Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan announced that the resolution of the political process in Lebanon is the responsibility of the Lebanese people, not Saudi Arabia or external powers.
This is the first time the Israeli army has called for a refugee camp to evacuate.
"But where will the Palestinians go?" asks Nehru, a resident of the Rashidieh refugee camp near Sour in southern Lebanon. This morning, residents of the camp were ordered by the Israeli army to evacuate before potential strikes on "Hezbollah targets," sparking panic and confusion within the camp, reports our correspondent in the south.
Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry announced Thursday in a statement that the Lebanese delegation to UNESCO has been making contacts to protect Lebanese historic sites, which have been exposed to Israeli bombings for several days.
More martyrs fall and many others are being injured as the Israeli enemy goes ahead with its aggression on Lebanon for the 39th consecutive day.
The brutal attacks spared neither paramedics nor Lebanese Army personnel, as Thursday’s strikes targeted towns across Bekaa and southern Lebanon.
In Bekaa, an overnight strike on Suhmor killed 9 people and injured 12 others. Another strike on the Western Bekaa town on Thursday killed 3 people and wounded 3 others.
Strikes on Bednayel and Slaibi Farm in Baalbek killed 19 people, Lebanese Health Ministry announced.
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea has said that tensions between Lebanese displaced by the Israel-Hezbollah war and hosting communities might lead to “instability” but not to a “civil war,” adding that the Lebanese parties do not want such a conflict.
“They say that it takes two to tango. I don’t see two components or more in Lebanon who want a civil war tango dance. There is no doubt that people are in constant fear of being entangled in airstrikes targeting Hezbollah members hiding among civilians. We must try to lower the risks at the level of each one of us,” Geagea added, in an interview with Italy’s Il Sole 24 Ore newspaper.
As for Hezbollah becoming solely a political party after the war, Geagea said: “Hezbollah has a major popular base among the Shiite community in Lebanon and we respect this reality, that’s why it can easily continue to function as a political party.”
https://naharnet.com/stories/en/308990-geagea-says-tensions-with-displaced-won-t-lead-to-civil-war
Five people were killed and one seriously injured in a Hezbollah rocket strike Thursday near the Israeli settlement of Metula in the vicinity of Lebanon’s border, Israeli reports said.
According to Israel’s Channel 12, one of those killed was an Israeli citizen while the other four were foreign nationals.
The rocket fired from Lebanon hit an agricultural area close to the northern border town.
While it may sound hyperbolic, the Israeli military is only truly prepared to commit high-tech civilian massacres and cannot confront any well-prepared foes. The Zionist regime’s history of asymmetric warfare lulled it into a false sense of security that supplemented their racist worldview, proving catastrophic for them in today's multi-front war.
In order to understand the Israeli military and how it fights, we first have to understand the society that shapes its soldiers. All Israelis are indoctrinated from a young age with a supremacist ideology through their school system and are geared toward military service from the moment they exit the womb. They believe their army to be “the most moral” on earth, while also believing in the concept of their own supremacy over others.
Any discussion on the Zionist armed forces must begin with recognizing who the Israeli public are because when every one of them finishes high school, they are required to do a 2-3-year stint of mandatory service, which is often followed by reserve service for some time. While there are the likes of the Ultra-Orthodox (Haredim) who do not serve due to religious reasons and liberal Israelis who often use mental health issues as an excuse, most are drafted into some section of the military.
The Public Health Emergency Operations Center of the Health Ministry reported that an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle belonging to the Al-Risala Health Ambulance Association in the town of Zefta resulted in the killing of a paramedic, injuries to two others, and the vehicle catching fire.
A Lebanese security source said one person was killed Thursday by an Israeli strike on a road where a Hezbollah van carrying munitions was hit the previous day.
The drone strike hit the Araya-Kahhale road which links the capital Beirut to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, said the source, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
It targeted a Mercedes vehicle, killing the driver, the source said, without identifying the victim.
The official National News Agency said a "hostile drone" targeted the car on the key road that passes through the town of Araya.
On Wednesday, an Israeli strike hit a Hezbollah van carrying munitions on the same highway, according to the security source, who said the attack killed the driver.
