Israeli foreign minister says Hezbollah is rearming and Israel cannot 'bury its head in the sand' | LIVE

UK to send $5 million to help clear unexploded munitions in Gaza

Britain will provide £4 million ($5 million) towards international efforts to clear the estimated 7,500 tonnes of unexploded munitions in Gaza that are preventing aid from reaching Palestinians, the UK government announced, according to an AFP report.

The funding for the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) will help "surge in" experts to clear land mines, cluster bombs and munitions dropped during the war.

Removing the unexploded ordinance to allow more aid into Gaza is "a vital component" of the recently U.S.-brokered cease-fire agreement, the UK foreign ministry said.

The NGO Handicap International warned earlier this month that an estimated 70,000 tonnes of explosives had been dropped on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023. Based on the UK foreign ministry's unexploded munitions estimates, it would mean around 10 percent failed to detonate.  

Israeli FM claims Hezbollah is rearming and Israel 'cannot bury its head in the sand'

(Credit: @gidonsaar/X)

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote a message on his X account this evening claiming that Hezbollah is rearming and saying that Israel can no longer ignore Hezbollah's alleged actions.

The post is accompanied by a photo of him shaking hands with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

"Hezbollah, with Iran’s support, continues to intensify its efforts to rebuild and rearm," Saar wrote. "This is dangerous for Israel’s security just as it is for Lebanon’s future. Israel cannot bury its head in the sand in the face of this trend. I reiterated our will to expand the circle of normalization and peace in the Middle East."

Lebanese Army sends in reinforcements around Aitaroun and Khiam

The Lebanese Army has brought in reinforcements to the Mahafer plains, near the Bint Jbeil district village of Aitaroun, as well as bringing additional army vehicles into the area around the village of Khiam, in Marjayoun district.

These maneuvers are part of the army's efforts to counter Israeli incursions over the Blue Line and into Lebanese villages.

Earlier today, after the Blida attack, President Aoun told the army to respond to any attacks by the Israeli army on Lebanese citizens.

Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc condemns Blida attack

In a statement released after a meeting held this afternoon, Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc strongly denounced "the continuing and growing Israeli aggression against Lebanese civilians, not sparing the Lebanese Army."

Hezbollah's MPs referred in particular to the incident in Blida, during which Israeli soldiers fired on the municipal buildings with machine guns for at least 10 minutes, killing an employee who was sleeping inside.

The bloc criticized, in particular, "the international silence in the face of these violations [of the cease-fire], the inability of the Lebanese authorities to assume their responsibilities and take effective measures to curb these aggressions, by lodging complaints with the U.N. Security Council and the competent international bodies."

Updates from southern Lebanon: Another attack on Mahmoudieh and updates on the Shebaa strike

Shortly before 6 p.m., an Israeli drone dropped an incendiary bomb on the woods near the Nabatieh village of Mahmoudieh, which was already targeted by Israeli jets earlier today, our correspondent reports. Fires have broken out where the firebomb was dropped. Civil Defense firefighters are currently working to extinguish the blaze.

The Ministry of Health has also provided an update regarding the Israeli drone strike on Shebaa that occurred around 4:30 this afternoon. Three people were injured in the attack, the ministry announced. Our correspondent earlier named two of the wounded: Siham Atoui and her son, Lebanese Army soldier Nader Fares Hamdan.

UNIFIL releases brief statement on Blida attack

UNIFIL has released a statement regarding the attack on Blida this morning, during which Israeli soldiers killed a municipal worker after firing on the town hall building with machine guns for at least 10 minutes straight.

Shortly after midnight, when the attack began, residents called the Lebanese Army, which, unable to intervene due to the Israeli army's ongoing hostilities, called on UNIFIL for support. UNIFIL did not respond and did not arrive in the village until after dawn.

When UNIFIL did arrive at the village, it was pushed out by residents who were angry at the force's lack of response during the deadly incident.

"UNIFIL expresses deep concerns at an Israeli armed incursion in Blida early this morning," the peacekeeping force's statement reads. "Such Israeli action north of the Blue Line represents a blatant violation of the Security Council Resolution 1701 and Lebanon’s sovereignty."

"UNIFIL reiterates its call to all parties to fully commit to the cessation of hostilities and notes that the extension of state authority through its institutions is at the very core of Resolution 1701."

