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☆ 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 ., “

☆ Hezbollah leader warns Israel of war with 'no red lines,' threatens Cyprus
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The leader of Hezbollah has vowed a fight with "no rules and with no red lines" if full-out war erupts between the Lebanese militant group and Israel, warning Cyprus against getting mired in the conflict. Lebanon and Israel have regularly traded cross-border fire since the start of the Jewish state's war against Palestinian militant group Hamas — which, like Hezbollah, is backed by Iran — in the Gaza Strip. The Hezbollah leader also threatened war against the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, if the European Union member permits Israel to launch military operations from its territory. Nasrallah accused Israel of "conducting maneuvers in preparation for the Lebanon war" in Cyprus, without disclosing his sources. In response to Nasrallah, Cyprus' President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday stressed that his country is not involved in the conflict and is, in fact, part of the solution, according to the Cyprus News Agency.

Persons: Iran —, Taleb Sami Abdullah, General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Seth Frantzman, Nasrallah, Israel, Manar, Nikos Christodoulides Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Hezbollah, Foundation, Defense, Democracies, Associated Press, European Union, Cyprus News Agency, CNBC, Cypriot Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Israel, Cyprus, Lebanon, Iran, Gaza, U.S, Cypriot

☆ Israel-Hamas war: Why Hezbollah is threatening Cyprus
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-20 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

While experts say war between Israel and Hezbollah remains unlikely, the very mention of Cyprus adds a new dimension to the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza. Stavros Ioannides/PIO/ReutersWhat has Cyprus’ role been in the Gaza war? Cyprus has been keen to dispel any suggestions that it is implicated in the Gaza war, noting its humanitarian efforts that helped bring some aid into Gaza. It would mean that an EU country is, for the first time, directly involved in an expanded Gaza war. “The US also does not want to find itself in another Middle East quagmire, especially with presidential elections looming.”

Persons: Hassan Nasrallah, ”, Nikos Christodoulides, ” Peter Stano, Abdallah Bou Habib, Constantinos Kombos, Lebanon’s, Israel, “, Eli Cohen, Stavros Ioannides, PIO, Christodoulides, Yiannis Kourtoglou, ” Mohammad Ali Shabani, Amwaj.media, ” Lina Khatib, ” Khatib, Biden Organizations: CNN, Lebanese, European Union, EU, United Nations, Lebanon’s, Cypriot, Israel, The, NATO, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Reuters, Spanish, North Africa, Chatham House Locations: Cyprus, Israel, “ Cyprus, Iran, Lebanon, EU, Greece, Gaza, East, Europe, European, Delaware, Republic of Cyprus, Turkish, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, Turkey, The Republic of Cyprus, Nicosia, Tel Aviv, Larnaca, ”, UAE, Russian, Syria, London, Haifa, “

CNN —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, three US officials told CNN. Israeli officials have told the US they are planning to shift resources from southern Gaza to northern Israel in preparation for a possible offensive against the group, US officials told CNN on Wednesday. “We assess that at least some” Iron Dome batteries “will be overwhelmed,” said a senior administration official. Earlier this month, Hezbollah released a video purporting to show a drone striking and damaging an Iron Dome battery on an army base in northern Israel. The Iron Dome is fundamental to Israel’s defense and the US government has spent over $2.9 billion on the program, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Persons: “, ”, “ We’re, Amos Hochstein, Hochstein, Israel, Israel ‘, Antony Blinken’s, Yoav Gallant, Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Assad Organizations: CNN, Hezbollah, Congressional Research Service, Israel Defense Forces, Islamic, Biden, US, IDF, Hamas, Israeli, Command, Radwan Force, Rocket Locations: Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Gaza, Lebanese, Jerusalem, Beirut, Rafah, ”, Cyprus, Syria

☆ Israel warns Lebanon of prospect of ‘all-out war’ as U.S. seeks to de-escalate hostilities
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-19 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

TOPSHOT - Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike on Zibqin in southern Lebanon on June 12, 2024. Israel and Hezbollah, which controls much of Lebanon, have been trading fire since October in parallel with the Jewish nation's war campaign against Palestinian militant group Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In an all-out war, Hezbollah will be destroyed and Lebanon will be severely hit." "I remind you that, according to the United Nations, there is no territorial dispute — no territorial dispute — between Lebanon and Israel," Israeli government spokesman David Mencer said during a Tuesday press briefing. Security concerns have driven thousands of Lebanese and Israeli civilians to flee their border-facing settlements.

