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The Israeli army blew up houses in Mais al-Jabal and its military vehicles are advancing in this village in the Marjayoun district, reported L'Orient Today's correspondent.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) called on Israel and Hamas to "preserve the cease-fire" in the Gaza Strip, stressing that "hundreds of thousands of lives depend on it."
"All those still being held hostage must be released. The people of Gaza need a respite from the violence and access to essential humanitarian aid. This will only be possible if the cease-fire agreement is maintained," the ICRC said in a statement.
Israeli jets broke the sound barrier over Beirut, causing doors and windows to shake throughout the city.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and King Abdullah II of Jordan stressed the "unity" of their countries' positions on Gaza, a day after a meeting in Washington between the Hashemite sovereign and U.S. President Donald Trump.
"The two leaders affirmed the unity of the Egyptian and Jordanian positions, including the need for the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, the continuation of the release of hostages and prisoners and the facilitation of the entry of humanitarian aid," said a statement from the Egyptian presidency.
The information reported by the Al-Hadath channel, which stated that there was an agreement between the Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri and Hezbollah for a new extension of the deadline for the implementation of the cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel, "is totally unfounded and purely fictitious," Berri's press office said.
Israel's defense minister threatened a return to war if Hamas does not release hostages kidnapped in Israel and held in the Gaza Strip by Saturday.
"If Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by Saturday, the gates of hell will open upon them, as the American president promised," said Israel Katz after a meeting with the army, "the new war in Gaza will be of a different intensity than the one that preceded the cease-fire ... it will also allow the realization of the project of American President Trump for Gaza."
U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Hamas "cannot be allowed" to rule Gaza, adding that "there will be a big problem" if "something different" does not happen by noon Saturday, according to Haaretz.
"The president has said everything we need to know ... He expects something different to happen, and if it doesn't, there's going to be a big problem," he said.
"Lebanon remains firm on the complete withdrawal of Israel within the planned deadline, that is, next Feb. 18," the Lebanese presidency said in a statement.
The text denied a report published by al-Hadath stating that "an agreement was reached between Lebanon and Israel to extend the cease-fire agreement after Eid al-Fitr" an important Muslim celebration which falls at the end of March this year.
The Syrian presidency said Russian President Vladimir Putin invited Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani to visit Moscow, during a meeting between Putin and Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria's interim president.
The Civil Defense indicated in a press release that it had found a body under the rubble in the Houma district of the village of Khiam (Marjayoun), reported L'Orient today's correspondent.
The remains were transferred to the Marjayoun Government Hospital, for necessary medical and legal examinations, including DNA tests, to identify the victim.
Civil Defense rescue teams, in coordination with the Lebanese army, continue search and investigation operations in areas previously affected by the Israeli aggression.
(Photo sent by residents to L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)
The Israeli army blew up several homes in Houla (Marjayoun), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region. It carried out heavy explosions that were heard several kilometers away.
The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, addressed residents of south Lebanon, urging them not to return to certain areas. "The implementation period of the [cease-fire] agreement has been extended and the Israeli army is still deployed on the ground, so it is forbidden to move to the south," Adraee said in a message posted on X. "For your safety, you are forbidden to return to your homes in the affected areas until further notice."
Earlier, a Lebanese official and a foreign diplomat told Reuters that Israel asked to keep its troops in five positions in southern Lebanon until Feb. 28. Under a cease-fire agreed in November between Lebanon and Israel, Israeli troops had until Jan. 26 to withdraw from southern Lebanon. The agreement has already been extended to Feb. 18.
Germany's cabinet approved the deployment of police to two EU civilian missions in the Palestinian territories, including an operation to monitor the border crossing between Gaza and Egypt at Rafah, Reuters reported.
Government ministers agreed in principle to Germany's participation in the two missions, which include the EU mission helping secure the entry and exit point at Rafah and the EUPOL COPPS mission that aims to support Palestinian police forces.
The timing as well as the size of Germany's contribution has yet to be decided.
"A security architecture must be created that prevents Hamas from regaining control of the Gaza Strip," a government spokesperson said, adding that both missions contributed to this goal.
The European Union last month restarted the civilian mission at Rafah with personnel from Spain, Italy and France to help secure the crossing.
Germany, which holds federal elections on February 23, has previously said some of its ministries had consulted on their role in the mission.
South Lebanon
The Israeli army blew up several houses in the village of Houla (Marjayoun district), according to our correspondent in the South. The explosions' echoes have been heard in neighboring villages and smoke was seen rising.