"UNIFIL remains in communication with the Lebanese Armed Forces regarding the incident," the statement concludes.

French FM announces civilian, military team dispatched to Israel

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot announced that a team of military and civilian personnel has been sent to Israel to take part in planning the post-cease-fire phase in Gaza, Al Jazeera reports.

During an interview with the French LCI television, Barrot said France had joined other countries contributing to the U.S.-led coordination center.

While he confirmed that French personnel were already stationed at the coordination center, he did not disclose how many are present.

Barrot added that France and the U.S. are working to push for a U.N. resolution to deploy an International Stabilization Force in Gaza once the cease-fire is fully secured.

Israel says it received two captives’ bodies from Red Cross

Netanyahu's office has announced that the bodies of two deceased captives have been handed over to Israeli troops in Gaza, Israeli media reports. The caskets had been picked up by the Red Cross from Hamas in central Gaza.

The remains will then be transferred to Israel’s national forensic institute for identification.

Netanyahu and Katz meet security officials to discuss situation in southern Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz are expected to meet this afternoon with senior Israeli security officials to discuss the situation on the Lebanese border, reports Guy Azriel, a journalist with Israel's i24 channel, on his X account.

"Israel nears a decision point regarding its next moves in light of Hezbollah’s increasing violations and attempts to rearm itself," Azriel writes. Israel has been attacking Lebanon on a near-daily basis since agreeing to the truce, killing more than 330 people.

"The discussion is also expected to address the issue of Egyptian involvement in Lebanon," he adds. The head of Egyptian intelligence, Hassan Rashad, visited Beirut two days ago after meeting with Netanyahu and the head of Shin Bet. Egypt's ambassador to Lebanon also met with Salam and Aoun on Monday.

Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox shut down Jerusalem over conscription law

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish men protest against conscription into Israel's military in Jerusalem on October 30, 2025. (Credit: Fadel Senna/AFP)

Hundreds of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Israeli men have blocked the entrance to Jerusalem in a mass anti-draft rally, Israeli media reports.

The protests have been underway all afternoon and are part of the orthodox religious community's opposition to attempts by the Israeli government to force Israel's Haredi Jews to serve in the Israeli army. This segment of Israeli society is historically exempt from otherwise mandatory army service in order to focus on the study of the Torah.

The protest, dubbed the “Million Man March,” has shut down streets throughout Jerusalem and surrounding areas, with thousands of officers deployed throughout the city. Some protestors are carrying blue and yellow signs that read: “Russia is here” and “Stalin is here.”

Though videos have surfaced indicating some altercations have taken place, the protests have been largely peaceful, involving mostly people engaged in prayer.

Israel is making its deadly pager attack on Hezbollah into a film

Israel's September 2024 exploding pagers attack in Lebanon — in which thousands of rigged handheld communication devices used by Hezbollah were detonated, killing nearly 40 people, including children and healthcare workers, and wounding nearly 4,000 — will be made into a movie, according to an exclusive report published by Deadline on Tuesday.

In two weeks, Beverly Hills-based production company Bleiberg Entertainment will be launching sales for the film, titled "Frequency of Fear" at the American Film Market in Los Angeles, a major yearly film industry event for pitching, acquiring and financing films.

Bleiberg Entertainment has brought on Israeli-born U.S.-based director Danny Abeckaser and Canadian screenwriter Kosta Kondilopoulos for the project, which is in pre-production. Abeckaser, Kondilopoulos and Bleiberg had already collaborated on the recent film "Mob Cops" which was a critical and box-office failure.

Read the full report here. 👈

Drone strikes in South Lebanon: One soldier wounded

Shortly after 4 p.m., an Israeli drone carried out a strike on the main road of the village of Harouf in the Nabatieh district, according to our correspondent.

At the same time, another drone dropped a bomb on a shepherd’s house in Shebaa. The attack lightly wounded two people — Siham Atoui and her son, soldier Nader Fares Hamdane — witnesses told our correspondent.

SSNP praises Lebanese Army’s 'response' to Israeli incursion in Blida, urges the state to strengthen its defense capabilities

The Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP) expressed in a statement its “high appreciation for the action of the Lebanese Army, which repelled an attempt by enemy forces to infiltrate a Lebanese locality,” while condemning “the heinous crime committed by the Zionist enemy,” referring to the killing of Ibrahim Salameh inside the Blida municipality.

