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☆ Blinken Visits Iraq in Bid to Prevent Gaza Spillover
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-05 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

Washington wants to prevent a wider regional conflict and has stepped up diplomacy with regional countries whose populations have been angered by Israel's assault on Gaza. Blinken landed at Baghdad’s international airport, donned a ballistic vest and traveled by Black Hawk helicopter to the Green Zone, a remnant of the U.S. occupation of Iraq after its 2003 invasion. At the U.S. ambassador’s residence he was briefed on threats to U.S. facilities, before heading to the prime minister’s office. Iran-backed group Kataib Hezbollah issued a warning on Saturday night that the expected Blinken visit would be met with "an unprecedented escalation." Iraqi armed groups aligned with Iran have threatened to target U.S. interests with missiles and drones if Washington intervened to support Israel against Hamas in Gaza.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Blinken, Mohammed al, Sudani, Asad, Hezbollah's, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Simon Lewis, Hugh Lawson, Conor Humphries Organizations: West Bank, U.S, Iraqi, Baghdad’s, Black, Green Locations: BAGHDAD, Iraq, Israel, Baghdad, . Washington, Gaza, Turkey, Iran, Syria, Gaza . Iraqi, Ain, Harir, Iraqi, Erbil, Lebanon, U.S

☆ Israeli Jets Hit Lebanon as Hezbollah Fires More Powerful Missile
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-04 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah said it carried out simultaneous attacks on Israeli positions at the Lebanese border on Saturday, as residents of south Lebanon reported some of the fiercest Israeli strikes yet during weeks of cross-border clashes. Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since its Palestinian ally Hamas went to war with Israel on Oct. 7. Security sources and witnesses in Lebanon reported some of the heaviest Israeli strikes yet. The Israeli army said among the targets struck were "terrorist infrastructure, rocket caches, and compounds used by" Hezbollah. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last month warned Hezbollah against opening a second war front, saying that doing so would bring Israeli counter-strikes of "unimaginable" magnitude that would wreak "devastation" upon Lebanon.

Persons: Hamas, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Fouad Khreis, Benjamin Netanyahu, Laila Bassam, Dan Williams, Tom Perry, Ros Russell Organizations: Reuters, Khiyam, Hezbollah Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanese, Lebanon, Ayta, Rmeich, Israel, Gaza, Khiyam‮, Khiyam, Israeli, Beirut, Jerusalem

☆ Hezbollah leader set to weigh in on Middle East war
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Many people in Lebanon are anxiously awaiting the 3 p.m. (1300 GMT) speech, rattled for weeks by fear of a catastrophic conflict. OVERSEEING THE BATTLEWhile Nasrallah has stayed out of the public eye since Oct. 7, other Hezbollah officials have indicated the group's combat readiness. But they have not set any red lines in the conflict with Israel. The speech will be broadcast to coincide with rallies called by Hezbollah to honour fallen fighters. Mutual threats of destruction have deterred Israel and Hezbollah from waging war across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since 2006.

Persons: Nasrallah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Yemen's Houthis, sayyed, Prophet Mohammad, Hassan Fadlallah, Benjamin Netanyahu, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan, William Maclean Organizations: U.S, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, BEIRUT, Palestinian, Iran, Israel, United States, Syria, Iraq, Gaza, Lebanese

[1/6] Rmeich's sign is seen amidst tension between Israel and Hezbollah, in the Christian village of Rmeich, Lebanon, October 31, 2023. Rmeich is one of around a dozen or more Christian villages near the border with Israel in predominantly Shi'ite Muslim south Lebanon. There is no work or money," said Charbel Al Alam, 58, who makes his living from farming tobacco, historically an important industry for south Lebanon. "In the 2006 war, tobacco plants dried out in the fields and no one was able to harvest it. We don't want war, we're a peaceful village ... so the village remains safe if others flee to it."

