Israel struck Nabatieh several times after evacuation notice from the Israeli army, according to local media: Day 391 of the Lebanon and Gaza wars

⚡ Israel struck Nabatieh several times after an evacuation notice from the Israeli army, according to local media. The correspondent for the Al-Jadeed channel reported at least five strikes.

Three Iranian officials have claimed that Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, instructed the Supreme National Security Council on Monday to prepare to attack Israel, reports The New York Times.

The Israeli air strike on Khirbet Selm, in Bint Jbeil, targeted the building housing an office of the Social Affairs Ministry, the office of the village charity association and a headquarters of the Amal movement's al-Rissala scouts association.

The Israeli army claimed to have attacked the command and control headquarters of Hezbollah's Aziz unit and al-Radwan force in the al-Hoch region of southern Lebanon.

“Warplanes carried out strikes in the al-Hoch region of southern Lebanon, targeting command and control complexes, headquarters and military infrastructure of several Hezbollah military units, including the Aziz unit and the al-Radwan force,” said Arabic-speaking army spokesman Avichay Adraee on X.

An Israeli air strike targeted the headquarters of the Amal movement's al-Rissala scouts association near a Husseiniyeh (a gathering place for religious celebrations for the Shiite community) in Khirbet Selm, in Bint Jbeil, causing no injuries.

Update on the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border

- Hezbollah fired a salvo of rockets at 9 p.m. at a gathering of Israeli soldiers in Metula, northern Israel.

- Heavy artillery fire targeted the area around Khiam prison, according to our correspondent. Khiam prison was mainly used during the Israeli occupation of southern Lebanon. The South Lebanon Army (SLA), an Israeli-backed militia, had transformed it into a detention center.

Around 90 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon today, according to the Israeli army.

45 people were killed and 110 wounded in Lebanon on Wednesday, according to the Health Ministry.

Since the start of the war, 2,867 people have been killed and 13,047 wounded.

The Israeli army has issued an evacuation notice to the residents of Nabatieh.

“If you are in or near a building used by Hezbollah to store weapons, evacuate it immediately ... and move at least 500 meters away,” said Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee on X. 

The Israeli army claimed to have intercepted two drones approaching eastern Israel, according to AFP.

Iran is planning to carry out an attack against Israel from Iraqi territory in the next few days, according to two Israeli sources quoted by Axios journalist Barak Ravid.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported “good progress” in cease-fire talks in Lebanon, according to AFP.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine announced the killing of Mohammad Mahmoud Ali and Abdel Hadi Nazih Breich in southern Lebanon.

Iran has warned of a “brutal” response to Saturday's Israeli attack on Iranian military installations, saying Israel will “regret” it, local media reported.

“The recent action of the Zionist regime, which attacked parts of our country, was a desperate act, and the Islamic Republic of Iran will respond to it in a brutal manner that will make Israel regret it,” said Mohammad Mohammadi Golpayegani, chief of staff to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, according to Tasnim news agency.

An Israeli strike kills at least seven Palestinians in the Nousseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to doctors quoted by Reuters.

The head of the World Health Organization has condemned yet another Israeli attack on the Kamal Adwan hospital in northern Gaza, resulting in injuries and damage to vital equipment.

Doctors Without Borders expressed its concern for one of its doctors arrested by the Israelis in Kamal Adwan.

The state-affiliated Egyptian TV channel al-Qahera News reports, based on a high-level source, that the reports from some media that the port of Alexandria had received the MV Kathrin ship carrying military supplies for Israel were false.

Two loud bangs were heard in Beirut and Mount Lebanon, probably due to Israeli fighter jets breaking the sound barrier.

A series of Israeli raids targeted the course of the Litani River between the villages of Yohmor al-Chaqif and Deir Seriane, according to our correspondent. Heavy Israeli shelling continues to target Khiam (Marjayoun).

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, who is currently in Israel, “will not be going to Beirut and will be returning to Washington,” said Axios journalist Barak Ravid, citing an informed source. 

The Israeli army reported that since the start of the war, 1,300 drones have been launched towards Israel, 231 of which have reached the country's interior, representing an interception rate of over 80 percent.

According to data provided by the troops and reported by Haaretz, more than 100 aircraft were involved in Israeli air force operations in Iran.

