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☆ Oil heads for weekly loss as geopolitical risk premium wanes
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Ahmad Ghaddar | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Both benchmarks gained more than $2 a barrel on Thursday, but were on track to lose about 4% on the week. The report could bolster the view that the U.S. Federal Reserve need not raise interest rates further. The Fed held interest rates steady on Wednesday, while the Bank of England held rates at a 15-year peak. The stable policies kept oil prices supported as some risk appetite returned to markets. "The oil market will be watching for an escalation of tensions, particularly on the Lebanese border, as Hezbollah attacks increase," City Index Fiona Cincotta said.

Persons: Jussi Rosendahl, Brent, Fiona Cincotta, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Jeslyn Lerh, Mark Potter Organizations: REUTERS, U.S, West Texas, National Bureau, Statistics, U.S . Labor Department, U.S . Federal, Fed, Bank of, Palestinian, Thomson Locations: Porvoo, Finland, China, Bank of England, Gaza, Lebanese, Saudi Arabia, Singapore

☆ US, Arab Leaders to Meet Over Gaza as Palestinian Deaths Mount
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-03 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +6 min

Civilians in the area are repeatedly called upon to evacuate southwards for their own safety," the military said. Israel has accused Hamas of concealing command centres and tunnel entrances in al-Shifa, something Hamas and the hospital denies. Food is scarce, residents have resorted to drinking salty water, medical services are collapsing and Gaza health officials say more than 9,250 Palestinians have been killed. "Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza." Hezbollah and other state and non-state actors should not try to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the spokesperson said.

Persons: Nidal, Simon Lewis, Suleiman Al, Khalidi, Ashraf al, Qidra, Izzat El Reshiq, Antony Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Israel, Blinken, Washington, Jordan, Lebanon's, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Nidal al, Daphne Psaledakis, Rami Ayyub, Diane Craft Organizations: Reuters, Israeli, Saudi, Israel, State Department, West Bank, Washington, White House National Security Council, Hamas Locations: Khalidi GAZA, AMMAN, Gaza, Jordan, Gaza's, Israel, al, Gaza City, U.S, Amman, Jordanian, Washington, Lebanon's Iran, United States, Iran, Lebanon, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, In Washington, Khalidi

Palestinians pull an ambulance after a convoy of ambulances was hit, at the entrance of Shifa hospital in Gaza City, November 3, 2023. Israel has accused Hamas of concealing command centres and tunnel entrances in al-Shifa, something Hamas and the hospital denies. Blinken on Saturday will meet with the Saudi, Qatari, Emirati and Egyptian foreign ministers as well as Palestinian representatives in Amman, the Jordanian foreign ministry said. "Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza." Hezbollah and other state and non-state actors should not try to take advantage of the conflict between Israel and Hamas, the spokesperson said.

Persons: Anas, Israel, Antony Blinken, Jordan Lebanon's, Ashraf al, Qidra, Izzat El Reshiq, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Blinken, Washington, Jordan, Lebanon's, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Nidal al, Simon Lewis, Suleiman Al, Daphne Psaledakis, Rami Ayyub, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Saudi, U.S, Reuters, Israeli, Israel, State Department, West Bank, Washington, White House National Security Council, Hamas, Thomson Locations: Gaza City, Gaza, Jordan, Israel, GAZA, AMMAN, Gaza's, al, U.S, Amman, Jordanian, Washington, Lebanon's Iran, United States, Iran, Lebanon, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, In Washington, Khalidi

Whoever wants to prevent a regional war, and I am talking to the Americans, must quickly halt the aggression on Gaza," Nasrallah said. Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces at the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since Oct. 8, with more than 55 of its fighters killed. The group, founded by Iran's Revolutionary Guards in 1982, is the spearhead of a Tehran-backed alliance hostile to Israel and the United States. The White House said Hezbollah must not exploit the Hamas-Israel conflict, and the United States did not want to see the conflict expand into Lebanon. The United States holds Hezbollah responsible for the attacks.