The same day, municipal authorities in Araya and Kahhale called on the Lebanese Army to "intervene immediately" to to stop the road being used to transport weapons or fighters.
The seemingly targeted strikes have grown in frequency since the Israel-Hezbollah war erupted on September 23.
https://naharnet.com/stories/en/308985-1-dead-in-new-israeli-strike-on-car-in-araya
The United States on Tuesday offered a $5 million reward for information about a 1994 plane bombing in Panama blamed on Lebanon's Hezbollah that killed 21 people.
Alas Chiricanas Flight 901 exploded midair after taking off from an airport in the Caribbean province of Colon.
All those onboard -- mostly members of the Central American nation's Jewish community -- were killed, including three Americans.
"The U.S. Office of the Director of National Intelligence has assessed that Hezbollah was responsible for the bombing of AC 901," a statement released by the U.S. State Department and Washington's embassy in Panama said.
"Following the attack, an individual by the name of Ali Hawa Jamal, who also died in the bombing, was identified as the suspect who carried the bomb aboard the aircraft," it said.
The offer was welcomed by relatives of the victims.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi hosted the Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) William Burns in Cairo on Thursday to discuss regional developments, including de-escalation in the Gaza Strip and the situation in Lebanon.
The head of the General Intelligence Services in Egypt, Hassan Rashad, also attended the meeting.
El-Sisi and Burns explored ways to facilitate negotiations regarding Gaza to achieve a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange agreement, as well as the dire need for immediate and unrestricted humanitarian access, which is the country's top priority given the exceedingly deteriorating humanitarian conditions in the Strip.
In a series of operations against Israeli occupation targets, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched drone strikes against sites in the occupied Golan Heights and northern Palestine. The attacks, carried out over the course of a single night, represent the group’s ongoing efforts to resist the Israeli occupation and show solidarity with the people of Palestine and Lebanon.
The first strike, conducted around 4:42 am, targeted a vital location in the northern occupied territories near the city of Tiberius. Later, at 4:08 am, the Islamic Resistance in Iraq announced responsibility for another operation against a site in northern occupied Palestine.
Negotiations for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah have made significant progress in the last 24 hours but the Biden administration hasn't reached a final agreement with either Israel or Lebanon, two U.S. officials with direct knowledge of the issue told U.S. news portal Axios.
A U.S. official said Biden adviser Amos Hochstein's mediation trip to Beirut last week made progress towards a deal, especially around Hezbollah's willingness to cut a deal with Israel separate from the war in Gaza.
The U.S. official said that since Hochstein returned intense negotiations with both Israel and Lebanon made more progress.
"We are still negotiating but enough progress was made in the last 24 hours that justified President Biden sending Hochstein to Israel," the U.S. official said.
Hochstein traveled to Israel on Wednesday with the White House Middle East adviser Brett McGurk. Before leaving, Hochstein spoke to caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Mikati said in an interview on Al-Jadeed television that Hochstein told him "the situation today is better than yesterday."
"We hope that within hours or in the coming days there will be a ceasefire. We hope to see Hochstein in Beirut by the end of the week," Mikati said.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides said after a meeting with Biden at the White House on Wednesday that he thinks a ceasefire deal in Lebanon can be reached "within a week or two weeks."
Israel's public broadcaster Kan published on Wednesday a draft of the ceasefire agreement dated Oct. 26.
The draft agreement includes a commitment by both Israel and the Lebanese government to take steps towards full implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 that ended the 2006 war in Lebanon.
The Israeli army is making advances from the eastern outskirts of Khiam, employing various types of weapons, including machine guns, artillery shells, and airstrikes.
The Israeli army increased the intensity of its targeted attacks on Lebanon on Thursday.
In the morning an Israeli airstrike targeted a vehicle on the Kahaleh – Araya road killing two people and wounding another. This is the second time that this road is targeted in as many days. An Israeli drone also targeted a motorcycle in Qaraoun, Western Bekaa, killing one individual
For his part, Israeli army spokesperson, Avichay Adrae, issued another evacuation warning to residents of several towns in the south to evacuate and move to the north of the Litani River.
