Cease-fire 'holds firm in Lebanon' despite violations in the South, says Blinken: Day 425 of the war

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that Israel had recovered the body of an Israeli hostage who was abducted on Oct. 7, 2023, during Hamas' attack and killed in captivity in Gaza, according to AFP.

"In a special operation, the body of hostage Itay Svirsky, who was abducted on Oct. 7 from Kibbutz Beeri and murdered in captivity by Hamas terrorists in June 2024, has been brought back," the prime minister said in a statement, following over a year of war against the Palestinian group.

The Israeli army claimed that it attacked a rocket launcher in Majdal Zoun (Sour district) that "posed a threat to Israel and that forces destroyed weapons in Khiam, Swaneh and Aitaroun."

"The Israeli army continues to act against Hezbollah's actions that pose a threat to the State of Israel and violate the understandings between Israel and Lebanon," the statement read.

Earlier today, our correspondent reported that an Israeli drone targeted a rocket launcher that had previously been struck and was already burned in Majdal Zoun.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has warned against a resurgence of the Islamic State (IS) in Syria, calling for de-escalation after a week of rebel groups having gone back on the offensive, reported AFP.

Groups of Islamist opponents of President Bashar al-Assad's regime seized Aleppo, the country's second-largest city, after an attack on Tuesday on the city of Hama (central Syria).

Israeli warplanes have carried out an airstrike on the outskirts of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil district), according to our correspondent in the South.

While meeting with the family of American-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that "non-stop efforts are taking place to release the hostages," according to Haaretz.

Islamist leader Abu Mohammad al-Golani visited Aleppo’s Citadel in Syria following the rebel offensive on the city, according to the Telegram channel of the rebel coalition, as reported by AFP.

Fighting in northern Syria has displaced 115,000 people, an unnamed U.N. official told AFP.

Citing Haaretz, the Israeli army stated that the six Israeli hostages killed in August were "murdered by their captors as the Israeli army conducted strikes nearby." The army presented the families of the six hostages, whose bodies were discovered in a tunnel in Khan Younis last August, with the findings of the investigation into their deaths, according to the Israeli newspaper.

The Israeli army believes that "the six hostages were shot by their Hamas captors during army attacks in the area, unaware of the hostages' presence." It suggests the hostages were "likely killed following an airstrike on Khan Younis in February."

The army emphasized there was "no information or suspicion of hostages in the area, and when there is suspicion of hostage presence, forces do not operate in the area" concerned.

Hamas said it had information that Israel intended to carry out a hostage rescue operation similar to one conducted in Gaza's Nuseirat camp in June, which killed at least 247 Palestinians. Hamas threatened to "neutralize" the captives if such an operation took place, according to an internal statement seen by Reuters.

In the internal statement dated Nov. 22, Hamas told its operatives not to consider any repercussions of following the instructions and said Israel was responsible for the fate of the hostages. It did not say when any Israeli operation was expected to take place.

In late August, the Israeli army recovered the bodies of six Israeli hostages, "murdered by captors [Hamas] as the Israeli army carried out strikes nearby," reported Haaretz. 

Israeli artillery bombarded the Khiam plain in southern Lebanon's Marjayoun district.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said there is "a real chance this time" that Israel will succeed in advancing a hostage agreement, according to Haaretz.

Earlier in the day, the Al-Araby al-Jadeed news site had reported that an Israeli delegation led by the head of the Internal Security Service's (Shin Bet) security service, Ronen Bar, will travel to Cairo tomorrow to discuss a possible cease-fire agreement in Gaza.

Israeli police announced that they had arrested five residents of Arad, a town in southern Israel, who had illegally crossed the border into Lebanon, according to Haaretz. The five individuals were arrested by the Israeli army and taken into custody for questioning by the police.

Four shepherds from the southern Lebanese village of Wazzani are missing, according to information from our correspondent in the southern Lebanon.

According to Ahmad Mohammad, president of the municipality of Wazzani, they went out at around 10 a.m. and have still not returned. No telephone contact could be established with them. "We are continuing to contact the parties concerned to find out their fate," he said.

An Israeli drone targeted a rocket launcher that had previously been hit previously and caught fire in Majdal Zoun (Sour district), according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon. This is the first Israeli airstrike reported today.

Gaza's health ministry announced a new death toll of 44,532 in the Palestinian territory since the start of the war with Israel over a year ago.

At least 30 people have been killed in the last 24 hours, it said in a statement, adding that 105,538 people had been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023.

President-elect Trump's national security adviser, Mike Waltz, will meet today with the Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Axios' Barak Ravid reported citing a source familiar with the meeting.

"Waltz and Dermer are expected to discuss the efforts to reach a Gaza hostage and cease-fire deal and the Iranian threat," Ravid added.