Persons: Sami Taleb Abdullah, Rafael, Yona Yahav, Israel Katz, " Katz, David Mencer Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, Palestinian, Hamas, Lebanese, Ministry of Health, IDF, CNBC, Reuters, Foreign, Hezbollah, United Nations Locations: Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, Lebanese, Jouaiyya, Metula, Haifa

Beirut CNN —Israel warned Hezbollah on Tuesday of the prospect of “all-out war” after the Lebanese militant group published a 9-minute video, purportedly taken by a drone, showing Israeli military and civilian locations in several Israeli cities. “In an all-out war, Hezbollah will be destroyed, and Lebanon severely beaten,” he added. Those locations include a number of sensitive areas, including at least two military installations: a base in northern Haifa and the port of Haifa. The drone also flew over the oil tanks that sit north of Haifa, the Haifa airport and several residential areas. Hezbollah has said in the past that it will only stop firing on Israel if Israel stops the war in Gaza.

Persons: Beirut CNN — Israel, Israel Katz, ”, Rafael –, Katz, Hassan, Nasrallah, Wim Zwijnenburg, AlMayadeenNews, Yona Yahav, ” Yahav, ” Ibrahim Mousawi, Israel, Amos Hochstein Organizations: Beirut CNN, Hezbollah, Iron, Israel Defense Forces, CNN, PAX, Reshet Bet, Haifa “, Haifa ”, Northern Command, US Locations: Beirut, Lebanese, Lebanon, Haifa, Israel, Gaza, “, China, India, Iran, Haifa Port

☆ Israel warns of 'devastating consequences' as spike in fire with Lebanon risks wider conflict
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Smoke and flame rise after Hezbollah carried out a missile attack on Safed city, northern Israel on June 12, 2024. Over the past week, Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has ramped up hostilities and cross-border missile attacks against targets in northern Israel, according to Israel Defense Forces and the Hezbollah-aligned al-Manar news outlet. It comes amid a ramp-up in attacks by Hezbollah in recent weeks following repeat offensives against its neighbor since October. "Hezbollah's increasing aggression is bringing us to the brink of what could be a wider escalation, one that could have devastating consequences for Lebanon and the entire region," Hagari added. "Israel will take the necessary measures to protect its civilians, until security along our border with Lebanon is restored.

Persons: Sami Taleb Abdullah, Taleb Abdullah, Israel, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, HoweveHezbollah, Sheikh Naim Qassem, Amos Hochstein, Joe Biden, Biden, Houthi —, Iran —, Yahya Sare'e Organizations: Hezbollah, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, IDF, CNBC, Lebanese, Washington, U.S, NBC News Locations: Safed, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Tehran, Gaza, Lebanese, Jouaiyya, Red

CNN —Israeli troops have used a medieval-style catapult to toss fireballs across the border into Lebanon, as fighting ramps up between Israel and the Iran-backed Islamist group Hezbollah. The trebuchet, a rotating arm with a sling attached to launch a projectile, has rarely been used since the 16th century. Kan said the trebuchet was probably used to burn shrubbery, making it easier for Israeli forces to identify militants attempting to reach the border. More than 53,000 Israelis have been evacuated from the north since hostilities began in October, the IDF told CNN. In Lebanon, more than 94,000 people have been displaced from the border area, according to the country’s health ministry.

Persons: Kan, Hernán Cortés, Israel, Hassan Nasrallah Organizations: CNN, Hezbollah, Israel Defense Forces, Aztecs, IDF Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Lebanese, Syrian, Spanish, Tenochtitlán, Mexico, Cross, Gaza

The Israeli military said forty rockets were fired at northern Israel and the occupied Golan Heights on Thursday, causing at least ten fires that teams are working to extinguish. The rockets were fired from northern Lebanon, with Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah claiming responsibility for their launch. The group said it targeted six Israeli military barracks using Katyusha and Falaq rockets and used three drones to target bases. Hezbollah's massive rocket barrage: Thursday's launches came after more than 200 rockets were fired from Lebanon into Israel Wednesday, according to the IDF. The group on Tuesday confirmed the death of Talib Sami Abdullah, known as Abu Talib, and three other fighters.