In addition, the Israeli air force has so far carried out a thousand air strikes on southern Lebanon.

Update on the situation in southern Lebanon

- A series of Israeli raids targeted Yohmor (Nabatieh). Three air strikes targeted Sinai (Nabatieh).

- The Israeli army continues to shell the village of Khiam (Marjayoun).

- The outskirts of Ain Arab were targeted by Israeli fighter planes. 

Update on the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border

- Violent Israeli raids targeted Khiam, according to our correspondent.

- At 5 p.m., Hezbollah fired a salvo of rockets at a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the locality of Manara, opposite Markaba (Marjayoun). It also targeted the locality opposite Kfar Kila (Marjayoun) with a dive drone.

- Israeli fighter jets carried out a raid on Khiam.

- An Israeli drone targeted a car in the village of Mansouri (Sour).

Hezbollah fired a salvo of rockets at a gathering of Israeli soldiers in the Maslakh neighborhood, south of Khiam, at 5 p.m.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told a graduation ceremony for Israeli army officers that “the troop needs more soldiers, for regular duty and reserves, from all parts of the nation.”

“We need to broaden the shoulders that carry the burden of security. It's a social need and a moral obligation,” said Gallant. 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that “Israel now has greater freedom of action than ever before in Iran, and can reach any part of Iran if necessary,” according to Haaretz.

Speaking at a graduation ceremony for Israeli army officers at an Israeli military base, Netanyahu also said, regarding the government's relations with the White House, that he appreciated U.S. policy, but when necessary, he said no.

The situation in southern Lebanon

- In Sour, an Israeli fighter jet fired two missiles at members of Hezbollah's Civil Defense and rescue workers attached to the Union of Municipalities of Bint Jbeil, near the Delbani café on the Corniche Maritime, according to our correspondent.

- The locality of Loubieh (Saida) was targeted by the Israeli army.

The situation in the Bekaa

- An earlier strike on a residential neighborhood in Makneh (Hermel) killed six people and wounded three others, according to our correspondent in the region.

- One person was killed and another wounded in Israeli strikes earlier on Kayal, near Baalbeck.

Two drone strikes took place in Sour, reports our correspondent. The first targeted members of the Hezbollah Islamic Health Committee's Civil Defense. The second hit rescue workers trying to help them.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for four new operations in southern Lebanon

- The party struck Israeli soldiers in Wata al-Khiam with missiles twice, at noon and 4 p.m., and for the sixth time today.

- A missile strike targeted the Israeli town of Avivim at 3:40 p.m.

- At 4:50 p.m., Hezbollah fired at a Hermes 450 drone in the western sector, forcing it to leave Lebanese territory.

Update on the situation in the Bekaa and Baalbeck

- A woman was killed and her husband wounded in the strike on Kayal in the Bekaa, reports the National News Agency (NNA).

- The Israeli raid on a residential area in Makneh (Hermel) killed five people, according to NNA. Clear-up operations are continuing.

Two people have been killed in a new salvo of rockets fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, according to the emergency services, bringing the death toll from such fire to seven in a single day.

“Despite attempts to resuscitate a man in his 30s and a woman in her 60s, we have had to pronounce them dead,” said a statement from Magen David Adom, Israel's equivalent of the Red Cross, adding that the two victims were killed in a rocket explosion in a roadside olive grove near the town of Kiryat Ata.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for four new attacks on Israeli positions.

The first, at 3 p.m., targeted Israeli soldiers in the locality of Kouakh, north of Ramot Naftali.

The second, at 3:10 p.m., targeted homes north of Haifa with missiles.

At 3:20 p.m., the party targeted the Zar'it barracks opposite the Lebanese town of Marwahine (Sour).

At 5 p.m., it hit a Merkava tank and a military vehicle in Wata al-Khiam (Marjayoun) with two guided missiles. Hezbollah claims to have set fire to the vehicles, killing and wounding soldiers.

Damage caused by an Israeli raid on Douris (Baalbeck).

(Credit: Our correspondent Sarah Abdallah)

Update on the situation in the Bekaa and Baalbeck

- The Israeli strike on Makneh (Hermel) killed several people, according to our correspondent.