The body of a Lebanese Civil Defense rescue worker was found in front of his house near Deir Seriane (Marjayoun caza) in southern Lebanon, reported our correspondent. The body is presumably that of Ali Nabaa, who was killed yesterday in an Israeli strike.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the cease-fire in Lebanon was "holding" despite a series of violating incidents, reported AFP. 

"The cease-fire is holding, and we're using the mechanism that was established when any concerns have arisen about any alleged or purported violations," Blinken told journalists on the sidelines of a NATO meeting in Brussels.

Since the cease-fire was announced, Israel has conducted semi-daily attacks on Lebanese grounds. On Monday, Hezbollah fired mortar shells at an Israeli site in the disputed Kfar Shuba farms in retaliation for Israeli violations. 

An Israeli delegation led by Shin Bet security service chief Ronen Bar will arrive in Cairo tomorrow to discuss a possible cease-fire deal in Gaza, Haaretz reported citing the London-based Al-Araby al-Jadeed news agency.

A special envoy by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's will also join the delegation, the report added, without supplying any further details.

According to the report, Egyptian officials have drafted a new cease-fire proposal following discussions with Hamas leadership, which includes guidelines that may serve as a basis for progress, after Hamas expressed its willingness to negotiate.

The Israeli army has said that its forces operating in Jabalia, in the Gaza Strip, have located an explosives and weapons laboratory in an apartment in the refugee camp, Haaretz reported. It claimed to have "destroyed RPG rocket launchers, anti-tank missiles and other weapons equipment found in the apartment."

The Israeli army is carrying out explosions in the Karkazane neighborhood on the northern outskirts of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun), according to our correspondent in the south. Israeli forces are also heavily firing machine guns at the neighborhoods of Mais al-Jabal.

Emirati carrier Etihad Airways plans to resume scheduled flights between Abu Dhabi and Beirut international airports from Dec. 18, according to a message sent to Lebanese travel agencies today. The announcement confirms previously unverified reports, which were later confirmed by two of the agencies to L'Orient Today.

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Thirty-six members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have called on Parliament President Roberta Metsola to prevent Israeli Likud Party member Amit Halevi from attending the conference scheduled for tomorrow on the Iranian regime.

The MEPs argue that Amit Halevi’s participation in an event at the European Parliament would violate key principles, including disinterest, integrity, openness, diligence, honesty, accountability and respect for the institution’s dignity and reputation.

The objection stems from "extremely concerning, dehumanizing, and even genocidal statements" that Halevi has made in recent months. The letter highlights several of his controversial remarks from the past year.

In an interview, Halevi claimed, "In the al-Shifa Hospital, they caught 150 terrorists and killed them. At the same time, 300 terrorists were born in the maternity ward," implying that children born in Al-Shifa would inevitably become terrorists.

In the same interview, he defended that “There is nothing called Palestinian people, never was, and will never be.” and that “From the river to the sea, the national rights are only for one people, the nation of Israel”.

The MPs said in a statement that while they support freedom of expression, there are limits that must be respected.

"We also reached out to the organizer but received no concrete reaction as to the possible change of the participants of the event," they added.

Lebanon's caretaker Health Minister, Firas Abiad, said in a press conference that at least 4,047 people have been killed and 16,593 wounded in Lebanon due to Israeli attacks since Oct. 8, 2023. 

Among the victims, 790 women and 316 children were reported.

Of the 4,047 fatalities, 3,402 occurred after Sept. 15, 2024 while 14,655 of the 16,593 injuries were reported after that date.

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Iran sent a high-ranking general and other military advisors to Syria to help the Damascus government deal with the Islamist and rebel insurgent offensive in the north of the country, Haaretz reported.

According to the Israeli daily, the delegation, headed by General Jawad Ghafari, is to support the counter-offensive by government troops around the city of Hama, the Arabic-language section of Iran's al-Alam radio station reported today.

The Lebanese Army has redeployed to the outskirts of Shebaa after withdrawing ahead of the Israeli ground offensive in late September, our correspondent in southern Lebanon reported. Soldiers are now stationed in Birket al-Naqqar, the Shebaa hills, the Kfar Shuba hills and Janam, on the northern edge of the town in the Rashaya al-Wadi region.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli artillery fired two shells on the outskirts of Halta in the Hasbaya district, according to our correspondent.

"In the event of further cease-fire violations by Hezbollah, Israel's response will be firmer and will then become dramatic. We will no longer tolerate these games," Israeli officials warned today.

Faced with "Hezbollah's violations," Israel "has taken the decision to react with restraint, sparing Beirut from bombardment this time," Israeli Channel 12 reported. "The response will be concentrated on targets south and north of the Litani River, while taking into account the threshold of escalation," the officials added.

