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☆ Opinion: Unable to ‘win’ in Gaza, Israel sets its sights elsewhere
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Opinion Hussein Ibish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —An eerie relative calm has descended on the Middle East — Gaza obviously excluded — since a highly alarming exchange of missile, rocket and drone attacks by Israel and Iran in recent weeks. Now, the recent exchange of direct military attacks with Iran might have sealed Lebanon’s fate, unless team Biden can restrain Israel. On April 1, Israel struck an Iranian diplomatic facility in Damascus, killing a number of senior Iranian officials including Brig. As Israel’s forces moved south through Gaza, obliterating Hamas brigades with relative ease, its thinking relatively quickly turned north again. If this happens, a primary US goal regarding the Gaza war — conflict containment — would be shattered not by Washington’s adversaries, but ironically by its closest regional partner.

Persons: Hussein Ibish, Read, Biden, Israel, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, Haji Rahimi, Hossein Amirollah, Louai Beshara, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Charbel Mallo, Israel —, Joe Biden Organizations: Gulf States Institute, Israel, CNN, Biden, Hezbollah, Brig, Iran’s, Quds Force, Getty, Iranian, Israeli Locations: Washington, East, Gaza, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Iranian, Damascus, Brig, Syria, AFP, Tehran, United States, Kafr Kila, Lebanese

☆ Israel’s Claim of Killing ‘Half’ of Hezbollah Commanders in Southern Lebanon Draws Skepticism
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-25 | by ( Euan Ward | Hwaida Saad | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel’s defense minister has said that the country’s military has eliminated half of Hezbollah’s commanders in southern Lebanon. But analysts doubt whether Israel’s increasing use of targeted killings would weaken the militant group. “Half of the Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon have been eliminated,” Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, said during a visit on Wednesday to Israeli troops along the northern border with Lebanon. “The other half are in hiding,” he added, without providing a specific number or evidence of his claim. A Hezbollah official and a senior Lebanese intelligence official, both of whom spoke anonymously to discuss the sensitive subject, denied Mr. Gallant’s numbers on Thursday.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, ”, Israel’s Organizations: Hezbollah Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Lebanese

☆ Hezbollah Claims Drone Attack 10 Miles Inside Israel
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-23 | by ( Euan Ward | More About Euan Ward | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Tuesday claimed that it had made its deepest attack into Israel since October, striking with aerial drones north of the city of Acre and setting off sirens across the country’s northern coastline. In the latest strike, it said it had launched a drone attack on an Israeli military barracks roughly 10 miles from the Lebanese border. The Israeli military said that fighter jets had targeted “military structures” in the area where Hezbollah were operating, according to a statement. The drone attack in Israel came after targeted killings by Israel of two Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon, both of whom the Israeli military claimed were involved in Hezbollah’s aerial operations. Last week, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a drone and missile attack into northern Israel that left one soldier dead and 16 soldiers and two civilians injured, in one of the group’s most damaging attacks in Israel in recent months.

Persons: “, Hwaida Saad, Johnatan Reiss, Arijeta Lajka Organizations: Hezbollah, The New York Times Locations: Lebanese, Israel, Acre, Gaza, Hanin, Lebanon

A view across the demarcation into Metula, Israel as seen from the Lebanese side of the demarcation line. But a Lebanese source familiar with the matter ruled this out. Hezbollah may only be compelled to join an Iranian war effort if the strike leads to further escalation, the same Lebanese source said. It provided a glimpse of how Hezbollah might attempt to overwhelm Israel’s defensive systems as Iran conducts its expected attack. From one of Spain’s bases near the demarcation line, there is a clear view of a microcosm of Lebanon’s long-standing border issues with Israel.

