Hezbollah confirms death of top military commander Fouad Shukur: Day 299 of the Gaza war

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"The information that has come in over the last 24 to 48 hours certainly does not help to lower the temperature " in a Middle East already shaken by the war in Gaza, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "We are certainly concerned about an escalation," but " we do not believe that an escalation is inevitable," he added.

Read the full story here.

In a separate statement, Hezbollah gave details of the funeral of its top commander Fouad Shukur, who was killed in an Israeli strike on Tuesday evening in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

The ceremony will begin at the Sayed al-Shuhada compound in Haret Hreik. Hezbollah and the martyr's family will accept condolences and blessings from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, ahead of the party's secretary-general's speech scheduled for 5:00 p.m.

The United States raised the alert level for Lebanon from 3 (Reconsider travel) to 4 (Do not travel), according to the U.S. State Department website.

“Do not travel to Lebanon due to increasing tensions between Hezbollah and Israel. If you are in Lebanon, prepare to shelter in place if the situation deteriorates,” it reads. "The U.S. Embassy strongly encourages U.S. citizens already in South Lebanon, near the border with Syria, and/or in refugee camps to leave.”

The United States raised its travel advisory from level 3 to level 4 (the highest) on Oct. 17, 2023, ten days after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas. It then lowered the alert level to level 3 in late January 2024.

In its statement, Hezbollah also announced that Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah will speak on Thursday at the funeral of Commander Fouad Shukur, who was killed by an Israeli strike on Thursday along with five other people in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

"Our political position on this vicious attack and this major crime will be expressed" during this speech, the party assured.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said late Tuesday that Israel dealt "severe blows" to its "enemies" in recent days, specifically mentioning the killing of Hezbollah military leader Fouad Shukur in a Beirut suburb on Tuesday night.

"We have eliminated the right-hand man of Hassan Nasrallah, who was directly responsible for the massacre of children," he said in a televised address, referring to the deaths of 12 young people killed in a strike on Saturday attributed by Israel to the party. 

Note that the expression "right hand" used by the Israeli Prime Minister is inaccurate.

In Rome, Israel asked for "clarification" of its own U.S.-approved May ceasefire proposal, a source familiar with the matter told Haaretz.

After securing broad agreement on the proposal, "we have to go back to square one," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity, accusing the Israelis of playing for time.

Credit: Asif Hassan/AFP

Activists and supporters of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party carry Palestinian flags as they attend funeral prayers in absentia for Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Karachi on July 31, 2024, after his assassination in an airstrike.

"The U.N. Secretary-General believes that the attacks we have seen in southern Beirut and Tehran represent a dangerous escalation at a time when all efforts should instead lead to a cease-fire in Gaza, the release of Israeli hostages, a massive increase in humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza and a return to calm in Lebanon and on the Blue Line," Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for Antonio Guterres, told reporters.

Before the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in a strike in Tehran on Wednesday, the Palestinian Islamist movement blamed Israel for other attacks targeting some of its senior leaders.

Take a look at the history here.

A protester holds up a replica of a Yassin rocket launcher during the demonstration in Saida. (Photo provided by L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)

A demonstration to denounce the assassination of Hamas political bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh was organized in Saida by Hamas and Jamaa Islamiya, according to statements relayed by L'Orient Today's correspondent in South Lebanon. The procession started at Najmeh Square.

Several hundred people took part in the march, including members of other Palestinian factions present in Lebanon, as well as Hezbollah and the Amal movement. 

The U.N. Security Council will meet on Wednesday afternoon in an emergency session at the request of Iran following the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a strike in Tehran on Wednesday, the Russian presidency of the council announced.

Iran's request for the meeting, scheduled for 8:00 p.m. GMT, was supported by Russia, Algeria and China, a spokesperson said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will address the nation this evening, his office announced, quoted by AFP.

A source close to Hezbollah announced that the body of military leader Fouad Shukur, targeted by an Israeli strike, has been found, reports AFP. 

Contacted by L'Orient Today, the Hezbollah press office simply confirmed that a body had been found and that it had been taken to hospital for identification. Hezbollah will issue a statement when it has been formally identified, added the spokesperson for the party. 

According to information obtained by L'Orient Today from a relative of the family at the al-Sahel hospital, the fifth victim is Salwa Bitar and she is the daughter of another victim, Hana Hakim. She was a retired pharmacist in her fifties. Divorced, she had a son and a daughter in their twenties.