Gaza
The armed wing of Islamic Jihad, which has been holding Israeli hostages in Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, said the fate of the captives depends on the actions of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"The only way to recover the hostages and restore stability is to reach a prisoner exchange deal," the group's spokesman said on Telegram.
South Lebanon
The South Lebanon Water Establishment announced in a statement relayed by our correspondent in the South that its teams are carrying out repairs and maintenance on water pumping and distribution networks that were heavily damaged by Israeli shelling in the districts of Sour and Bint Jbeil.
The institution said the repairs are part of an emergency response to meet the needs of villages and towns in the south following the return of displaced residents after the cease-fire took effect on Nov. 27, 2024.
South Lebanon
Israeli artillery fired two shells at the outskirts of Shebaa in Hasbaya district, our correspondent reports.
South Lebanon
The Israeli army's Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee called on the residents of southern Lebanon not to return to some areas.
"The implementation period of the [cease-fire] agreement has been extended and the Israeli army is still deployed in the field, so moving south is prohibited," Adraee said.
"For your safety, you are prohibited from returning to your homes in the affected areas until further notice," he added.
Gaza
Egypt and Qatar are communicating with the parties involved in the Gaza cease-fire, while Washington and Tel Aviv are “pressing for the resumption of military operations if the hostages are not released on Saturday,” reported Reuters, citing Al-Qahera News TV.
The two countries are “seeking a way to implement the agreement in Gaza while avoiding further escalation,” adds the channel. They urge all parties to “commit to respecting the agreement.”
Gaza
Hamas has announced the arrival of its delegation to Cairo for talks on the Gaza cease-fire agreement, aimed at “ending the crisis” linked to the truce, according to one official who spoke to AFP.
“A delegation headed by Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, arrived in Cairo and began talks with Egyptian officials to monitor the implementation of the cease-fire agreement,” the movement said in a statement. A Hamas official told AFP that the delegation “will discuss ways to end the current crisis and ensure [Israel's] commitment to implementing the agreement.”
South Lebanon
Khalil Fayad, who was shot by Israeli forces in his hometown of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil district) on Jan. 26, succumbed to his wounds, according to our correspondent in the South. His funeral will be held on Thursday at 1 p.m. in Aitaroun.
The initial deadline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon, as per the cease-fire agreement between Lebanon and Israel signed in late November, initially expired on Jan. 26, prompting residents of South Lebanon to return to their villages. More than 20 people were killed by Israeli fire that day. The cease-fire agreement was then extended until Feb. 18.
The Israeli army has burnt several houses in the village of Odaisseh (Marjayoun district), residents told our correspondent in the South.
Israel
Defense Minister Israel Katz has announced that the Advisory Committee for the Appointment of Senior Armed Forces officials has approved the candidacy of Major General (reservist) Eyal Zamir for the post of next IDF Chief of Staff, according to Israeli media.
Katz also said he would submit the nomination to the government for approval at its next meeting.
Gaza
Qatari and Egyptian mediators are “working intensively” to resolve the Gaza cease-fire crisis, a Palestinian source told AFP after Israel threatened to resume fighting if Hamas did not release hostages on Saturday.
“Mediators from Qatar and Egypt are in contact with the American side (...) They are working intensively to resolve the crisis and push Israel to implement the humanitarian protocol of the truce agreement and start negotiations for the second phase,” the source said on condition of anonymity.
Syria
Syria will have a new government on March 1, Foreign Minister Assaad al-Shaibani, who is part of an interim government set up after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, said on Wednesday.
“The government that will be put in place on March 1 will represent the Syrian people as much as possible and take into account their diversity,” said Shaibani on the sidelines of the World Government Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Gaza
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in an interview with Fox News that U.S. President Donald Trump was “just fed up,” with the Israeli-Hamas hostage exchange, according to remarks picked up by several Israeli media including Haaretz and the Times of Israel.
“If these guys [Hamas] don't live up to their agreement on Saturday, I think we'll be back to where we were a few months ago, which is that Hamas will be eliminated and the Israelis will step in and take care of the problem,” Rubio continued, according to an excerpt quoted by Haaretz.
In another interview with NewsNation, this time quoted by the Times of Israel, Rubio explained that, according to the U.S. and Israel, “part of the problem is that Hamas continues to use networks to smuggle in weapons and aid to reconstitute itself.”
“Israel cannot allow this. Hamas cannot be allowed to use the cease-fire to rebuild and regain strength,” he continues. “It's a cease-fire, but it's not a stupid cease-fire,” he added.
