South Lebanon: Israeli strike on a car in the district of Bint Jbeil
An Israeli drone strike hit a car traveling between the towns of Beit Yahoun and Braasheet, in the district of Bint Jbeil, according to our correspondent in the South.
South Lebanon: New stun grenade dropped by Israeli drone on Odaisseh
An Israeli drone dropped a stun grenade near a recently established Lebanese Army post in “Khallet al-Mahafer,” south of Odaisseh (Marjayoun district), according to our correspondent in the South.
South Lebanon: Morcos accuses Israel of seeking to 'cause fractures and divisions among Lebanese'
Information Minister Paul Morcos accused the Israeli army of “seeking to destabilize the internal situation and cause fractures and divisions among the Lebanese” through its “continuous” strikes on Lebanese territory, during an interview with Radio Lebanon, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
In this context, he stated that “vigilance and national unity remain the first line of defense in confronting these attempts.”
South Lebanon: Israeli attacks target Odaisseh and Ramieh
An Israeli drone dropped two stun grenades on Odaisseh (Marjayoun) as its artillery fire hit the outskirts of Ramieh (Bint Jbeil), according to our correspondent in the South.
Iran: UN human rights chief calls for an end to 'brutal repression'
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk on Friday called on the Iranian authorities "to end their brutal repression" of the recent protest movement in the country, AFP reported.
"I call on the Iranian authorities to reconsider their position, to backtrack and to end their brutal repression, including summary trials and disproportionate sentences," Türk said at the opening of a special session of the Human Rights Council devoted to the situation in the country.
Southern Lebanon: Aoun calls for 'the needs of disaster victims to be met'
President Joseph Aoun called for "the continuation of aid and the provision of assistance to those affected, particularly in terms of shelter, food and healthcare," following particularly destructive Israeli strikes on Wednesday evening in southern Lebanon, notably in the district of Saida, according to a statement posted on the Lebanese presidency's X account.
He was speaking during a meeting with Hashem Haidar, president of the Council for the South which is responsible for assessing the damage caused by the Israeli strikes prior to reconstruction.
More than 50 families lost their homes as a result of these strikes, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Israel threatens to shut down a training center in Qalandia, occupied West Bank
A training center serving hundreds of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank could be shut down in the coming days by Israeli authorities, jeopardizing the education of its students, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned on Friday, according to Reuters.
The Qalandia training center, which provides education to 350 young men from across the West Bank in fields such as plumbing and vehicle maintenance, may have to cease operations as the land on which it is built is threatened with expropriation by the Israeli authorities, according to UNRWA.
European nationls among 150 IS prisoners transferred to Iraq, according to Iraqi officials
European nationals are among the prisoners accused of being members of the Islamic State (IS) group transferred from Syria to neighboring Iraq as part of a U.S. military operation, two Iraqi security officials told AFP on Friday.
The group of detainees, transferred on Wednesday, is made up of "leaders of the Islamic State organization, some of whom are among the most notorious criminals," including "Europeans, Asians, Arabs and Iraqis," one of the sources said.
According to another security source, 85 of these prisoners are Iraqi and the other 65 are mainly of "European, Sudanese, Somali or Caucasian" origin.
South Lebanon: Israeli strikes and tank fire near the Lebanese border; no casualties reported
An Israeli drone fired a stun grenade near a group of young people working to collect iron in Markaba (Marjayoun), without causing any injuries, reports our correspondent in southern Lebanon
In addition, an Israeli tank opened fire from the occupied Hamames hill, south of Khiam (Marjayoun), on a Lebanese army unit on mission with UNIFIL not far from Wadi al-Asafir, without causing any casualties.
The Israeli army also fired medium-caliber automatic weapons on the outskirts of the town of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil).
The alleged target of the Israeli strike on the Bekaa is a Palestinian official who managed to escape
Israeli strikes on the Baalbeck district targeted a Palestinian figure, believed to be Bassam Qayed, and missed three times, our correspondent Sarah Abdallah confirms.
The first strike missed the man as he was driving his car on the road between Majdaloun and Baalbeck. A second strike hit the sidewalk, not far from the car.
The official then got out of his car and made his way toward some houses.
A third missile was then fired, hitting a house, but missing the targeted individual.
Aoun welcomes a group of people from south Lebanon with promises of 'compensation and reconstruction'
President Joseph Aoun welcomed representatives of residents from villages in southern Lebanon at the Baabda Presidential Palace on Friday, following the new wave of massive strikes carried out by the Israeli air force on Wednesday.
These strikes, among the most intense since the cease-fire of Nov. 27, 2024, led to the displacement of nearly 50 families.
Aoun affirmed that the "return of the population and the release of prisoners" remained a priority for the government, which is continuing its "constant international contacts" to demand an end to the Israeli attacks.
"Lebanon cannot be safe without security in the south," he added.
He also promised to examine with Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Finance Minister Yassine Jaber "the issues of compensation and aid necessary for reconstruction." "It is our national duty," he proclaimed.
No casualties reported from the two Israeli strikes on the Bekaa
The Israeli strikes caused damage to property and infrastructure
The first strike targeted the public road between the towns of Majdaloun and Baalbeck with two missiles.
The second strike hit an apartment behind the Al-Fa building near Dar al-Amal Hospital, causing material damage to buildings and roads.