Persons: Israel's Magen David, Talib Sami Abdullah, Abu Talib, Talib Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, IDF Locations: Israel, Golan, Lebanon, Iran, Lebanese

☆ Video emerges seemingly showing Israeli soldiers using a trebuchet to lob fiery weapons at Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Israeli soldiers used a trebuchet to throw incendiaries near the Lebanese border, a video appears to show. The Israeli military stated this was a local initiative, not a widespread tool, per local reporting. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAn unusual video apparently depicting Israeli soldiers launching fireballs near the Lebanese border using a trebuchet, a siege weapon used to attack castles and fortifications in ages past, began circulating on social media Thursday.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, KAN News, Business Locations: Lebanese

Beirut, Lebanon CNN —The fate of the 120 remaining hostages in Gaza is crucial to any deal to end the protracted and bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas. But a senior Hamas official has told CNN that “no one has an idea” how many of them are alive, and that any deal to release them must include guarantees of a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. People walk among debris, aftermath of Israeli strikes at the area, where Israeli hostages were rescued on Saturday, in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, on Sunday, June 9. Hamas' Gaza chief Yahya Sinwar attends a meeting with members of Palestinian groups in Gaza City on April 13, 2022. Israel believes that more than 70 hostages of the more than 100 who are still held in Gaza to be alive.

Persons: Osama Hamdan, Yahya Sinwar, Antony Blinken, Sinwar, Hamdan, Joe Biden, Blinken, ” Blinken, Abed Khaled, ”, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu “, Jack Guez, ” Sinwar, Ali Jadallah, Netanyahu, “, … Organizations: Lebanon CNN, Hamas, CNN, NBC, ”, Wednesday, United Nations Security, Reuters, White, Israel Defense Forces, European Union, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Israel, Wall, IDF Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, Lebanese, Doha, Israeli, Jerusalem, AFP, United Kingdom, Hamas, Gaza City, American

☆ Live updates: Israel-Hamas war, Gaza ceasefire talks
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Jessie Gretener | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

A rocket is seen in the sky above northern Israel on June 12. ReutersTensions at Israel's northern border are again flaring, with Israel's military reporting more than 160 rockets being fired on Wednesday from Lebanon. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said no injuries have been reported, with warning sirens sounding across towns nearby the border. The military capability of the Lebanese group is expansive, with the group boasting more than 100,000 fighters and reservists. The group is also believed to possess 150,000 rockets that could overwhelm Israel’s defenses if an all-out war breaks out.

Persons: Israel Organizations: Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, IDF Locations: Israel, Israel's, Lebanon, Lebanese, Gaza, Jouya, Iran

CNN —A United Nations inquiry into the first few months of the war in Gaza has found both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes and grave violations of international law, in the body’s first in-depth investigation into the October 7 attacks and the ensuing conflict. Rockets are launched by Hamas from the Gaza Strip towards Israel on October 7, 2023. Hatem Moussa/APIn the first 2.5 months of the conflict, the commission found, Israel committed war crimes as well as crimes against humanity – the latter defined as a widespread, systemic attack directed at a civilian population. The International Criminal Court announced last month it was seeking arrest warrants for several top Hamas and Israeli leaders, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity. “It is imperative that all those who have committed crimes be held accountable,” said commission chair Navi Pillay.