The towns include: Al-Hosh, Al-Bazouriyeh, Rashidiyeh Camp, Al-Burjliyeh, Bustayyeh, Al-Hamiri, Arzey, Matariyeh al-Shawmar, Khirbet Kharayeb, and Ansar.
On the other hand, clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces continue to escalate, resulting in numerous casualties across Lebanon.
Israeli warplanes launched two air raids on Sahmar and Buday, Baalbek, killing four people and injuring others.
In South Lebanon, an airstrike in Deir Al-Zahrani destroyed a home, killing three of its residents. Rescue operations to remove debris are ongoing. Heavy clashes were also reported in Khiam, where Israeli troops attempted to advance eastward using machine guns, artillery, and airstrikes, while booby-trapping operations were reported in Wadi al-Asafir.
Intense airstrikes at dawn struck Al-Bazouriya, Al-Sawaneh, Majdal Selm, and Tyre’s Al-Zira’a neighborhood, killing a child, Mohammad Srour, and injuring five others. In Al-Barghaliya, Civil Defense teams discovered the body of a civilian killed in an earlier strike. Israeli forces fired machine guns at forests near Ramia, Aita al-Shaab, and Naqoura while reconnaissance aircraft monitored Blue Line villages from Tyre to the coast. Israeli warplanes also struck Jbaa’s Municipal building in Iqlim al-Tuffah.
Israeli artillery hit Khiam, Shebaa, Jabshit, and areas near Al-Qulayaa and Burj Al-Malouk, where shrapnel landed close to inhabited homes, sparking civilian fears. Offshore, Israeli battleships shelled targets in Tyre, igniting fires due to oxygen bottle explosions. Kafr Hunah in the Jezzine district was also bombed, with explosions audible as far as Sidon. Additionally, Israeli forces reportedly destroyed a mosque in Al-Bustan and multiple homes in Dhaira.
UNIFIL Impact
UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti reported that peacekeeping forces stationed in the South Litani area faced over 50 attacks in October, including seven deliberate strikes from Israel, emphasizing the conflict’s intensity.
https://thisisbeirut.com.lb/articles/1300143/israel-increases-its-targeted-attacks-in-lebanon
In his first address as Hezbollah’s Secretary-General on Wednesday, Naim Qassem stated that the "ongoing diplomatic efforts" to end the war in Lebanon would not succeed. “The U.S. election will be a turning point,” he suggested.
Hezbollah, Hamas resilient but ready to study ceasefire proposals as Israel pummels Gaza, Lebanon - as it happened.
23:00 Egyptian sources told Al-Ahram Weekly that US Intelligence Chief William Burns is expected to arrive in Cairo to hold a new round of talks to reach a truce in Gaza.
Burns' visit would come three days after his stop in Doha for another round of talks with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Israeli and Egyptian security officials.
Early this week, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi unveiled on Sunday an Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire in Gaza for two days in which four Israeli captives are exchanged for several Palestinian prisoners.
https://english.ahram.org.eg/News/534383.aspx
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s prime minister said US envoy Amos Hochstein had signalled during a phone call Wednesday that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war was possible before US elections are held on November 5.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein had signalled during a phone call Wednesday that a ceasefire in the Israel-Hezbollah war was possible before U.S. elections are held on November 5.
"The call today with Hochstein suggested to me that perhaps we could reach a ceasefire in the coming days, before the fifth" of November, Mikati said in a televised interview with Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed.
Hochstein was heading to Israel on Wednesday to discuss conditions for a ceasefire with Hezbollah, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.
Hezbollah's new leader Sheikh Naim Qassem on Wednesday said the group would agree to a ceasefire with Israel under acceptable terms, but added that a viable deal has yet to be presented.
"We are doing our best... to have a ceasefire within the coming hours or days," Mikati told Al-Jadeed, adding that he was "cautiously optimistic.".l
Mikati said Hezbollah is no longer linking a ceasefire in Lebanon to a truce in Gaza, but criticized the group over its "late" reversal.
Previously, Hezbollah had repeatedly declared it would stop its attacks on Israel only if a ceasefire was reached in Gaza.
However, Qassem on Wednesday said the group would accept a ceasefire under conditions deemed "appropriate and suitable," without any mention of the Palestinian territory.