Persons: Kafr, Lebanon CNN —, ”, Juan Garcia Martinez, Charbel Mallo, —, Mohammad Reza Zahidi, “, Ali Khamenei, Sina Toosi, Yemen’s Houthis, ” Nasrallah, Israel –, Mallo, CNN Hezbollah’s, Hector Alonso, CNN’s MJ Lee, Natasha Bertrand, Zeena Saifi, Oren Liebermann Organizations: Lebanon CNN, CNN, UN, United Nations, Iran’s, Center for International, Hezbollah, Spanish UNIFIL, Israel Locations: Kafr Kila, Lebanon, Galilee, Spanish, Israel, Metula, Lebanese, Iran, Damascus, UNIFIL, Iranian, Gaza, Ghajar, Syrian, al

☆ Opinion | Netanyahu Must Go
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-09 | by ( Bret Stephens | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Israel must destroy Hamas as a military and political force in the territory while minimizing harm to civilians. And for all of that to happen effectively, Benjamin Netanyahu must go. Why — to paraphrase Scarborough and his co-hosts — was Netanyahu asking Qatar to fund Hamas to the tune of hundreds of millions just weeks before the massacre? Why was the bulk of the Israeli military nowhere near Gaza in the first hours of the attack? When an Israeli minister is forced to humiliate himself on American TV because he can muster neither the sophistry nor the servility that a smoother answer would require, it’s a sign he’s in the wrong government.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Nir Barkat, Joe, ”, Joe Scarborough, Scarborough, —, Netanyahu, Barkat Locations: Gaza, Israel, Lebanon’s, Damascus, Hamas’s, Syria, Qatar, Iran, Jerusalem

☆ The Middle East on the brink again after attack on Iranian consulate
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Tamara Qiblawi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The attack on the Iranian consulate in Damascus on Monday may be the most dangerous escalation outside of Gaza since the start of the Hamas-Israel war nearly six months ago. The attack is the latest in a recent string of apparent Israeli strikes in Syria that targeted the IRGC and Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. Technically, Iran’s consulate is sovereign Iranian territory, making this the most overt attack on Iranian soil in years. Iran’s regional allies say they entered confrontations with Israel on behalf of Palestinians in Gaza, where over 32,000 people have been killed, according to local authorities. That may be an untenable position after today’s strike, which has again brought the region to the brink of an expanded war.

Persons: Israel, Mohammed Reza Zahedi, Mohammad Hadi Haji Rahimi, Lebanon —, Donald Trump, Soleimani, Ali Khamenei, ”, Mohammad Ali Shabani, “ Iran’s, Khamenei’s Organizations: CNN, Revolutionary Guards, Force Locations: Damascus, Gaza, Israel, Syria, Iran, Lebanese, Lebanon, Iran’s, Iranian, Baghdad, Washington

☆ Syria Blames Israel for Deadly Attack in Aleppo
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Gaya Gupta | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Israel’s military did not immediately comment on the strikes, but it has previously acknowledged carrying out hundreds of assaults on Iran-linked targets in Syria. Friday’s attack was at least the second deadly attack in Syria in less than a week. On Tuesday, airstrikes in eastern Syria killed several people. The Iranian state news media said that Israel was responsible, while the Syrian state news agency attributed it to American forces. The Tuesday strikes killed a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, according to Iranian state news media reports.

Persons: —, SANA, Ali Abdulhassan Naim, Yoav Gallant, “, ”, Firas Makdesi, Saleh al, Bashar al, Assad, al, Benjamin Netanyahu, Vladimir V, Putin, Israel, Johnatan Reiss Organizations: Syrian Observatory, Human Rights, —, Lebanese, Hezbollah, Reuters, United Nations, Pentagon, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, World Health Organization Locations: Syrian, Aleppo, Britain, Syria, Lebanese, Iran, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria’s, Israeli, Damascus, Beirut, United States, Russia

☆ In Hezbollah’s Sights, a Stretch of Northern Israel Becomes a No-Go Zone
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Isabel Kershner | Sergey Ponomarev | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

More than 60,000 Israelis who live far from Gaza but close to the front line of another spiraling conflict have in recent months been ordered from their homes along Israel’s northern border with Lebanon — the first mass evacuation of the area in Israeli history. In one Israeli border town, antitank missiles fired from Lebanon have damaged scores of homes. In another village, holdouts who refuse to evacuate said they avoided turning lights on at night to keep from becoming visible targets. The evacuations and an effort in Lebanon to move thousands of civilians away from the border are the result of an intensifying conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia and political organization. The skirmish along Israel’s northern border is being fought in parallel with the more intense war in Gaza, which Israel launched after Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack.

