That concludes our love coverage of events for the evening. Thanks for joining us. We'll be back tomorrow with more news updates and analysis. Goodnight.
Hezbollah MP Amine Sherri said his party had “rejected the U.S. roadmap because it reflects Israel's objectives.”
“The measures taken by the government neither strengthen sovereignty nor allow for the liberation of territories,” he said, calling for “a serious debate on defense strategy.”
“Dialogue remains open with Nawaf Salam's government,” Sherri affirmed. “Our main fight is against the Israeli enemy, not against any other party.”
“The U.S. roadmap represents a form of surrender and submission to American and Israeli dictates.”
Protests across Israel against military expansion in Gaza
Thousands of people are protesting across Israel against the proposed expansion of the Israeli military offensive against Gaza, Haaretz reports, with hundreds gathered outside the Prime Minister's Office in Jerusalem, where the security cabinet is currently meeting to discuss a full military occupation of the Gaza Strip.
Protestors and speakers include former hostages and the relatives of people still being held hostage in Gaza.
Convoys of motorcycles are riding through the southern suburbs of Beirut this evening, its riders waving Hezbollah flags and chanting slogans against Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, according to reports by local outlets.
FPM leader calls Cabinet decision a 'disgrace'
“At least let them keep up appearances!" the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, wrote on X in response to Cabinet's decision to adopt the objectives of a U.S. proposal for Hezbollah's disarmament. "Let them adopt a Lebanese roadmap, not an American one, not a Syrian one, not an Iranian one, not one dictated by any other nation! What a disgrace!”
US welcomes Cabinet's Tuesday decision for Lebanese Army to draw up disarmament plan
Trump's administration has welcomed Cabinet's decision to task the Lebanese Army with a plan to effectuate an army monopoly by the end of the year, as was decided during Tuesday's meeting on the matter, U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told the press.
"This is an important step towards Lebanese sovereignty," he told journalists. "We continue to watch developments in Lebanon very closely. Special envoy Tom Barrack made it clear what the president needs to see."
"As long as Hezbollah retains arms, words will not suffice," he continued. "The Lebanese armed forces must fully commit enact now to fully implement the government's decision. The credibility of Lebanon's government rests on its ability to match principle with practice."
Israeli firm announces $35bn deal to supply gas to Egypt
Israeli firm NewMed Energy announced the signing of a $35 billion deal to provide Egypt with natural gas, which would increase the total volume of gas supplied to Egypt to 130 billion cubic meters, according to a report published by the firm and cited by AFP.
"The supply period shall be extended until Dec. 31, 2040, or until the date on which the Buyer shall consume the total contract quantity," the report said.
A 2019 agreement between Egypt and the Israeli-American Leviathan consortium provided for the supply of 60 billion cubic meters of natural gas to the North African country, at 4.5 billion cubic meters per year.
NewMed retains exploration rights for over 45 percent of Israel's giant Leviathan offshore gas field, which kicked off production in 2019.
In addition to meeting domestic energy needs, production from the country's largest field is also exported to neighboring Egypt and Jordan.
Read the list of "objectives" laid out in the US proposal and adopted by the government, which Information Minister Paul Morcos shared with the press after the Cabinet meeting. Click here. 👈
Barrack responds to Cabinet decision
In a post shared on X following Cabinet's move to accept the "objectives" of the proposal he brought to Lebanon on behalf of the U.S., envoy Tom Barrack congratulated Aoun, Salam and the government "for making the historic, bold, and correct decision this week to begin fully implementing the November 2024 Cessation of Hostilities agreement, U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, and the Taif Agreement."
"This week’s Cabinet resolutions finally put into motion the 'One Nation, One Army' solution for Lebanon," he wrote, adding "We stand behind the Lebanese people."
Sheikh Ali al-Khatib warns US proposal allows Israel to avoid responsibility
The vice-president of the Supreme Islamic Shiite Council, Sheikh Ali al-Khatib, responded to Cabinet's decision on Hezbollah disarmament by saying that "U.S. envoy Tom Barrack has achieved his goal by shifting the confrontation from an Israeli-Lebanese conflict to a political confrontation within the Lebanese government."
