Israeli army multiplies strikes on South Lebanon and the Bekaa | LIVE

Netanyahu defies judiciary, names new Shin Bet chief

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced tonight his choice of Major General David Zini as the next head of the Shin Bet, defying a ban issued the day before by the State Attorney General.

“A statement from the Prime Minister’s office said Netanyahu has decided to appoint Major General David Zini as the new Shin Bet chief.”

Israeli drone dropped a bomb on a fishing boat in Ras al-Naqoura, South Lebanon, without causing any injuries.

New wave of Israeli strikes in South Lebanon

New Israeli strikes have targeted the highlands of three localities in the Jezzine district —Jbour, Qotrani, and Rihane (once again), our correspondent in the region reports.

A raid also hit an area between the towns of Shamaa and Majdel Zoun, south of Sour.

Israeli army claims to have bombed Hezbollah sites

Alongside the ongoing Israeli strikes, the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army issued a statement on X claiming that the targets in South Lebanon were “infrastructure [...] and rocket and missile launch platforms belonging to Hezbollah.” The site targeted in the Bekaa was described as a “military site containing rocket launch platforms and military equipment,” also allegedly belonging to Hezbollah.

Some humanitarian aid trucks 'intercepted,' according to the UN

A “small number” of the roughly 90 U.N. trucks that delivered humanitarian aid to Gaza on Wednesday for the first time since early March were “intercepted” by residents threatened by famine, a U.N. spokesperson said.

“We understand that a small number of trucks carrying flour were intercepted by residents and their cargo taken,” said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General, avoiding the term “looting.”

“As far as I know, it was not a criminal act involving armed men; it was what I have sometimes described as self-distribution, reflecting the high level of distress among Gaza’s residents who do not know when the next aid delivery will arrive,” he emphasized. Following Israel’s announcement on Sunday allowing limited aid into the territory after two and a half months of blockade, the U.N. had expressed concerns about the risk of looting similar to what had occurred before the temporary ceasefire earlier this year.

Summary of Israeli strikes in South Lebanon

Two days before municipal elections in the region, the Israeli army carried out strikes in five different areas of South Lebanon, firing about ten missiles whose explosions were heard far from the targeted sites. No casualties have been reported so far.

• Strike on the town of Toul and the heights of Iqlim al-Tuffah (Nabatieh district)
• Strike on the town of Toulin (Marjayoun district)
• Strike on the heights of Rihane (Jezzine district)
• Strike on the Berghoz valley (Hasbaya district)
• Strike on the al-Azzieh valley (Sour district)

Israel also strikes Bekaa

Israeli strikes targeted the heights of Bouday, west of Baalbek in the Bekaa, causing loud explosions in the area, our correspondent reports. No injuries have been reported, she adds.

Israeli warplanes pound South Lebanon

Following strikes on Toul and Toulin, Israeli warplanes targeted the heights of Reihan (Jezzine district) and the al-Azzieh valley, south of Sour (Sour district), our correspondent reports. Explosions in Reihan were heard as far as Saida.

According to information obtained by our correspondent, the strike on the village of Toulin targeted an area near a public school where the Lebanese Army was scheduled to set up a polling station on Friday morning.

This comes just two days before municipal elections in South Lebanon, raising concerns about their feasibility amid ongoing daily Israeli strikes in the region.

Israeli warplanes carry out a new strike, this time without warning, in the village of Toulin (Marjayoun district)

The Israeli air force launched a raid targeting the outskirts of the village of Touline in the Marjayoun district, firing two missiles, our correspondent in the South reports. Just minutes earlier, Israeli fighter jets were heard flying over several areas in southern Lebanon, about twenty minutes after flying over Beirut

Israeli fighter jets are currently flying over Beirut and Mount Lebanon, according to residents

An Israeli airstrike hit the targeted building in Toul, on the outskirts of Nabatieh, following an earlier warning strike, our South Lebanon correspondent reports.

The explosion was heard from as far as ten kilometers away.

Israeli strike destroyed the targeted building in Toul and caused significant damage to nearby structures, our correspondent reports.

Several cars were also damaged, and the adjacent main road was cut off. Window panes in buildings several hundred meters away were shattered by the blast.

Rescue teams are assisting with the evacuation of residents in Toul following the Israeli army's warning and are also ensuring that roads leading to the threatened site are closed, our correspondent adds.

A warning strike targeted the building mentioned in the evacuation notice in Toul, on the outskirts of Nabatieh, according to our correspondent in South Lebanon.

Israeli drone is flying over the area around Nabatieh following the evacuation notice issued to residents of a building in Toul, on the outskirts of Nabatieh, according to our correspondent in the South. The targeted area is near the village’s Sheikh Ragheb Hospital, a local resident told L'Orient Today.

