Hezbollah said its fighters on Thursday fired missiles at a military base near south Israel’s Ashdod, the first time it has targeted so deep inside Israel in more than a year of hostilities.
Hezbollah fighters "targeted... for the first time, the Hatzor air base" east of the southern city, around 150 kilometers (90 miles) from Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, "with a missile salvo," the Iran-backed group said in a statement.
THE HAGUE (AP) — The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defense minister and Hamas officials, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the war in Gaza and the October 2023 attacks that triggered Israel’s offensive in the Palestinian territory.
The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a cease-fire to end the 13-month conflict. But its practical implications could be limited since Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court and several of the Hamas officials have been subsequently killed in the conflict.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have condemned ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for warrants as disgraceful and antisemitic. U.S. President Joe Biden also blasted the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas. Hamas also slammed the request.
“The Chamber considered that there are reasonable grounds to believe that both individuals intentionally and knowingly deprived the civilian population in Gaza of objects indispensable to their survival, including food, water, and medicine and medical supplies, as well as fuel and electricity,” the three-judge panel wrote in its unanimous decision to issue warrants for Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant.
Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah traded deadly blows on Thursday as their war raged on despite signs of progress in U.S. ceasefire efforts, with airstrikes pounding Beirut's southern suburbs and rockets flying into northern Israel.
U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein was in Israel for talks with Israeli officials to try to secure a ceasefire which he said was "within our grasp" during a visit to Beirut earlier this week.
The diplomacy marks the most serious attempt yet to end the conflict between Israel and the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah, part of the regional spillover of the Gaza war that erupted more than a year ago.
In southern Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike killed three people in the village of Chaaitiyeh, some 10 km (6 miles), from the border, the Lebanese health ministry said.
In Israel, a 30-year-old man was killed when shrapnel from a rocket struck a playground in the northern town of Nahariya, Israel's MDA medical service said.
"The Israeli government is not safeguarding my security, my residents or the residents of the north (of Israel). It is not possible to live in such a situation like this," Nahariya Mayor Ronen Marelly told public broadcaster Kan.
The Israeli military said about 10 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Nahariya. "Most of the projectiles were intercepted and fallen projectiles were identified," the military said in a statement.
Channel 12 said three rockets hit the coastal town.
Israeli archeologist was killed along with an Israeli soldier in south Lebanon on Wednesday, as the family of the researcher disputed the occupation military’s count that he was a civilian.
Ze’ev (Jabo) Hanoch Erlich, 71, was killed along with a soldier of Golani Brigade’s 13th Battalion, with an officer and another soldier being injured in south Lebanon’s western sector.
Israeli media cited an initial investigation into the incident found that a force led by Golani Brigade Chief of Staff Brig. Gen. Yoav Yarom entered the area where the brigade was operating.
On Lebanon’s 81st Independence Day, Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun affirmed that the Lebanese army remains deployed in the South, where soldiers continue to make sacrifices and, in some cases, have become martyrs for the nation.
He reassured that the army would not abandon the region, as it is vital to Lebanon's sovereignty, operating alongside the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) under Resolution 1701.
Aoun assured the Lebanese public, saying, “There is no turning back, and no fear for the army, which will stay united and steadfast despite all challenges."
The Israeli military said Wednesday three soldiers, including a 70-year-old, were killed in south Lebanon, where its troops have battled Hezbollah since late September after a year of cross-border exchanges of fire.
The army announced two soldiers were killed in the same incident including 70-year-old reservist Ze'ev 'Jabo' Hanoch Erlich, after it had said earlier Wednesday that a 22-year-old soldier from Jerusalem "fell during combat in southern Lebanon".
The deaths bring to 52 the army's losses in Lebanon since the start of ground operations.
Another soldier was heavily injured during the same incident that killed the two soldiers including Erlich, the military said, adding he had been taken to hospital.
The Yesha Council, an umbrella group representing Israeli settlers in the occupied West Bank, described Erlich as a "pioneer of research in geography, archaeology and Jewish history of Judea and Samaria" -- as Israel calls the West Bank.
He lived in Ofra, one of the first settlements in the area.
The announcements come amid a U.S.-led push to secure a truce, with U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein expected in Israel Wednesday after talks in Beirut this week.
Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah traded deadly blows on Thursday as their war raged on despite signs of progress in US ceasefire efforts, with airstrikes pounding Beirut’s southern suburbs and rockets flying into northern Israel.
On Thursday, a plane carrying food and medical supplies, a donation from the Russian Federation to the Lebanese Army, landed at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport.
Israeli strikes killed 71 pro-Iran militants in the Syrian city of Palmyra, with more than a third of them identified as fighters from Iraq and Lebanon, a monitor said Thursday.
The Lebanese Forces and their allies urge the Parliament to be involved in the negotiations for a cease-fire, while Amos Hochstein meets Samir Geagea and Walid Joumblatt.
An official closely following the negotiations said that Israel “has no excuse for rejecting” the Lebanese proposal.
Renewed strikes hit southern Beirut on Thursday, after the Israeli military warned people to evacuate the area.
Lebanon's official National News Agency reported "three violent strikes on Haret Hreik" neighborhood, hours after three strikes on the same area at dawn.
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein was in Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, seeking to hammer out a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
In Beirut on Wednesday, the U.S. envoy met twice with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation efforts on behalf of Hezbollah.
Her breakthrough came in the late 1950s when she was discovered by the Rahbani brothers, Assi and Mansour. The trio would create some of the most iconic music in the Arab world.
The brief pause in airstrikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs, prompted by the presence of US envoy Amos Hochstein in Lebanon, was short-lived.
The Israeli army spokesperson issued evacuation warnings on Thursday morning to the Haret Hreik and Al-Hadath residents, announcing they will be targeting Hezbollah strongholds there. An hour later, strikes were ongoing in Haret Hreik.
https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/articles/1301769/renewed-bombardment-on-beirut-s-southern-suburb#
JERUSALEM: US envoy Amos Hochstein, seeking to broker a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war, will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, the premier’s office said.
The announcement by spokesman Omer Dostri came after Israeli media outlets reported that Hochstein had arrived in Israel on Wednesday evening and held talks with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
The meeting between Hochstein and Netanyahu was scheduled to take place at 12:30 p.m. (1030 GMT), according to a statement from the Israeli leader’s Likud party.
In Beirut on Wednesday, the US envoy met twice with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation efforts on behalf of the Iran-backed Hezbollah armed group.
Wednesday’s meeting “made additional progress, so I will travel from here in a couple hours to Israel to try to bring this to a close if we can,” Hochstein told reporters in the Lebanese capital.
Israeli media reports indicate that the total damages in northern settlements have surpassed 5 billion shekels, equivalent to more than $1.3 billion.
Channel 12 reported that the destruction in these areas affected 2,585 residences, with 1,000 settler housing units sustaining significant damage due to Hezbollah's fire from Lebanon.
In Kiryat Shmona, more than 300 homes were damaged, with 64 of them experiencing severe destruction.
Meanwhile, Shlomi reported 360 housing units damaged, while Metulla experienced major damage to 150 units and minor damage to 250 others. In Nahariya, 190 housing units were affected, with 48 suffering severe damage.
The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders on Thursday for three villages in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes.
Military spokesman Avichay Adraee demanded that residents of Burj el-Shemali, al-Housh, and Maashouq leave the area immediately and head north of the Awali River.
The army warned that it will “act forcefully” against Hezbollah assets and facilities in the targeted areas.
The Israeli army issued several evacuation orders for residents in several villages and towns across Lebanon ahead of staging attacks.
Israel has engaged in cross-border warfare with Lebanon, launching an air campaign in late September against what it claims are Hezbollah targets.
More than 3,500 people have been killed by Israeli attacks in Lebanon, with nearly 15,000 injured and more than 1 million displaced since last October, according to Lebanese health authorities.
Tel Aviv expanded the conflict by launching a ground assault into southern Lebanon on Oct. 1.
On the anniversary of the assassination of Minister Pierre Gemayel, Kataeb Party officials and prominent political figures paid tribute to his enduring legacy. Gemayel, who was assassinated 18 years ago for being a stalwart advocate for Lebanese independence and national sovereignty, remains a symbol of national unity, resistance to oppression, and the dream of a better Lebanon. Through heartfelt messages, his comrades reaffirmed their commitment to his vision of a free, independent, and prosperous nation.
Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel shared an emotional reflection, emphasizing the personal and national impact of his brother’s loss.
