Israel

Mine Clearance in Lebanon: When Will Displaced Families Return South?

Haunted by thousands of landmines and unexploded ammunition, Lebanon faces a significant challenge: clearing a territory scarred by decades of conflict, the most recent being the 2024 war between Hezbollah and Israel. Triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Tel Aviv, the conflict spilled over into Lebanon under the banner of “unity of ...

Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire: Possible Extension

The ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, announced on November 27, 2024, is set to expire in four days. However, with the lack of enforcement thus far and the sluggish pace of implementation, an extension of the truce seems likely. Israeli forces continue to occupy dozens of villages in southern Lebanon, conducting raids and bombings, ...

Israeli Ceasefire Breaches Ahead of Withdrawal Deadline

As the January 27 deadline for the Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon approaches, the Israeli Army is still proceeding with its military operations, raising concerns over the fragile ceasefire agreement. On Thursday, Israeli forces reportedly detonated three houses in the town of Deir Mimas, near the al-Ezziyeh road in the Marjayoun caza. ...

Trump Reinstates the Houthi Designation as a "Foreign Terrorist Organization"

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order to once again designate Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis a "foreign terrorist organization," the White House announced Wednesday. When former president Joe Biden took over from Trump in 2021, he removed the designation that Trump had signed near the end of his first term. Biden's move came in ...

Lebanon: A Drone of a War!

The hum of Israeli drones continues to fill the skies over Beirut. What might induce fear in other places has become just another layer of the city’s already chaotic soundscape. Hardly anyone takes notice anymore. Yet, there’s a subtle shift in the air when the buzzing ceases—passersby exchange fleeting, anxious glances, as if the sudden ...

The Head Of US Diplomacy Pledges ‘Unwavering Support’ For Israel

The new head of US diplomacy, Marco Rubio, pledged ‘unwavering support’ for Israel in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the State Department said on Wednesday. Rubio spoke with Netanyahu to ‘underscore that continued unwavering US support for Israel is a top priority for President Donald Trump,’ State Department ...

Islamic Jihad Operative Killed by Israeli Military Amid Gaza Truce

The Israeli military said Wednesday that it killed an Islamic Jihad militant in southern Gaza, the first such reported death since the start of a ceasefire with Hamas in the Palestinian territory. In a statement, the military said Israeli troops in southern Gaza "identified several armed suspects who posed a threat" and "operated ...

Lebanese Army Deploys Partially in Selected Areas of South Lebanon

With just four days remaining until the end of the ceasefire agreement, Israeli violations persist as the Lebanese army deployment in the south continues. A Lebanese army patrol and a Civil Defense team repositioned on Wednesday in the towns of Hanine (Bint Jbeil) and Kfarchouba (Hasbaya). Meanwhile, Israeli forces infiltrated the village of ...

Israeli Chief Of Staff Resigns After ‘Failure Of 7 October'

Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi resigned on Tuesday, acknowledging his responsibility for the ‘failure’ to prevent a Palestinian Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, on the third day of a fragile ceasefire in Gaza. Following the entry into force on Sunday of the first phase of the truce, which led to the release of three Israeli hostages and 90 ...

Four Wounded in Tel Aviv Stabbing Attack, Assailant Killed

Four people were wounded in a stabbing attack on Tuesday in Tel Aviv while the attacker was killed, Israeli emergency service Magen David Adom said. The police said an initial investigation "revealed that a terrorist armed with a knife stabbed three civilians on Nahalat Binyamin Street and one civilian on Gruzenberg Street". Ichilov hospital in ...

It Is Time for Israeli-Lebanese Peace

A window for peace between Israel and Lebanon just unexpectedly opened. There was an old adage that "Lebanon will never be the first Arab state to make peace with Israel, but it won't be the last." Sadly, with Lebanese decisions dictated by the Assad family backed by Iran, that concept became obsolete. Since 1983, the Assads ensured that South ...

Qatar PM: Lasting Gaza Peace Requires "Good Faith" by Israel and Hamas

Qatar's prime minister said Tuesday that a lasting peace in Gaza would depend on Israel and Hamas acting in "good faith", days into a fragile truce in the Palestinian territory mediated by the Gulf state. "If they are embarking in this in good faith, this will last and hopefully will lead to phase two, will lead to a permanent ceasefire," Prime ...