By doing so, he argued, the U.S. has removed Israel from the "circle of accusations in the eyes of international public opinion as the party that is not respecting the agreement and preventing the deployment of the Lebanese Army throughout the territory south of the Litani River, as stipulated in the international resolution."
Khatib calls on President Joseph Aoun, as "the person primarily responsible and faced with the current crisis," to convene a national dialogue session "in order to reach an agreement on a solution that would enable the country to emerge from this impasse.”
Five killed in Israeli drone strike on Masnaa road
The death toll from the Israeli drone strike on a car driving along the road toward the Masnaa border crossing in eastern Bekaa has risen to five killed and 10 wounded, according to the Ministry of Health's emergency operations center.
The target of the attack was reportedly Bilal Hani Ramadan, and the license plate of the targeted vehicle was Syrian, according to the statement, while our correspondent had reported that two members of the armed wing of al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya were killed in the strike.
What does the U.S. proposal entail? Read a brief outline of the phases laid out by the U.S. State Department and presented to Lebanon by envoy Tom Barrack here. 👈
Cabinet meeting: Information Minister Paul Morcos has announced that Cabinet approved “the objectives set out in the American document” presented by envoy Tom Barrack.
Cabinet meeting: Elzein denies reports of altercation with Salam
The press office of Environment Minister Tamara Elzein released a statement denying claims circulating online that "an altercation" took place between Elzein and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam before she left the Cabinet meeting. The statement asserts that “these allegations are completely unfounded, and that there was no verbal exchange or dispute of this kind, either in form or substance.”
The Cabinet meeting has been adjourned.
Cabinet meeting: Haidar confirms minister walkout not a resignation
Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar, who is associated with Hezbollah, told L'Orient Today that the walkout of Shiite ministers from this evening's Cabinet meeting is not indicative of any resignation from government.
“We wanted to show our opposition to the government's desire to endorse the entire proposal of [U.S.] envoy Tom Barrack, but we will be present at future sessions,” he confirmed.
Two victims of latest Israeli strike on Bekaa identified
The two people killed by the Israeli army in a drone strike on a car along the Masnaa road were members of the military branch of al-Jamaa al-Islamiyya, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa.
The strike also wounded eight people who were transferred to Hospital Salloum in Taanayel.
Cabinet meeting: Makki releases statement on X following Cabinet walkout
"From the outset, I tried to work to reconcile differences and bring all parties' points of view closer together, but I was unsuccessful," the minister of administrative development wrote on X.
"I left the meeting after my colleagues had already departed, and the decision was not an easy one, but I could not take responsibility for making such a significant decision in the absence of a key party to the debate."
"That said, I maintain my position that any objections or reservations must be expressed within the constitutional framework, around the Cabinet meeting table."
"I hope that everyone will return to the table for dialogue, so that we can continue the discussion with the participation of all parties, in a spirit of national consensus and shared responsibility."
The minister clarified in statements made to L'Orient Today that he is not affiliated with the Amal Movement or Hezbollah, and that he walked out of the Cabinet meeting after ministers associated with both parties had already done so because he felt that, as the only remaining Shiite minister, “I simply felt that I couldn't take sole responsibility for such a decision.”
Two killed in another Israeli strike on the Bekaa
Israel has killed two more people in another drone strike in the Bekaa. According to our correspondent in the region, the strike hit a car as it was driving on the Masnaa road at the Deir Zannoun intersection.
This is the second strike targeting the Bekaa in less than two hours. The earlier attack on Kfar Dan killed an engineer as he was walking in the village.
Cabinet meeting: Minister of Administrative Development Fadi Makki, the only Shiite minister who had still been participating in the Cabinet meeting in Baabda after several ministers close to the Amal Movement and Hezbollah had walked out of the meeting — has just walked out himself.
Cabinet meeting: Ministers associated with the Amal Movement and Hezbollah have withdrawn from the Cabinet meeting, with the exception of Minister Fadi Makki.
Netanyahu confirms plan to take over all of Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel intends to take military control of all of Gaza and will eventually hand it over to armed forces that will govern it, Reuters reports.