Persons: holdouts, Israel Organizations: Hezbollah, Lebanese Locations: Gaza, Lebanon, Israel

☆ Concern rising among Biden officials that Israel is planning incursion into Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

“We are operating in the assumption that an Israeli military operation is in the coming months,” one senior Biden administration official said. That deal would likely postpone an Israeli incursion, US officials believe. “Some Israeli officials suggest that it is more of an effort at creating a threat that they can utilize. A second senior Biden administration official said there are elements inside the Israeli government and military in favor of an incursion. Benjamin Netanyahu Ariel Tagar/USA Today“Once the war is over, his expiration date arrives,” the first senior administration official said.

Persons: Biden, ”, “, let’s, Let’s, ’, Israel, Herzi, Amos Hochstein, Amos Hochstein Michael Brochstein, Amos, Hochstein, Yoav Gallant, It’s, ” Gallant, Ziv, Jalaa Marey, Benjamin Netanyahu, Benjamin Netanyahu Ariel Tagar Organizations: CNN, Biden, “, Israel, US, Getty, Lebanese Armed Forces, United Nations, UNIFIL, Bibi Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Israeli, Gaza, “, Washington, The State, Beirut, Baalbek, Israel's, Safed, AFP, ” Israel, Golan

☆ Opinion: What Iran wants — and fears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Opinion Hussein Ibish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Iran has backed Hezbollah’s efforts to avoid an all-out war with Israel despite consistent Israeli escalation and threats. Hezbollah doesn’t want a war with Israel and Iran agrees. The potential for such US or Israeli airstrikes is among the most significant reasons Iran wants to avoid a broader conflict. Tehran has already restrained its Iraqi proxies, is working to help Hezbollah climb down and avoid a devastating Israeli attack. And Iran is probably urging the Houthis to take great care not to kill Americans or otherwise go too far.

Persons: Hussein Ibish, Read, Hussein Ibish It’s, Biden, Israel, Kataib, Saleh Al, Wissam, Amos Hochstein, Ebrahim Raisi, Shannon Stapleton, It’s Organizations: Gulf States Institute, Israel, CNN, Washington, Radwan Force, Iranian Locations: Washington, Iranian, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen, United States, Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Saudi, That’s, Israel, Jordan, Hezbollah’s, Beirut, Tehran, Yemeni, Suez, Strait, Hormuz, Bab, Mandab

BAGHDAD (AP) — A drone strike hit a car in the Iraqi capital Wednesday night, killing three members of the powerful Kataib Hezbollah militia including a high-ranking commander, militia officials said. The strike occurred on a main thoroughfare in the Mashtal neighborhood in eastern Baghdad. Two officials with Iranian-backed militias in Iraq said that one of those killed was Wissam Mohammed “Abu Bakr” al—Saadi, the commander in charge of Kataib Hezbollah’s operations in Syria. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to journalists. Photos You Should See View All 45 ImagesThere was no immediate comment from U.S. officials on Wednesday’s strike.

Persons: Wissam Mohammed “ Abu Bakr, al — Saadi, Kataib, Ali Jabar Organizations: U.S ., Iranian Revolutionary Guard, ___ Associated Press Locations: BAGHDAD, Mashtal, Baghdad, Iraq, Syria, Iranian, Jordan, U.S, Iran, Israel, Yemen, Ras Issa, Salif district, Hodeida province, ___

Israel and Hezbollah each have lessons from their last war, in 2006, a monthlong conflict that ended in a draw. A United Nations resolution ending the war called for withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon and a demilitarized zone on Lebanon's side of the border. Israeli political and military leaders have warned Hezbollah that war is increasingly probable unless the militants withdraw from the border. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah hasn't threatened to initiate war but warned of a fight “without limits” if Israel does. Costs would rise sharply if there's war with Lebanon.

Persons: They've, U.N, Antonio Guterres, Hassan Nasrallah hasn't, Andrea Tenenti, Lisa Abou Khaled, ”, Tal Beeri, there's, Israel's, Orna Mizrahi, Netanyahu, Dina Arakji, ___ Lidman Organizations: United States, United, U.S, Bank of Israel, Alma Research, Education Center, Israel Democracy Institute, Institute for National Security Studies, Gaza's Health Ministry, Lebanese Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Gaza, United, Lebanon, United Nations, Europe, Iran, Israel's, “, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Beirut, ”, Tel Aviv

☆ Widening Mideast Crisis Militia Blamed for Attack on U.S. Forces Says It Will Halt Military Activity
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