A victim of the Israeli attack on Tuesday night on the southern suburbs of Beirut has succumbed to their injuries, as the Lebanese Health Ministry released an updated casualty toll, according to which the attack resulted in the deaths of five civilians, including three women and two children – a girl and a boy.

Public Health Minister Firas Abiad will hold a press conference at his ministry in Bir Hassan (Beirut) on Thursday at 2 p.m. to present the "health emergency measures in the event of an Israeli escalation," according to a statement. A meeting with "the Public Health Emergency Operations Center team and its partners" will take place before the conference in order to "discuss the health sector's preparations in the event of an emergency and the implementation of the plan" provided by the ministry.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Turkey on August 14-15, the Turkish presidency announced, hours after the death of the Hamas leader in Iran.

The Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned in an op-ed in “Le Monde” about the risks of a polio epidemic in Gaza.

“The poliovirus has been detected in samples of sewage in Gaza,” he wrote. “No cases of polio have yet been recorded. But without immediate action, it is only a matter of time before the disease reaches the thousands of children who are deprived of any protection.” 

Al-Jazeera says its journalist Ismail al-Ghoul was killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza.

As a reminder, on March 18, 2024, when Israeli forces stormed al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, Ismail al-Ghoul, who was at the hospital with his team, was arrested and beaten by Israeli forces.

Iran has no intention of escalating the conflict in the Middle East, its first vice president, Mohammad Reza Aref, said in a statement issued after the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, Reuters reported, citing Iranian state media. 

As a means of deterrence at preventing a larger-scale conflict from breaking out in the region, the U.S., according to information obtained by L'Orient today, sent warships to the Mediterranean following an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs the previous night.

Read the full story here.

Here are the developments of the last few hours in southern Lebanon:

•⁠ ⁠Israeli artillery shelled the village of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil), according to residents.

•⁠ ⁠Israeli artillery shelled Yaroun (Bint Jbeil).

The boy's friends are there, they are mourning him, L'Orient Today's journalist continues. Two large portraits of the children in Mehdi's uniform are placed in the middle of the tent. The al-Mehdi scouts are there too. The coffins have just arrived, they were taken out of the ambulance. The two little ones will be buried in the cemetery of Rawdet el Haoura Zeinab, a place generally reserved for martyred fighters. Quite symbolic.

With the father still in the hospital, the mother is there, in shock. “ My children are proof of what Israel is capable of doing just to eliminate one person,” she says. She adds, in a tearful voice: “They think that this is how they will push us to change our political beliefs, Hassan Nasrallah mourns our children more than we do.”

The young woman was apparently a few minutes behind her family and had just entered the building when she felt everything shake. Amira, according to her, was a "flower", a good little girl, and very attached to Hassan. " They were hugging each other at the time of the strike, that's how they arrived at the hospital," she says. Her eldest son, treated for burns without anesthetics according to her, still does not know that his brother and sister are dead.

In Ghobeiri, the Haourat Zeinab tent is set up where condolences are received for the two children who were victims of the Israeli strike on the southern suburbs on Tuesday evening, which targeted a senior Hezbollah commander. Hassan and Amira, 10 and 6 years old, were found dead in the rubble of their apartment, their father and brother were injured.

On site, a L'Orient Today journalist meets Hassan's football coach, Hussein Jaber. "Hassan was creative and obedient, he had been playing football for two years and had a bright future, I can't say anything more. The only times he missed training was to attend Quran learning classes. He was chosen by God as a martyr, he deserves it."

Who was Ismail Haniyeh, Hamas' political face?

Read our profile here.

Near the building hit in Haret Hreik, a relative of the families on the 4th floor recounts the ordeal faced by these households following the strike. “At the time of the attack, there were ten people on the floor and three in the street below,” the woman, who wished to remain anonymous, told our journalist Lyana Alameddine. This is where the two Fadlallah children lost their lives, and where their father Mohammad and their brother were injured.

“I live in the Bekaa and was there when I saw the images of the building and recognized it. We went into a frenzy. My uncles managed to get to the site quickly to help and then to visit the hospitals.” She knew the deceased children well and could not hold back her tears as she spoke about them. She is unsure if there is a Hezbollah office in the building, “I just know it’s my uncle’s house.”

“Even though I fear a war, I want the response to be strong. They should eliminate their president, their prime minister, whoever they want. We have no choice but to fight them, but Hezbollah should not stand alone in this battle.”