"We intend to," Netanyahu said in an interview with Fox News when asked if Israel would take control of the entire 26-mile Strip. "We don't want to keep it. We want to have a security perimeter. We don't want to govern it. We don't want to be there as a governing body."
The move, Netanyahu claimed, would be in order to "ensure our security, remove Hamas from there, enable all the population to be free of Hamas and to pass it to civilian governance that is not Hamas nor not anyone advocating the destruction of Israel," according to further comments from the interview, cited by Haaretz.
Cabinet meeting: Ministers associated with the Amal Movement and Hezbollah have categorically refused to discuss the U.S. proposal drawn up by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and presented to Lebanon as a "roadmap" by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack, according to local media reports.
Baalbeck strike victim identified
The man killed by Israel in a drone strike about an hour ago in the Baalbeck district village of Kfar Dan was an engineer named Alaa' Hani Haidar.
According to local reports, Israel had already killed two of Haidar's brothers in separate strikes.
Israeli army kills one in Baalbeck district drone strike
One person has been killed in an Israeli drone strike that hit the Baalbeck district village of Kfar Dan, near the shrine of prophet Joseph, our correspondent in the Bekaa reports.
According to our information, the victim was targeted while walking through the village.
The Bekaa has come increasingly under attack in recent days amid Israel's ongoing aggressions against Lebanon, despite the cease-fire in place since November 2024.
Cabinet meeting: 'I will never accept that the state abandons its own'
Labor Minister Mohammad Haidar, part of Hezbollah's quota in the government, spoke out against any attempt to disarm the party before the Israeli army ends its attacks and occupation of southern Lebanon.
“I am a son of this people," Haidar said. "How could I face the mother of a martyr, a father still living in a tent, or a young man who lives every day in existential anguish, and tell him that he must submit and give up the only guarantee that protects him?”
"We cannot talk about disarming 'The Resistance' until the enemy has withdrawn, our prisoners have returned, the attacks have stopped, and reconstruction has begun," he continued. "Otherwise, I am sorry, but I cannot take responsibility for an unjust decision against my people, and I will never accept that the state abandons its own."
Gaza sees highest yet acute malnutrition rates in children
Gaza has seen its highest monthly figure of acute malnutrition in children, with hunger-related deaths rising in the enclave, the Director General of the World Health Organization said, as Israel continues its suffocating blockade of the Strip, inducing a man-made famine.
"In July, nearly 12,000 children under five years were identified as having acute malnutrition in Gaza, the highest monthly figure ever recorded," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said from WHO's headquarters in Geneva.
At least 99 people have died, including 64 adults and 35 children, including 29 below 5-years old since the start of this year to July 29, Tedros said.
Some 2,500 of those children are suffering from severe malnutrition, according to the WHO.
Cabinet meeting: Hezbollah says disarmament 'free service' to Israel
Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, “Loyalty to the Resistance,” issued a statement in parallel with the ongoing Cabinet meeting at Baabda Palace, describing the government's decision to disarm Hezbollah as a “free service” rendered to Israel.
“We call on the Lebanese government to correct the situation it has put Lebanon in, having bowed to American demands that serve the interests of the enemy,” the statement reads.
U.S. President Donald Trump said it was very important to him that all “Middle Eastern countries adhere to the Abraham Accords,” according to Reuters.
In 2020, the Abraham Accords, negotiated by Donald Trump during his first term, led to the normalization of relations between several Arab countries, including Morocco and the United Arab Emirates.
Israeli minister announces reconstruction of settlement in occupied West Bank
Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced Thursday that the Sa-Nur settlement in the West Bank — evacuated by Israel in 2005 — will be rebuilt, according to AFP.
“We are correcting the sin of the expulsion,” said Smotrich, who accompanied a group of families preparing to resettle the ruins of the northern West Bank outpost. “Even back then, we knew that even if the expulsion sadly happened, one day we would return to every place we were driven out of. That includes Gaza, and it’s even more true here,” he added.
Cabinet convenes in Baabda
The Cabinet meeting has started in Baabda Presidential Palace. Of the Hezbollah-Amal ministers, only Yassine Jaber (Finance, Amal) is absent.