Persons: Zohra, Israel, Toni Elias, We're, Elias, Rmeich, Georges Madi, Al Alam, Milad Al Alam, Hezbollah's, Riham, Tom Perry, Gareth Jones Organizations: Hezbollah, REUTERS, Palestinian, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Israel, Christian, Rmeich, Lebanon, Lebanese, Iran, Muslim

☆ Wildfires Erupt in Southern Lebanon, Civil Defence Blames Israeli Shells
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

The fires started around 1700 GMT and were caused by Israeli shells containing white phosphorous being launched across the border, Abdalla Mousawae, head of the Tyre Regional Center of Lebanese civil defence, told Reuters. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, the Israeli military said an accusation by Human Rights Watch that it had used white phosphorus munitions in Gaza was "unequivocally false." White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings. White phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon under Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons.

Persons: Mousawae, Israel, Abdallah Bou Habib, Aya Majzoub, Riham Alkousaa, Henriette Chacar, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: Firefighters, Tyre Regional Center of, Reuters, Hamas, United Nations, UN Security, National News Agency, Amnesty, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon, Tyre, Israel, Iran, Lebanese, Labbouneh, East, North Africa, Gaza, Jerusalem

☆ Wildfires erupt in southern Lebanon, civil defense blames Israeli shells
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The fires started around 1700 GMT and were caused by Israeli shells containing white phosphorous being launched across the border, Abdalla Mousawae, head of the Tyre Regional Center of Lebanese civil defense, told Reuters. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Earlier this month, the Israeli military said an accusation by Human Rights Watch that it had used white phosphorus munitions in Gaza was "unequivocally false." White phosphorus munitions can legally be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings. White phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon under Protocol III of the Convention on the Prohibition of Use of Certain Conventional Weapons.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Mousawae, Israel, Abdallah Bou Habib, Aya Majzoub, Riham Alkousaa, Henriette Chacar, Rosalba O'Brien Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Firefighters, Tyre Regional Center of, Reuters, Hamas, United Nations, UN Security, National News Agency, Amnesty, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Nahariya, Rights BEIRUT, Tyre, Iran, Lebanese, Labbouneh, East, North Africa, Gaza, Jerusalem

☆ Lebanon's Hezbollah: What weapons does it have?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Here is an overview of some of Hezbollah's most significant weapons, based on Hezbollah statements, security sources, weapons experts and academic reports. Hezbollah says it has rockets that can hit all areas of Israel. Last year, he said Hezbollah had the ability within Lebanon to retrofit thousands of rockets with guidance systems to make them precision missiles. Hezbollah has posted videos of what it says are direct hits on Israeli tanks and other military vehicles since Oct. 7. Hezbollah has since broadcast videos that it says show more of the same weapons that were used in 2006.

Persons: Amr Alfiky, Israel, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Maya Gebeily, Timour Azhari, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, Palestinian, Raad, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian, Beirut, Lebanon, Iran, Islamic Republic, Iraq, Syria, Dawn, Haifa

Members of Hezbollah carry the coffin of Hezbollah member Abbas Shuman, who was killed in southern Lebanon amidst tension between Israel and Hezbollah, during his funeral in Baalbek, Lebanon, October 23, 2023. With most of its fighters killed in Israeli drone strikes, Hezbollah has unveiled its surface-to-air missile capability for the first time, declaring on Sunday it downed an Israeli drone. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel would unleash devastation on Lebanon if a war did start. Hezbollah lost 263 fighters in the 2006 war, when Israel hit sites all over Lebanon during a more than month-long conflict. The war erupted after Hezbollah launched a raid into Israel and kidnapped two Israeli soldiers.

Persons: Abbas Shuman, Amr Alfiky, Israel, Sunday's, Yoav Gallant, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jama'a, Bashar al, Assad, Nabil Boumonsef, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Ari Rabinovitch, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Israeli, FORCE Hezbollah, Lebanon's, Hezbollah, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Baalbek, BEIRUT, Lebanese, Iran, Lebanon's, Hamas, Israeli, Gaza, Tehran's, Syria, Jabal Safi, Jerusalem, Beirut

☆ Israel stops missile from Lebanon, Beirut takes airport precautions
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

With tension climbing again, the Lebanese authorities issued precautionary guidance for evacuating the airport and surrounding installations in case of emergency. Israel's military said on Saturday it had "thwarted a surface-to-air missile that was fired from Lebanon" towards an Israeli unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). It also said one its drones had hit a "terrorist cell" in Lebanon which had tried to launch an anti-tank missile at Israel. Sources have previously said Hezbollah's attacks on Israel were designed to keep Israel's army occupied without provoking a major war. Israel has said it has no interest in waging war and that if Hezbollah is restrained it will maintain the status quo.

