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☆ Israel Returns Fire After Deadly Rocket From Lebanon Hits Soccer Field
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | More About Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The Israeli military said on Sunday morning that it had conducted overnight strikes in Lebanon, hours after a rocket fired from its northern neighbor killed at least 12 people in an Israeli-controlled town. Israel blamed Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed Lebanese group that has been attacking Israel in solidarity with Gaza, for Saturday’s deadly rocket attack. The Israeli strikes appeared to stop short of a major escalation, amid fears that the rocket launch would prompt all-out war. Still, there were strong expectations on Sunday morning that Israel still might mount a bigger response. For months, as Israel has fought Hamas in Gaza, it has also been trading fire with Hezbollah.

Organizations: Lebanese Locations: Lebanon, Israeli, Israel, Iranian, Gaza, Tyre, Bekaa

☆ Lebanon is 'not tank country' and an Israeli armored assault there exposes it to Hezbollah's firepower
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Paul Iddon | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Towards the end of their 34-day war in 2006, the Israeli Army sent tanks into southern Lebanon. Advertisement"Out of the 400 tanks involved in the fighting in southern Lebanon, 48 were hit, 40 were damaged, and 20 penetrated. Israeli tanks suffered losses to Hezbollah during their 2006 war in Lebanon. Any cross-border incursion by Israeli armor would undoubtedly have cover and protection from accompanying infantry, artillery, aircraft, and drones. "The idea is that the first missile is taken out by an Israeli tank's Trophy defense system, but (that active protection system) doesn't have time to counter the second missile.

Persons: —, That's, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Nicholas Heras, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Nicholas Blanford, Blanford, RANE's Bohl, Spike ATGMs, Heras Organizations: Service, Business, Hezbollah, New Lines Institute, Israeli Army, GALI TIBBON, Getty, East, Hamas, Atlantic Council, Israel, IDF Locations: Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Lebanese, Russian, Wadi Saluki, Wadi Hujeir, GALI, Gaza, North Africa, Iranian

☆ Israel strikes Yemen for the first time following deadly Houthi drone attack. Here’s what we know
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-21 | by ( Sophie Tanno | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —For the first time, Israel has struck inside Yemen, following a deadly drone attack launched by Houthi rebels on Tel Aviv. Soon after the Israeli attack, the Houthis said they launched a fresh barrage of missiles towards Israel, promising a response that will be “huge and great.”Here’s what we know. The US and UK have responded to those attacks by carrying out strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen. A tipping point for Israel appears to have come on Friday, when a drone attack was launched on Tel Aviv, killing one Israeli citizen and injuring several others. Oded Balilty/APThe attack marked the first time Tel Aviv, Israel’s commercial center, has been struck by a drone in an attack claimed by the Houthis.

Persons: ”, Allah, Hussein, Mohammed Hamoud, Israel, Yahya Sare’e, ” Sare’e, Houthi, Oded, Daniel Hagari, Samad, Masirah, Mohammed Abdulsalam, Yehya Saree, Osamah, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ” Netanyahu, “ It’s, ” Charles Lister, Yoav Gallant, Yoel Organizations: CNN, Houthi, Red, US, US Central Command, Tel, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, Israel’s, Middle East Institute, Israel’s Defense, Hezbollah, AP, for National Security Studies, National Security Council Locations: Israel, Yemen, Tel Aviv, Red, Gaza, Iranian, Iran, Islam, Saudi Arabia, Sana'a, Israel’s, Hodeidah, Yemen’s, Lebanon, Lebanese

☆ Israeli airstrike kills businessman sanctioned by US for ISIS links, Syrian media reports
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-15 | by ( Eyad Kourdi | Ben Wedeman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Israeli airstrike near the Lebanese-Syrian border has killed a prominent Syrian businessman who was sanctioned by the United States, local media reported Monday. Mohammad Baraa Qatarji died when the strike hit the car he was traveling in on the al-Saboura highway near Damascus, according to Syrian state-aligned newspaper al-Watan. According to the US Treasury website, Qatarji had a strong working relationship with officials within the Syrian government, including in the ministries of oil and trade. Qatarji and his two brothers Zahed and Hussam – who are also sanctioned by OFAC – established a militia that fought alongside the Syrian regime in Aleppo in 2016. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) about the strike but has not yet received a response.