His comment raised fears in Iraq about a possibly retaliatory U.S. attack on its territory. The militia, Kata’ib Hezbollah, or Brigades of the Party of God, is the largest and most established of the Iran-linked groups operating in Iraq. (Kata’ib Hezbollah is separate from the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon.) The other two Iraqi groups that are believed to have been involved in strikes U.S. targets — Harakat al Nujaba and Sayyid Shuhada — have not announced they will halt attacks. Kata’ib Hezbollah and other groups had ignored the Iraqi government’s request to stand down, but once the attack in Jordan on Sunday took American lives, Mr. Sudani demanded a complete halt from Kata’ib Hezbollah.

Persons: Biden, Israel, —, Nujaba, Sayyid Shuhada —, Kata’ib, Abu Hussein al, “, Pat Ryder, ”, Mohammed Shia, Sudani, Hisham al, Sudani’s, Nuri al, Qais, Hadi, Esmail Qaani, Falih Hassan, Farnaz, Eric Schmitt Organizations: Pentagon, Hezbollah, Party of, Iraqi Army, Kurdish Syrian Defense, Islamic, Kata’ib Hezbollah, Defense Department, U.S, Sunday, Revolutionary Guards, Maliki, Quds Force Locations: Iran, Iraq, U.S, Jordan, Syria, Gaza, The U.S, Islamic State, Lebanon, Yemen, Islamic Republic of Iran, United States, Iraqi, Baghdad, New York, Washington ,

CNN —In a surprise move, the most powerful Iran-backed militia in Iraq, Kataib Hezbollah, announced on Tuesday the suspension of its military operations against US forces in the region two days after a drone attack killed three US service members and wounded dozens of others. “We are announcing the suspension of military and security operations against the occupation forces (US troops) – in order to prevent embarrassment to the Iraqi government,” Kataib Hezbollah said in a statement. The US holds Iran broadly responsible for arming and supporting these groups and has specifically singled out Kataib Hezbollah as likely to have carried out the deadly attack on Sunday. Asked about the statement, Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing Tuesday, “We’ve seen those reports. The motive behind the group’s decision is unclear, but an adviser to the Iraqi prime minister said the prime minister’s efforts have paid off.

Persons: ” Kataib, Pat Ryder, “ We’ve, ” Ryder, Ryder, Kataib, ”, Islamic Republic –, Mohammed Shia, Hisham Al Organizations: CNN, US, Free Hezbollah Brigades, Iraqi Locations: Iran, Iraq, Gaza, Syria, Jordan, Islamic Republic, Iraqi

☆ Iran-backed groups in the Middle East and major US military deployments
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Abbas Allawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

The US has attacked Iranian-backed groups in Yemen, Syria and Iraq, while Iran-linked groups have targeted American personnel in Iraq and Syria. The US, having been trying to pivot away from the Middle East for years, finds itself drawn back into the region. And in some places, including Iraq and Syria, the US military presence overlaps that of Iran and its allies. The US has around 13,500 US forces in Kuwait, the largest American military presence in the region. The US this month quietly reached an agreement that extends its military presence for another 10 years at the base.

Persons: Yemen’s, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Harakat, Sayyid, Al, Haq, Asad, Bashar al, Assad, Israel, Ali, Dalton Williams Organizations: UAE CNN, Hamas, Islamic, Navy, Marine Expeditionary Unit, Institute for National Security, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, National Intelligence, Badr Organization, Asad Air Base, Erbil AB, Al, Force, Fatemiyoun, ISIS, Syria Security, Syrian Democratic Forces, Syrian Free Army, CNN, Gaza, US Air Force, Battalion, 163rd Cavalry Regiment, Ali Al Salem Air Base, U.S . Air Force, Washington, United Arab, US, Udeid, Base, Forward Headquarters, Combined Air Operations Centre, Prince Sultan Air Base, UAE, Al Dhafra, Al Dhafra Air Base, Gulf Air Warfare Center, US Naval Forces Central Command Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Iran, US, Iranian, Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, Pakistan, Islamic Republic, Washington, Lebanon Lebanon, East, Lebanon, Gaza, Tel Aviv, Iraq Tehran, Baghdad, Al, Erbil, Syria Iran, Syrian, Pakistani, ”, Red, Saudi, Yemen’s, Kuwait, U.S, Palestinian, Arab, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Doha, Al Dhafra Air, Bahrain, Jordan, Incirlik