“This year feels different—a mix of sorrow over the tragedies of war and a sense that the country I’ve dreamed of is closer to becoming a reality,” Gemayel wrote on his X account. “But the hardest feeling remains that none of these emotions can compensate for the loss of my brother. Nothing can replace the life of a loving and joyful person, nor the void left by your absence from our family and my life.”
The Kataeb chief pledged to continue the fight for Lebanon’s sovereignty and the principles that his brother died defending.
As Lebanon commemorates its eighty-first Independence Day in the face of ongoing conflicts and external threats, the Lebanese military forces stand as a pillar of strength, defending the nation's sovereignty and protecting its citizens. Despite facing immense odds, the military remains steadfast in its commitment to upholding peace and stability across the country.
In that context, the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army, General Joseph Aoun, asserted on Thursday that “the army remains deployed in the South, where soldiers continue to make sacrifices and lay down their lives for Lebanon.”
“The army will not abandon this region, as it is an integral part of national sovereignty. It operates in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) under the framework of Resolution 1701. Standing alongside its people and fulfilling its national duty, the army continues to carry out its missions despite the challenges and dangers,” J.Aoun added.
The commander-in-chief stated that “since the beginning of the displacement of our people from the South, the military institution has coordinated with state agencies to support the displaced, particularly the families of servicemen, while friendly and brotherly nations, as well as many Lebanese supporters, have stepped in to extend a helping hand.”
The chief-of-staff of the 1st Infantry Golani Brigade, of the Israeli occupation forces, was wounded after being confronted by Hezbollah Resistance fighters in a village in South Lebanon, on Wednesday morning.
The Israeli military command said that Colonel Yoav Yarom was injured in a close-quarters gun battle in a Lebanese village. Yarom had entered an archeological site in a Lebanese village alongside a former officer and geological researcher in southern Lebanon.
According to Israeli media outlets, the researcher, Zeev Erlich, 71, had requested to visit an unnamed archaeological site in an area in southern Lebanon. However, Yarom, Erlich, and a number of Golani troops were ambushed by two Hezbollah fighters inside the archeological site.
Erlich's entry into southern Lebanon had not been authorized by the Israeli military command and the wounded senior officer is currently under investigation for accompanying Erlich into the site.
https://english.almayadeen.net/news/politics/senior-golani-commander-injured-in-hezbollah-ambush
Iraq’s Islamic Resistance continued its path of resistance against occupation, support for Gaza and response to the massacres committed by the occupation entity against Palestinian civilians—children, women, and the elderly.
Fighters of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq attacked a military target in northern occupied territories on the evening of Tuesday, November 19, 2024, using drones, according to a statement issued by the group.
Another statement announced that the Islamic Resistance in Iraq attacked a military target in southern occupied territories.
The Islamic Resistance continued on Wednesday confronting the Israeli incursion lines in several towns in South Lebanon, inflicting heavy losses upon the enemy troops.
Israeli media outlets acknowledged the deaths of 5 soldiers in Hezbollah fighters’ attacks on the gatherings of the occupation forces in South Lebanon.
Zionist media reported that the commander of Golani Brigade, Colonel Yoav Yarom, was moderately injured after Hezbollah fighters opened fire at him in southern Lebanon.
The National News Agency reported on Wednesday that heavy fighting erupted as Israeli forces attempted to advance along the Tayr Harfa-Majdal Zoun axis and the Ain ez Zarqa axis, heading toward Chamaa and Biyyadah in South Lebanon.
Following U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein's visit to Beirut, the Israeli newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth published a ceasefire draft agreement discussed in Lebanon.
If an agreement is reached, the army will have difficulty dismantling Hezbollah’s arsenal without its consent.
Hezbollah said it fired guided missiles Tuesday night at Israeli forces as they attempted to evacuate wounded soldiers in southern Lebanon.
In a statement, the pro-Iranian movement said it wounded Israeli soldiers in a guided missile attack in the border town of Markaba before firing a second at an infantry unit that came to remove the wounded.
Hezbollah said it then targeted with another guided missile "a third infantry unit" that came to "try to recover the dead and wounded."
A war monitor said Israeli strikes on central Syria's Palmyra on Wednesday killed four pro-Iran fighters, while Syrian state media reported an unspecified number of wounded in the attack.