Persons: Lebanon's, Riham, Edmund Blair, Giles Elgood Organizations: Lebanese, Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport, Hamas, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, JERUSALEM, Lebanon, Beirut, Gaza, Beirut Rafic, Israel, Naqoura, Dhayra, Jerusalem

Iran-backed Hezbollah knows this and is keeping Lebanon's crises in mind as it plots the next steps in the conflict with Israel, sources say. As the war between Israel and Hezbollah's Palestinian ally Hamas reverberates across the Middle East, the risk of war between Hezbollah and Israel remains higher than at any point since their last big conflict in 2006. Lebanon has no interest in war", a source familiar with Hezbollah thinking said. However, Hezbollah has also indicated a readiness for war, reflecting its position as the spearhead of an Iran-backed alliance against Israel and the United States. Lebanon took years to rebuild from the 2006 war which killed 1,200 people in Lebanon, mostly civilians, and 158 Israelis, most of them soldiers.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Israel, Walid Jumblatt, Isaac Herzog, Hezbollah's, Suleiman Frangieh, Nabil Boumonsef, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Ghassan Hasbani, Mohanad Hage Ali, Maya Gebeily, Tom Perry, Angus MacSwan Organizations: REUTERS, Analysts, Hezbollah, Israel, Lebanese, Annahar, Lebanese Forces, Christian, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Lebanon, Israel, BEIRUT, Iran, Hamas, Gaza, Arab, United States, Lebanese, LEBANON, Beirut

[1/5] Rabab Youssef, 57, a survivor of the Israeli airstrike in 2006 that killed dozens, sits beside her daughter's grave in Qana, Lebanon October 24, 2023. You just wait," said Rabab Yousef, a 57-year-old mother who lost a daughter under the rubble of an Israeli airstrike in 2006. When conflict erupted over Gaza after Palestinian group Hamas - an ally of Hezbollah - launched its devastating raid on Israeli soil on Oct. 7, violence quickly flared on Israel's flashpoint northern border with Lebanon. An Israeli inquiry after the 2006 incident said it had been a mistake. Israel voiced regret at the 1996 incident, which prompted it to wind down its Lebanon operation at the time.

Persons: Rabab Youssef, Zohra, Jesus, Rabab Yousef, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nabih Berri, Ghazi Hussein Ai Deebh, Qana, Israel, Jamil Salameh, Kefah, won’t, Nasrallah, Sabah Krecht, Riham Alkousaa, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Qana, Lebanon, Israel, Lebanese, Cana, Gaza, Palestinian, Nabih Berri . South Lebanon

☆ Hezbollah chief meets top Palestinian leaders
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah gestures as he addresses his supporters through a screen in Beirut's southern suburbs, in Beirut, Lebanon January 19, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBEIRUT, Oct 25 (Reuters) - The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah met with top leaders of the Palestinian militant factions Hamas and Islamic Jihad, according to a report by Hezbollah's al-Manar TV, saying they had assessed what their alliance must do to "achieve a real victory for the resistance" in Gaza. The meeting grouped Hezbollah's Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, with Hamas deputy chief Saleh al-Arouri, and Islamic Jihad chief Ziad al-Nakhala, al-Manar reported. "The meeting ... assessed the positions taken internationally and what the Axis of Resistance must do", a headline on al-Manar said, referring to an alliance of Iran, Palestinian militant groups, Syria, Lebanon's Hezbollah and other factions. Writing by Tom Perry Editing by Bernadette BaumOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Mohamed Azakir, Hezbollah's, Hezbollah's Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Saleh al, Ziad al, Manar, Tom Perry, Bernadette Baum Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, Thomson Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, Gaza, Iran, Palestinian, Syria

