein Malak, born in 1995 and originally from Beit Leif in South Lebanon.
According to L'Orient Today's correspondent, the victim was killed in the overnight Israeli strike on Beit Lif.
The situation in southern Lebanon last night:
- At 9 p.m., the Israeli air force carried out a strike on the town of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), according to security sources to L'Orient Today's correspondent. But the missile did not explode.
- The Israeli air force also launched a series of strikes on the towns of Yaroun and Aita al-Shaaba (Bint Jbeil) before striking Maroun al-Ras once again. It also targeted a house in Shihine (Sour).
- Israeli artillery bombarded the town of Kfar Shouba (Hasbaya), while drones flew over the villages of Qaaqaiat al-Sanaoubar (Saida), as well as Adchit, Kssaybeh and the surrounding areas (Nabatieh).
- At around 2 a.m., drones bombed the town of Beit Lif (Bint Jbeil), killing one person. According to residents, shortly before the strike, the victim was sitting on the balcony with his parents. The strike hit him as soon as the parents went back inside.
On Israel's southern front, the army continued its air and land bombardments against the Gaza Strip.
After a new evacuation order from the army, hundreds of Palestinians, luggage and mattresses crammed into trailers, fled al-Bureij and al-Chouhada (center).
In the south of the Gaza Strip, the army said it was continuing its operations in Rafah and Khan Younis against Hamas.
In Washington, the White House said it was "confident" that a wider war between Israel and Hezbollah could be avoided.
In Iran, President Masoud Pezeshkian warned that Israel would make "a serious mistake with serious consequences if it attacked Lebanon" in a phone call with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
According to the French presidency, Macron told the Iranian president "that everything must be done to avoid an escalation" and called on Iran to "cease its support for destabilizing actors." A new war "would have devastating consequences," according to him.
On Monday, Hezbollah announced that it had launched rockets and missiles against military positions in northern Israel after two of its members were killed in an Israeli strike.
In Kfar Remman, an Israeli drone strike targeting a motorcycle left one dead, a Syrian national who was at the scene at the time of the strike, and two injured, including another Syrian national.
Fearing a full-scale war, several airlines, including Air France and Lufthansa, have suspended flights to Beirut.
The United Kingdom advised its citizens to leave Lebanon on Monday. “The situation is evolving rapidly,” Foreign Secretary David Lammy wrote on X.
Orna Mizrahi, a Hezbollah expert at the Israeli Institute for National Security Studies, said the response would be "more devastating than what [the Israelis] have done so far, but it will be a response that can be contained by Hezbollah and prevent it from deteriorating into a full-scale war."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Monday to deliver a "severe response" to the attack that killed 12 youths in the occupied Golan, as efforts are stepped up to prevent an escalation between Israel and Hezbollah.
"These children are our children ... The State of Israel will not, and cannot, let this go. Our response will come, and it will be severe," said Netanyahu, who visited Majdel Shams, on the Golan Heights.
Dozens of Majdal Shams residents, some shouting "murderer, murderer," demonstrated against Netanyahu, gathering behind metal barriers under police watch.
Make sure to read the Morning Brief so that you are caught up with everything that has been happening.
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