Persons: Mohammad Baraa Qatarji, Qatarji, OFAC, Qatirji, Hussam –, OFAC –, Muhammad Sa’id al Organizations: CNN, US Treasury, Foreign Assets, ISIS, Treasury, Law, Qatirji Company, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Lebanese, Syrian, United States, Saboura, Damascus, Syria, Aleppo, Lebanon

☆ Escalation Between Israel and Hezbollah Hangs Over Gaza Cease-Fire Talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-11 | by ( Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +6 min

When intelligence chiefs of the United States, Israel and Egypt went to Qatar on Wednesday for talks aimed at brokering a cease-fire in Gaza, there was more on the line than Israel’s war against Hamas. Hezbollah and Hamas are both allied with Iran in what they call “the axis of resistance,” a coalition that opposes Israel’s right to exist. Israeli forces and Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, who are backed by Iran, have traded fire since the war in Gaza began after Hamas led an attack on Israel on Oct. 7. Israeli government officials and military leaders have in recent weeks toured northern Israel and met with troops stationed there who were preparing for a potential escalation. Whether efforts at de-escalating the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah can succeed may well depend on how the cease-fire talks in Qatar progress.

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, ”, Mr, Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s, Abbas Salman, Yasser Nemr Qranbish, Bilal Hussein, —, heightening, — Noa, Nir Baranes, Yoav Gallant, Lloyd J, Austin III, Israel ”, Meir Elran, al, Ansari Organizations: Hamas, Hezbollah, ., Associated, Ortal, Lebanese, U.S ., Tel Aviv University’s Institute for National Security Studies, Brig, Qatar’s Foreign Ministry Locations: United States, Israel, Egypt, Qatar, Gaza, Lebanon, Hezbollah, Iran, Syria, Beirut, Golan, Washington, Tel Aviv, France

☆ A Biden Confidant Emerges as a Crucial Mideast Diplomat
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-10 | by ( Michael Crowley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

A few weeks before Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, a senior White House official visited southern Lebanon for a sightseeing trip that doubled as a dramatic political statement. The official, Amos Hochstein, one of President Biden’s most trusted national security advisers, toured the ancient ruins of Baalbek in an area well known as a stronghold of Hezbollah, a U.S.-designated terrorist group sponsored by Iran. Wearing white pants and a golf shirt, and with no security entourage, Mr. Hochstein marveled at the artifacts and snapped photos of the onetime Roman city’s crumbling stone walls and columns. Keeping watch from a distance were several muscular men in black T-shirts — presumed Hezbollah militiamen. The trip caused a minor sensation in Lebanese news media, which wondered how a top American official — one born in Israel, no less — was able to move so freely on Hezbollah turf.

Persons: Amos Hochstein, Biden’s, Hochstein marveled Organizations: White House, Iran Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Baalbek, U.S

☆ Israel is inching toward a wider war and a nasty fight against an enemy poised to bombard it as no other foe has
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-06 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

AdvertisementFor Israel, a larger war with Hezbollah would look very different from the full-scale conflict it's fighting against Hamas in Gaza. Before the 2006 Lebanon War, a monthlong conflict fought against Israel, Hezbollah maintained some 15,000 projectiles. REUTERS/Avi OhayonBut a larger Hezbollah war could overwhelm some of these systems, a scenario that has caused concern in Washington. During the 2006 war, Hezbollah fired somewhere between 100 and 200 rockets per day at Israel, according to estimates cited by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies think tank. More than two dozen soldiers and civilians have already been killed in Israel, and in Lebanon, that figure has surpassed 450.

