Israel destroys excavator in southern Lebanon, Palestinian Islamic Jihad claims it captured an Israeli drone | LIVE

Lebanon, Syria to form commissions on prisoners, missing persons and border issues

Lebanon and Syria will set up two commissions to determine the fate of roughly 2,000 Syrian prisoners held in Lebanese jails, locate Lebanese citizens missing in Syria for years, and address the unresolved issue of their shared border, judicial and security officials told the Associated Press Monday.

The announcement comes as a Syrian delegation — including two former ministers and the head of Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons — visited Beirut.

This marks the first visit of its kind since insurgent groups toppled President Bashar al-Assad’s government in early December.

Gaza

At least eight Palestinians, including a pregnant woman, her unborn child, and several children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Monday, Wafa news agency reported.

Additional strikes in southern and central Gaza also left civilians dead or seriously injured, according to Middle East Eye, bringing the death toll since Oct. 7 to over 63,500, with more than 160,000 others injured, according to official figures.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced that it had seized an Israeli drone while it was “carrying out reconnaissance missions” over the city of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.

(Credit: Photo provided by Muntasser Abdallah.)

South Lebanon

An Israeli drone targeted an excavator in the town of Rab al-Thalathine, in the Marjayoun district.

Such attacks have become a regular occurrence in recent months.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today.)

Since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, more than 215 journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to Reporters Without Borders

The sit-in comes a week after the deaths of five journalists in a double strike near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

In Lebanon, at least 12 journalists have also been killed in Israeli strikes since October 8, 2023.

South Lebanon

An Israeli drone dropped a bomb targeting a bulldozer in the town of Yaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, without causing any casualties, our regional correspondent.

(Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today.)

The sit-in lasted about half an hour and passed calmly, with police and soldiers present but no tensions

The gathering paid tribute to the Yemeni information minister who was killed, as well as to journalists who have died in the conflict. “We will continue to write, even if this aggression goes on,” one of the organizers declared.

Aouni al-Kaaki took the floor, paying homage to Hassan Nasrallah, the former Hezbollah secretary-general assassinated in a massive Israeli strike in central Beirut last September, and to Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American journalist killed in May 2022 in the occupied West Bank by an Israeli soldier, months before the Gaza war began.

Joseph Kossaifi compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nero (Roman emperor who became infamous in history and popular culture for his cruelty and excesses.)

“Journalists are being killed in Gaza because they show the world what they see with their own eyes,” said Walid Kilani, Hamas’s press official in Lebanon.

He then read out the names of journalists who have been killed, including Mohammad Afif Naboulsi, the former Hezbollah spokesman killed last November in an Israeli strike at the height of the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah. During his speech, he brandished in turn a microphone, a camera, and a pen.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today.)

Sit-in in Beirut highlights plight of Palestinian journalists

A sit-in in solidarity with Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip and against Israel’s repression of media institutions began at 6 p.m. in front of the Martyrs’ Monument in downtown Beirut.

While Joseph Kossaifi, head of the Lebanese Editors’ Syndicate, stressed that the sit-in was organized by Lebanese and Palestinian journalists, both Hamas and Hezbollah had also called on supporters to attend in recent days.

According to our reporter on the ground, Matthieu Karam, about 50 demonstrators were present, mainly journalists. Kossaifi, president of the Lebanese Journalists’ Syndicate, and Aouni al-Kaaki, head of the Lebanese Press Syndicate, also took part.

Participants carried portraits of Farah Omar and Rabih Maamari, along with those of other journalists killed by the Israeli army in Lebanon.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has denounced a resolution adopted by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), claiming that the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, according to Haaretz.

The ministry called the resolution “a disgrace to the legal profession and to any academic standard.”

It also criticized the IAGS for basing its decision on “Hamas' campaign of lies and the whitewashing of those lies by others,” highlighting the 1,200 deaths in the Oct. 7 attack, compared to the more than 60,000 killed in the enclave, which has been completely destroyed by Israel.

Israeli police evacuate protesters near army chief’s residence

Police and security forces evacuated Israeli demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza near the home of Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in central Israel.

According to several army sources cited by Haaretz, police circulated information claiming the area had been cordoned off by the military for security reasons to deter additional protesters, although no such order had been issued. Haaretz reports that Zamir’s residence is now fenced off, with a police vehicle stationed outside.

Last week, activists poured red paint on the road in front of the house.