"Four non-Syrian fighters from pro-Iran groups were killed and six others including civilians were wounded in a provisional toll of the Israeli strikes" on Palmyra, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
The strikes targeted "a warehouse in the industrial area and a restaurant and buildings near the ancient city of Palmyra", the Britain-based Observatory added.
State news agency SANA said an "Israeli attack... targeted residential buildings and the industrial area" of the city, renowned for its ancient ruins.
State television reported unspecified "wounded due to the Israeli attack that targeted the city of Palmyra".
Hochstein assured the incoming administration would be fully briefed on the negotiations, reiterating President Joe Biden's commitment to an orderly power transfer.
Hezbollah said its chief Sheikh Naim Qassem would give a speech Wednesday, a day after cancelling a similar announcement and with U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut seeking an end to the Israel-Hezbollah war.
A statement from the Iran-backed group announced the speech by Qassem would be "today", without specifying a time.
https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/309319-hezbollah-says-chief-naim-qassem-to-give-speech-today
The U.N. peacekeeping chief says diplomatic efforts toward a cease-fire in Lebanon are “encouraging,” and that the United Nations is working on the role its peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon could play after the Israel-Hezbollah war ends.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix, who just returned from Lebanon and Israel, told reporters Tuesday that the U.N. is proceeding on the basis that Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war, will remain the framework for a settlement .
Key will be the resolution’s demand for Lebanon’s armed forces to deploy throughout the south to assert the country’s sovereignty, Lacroix said.
The resolution calls for U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, to support the implementation of the resolution’s provisions, and Lacroix says he stressed the importance of “genuine political will” to achieve that.
Hezbollah published footage showcasing its targeted attacks on the "Tel Haim" and "Beit Lid" military bases in Israel.
In these talks, they discussed various ideas and proposals aimed at strengthening Lebanon's rights. The role of the Lebanese army, which is heavily relied upon after the ceasefire, was also a key point of the discussion.
The Lebanese Army announced Wednesday that one soldier has succumbed to injuries sustained during an Israeli attack on a military vehicle on the Borj al-Molouk - al-Qlayleh road in southern Lebanon.
In a statement posted on X, the army confirmed the soldier’s martyrdom, following an earlier report that two personnel had been wounded in the attack.
Tuesday evening saw flares and fierce attacks on the Marjayoun plain, as well as thermal balloon launches from Israeli aircraft flying low over the region.
Hezbollah and Israeli troops engaged in fierce fighting on Tuesday night along the Shamaa-Bayada axis as the latter sought to move into this area and avoid Bayada in order to encircle Naqoura. Hezbollah wrecked a Merkava tank and launched rockets against Israeli soldiers in an effort to thwart this tactic.
In Tyre, the town of Jwaya was the target of a series of Israeli raids targeting several residential buildings.
Also on Tuesday evening, Israeli warplanes struck homes in the village of Yohmor el-Shaqif and the Iqlim al-Touffah area of Khiam, Debbine, Aintata, Zawtar al-Sharqiya and Mayfadoun. Several casualties were reported.
In Sarafand, three Lebanese soldiers died after an attack on the Military Intelligence Authority and Northern Command center. Moreover, 17 people (civilians) were wounded.
For its part, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack on Israeli infantry forces in Hounin, using a guided missile. Soldiers were also targeted in Marj (near Wadi Hounin). Several drones launched from Lebanon crashed in the Western Galilee, causing no casualties. Alarm sirens also sounded in Acre and Haifa, as well as in other towns in northern Israel, after drones were detected.
https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/articles/1301693/laf-casualties-following-israeli-attacks
On Wednesday, the Lebanese army confirmed that Israeli forces targeted an army vehicle on the Borj El Mlouk–Qlayaa road in southern Lebanon, resulting in two soldiers sustaining moderate injuries.
Developments continue in the western sector of southern Lebanon, with a video showing an Israeli military vehicle navigating a neighborhood in Tayr Harfa. Several houses in the area appear visibly damaged.
Speaking from Ain al-Tineh, Hochstein struck an optimistic tone: "The meeting was very constructive and very helpful. I came back because we have a real opportunity to bring this conflict to an end. This is a moment of decision-making. I'm here in Beirut to facilitate that decision, but it's ultimately the decision of the parties to reach a conclusion to this conflict. It is now within our grasp. So, as the window is now, I hope the coming days yield a resolute decision."