The pro-Assad party also praised President Joseph Aoun’s statement calling on the army to resist any future Israeli infiltrations in southern Lebanon, urging the Lebanese government to “fully assume its responsibilities by strengthening the army’s defense and armament capabilities” so that it can “counter airspace violations and repel ground incursions” by the Israeli military.

'He was a civilian,' insists Ibrahim Salameh’s widow

Zeinab Fakih, wife of the victim, told our journalist Lyana Alameddine during condolences held at a cousin’s apartment in Blida: “I can’t believe it… I can’t believe it… may God curse them.”

She recounted being informed around 4 a.m. by her brother. “He was a civilian, unarmed. I still can’t realize what happened,” she said, tears in her eyes.

Lebanese Army denounces Israel’s 'false pretexts' for violating the cease-fire

The Lebanese Armed Forces issued a statement on the events in Blida, saying a patrol was sent after reports of gunfire near the municipality.

“An enemy ground unit entered the village and fired at the building, targeting one of the employees who was killed,” the army said, without specifying whether Israeli soldiers entered the municipal building.

The army condemned the raid as a “criminal act and a blatant violation of Lebanese sovereignty, the cease-fire agreement, and U.N. Resolution 1701,” criticizing Israel for using “false and unfounded pretexts” to justify its actions, after Israel claimed it targeted a “civilian infrastructure used by Hezbollah.”

The army called on the ceasefire monitoring mechanism to “put an end to Israel’s persistent violations” and said it continues to closely monitor the attacks with UNIFIL.

Family of Ibrahim Salameh arrives at the scene of the Israeli raid in Blida

(Credit: Mathieu Karam/L'Orient-le Jour)

Several relatives of Ibrahim Salameh, all dressed in black, arrived by car at the municipal building targeted in the attack. “I can’t answer, I don’t have the strength,” one of his brothers said.

The deceased’s sister-in-law cried out at the scene: “Why? Why? He was just working.”

“His wife hasn’t arrived yet; she’s in shock,” added his cousin, Samira Mansour. “What did he do to be killed? He had no weapons. He wasn’t fighting Israel. He was just traveling back and forth to see his family in Tyre, while he slept here.”

Blida municipality vows to continue operations despite Israeli raid

The mayor of Blida, Hassan Hijazi, eyes red from fatigue, told our journalist that “the municipality will remain open and continue its work” despite the damage caused during the Israeli raid.

“We are not shocked, we remain resilient, and the blood of the martyrs protects us,” he said.

Municipal secretary Ali Ghazi explained that the targeted building was a temporary office where staff moved after the destruction of the official municipal building during the last war.

“During the night, residents heard screams and gunfire, and we immediately called the Lebanese Army. But the Israelis prevented them from advancing. They wanted to blow up the building,” said the 34-year-old, who lost a finger to a war-related debris injury. “As the mayor said, we have two choices: either we die here or we continue,” he added.

Commenting on the Blida attack, the Israeli incursion at Adaisseh overnight, the morning airstrikes in South Lebanon, and drone flights over Beirut, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said these incidents “go beyond Israel’s violation of Lebanon’s national sovereignty and U.N. resolutions.”

He described them as “an aggression against Lebanon that cannot be contained by mere condemnation” and called on the public to “support the president of the Republic,” who earlier ordered the Lebanese Army to resist any Israeli incursions.

Blida: Hezbollah calls on the state and all parties to adopt a 'firm stance'

Hezbollah condemned the Israeli attack in Blida in a statement, denouncing “an escalation of incursions and violations of Lebanon’s sovereignty, in disregard of agreements, understandings, and international law” and calling the attack “proof of the criminality and brutality of this bloodthirsty enemy.”

The group “strongly condemned this new Israeli crime” and criticized Washington’s “complicity” in the attacks, claiming it seeks to pressure Lebanon into implementing an agenda not in its national interest.

Hezbollah called on the state and all political forces to “adopt a unified, responsible, and firm national position” and welcomed President Aoun’s decision to order the army to respond to Israeli incursions.

Hezbollah also urged the government “to take different measures from those of the past 11 months and assume its responsibilities by adopting a political and diplomatic plan to end the aggressions and protect Lebanese citizens and their interests.”

The group further called on the international community, the U.N. Security Council, and the U.N. peacekeepers to assume their responsibilities by adopting deterrent measures to halt the aggression.