Lebanese Army to conduct live-fire exercises in Baalbeck

A unit of the army will carry out training exercises in the Jurd area of Baalbeck, Bekaa, on September 2, 3, 8, and 9, 2025, between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., the army announced. Live ammunition, including medium- and heavy-caliber weapons, will be used.

Putin meets Iranian President Pezeshkian in China

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a bilateral meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Massoud Pezeshkian, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, the Kremlin announced.

According to a Telegram post accompanied by a handshake video, the discussions are expected to focus in part on Iran’s nuclear program.

The Israeli military reported that a drone was launched from Yemen toward Israel and that it is preparing for further attacks, according to Haaretz.

The launch comes after the funerals of Houthi ministers killed in an Israeli strike on Sanaa last Thursday.

On Sunday, Israeli media reported that Israel had moved two planned government meetings to a “secret and fortified site” following the deadly strikes in Yemen.

Iranian nuclear program: Shanghai cooperation organization warns against any 'reinterpretation' of UN Resolutions

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which brings together 10 countries including China, Russia, and Iran, has warned against any “reinterpretation” of a U.N. resolution on Iran’s nuclear program, at a time when European nations are preparing to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

In a joint statement published by the Xinhua news agency, SCO member states said that “any attempt at misinterpretation or arbitrary reinterpretation of this resolution would undermine the authority of the U.N. Security Council.”

France, the United Kingdom, and Germany have given Iran 30 days to reach a diplomatic solution on its nuclear program, otherwise, they say they will reimpose U.N. sanctions, citing a clause in the 2015 international agreement.

Hamas rejects reported plan for US takeover of Gaza

A Hamas official said Gaza was “not for sale” after reports in the Washington Post about a U.S. post-war plan to relocate its population and place it under U.S. control.

When contacted by AFP, the State Department did not immediately respond to the newspaper's report on the project, published a few days after a meeting in Washington, which U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff had said was held to establish “a very comprehensive plan” for the post-war period in Gaza.

The 38-page plan calls for the “voluntary” displacement of Gaza's approximately two million inhabitants to other countries or to secure areas within the territory devastated by nearly two years of war, while it is rebuilt to become a tourist and technology hub.

Paris demands the “immediate release” of UN employees arrested in Yemen

France has “strongly” condemned the wave of arrests deemed "arbitrary" of United Nations employees by the Houthis in the cities of Sanaa and Hodeida in Yemen, demanding their “immediate and unconditional release.”

“These detentions are contrary to international law,” said Christophe Lemoine, spokesman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement. “They hinder the distribution of humanitarian aid needed by the Yemeni population and thus contribute to the worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.”

Aid flotilla heading to Gaza returns to Barcelona due to stormy weather

An aid flotilla of dozens of boats that had set sail for Gaza yesterday returned to port in Barcelona due to stormy weather, Reuters reported today, citing organizers.

"We conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass. This meant delaying our departure to avoid risking complications with the smaller boats," the Global Sumud Flotilla Mission said in a statement, adding winds had been up to around 35 mph (56 kph).

The organizers did not say when they planned to resume the journey.

Activists, including Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, are on the flotilla of several dozen boats that is aiming to break Israel's naval blockade and deliver food and humanitarian supplies to the enclave.

Yemen: Thousands attend funerals of politicians killed by Israel

Thousands of people attended the funerals of 12 senior Houthi officials, including the prime minister, who were killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday, at the largest mosque in Sanaa.

Mourners chanted anti-U.S. and Israel slogans, while Mohammad Miftah, now the de facto head of government, promised revenge and a crackdown on spies.

“We are facing the most powerful intelligence empire in the world, the one that targeted the government, the entire Zionist entity [including] the U.S. administration, the Zionist entity, the Zionist Arabs, and spies inside Yemen,” Miftah told the crowd.

Nine Palestinians, including three children, have died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza in the last 24 hours, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, brought on by Israel's blockade on humanitarian aid.

The ministry added that 98 people were killed and 404 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 63,557 killed and 160,660 wounded since Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel sends tanks deeper into Gaza City as more families flee

Israel pushed its tanks deeper into Gaza City and detonated explosive-laden vehicles in a suburb, while airstrikes killed at least 19 people Monday, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses.

Residents said Israeli forces drove old armored vehicles into the eastern parts of the crowded Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, then detonated them remotely, destroying several houses and forcing more families to flee. In leaflets dropped over Gaza, the army urged residents to immediately head south, signaling its intention to expand the offensive westward into the city.