As Israel intensified its assault on Lebanon, particularly Beirut, the Ministry of Public Health reported that Monday's airstrikes killed 28 and injured 107.
The cumulative toll since the start of the conflict has now reached 3,544 dead and 15,036 injured, according to the ministry's daily update.
With much apprehension mixed with shy hope, the Lebanese are closely following the visit of US envoy Amos Hochstein who will be relaying Lebanon’s response to Israel regarding a ceasefire proposal.
Lebanon announced that Hezbollah has agreed to the US proposal, though it made certain comments, stressing that UN Resolution 1701 should be the base of any ceasefire agreement.
However, details of the proposal remained unclear after it was delivered last week by the US ambassador to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been commissioned by Hezbollah to negotiate.
But despite somehow optimist vibes circulated by Lebanese officials, there are major sticking points that remain to be resolved, making an imminent ceasefire deal unlikely.
Among the hitches being debated is the idea of a Western-led committee that the US wants to create to oversee the strict implementation of UN Resolution 1701.
According to an informed source, the existing tripartite committee established within the framework of resolution 1701 and which groups UNIFIL and representatives from the Lebanese and Israeli armies, could be enlarged to guarantee a reinforced observation of the resolution’s implementation.
“This is one of the points under discussion,” the source told This is Beirut. “Exploring if it is possible, within the framework of 1701 and under the tripartite committee’s prerogatives, to invite additional observers, one French and one American, in order to give additional guarantees to the two parties, and this without going back to the Security Council.”
According to a source close to Hezbollah, the inclusion of US and French representatives in the observation committee is plausible. Veto is placed only on the Germans and the British.
“Hezbollah accepted resolution 1701 and is ready to implement it literally and right away, including the withdrawal of its fighters and weapons north of the Litani River” which is about 30 km from the border with Israel.
“There is a strong possibility of reaching a ceasefire and stopping the aggression, but that is linked to the Israeli position and the field developments. If Israel feels that it is no longer able to advance and to accomplish military gains, it would accept an end to the war,” the source said, speaking to This is Beirut on condition of anonymity.
“Hezbollah is still able to resist and it is capable of challenging Israel and launching missiles deep into Israeli territory and at Tel Aviv, and won't bow to Israeli conditions,” the source added, implying that ceasefire negotiations are yet to yield a positive result.
Another major glitch in the negotiations is Israel’s demand for the right to act inside Lebanon if there is any violation of the agreement, in addition to having international surveillance of the land border with Syria, the airport and port in order to prevent any possible transfer of weapons to Hezbollah.
Retired army General Naji Malaeb stresses that “this is a non-starter,” adding, “It is unacceptable that any ceasefire deal encroaches on national sovereignty.”
As the indirect talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Lebanon are underway on Tuesday, Hezbollah went ahead to record epic battles and game-changing missile strikes against the Zionist entity, sending clear message that the fire is met with fire and that the battlefield has the final say.
The Lebanese resistance group shot down a new Israeli drone on Tuesday, as it struck the occupied Israeli cities of Tel Aviv, Safed and Karmiel and kept up its rocket attacks against Israeli forces across the border between Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories.
Israeli occupation army announced on Tuesday the death of a soldier and the injury of three others. It noted that the four were from Golani Brigade and that they were hit by an explosive-laden drone launched by Hezbollah during a logistics supply operation in southern Lebanon.
Meanwhile on Tuesday, Israeli media reported at least five casualties, one in Karmiel and the other four in the Zionist entity’s center, without giving the exact location.
Tuesday’s operations came a day after Hezbollah staged a missile strike targeting Ramat Gan, near Tel Aviv, inflicting heavy damage in the central city.
Operations
Hezbollah’s Military Media announced 19 operations so far on Tuesday, stressing that they are “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, and in backing their honorable and valiant resistance, and in defense of Lebanon and its people.”
The first statement mentioned that the Islamic Resistance fighters downed an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over the Lebanese border town of Taybe at 10:00 PM on Monday. It added that the fighters shot down the UAV employing a surface-to-air missile and that it was seen bursting into flames while falling.
At 12:15 AM on Tuesday, Hezbollah fighters fired a barrage of rockets targeting the Israeli settlement of Kiryat Shmona, according to the second statement.
Sgt.-Maj. (res.) Omer Moshe Gaeldor was fatally wounded while fighting in south Lebanon, the IDF announced on Tuesday.