The two Lebanese people who were kidnapped in Syria three days ago were abducted by forces of the new Syrian authorities, a source within the Zaiter clan told our correspondent in the Bekaa.
The source adds that one of them was subjected to torture and is in critical condition and that the purpose of the kidnapping was not for ransom but for the purpose of "ethnic displacement from the Syrian villages adjacent to the northern border."
The cease-fire monitoring committee monitoring has been informed that the Israeli army requested to remain in southern Lebanon until Feb. 28, according to local television channel LBCI. The channel adds that the Lebanese state has rejected this request.
Gaza
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said it is "unacceptable for the Arab world" to displace Palestinians from their land, AFP reports.
"We, Arabs, have fought this idea for a hundred years, and we are not ready to surrender now," Aboul Gheit said at the World Government Summit in Dubai when asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s insistence on emptying Gaza of its residents.
"Today, the focus is on the Gaza Strip, and tomorrow it will be on the West Bank, with the goal of emptying historic Palestine of its original inhabitants," Aboul Gheit added. "This is unacceptable for the Arab world."
Lebanon/Syria
The situation along the Lebanese-Syrian border was calm overnight, despite Amal Movement MP Ghazi Zeaiter's nephew being kidnapped and killed in Syria, our correspondent reports.
Tribal sources in northern Hermel confirmed they lost contact three days ago with two other Lebanese members of the Zeaiter family from the town of Balouza inside Syrian territory. Their fate remains unknown.
Gaza
Far-right Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich called on Netanyahu to follow Trump’s advice and demand that Hamas release “all” hostages.
This demand goes beyond the cease-fire agreement’s terms, which stipulate the release of 33 hostages in the first phase in exchange for 1,900 Palestinian prisoners.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Hamas to continue the releases to avoid “a resumption of hostilities in Gaza that would lead to an immense tragedy.”
Gaza
Accusing Israel of multiple violations of the cease-fire agreement, Hamas had threatened Monday to postpone the next scheduled hostage release on Saturday as part of the sixth exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
“If Hamas does not release our hostages by noon on Saturday, the cease-fire will end, and [the Israeli army] will resume intense fighting until Hamas is definitively defeated,” Netanyahu said Tuesday, without specifying whether he meant all hostages or only the small group set to be released Saturday.
Hamas responded that it remains “committed” to the cease-fire agreement and accused Israel of failing to “honor its commitments.”
Trump, for his part, maintained the Saturday deadline, saying he does “not believe” Hamas will meet it.
South Lebanon
According to our correspondent in the South, the only incident recorded since yesterday was an explosion that echoed from Yaroun around 10 p.m. yesterday.
Several Israeli media outlets reported that Israel had asked the United States for permission to maintain its military presence at five points along the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel, a request Washington reportedly denied.
Gaza
The cease-fire has so far led to the release of 16 Israeli hostages, in addition to five Thai nationals outside the agreement’s framework, in exchange for 765 Palestinian prisoners.
Of the 251 people kidnapped in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, 73 remain held in Gaza, at least 35 of whom have died, according to the Israeli army, which announced Tuesday the death in captivity of Shlomo Mansour, an 86-year-old man.
New threats also emerged Tuesday from Yemen’s Houthi rebels, Hamas allies, who said they were ready to resume attacks on Israel “in case of escalation” in Gaza.
Good morning. Thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the cease-fires in Lebanon and Gaza and the events in the region.
Make sure to read today's Morning Brief to catch up on what you missed.
Gaza/Diplomacy
North Korea’s state media on Wednesday denounced U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to take control of Gaza and relocate Palestinians, calling it ridiculous and accusing Washington of extortion, Reuters reported.
The slim hopes for Palestinian security and peace have been shattered by this proposal, said a commentary published by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), without directly naming Trump.
“The world is boiling like a pot of porridge because of the bombshell statement from the United States,” KCNA said.
Gaza
Many Israelis, including relatives of hostages, protested Tuesday outside Benjamin Netanyahu’s office in Jerusalem, demanding the implementation of the agreement.
Among them was Shahar Mor Zahiro, the nephew of a killed hostage, Avraham Munder. “We cannot afford another standoff between the parties. There is an agreement. Go ahead!” he said.
Negotiations were supposed to be underway for the second phase of the cease-fire, which would allow for the release of all hostages and the definitive end of the war. However, the Israeli government has so far refused to resume talks.
The third and final phase is expected to focus on Gaza’s reconstruction, a massive project the U.N. estimated Tuesday to cost more than $53 billion.
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