Persons: Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Mohamed Azakir, Nasrallah, Lebanon's, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Laila Bassam, Tom Perry, Riham al, Nadine Awadalla, Michael Georgy, Angus MacSwan, Tomasz Janowski, Mark Heinrich, Nick Macfie Organizations: REUTERS, United, Lebanese, Iran's, Guards, House, Pentagon, . Marine, U.S ., group's, Gaza, West Bank, Thomson Locations: Israel, Beirut's, Lebanon, Gaza, United States, BEIRUT, Iran, Tehran, U.S, Iraq, Syria, Beirut, Hamas, Riham al Koussa, Maayan, Jerusalem

TEL AVIV (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned Israel on Friday that it risks destroying an eventual possibility for peace unless it acts swiftly to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza for Palestinian civilians as it intensifies its war against Hamas. At the same time, he said he was also shaken by images of dead and wounded Palestinian children in Gaza. Blinken also said it was imperative for Israel, regional countries, the U.S. and others to begin considering what the future of Gaza will look like if and when Hamas is destroyed. He said the idea of Hamas remaining responsible for the governance Gaza, thereby posing a continued threat to Israel, was “unacceptable." “Within those parameters we will continue to have discussions in the region and our partners about what should follow once Hamas is defeated," Blinken said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Israel, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Blinken's, Israel's, ”, Hassan Nasrallah, “, Nasrallah, __ Tucker, Lolita C Organizations: —, Hamas, Biden, American, U.S, Reuters, Associated Press Locations: TEL AVIV, Gaza, Israel, Tel Aviv, America, Iran, Lebanon, U.S, “, Washington

☆ 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

CNN —The US has intelligence that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has agreed to provide the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah with a Russian-made missile defense system, according to two people familiar with the intelligence. The Russian mercenary organization Wagner Group, which operates in Syria, has been tasked with carrying out the delivery of the surface-to-air SA-22 missile system, the people said. The Wall Street Journal previously reported that Wagner may provide the system to Hezbollah. A third source familiar with western intelligence said there was evidence of increasing collaboration between Hezbollah and Wagner in Syria. It is not clear how much influence Russia had over the decision to provide the system to Hezbollah.

Persons: Bashar al, Assad, Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, –, Hassan Nasrallah, CNN’s Oren Liebermann Organizations: CNN, Wagner Group, Street, Russian, US, Kremlin, Israel Locations: Lebanese, Russian, Syria, Russia, Syrian, Iran, Lebanon, Israel, Moscow, –, Gaza

“All of Lebanon, including Hezbollah — we don’t want a war,” said Lebanon’s foreign minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, who is in regular contact with Hezbollah. “There is Western pressure on the Lebanese government to apply pressure on Hezbollah not to go to war. But will Israel start a war? “If the situation gets really bad in Gaza, it will be really bad for the whole region — not just Lebanon and Israel,” Mr. Bou Habib said. Israel has responded with a vast bombing campaign on Gaza, a blockade on fuel and a ground invasion.

Persons: ”, Abdallah Bou Habib, ” Ron Dermer, we’re, Mr, Dermer, Bou Habib, ” Mr, Khaled Meshaal, Meshaal, Al Arabiya, Maha Yahya, Ms, Yahya, “, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Nasrallah Organizations: Hezbollah, Carnegie Middle East Center Locations: Lebanon, States, Israel, Gaza, United States, Beirut, Iran

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

☆ 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

☆ One month on, the Israel-Hamas conflict explained
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

The conflict has led to a humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, with more than 10,000 people killed there, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah. Unlike some other Palestinian factions, Hamas refuses to engage with Israel and does not recognize its right to exist. Palestinian Hamas members in Gaza City ride an armored vehicle seized from Fatah, a rival Palestinian political party, during a celebration rally in June 2007. The Pentagon last month ordered a second carrier strike group to the eastern Mediterranean and sent Air Force fighter jets to the region. On Israel’s northern border, Iran-backed Hezbollah has engaged in an exchange of fire since the Gaza war began.