“People are confused: stay and die, or leave for nowhere,” Sheikh Radwan resident Mohammad Abu Abdallah told Reuters.

“It was a night of horror. The explosions never stopped, and the drones never stopped flying overhead. Many people left their homes out of fear for their lives, while others have no idea where to go,” the 50-year-old added via a messaging app.

Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, says scholars' association

The world's leading genocide scholars' association has passed a resolution saying that the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, its president said on Monday, as cited by Reuters.

Respiratory infections spreading quickly in Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been struck by a wave of respiratory infections spreading rapidly in the war-ravaged enclave, according to Gaza health officials.

The outbreak is likely influenza or COVID-19, the Ministry of Information said Sunday, warning that the situation is worsened by severe shortages of medicine and the collapse of sanitary conditions. Most hospitals in Gaza are either inaccessible due to bombardments or out of service after Israeli strikes.

The outbreak is spreading fastest among displaced families crowded into tents and shelters without sanitation systems or hygiene infrastructure.

“Most remaining Hamas leaders are abroad, and we will reach them,” Israeli army warns

As Israeli forces continue heavy strikes across Gaza from north to south, Israel’s military chief confirmed Sunday that the army had killed “Abu Obeida,” the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, in a strike west of Gaza City on Saturday.

Speaking during a situational assessment at Northern Command, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, “The majority of Hamas leadership has already been eliminated, but our actions are not yet complete.” He added, “Most of the remaining Hamas leaders are abroad, and we will reach them as well.”

Israeli strikes on Nabatieh and Aita al-Shaab

The Israeli army claimed responsibility late Sunday for two strikes carried out earlier in the day in southern Lebanon.

It said that overnight between Saturday and Sunday, a drone strike destroyed a building in Aita al-Shaab “used by Hezbollah for military activity.” The structure also served as the home of Hezbollah member Mohammad Kassem, who was killed Aug. 22 in the village, according to a statement posted on X by Israeli army Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee.

The military also said it killed “a Hezbollah member” Sunday afternoon in Nabatieh, identified “inside an important Hezbollah site in the area,” which had been heavily bombarded only hours earlier.

Israeli army fortifies Jabal Blat position in southern Lebanon

Residents and eyewitnesses told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South that Israeli forces are carrying out fortification work at the Jabal Blat site, south of Aitaroun in the Bint Jbeil district. Four bulldozers and several trucks are currently at the site.

The army had previously reinforced two other occupied positions on border hills in Lebanese territory — Tallet al-Hamames, south of Khiam, and along the Marjayoun–Houla road.

The work comes as Israel has also taken control of another new position in southern Lebanon, near Markaba. Read more here.

Yemen: UN says Houthis detained at least 11 of its staffers

The United Nations announced Sunday that at least 11 of its staff members have been detained in Yemen by Houthi rebels, who launched a wave of arrests after Israeli strikes Thursday killed the group’s prime minister and several cabinet members.

The death of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rawhi and several ministers sparked anger from the group’s leader, who vowed to escalate attacks on Israel.

Houthi rebels claim attack on “Israeli oil tanker” in Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Monday morning they fired a missile at an “Israeli oil tanker” in the Red Sea, though the vessel was not hit, according to a maritime security agency.

“Our naval force carried out a military operation targeting the Israeli oil tanker Scarlet Ray in the northern Red Sea with a ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported Sunday evening an attack 40 nautical miles southwest of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. “A master reported to UKMTO observing an impact in the immediate vicinity of his vessel, caused by an unknown projectile, accompanied by a loud detonation,” the agency said, noting the crew was “safe and well” and the ship continued its voyage.

Security firm Ambrey said the vessel sails under the Liberian flag and is Israeli-owned.

Good morning, thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the Gaza war, Lebanon's cease-fire and the events in the region.

Make sure to read today's Morning Brief to catch up on the weekend's key events.

Lebanon, Syria to form commissions on prisoners, missing persons and border issues

Lebanon and Syria will set up two commissions to determine the fate of roughly 2,000 Syrian prisoners held in Lebanese jails, locate Lebanese citizens missing in Syria for years, and address the unresolved issue of their shared border, judicial and security officials told the Associated Press Monday.

The announcement comes as a Syrian delegation — including two former ministers and the head of Syria’s National Commission for Missing Persons — visited Beirut.