☆ Israel-Hamas War U.S. Says It Shot Down Houthi Missile Aimed at Navy Ship
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-15 | by ( Vivek Shankar | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +10 min

They were photographed during an escorted tour with the Israeli military. Image More than 23,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed since the war began, according to Gazan health officials. Image Houthi fighters at a protest in Sana, Yemen, on Sunday against U.S.-led airstrikes targeting Houthi military sites. “Nothing’s fair in Gaza,” Mr. Sindawi said in a text message. Although the Israeli military has said it is scaling back its operations in the north, its forces continue to clash with Hamas fighters there.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, ”, Netanyahu, ” Mr, Israel ”, Fatima Shbair, Mr, Khaled Abdullah, Hassan Nasrallah, “, ” Philippe Lazzarini, Rajab al, Sindawi, Gabi Siboni, Siboni, Fuad Khuffash, Khuffash, hasn’t, Hamas’s, Herzi Halevi, Marco Longari, Jonathan Dekel, Chen, Sagui, Hwaida Saad, Ameera Harouda, Roni Caryn Rabin, Gabby Sobelman, Myra Noveck, Matthew Mpoke Bigg Organizations: Hamas, Credit, United Nations ’, United, Sunday, U.S, Reuters, United Nations, ., Agence France, Jerusalem Institute for Strategy, Security, West Bank, Protesters, Gaza Locations: Gaza, United States, Israel, Hague, South Africa, Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Red, Sana, Gaza City, Tel, Rafah, Egypt, Nablus, Tel Aviv, Gaza . Credit, American, London , Washington , New York, London, ”, Washington, U.S

BEIRUT (AP) — The militant Hezbollah group fired more than 50 rockets at military posts in northern Israel on Thursday, a day after an Israeli airstrike on a home in southern Lebanon killed five of the group’s senior fighters. The waves of rockets sent over the border represented one of the most intense bombardments since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli posts in the country's north at the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war. The war was triggered by an Oct. 7 Hamas attack on southern Israel that left about 1,200 people dead, most of them civilians, and resulted in about 240 hostages getting taken to Gaza. The deaths bring the number of Hezbollah fighters who have been killed in seven weeks of fighting to at least 83. Kataib Hezbollah is allied with Lebanon's Hezbollah but the groups have different leaders.

Persons: Abbas Raad, Mohammed Raad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hossein Amirabdollahian, “, Amirabdollahian, Thomas Hudner, Arleigh Burke Organizations: Iranian, Hezbollah, Yemen’s, American, Command, ” Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Beit Zeitem, Beit Yahoun, Beirut, Iran, Iraq, Syria, U.S, Yemen’s Iran

A deal for a temporary cease fire was inching into view in Israel's war against Hamas, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tempered expectations by vowing that the war would continue even if a deal is reached. “We are at war, and we will continue the war,” he said. Israel has vowed to continue the war until it destroys Hamas’ military capabilities and returns all hostages. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, whose government maintains ties with Hamas officials, said Turkey’s foreign minister and intelligence chief were working with Qatari officials to negotiate releases. Hamas has released four hostages, Israel has rescued one, and the bodies of two were found near Shifa.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, Gaza — Israel, NETANYAHU, ”, “, Mostafa Madbouly, ” Madbouly, Israel —, Hadas Kalderon, Kalderon, John Kirby, Kirby, “ We’ve, ” NETANYAHU, ‘, ” Netanhayu, Khalil al, Hayya, Valdis Dombrovskis, ” BIDEN, WASHINGTON, Joe Biden, ” “, ” Biden, Biden's, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Erdogan, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Tebboune, ” Tebboune, ” Erdogan, Israel’s, Asad, Assad, Qassim Abdul, Bassem, Tara Copp, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Sergey Lavrov, Lavrov, ” Lavrov, Ziad Makary, Farah Omar, Rabih Maamari, Kfar Kila, Laiqa Serhan, Reuters videojournalist, Abduallah, Qatar’s Al, Izzat, Ismail Haniyeh, Goren, Tal Chaimi, ” Netanyahu, Mosab Abu Toha, Hamza Abu Toha, Mosab, Hamza, ” Mosab Abu Toha, Abu, Abu Toha Organizations: Hamas, Senior, Palestinian, Troops, Health Ministry, West Bank, WAR, JERUSALEM, CAIRO —, Israel, White, National Security, Israel —, European Union, ” EU, HIT ISRAEL, Algerian, International Criminal, Hezbollah, Cabinet, MUSLIM, Arab League, Organization of Islamic Cooperation, United Nations Security Council, Lebanese, National News Agency, Reuters, Agence France, Jazeera, SEA DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, Galaxy Leader, U.S . Navy, OFFICIAL, PEN, Yorker Locations: Israel, United States, Qatar, Gaza, Gaza City, Gaza —, Iran, Yemen, Egypt, Cyprus, israel, Israeli, EGYPT, CAIRO, TEL AVIV, HAIFA, Beirut, EU, STRASBOURG, France, TURKEY, ALGERIA, GAZA ALGIERS, Algeria, Turkey, Turkish, BAGHDAD, Iraq, U.S, al, Baghdad, Anbar, Syria, Zahra, Bassem Mroue, Washington, JERUSALEM, “, Russian, Moscow, Russia, LEBANON, ISRAEL, BEIRUT, Lebanon, Kibbutz Manara, Kfar, IRAN, YEMEN, United Arab, Tehran, American, Red, Persian, Hormuz, Shifa