Mikati said a ceasefire would be linked to the implementation of the United Nations resolution that ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Security Council Resolution 1701 states that only the Lebanese army and U.N. peacekeepers should be deployed in southern Lebanon, while demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territory.
https://naharnet.com/stories/en/308974-mikati-hopes-for-ceasefire-in-coming-hours-or-days
Lübnan Başbakanı Mikati, Lübnan'da yayın yapan El-Cedid televizyon kanalına yaptığı açıklamada, ABD Başkanı Joe Biden'ın Kıdemli Danışmanı Amos Hochstein ile yaptığı telefon görüşmesinden sonra ateşkes için umutlu olduğunu kaydetti.
"Telefon görüşmesinden önce 5 Kasım tarihi öncesinde bir ateşkesin olabileceğini beklemiyordum." diyen Mikati, Hochstein'in kendisine söylediklerinden sonra önümüzdeki günler ya da saatlerde ateşkesin olabileceğinden umutlu olduğunu dile getirdi.
Hochstein'in Beyrut'a yaptığı son ziyarette kendisiyle Lübnan Meclis Başkanı Nebih Berri arasında "gizli" kalan bir öneri getirdiğini kaydeden Mikati, "Litani'nin güneyinde Lübnan'ın meşruiyeti dışında hiçbir silah bulunmamalı." ifadesini kullanarak buradan Hizbullah’ın silahlı unsurlarının çekilmesi gerektiği imasında bulundu.
Mikati, bu çerçevede Lübnan ordusunun görevini yerine getirebilmesi için teçhizata ihtiyacı olduğunu kaydetti.
This is the full draft of the agreement that is being formed between Israel and Lebanon:
Hezbollah announced on Wednesday that it targeted a gathering of more than twelve Israeli soldiers with a guided missile between the towns of Kfarkela and Deir Mimas in southern Lebanon.
New Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem vowed on Wednesday that the so-called “absolute victory” which Israeli Prime Minister promises will turn out to be an “absolute defeat” to Israelis.
In his first televised address after his election as a secretary general after martyrdom of former S.G. Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, Sheikh Qassem said that Hezbollah is fully ready for a long war, affirming that the Lebanese resistance group will emerge victorious and more powerful after the war.
His eminence described the resistance in Gaza and Lebanon as epic, as he stressed that Hezbollah will never beg for a settlement and that the war will end according to the resistance’s terms.
“The Israeli enemy won’t be able to impose its conditions,” Sheikh Qassem said via Al-Manar.
He said that following the blows Hezbollah has suffered since the pager attacks on September 17, and then the assassination of its senior leaders including former Secretary General Sayyed Hasan Nasrallah, the resistance managed to rise and recover.
Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has reaffirmed his commitment to the ceasefire negotiations, emphasizing that the framework established with U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein remains intact.
“What is written is written, and we are not ready to change even a single letter in UNSC Resolution 1701,” Berri told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper, reiterating that the U.S. mediator did not mention the enforcement of Resolution 1559 or replacing the existing UNIFIL forces in southern Lebanon with multinational forces to support the Lebanese Army in its implementation.
As Lebanon’s official circles closely monitor Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's potential response to President Joe Biden's initiative for a ceasefire in southern Lebanon, Berri highlighted the importance of maintaining the terms agreed upon with Hochstein, which include a cessation of hostilities and the deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south as a precursor to the implementation of UN Resolution 1701.
Berri indicated that he had finalized all necessary points related to the ceasefire, stating, “We await him [Hochstein] to come to an agreement with Netanyahu on what we have accomplished together.”
The House speaker refuted any claims suggesting that amendments to the resolution had been proposed, urging that guarantees must be provided for its implementation within a mutually agreed timeframe.
"Lebanon is ready to commit to Resolution 1701 at any moment, starting now, if Hochstein reaches an agreement with Netanyahu on what we have achieved."
Nearly a month on the Israeli ground offensive on south Lebanon, a new Israeli infiltration attempt into the Lebanese border town of Khiam has failed as Hezbollah fighters valiantly confronted the invading forces. Moreover, the Islamic Resistance fighters, and despite the massive Israeli raids, went ahead with precise strikes that employed both missiles and assault drones.