The Amal Movement’s leadership stated that the Israeli attack on the southern suburbs of Beirut "should prompt urgent international and regional action to end the Israeli hostilities, which exceed not only geographic borders but also moral and humanitarian laws as well as human rights."

The party also remarked that recent Israeli military actions, including the strike that killed the Hamas leader, "expose the security and stability of the region to Israeli madness and terrorism."

In the Bekaa, the Palestinian National Joint Action Committee organized a march in condemnation of Haniyeh's assassination. The march set off from Bilal Bin Rabah Mosque in the al-Jaleel Palestinian camp.

The protesters arrived at the UNRWA center at the entrance to the camp where some delivered speeches denouncing the assassination.

Several protests took place in In South Lebanon and Bekaa following the assassination of the leader of Hamas's political branch Ismail Haniyeh, our correspondents reported.

Carrying Palestinian flags, residents of the Palestinian refugee camp Rashidieh, south of Sour, took to the streets to express their anger and condemn the assassination while chanting revolutionary songs, demanding revenge.

In Burj al-Shamali Palestinian refugee camp, also south of Sour, residents also marched in support of Gaza, and in condemnation of the assassination.

Antony Blinken reiterated that the United States was not "involved" in the death of the Hamas chief.

"We were not aware and we are not involved," he stated in an interview with Channel News Asia, excerpts of which were shared by his team with accompanying journalists.

Blinken’s response reflects Washington's cautious stance as it seeks to de-escalate tensions. When asked about the potential impact on cease-fire negotiations, he replied, "I can’t tell you what it means. I can tell you that the imperative of achieving a cease-fire, and the importance of that to everyone, remains."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that a cease-fire in Gaza was "imperative" after the killing of Hamas's political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Iran, according to AFP.

Blinken refused to comment directly on the killing of Haniyeh but said at a forum in Singapore that reaching a cease-fire in Gaza "is the enduring imperative".

In a statement to the National News Agency, Secretary-General of Foreign Affairs Ambassador Hani Chmaytelli, who was present at the meeting, indicated that the discussion "also covered the current and future role of UNIFIL in the South." He added that "the role of the United Nations is crucial to prevent escalation."

Caretaker Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, like Najib Mikati before him, met with U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Commander General Araldo Lazaro. According to the state-run National News Agency (NNA), they discussed the "recent events that have shaken Lebanon and the region, as well as ways to contain the escalation."

Bou Habib emphasized that "the goal of the military strategy pursued by the Israeli government is to drag the region into a spiral of total war, which will bring nothing but destruction and devastation for everyone."

Rim Kanaan also returns to the site to collect some belongings. Still wearing the prayer garment she had on the previous day, she shouts "Labayka Nasrallah," an expression of support for Hezbollah's secretary-general. She tells our journalist that she stayed in the affected building for an hour and a half after the strike, on the eighth floor, just below the destroyed floors.

"Everything was wrecked in less than ten minutes," she says. After the strike, she shouted from the window to let people know she was alive. She knew the people who died in the building and is devastated. "This is a residential area; it could have been an even more terrible massacre," Rim adds.

Neighbors pass by, greeting and reassuring each other.

Near the site of the previous day's Israeli strike, chaos remains palpable in Haret Hreik. A wounded man crosses the security cordon placed around the affected area. He tells our on-site journalist, Lyana Alameddine, "I can't talk." His face is pale.

Another man accompanies him, whose mother is still in the hospital in critical condition, and he also declines to comment.

Additionally, Emirates announced that customers transiting through Dubai to Beirut will not be able to travel on Thursday and Friday. FlyDubai will reduce its daily flights to Beirut from three to two until Friday, according to Reuters.

The Air France-KLM office confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour that its flights to and from Beirut are canceled today without further details. Flights scheduled for tomorrow are still maintained for now. Air France had announced on Monday the suspension of its routes to Lebanon for two days due to fears of military escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. It had reversed this decision on Tuesday, only to retract it again today.

The Secretary-General of the High Relief Committee, General Mohammad Kheir, stated during his inspection tour in the southern suburbs of Beirut that "all damages will be covered by the state."

He added, "Since yesterday, we have been coordinating with the relevant parties on the ground, particularly with the municipality of Haret Hreik, to assist citizens whose homes have been damaged."