According to a member of the Internal Security Forces (also deployed on site), Ibrahim Salameh “died instantly” after being shot once in the head and three times in the chest.

His body was transported at 4:30 a.m. to a hospital in Bint Jbeil.

L’Orient-Le Jour journalists report from Blida:

Lebanese Army soldiers are deployed in front of the Blida municipality (Marjayoun district), where municipal worker Ibrahim Salameh was killed overnight by Israeli soldiers who infiltrated the border village.

The façade and windows of the municipal building were riddled with about twenty bullets, reports journalist Lyana Alameddine.

Over a hundred residents gathered at the scene, including several of Salameh’s family members. “He was the purest man in Blida,” said one cousin.

“He was a farmer who cultivated olive and tobacco fields. He slept in the municipal building because he took care of cleaning there and his home was destroyed during the war,” another relative added.

The victim, 45, was a father of four children, residing in Sour except for one son studying medicine in Russia.

'They shot him with a machine gun': A Blida resident recounts the Israeli attack

Inside the building, Salameh’s blood remains on the floor and the mattress where he was sleeping.

Several versions of the events exist: one resident said the Israeli soldiers asked him to leave before shooting him: “He stood up, raised his hands, then they fired at him with a machine gun,” he said.

Another witness described: “We first heard screams around 12:15 a.m. The Israelis arrived with two Hummers and two quads. At 2 a.m., the Lebanese army arrived, but the Israelis prevented them from entering until they left around 4:30 a.m.,” adding that no UNIFIL patrols were seen throughout the night.

A UNIFIL delegation was expelled from Blida in the morning by local residents as a form of protest, according to our correspondent.

Blida sit-in: 'Where are UNIFIL, the UN, and the supervision committee?'

A sit-in was held in front of the Blida municipality, attended by many journalists.

Hassane Hijazi, the village mayor, expressed outrage: “Where are UNIFIL, the U.N., and the cease-fire supervision committee in the face of this blatant aggression and violation of Resolution 1701?”

He added, “The only ‘crime’ of Salameh and the martyrs in the South is that they are sons of this land. If they had fallen elsewhere, the whole world would have risen in protest.”

President Aoun orders army to 'oppose any Israeli incursion'

President Joseph Aoun instructed Army Commander General Rodolph Haykal to respond to any Israeli incursions in the liberated south, following the killing of municipal worker Ibrahim Salameh in Blida.

Aoun called the attack part of ongoing Israeli aggression and stressed the need for the ceasefire committee to pressure Israel to respect Lebanese sovereignty.

He was also briefed on the Shatila camp shooting and urged authorities to continue investigations and pursue those responsible.

Israeli army defends Blida raid, says targeting Hezbollah infrastructure

Commenting on the dawn operation in Blida, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee stated on X that the army entered the village “as part of an operation to destroy Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure.”

The army said it then “spotted a suspect inside the municipal building and took measures to detain him.”

Adraee added that a “direct threat was identified, and gunfire was used to neutralize the threat, resulting in one casualty,” and that “details of the incident are currently under investigation.”

He also claimed that the building “had recently been used for Hezbollah terrorist activities under the cover of civilian infrastructure.”

Israeli warplanes conduct airstrikes on hills in Jezzine district

Israeli airstrikes targeted hills in Mahmoudieh, Damashkieh, and Jarmaq in the Jezzine district, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.

No information on potential casualties is available at this time.

Israeli drones and warplanes patrol multiple regions of Lebanon

After several days of absence, Israeli drones are once again flying at low altitude over southern Beirut suburbs, according to witnesses.

Warplanes have also flown at medium altitude over several areas of the Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon, from Nabatieh to Saida, our correspondents report.

Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar condemns the crime in Blida

Minister Ahmad Hajjar issued a statement condemning “the heinous crime committed by the Israeli enemy” in Blida, denouncing it as a “flagrant violation of human rights.”

He emphasized that it is time to “end attacks against civilians and public infrastructure” and reaffirmed his support for Blida’s residents and municipal employees, “who continue to work despite all dangers and difficult conditions.”

(Credit: Photo obtained by Mountasser Abdallah)

Residents of Blida and surrounding areas blocked roads leading to the village with burning tire barricades, according to our correspondent.