- Israeli raids targeted Kayal in the Bekaa.

Two people succumbed to their injuries following missile fire from Lebanon on the Haifa region, according to emergency services quoted by Haaretz.

A truce with Hezbollah must guarantee Israel's security, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told U.S. envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk, reports AFP.

Israeli raids also targeted the town of Baalbeck and Ain Bourdai, according to our correspondent. The Israeli army had called for the evacuation of these areas around midday.

The town of Younin (Baalbeck) was also targeted.

Around 25 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel during the last barrage, reports Haaretz. Some were intercepted, others fell in northern Israel.

Violent Israeli raids target Douris (Baalbeck district), according to our correspondent.

Saudi Arabia could move "fairly quickly" on certain bilateral agreements with the United States, even though a mega-deal involving the recognition of Israel remains distant, according to its foreign minister. Riyadh has been negotiating a defense pact with Washington since last year, along with assistance for its civilian nuclear program.

As part of such an agreement, the Gulf kingdom, home to Islam's holiest sites, would recognize Israel.

Update on the situation in the Bekaa and Baalbeck:

An Israeli raid targeted areas around Douris and Eiat in the Bekaa, about three hours after the Israeli army called for evacuations.

Another Israeli airstrike hit Makne in Hermel.

Update on the situation in southern Lebanon:

A major strike on Arzeh (Saida), one of the villages the Israeli army called to evacuate this morning, killed five and injured several others after an inhabited building was struck behind the municipal office. Rescue operations are ongoing.

Two airstrikes targeted Braasheet and Bint Jbeil in the Bint Jbeil district.

On the Khiam front (Marjayoun), fighter jets struck near the old prison in the area after Israeli soldiers who had attempted to enter the village withdrew under cover of smoke bombs, according to our South Lebanon correspondent.

Informed sources say Israeli soldiers fell into an ambush in the eastern part of Khiam near the old prison, with reports of injuries among the soldiers.

The person targeted by a drone attack on his car this morning in Araya is Abbas Ahmad Moussaoui, a member of the municipal council of Nabi Sheet, Baalbeck, according to our Bekaa correspondent. 

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) warned that Gaza, Lebanon, and Sudan would take decades to recover from ongoing wars. The IMF has revised down its growth forecast for the Middle East and North Africa to 2.1 percent for 2024, a 0.6 percentage point drop from previous estimates in April, due to the impact of conflicts and oil production cuts. However, it expects a rebound to 4 percent next year.

Three Palestinians have been killed in an Israeli military operation in Tulkarem, in the north of the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Ministry of Health and a local committee have announced.

The Ministry said in a statement that “martyrs were killed in the Nour Chams camp in Tulkarem as a result of Israeli shelling.”

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a 1 p.m. strike against Israeli soldiers at Yiftah, across from the Lebanese village of Blida (Bint Jbeil).

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated that "the threats made by the Israeli army against Lebanese civilians, pressuring them to evacuate entire towns and abandon their neighborhoods and homes, constitute yet another war crime in the series of crimes committed by the Israeli army" in Lebanon.

Mikati announced in a statement that he had "communicated this stance to diplomatic missions, urging them to increase pressure on Israel to cease its aggression and abandon this method, which is condemned by all international and humanitarian standards."

Over eight strikes targeted buildings in al-Hosh near Sour, our correspondent reported. This area had been under threat from the Israeli army, which had previously called on residents to evacuate. Several other villages, as well as the nearby Palestinian refugee camp in Rashidieh, were mentioned in the army's warnings.

In the same region, strikes also hit Jibbayn and Tayr Harfa.

South Lebanon:

- Israeli strikes targeted Shihine and Reshknanieh (Sour).

- Continued fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army in eastern Khiam (Marjayoun).

After an initial bombardment, two new strikes targeted al-Hosh, near Sour, according to our correspondent

In Baalbek, Civil Defense teams are patrolling the streets, urging remaining residents to "evacuate immediately." According to our correspondent, the Israeli army notified the city’s Civil Defense that the evacuation deadline was set for 2 p.m., ahead of planned bombings.

