Five civilians killed in explosion in Idlib province, Syria; Cause of blast still unknown | LIVE

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Flares were fired toward the town of Bint Jbeil from Israel, our correspondent in southern Lebanon reports.

The Israeli army has handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Nasser Medical Hospital as part of the prisoner–hostage exchange deal, the Health Ministry reported.

The Israeli army fired two artillery shells from its newly occupied position on Jabal Blat toward the al-Helwana area in the village of Ramieh (Bint Jbeil district), according to our correspondent on the ground.

Israeli army says it has fired on a Hamas member in Gaza

The Israeli army announced that it had targeted a Hamas operative in the Gaza Strip, saying it had eliminated an immediate threat involving a planned terrorist plot against Israeli forces.

“Shortly ago, the Israeli army targeted a Hamas terrorist operative who was planning in the near future to carry out a sniper attack against Israeli forces operating in the northern Gaza Strip,” the Israeli army’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on X.

The Israeli army added that its forces “remain deployed in the area in accordance with the ceasefire agreement and will continue to work to eliminate any immediate threat.”

Machine gun fire and Israeli drone over southern Lebanon

This afternoon, the Israeli army, positioned at Roueissat al-Alam on the disputed heights of Kfar Shuba, fired machine guns at the outskirts of this Lebanese village, according to our correspondent in the south.

In addition, a small Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade on Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil).

Israeli drones flew over the villages in the hills of Rihan (Jezzine).

A small Israeli army drone also crashed in Kfar Kila (Marjayoun) after hitting a tree, according to our correspondent.

⚡Syria: Five civilians killed in explosion in northwest, according to state media

An explosion killed five civilians in the province of Idlib, in northwestern Syria, according to state media, without specifying the cause of the explosion, AFP reports.

"Five civilians were killed in an explosion in Kafr Takharim, in the province of Idlib," a local official from the White Helmets, a rescue organization, said on state television.

According to the Syrian News channel, the explosion was caused by forces from the international coalition against ISIS.

Katz: The Israeli army will intervene 'with force' in Lebanon if Hezbollah is not disarmed 'by the end of the year.'

The Israeli army will intervene "with force" in Lebanon if Hezbollah is not disarmed "by the end of the year," Defense Minister Israel Katz bluntly threatened on Wednesday during a meeting with the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, ahead of a speech to the Knesset, Israeli Channel 7 reported on its website.

"I don't believe Hezbollah will disarm voluntarily. The Americans have forced them to disband by the end of the year, and I don't see that happening. If it doesn't happen, there will be no choice but to intervene again with force in Lebanon," he said, according to Channel 7.

Israel bulldozes on occupied Lebanese territory

The Israeli army has been conducting bulldozing operations on Lebanese territory since this morning, below the Israeli-occupied site of al-Abad, in the Douaouir area, in Houla (Marjayoun), according to residents quoted by our correspondent in the south.

Israeli 'operation' in the West Bank leads to several arrests

According to Haaretz, the Israeli army distributed leaflets in Tubas threatening to act with "force and determination" against the region. "If you do not change this, we will act as we did in Jenin and Tulkarem," in reference to the campaign launched last January.

Israeli forces conducted arrests in Tamun, according to the Israeli daily, which reports that armored vehicles and army vehicles have surrounded the city.

A report published last week by Human Rights Watch (HRW) highlighted the expulsion of 32,000 Palestinians from their homes in just three refugee camps this year.

Egyptian Foreign Minister on official visit to Beirut

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdellaty arrived at Beirut Airport last night and is scheduled to meet with Lebanese officials today, including President Joseph Aoun, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Speaker of the House Nabih Berri.

Egypt wants to regain its position as a key player in a region undergoing major changes. It was in this context that the head of Egyptian intelligence, Hassan Rachad, visited Beirut last month, after spending a week in Israel, where he met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the prospect of potential negotiations between Lebanon and Israel looms.

Israeli army confirms identification of deceased hostage held in Gaza; two bodies remain

Israel confirmed this morning that it had received one of the last three bodies of hostages held in the Gaza Strip Tuesday, specifying that the remains handed over by the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad were those of Israeli Dror Or, killed on Oct. 7, 2023, at the age of 48.

"Following the identification process by the National Forensic Center," army representatives "informed the family of the deceased captive..." according to a statement from the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

With the return of his remains, two hostage bodies remain in Gaza: one Israeli and one Thai national.

Barricaded city, families evicted: Israeli army launches new 'large-scale operation' in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army announced on Wednesday morning the launch of a "large-scale operation" on the occupied West Bank.

When questioned by AFP, the Israeli army said that this was not a deployment as part of its "anti-terrorist operation" launched in January 2025 and mainly targeting Palestinian refugee camps in the region, but actually an entirely "new operation."

Palestinians in the area told Haaretz that several families had been forcibly evicted from their homes, which the Israeli army turned into military outposts.

The governor of the Palestinian town of Tubas, located southeast of Jenin in the West Bank, said that the Israeli army had erected earthen barricades around the area. He estimated that the operation would last several days.

Welcome to our live blog, Wednesday Nov. 26

Hello and welcome to our live blog.

We will be looking closely at developments in Lebanon following Israel's deadly strike on Sunday, which killed five — Hezbollah's chief of staff and four others.

We will also cover developments in the occupied West Bank, where Israel launched a large-scale operation overnight, as well as Gaza, Syria and elsewhere in the region.