Persons: —, Ariel Schalit, Daniel Byman, MAHMOUD ZAYYAT, Avi Ohayon, Stringer, Rami Shlush, Antony Blinken Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, Tehran —, Business, United Nations, Israel, Hamas, AP, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Getty, Institute for National Security Studies, CSIS, REUTERS, Foundation for Defense, Democracies, Israel Communications, Research Center, Congressional Research Service, Institution Locations: Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Tehran, Gaza . The Lebanon, Kiryat Shmona, Gaza, Lebanese, Nabatiyeh, AFP, Israeli, Washington, Khiam, Israel's

☆ Can Israel's Iron Dome be overrun? System's capabilities in focus amid rising risk of war with Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-05 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepts rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, as seen from Ashkelon, in southern Israel, October 20, 2023. It has a success rate of around 90%, according to the Israel Defense Forces. An Iron Dome launcher fires an interceptor missile as rockets are fired from Gaza, in Ashkelon, Israel May 10, 2023. Amir Cohen | ReutersThe Iron Dome also intercepts around 90% of the near-daily rocket attacks from Hamas and other militant groups in Gaza, the IDF claims. Hamas' rockets and missiles, by comparison, are estimated to number in the tens of thousands.

Persons: Amir Cohen, Israel —, Rafael, —, Miri Eisin, Eisin, credibly, Victor Tricaud, Tricaud, Wissam tawil Organizations: Reuters, U.S, Palestinian, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Defense Ministry, Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Hezbollah, International Institute for Counterterrorism, Tel, CNBC, Israel's Reichman, Iranian, Getty Locations: Gaza, Ashkelon, Israel, Iran, Lebanese, Lebanon, Washington, Tel Aviv, Hamas, Iranian, Khirbit

☆ Israel Kills a Top Commander of Hezbollah, Which Replies With a Rocket Barrage
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-03 | by ( Euan Ward | Thomas Fuller | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli forces killed a senior Hezbollah commander on Wednesday in a drone strike in southern Lebanon, prompting the Lebanese militia to retaliate with a heavy rocket barrage across the border. The flare-up came as Western diplomats worked to avoid a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah, a danger that appears to have grown in recent weeks. Cross-border exchanges of fire have intensified, and Israeli officials have publicly spoken of shifting their military focus from Hamas in the Gaza Strip to Hezbollah, a far more advanced and potent threat. Jean-Yves Le Drian, President Emmanuel Macron’s special envoy to Lebanon, was among the people with whom he met, according to a person close to the talks, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive diplomacy. He said Mr. Nasser had led Hezbollah’s Aziz unit, one of the group’s main fighting forces along the Lebanese border.

Persons: Amos Hochstein, Jean, Yves Le Drian, Emmanuel Macron’s, Mohammad Naameh Nasser, Abu Naameh, Mr, Nasser, Hezbollah’s Aziz Organizations: Hezbollah, White, U.S, French Locations: Lebanon, Western, Israel, Gaza, tamping, Paris, Lebanese

☆ Netanyahu rejects report citing top Israeli generals as wanting a ceasefire in Gaza with Hamas still in power
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-02 | by ( Amy Cassidy | Eugenia Yosef | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected the idea of starting a ceasefire in Gaza while Hamas remains in power, after The New York Times published an article citing six current and former security officials who said a truce would give Israeli troops time to prepare for a potential land war with Hezbollah. The officials, most of whom spoke anonymously to “discuss sensitive security matters,” also said a truce would be the most effective way to secure the release of the Israeli hostages. We will not capitulate to the winds of defeatism, neither in The New York Times nor anywhere else. “They (the IDF) understand that a pause in Gaza makes de-escalation more likely in Lebanon,” Hulata told the Times. When asked by the Times if it supported a truce, the IDF released a statement that didn’t answer the question directly.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Eyal Hulata, Netanyahu, “, ” Hulata Organizations: CNN, Israeli, The New York Times, Former Israeli National, Times, Israel, IDF, Hezbollah Locations: Gaza, Israel, defeatism, The, Israel’s, Lebanese, Lebanon

