Israeli army says two killed in Baraasheet drone strike were Hezbollah members | LIVE

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday in Jerusalem that "the fate of free societies" is linked to their willingness to combat anti-Semitism.

Speaking at a conference on anti-Semitism organized by his government, Netanyahu said that "the fate of free societies is linked to their willingness to combat the scourge of anti-Semitism."

An Israeli drone flew over Tyr Felsay and Shehour (Sour), as well as Kfar Sir (Nabatieh), L'Orient Today's correspondent reported.

An Egyptian delegation arrived in Doha for talks on a return to the cease-fire and a hostage-prisoner exchange between Hamas and Israel, as well as the resumption of humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said the two people killed in Baraasheet were Hezbollah members.

(Photo provided by L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)

A fire broke out at the Chinese unit of UNIFIL, located in the village of Hanniye, in the Sour region.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti told L'Orient Today that the peacekeeping force is investigating the cause of the fire, adding that no injuries have been reported so far.

(Photo provided by Muntasser Abdallah)

An Israeli drone targeted a car on the road between Barasheet and Beit Yaoun, in the Bint Jbeil district, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon. Two people were killed in the strike, according to the Health Ministry.

A Palestinian man inspects the site of an Israeli strike on a house, in Bureij in the central Gaza Strip, March 25, 2025. (Credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters)

Egypt says Israel rejected all recent cease-fire proposals outright

Egypt confirmed that Israel has rejected all of its recent proposals put forward for a deal between Israel and Hamas, amid attempts by mediators to relaunch negotiations between the two sides, as Israel once again pounds the devastated enclave.

Egyptian sources told London-based daily Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that Israel is using the talks as cover to implement the expulsion of Palestinians from Gaza. “There are attempts to embarrass Cairo through an Israeli plan aimed at advancing the forced displacement agenda,” one of the sources said.

All proposals presented by Egypt in recent days have failed, largely due to a lack of support from Washington, the outlet reported — including a truce initiative that Hamas accepted. “The U.S. administration has refused to provide any guarantees about applying pressure on the Israeli prime minister,” a source said. One such proposal, which called for a humanitarian pause during the upcoming Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, was reportedly rejected by American envoy Steve Witkoff, who has blamed Hamas for the resumption of the war.

Israel's appointed ambassador to Egypt un-invited to accreditation ceremony

Israel’s appointed ambassador to Egypt, Ori Rotman, was left off the guest list for a presidential accreditation ceremony in Cairo this week, according to reports in Israeli media. Sidelining Rotman is a move that reflects both diplomatic friction over the war in Gaza and a power struggle between Egypt and Qatar over mediation efforts.

The ceremony, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, included 23 new envoys but not Rotman, whose appointment has been pending since April 2024.

According to Qatari news outlet Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, Egyptian officials cited Israel’s continued military operations in Gaza and the Israeli government’s support for displacement plans as reasons for postponing Rotman’s credential presentation. Diplomatic sources also noted growing tensions between Egypt and Qatar, both of which are vying to shape a cease-fire agreement with Hamas.

Egyptian diplomatic sources told the Qatari-owned outlet that "postponing the ambassador's accreditation does not mean a downgrade in diplomatic relations between Egypt and Israel, but rather reflects a political position under the extenuating circumstances the region is experiencing."

Egyptian and Lebanese foreign ministers discuss Israel in phone call

Minister of Foreign Affairs Joe Raji received a phone call from Egyptian Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty, during which they discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, according to the state-run National News Agency.

They discussed the efforts undertaken by Egypt to curb Israel's continued escalation in southern Lebanon, push for Israel's withdrawal from the Lebanese territories it occupies, and ensure its commitment to the cease-fire.

Houthis claim responsibility for firing on Tel Aviv and a U.S. aircraft carrier

Yemen's Houthis announced in a statement published on their official Telegram account, having launched "ballistic missiles" at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport and a "military target" south of Tel Aviv.

"The operation achieved its objective," Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sareea said. The Israeli army, however, announced that it had intercepted two projectiles before they reached  Israeli airspace.

The Houthis also claimed responsibility for a strike "using ballistic and cruise missiles and drones" against the American aircraft carrier USS Truman in the Red Sea. These strikes are intended as "retaliation against the ongoing American aggression."

"We continue to prevent Israeli sailing in the Red Sea," Sareea added.