Former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Joumblatt told L'Orient Today, "The one who claims to want negotiations assassinates Ismail Haniyeh in the heart of Tehran. We no longer know where Israel's red lines are."

Commenting on the morning's cabinet meeting following the Haret Hreik strike, he said he "agreed" with the government's position (particularly regarding the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701), and asserted that he continues to place his hopes in the efforts of the American envoy, Amos Hochstein, "through the government and (Parliament Speaker) Nabih Berri."

The Hamas leader will be buried in Doha on Friday, following official funerals in the Iranian capital.

The public funeral ceremony will be held in Tehran on Thursday, after which the body will be transported to Doha. The burial will take place on Friday in the presence of representatives from Palestinian factions as well as Arab and Muslim leaders, according to a statement from Hamas.

"We do not want war, but we are preparing for all possibilities," said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to Haaretz.

These comments were made during a meeting between Gallant and Israeli soldiers at an Arrow defense system base. He noted that the Arrow system has proven its worth throughout the war and against threats from Yemen and Iran, the newspaper reported.

The Kremlin condemned the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, who was struck in Tehran in an attack attributed to Israel, stating that the assault could further destabilize the region.

"We firmly condemn this attack," said Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov. "We believe that such acts are aimed at undermining efforts to restore peace in the region and could significantly destabilize an already tense situation."

The Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has described the assassination of the Hamas leader as an "irresponsible act."

Condemning "terrorism in all its forms," Islamabad warned against "growing Israeli adventurism," stating that "the latest action constitutes a dangerous escalation in an unstable region."

In one 10-hour period, both a senior Hezbollah commander and Hamas's top political leader have been targeted. The former, whose death remains unconfirmed, was hit in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, while the latter, confirmed dead by Hamas, was struck in Tehran, in an attack widely attributed to Israel.

Tensions are high, questions abound and our reporters are on the ground, keeping you informed each step of the way.

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Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati held multiple diplomatic meetings at the Grand Serail. He met with French Ambassador to Lebanon Herve Magro to discuss yesterday's Israeli strike.

“We are concerned about the current situation, which is moving towards escalation… We will have to wait to see what might happen in the coming hours,” said the French ambassador.

“Unfortunately, we are in a situation we had warned about. We constantly urged the concerned parties to de-escalate... We will continue our efforts... to calm the situation,” he added.

Mikati also met with U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson to discuss the latest developments in the country.

He received Secretary-General of the U.N. Department of Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix, U.N. Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and UNIFIL Commander Aroldo Lazaro.

Mikati also received a call from Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares, who emphasized the need “to work to remove dangers from Lebanon” and advocated “for a peaceful solution to ensure stability in the region.”

Following the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, international actors are unsure what this means for Gaza's cease-fire negotiations and the future of the Palestinian territory.

To read our explainer of the situation, press here 👈

A representative from the Haret Hreik municipality arrived at the attack site and stated that the municipality "has opened its doors to those affected, to allow them to make any requests they might have."

Meanwhile, the Secretary-General of the High Relief Committee, General Mohammad Kheir, who is on an inspection tour, said that his organization "will do everything it can to support those affected."

Iran declared Wednesday three days of mourning following the killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in an attack blamed on Israel.

- Israeli drones flew over the western sector of south Lebanon, according to residents.

- Israeli artillery shelled Hanine village (Bint Jbeil district).

- Israeli artillery shelled the outskirts of Beit Lif and Ramya (Bint Jbeil district), according to residents.

At the site of Tuesday night’s Israeli attack in Haret Hreik, our journalist Ghadir Hamadi observes that residents from the neighboring buildings are packing their belongings and preparing to leave, while the Civil Defense continues to clear debris from the targeted building.

A man emerging from a nearby building refuses to speak to L’Orient Today. "Your coverage of the attack on Majdal Shams was biased," he said, referring to the rocket attack on that Golan town on Saturday that resulted in twelve deaths and led to Israeli accusations against Hezbollah. "Your paper reported that the rocket came from Lebanon, without any proof."

At al-Sahel Hospital in the southern suburbs, where our journalist Lyana Alameddine is stationed, Dr. Mariam Hassan, the emergency department director, reported that the hospital admitted eleven injured patients last night, many of whom have since been discharged.