Israel’s top generals want to begin a cease-fire in Gaza even if it keeps Hamas in power for the time being, widening a rift between the military and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has opposed a truce that would allow Hamas to survive the war. The generals think that a truce would be the best way of freeing the roughly 120 Israelis still held, both dead and alive, in Gaza, according to interviews with six current and former security officials. Underequipped for further fighting after Israel’s longest war in decades, the generals also think their forces need time to recuperate in case a land war breaks out against Hezbollah, the Lebanese militia that has been locked in a low-level fight with Israel since October, multiple officials said. A truce with Hamas could also make it easier to reach a deal with Hezbollah, according to the officials, most of whom spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security matters. Hezbollah has said it will continue to strike northern Israel until Israel stops fighting in the Gaza Strip.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Underequipped Organizations: Lebanese, Israel Locations: Gaza, Israel

☆ U.S. and Europe warn Lebanon’s Hezbollah to ease strikes on Israel and back off from wider Mideast war
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Iran and Israel traded threats Saturday of what Iran said would be an "obliterating" war over Hezbollah. Attacks intensified this month after Israel killed a top Hezbollah commander and Hezbollah responded with some of its biggest missile barrages. "Such a war would be a catastrophe for Lebanon," Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said as he met recently with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant at the Pentagon. "Another war between Israel and Hezbollah could easily become a regional war, with terrible consequences for the Middle East." Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz responded by pledging his country would move against Hezbollah with "full force" unless it stopped attacks.

Persons: —, Gerald Feierstein, Israel, Martin Griffiths, Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Susan Walsh, Feierstein, Iran's U.N, Israel Katz, CQ Brown Organizations: Marine, Hezbollah, Israeli, Pentagon, Israel, Joint Chiefs, Staff Locations: Khiam, Lebanon, Israel, Lebanon's Iran, Iran, Gaza, United States, Lebanese, U.S, Washington, Israeli

☆ Israel has never been impressed with its version of the $1 billion Patriot air defense system. Now it could offload up to 8 to Ukraine.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-29 | by ( Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

It would be a welcome moment for Ukraine, which has long coveted more of the $1 billion US-manufactured Patriot systems. "Israel's Patriots would greatly expand Ukraine's air defense capacity at a time when it is sorely needed," John Hardie, the Deputy Director of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies Russia Program, said. Zelenskyy's Patriot pleasUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has never been shy about his desire to get his hands on more Patriot systems. AdvertisementIn April, Zelenskyy told NATO members that Ukraine needed at least seven Patriot or other advanced air defense systems to defend against Russian attacks. The Patriot air defense systemA 2023 report by the Congressional Research Service describes the Patriot system as an "integral component of U.S. air and missile defense."

Persons: —, Vladimir Putin's, John Hardie, Ryan Bohl, RANE, Bohl, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Zelenskyy, Putin, Joe Biden, John Kirby Organizations: Service, Russian, Financial Times, Business, Israel's Patriots, Foundation for Defense of Democracies Russia, Israeli Air Force, Patriot, Iraqi Scud, Officials, East, Hezbollah, NATO, Patriots, New York Times, National Security, Congressional Research Service Locations: Israel, Ukraine, North Africa, Lebanese, —

☆ Opinion: Dear Joe, it’s time to go
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-28 | by ( Opinion Jay Parini | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Dear Joe,I write to you urgently, as your old neighbor from Scranton. You, Joe, pushed through the Safer Communities Act, which included the most significant gun control measures in nearly thirty years. But you’re an old man now, like me. You’re a man of huge integrity, Joe, and you must — you MUST — stand down. Be the great man you are, Joe, the one we’ve seen in action and admired for many decades.

Persons: Jay Parini, “ Borges, ”, Jorge Luis Borges, CNN —, Joe, I’ve, Oliver Parini, Mike Pence, you’ve, Donald Trump, Donald, Trump, Vladimir Putin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, Nancy Pelosi, Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s, Barack Obama, Don’t, Joe Bader Biden, You’ve, Gretchen Whitmer, Gavin Newsom, Pritzker, Jay Organizations: Middlebury College, CNN, Capitol, White, NATO, Supreme, Michigan Gov, Illinois Gov, Trump, Twitter, Facebook Locations: Scotland, Argentine, Scranton, freefall, Ukraine, Atlanta, You’re, China, Trump, California, Illinois, United States of America

☆ ‘A disastrous event’: All-out war between Israel and Hezbollah could devastate both sides
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