This marks the first visit of its kind since insurgent groups toppled President Bashar al-Assad’s government in early December.

Gaza

At least eight Palestinians, including a pregnant woman, her unborn child, and several children, were killed in Israeli airstrikes across Gaza on Monday, Wafa news agency reported.

Additional strikes in southern and central Gaza also left civilians dead or seriously injured, according to Middle East Eye, bringing the death toll since Oct. 7 to over 63,500, with more than 160,000 others injured, according to official figures.

Palestinian Islamic Jihad announced that it had seized an Israeli drone while it was “carrying out reconnaissance missions” over the city of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip.

(Credit: Photo provided by Muntasser Abdallah.)

South Lebanon

An Israeli drone targeted an excavator in the town of Rab al-Thalathine, in the Marjayoun district.

Such attacks have become a regular occurrence in recent months.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today.)

Since the start of the conflict on Oct. 7, 2023, more than 215 journalists have been killed in Gaza, according to Reporters Without Borders

The sit-in comes a week after the deaths of five journalists in a double strike near Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.

In Lebanon, at least 12 journalists have also been killed in Israeli strikes since October 8, 2023.

South Lebanon

An Israeli drone dropped a bomb targeting a bulldozer in the town of Yaroun, in the Bint Jbeil district, without causing any casualties, our regional correspondent.

(Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient Today.)

The sit-in lasted about half an hour and passed calmly, with police and soldiers present but no tensions

The gathering paid tribute to the Yemeni information minister who was killed, as well as to journalists who have died in the conflict. “We will continue to write, even if this aggression goes on,” one of the organizers declared.

Aouni al-Kaaki took the floor, paying homage to Hassan Nasrallah, the former Hezbollah secretary-general assassinated in a massive Israeli strike in central Beirut last September, and to Shireen Abu Akleh, the Palestinian-American journalist killed in May 2022 in the occupied West Bank by an Israeli soldier, months before the Gaza war began.

Joseph Kossaifi compared Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nero (Roman emperor who became infamous in history and popular culture for his cruelty and excesses.)

“Journalists are being killed in Gaza because they show the world what they see with their own eyes,” said Walid Kilani, Hamas’s press official in Lebanon.

He then read out the names of journalists who have been killed, including Mohammad Afif Naboulsi, the former Hezbollah spokesman killed last November in an Israeli strike at the height of the latest war between Israel and Hezbollah. During his speech, he brandished in turn a microphone, a camera, and a pen.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today.)

Sit-in in Beirut highlights plight of Palestinian journalists

A sit-in in solidarity with Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip and against Israel’s repression of media institutions began at 6 p.m. in front of the Martyrs’ Monument in downtown Beirut.

While Joseph Kossaifi, head of the Lebanese Editors’ Syndicate, stressed that the sit-in was organized by Lebanese and Palestinian journalists, both Hamas and Hezbollah had also called on supporters to attend in recent days.

According to our reporter on the ground, Matthieu Karam, about 50 demonstrators were present, mainly journalists. Kossaifi, president of the Lebanese Journalists’ Syndicate, and Aouni al-Kaaki, head of the Lebanese Press Syndicate, also took part.

Participants carried portraits of Farah Omar and Rabih Maamari, along with those of other journalists killed by the Israeli army in Lebanon.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry has denounced a resolution adopted by the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS), claiming that the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, according to Haaretz.

The ministry called the resolution “a disgrace to the legal profession and to any academic standard.”

It also criticized the IAGS for basing its decision on “Hamas' campaign of lies and the whitewashing of those lies by others,” highlighting the 1,200 deaths in the Oct. 7 attack, compared to the more than 60,000 killed in the enclave, which has been completely destroyed by Israel.

Israeli police evacuate protesters near army chief’s residence

Police and security forces evacuated Israeli demonstrators protesting the war in Gaza near the home of Israeli Army Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir in central Israel.

According to several army sources cited by Haaretz, police circulated information claiming the area had been cordoned off by the military for security reasons to deter additional protesters, although no such order had been issued. Haaretz reports that Zamir’s residence is now fenced off, with a police vehicle stationed outside.

Last week, activists poured red paint on the road in front of the house.

Lebanese Army to conduct live-fire exercises in Baalbeck

A unit of the army will carry out training exercises in the Jurd area of Baalbeck, Bekaa, on September 2, 3, 8, and 9, 2025, between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., the army announced. Live ammunition, including medium- and heavy-caliber weapons, will be used.