The injuries were primarily to the face, arms, or lower limbs, she explained. Dr. Hassan denied reports that one of the victims, a woman from the Beydoun family, had died from her injuries at the hospital, as stated in the latest update from the Lebanese Ministry of Health released this morning. She emphasized that the hospital maintains regular contact with the ministry and other local facilities. "We have been preparing for the possibility of war for a long time. We participate in monthly training on how to handle disasters or explosions, including drills and simulations," she added.

In the spirit of solidarity in the southern suburbs after the Israeli strike on Haret Hreik, a local pastry chef decided to offer 'knefe' (a traditional sweet) to journalists. "You have a long day ahead," he said. "Come and enjoy some sweets."

Caretaker Education Minister Abbas Halabi toured with several ministers the site of yesterday's Israeli attack and strongly condemned it.

"This Lebanon, which does not want war, has become a victim of Israeli criminality through this aggression, and we stand with our brothers and show solidarity with them to the utmost extent," Halabi said.

Caretaker Energy Minister Walid Fayad who was touring the site of the Israeli strike in Haret Hreik this morning, told L’Orient Today that "France resisted against the occupation (by Germany during World War II), and Hezbollah is doing the same today."

He added, "Israel is the aggressor, and the struggle (against it) has been going on for 80 years."

Caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassin, who is the coordinator of the national emergency plan, stressed during his inspection of the targeted building in Beirut's southern suburb, “The least we can do after the cabinet session is to stand by our people in the suburb after this brutal attack to which they were subjected, and to offer our condolences to the martyrs and grieve for the fall of children and civilian victims.”

“It is clear that the killing machine that has been going on since October, whether in the south or in Palestine, and we see an example of its barbarity today," Yassin said.

"We discussed at length in the cabinet how to follow up on everything that Prime Minister Najib Mikati is doing in terms of protecting Lebanon from the expansion of these attacks. We also discussed how to be ready alongside our people if these attacks expand so that we can secure an acceptable level of needs," the minister added.

Yassin also indicated that emergency medical needs are "secured and financial issues will be followed up as decided by the cabinet. Funding is available and we will secure people’s needs and will not evade our responsibilities.”

After the departure of the ministers, MPs and media representatives, residents of Haret Hreik began inspecting their properties and opening their shops, reports our on-site journalist.

Ahmad Ibrahim, a resident of the Bir al-Abed neighborhood (southern suburbs of Beirut), tells Ghadir Hamadi, “We tried to leave the neighborhood last night and head to Hamra (Beirut), but one of my sisters wanted to take her hookah and argued with the other, who was urging her to hurry before another strike.” He adds with a laugh that the argument lasted about 30 minutes, during which time their mother realized it was a targeted attack. “We finally decided to stay at home,” he says.

Maya Ghamlouch, a woman our journalist Ghadir Hamadi met in Haret Hreik, said with a laugh that she had “left Ainata (South Lebanon) to escape the Israeli attacks, so I might as well go back to Ainata.”

She added, “I’m not afraid, why should I be? We have the Sayyed (Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah) by our side, and we are on the right side of history.”

Residents are starting to return to the streets, appearing unperturbed, laughing, and joking.

Two sisters, Aya and Diana Hammoud, arrived this morning from Nabatiyeh to visit their friends in the southern suburbs. They are carrying travel bags and say they plan to spend a few days here. “We had already planned outings and didn’t want to change our plans,” they say. Diana adds with a laugh, “We might as well spend our last days having fun!”

Our reporters were on the scene yesterday night following Israel's strike on the Haret Hreik neighborhood of Beirut's southern suburbs.

Read here to learn more about the area that was it and to hear local residents and shop owners' testimonies and fears (or lack thereof) about the possibility of the conflict escalating.

In a new official report released this morning on the Israeli strike on a building in southern Beirut on Tuesday night, the Lebanese Health Ministry confirmed that the number of civilian casualties has now risen to four, including two women and two children. The statement specifies that the fourth victim was a woman who died from her injuries at al-Sahel Hospital.

“The Israeli aggression against the southern suburbs of Beirut is an aggression against the whole of Lebanon and its people,” said caretaker Youth and Sports Minister George Kallas. He called on “the international community to deal with this criminal act”.

At the end of the Cabinet meeting held this morning at the Serail to discuss the airstrike, caretaker Information Minister Ziad Makary stated that "the government session will remain open."

"We do not want war; the government's efforts are focused on diplomacy," he said, referring to a "government plan that is ready in case of a large displacement of people in Lebanon."