No casualties were reported from the two strikes, according to the civil defense department of local health authority.
Two consecutive Israeli strikes on the Bekaa
Two Israeli drone strikes targeted areas in the district of Baalbeck, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa.
The first targeted a vehicle on the exit leading to Majdaloun from the highway crossing the Bekaa Valley. Ambulances were dispatched to the scene.
Preliminary information indicates that a Palestinian figure was targeted unsuccessfully. The second strike targeted an area near Douris, close to Dar al-Amal University Hospital.
Israeli drone fires stun grenade in Blida, Marjayoun
An Israeli drone fired a stun grenade that exploded in the vicinity of a citizen in the town of Blida (Marjayoun) without causing any injuries, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
Syria: Kurdish forces leave Raqqa prison after agreement with Damascus
Kurdish forces withdrew overnight from al-Aqtan prison in Raqqa as part of ongoing negotiations between the Damascus government and the Kurdish command of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
The transfer took place "after five days of negotiations with the Syrian state," according to state television, amid recurring clashes around the prison since government forces took Raqqa last Sunday.
The 800 fighters are to be taken to the city of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, in the province of Aleppo on the border with Turkey, according to the same source.
This is "the first step" in the cease-fire agreement, according to the army, quoted by the state news agency SANA, adding that it had been concluded under "international mediation aimed at avoiding a military escalation."
Until now, this prison housed suspected members of the jihadist organization Islamic State (IS), while Washington had announced that it would carry out operations to transfer up to 7,000 IS prisoners from Syria to Iraq.
More than 5,000 Iranians killed during uprising, according to a new report by US-based NGO
The U.S.-based NGO Human Rights Activists News Agency has released a new estimate of the number of deaths during the uprising in Iran, claiming to have documented the deaths of 5,002 people.
It specifies that among these victims are 4,716 protesters, 203 members of government forces, 43 children, and 40 civilians who were not participating in the protests.
It added that more than 26,800 arrests had been made as part of the authorities' widespread crackdown on the protests, based on information from a network of activists in Iran.
The Iranian government released its first official death toll on Wednesday, reporting 3,117 deaths, far exceeding previous waves of protests that have swept the country.
Wednesday's Israeli strikes on Qennarit damaged part of the water supply network
The South Lebanon Water Authority announced in a statement this morning that Wednesday's air strikes by the Israeli enemy on Qennarit (Saida) damaged the Zahira station, which supplies water to several areas.
"The Authority's teams inspected the station to assess the damage and prepare preliminary reports, noting that the facility has resorted to quick alternative solutions to ensure the continuity of water supply to subscribers," the statement added.
The Authority reiterated its categorical condemnation of Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure and called on international organizations and the relevant authorities to assume their responsibility for protecting these facilities.
Israel kills five Palestinians in Gaza on Thursday
At least five Palestinians were killed Thursday by Israeli army fire in the Gaza Strip, which carried out a massive demolition operation east of Khan Younis in the southern part of the enclave.
Medical sources told Al Jazeera that four people were killed and several wounded after an Israeli strike in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City, outside the areas where the Israeli army is deployed in the Gaza Strip.
Earlier, another Palestinian was killed by Israeli gunfire near the Bani Souhaila roundabout, east of Khan Younis. According to witnesses, he was targeted while trying to collect wood for heating due to the lack of fuel and electricity in the Gaza Strip caused by the Israeli blockade.
According to the latest official figures released by the Gaza Ministry of Health, at least 477 people have been killed by the Israeli army since the cease-fire was agreed to on Oct. 10, 2025, with a further 1,301 wounded.
On Thursday, the chairman of the Palestinian National Commission for the Administration of Gaza announced that the Rafah border crossing with Egypt would be open for departures and arrivals as of next week.
Nawaf Salam set to meet with Emmanuel Macron today
French President Emmanuel Macron will meet with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam in Paris on Friday to discuss the precarious cease-fire agreement in place between Israel and Hezbollah, as well as the continued disarmament of the party, the French presidency said on Thursday.
The information was confirmed to L'Orient-Le Jour by two diplomatic sources, one French and one Lebanese.
Trump claims a US naval 'armada' is on its way to the Gulf
Donald Trump said Thursday that a U.S. naval "armada" was on its way to the Gulf, maintaining pressure on Tehran, even as the prospect of military intervention appeared to recede.
The U.S. president has repeatedly threatened to strike Iran in response to the crackdown on recent protests in that country, but he appeared to back down from that threat last week after assuring that Tehran had suspended planned executions of protesters.
"We have a lot of ships heading in that direction, just in case," he told reporters Thursday aboard Air Force One, which was bringing him back from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
"I would prefer nothing to happen, but we are watching them very closely," Donald Trump added.
The head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps warned Washington on Thursday that his forces had "their finger on the trigger" after several weeks of protests and repression in Iran.
However, Trump did not close the door to dialogue.
"Iran does want to talk, and we will talk," he said Thursday in Davos.
Good morning and welcome to our live blog.
We will be providing rolling news coverage of events in Lebanon, Palestine, Syria, Iran and the rest of the region, as well as world events with regional implications.
Already have an account? Login here
You have reached your article limit
Iran-US-Lebanon: Everything can change in an instant.
Stay informed for only $6.9/month for 1 year, instead of $12.9.
This article is only available to L’Orient Today subscribers.
Already have an account? Login here