Persons: Hatem Moussa, Israel, –, Israel’s, maiming, Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Netanyahu, West Bank –, …, Said Khatib, Mahmud Hams, Nir, Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Benny Gantz, Yoav Gallant, Gilad Erdan, Erdan, Anwar Organizations: CNN, United, The United Nations Commission, Rockets, AP, Criminal, Palestinian, West Bank, Getty, Al, Israel Defense Forces, UN, Gaza, National, Finance, UN Human Rights, Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Human Rights, Israel, UN Security Council, Assembly, United Nations Relief, Works Agency, Anwar Amro, UNRWA, Navi Pillay Locations: United Nations, Gaza, Israel, Gaza City, Rafah, AFP, Aqsa, Israel’s, Palestinian, United States, Lebanese, Beirut, East Jerusalem

☆ Hezbollah Says Commander Was Killed in an Israeli Strike in Southern Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-11 | by ( Ephrat Livni | More About Ephrat Livni | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Hezbollah said on Tuesday that Israeli forces killed one of its commanders in a strike in southern Lebanon, stoking concerns about escalating the conflict on another Israeli front. But the group has not referred to a dead fighter as a “commander” since January, when Wissam Hassan al-Tawil, a commander in the group’s Radwan unit, was killed in a strike. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the strike. On Tuesday, the Israeli military said that Hezbollah had fired about 50 rockets into Israel from southern Lebanon. Answering calls by Hamas to open a second front a day after its deadly assault on Israel, Hezbollah launched attacks into Israel on Oct. 8.

Persons: Taleb Abdallah, Abu Taleb, ”, Wissam Hassan, Abdallah’s, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hassan Nasrallah, Euan Ward, Matthew Mpoke Bigg Organizations: Tuesday, Israel, The United Nations Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Iran, ”

☆ I quit my career to live off my savings but lost everything in a financial crisis. I'm struggling to get back on my feet.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( J.D. Harlock | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewThe year 2020 was supposed to be when I could finally take it easy and focus on myself. I decided to leave my career in accounting behind and finally take a crack at my lifelong dream of being a writer. But Lebanon's banking system collapsed — the World Bank called it a Ponzi scheme — and the country entered a financial crisis. Call it youthful naivety, but I didn't have a reentry plan in case I needed to return to work. The Lebanese financial crisis continued long after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Persons: —, didn't, I'm, it's, I've Organizations: Service, Business, Bank, Lebanese Locations: Lebanon, freefall, American

☆ Netanyahu Threatened ‘Very Intense Action’ at the Lebanon Border. What Is Happening There?
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Euan Ward | Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanese border since the start of the war in Gaza, with more than 150,000 people on both sides of the boundary forced to flee their homes. But the intensity of the attacks has increased in recent days, leading to fears of a full-scale war on another front. This week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel threatened further military action to ensure the return of civilians to communities in northern Israel. Here are some key questions about the conflict and where it might be heading:Why are the two sides fighting? Hezbollah’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, has said that his group is trying to pin Israel’s troops along the border and limit its capacity to attack Hamas in Gaza.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Hassan Nasrallah Locations: Israel, Lebanese, Gaza, Iran, Lebanon

☆ Blinken to travel to Middle East as US ratchets up pressure on ceasefire and hostage proposal
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The top US diplomat “will emphasize the importance of Hamas accepting the proposal on the table, which is nearly identical to one Hamas endorsed last month,” Miller said. Hamas has not yet put forward a formal response to the proposal, which was transmitted to Hamas’ political wing by the Qataris last Thursday. “We would hope for a response from Hamas as soon as possible, and we continue to wait,” Miller said at a press briefing Thursday. The top US diplomat has held a slew of calls to regional partners to discuss the proposal. Miller said on Wednesday that the US has seen both Egypt and Qatar “exert significant pressure on Hamas,” but he refused to get into the details of those separate pressure campaigns.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Matthew Miller, “, ” Miller, ”, Joe Biden, Bill Burns, Brett McGurk, Biden, Qatar –, –, Miller Organizations: CNN, ”, Hamas, CIA, US, Qatar, United Nations Locations: United, Gaza, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Qatar, Turkey

☆ Why Israel-Hezbollah tensions risk boiling over now
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