Putin meets Iranian President Pezeshkian in China

Russian President Vladimir Putin held a bilateral meeting with his Iranian counterpart, Massoud Pezeshkian, on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China, the Kremlin announced.

According to a Telegram post accompanied by a handshake video, the discussions are expected to focus in part on Iran’s nuclear program.

The Israeli military reported that a drone was launched from Yemen toward Israel and that it is preparing for further attacks, according to Haaretz.

The launch comes after the funerals of Houthi ministers killed in an Israeli strike on Sanaa last Thursday.

On Sunday, Israeli media reported that Israel had moved two planned government meetings to a “secret and fortified site” following the deadly strikes in Yemen.

Iranian nuclear program: Shanghai cooperation organization warns against any 'reinterpretation' of UN Resolutions

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), which brings together 10 countries including China, Russia, and Iran, has warned against any “reinterpretation” of a U.N. resolution on Iran’s nuclear program, at a time when European nations are preparing to reimpose sanctions on Tehran.

In a joint statement published by the Xinhua news agency, SCO member states said that “any attempt at misinterpretation or arbitrary reinterpretation of this resolution would undermine the authority of the U.N. Security Council.”

France, the United Kingdom, and Germany have given Iran 30 days to reach a diplomatic solution on its nuclear program, otherwise, they say they will reimpose U.N. sanctions, citing a clause in the 2015 international agreement.

Hamas rejects reported plan for US takeover of Gaza

A Hamas official said Gaza was “not for sale” after reports in the Washington Post about a U.S. post-war plan to relocate its population and place it under U.S. control.

When contacted by AFP, the State Department did not immediately respond to the newspaper's report on the project, published a few days after a meeting in Washington, which U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff had said was held to establish “a very comprehensive plan” for the post-war period in Gaza.

The 38-page plan calls for the “voluntary” displacement of Gaza's approximately two million inhabitants to other countries or to secure areas within the territory devastated by nearly two years of war, while it is rebuilt to become a tourist and technology hub.

Paris demands the “immediate release” of UN employees arrested in Yemen

France has “strongly” condemned the wave of arrests deemed "arbitrary" of United Nations employees by the Houthis in the cities of Sanaa and Hodeida in Yemen, demanding their “immediate and unconditional release.”

“These detentions are contrary to international law,” said Christophe Lemoine, spokesman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement. “They hinder the distribution of humanitarian aid needed by the Yemeni population and thus contribute to the worsening of the humanitarian crisis in Yemen.”

Aid flotilla heading to Gaza returns to Barcelona due to stormy weather

An aid flotilla of dozens of boats that had set sail for Gaza yesterday returned to port in Barcelona due to stormy weather, Reuters reported today, citing organizers.

"We conducted a sea trial and then returned to port to allow the storm to pass. This meant delaying our departure to avoid risking complications with the smaller boats," the Global Sumud Flotilla Mission said in a statement, adding winds had been up to around 35 mph (56 kph).

The organizers did not say when they planned to resume the journey.

Activists, including Game of Thrones actor Liam Cunningham and climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, are on the flotilla of several dozen boats that is aiming to break Israel's naval blockade and deliver food and humanitarian supplies to the enclave.

Yemen: Thousands attend funerals of politicians killed by Israel

Thousands of people attended the funerals of 12 senior Houthi officials, including the prime minister, who were killed in an Israeli strike on Thursday, at the largest mosque in Sanaa.

Mourners chanted anti-U.S. and Israel slogans, while Mohammad Miftah, now the de facto head of government, promised revenge and a crackdown on spies.

“We are facing the most powerful intelligence empire in the world, the one that targeted the government, the entire Zionist entity [including] the U.S. administration, the Zionist entity, the Zionist Arabs, and spies inside Yemen,” Miftah told the crowd.

Nine Palestinians, including three children, have died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza in the last 24 hours, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health, brought on by Israel's blockade on humanitarian aid.

The ministry added that 98 people were killed and 404 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza over the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 63,557 killed and 160,660 wounded since Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel sends tanks deeper into Gaza City as more families flee

Israel pushed its tanks deeper into Gaza City and detonated explosive-laden vehicles in a suburb, while airstrikes killed at least 19 people Monday, according to Palestinian officials and witnesses.

