Hezbollah

Israel Cuts Bridge Over Litani River

Israel expanded its strikes in Lebanon on Friday, targeting multiple areas including a bridge over the Litani river that it said Hezbollah had been using as a passageway for its fighters. The raids came after Israel threatened to also carry out a ground operation to disarm Hezbollah if the Lebanese government does not do so. The Lebanon-based ...

Lebanon Plea: A Peace Initiative or a Lifeline for Hezbollah?

Lebanon’s call for direct negotiations with Israel and its pledge to disarm Hezbollah are being framed in Beirut as historic. But it may instead be a delayed response, too late to stop the war, too weak to change its course, and potentially giving Hezbollah room to maneuver. On Monday, President Joseph Aoun urged an immediate ceasefire and ...

Israeli Strike in Bourj Hammoud Kills One

For the first time since clashes between Israel and Hezbollah erupted following the killing of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Israeli forces carried out strikes in Burj Hammoud in the Metn District. At dawn on Friday, Israeli aircraft launched an airstrike on an apartment in the Nabaa–Burj Hammoud area near the Mirna Shalouhi ...

Will This War End Hezbollah?

After Israel’s war against Hezbollah ended in November 2024, many expected the group’s losses—including the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah—to weaken its influence in Lebanon. Hopes rose that the Lebanese state could reclaim sovereignty and extend its control across the country. Yet subsequent developments revealed that these ...

Strikes Kill 11 Iran-Backed Fighters Near Iraq-Syria Border, Capital: Officials

Air strikes killed at least 11 Iran-backed fighters in Iraq on Thursday near the Iraqi-Syrian border and in the capital Baghdad, senior security and armed faction officials told AFP. Iraqi authorities denounced the "blatant attacks" on bases that belong to the Hashed al-Shaabi, a former paramilitary group now integrated into the regular ...

War in the Middle East: Casualty Figures from Across the Region

Since the United States and Israel unleashed strikes on Iran on February 28, war has spread across the region and casualties have been reported in countries around the Middle East. AFP has not been able to independently verify all of the following tolls. The figures are based on numbers released by governments, militaries, health authorities and ...

Israel Renews Beirut Strikes as Netanyahu Vows Hard Line on Hezbollah

Israel renewed its strikes on Beirut on Thursday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warning that if the Lebanese government did not disarm Hezbollah, Israel would do the job "on the ground". "You are playing with fire," Benjamin Netanyahu said to Lebanese authorities during a press conference, as Israeli jets carried out three strikes on ...

Mojtaba Khamenei Issues First Message After Becoming Iran’s Supreme Leader

Iran’s newly appointed Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei delivered his first message to the Iranian public on Thursday, pledging continued confrontation with Iran’s adversaries while simultaneously signaling openness to improved relations with neighboring countries. In remarks broadcast by official channels, Khamenei said Iran had ...

Lebanon to Summon Iranian Diplomats After IRGC Claim of Joint Attack with Hezbollah

Information Minister Paul Morcos announced on Thursday that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam has instructed Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji to summon the necessary diplomats from the Iranian Embassy following a statement by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claiming a joint military operation with Hezbollah against Israel. Earlier Thursday, ...

UNIFIL Voices ‘Grave Concern’ Over Escalation Between Hezbollah and Israel

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) expressed “grave concern” on Thursday over the dangerous escalation of hostilities along the Blue Line overnight on Wednesday. In a press release, UNIFIL said it had observed “more than 120 projectiles fired from Lebanese territory into Israel, as well as seven Israeli ...

Israel Signals Possible Expansion of Military Operations in Lebanon

Israel’s defense minister said Thursday that the Israeli army has been instructed to prepare for a possible expansion of military operations in Lebanon, as cross-border fighting with Hezbollah intensifies. Defense Minister Israel Katz said he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had directed the military to prepare broader operations aimed ...

Lebanon Says 7 Killed in Israeli Strike on Central Beirut

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on central Beirut's seafront killed at least seven people early on Thursday, another attack in the heart of the capital as Iran-backed Hezbollah launched more missiles at Israel. The Israeli military said separately it had carried out strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs overnight against Hezbollah, which ...