In Lebanon, Hezbollah is officially considered a “resistance” group tasked with confronting Israel, which Beirut classifies as an enemy state. Since then, the two sides have traded fire sporadically, but tensions boiled over in 2006 when Israel went to war in southern Lebanon after Hezbollah kidnapped two Israeli soldiers. More than 1,000 Lebanese were killed in that conflict, mostly civilians, as well as 49 Israeli civilians and 121 soldiers. The military capability of the Lebanese group has grown since 2006, when it relied largely on inaccurate Soviet-era Katyusha rockets. Hezbollah has fired 35 kilometers into Israel, while Israel has targeted areas of Lebanon more than 120 kilometers north.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Rina Castelnuovo, Hassan Nasrallah, Heiko Wimmen, ”, Ramot Naftali, Peter Lerner, ” Amal Saad, ” Saad, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Ronni, Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, Benjamin Netanyahu, Amir Cohen, ” Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s, Al, ” Qassem, Jack Guez, Itamar Ben Gvir, Yair Lapid, ” Lapid, Matthew Miller, Biden, “, ” Shaked, Iran – Organizations: CNN, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Crisis, Wednesday, Israel Defense Forces, Cardiff University, Truman Institute, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Yad Vashem, Holocaust, Reuters, Crisis Group, Getty, Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, National, State Department Locations: CNN — Israel, Lebanese Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Beirut, Palestinian, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Brussels, Israeli, Cross, Jerusalem, Kiryat Shmona, Lebanese, Al Jazeera, AFP, United States, Iran

☆ Israeli Airstrike on School Kills Dozens in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Victoria Kim | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +4 min

One of the most intense fires threatened homes in the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona, near the Lebanese border, according to Israeli news outlets. That city, like much of the Israeli border area, has been largely evacuated for months, and no casualties were reported. The Israeli military said that two drones landed in the area of Hurfeish, a Druse village whose citizens are primarily part of an Arab-Israeli minority in Israel. No sirens sounded warning of the attack, according to the Israeli military, which said it was reviewing the incident. The talks are aimed at moving Hezbollah forces away from the border, according to Lebanese and Israeli officials, and other participants.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Netanyahu, ”, Matthew Miller, Biden, “, they’ve, Mr, Miller, Herzi Halevi, ” Bezalel Smotrich, Adam Rasgon, Ephrat Livni Organizations: Israel, Wednesday, Hezbollah, Hamas, State Department Locations: Lebanon, Gaza, Israel, Iranian, Lebanese, Kiryat Shmona, Hurfeish, ” Israel

☆ U.S. Embassy in Lebanon Targeted With Gunfire
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Euan Ward | More About Euan Ward | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The U.S. Embassy in Lebanon was targeted with gunfire early on Wednesday, and an attacker was wounded before being arrested, the country’s army said. The embassy said that no staff had been harmed in the attack and that Lebanese security forces and the embassy’s security team had responded to “small-arms fire” near the entrance of the fortified compound, which overlooks the Lebanese capital, Beirut. The embassy added in its statement that the episode was under investigation. The Lebanese army said that in response it had deployed troops around the embassy. Security forces blocked the road leading to the embassy, the country’s state news agency reported.

Organizations: U.S, Embassy, Security Locations: Lebanon, Beirut

☆ Tensions ramp up on Israel-Lebanon border as IDF warns decision is approaching on fresh offensive
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | Mike Schwartz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Israel attributed the blaze to rocket fire from southern Lebanon, where Hezbollah said it had launched a “swarm of drones” at Israeli military sites. On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the northern city of Kiryat Shmona near the Lebanese border, saying that Israel is prepared for “very intense action” in the north. Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon have been trading fire since the start of Israel’s war on Hamas in Gaza in October. In April, the IDF said it is “preparing to move from defense to attack,” referring to operations on the northern border. Ten Israeli civilians and 18 soldiers have also been killed on the border, the Israeli military said.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, ”, Staff Herzi Halevi, ” Halevi, Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s, Al, Kiryat Shmona, ” Amos Harel, of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Benny Gantz, Jack Guez, Gantz, that’s, ” Harel Organizations: Abu Dhabi CNN, Hezbollah, Israel Defense Forces, Staff, Lebanese, Gaza, GPO, IDF, Reuters, Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, CNN, Haaretz, of National Security, “, ”, Getty, Israel Locations: Jerusalem, Abu Dhabi, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Kiryat Shmona, Lebanese, “, Gaza, Al Jazeera, Israeli, Alma, Golan, Syria, AFP, An Iran, East, United States