"All options remain on the table," added the minister, who also noted that Lebanon will file a new complaint with the United Nations following the strike. This procedure has "become a traditional approach," with Beirut having submitted around twenty similar complaints since October.

Qatar has condemned the assassination of the Hamas leader, calling it an "odious crime" and warning of a "dangerous escalation" in the region.

Qatar hosts the political leadership of Hamas, including Haniyeh, and serves as a mediator in cease-fire talks in Gaza. The country expressed concern that the assassination "could plunge the region into chaos and compromise the chances of peace," according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Hezbollah members, also heavily deployed in the area, are asking people and journalists to leave the zone. The civil defense expresses concerns that more debris might fall from the targeted building.

Minister Bayram stated at the scene that the strike is "unjustifiable, in a residential area and near a hospital," referring to Bahman Hospital. "Lebanon only knows victory," he declared.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian vowed Wednesday to make Israel "regret" the "cowardly" killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will defend its territorial integrity, honor, pride and dignity, and make the terrorist invaders regret their cowardly action," said Pezeshkian in a post on X where he mourned Haniyeh as "a brave leader."

Meanwhile, at the strike site, where our journalist Ghadir Hamadi is present, the army and civil defense are heavily deployed, trying to keep passersby away from the buildings while glass debris litters the streets. Shopkeepers are attempting to clear the area, and dust hovers around the gutted building.

Several ministers are on-site, including caretaker Culture Minister Mohamad Mortada, caretaker Public Works Minister Ali Hamieh and caretaker Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram (all close to the Hezbollah-Amal alliance), as well as the caretaker Industry Minister George Bouchikian.

MP Amine Sherri (Hezbollah) is also present. "We will continue our fight against Israel," Sherri declared.

The Lebanese Red Cross has confirmed the updated toll from the Haret Hreik strike, as previously reported by the state-run National News Agency (NNA). Four people have died, and the number of injured has "risen to more than 80," according to the organization.

Our reporter, Lyana Alameddine, is at the Geitaoui Lebanese Hospital, where a 12-year-old child injured in the Haret Hreik strike is being treated. The child, whose body is severely burned, is the sibling of the two other children who were killed. His father, also injured, is in a different hospital.

The mother, sobbing, recounts that the siblings "died embracing each other." A medical source at the hospital says the child is primarily "in shock" but is otherwise stable and will be monitored for 24 hours. The source describes his burns as "serious" and notes that he has not yet been informed of his brother and sister's deaths.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, speaking at an emergency cabinet meeting, declared that the situation had "escalated to a dangerous level." He urged the world to "stop being mere spectators of Israel's transgressions" following an Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut and the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

Read more here.

⚡ In the southern suburbs of Beirut, last night's strike killed four people — two women and two children — according to the latest report from the National News Agency (NNA). Previously, the death toll was reported as three.

Hezbollah paid tribute to Ismail Haniyeh in a statement, extending condolences "to the Palestinian people."

Haniyeh "was among the great leaders of our era's resistance, who courageously confronted the American hegemony project and Zionist occupation," the party said, adding that his "martyrdom will strengthen the determination" of the axis.

Fatah condemned the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh and called on the Palestinian people to "unite."

Describing it as a "heinous and cowardly crime," Mahmoud Abbas's party stated that this act "will not succeed in breaking the will of our people to achieve their national rights to freedom and independence."

The Cabinet is meeting at the Grand Serail, as announced last night after the strike, to discuss the "latest developments."

Attending the meeting are caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Deputy Prime Minister Saade Chami, and the caretaker Ministers of Education Abbas Halabi, Information Ziad Makari, Youth and Sports Georges Kallas, Finance Youssef Khalil, Industry Georges Bouchikian, Interior Bassam Mawlawi, Telecommunications Johnny Corm, Health Firass Abiad, Environment Nasser Yassine, Culture Mohammad Mortada, Labor Mustafa Bayram, Public Works Ali Hamieh, Displaced Issam Charafeddine, Economy Amin Salam, as well as the Director General of the Presidency of the Republic Antoine Choucair and the Secretary General of the Council Mahmoud Makkiyeh.

The Free Patriotic Movement ministers, who have been boycotting government meetings since Michel Aoun's term ended, are not present.

⚡ According to Iranian media cited by AFP, the Hamas leader was killed in an "airstrike."

According to AFP, the Yemeni Houthi rebels have labeled the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh as a "terrorist crime" and condemned it.