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam condemns Israeli incursion

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam denounced the incursion and the targeting of a municipal employee as a “flagrant violation of Lebanese institutions and sovereignty,” expressed condolences to Ibrahim Salameh’s family, and affirmed solidarity with Southern residents “who pay daily for their attachment to their land and their right to live safely and with dignity under the sovereignty of the Lebanese state.”

He added that Lebanon continues to pressure the U.N. and signatories of the ceasefire agreement to end repeated violations and ensure Israel’s full withdrawal from Lebanese territory.

UNIFIL responds

Contacted by journalists, the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) said it is “gathering facts” about what happened in Blida to understand the circumstances, without providing further comments at this time.

Health ministry confirms death

The Lebanese Ministry of Health confirmed the death of a citizen in Blida, “martyred by Israeli gunfire during an incursion” early this morning.

(Credit: Photo obtained by our correspondent)

Another Israeli incursion occurred during the night about 12 kilometers north of Blida, in Adaisseh, where soldiers blew up the village’s husseinieh (ceremonial hall), according to our correspondent.

Blida residents gather in fear of large-scale Israeli operation

Witnesses in the village told our correspondent that Israeli soldiers positioned themselves a few meters from the municipal building and fired on it for 10–15 minutes with machine guns, killing Ibrahim Salameh, a man in his fifties who was sleeping inside.

Panicked residents gathered together, fearing a large-scale Israeli operation. According to local sources, the victim will be buried tomorrow.

Mais al-Jabal and Kfar Shuba condemn attack on Blida municipality

The neighboring municipality of Mais al-Jabal condemned the killing of Ibrahim Salameh, “who was killed while spending the night in the municipal building.”

They called on the Lebanese state to respond firmly to repeated aggressions against the country’s sovereignty, territory, and people, emphasizing that verbal condemnations are meaningless without concrete measures.

Kfar Shuba municipality also denounced the attack on the Lebanese state and requested that cease-fire guarantors, namely the U.S. and France, apply pressure to ensure it is respected.

(Credit: Photo obtained by Mountasser Abdallah)

A wall of the Blida (Marjayoun) municipal building riddled with bullet holes.

Municipality of Aitaroun condemns 'cowardly act' after Blida killing

The neighboring village of Aitaroun condemned the Israeli incursion into Lebanese territory and the killing of Ibrahim Salameh, “shot while fulfilling his civic and national duties.”

The municipality called it a violation of all international and humanitarian norms, an aggression against civilians and municipal infrastructure, and a reflection of “the criminal mindset historically exercised by the Zionist enemy against the resisting South.”

They urged the army and security forces to protect the borders, the people, and civil institutions, and affirmed that residents of South Lebanon remain firmly attached to their land, dignity, and sovereignty.

South Lebanon: Sit-ins organized to protest Ibrahim Salameh’s killing and the absence of the state

To protest a “blatant aggression” against Lebanese sovereignty, the absence of the Lebanese state and its “inability to protect the land and people,” as well as the inaction of UNIFIL and the cease-fire supervision committee, a gathering will be organized by the Blida municipality at 10:30 a.m.

The South Lebanon Municipalities Assembly also denounced a “manifest violation of international conventions and treaties” and called for a demonstration at the Nabatieh Mohafazat headquarters at 10 a.m.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of news from the Middle East, focusing on Gaza, which remains under Israeli fire despite the truce, and South Lebanon, where the Israeli army killed a municipal employee in Blida in his sleep overnight after crossing the border.

Catch up on everything you missed yesterday and what to look out for today by reading our👉Morning brief.

Israeli ground incursion at Blida: Municipal employee executed

Shortly after 2 a.m., an Israeli patrol of several vehicles and light armored ATVs crossed the Blue Line and infiltrated Lebanese territory about one kilometer deep, accompanied by drones. They entered the municipal building in Blida, in the center of the border village. Local sources reported heavy gunfire and screams, according to correspondent Mountasser Abdallah.

A security source said the Lebanese Army immediately deployed soldiers around the village, called for reinforcements to confront the Israeli forces inside the municipal building, and requested UNIFIL assistance. According to the correspondent, Israeli soldiers shot and executed a municipal employee inside, identified as Ibrahim Salameh. Three hours later, the Israeli army withdrew, and the Lebanese army deployed into the building, finding Salameh’s body, which was transported to a regional hospital.