☆ ‘Never going back.’ Israelis evacuated from border town with Lebanon fear war with Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Tara John | Adi Koplewitz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

There are fears of a full-blown confrontation with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon – that would open up a dangerous new front in the war. Israelis who were evacuated from the north of the country and seen in a hotel lobby in Tiberias, Israel, on November 16. They have lived through the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and fight with Hezbollah in 2006. View of the Sea of Galilee from a hotel in Tiberias, Israel, on November 16. Tara John/CNNA group of cousins, who were evacuated from the town of Dovev, knit quietly in a hotel lobby in Tiberias, Israel on November 16.

Persons: Jesus, Boaz Yosef, Tara John, Hassan Nasrallah, Elana Pilveny, ”, ’, Shoshana, “, ” Pilveny, Yosef, Israel “, Yoav Gallant, David Shenfer, ” Shenfer, Israel’s, Kibbutz Bar’am, “ We’ve, ” Lea Raivitz, Raivitz Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Reuters, Defense Ministry, Israeli, Nations, CNN Hezbollah, Kibbutz, Residents Locations: Tiberias, Galilee, Israel, Lebanon, Dovev, Israel’s, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Gaza, Beirut, Kiryat Shmona, Lebanese, View, overflights

☆ Fact Check: Hezbollah anti-ship missiles clip dates to 2019, not 2023
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An old video of Shi’ite Islamist group Hezbollah’s anti-ship missiles has been falsely shared as footage published in response to U.S. deployment of carriers to the eastern Mediterranean amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in 2023. Experts believe that the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon may possess more than 100,000 rockets including precision missiles, such as drones and anti-tank, anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles. However, the circulating video long predates the 2023 Israel-Hamas war. The caption states: “The video Footage depicting C-802 anti-ship cruise missiles has been resealed for the first time. The video of Hezbollah's anti-ship missiles was published in 2019, not during the 2023 Israel-Hamas war in response to the presence of U.S. carriers.

Persons: Gerald R, Dwight Eisenhower, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, “, Read Organizations: Hamas, Ford, Reuters, Facebook, Iran Press News Agency, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, U.S, Lebanon, Lebanese

Supporters watch Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah deliver an address in Lebanon on November 11. On the US: Nasrallah accused the US of “administering” the Israeli operation in Gaza and chastised it for supporting the continuation of Israel’s operation in Gaza. Hezbollah’s chief described Iran-backed armed groups in Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon and Syria as having created “supporting fronts” for Hamas in Gaza. US officials are deeply concerned that the group’s internal politics may cause Hezbollah to escalate simmering tensions. He also urged for a ceasefire in Gaza, calling it Hezbollah’s first priority.