Israel says intercepted two missiles launched by Houthis

Two ballistic missiles launched at Israel by the Houthis in Yemen were successfully intercepted by air defenses, the military announced in a statement cited by Times of Israel. The Israeli army says it shot the missiles down before they crossed into the country's airspace.

There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage in the attack, which marks at least the seventh from the Houthis on Israel since March 18, when the Israeli army resumed its deadly onslaught against Gaza. Sirens sounded across central Israel, in Jerusalem and numerous surrounding towns, as well as in several West Bank settlements.

Gaza death toll since March 18

Health Ministry in Gaza has announced that, since the resumption of Israeli strikes on the enclave on March 18, 855 people have been killed.

(Credit: Gil Cohen-Magen/AFP)

An unmanned D9 bulldozer destroys a vehicle during a demonstration to the press at the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) quarters near Tel Aviv on March 26, 2025.

The robotic armoured bulldozers, dubbed "Panda" by the Isreaeli Army, are standard D9 bulldozers that underwent conversion by IAI's Elta Systems as part of a program on autonomous combat vehicles introduced in the latest incursions into the occupied Palestinian territories, wreaking havoc by upturning tarmac, crushing vehicles, cutting off water supplies, stripping buildings of their facades among other capcities. 

Israeli army fires stun grenade in southern Lebanon

According to information from our correspondent in the South, the Israeli army fired a stun grenade at a group of several people setting up a kiosk to sell coffee in Houla (Marjayoun district). A source in the Houla municipality said that the attack slightly injured two people who were hit by stone splinters after the grenade exploded. The source added that they believe Israel "wants to frighten the inhabitants so that they don't return to the village and resume a normal life."

Updates on victims of Israeli drone strike this morning

The Israeli drone strike targeting a car in the village of Yohmor al-Shakif (Nabatieh district) this morning killed three Hezbollah members, according to our correspondent in the South. They were identified as Hussein Ali Hallal from the village of Haboush, Fawzat Noureddine and Mohammad Sultan from Kfarreman.

 A video circulating online shows the moment an imam leading a Ramadan service at al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem is brought to tears as he prays for those in Gaza suffering under Israel's deadly war against the besieged territory, ongoing now for nearly a year and a half.

At least 20 Palestinians in Gaza were killed by the Israeli air force overnight and this morning, which bombed areas where displaced people are sheltering in tents, according to reports from Al Jazeera.

Israeli army takes responsibility for Maaroub strike

The Israeli army said in a statement that its air force, directed by Division 91, killed Ahmed Adnan Bjeijeh, a "battalion commander" in Hezbollah's Radwan Force, last night. We reported last night that an Israeli drone struck a car in Maaroub (Sour district), killing one person.

" In recent months, Ahmed has continued to promote terrorist plots against the Israeli home front," the army claimed in a statement, "posing a threat to the State of Israel and its citizens." Israel and the U.S. signed a side agreement when the truce with Hezbollah came into effect, in which the latter, a mediator of the deal, gave Israel the green light to attack Lebanon as it wished, where it perceives a "threat" to its security.

Picture sent by Hezbollah's press office to our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah

Hezbollah holds funeral for slain party member

A funeral was held by Hezbollah in Qaaqaliyet al-Jisr, in Nabatieh district, this morning, for Hassan Kamal Halawi, a party member killed by an Israeli drone strike on the evening of March 24, in the center of the same village. The Israeli army claimed responsibility for the attack, announcing it had eliminated "the commander of Hezbollah's anti-tank missile system on the southern front."

Mother of hostage sends message to Hamas

The mother of hostage Matan Zangauker asked that Hamas' leaders watch over the hostages still in captivity until a deal is reached for their release, Haaretz reports.

"We, like our boys, also feel like we are in Hamas captivity, for over 500 days," Einav Zangauker said in a video reenacting the video of her son from captivity from a few months ago. "The pain and loneliness is killing them, and it is killing us as well."

"I call on the Hamas commanders in Khan Yunis and their captors to watch over them until a deal is reached," she said, adding that she hopes that Hamas shows the video, which was released today, to the hostages.

Zangauker also addressed U.S. President Donald Trump, asking that he do everything he can to bring the hostages back. "It's time to end this nightmare," she said.