An all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah — the Iranian-backed Lebanese Shia militant and political organization, called a terrorist group by the U.S. and U.K. — would be devastating for both sides. At least 150,000 residents of southern Lebanon and northern Israel have been evacuated from their homes and are internally displaced due to the regular cross-border fire. "A full-fledged war between Israel and Hizbullah would be a disastrous event for the region, including both Israel and Lebanon," Victor Tricaud, a senior analyst at consulting firm Control Risks, told CNBC. Smoke and flame rise after Hezbollah carried out a missile attack on Safed city, northern Israel on June 12, 2024. Hezbollah: 10 times stronger than HamasHezbollah is considered to be among the most heavily armed non-state groups in the world.

Persons: Rabih Daher, —, Joe Biden, Amos Hochstein, Lloyd Austin, Hizbullah, Victor Tricaud, Tricaud, Nimrod Novik, –, Hassan Nasrallah, Wissam Tawil, Mahmoud Zayyat Organizations: AFP, Getty, U.S, Hezbollah, . Defense, Palestinian, Hamas, Reuters, CNBC, Anadolu, Israel, Forum, Israel Policy Forum, Afp Locations: Lebanese, Khiam, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, Safed, Forum Lebanon, Lebanon's, Kherbet Selm

☆ Why an Israel-Hezbollah war would be far more dangerous today than the last time around
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Ben Wedeman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Since its inconclusive 2006 war with the Lebanese militant group, Israel has been planning for a re-match. During the 2006 war, in the experience of this correspondent, it was rare to encounter Hezbollah fighters. In the event of war, full-scale war, both sides will be able to inflict significant pain on the other. In the entire 34-day war of 2006 Hezbollah is estimated to have fired around 4,000 rockets – a daily average of 117. At 6 a.m. on July 13, 2006 – less than 24 hours after the start of the war – Israeli warplanes bombed and knocked out Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport.

Persons: CNN —, Benny Gantz, Hassan Nasrallah, – Nasrallah, Avihu Shapira, Gantz, Beirut’s Rafic, –, Israel, Iran’s, Qais Al, Ahl Al, Haq, Lebanon “ Organizations: CNN, Reichman University, Israel, Getty, Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport, Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion International, Washington Locations: Lebanon, Herzliya, Israel, Lebanese, Haifa, Syria, Gaza, Iraq, Iran, It’s, Israel’s, Yemen, Red, Jordan, America, Tehran, Damascus, Hormuz, Persian, Germany, Sweden, Kuwait, Netherlands

☆ Middle East Crisis Israeli and U.S. Defense Chiefs to Discuss the Conflicts With Hamas and Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-25 | by ( Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

The U.S. and Israeli defense chiefs, Lloyd J. Austin III and Yoav Gallant, at a December news conference in Tel Aviv. Mr. Gallant is meeting with Mr. Austin on his third day of talks with senior Biden administration officials. Mr. Gallant and Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken met in Washington on Monday. That was a recurring theme in American officials’ talks with Mr. Gallant this week. On Monday, Mr. Gallant met with William J. Burns, the C.I.A.

Persons: Lloyd J, Austin III, Yoav Gallant, Gallant’s, Patrick S, Ryder, Mr, Gallant, Austin, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Matthew Miller, “, Khan Younis, ”, Antony J, Blinken, Miller, ’, “ We’ve, General Ryder, Amos Hochstein, Hochstein, Netanyahu, William J, Burns, Jake Sullivan Organizations: U.S, Pentagon . Defense, Pentagon, Defense Department, Biden, American, State Department, Hamas, Mr, Lebanese, Israel Locations: Tel Aviv, Washington, Gaza, Lebanon, “, Israel, Gen, United States, Rafah, Gaza City, Jerusalem, Beirut

Tensions between Israel and Lebanon have risen sharply since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing military campaign by Israel in Gaza. The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah has been firing missiles, mortars and drones into Israel, and Israel has returned that fire. Tens of thousands of people on both sides of the mountainous border have fled as concerns intensify about the possible outbreak of another full-fledged war. On the Lebanese side, residents of Shia-majority towns like Kafr Kila, Adaisa, Aita Al-Shaab and Aitaroun have almost all left. Yet, more than two decades later, some residents still cling to their ancient town and vow not to leave.

