israel

Israel Army Calls on Hospitals, Aid Groups in North Gaza to Prepare for Evacuations

The Israeli military on Thursday said it had informed medical personnel and aid groups in northern Gaza to start making evacuation plans ahead of a military offensive to seize the area. Israeli military officials this week informed "medical officials and international organizations in the northern Gaza Strip... to prepare for the evacuation of ...

UN Experts Denounce Attacks on Syria's Druze

A panel of UN experts denounced Thursday what they described as an outbreak of massacres, sexual violence and kidnappings targeting the Druze minority in southern Syria in the past month. Fighting erupted in the Sweida region on July 13. Clashes between local Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin rapidly escalated, drawing in government forces and ...

UNIFIL Mandate Renewal Underway: Role Assessment and Downsizing

Deliberations are ongoing among the permanent members of the UN Security Council regarding the renewal of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) mandate for another year. However, the debates remain centered between the United States and Israel on one hand, and France on the other. According to French diplomatic sources, “the renewal of ...

Israeli Citizen Repatriated from Lebanon After Year in Detention

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Thursday the repatriation of an Israeli citizen who had been held in Lebanon for a year. Saleh Abu Hussein returned to Israel through the Naqoura border crossing, in a transfer coordinated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). The handover followed several ...

Zaki Conveys Arab League Support for Lebanese Sovereignty

President Joseph Aoun reaffirmed, on Thursday, to Arab League Deputy Secretary-General Ambassador Hossam Zaki Lebanon’s commitment to implementing the arms control resolution in a way that safeguards the interests of all Lebanese citizens. He emphasized the necessity for Israel to fulfill its obligations to create the conditions required for ...

Israel Strikes Gaza City After Offensive Gets Green Light

Israel struck Gaza City and its outskirts overnight, residents said Thursday, after the defense ministry approved an expanded offensive to target the remaining Hamas strongholds in the strip. The newly approved plan authorizes the call-up of roughly 60,000 reservists, deepening fears the campaign will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian ...

Israel Approves Major West Bank Settlement Project

Israel approved a major settlement project on Wednesday in an area of the West Bank that the international community has warned threatens the viability of a future Palestinian state. Israel has long had ambitions to build on the roughly 12-square-kilometre (five-square-mile) parcel known as E1 just east of Jerusalem, but the plan had been ...

Russia, Ukraine, Hezbollah: Drained by Endless Wars

Some wars drag on endlessly. Not because they are unsolvable, but because certain leaders have decided their political survival depends on keeping them alive. Two examples stand out today: the war in Ukraine and Hezbollah’s self-proclaimed “resistance” in Lebanon. Since February 2022, Moscow has clung to a military adventure ...

Israeli Drone Strikes Kills One in Deir Sirian

Tensions continued to escalate Thursday morning in southern Lebanon, where an Israeli drone strike targeted a motorcycle in the town of Deir Sirian, killing at least one person, according to preliminary reports. The raid followed several hours of heightened security tensions in southern Lebanon. Airstrikes struck the villages of Ain Baal and ...

Residents Protest Against UNIFIL Patrol in Deir Siryan

On Wednesday, residents of Deir Siryan, close to Hezbollah, protested after a Finnish UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) patrol reportedly entered private olive groves without being accompanied by the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF). The incident comes ahead of a vote on the extension of UNIFIL’s mandate, with the UN Security Council ...

Sweida at the Center of Damascus-Tel Aviv Talks in Paris

Syria and Israel resumed direct dialogue on Tuesday in Paris. Syrian Foreign Minister Assaad al-Chaibani met with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer to explore ways to stabilize southern Syria, which has been rocked by violent clashes in recent weeks. This marks the second direct meeting between the two countries in less than a ...

Macron Says Israel's Gaza Offensive Will Lead to 'Disaster'

French President Emmanuel Macron said Wednesday that Israel's "military offensive" to conquer Gaza City "can only lead to a complete disaster for both peoples," after Israel's defense minister authorized the call-up of around 60,000 reservists. Israel's plan "will drag the region into a permanent war," the French president posted on social media, ...