Residents said Israeli forces drove old armored vehicles into the eastern parts of the crowded Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, then detonated them remotely, destroying several houses and forcing more families to flee. In leaflets dropped over Gaza, the army urged residents to immediately head south, signaling its intention to expand the offensive westward into the city.

“People are confused: stay and die, or leave for nowhere,” Sheikh Radwan resident Mohammad Abu Abdallah told Reuters.

“It was a night of horror. The explosions never stopped, and the drones never stopped flying overhead. Many people left their homes out of fear for their lives, while others have no idea where to go,” the 50-year-old added via a messaging app.

Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, says scholars' association

The world's leading genocide scholars' association has passed a resolution saying that the legal criteria have been met to establish that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, its president said on Monday, as cited by Reuters.

Respiratory infections spreading quickly in Gaza

Thousands of Palestinians in Gaza have been struck by a wave of respiratory infections spreading rapidly in the war-ravaged enclave, according to Gaza health officials.

The outbreak is likely influenza or COVID-19, the Ministry of Information said Sunday, warning that the situation is worsened by severe shortages of medicine and the collapse of sanitary conditions. Most hospitals in Gaza are either inaccessible due to bombardments or out of service after Israeli strikes.

The outbreak is spreading fastest among displaced families crowded into tents and shelters without sanitation systems or hygiene infrastructure.

“Most remaining Hamas leaders are abroad, and we will reach them,” Israeli army warns

As Israeli forces continue heavy strikes across Gaza from north to south, Israel’s military chief confirmed Sunday that the army had killed “Abu Obeida,” the spokesperson for Hamas’ armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, in a strike west of Gaza City on Saturday.

Speaking during a situational assessment at Northern Command, Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir said, “The majority of Hamas leadership has already been eliminated, but our actions are not yet complete.” He added, “Most of the remaining Hamas leaders are abroad, and we will reach them as well.”

Israeli strikes on Nabatieh and Aita al-Shaab

The Israeli army claimed responsibility late Sunday for two strikes carried out earlier in the day in southern Lebanon.

It said that overnight between Saturday and Sunday, a drone strike destroyed a building in Aita al-Shaab “used by Hezbollah for military activity.” The structure also served as the home of Hezbollah member Mohammad Kassem, who was killed Aug. 22 in the village, according to a statement posted on X by Israeli army Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee.

The military also said it killed “a Hezbollah member” Sunday afternoon in Nabatieh, identified “inside an important Hezbollah site in the area,” which had been heavily bombarded only hours earlier.

Israeli army fortifies Jabal Blat position in southern Lebanon

Residents and eyewitnesses told L'Orient Today's correspondent in the South that Israeli forces are carrying out fortification work at the Jabal Blat site, south of Aitaroun in the Bint Jbeil district. Four bulldozers and several trucks are currently at the site.

The army had previously reinforced two other occupied positions on border hills in Lebanese territory — Tallet al-Hamames, south of Khiam, and along the Marjayoun–Houla road.

The work comes as Israel has also taken control of another new position in southern Lebanon, near Markaba. Read more here.

Yemen: UN says Houthis detained at least 11 of its staffers

The United Nations announced Sunday that at least 11 of its staff members have been detained in Yemen by Houthi rebels, who launched a wave of arrests after Israeli strikes Thursday killed the group’s prime minister and several cabinet members.

The death of Houthi Prime Minister Ahmad Ghaleb al-Rawhi and several ministers sparked anger from the group’s leader, who vowed to escalate attacks on Israel.

Houthi rebels claim attack on “Israeli oil tanker” in Red Sea

Yemen’s Houthi rebels said Monday morning they fired a missile at an “Israeli oil tanker” in the Red Sea, though the vessel was not hit, according to a maritime security agency.

“Our naval force carried out a military operation targeting the Israeli oil tanker Scarlet Ray in the northern Red Sea with a ballistic missile,” Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree said.

The UK Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) reported Sunday evening an attack 40 nautical miles southwest of Yanbu, Saudi Arabia. “A master reported to UKMTO observing an impact in the immediate vicinity of his vessel, caused by an unknown projectile, accompanied by a loud detonation,” the agency said, noting the crew was “safe and well” and the ship continued its voyage.

Security firm Ambrey said the vessel sails under the Liberian flag and is Israeli-owned.

Good morning, thank you for joining us for today's live coverage of the Gaza war, Lebanon's cease-fire and the events in the region.

Make sure to read today's Morning Brief to catch up on the weekend's key events.