Israeli army issues evacuation notice to residents of a building in Toul, near Nabatieh

Israeli army has issued an evacuation warning to people near a building in the village of Toul, located north of the Litani River on the outskirts of Nabatieh.

"Urgent warning to the residents of Toul in southern Lebanon, especially anyone inside the building marked in red," wrote the army’s Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee on X. "You are near facilities belonging to the terrorist organization Hezbollah. For your safety and that of your families, you must immediately evacuate these buildings and move at least 500 meters away," he added.

Such warnings have been rare since the cease-fire took effect. Two similar notices in recent months targeted buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, which were later bombed in broad daylight.

Israeli army continues to strike southern Lebanon almost daily without prior warnings. Since the cease-fire began, its attacks have killed 164 people, according to our tally.

An Israeli drone raided an area between Robb Thalathin and Markaba in the Marjayoun district, killing one person, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

One person from Wazzani (Hasbaya) was wounded by shots fired by Israeli soldiers stationed opposite the village, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill 52 people

The Gaza Strip's civil defense has reported the deaths of 52 people in Israeli strikes across Palestinian territory since the early hours of today.

“Fifty-two people have been killed and dozens wounded as a result of air strikes carried out by the occupation in various areas of the Gaza Strip since the early hours of today,” Mohammed al-Moughayyir, a civil defense official in the Palestinian territory, told AFP.

Iran will hold Washington responsible for any Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities

Iran will hold the United States responsible for any Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities, Iranian diplomatic chief Abbas Araghchi warned in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, made public on Thursday.

“In the event of an attack on the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime, the U.S. government ... will bear legal responsibility,” wrote Araghchi, following reports by the American channel CNN of military preparations by Israel against Iran.

Gaza: Israeli army issues evacuation notice for 14 neighborhoods in northern enclave

In a message published on X, the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, issued an evacuation notice for 14 neighborhoods in the north of the Gaza Strip, including the Jabaliya refugee camp. The Israeli army called on residents of the targeted areas to flee before a “significant increase in its military activity” in these neighborhoods. “The areas you are in are considered dangerous combat zones,” said Adraee.

The Israeli army said it had intercepted a missile fired from Yemen towards Israel, causing anti-aircraft sirens to sound in and around Jerusalem.

“Following the sounding of sirens a short while ago in several areas in Israel, a missile launched from Yemen has been intercepted,” the army said in a statement, following the interception of another missile fired by Yemeni Houthi rebels on Wednesday night.

Israeli diplomatic chief accuses European countries of “inciting hatred” after Washington shootings.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said he was “horrified” by the deaths of two Israeli embassy employees in Washington, denouncing an “appalling anti-Semitic” act.

“Horrified by the murder of two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington. We condemn this appalling anti-Semitic crime,” wrote the head of British diplomacy on social network X. “Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and colleagues at this terrible time.”

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has condemned “an odious act of anti-Semitic barbarism,” after gunfire in Washington killed two employees of the Israeli embassy in the United States.

“The murder of two members of the Israeli Embassy near the Jewish Museum in Washington is an abhorrent act of anti-Semitic barbarism. Nothing can justify such violence. My thoughts are with their loved ones, their colleagues and the State of Israel,” Barrot wrote in English on X.

Israeli shootings during a visit by diplomats to the West Bank: China demands a 'thorough investigation'

The EU's head of diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, said she was “shocked” by the shooting near the Jewish Museum in Washington that killed two employees of the Israeli Embassy in the United States.

“Hatred, extremism and anti-Semitism do not and should not have a place in our societies,” she said in a post on social network X.

Fifth round of Iran nuclear talks in Rome on Friday, announces Oman

The next round of talks between the United States and Iran on Iran's nuclear program will be held on Friday in Rome, announced the head of Omani diplomacy, mediator in the talks between Washington and Tehran. Washington and Tehran, enemies for four decades, began negotiations on April 12 aimed at concluding a new agreement to supervise Tehran's nuclear program, in exchange for the lifting of sanctions that are strangling its economy.

“The fifth round of talks between Iran and the United States will take place in Rome this Friday, May 23,” wrote Badr al-Bussaidi on his X account. In Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei said in a statement that Iran had agreed “to a proposal put forward by Oman ... to organize a new round of Iran-U.S. talks” on Friday in Rome.

Shooting in Washington: Netanyahu says he ordered tighter security at Israeli representations worldwide

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered security measures to be stepped up at Israeli diplomatic missions around the world, following the deaths of two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington.

“I have given the order to strengthen security arrangements in Israeli missions around the world and to increase protection for representatives of the state,” he said. “We see the terrible price of anti-Semitism and the furious incitement [to violence] against the State of Israel,” he added.

Fatal shooting in Washington: 'Terrorism and hatred will not break us,' says Israeli president

Israeli President Isaac Herzog said he was “shocked” by the deaths of two employees of the Israeli embassy in Washington, killed outside the Jewish Museum, and that “terrorism and hatred will not break us.”