☆ Israel expands evacuations as Lebanon border clashes escalate
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A woman stands with bags of personal belongings before being evacuated from Kiryat Shmona, near Israel's border with Lebanon, in northern Israel, October 20, 2023. Hezbollah and Israel have been trading fire at the frontier with increasing frequency since Palestinian group Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel on Oct. 7 and Israel responded with intense air strikes on Gaza. It is the worst escalation in violence along the Israeli-Lebanese border since the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. The area around the Lebanese town of Hula, opposite Israel's Kiryat Shmona, also faced Israeli bombardments, Al-Manar reported. Sources have previously said Hezbollah's attacks on Israel were designed to keep Israel's army occupied without provoking a major war.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Israel, Hassan Nasrallah, Hassan Fadlallah, Manar, Kiryat Shmona, Henriette Chacar, Dan Williams, Edmund Blair, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Defence Ministry, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Kiryat Shmona, Israel's, Lebanon, Israel, JERUSALEM, BEIRUT, Lebanese, Gaza, Iran, Aalma, Aitaroun, Hula, Jerusalem, Beirut

☆ Israel-Hamas war live updates: UN agencies say first aid convoy ‘far from enough’; Israel vows to step up Gaza bombardment
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Joanna Tan | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

The comments by Hezbollah's deputy leader, Sheikh Naim Kassem, came as Israel shelled and made drone strikes in southern Lebanon and Hezbollah fired rockets and missiles toward Israel. For Hezbollah, heating up the Lebanon-Israel border has a clear purpose, Kassem said: "We are trying to weaken the Israeli enemy and let them know that we are ready." Hamas officials have said that if Israel starts a ground offensive in Gaza, Hezbollah will join the fighting. "Do you believe that if you try to crush the Palestinian resistance, other resistance fighters in the region will not act?" Kassem said in a speech Saturday during the funeral of a Hezbollah fighter.

Persons: Hezbollah's, Sheikh Naim Kassem, Kassem, Israel Organizations: Hamas Locations: Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran

☆ Iran's Quandary: How to Stay Out of Israel's War on Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-22 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

Iran, a longtime backer of Gaza's rulers Hamas, finds itself in a quandary as it tries to manage the spiralling crisis, according to nine Iranian officials with direct knowledge of the thinking within the clerical establishment. "We are in contact with our friends Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah," Vahid Jalalzadeh, the head of parliament's National Security Committee said on Wednesday, according to Iranian state media. Iran's foreign ministry didn't respond to a request for comment about the country's response to the unfolding crisis, while Israeli military authorities declined to comment. Khamenei, the supreme leader, has denied Iran was involved in the attack, though he praised the damage inflicted on Israel. "Iran's nuanced position emphasizes the delicate balance it must maintain between regional interests and internal stability," said the former senior Iranian official.

Persons: Parisa Hafezi, Jonathan Saul, Arshad Mohammed DUBAI, wouldn't, Avi Melamed, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Israel didn't, Khamenei, Joe Biden, Biden, John Kirby, Washington, Jon Alterman, Jerusalem, Arshad Mohammed, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul, Michael Georgy, Pravin Char Organizations: Reuters, Islamic, parliament's National Security, Israel, Wednesday, Hezbollah, U.S, Germany's Ramstein Air Base, House, State Department, CSIS, Swiss, Iran, Iranian Locations: Iran, Israel, Gaza, Tehran, U.S, Lebanon, Yemen, United States, Islamic Republic, Iranian, Lebanese, Syria, Iraq, Washington, America, GAZA, LEBANON, China, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Beirut, Paritosh, New York

[1/4] A formation of Israeli tanks is positioned near Israel's border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel October 21, 2023. Iran, a longtime backer of Gaza's rulers Hamas, finds itself in a quandary as it tries to manage the spiralling crisis, according to nine Iranian officials with direct knowledge of the thinking within the clerical establishment. "We are in contact with our friends Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and Hezbollah," Vahid Jalalzadeh, the head of parliament's National Security Committee said on Wednesday, according to Iranian state media. Iran's foreign ministry didn't respond to a request for comment about the country's response to the unfolding crisis, while Israeli military authorities declined to comment. "Iran's nuanced position emphasizes the delicate balance it must maintain between regional interests and internal stability," said the former senior Iranian official.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, wouldn't, Avi Melamed, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Israel didn't, Khamenei, Joe Biden, Biden, John Kirby, Washington, Jon Alterman, Parisa Hafezi, Jonathan Saul, Jerusalem, Arshad Mohammed, Laila Bassam, Samia Nakhoul, Michael Georgy, Pravin Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, parliament's National Security, Israel, Wednesday, Hezbollah, U.S, Germany's Ramstein Air Base, House, State Department, CSIS, Swiss, Iran, Iranian, Thomson Locations: Israel's, Gaza, Israel, Rights DUBAI, Iran, Tehran, U.S, Lebanon, Yemen, United States, Islamic Republic, Iranian, Lebanese, Syria, Iraq, Washington, America, GAZA, LEBANON, China, Saudi Arabia, Dubai, Beirut, Paritosh, New York