Persons: Aita Al, Israel, ” Edouard Achy, ” Organizations: Hezbollah, South Lebanese Army, Israel Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, The Iran

☆ Israel's Netanyahu signals 'intense' stage of Gaza fighting is close to end
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Omar Al-qattaa | Afp | Getty ImagesIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signaled that the "intense" phase of fighting in the war-torn Gaza enclosure is close to ending, while stressing the broader war against Hamas wages on. "After the intense phase is finished, we will have the possibility to move part of the forces north. And secondly, to bring our [evacuated] residents home," Netanyahu said, according to a Reuters translation. Thousands of Israeli and Lebanese civilians have been displaced from their border-facing settlements amid fire exchanged since the October start of the Jewish state's war campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. watch nowAsked when the intense stage of combat against Hamas will finalize, Netanyahu on Sunday said, "Very soon," according to a Google translation of the Channel 14 report.

Persons: Omar Al, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel Katz, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Amos Hochstein, Annalena Baerbock Organizations: Afp, Getty, Channel, Palestinian, Hamas, Israeli Defense Forces, Lebanese, Sunday, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Israel, Israeli Foreign, German, Monday, Reuters Locations: al, Gaza City, Israel, Palestinian, qattaa, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Rafah

☆ Marjayoun, Lebanon: Residents along border with Israel fear another war
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Ben Wedeman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Marjayoun, Lebanon CNN —In the town of Marjayoun in southern Lebanon, around five miles north of the Israeli border, the main square seems almost abandoned. Tensions between Israel and Lebanon have risen sharply since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and the ensuing military campaign by Israel in Gaza. Damaged property in the town of Marjayoun, southern Lebanon. Sunday mass at the Maronite Church in the town of Marjayoun, southern Lebanon. I decide not to interfere with annoying questions about Israel, Hezbollah, impending war, death, destruction and displacement.

Persons: Virgin Mary, Saint Charbel, Claude, ”, Aita Al, Muhammad Darwish, Israel, ” Edouard Achy, Amal, We’re, ‘, Abu Nabil, Jordan, “, it’s, It’s, Fatin, you’d Organizations: Lebanon CNN —, Journalists, Hezbollah, CNN, South Lebanese Army, Israel, Maronite Locations: Marjayoun, Lebanon, Lebanese, Israel, Gaza, The Iran, Hasbaya, Syria, France, “, Jerusalem

☆ 4 Scenarios for Next Phase in Gaza War, With ‘Intense’ Fighting Set to End
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-24 | by ( Patrick Kingsley | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel’s prime minister says the war in the Gaza Strip will soon enter a new phase. “The intense stage of the war with Hamas is about to end,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a television interview on Sunday. “This does not mean that the war is about to end, but the war in its intense phase is about to end.”But whatever relief those comments may bring after more than half a year of horrific bloodshed, Mr. Netanyahu quickly made two things clear: A cease-fire in Gaza is not at hand. And the next fight might be in Lebanon, with the forces of a Hamas ally, Hezbollah. Any diplomatic resolution in Gaza remains uncertain, in part because Mr. Netanyahu’s coalition would likely collapse if Israel stopped fighting in Gaza without having removed Hamas from power.

Persons: Israel’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, “, Mr, Netanyahu’s, Israel Organizations: ” Locations: Gaza, Lebanon, Israel, Rafah, Gaza’s

☆ Israel’s Defense Minister Heads to Washington Amid Tensions
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-23 | by ( Isabel Kershner | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

We did that time after time,” Mr. Netanyahu said, adding that he had also tried working behind closed doors. U.S. officials said at the time that they found the video “perplexing” and did not know what Mr. Netanyahu was talking about. Mr. Gallant was invited to Washington by his counterpart, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III, according to Mr. Gallant’s office. “The United States is our most important and central ally,” Mr. Gallant said shortly before his departure. Mr. Gallant and Mr. Netanyahu are themselves rivals who have openly clashed in recent months, even as they jointly oversee Israel’s military operations.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Mr, Biden, Netanyahu, ” Mr, ”, excoriating, Gallant, Lloyd J, Austin III, Antony J, Gabby Sobelman Organizations: Israel, Biden, U.S, United, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Defense, White Locations: Gaza, Washington, United States, Jerusalem, Israel, Iran, Lebanon