Israeli strikes targeted port in Syrian Latakia province

Israeli strikes targeted the coastal Latakia province at dawn on Thursday, Syrian state media reports, with a war monitor saying munitions depots were hit and at least six strikes were recorded. So far, there are no known casualties.

"In a number of air strikes, Israeli occupation aircraft targeted the vicinity of the al-Abyad port and the city of Latakia," state news agency SANA reported, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said the raids targeted "munitions depots" at the port, located on the northern outskirts of Latakia city, which has been the site of massacres of civilians amid clashes between forces loyal to Assad and those belonging to the new Damascus authorities.

The U.K.-based monitor, which relies on a network of sources inside Syria, reported "huge material damage," and added that the port had previously been targeted in December.

Israel has launched hundreds of strikes on military sites since opposition forces led by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December. Israel claims it wants to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities, whom it considers jihadists.

Death toll from Israeli strike on Yohmore al-Shakif rises to three

The Ministry of Health announced that the Israeli drone strike on a car in Yohmor al-Shakif killed three people. An earlier report put the toll at one dead and two wounded. The Israeli army said it had targeted Hezbollah members "carrying weapons."

The Israeli army has killed more than 100 people in Lebanon since it agreed to a cease-fire with Hezbollah in November. In parallel with the deal, brokered by the U.S. and France, Israel signed a side agreement with the U.S. in which the mediator gives Israel the greenlight to attack any perceived "threats" in southern Lebanon.

Hamas confirms spokesperson killed in Israeli strike

Hamas spokesperson Abdul Latif al-Qanou was killed in an Israeli airstrike that targeted the tent where he has been living in Jabalia, in northern Gaza, according to a statement relayed on Hamas-affiliated media.

The same strike wounded several people, while separate attacks killed at least six in Gaza City and one in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, medical sources said, cited by Reuters.

"The occupation's targeting of the movement's leaders and spokespeople will not break our will," Hamas said in the statement, "but will only increase our determination to continue on the path of liberation."

Earlier this week, Israel killed Ismail Barhoum, a member of Hamas' political office, and Salah al-Bardaweel, another senior leader.

Pro-Palestinian Turkish student detained by ICE agents in Massachusetts

U.S. authorities arrested and detained Turkish student Rumeysa Ozturk on Tuesday, the latest case of the Trump administration's suppression of the pro-Palestinian movement on university campuses.

Ozturk, a doctoral student at Tufts University who is studying legally under a visa, was detained by a group of six masked Department of Homeland Security agents as she was walking to iftar on Tuesday and has been in detention since. According to a legal document reviewed by AFP, Ozturk filed a request asking authorities to explain the legal basis for her arrest,

“We are unaware of her whereabouts and have not been able to contact her." Ozturk's lawyer said in a statement. "No charges have been filed against Rumeysa to date that we are aware of.”

Anticipated meeting between Menassa and his Syrian counterpart in Saudi Arabia

Lebanese Defense Minister Michel Menassa is scheduled to meet with his Syrian counterpart, Mourhaf Abou Qasra, today in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The meeting was initially scheduled for yesterday in Damascus but was postponed at the request of Syrian authorities, the reason for which was not disclosed.

Several important issues are expected to be addressed during this meeting, including permeability and smuggling along the Lebanese-Syrian border, the case of hundreds of Syrian detainees in Lebanese prisons, and the fate of Assad regime officials who have taken refuge in Lebanon.

Israeli Drone and artillery strikes on southern Lebanon

An Israeli drone launched a missile at a vehicle in Ma'aroub, in Sour district, killing one person last night, and this morning, another drone strike targeted a car in Yohmor al-Shakif, in Nabatieh district.

Ambulances rushed to the scene and, according to preliminary information from our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah, at least one person was killed and two others wounded. The outskirts of Yohmor al-Shakif had just been hit by around a dozen Israeli artillery shells.

Drones are also flying over Naqoura, the southernmost point along Lebanon's coast.

In a statement posted on X, the Israeli army announced it had attacked "several Hezbollah terrorists who were carrying weapons in the Yohmor region in southern Lebanon."

Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in the region, notably ongoing Israeli strikes against southern Lebanon in violation of the cease-fire with Hezbollah, Israel's renewed bombing campaign across Gaza, having blocked negotiations for a continuation of the cease-fire with Hamas, and the U.S.'s own military campaign against the Houthis in Yemen, who have been targeting Israel and commercial ships in the Red Sea in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

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