☆ Former Trump Official Meets With Arab and Muslim American Leaders
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Nicholas Nehamas | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As President Biden’s support among Arab and Muslim Americans withers over his backing of Israel in the war in Gaza, former President Donald J. Trump is making a long-shot push to take advantage. On Tuesday, Richard Grenell, a former high-ranking official in the Trump administration, met for more than two hours with a group of about 40 Arab and Muslim American leaders at an Italian restaurant outside Detroit. Mr. Grenell was joined by the former president’s son-in-law Michael Boulos, who is married to Tiffany Trump and is Lebanese American, though the Trump campaign said it had not organized the meeting. Many Arab and Muslim American voters have said they are so angry with Mr. Biden over his Israel policy that they will sit out the election, despite supporting him in large numbers in 2020. But Mr. Grenell told the group that it had the chance to exercise extraordinary political power by backing Mr. Trump instead, according to six people who attended the meeting.

Persons: Biden’s, Donald J, Trump, Richard Grenell, Grenell, Michael Boulos, Tiffany Trump, Mr, Biden, — Organizations: Muslim American, Republicans, Democrats Locations: Israel, Gaza, Italian, Detroit, Lebanese American, Arab, Michigan

☆ Iran’s Use of Proxy Warfare Likely to Persist, Experts Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-22 | by ( Alissa J. Rubin | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Those groups — Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Houthis in Yemen, multiple militias in Iraq and Hamas in the Palestinian territories — are central to Iran’s ability to wield influence far beyond its borders despite being under strict economic sanctions for decades. Iran works with these groups through the Quds Force, a division of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. answers directly to the Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not to the government run by the president. On Tuesday morning, Iran-linked groups in Iraq announced that they had launched a strike at a base in Israel. It was as if Iran’s allies were signaling that it was business as usual by making the kinds of attacks that have become commonplace in recent months.

Persons: Ali Khamenei, Ebrahim Raisi, Hossein Amir Abdollahian, ”, Parsi Organizations: Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iraq, Quincy Institute, Responsible Locations: Iran, Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq, Lebanese, Israel

☆ 'Black Swan' author Taleb says people should worry about Middle East events but not investors
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Jeff Cox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

People should pay attention to the events in the Middle East from a humanitarian perspective but disregard them as investors, according to author Nassim Taleb. "I would say to investors to basically ignore what's going on in the Middle East and as an individual to worry," the "Black Swan" author told CNBC's Kelly Evans during an interview Monday on "The Exchange." "The connection between the markets and these events is completely unpredictable, even more unpredictable than the events themselves." In addition to his market work, Taleb is a Lebanese American essayist whose seminal work, "The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable," warns against trying to predict the unpredictable. He largely has advocated an approach to investing that hedges against unusual events such as the financial crisis of 2008-09.

Persons: Nassim Taleb, CNBC's Kelly Evans, Taleb, Ebrahim Raisi, You've Organizations: Universa Investments, Dow Jones, JPMorgan Chase Locations: Lebanese American, Israel

☆ Iran's President Raisi is dead. What does the leadership void mean for the country and the world?
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The President of Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi during the meeting with Secretary-General Antonio Guterres UN Headquarters. Lev Radin | Lightrocket | Getty ImagesThe sudden death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash plunges Tehran into fresh uncertainty at a time when it already faces deep economic decline, popular discontent, and war. The helicopter carrying President Raisi suffered a hard landing on Sunday while returning from Azerbaijan in poor weather conditions, Iranian state media reported on Monday. "That interim presidency ... [is] going to potentially pave the way for even more IRGC control over policies." "When it comes to the relationship with the U.S., and likely [with] Israel, nothing is really going to change there.

Persons: Islamic Republic of Iran Seyyed Ebrahim Raisi, Antonio Guterres, Lev Radin, Lightrocket, Ebrahim Raisi, Raisi, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Yemen's, Ayatollah Khamenei, Mohammed Mokhber, Nader Itayim, Itayim, Joe Biden Organizations: Islamic, Antonio Guterres UN, Iran's, Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Iranian, Guardian Council, Argus Media, U.S, Palestinian Locations: Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, Azerbaijan, Lebanese, Iran, Mideast, Israel, U.S, Gaza

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