Cabinet meets on state weapons monopoly
As the Cabinet meets to continue discussing the state’s exclusive control over arms, ministers Tamara Elzein (Amal, Environment), Mohammad Haidar (Hezbollah, Labor), and Rakan Nasreddine (Hezbollah, Health) have arrived at Baabda Presidential Palace, according to our reporter on site.
Before the session began, President Joseph Aoun and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam held a private meeting, the presidency announced. Earlier in the day, the president told Saudi outlet Al-Hadath that today’s session would “finalize decision-making on the weapons monopoly.”
Gaza: The head of the Israeli army says he will continue to speak “without fear,” reports AFP.
The Lebanese Army recovered two defective Israeli drones in Yaroun, in the district of Bint Jbeil, in southern Lebanon, according to our correspondent.
He specifies that these are two robotic drones, which means that they are remotely piloted to carry out missions such as detonating mines or surveilling locations.
Flotilla off the coast of Gaza to demand release of hostages
The families of Israeli hostages boarded several boats this morning and set sail for the coast of the Gaza Strip in order to get “as close as possible” to their loved ones held captive by Hamas, according to an AFP videographer on board one of the boats.
“Mayday! Mayday! Mayday! We need all the international help we can get to rescue the hostages,” said Yehouda Cohen, the father of a hostage and a member of the group that set sail from the Israeli port of Ashkelon, on the northern border of the Gaza Strip, and was joined at sea by several other boats.
Four new deaths due to starvation, malnutrition in Gaza
Hospitals in the Gaza Strip have recorded four new deaths “due to starvation and malnutrition in the last 24 hours,” Al Jazeera reported, citing the enclave's Health Ministry. This brings the total number of starvation-related deaths to 197, including 96 children.
“The latest victim of starvation is a two-year-old girl who died in the al-Mawassi area,” near Khan Younis, the channel reported.
Famine, displacement, killings in Gaza 'very much resemble' genocide: Senior European official
A senior European Union official told Politico that famine, displacement and killings in Gaza “very much resemble” genocide. According to the newspaper, this is one of the “strongest condemnations of Israel by Brussels since the start of the war.”
European Commission Executive Vice President Teresa Ribera emphasized: "What we are seeing is a population being targeted, killed, and condemned to starve. A population is confined, homeless — their homes destroyed — without food, water, or medicine — denied access — and subjected to bombing and shooting even when trying to obtain humanitarian aid. All humanity is absent, and no witnesses are allowed. She added: “If this is not genocide, it very much resembles the definition used to express its meaning.”
Ribera also said that the EU should consider suspending the EU-Israel Association Agreement, which is the basis of their trade and economic relations.
Israeli strikes targeted Hezbollah weapons, construction equipment: Army
Commenting on this series of strikes, the Israeli army said, through its Arabic-speaking spokesman Avichay Adraee, that it had attacked “Hezbollah targets, including weapons warehouses, a missile launch pad,” and “construction equipment intended for the reconstruction of terrorist infrastructure.”
Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon last night killed 1 person
The Lebanese Health Ministry and our local correspondent reported one death in the series of 20 Israeli nighttime strikes on southern Lebanon.
According to our correspondent, the victim was a Syrian worker who was maintaining construction equipment in a garage that was hit by an Israeli missile.
23 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza since dawn
At least 23 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli bombings on Gaza since the early hours of the day, according to medical sources cited by Al-Jazeera. Among the casualties, at least six Palestinians were killed in a strike on a tent in the al-Mawassi area, west of Khan Younis.
Earlier, 17 other people were killed in the besieged enclave, according to the Qatari media outlet.
Humanitarian situation in Gaza remains 'very serious': European official
The humanitarian situation in Gaza remains “very serious,” an EU official told Reuters after EU foreign policy and humanitarian aid officials briefed member countries last night on the progress of an agreement reached last month with Israel to facilitate humanitarian access to Gaza.
The official noted that there had been “some positive developments” regarding fuel deliveries, the reopening of some roads, an upward trend in the number of trucks entering the enclave daily, and the repair of some vital infrastructure.
However, he added that “significant obstacles continue to hamper humanitarian operations and the delivery of aid to Gaza, including the lack of a secure operating environment that would allow for the large-scale distribution of aid.”
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