☆ Lebanon's Hezbollah says four fighters killed in Israel hostilities
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Palestinian group Islamic Jihad, which also has a presence in southern Lebanon, separately said one of its fighters was killed. It is the worst escalation in violence along the Israeli-Lebanese border since a 2006 war between Hezbollah and Israel. Sources have previously said Hezbollah's attacks were designed to keep Israel's military occupied without provoking a major war. Israel has said it has no interest in waging war and said if Hezbollah is restrained it will maintain the status quo. Israel and Hezbollah both reported exchanges of fire on other points along the frontier on Saturday, including around Lebanon's Alma Al-Shaab and Israel's Hanita, an area where Hezbollah said it fired guided missiles and Israel responded.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Israel, Alma Al, Israel's, Edmund Blair, Ros Russell, Daniel Wallis Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Islamic, Hamas, Kiryat, Thomson Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Rights BEIRUT, JERUSALEM, Lebanese, Iran, Margaliot, Gaza, Kiryat Shmona, Israeli, Kiryat Shmona's, Jerusalem, Beirut

☆ How Hezbollah could draw US troops into a wider war in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Israel-Hamas war could spark a wider regional conflict in the Middle East. AdvertisementAdvertisementPresident Joe Biden this week touched down in Israel as the Middle East was engulfed in new turmoil. AdvertisementAdvertisementThey'd threatened to attack Israel in support of Hamas before the hospital attack, with clashes in recent days between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on Israel's northern border intensifying. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn Hezbollah, Israel faces an opponent that is better armed and trained than the Gaza-based Hamas militia. "They want to pressure Israel via Hezbollah when Israel is already stretched and distracted," said Burrows.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Biden, Michael DiMino, Benjamin Netanyahu, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, Ebrahim Raisi, Israel, JOSEPH EID, Mat Burrows, Burrows, Robert Dover, Stimson Center's Burrows, Iran's, Clive Jones, DiMino Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, CIA, Israel, Tel Aviv's, Getty, Al, UN, West Bank, Embassy, Washington, Stimson Center, Missile, AFP, Kremlin, University of Hull, Institute for, Durham University Locations: Israel, East, Iran, Gaza, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion, AFP, Ahli, Gaza City, — Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, DC, Russia, China, Ukraine, Taiwan, Syrian, Iraq, Yemen, United States

☆ Lebanon's Hezbollah says it is stronger than before as border clashes rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Smoke rises from Dhayra village after Israeli shelling as pictured from the Lebanese town of Marwahin, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, October 11, 2023. Hezbollah said two of its fighters were killed in south Lebanon on Wednesday and a third was in a serious condition. The fighting has been the deadliest at the border since Hezbollah and Israel went to war in 2006. Hezbollah announced on Wednesday a fighter had died of wounds sustained on Tuesday, increasing to six the number of its fighters killed in Tuesday's violence. Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said on Oct. 13 the group would act when the time comes.

Persons: Mohamed Azakir, Hashem Safieddine, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Kibbutz Manara, Naim Qassem, Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Henriette Chacar, Edmund Blair, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, Palestinian, Hamas, Israeli, Kibbutz, Thomson Locations: Dhayra, Marwahin, Israel, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, United States, Iran, Gaza, Zar'it, Lebanon's Ras Naqoura, Rosh HaNikra, Beirut, Jerusalem

☆ Explainer: What you need to know about Hezbollah, the group backing Hamas against Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