☆ Hezbollah Has Threatened Cyprus. Here’s Why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-22 | by ( Ephrat Livni | More About Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Cyprus found itself at the center of the world’s attention this week when the leader of Hezbollah threatened to target the small island nation if it supported Israel in potential war efforts. Here’s a closer look at how Cyprus has been pulled into the situation. Their militaries have conducted joint exercises and exchanged visits, and the two countries have a defense cooperation program, according to the Cyprus Ministry of Defense. Cyprus also has a “defense attaché” in Israel — and in about two dozen other nations — as part of what it calls “active defense diplomacy.”There is an additional cooperation agreement between Cyprus, Greece and Israel, which Cyprus says is aimed at “strengthening peace, stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean.”How did Cyprus respond to Hezbollah’s threat? Other allies of Cyprus also condemned Hezbollah’s threat.

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, Here’s, ”, Israel —, Nikos Christodoulides, “, Christodoulides, Peter Stano, ” Matthew Miller, Nasrallah’s Organizations: Lebanese, Cyprus Ministry of Defense, American, Cypriot, European Union, State Department Locations: Cyprus, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Britain, Egypt, France, Greece, Gaza

☆ US offers assurances to Israel this week in the event of full-blown war with Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Mj Lee | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

They discussed a wide range of topics including the situation on Israel’s northern border, Iran and the ceasefire and hostage negotiations, sources said. Since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, Hezbollah’s provocations against Israel have continued – and escalated in recent weeks. If Hezbollah were to significantly expand the scale of its attacks on Israel, resulting in the deaths of Israelis, US officials expect Israel to respond with full force. As CNN reported, US officials have serious concerns that in the event of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group could overwhelm Israel’s air defenses in the north — including the much-vaunted Iron Dome air defense system. In this week’s meetings, US and Israeli officials discussed possible “off-ramps” to try to lower the temperature along the so-called Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel, the senior administration official said.

Persons: Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ron Dermer, Tzachi Hanegbi, Jake Sullivan, Antony Blinken, Brett McGurk, Israel, Amos Hochstein Organizations: CNN — Senior, Hezbollah, Top, Strategic, Biden, White, CNN Locations: Washington, Israel, Iran, Lebanon

☆ Calls for accountability grow over October 7 failures, but Israel’s leadership is unlikely to act
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

On Monday, Israel’s public broadcaster, Kan 11, added to the growing mountain of evidence that the country’s leadership could have – or, at the very least, should have – known an attack was possible. In December, State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman announced he would open an investigation into intelligence failures before the October 7 Hamas attack. Historically, Israel has had a public inquiry roughly every two years, he says, but not under its present and longest-serving leader. The most likely means of understanding the failures of October 7 was by dissecting it into smaller and more manageable issues, he said, like separating intelligence failures from those of operational doctrine. Major General Aharon Haliva, who was the commander of the IDF’s military intelligence, quietly announced in April that he would be stepping down.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, “, it’s, Netanyahu, Israel, Kan, Eyad Baba, ’, Matanyahu Englman, Englman, Raanan Sulitzeanu, Kenan, ” Sulitzeanu, ”, Sulitzeanu, Stringer, Yossi Fuchs, Yohanan Plesner, ” Plesner, I’m, Plesner, CNN’s Dana Bash, Aharon Haliva, Haliva, Avi Rosenfeld, Staff Gadi Eisenkot, Shin, ” Eisenkot Organizations: CNN, “, Israel Defense Forces, Israeli Special Forces, Getty, New York Times, Office, IDF, Israel’s, Hebrew University, International Court of Justice, Israel Democracy Institute, Brig, Staff, Southern Command, Military Intelligence Directorate, Defense, Israel’s Channel Locations: Israel, foreseeing, Gaza, AFP, Jerusalem, Lebanese, Jebbain, Gali Baharav, Gaza ., “

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