“I am shocked by what happened in Washington D.C. ... America and Israel will remain united in defense of our peoples and our shared values. Terrorism and hatred will not break us,” he said in a statement.

2 Israeli embassy employees killed in Washington

Two staff members of the Israeli embassy in the United States were killed outside the Jewish Museum in Washington last night, U.S. authorities announced, reporting the arrest of the suspected gunman who was calling for the “liberation of Palestine.”

“Two Israeli embassy staff members were senselessly killed tonight near the Jewish Museum in Washington. We are actively investigating,” wrote Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on social network X.

Outcry after Israeli shots fired at foreign diplomats in Jenin

The Israeli army yesterday acknowledged firing “warning shots” at a visit by foreign diplomats organized by the Palestinian Authority in Jenin, in the occupied West Bank, an incident that comes against a backdrop of increased international pressure on Israel for its conduct of the war in Gaza.

Any threat to the lives of diplomats is “unacceptable,” said the head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, in Brussels. Germany, Belgium, Spain, Ireland and Egypt also condemned the shooting, while Rome and Paris announced that they would summon Israel's ambassadors. The Palestinian Authority denounced a “heinous crime committed by the Israeli occupation forces.”

Several prefabs bombed in Mohaibib, south Lebanon

In southern Lebanon, several prefabricated structures were hit by Israeli aircraft during the night in Mohaibib, in the Marjayoun district, without causing any casualties, according to information from our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah. Mohaibib had been heavily destroyed with explosives by the Israeli army during its ground offensive in the South and before its partial withdrawal from Lebanese territory, where it continues to occupy five positions.

Prefabs, temporary infrastructure in the devastated villages of the South, are regularly hit by the Israeli army.

Yesterday, Israeli strikes killed three people in three different villages in southern Lebanon: Ain Baal, Yater and Aitaroun. In Ain Baal, the Israeli army claimed to have eliminated a Hezbollah “engineer” and a commander of its elite al-Radwan unit.

Netanyahu evokes 'temporary cease-fire option'

After a two-month truce, the Israeli army resumed its offensive in Gaza on March 18, seizing large swathes of the war-torn territory. In early May, the Netanyahu government announced a plan to “conquer” Gaza, which Israel had occupied from 1967 to 2005, requiring the internal displacement of “most” of its 2.4 million inhabitants. The Israeli army launched a major offensive in Gaza on Saturday, with the stated aim of freeing hostages and wiping out Hamas.

But “if there is an option for a temporary cease-fire, to free hostages, we will be ready,” Benjamin Netanyahu told a press conference, claiming that 20 of the 58 hostages, including a soldier killed in 2014, still in Gaza, were “definitely alive.” “The entire Gaza Strip will be under the control of the Israeli army at the end of the large-scale offensive launched by Israel," he said.

For UN, aid volume is 'drop in the ocean' of Gaza's needs

On Wednesday, Israel announced the entry of 100 U.N. humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza, loaded with flour, baby food and medical supplies, after 93 trucks the previous day and around 10 on Monday. However, none of the shipments were initially allowed to leave the Kerem Shalom transshipment zone.

The Israeli authorities had only authorized the U.N. teams to “pass through a very congested area, which we do not consider safe, and where looting was very likely to occur given the prolonged deprivation” of recent weeks, Stéphane Dujarric had explained earlier.

For the United Nations, the volume of aid is “a drop in the ocean” of Gaza's needs: Before the outbreak of war, in retaliation for Hamas' unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, some 500 truckloads of humanitarian aid were entering Gaza every day.

UN began distributing humanitarian aid to Gaza for first time since March

The U.N. announced on Wednesday night that it had received and begun distributing humanitarian aid to Gaza, after more than two and a half months of total blockade, at a time when Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was ready to accept a temporary cease-fire in the Palestinian enclave to free hostages.

As Israel comes under increasing international pressure for its conduct of the war in Gaza, where it has imposed a total blockade since early March, the Israeli government announced this week a limited resumption of humanitarian aid.

On Wednesday, the U.N. collected around 90 truckloads at the Kerem Shalom crossing and dispatched them to Gaza, announced Stéphane Dujarric, spokesperson for the U.N. Secretary-General, in a statement. The press service of Gaza's government confirmed that the equivalent of 87 truckloads of aid had entered the Gaza Strip, in a message posted overnight on Telegram.

Here is our ☀️Morning Brief☀️, catching you up on what happened yesterday and what to expect today in Lebanon and the region.

Good morning! We are launching our live coverage of the news in the Middle East, particularly in Lebanon and Gaza, where the U.N. resumes distribution of humanitarian aid for the first time since March, when Israel imposed a total blockade on the enclave.

We will also cover the situation in Yemen, the occupied West Bank and Syria.