The governor of Baalbek-Hermel urged Baalbek residents and those in surrounding areas on X to "avoid returning home today" after two consecutive evacuation warnings within 24 hours. "The area remains under threat," stated Governor Khodr, adding, "Shelters have been opened in the Bekaa, and many still have available space."

An Israeli strike targeted al-Hosh, south of Sour. This locality was among a series of villages threatened earlier in the day by the Israeli army.

In a message on X, Avichay Adraee, the Israeli army’s Arabic spokesperson, called for an evacuation of al-Hosh, several other villages, and the Palestinian refugee camp of Rashidieh, located less than two kilometers from al-Hosh, ahead of strikes on "Hezbollah targets."

An Islamic Health Committee center affiliated with Hezbollah was hit by a strike earlier in Derdghaya (Sour), according to our correspondent. Four paramedics were killed in the strike, and another center was targeted in Selaa (Sour).

Five people were killed and one person was seriously injured in a rocket attack from Lebanon on Metula, northern Israel, according to Haaretz, citing the city's municipal chief. Earlier, the newspaper reported six injuries — four critically wounded and two seriously injured.

According to The Times of Israel, citing Channel 12 in Hebrew, one of the deceased was an Israeli citizen, while the other four were foreign nationals. The targeted area is believed to be agricultural land near the border town.

The situation in southern Lebanon:

An Israeli strike on Ainata (Bint Jbeil), as reported by our correspondent.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two new attacks on Israeli soldiers south of Khiam (Marjayoun) at 11:30 a.m. and noon.

The Amal Movement announced the death of one of its members, Kassem Mohammad Kseibani, born in 1964 in Jdeidet Ansar (Nabatieh), who was killed “while carrying out his national and jihadist duty in defense of Lebanon.”

U.N. food agencies warned of worsening hunger levels over the next seven months in many regions worldwide, with Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Mali, and Haiti being of greatest concern.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Program (WFP) report that armed conflict and violence are the main drivers of acute food insecurity across all regions analyzed in their semi-annual report.

Here’s an update on the situation in southern Lebanon, according to our correspondent:

- Israeli air raids have been reported in Maaroub, Derdghaya, Mjadel (district of Sour), and in the town of Bint Jbeil (district of Bint Jbeil).

- Several Israeli drones have been flying over the Sour region and the Palestinian camps located there. The Rashidieh camp and several other localities in the area had received an evacuation call from the Israeli army this morning.

- Fighter jets have been flying over the locality of Harouf (Nabatieh) and its surroundings at very low altitudes.

- Two Israeli strikes targeted Shehabieh and Mjadel (Sour).

- The army detonated a missile that had remained intact after a deadly strike yesterday on Sarafand (Saida).

Hezbollah announced it had struck the town of Karmiel, east of Acre, about 20 kilometers from the border with Lebanon, with "a large salvo of rockets."

Clashes continue in Khiam, where Hezbollah has announced, in three new statements, that it has attacked Israeli soldiers in Wata al-Khiam multiple times between 9:35 a.m. and 10:15 a.m.

⚡ Israeli airstrikes targeted the Syrian town of Qousseir, located near the Lebanese border, according to Syria's official news agency, Sana. "The Israeli attack caused damage in the industrial area and some residential neighborhoods in Qousseir, in the Homs region (central Syria)," reported Sana, adding that there were "civilian injuries."

Earlier in the day, our correspondent in the Bekaa reported Israeli strikes on Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali in Hermel, near the Syrian border, as well as on the city of Hermel.

The Israeli army has called on residents of Baalbeck, Ain Bourdai and Douris (Baalbeck district) to evacuate their homes “immediately,” in preparation for strikes on the area.

“You are in a combat zone where the (Israeli) army intends to attack Hezbollah infrastructures (...) without seeking to target you,” wrote the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesman, Avichay Adraee, on X, accompanying his text with an explanatory map.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned the "Israeli attacks" on UNIFIL since fighting intensified in South Lebanon, according to a statement from the National News Agency (NNA). He also requested caretaker Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib to follow up on the investigation into a rocket strike on Tuesday at the UNIFIL base in Naqoura, which slightly injured eight Austrian soldiers. UNIFIL stated the rocket was launched "from the north, likely by Hezbollah or an affiliated group." Mikati also praised the role of UN peacekeepers "in preserving peace and stability in the South."