Persons: General Hassan Nasrallah, Aziz Taher, Nasrallah, ”, it’s, ” Nasrallah, Alaa, Israel, Hezbollah’s, –, Israel — Nasrallah Organizations: Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, “, Reuters Hezbollah, CNN, Hezbollah, Israel Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, Iran, Lebanese, Iraq, Yemen, Syria, –

CNN —Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi is in the Saudi capital Riyadh for a major summit on the Israel-Hamas war, where Arab leaders pressed for an end to the conflict. It marks the first trip by an Iranian leader to Saudi Arabia in 11 years after the two countries restored diplomatic relations in March. He shook hands with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS), the heir to the Saudi throne and the country’s de facto ruler. A significant number of Arab leaders are attending the emergency gathering Saturday, titled the Joint Arab Islamic Extraordinary Summit. The summit is being hosted by Saudi Arabia in response to the “unprecedented circumstances in Gaza,” according to a statement released by the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Persons: Ebrahim Raisi, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Raisi, ”, we’ve, “, Mahmoud Abbas, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel’s, Bashar al, Assad Organizations: CNN, Saudi Arabia’s Crown, Palestinian, –, Hamas, Arab, Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Arab League Locations: Saudi, Riyadh, Israel, Saudi Arabia, …, Al, Aqsa, ”, Gaza, United States, Washington, Palestine, Iran

☆ Opinion: What’s Iran’s real plan in its proxy battle against Israel?
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Henry Kissinger once observed that Iranian leaders must decide if Iran is a cause or a nation. But neither Iran nor Hezbollah seems to have had a plan for what to do following Hamas’s massacres last month in Israel. On Friday, Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah in Lebanon, spoke publicly for the first time about the war in Gaza. For the moment, both Hezbollah and Israel are exchanging tit-for-tat fire along Israel’s northern border that falls short of anything close to a full-blown war. The Iranians, in short, have enough problems of their own not to start a shooting war with Israel backed by its American ally.

Persons: Peter Bergen, ”, CNN — Henry Kissinger, propping, Bashar al, Assad, Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Israel —, Manu Brabo Organizations: New, Arizona State University, Apple, Spotify, CNN, Hezbollah, Pentagon, Twitter, Facebook, US Locations: New America, Iran, East, Lebanon, Yemen, Iranian, Iraq, Hamas, Gaza, Lebanese, Israel, Tehran, Syria, Islam, Al Aqsa, Jerusalem, United States

Humanitarian agencies have lost contact with aid workers in Gaza, as the Palestinian enclave faces its third communications blackout of the Israel-Hamas war, according to operators. Earlier in the day, the IDF said its soldiers had reached the coast as part of an effort to encircle Hamas forces and strike targets in Gaza. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah spoke on Friday about the October 7 Hamas attacks and ensuing war in Gaza. IDF accuses Hamas of using civilian infrastructure: The Israeli military released what it said was evidence of Hamas using civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and children’s playgrounds, as shields for its attacks on Israel. Hostages in Gaza: The Israeli military’s current count of hostages being held by Hamas is 240, Hagari, the Israel Defense Forces' spokesperson, said Sunday.

Persons: Paltel, Daniel Hagari, Antony Blinken's, Blinken, Mohammed Shia, Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s, ” Organizations: Facebook, United Nations, Palestine Red Crescent Society, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, IDF, Iraqi, Hamas, Palestinian, West Bank, Palestinian Authority, Turkish, Air Force, Anadolu Agency, Humanitarian Relief Foundation, " Police Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestine, Sderot, Blinken, Iraq, Sudani, Baghdad, Jordan, Ramallah, Turkey, Lebanon, Iran, Turkish, United States, Anadolu

☆ Israel-Hamas War: Blinken Says a Pause in Fighting Would Pose Logistical Challenges — Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +2 min

Israel's military said it had encircled Gaza City, cutting off the northern part of the Gaza Strip. U.S. reaction: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said any pause in the fighting in Gaza "would take time to prepare and coordinate." He said everyone agrees that Hamas can't remain in charge in Gaza after Israel finishes its military operations there, nor can Israel reassume control. The Russian paramilitary group Wagner plans to provide an air-defense system to the Lebanese militia, U.S. officials said, citing intelligence. Over 1,400 people in Israel died in the attacks that sparked the war, including over 300 Israel Defense Forces soldiers, Israeli officials said.

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, Antony Blinken, Wagner, Israel Organizations: Hezbollah, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Lebanese, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Lebanon, Russian, Rafah, Egypt

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