Lebanon
🇱🇧 Hezbollah’s new leader, Sheikh Naim Qassem, asserted that only military action—not diplomacy—would end the conflict with Israel, though he opened a path for indirect talks via the Lebanese state if Israel ceases its attacks.
🇮🇱🇸🇾 Israel launched an airstrike targeting Hezbollah intelligence assets near Damascus, claiming it hit key infrastructure used by Hezbollah’s network in Syria. Syrian officials, however, stated that the strike damaged civilian sites south of Damascus.
🇮🇱 Israel claims successful strike on Hezbollah rocket commander Jaafar Faour in southern Lebanon, alleging he orchestrated multiple attacks since October. Armed group remains silent on commander’s reported death as cross-border tensions escalate.
🇱🇧 Israeli commandos raid Lebanon’s Batroun, capturing alleged senior Hezbollah operative in dramatic pre-dawn operation. PM Mikati demands UN action as CCTV footage shows armed forces leading away Lebanese citizen Imad Amhaz.
🇱🇧 Hezbollah rockets strike central Israel, wounding 11, as cross-border violence intensifies. Lebanon reports 52 dead from Israeli strikes in Baalbek region, while ceasefire hopes fade despite US diplomatic push in escalating conflict.
🇱🇧 Lebanon’s PM reveals potential breakthrough: Israel and Lebanon could strike a 60-day ceasefire deal within days, featuring Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory. Meanwhile, Israeli strikes on historic Baalbek kill 19 as conflict intensifies in the north.
🇮🇱 IDF confirms deaths of five soldiers: four killed in northern Gaza combat with one officer severely wounded, plus one fatality from Lebanon border fighting. Total Israeli military deaths since October 2023 now stands at 777.
🇱🇧 Hezbollah appoints Naim Qassem as new leader after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah last month. Israel’s defense minister issues ominous warning on X: “Temporary appointment. Not for long.” Qassem, 71, has been deputy chief since 1991.
🇮🇱 Israel blasts Lebanon’s major city Sidon with lethal strike, killing 5 civilians and wounding 13 more - an expansion of warfare that pushes the already inflamed Middle East closer to full-scale regional war.
🇱🇧 Three journalists were killed in Lebanon by an Israeli airstrike on a press guesthouse—a grave assault on press freedom that has ignited global condemnation and intensified demands for accountability amid escalating violence against reporters this year.
🇮🇱 IDF reports 5 soldiers killed, 7 wounded in fierce southern Lebanon combat, as border conflict with Hezbollah burns. Israel responds with increased bombing raids across Lebanese territory, targeting key militia leadership.
🌍 US and Israeli negotiators head to Doha for crucial Gaza ceasefire talks, as CIA’s Burns joins Mossad chief Barnea after Hamas leader Sinwar’s death. Qatar confirms recent meetings with Hamas political office, while Egypt pursues parallel diplomatic track.
🇱🇧 Hezbollah’s senior leader, Hashem Safieddine, widely seen as Hassan Nasrallah’s successor, was killed in an Israeli airstrike, the group confirmed. His death marks a significant blow to Hezbollah’s leadership amid escalating Israeli strikes targeting the group’s strongholds in Lebanon.
🇺🇸 U.S. Envoy Amos Hochstein warns Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah has spiraled “out of control,” urging the enforcement of U.N. Resolution 1701 to deescalate the crisis. With Israel’s offensive deepening the humanitarian disaster, Lebanon’s future hinges on diplomacy, not warfare.
🇱🇧 Beirut residents flee in panic as Israel launches strikes on Hezbollah-linked financial targets. Multiple explosions rock the capital, destroying buildings. Israel escalates attacks in Lebanon and Gaza, killing Hamas commanders and civilians. The brutal year-long conflict shows no signs of ending.