On Wednesday, UNIFIL reported having faced over 30 "incidents" since early October, with around 20 attributed to "fire or actions" from Israeli armed forces. For the remaining incidents — about a dozen — the origin of the fire could not be determined, according to the U.N. force on Wednesday.

The situation in South Lebanon, according to our correspondent:

- A strike on an ambulance belonging to the al-Rissala Scouts Association, affiliated with the Amal Movement, in Deir Zahrani (Zahrani district) killed one person and injured two others. The Health Ministry confirmed the death of a rescuer, bringing the total casualties among medical and paramedical personnel since Oct. 8, 2023, to 173 dead and 277 wounded.

- An Islamic Health Committee center, Hezbollah’s relief association, was also targeted in Deir Zahrani. The center was destroyed, resulting in casualties.

- An air raid targeted Ansar (Nabatieh).

- The empty house of Wadi Press media director Mohammad al-Sayyed in Wadi Jeelo (Sour) was hit by Israeli airstrikes, and the building was completely destroyed.

In the Bekaa, a strike on Boudai this morning killed four people — a couple and two children — according to our correspondent.

A series of other bombardments targeted Sohmor in western Bekaa. Hawsh al-Sayyed Ali on the border in Hermel, as well as the city of Hermel, were also hit by air raids. Meanwhile, another drone strike targeted a car in Qaraoun near the lake dam, causing no casualties. Earlier in the morning, a first strike in Qaraoun had killed one person.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassin/OLJ)

The targeted strike on a car in Araya, Mount Lebanon, on the highway linking Beirut to the Bekaa. 

In southern Lebanon, a targeted drone strike hit a motorbike on the road between Sour and Naqoura, killing one person, according to our correspondent.

Earlier this morning, a similar raid targeted another motorbike in Qaraoun, in the Bekaa Valley, killing one person.

Additionally:

An airstrike targeted the area between Marwanieh and Jwayya, in the Sour district.

As intense fighting continued between Hezbollah and the Israeli army around Khiam, Hezbollah claimed to have fired artillery at 9:30 a.m. at a group of Israeli soldiers in the “Wata al-Khiam” area, southeast of the village.

The Arabic-speaking spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, issued a call this morning for evacuations from several villages and a Palestinian camp in southern Lebanon — specifically the Rashidieh camp — warning they will become targets for Israeli strikes aimed at "Hezbollah positions." The villages listed include Hosh, Bazourieh, Bourhouliyeh, Bastiyat, al-Homeiri, Arzeh, Matriyet Shoumar, Kharayeb, and Ansar.

This is the first time the Israeli army has called for the evacuation of a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon, following months of targeting Palestinian leaders in camps, notably Ain al-Hilweh near Saida.

According to Araya's former head of the municipality, Constantin Irani, two Israeli drone strikes targeted a car today, destroying it without any missile explosions, as was the case yesterday with one of the targeted vehicles. This car was on its way down to Beirut.

Irani condemned these attacks on an international road used by citizens, calling for people "clearly affiliated with an armed party" to limit the endangerment of civilians.

The strikes occurred near a residential area, with Irani reporting broken windows in several homes on Wednesday and Thursday. He says that the Lebanese Army is trying to contain the situation “with the means at hand.”

According to the TMC traffic management center, the Beirut-Kahaleh road was cut off in both directions after a car was hit by an Israeli strike in Araya.

According to our correspondent in southern Lebanon, violent clashes are taking place east of Khiam, in the Marjayoun district, where the Israeli army is attempting to break through.

An Israeli force is attempting to advance and enter the area, but is encountering fierce resistance.

On Wednesday, our correspondent reported that the Israeli army blowing up houses in several areas of Khiam, as announced earlier by the state-run National News Agency, was false. According to a security source he quoted at the time, the Israeli army had still not entered the locality, on the outskirts of which fighting was raging.

He added that Israeli troops were currently southeast of the area.

Photo taken from Mansourieh by Raphael Abdelnour

A column of smoke rises from the spot where the Israeli army carried out two new strikes this morning on the Kahaleh road (Baabda district). According to initial reports in local media, two targets were hit.

Here are the developments this morning and overnight in the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, according to our correspondents in these areas.