The Palestinian Joint Action Committee in Lebanon, which describes itself as an association established in 2018 under the auspices of Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, condemned in a statement the "assassination" of Ismail Haniyeh and called for a general strike as well as the organization of marches and sit-ins in Palestinian refugee camps.

On Wednesday, Russia condemned the "unacceptable political assassination" of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in a strike in Tehran.

"This is a completely unacceptable political assassination, and it will lead to further escalation of tensions," said Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov to the state news agency RIA Novosti. "This is all very bad," he added.

According to residents' reports, Israeli warplanes are flying at low altitude over the areas of Bint Jbeil, Maroun al-Ras, and Aitaroun—three towns in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon—and are dropping "thermal balloons" used to obscure the trajectories of surface-to-air missiles.

The spokesperson for the Iranian Foreign Ministry, Nasser Kanaani, stated on Wednesday that the blood of the slain Hamas leader, Ismail Haniyeh, "will never be wasted" and that his death will "strengthen the deep and unwavering bond between Tehran, Palestine, and the resistance," according to Iranian state media and reported by Reuters.

According to security sources contacted by our correspondent in the region, a fragile calm prevailed overnight at the border with northern Israel.

* In the middle of the night, Israeli artillery targeted the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district) and Kfar Kila (Marjayoun).

* After 2 a.m., Israeli artillery fired on the outskirts of Zibqine (Sour).

⚡ Hezbollah has issued its first statement since Tuesday night's strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut regarding the fate of Fouad Shoukor, one of its top military commanders whom Israel claims to have eliminated.

The party confirms that the commander "was present in the building at that time," without confirming or denying his death. It adds that "since the incident, civil defense teams have been working to remove the debris."

In Lebanon, the Cabinet is scheduled to meet at 8:30 a.m. this morning to discuss the situation following the Israeli strike on Tuesday night in a neighborhood in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

According to the New York Times, as reported by Haaretz, Iran has convened the Supreme National Security Council for an emergency meeting following the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh. According to Iranian sources contacted by the American daily, General Hossein Salami, the commander of the Quds forces in charge of the network of militias aligned with Iran, is also expected to be present at the meeting.

According to our correspondent, loudspeakers in the Mieh Mieh refugee camp in the city of Saida, South Lebanon, are broadcasting messages honoring Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed at dawn in Tehran.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad extended its condolences this morning to the Palestinian people and the Arab and Islamic nations for the death of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in the past few hours.

"The vicious assassination carried out by the criminal enemy against a symbol of the resistance will not deter our people from continuing the resistance to end Zionist criminality, which has exceeded all boundaries," the movement wrote in its statement.

In South Lebanon this morning: residents reported to our correspondent that Israeli aircraft targeted a house in the town of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun district). There are currently no further details about the strike.

The president of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, condemned the "cowardly assassination" of the Hamas leader in a statement. Palestinian factions have called for a general strike and demonstrations.

In a statement, the Lebanese party Jamaa Islamiya, which is close to Hamas, paid tribute to Haniyeh, nicknamed "Abou al-Abed," who "joined his brothers, the martyr leaders of the movement and the Palestinian people, as well as his sons and grandchildren who preceded him on this path."

Since the beginning of the Gaza war, three of the leader's sons had been killed in April, followed by about ten other family members in June, in Israeli strikes. Additionally, the head of the Houthis' Supreme Council, Mohammad al-Houthi, condemned the "heinous terrorist crime."

According to the Iranian news agency Tasnim, citing the Revolutionary Guards, one of its bodyguards was killed in the attack. Tehran has announced the launch of an "investigation," according to the same source cited by Reuters, and the results will be announced "soon."

A senior Hamas official, Moussa Abou Marzouk, condemned the attack in an interview with the movement's al-Aqsa television, calling it a "cowardly act that will not go unanswered." Another member of the movement, Sami Abou Zouhri, told Reuters that the assassination is "a serious escalation that will not achieve its objectives."

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed in an Israeli “raid” in Tehran, the Iranian Revolutionary Guards and the Palestinian movement announced shortly after 6 a.m.

In its statement, Hamas “mourns the death” of Haniyeh, “killed in a Zionist raid on his place of residence in Teheran,” where he was attending the inauguration ceremony of the new Iranian president, Massoud Pezeshkian.

Good morning, thank you for joining us for today's live coverage.