On Monday, Hezbollah fired two shells at an Israeli position in the disputed Kfar Shuba hills, marking its first attack since the cease-fire came into effect, in response to continuous Israeli violations of the agreement.

The Lebanese Army announced on X that it would be disposing of unexploded munitions between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. in Ghobeiri, in Beirut's southern suburbs, and in the Ras Baalbeck plains.

Palestinian officials claim that Fatah and Hamas are close to concluding an agreement to appoint a committee of politically independent technocrats to administer the Gaza Strip after the war, Haaretz reports. This agreement would put an end to Hamas's power and could help advance cease-fire negotiations with Israel.

A Palestinian Authority official confirmed yesterday that a preliminary agreement had been reached after weeks of negotiations in Cairo. The official added that the committee would be made up of 12 to 15 members, most of whom would be from Gaza. It would report to the Palestinian Authority and work with local and international parties to facilitate humanitarian aid and reconstruction.

According to a Hamas official, Hamas and Fatah have agreed on the general conditions, but are still negotiating over certain details and who will sit on the committee. The official said that an agreement would be announced after a meeting of all the Palestinian factions in Cairo, without giving a timetable.

The lawyer for Eli Feldstein, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesperson, who is accused of leaking classified information to a German newspaper, stated that during his client's investigation, he chose not to remain silent regarding Netanyahu's involvement in the so-called Bibileaks affair.

Speaking to Kan Reshet Bet radio, lawyer Oded Savoray criticized Netanyahu for deflecting responsibility, claiming that the prime minister "shifts the responsibility elsewhere instead of taking accountability for what he himself caused." Savoray clarified that Feldstein does not claim Netanyahu ordered the document's leak but asserts that Netanyahu was aware of it and Feldstein's intention to release it to the media.

Savoray also addressed Netanyahu's advisor Jonathan Urich's role, stating that Urich was "fully involved in it as a partner" in the affair.

"There's conclusive evidence of [Urich's] involvement, yet he wasn't arrested and was only subjected to a very superficial investigation," Savoray added. He further denied reports that Feldstein had attempted to harm himself.

Kash Patel, President-elect Donald Trump's nominee for FBI director, was reportedly targeted in an Iranian hacking operation, CNN revealed on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the matter.

One source indicated that the hackers accessed parts of Patel's communications. Trump transition spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer declined to comment directly on the hacking but stated: “Kash Patel was a key part of the first Trump administration’s efforts against the terrorist Iranian regime and will implement President Trump’s policies to protect America from adversaries as the FBI Director.”

Jewish settlers set fire to houses in the occupied West Bank village of Beit Furik, southeast of Nablus, last night, Haaretz reported, citing Palestinian sources.

Also last night, settlers clashed with Border Police forces near the occupied West Bank settlement of Itamar, injuring two officers by throwing stones at their car.

A loud explosion echoed on the outskirts of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil), near Ainata.

Thick smoke covered the area. According to our correspondent, the Israeli army is probably blowing up houses and buildings in the village.

One person was seriously injured in an Israeli drone attack on the Kamal Adwan hospital in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, reported hospital director Dr. Houssam Abu Safiya, quoted by Haaretz.

According to Abu Safiya, this is the fifth time the hospital, located in Beit Lahia, has been attacked. "Our people are exhausted by the ongoing violence and horror," he stressed.

Meanwhile, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that its doctors had managed to reach the hospital yesterday, for the first time in 60 days.

The U.N. General Assembly yesterday called for an end to the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories and the creation of a Palestinian state, deciding to convene an international conference in June to advance the two-state solution.

In a resolution adopted by 157 votes in favor, 8 against (including the United States, Israel and Hungary) and 7 abstentions as part of its annual review of the Palestinian question, the assembly reaffirmed its "unwavering support, in accordance with international law, for the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine] living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, based on the pre-1967 borders."

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Arabic-speaking Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee renewed his warning to residents of over 60 Lebanese villages, urging them not to return home.

"The army has no intention of targeting you. However, for now, you are prohibited from returning to your homes until further notice," he stated.

The security situation last night in southern Lebanon, according to our correspondent: 

- 9 p.m.: Heave Israeli gunfire targeted neighborhoods in Bint Jbeil from Maroun al-Ras.

- 10 p.m.: Israeli artillery fire struck Yohmor Shaqif (Nabatieh).

- 11 p.m.: Israeli warplanes flew over the South, with drones operating at medium altitude over villages in Jabal al-Rihane.

1 a.m.: Israel bombed homes in Khiam (Marjayoun).

A precarious calm prevailed this morning in southern Lebanon, according to our correspondent in the region.

Earlier, an Israeli artillery shell struck the Khiam plain in the Marjayoun district, while Israeli planes and drones continued to hover over the region.

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