Hezbollah Military Media declared several operations on Wednesday, stressing that the strikes are “in support of our steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and backing their courageous and honorable Resistance, and in defense of Lebanon and its people.”
Israeli gatherings near Khiam town were subjected to rocket attacks by the Islamic Resistance fighters, the first four statements mentioned, noting that two of the attack took place early on Wednesday in Al-Amra area, and Al-Ya’kousa area near the border town.
At 7:45 AM, Hezbollah fighters flew a swarm of assault drones that precisely hit Tirat Carmel Base, south of Haifa, the fifth statement read.
On Wednesday, Lebanese Culture Minister Mohammad Mortada urged the international community and UNESCO to prevent Israeli attacks on the historic Roman temple complex in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon.
"Israel" published evacuation order that spanned the entire city of Baalbek, forcing people to evacuate their houses quickly, as the IOF usually proceed to strike areas under its evacuation order in less than an hour.
"If there is still conscience in this world, let them prevent Israel from striking the temple complex in Baalbek, which represents a world cultural treasure included in the UNESCO cultural heritage list."
Lebanese news agency NNA quoted the minister as saying this concerns "not only Lebanon but all of humanity."
The culture minister encouraged Lebanon's permanent representative to UNESCO in Paris to register concerns with the agency immediately and engage in required discussions to avert strikes on the Baalbek temple complex.
There have been no reports of injuries yet. Thousands have fled the city since the evacuation order was announced, about four hours before the strikes began.
The Israeli enemy continued its barbaric aggression on the various Lebanese regions, targeting residential buildings in the South and Bekaa, leaving dozens of martyrs and wounded among civilians.
In the details of the attacks, the Israeli warplanes launched violent raids early Wednesday, targeting the town of Khiam. The enemy warplanes also raided the outskirts of the town of Qabrikha, in the Marjeyoun district.
In Bint Jbeil district, the enemy aircraft launched raids on Tuesday evening on the towns of Shaqra, Hanin and Al-Tiri, while the towns of Kfardounin, Qalawieh, Kafra and Baraashit suffered similar air raids. This coincided with the enemy artillery shelling at the outskirts of the town of Rmeish through the Qatmon area.
In Tyre district, warplanes raided the towns of Majdal Zoun, Teir Harfa and Al-Jbein. Five people were injured in the raid on the town of Al-Bazourieh.
In Iqlim Al-Tuffah, at around 9:30 pm on Tuesday, a drone carried out a guided missile raid, targeting the valley of the town of Sarba.
The Kataeb Party's Aley department issued a statement condemning the military exploitation of the Aley International Highway, urging authorities to take immediate action to protect civilian lives.
In its statement, the Aley department highlighted the alarming trend of danger encroaching upon areas that should remain secure, warning that the use of the highway as a route for transporting weapons and military ammunition puts citizens at significant risk.
“Once again, danger is being drawn into areas that are supposed to be safe,” the statement noted.
The department firmly rejected the military utilization of this vital transportation artery, calling on the legitimate security forces and the Lebanese Army to establish checkpoints along the road. It also emphasized the need to mobilize all available resources to prevent the recurrence of such hazardous activities.
The Kataeb Party also expressed support for the recent statements made by the municipalities of Kahhale and Araya, reinforcing their commitment to legitimate security forces.
Following recent Israeli drone strikes targeting munitions-vehicles in Araya and Aley, MP Elias Hankach expressed strong criticism of Hezbollah's ongoing reckless actions, blasting the group for placing the Lebanese in harm's way.
“If these munitions are meant to support Gaza, then Gaza has been devastated, and you’ve done nothing for it. If they are meant to distract the enemy, they are already preoccupied and well entrenched against us," Hankach wrote on his X account. "If these are meant to protect Lebanon, we appreciate it, but it’s certainly not you who are protecting us.”
Hankach further emphasized the precarious position of Lebanon amid escalating hostilities, arguing that Hezbollah's actions continue to expose Lebanese citizens to unnecessary danger.
“If you are doing anything, it’s exposing us to death in a war that you solely decided for us,” he said, highlighting the concerns of many Lebanese on their safety.