In the Bekaa Valley:

A motorcyclist was targeted and killed this morning by an Israeli drone in the village of Qaraoun in West Bekaa.

An Israeli airstrike hit the village of Sohmor in West Bekaa.

In southern Lebanon:

After 11 p.m., the village of Bazourieh in Sour district reported the killing of one of its residents, Adnan Watfa, a history teacher, just days after the death of his brother Ibrahim, a first responder.

Three people were killed in an Israeli attack on Deir Zahrani, Nabatieh: Oussama Mortada, Hussein Hammoud, and Mohammad Bou Dalle. Searches continue in the rubble of the targeted home for any additional victims.

Just before 9 a.m., the village of Shebaa in Hasbaya was shelled by the Israeli army.

At 9 a.m., the village of Jibsheet in Nabatieh was targeted.

Hezbollah released several statements overnight about its operations on the southern Lebanon front:

At 11 p.m., Hezbollah fighters reported targeting Israeli troop gatherings with a salvo of rockets at 7 p.m. in Liman, northern Israel, and at Gashr Hazif, also in the north. At 7:30 p.m. and again at 11:50 p.m., they shelled Israeli forces in Kiryat Shmona.

At 12:10 a.m., Hezbollah announced targeting Israeli soldiers east of the Lebanese village Khiam in Marjayoun.

After 2 a.m., Hezbollah reported that, following its prior calls for evacuations in Kiryat Shmona, Hatzor HaGlilit, Kidmat Tzvi, and Yesud HaMa'ala in northern Israel, its fighters launched rockets at these villages for eight consecutive hours.

⚡ Two explosions were heard around the Metn and Baabda areas. From Mansourieh, a column of smoke is visible rising from the same area bombed Wednesday by the Israeli army near Araya, in Baabda district.

On Wednesday, Israel called for the resignation of Francesca Albanese, an independent U.N. expert who recently condemned the “genocide” and “eradication” of Palestinians from their lands. Albanese, who has faced accusations of antisemitism from both Israel and the U.S., issued a new report this week, prompting the Israeli mission in Geneva to respond.

“In her hate-filled worldview, Israel has no historical right to exist, no right to defend its people, and the Oct. 7 attack and the rescue of hostages are merely excuses used by Israel,” the statement read.

In Gaza, the U.S. expressed frustration Wednesday after an Israeli airstrike hit an apartment building in Beit Lahia, killing close to 100 people, including children. Israel says it is investigating the incident, but “hasn’t done enough to give us the answers we’ve requested,” according to State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres condemned “the numerous massacres” in northern Gaza, per spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric.

The U.N.’s humanitarian office also urged Israeli authorities, who control access to aid, to “immediately allow access for essential humanitarian operations.”

Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed 43,163, mostly civilians, according to Gaza's health ministry, a number deemed credible by the U.N. 

In parallel, Israel continues its strikes on Gaza as mediators prepare to propose a truce of “under a month,” involving a prisoner exchange and expanded humanitarian aid, according to a source close to the talks.

This proposal was discussed Sunday and Monday in Doha, during meetings between Mossad Chief David Barnea, CIA Director William Burns, and the Qatari prime minister. On Wednesday, a Hamas official said the group had yet to receive a formal offer for a broad cease-fire but would consider any proposal involving an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

Speaking to Axios, two U.S. officials reported significant progress over the last 24 hours in cease-fire negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah, despite no final agreement being reached with either Israel or Lebanon.

The U.S. outlet noted that envoy Amos Hochstein traveled to Israel on Wednesday with White House Middle East advisor Brett McGurk, aiming to advance discussions on ending the hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon. Before departing, Hochstein met with Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who said in an interview with Al-Jadeed on Wednesday night that he hopes a cease-fire will soon be reached.

In his live remarks, Mikati suggested an agreement could come within the “next few hours,” though in the official transcript from the Grand Serail, the wording was amended to “next few days.”

Also Wednesday evening, Israel’s Channel 13 reported a breakthrough in talks on the Lebanon front, citing both Israeli and U.S. officials.

Good morning!

Thank you for joining us for our coverage of the ongoing war in Gaza and its regional and global impacts.

Make sure to read the Morning Brief so you are caught up with what has been happening.