Members of Hezbollah march with party's flags during a rally marking al-Quds Day, (Jerusalem Day) in Beirut, Lebanon May 31, 2019. Backed by Iran, Hezbollah has said it is ready to help when the time comes in the war between Israel and Hamas, which is also backed by Tehran. While other groups disarmed after Lebanon's civil war, Hezbollah kept its weapons to fight Israeli forces that were occupying the predominantly Shi'ite south of the country. Hezbollah demonstrated its military advances in 2006 during a five-week war with Israel, which erupted after it crossed into Israel, kidnapping two soldiers and killing others. Hezbollah's influence is underpinned by its sophisticated arsenal and the support of many Lebanese Shi'ites who say the group defends Lebanon from Israel.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Tzachi Hanegbi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Hanegbi, Lebanese Shi'ites, Rafik al, Hariri, Michel Aoun, Imad Moughniyah, Nasrallah, Tom Perry, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, Guards, United, Islamic, West, Maronite Christian, Marine, U.S ., European Union, Thomson Locations: Quds, Jerusalem, Beirut, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, Israel, Palestinian, Iran, Tehran, Lebanese, United States, Syria, ISRAEL, Gaza, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, LEBANON, Saudi, U.S, Arab, Argentina, Buenos Aires

☆ Explainer: What is Hezbollah? The Lebanese group backing Hamas in its war with Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +8 min

☆ Lebanese Army Finds Rocket Launchers Near Its Border With Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-16 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The army said four of the launchers discovered had rockets inside them and were ready to be fired. Experts were working to dismantle the weapons that were discovered near the village of Qlaileh, south of the port city of Tyre, the army said. Israel has moved troops toward its northern border with Lebanon in recent days, suggesting the Israelis anticipate a second front as they tackle Hamas further south in Gaza. Hezbollah's relationship with the Lebanese armed forces is complicated but the militant group is the stronger of the two and could drag Lebanon into a conflict without a government decision, as it did in 2006.

Locations: Qlaileh, Tyre, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Lebanese

☆ Important to Avoid Hezbollah's Intervention in Israel-Hamas Conflict - German Chancellor
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BERLIN (Reuters) - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz agreed in a phone call on Saturday with Israel's prime minister that it was important to avoid a wider Middle East war as well as Hezbollah's intervention in the Israel-Hamas conflict, a spokesperson for the Chancellery said. "Chancellor Scholz renewed Germany's full solidarity with the people of Israel in these difficult times and emphasized that Germany stands unwaveringly at Israel's side," the spokesperson added in a statement. Baerbock, who arrived on Saturday morning in Cairo for discussion with her Turkish and Egyptian counterparts, said Israel's fight against Hamas must be carried out with consideration for the humanitarian situation in Gaza. "The fight against Hamas must be carried out with the greatest possible consideration for the humanitarian situation ... (Reporting by Riham Alkousaa and Alexander Ratz; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise and Mark Potter)

Persons: Olaf Scholz, Chancellor Scholz, Annalena Baerbock, Berlin, Baerbock, Israel's, Riham Alkousaa, Alexander Ratz, Emelia Sithole, Mark Potter Organizations: BERLIN, German, United Nations Locations: Israel, Germany, Gaza, Egypt, Berlin, Cairo

☆ Israel warns Hezbollah to stay out of Gaza war
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] An Israeli tank is seen in the aftermath of a mass infiltration by Hamas gunmen from the Gaza Strip, in Kibbutz Beeri in southern Israel, October 14, 2023. REUTERS/Violeta Santos Moura Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Oct 14 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's national security adviser said on Saturday hostilities with Lebanese Hezbollah in parallel with the Gaza war appeared to be restrained and warned the group not to take action that could lead to Lebanon's "destruction". Speaking after Netanyahu visited troops on the Gaza periphery in a possible precursor to a ground invasion, Hanegbi said more limited clashes across the Lebanese border showed Hezbollah was staying "under the escalation threshold". "That was a mistake," he said, adding that the wrongful assessment was shared across the Israeli intelligence community. "There is no doubt that the State of Israel did not fulfill its mission."

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Israel, Tzachi Hanegbi, Netanyahu, Hanegbi, Israel forewarning, Israel's Shin Bet, Shin, Ronen, Dan Williams, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hezbollah, Thomson Locations: Israeli, Gaza, Kibbutz Beeri, Israel, Israel's, Lebanese, Lebanon, Palestinian, Egypt

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