Sgt.-Maj. Gaeldor (30), from Jerusalem, served in the 5111 Battalion in the Golani Brigade.
Gaeldor and three others were seriously injured by a drone attack about two kilometers from the border while they were engaged in security operations early on Tuesday morning.
https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-829831
In the same statement, the group claimed responsibility for striking the Glilot military base, located 110 kilometers from the border in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Tuesday told visiting U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein that “the government’s priority is reaching a ceasefire, ending the aggression against Lebanon and preserving Lebanese sovereignty across all Lebanese territory.”
“Anything that achieves this objective has the priority,” Mikati added.
“The government’s main concern is the swift return of the displaced to their villages and towns and the halt of the Israeli genocidal war and the absurd destruction of Lebanese towns,” the premier said.
He also emphasized “the implementation of the clear U.N. resolutions and the strengthening of the army’s authority in the south.”
https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/309306-mikati-urges-end-to-genocidal-war-in-talks-with-hochstein
The National News Agency (NNA) reported on Tuesday that Israeli forces have shelled the outskirts of Zibqin, Qlaileh , and Majdal Zoun using phosphorus munitions.
Hezbollah said it launched missiles at a military intelligence base near Tel Aviv on Tuesday and attacked Israeli troops near four south Lebanon villages as a U.S. envoy visited Beirut for ceasefire talks.
Hezbollah statements said its fighters fired "a salvo of missiles" at the Glilot military base in the Tel Aviv suburbs, as well as targeted Israeli troops in four locations including near the Lebanese flashpoint village of Khiam, as U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein held talks in Beirut seeking an end to the war.
Lebanon has been firmly standing against the Israeli conditions during talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire. The Israeli enemy has been escalating its attacks in the latest days with at least 3 strikes targeting the capital Beirut on Sunday and Monday, in attacks that described by observers as a direct message of pressure and negotiations that are under fire.
The latest strike on Beirut was on Monday evening, when an aerial attack targeted a center for humanitarian aids in a densely populated residential area, killing at least five people, including a mayor and his assistant, and injuring many others.
In a new push for a ceasefire between Lebanon and the Zionist entity, US envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut on Tuesday, a day after Lebanon handed its response to the US ceasefire proposal. Hochstein met with Lebanese officials including Speaker Nabih Berri, caretaker PM Najib Mikati and Army Commander Joseph Aoun.
Hezbollah swiftly announced the postponement of its chief Sheikh Naim Qassem's speech after saying in a previous statement that he would give a speech on Tuesday.
The statement and the postponement came as U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein visited Beirut seeking an end to the Israel-Hezbollah war.
Qassem will speak "today", a statement from Hezbollah said, without specifying a time, before later announcing that it was postponed, as Hochstein told a Beirut press conference that "a real opportunity" to end the almost two-month-long war was "within our grasp."
Shortly after announcing it would take place, Hezbollah said Qassem's speech "has been postponed to a date to be determined later."
Sources told Al-Arabiya television that Qassem’s speech was postponed because a meeting between Speaker Nabih Berri and Hochstein was "not up to expectations."
https://www.naharnet.com/stories/en/309305-hezbollah-announces-then-postpones-speech-by-qassem
Saudi Ambassador Walid Bukhari emphasized on Tuesday the urgency of electing a president for Lebanon, describing it as “the key to all solutions at every level.”
During a visit to Maronite Patriarch Bechara Rai in Bkerke, Bukhari commended the Patriarch’s position and role in Lebanon’s domestic affairs.
He particularly praised the declaration issued after the Christian-Islamic spiritual summit held at the Patriarchate on October 16, calling it an “exceptional” initiative with a positive impact on the Lebanese political scene.
Ambassador Bukhari also reiterated Saudi Arabia’s unwavering support for Lebanon, assuring Patriarch Rai that the Kingdom remains committed to standing by Lebanon’s side.
He shared with the Archbishop the outcomes of the latest meeting of the Quintet Ambassadors—representing Saudi Arabia, Qatar, France, the United States and Egypt—which focused on Lebanon's presidential election issue.
According to a statement posted on X by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee, Israeli Air Force jets targeted and killed Ali Tawfiq Dweiq, the commander of Hezbollah's medium-range rocket array in Kfarjoz, southern Lebanon.