Persons: CNN —, Fadel Senna, Israel hasn’t, Abed Rahim Khatib, Israel, Abid Katib, Yahya Hassouna, Joe Biden, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Biden, Netanyahu, –, Hussein Malla, Houthis, General Hassan Nasrallah Organizations: CNN, Palestinian, Hamas, United Nations, Getty, Al, Najjar, European Union, Oslo Accords, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Israel, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, Fatah, Humanitarian Affairs, UN’s, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, World Health Organization, WHO, UN, US, Pentagon, Air Force Locations: CNN — Israel, Gaza, Israel, Ramallah, Jerusalem, AFP, Aqsa, Gaza City, Rafah, Egypt, United States, Oslo, Palestinian, Sinai, Jordan, Iran, Washington, Qatar, Aita, Lebanese, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen’s Iran

☆ Iran may not want a full-blown war with Israel, but it may be dragged into one
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

And there are now concerns that more fronts will open in the war, including one with Iran. And the US now has specific intelligence that those same groups could escalate even further as the war between Israel and Hamas continues, CNN reported this week. “Tell Iran, tell its proxies in public, in private, through every means: Do not open another front against Israel in this conflict. Shine, of the INSS, said that Iran does not want a direct war with Israel because that would mean a direct war with the US. Iranian media has been brimming with news of the Gaza war, with officials across Iran’s political spectrum expressing solidarity with Palestinians.

Persons: ”, Sima Shine, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Al Jazeera, ” Abdollahian, Abed Khaled, Parsi, Joe Biden, ” Parsi, Israel, Hassan Nasrallah, Antony Blinken, “, ” Blinken, Thomas Coex, Lloyd Austin, Iran’s IRGC, “ They’re, Israel – Organizations: UAE CNN, Hamas, Tehran’s Azadi, Perspolis FC, Gol Gohar Sirjan FC, Palestinian, Institute for National Security Studies, CNN, Iranian, Quincy Institute, Israel, Revolutionary Guard Corps, United Nations Security Council, Getty, Defense, widener Locations: Abu Dhabi, UAE, Israel, Hamas, Gaza, Iran, Tel Aviv, Tehran, United States, Gaza City, Washington ,, Lebanese, Lebanon, Syria, Golan, Palestine, Iraq, Sderot, AFP, Iranian, US

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

☆ Analysis: Israel’s allies fear it could be walking into a trap in Gaza as Hamas and its backers seek a wider conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Jerome Taylor | Sam Kiley | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

The bomb-making skills of Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group and close ally of Hamas, have metastasized across the Middle East. In Gaza, Israeli troops will know they face improvised explosive devices built with charges that can cripple a tank. Hamas does hope to establish a Palestinian state based on the teachings of Islam. There have been pro-Palestinian marches throughout the world protesting at the level of destruction visited already on Gaza by Israel. They’ll be looking to exploit Israel’s next moves in Gaza as their own “phase two” of the October 7 attacks.

Persons: Israel’s, ”, Hossein Amir, Abdollahian, Joe Biden, Saddam Hussein, Benjamin Netanyahu, Rishi Sunak, “, Emmanuel Macron, ” Atatra, –, Hassan Nasrallah, Saleh Al, Ziad Al, Tehran’s, Quds, They’ll, John Kirby, Jalaa Marey, Biden, Islam, Iraq ’, Karin von Hippel, Martin Sherman, Israel Organizations: London CNN, Hamas, American, ISIS, Iran’s, British, Islam, Israel Defense Forces, UN, Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Quds Brigade, US, US National Security Council, Palestinian, Getty, Israel’s, Royal United Services Institute, Israel Institute for Strategic Studies Locations: Gaza, Tehran, Israel, Hamas, Mosul, Iraqi, Lebanese, Lebanon, Beit Hanoun, Washington, Iraq, realpolitik, Palestine, Iran, Baghdad, Iranian, Yemen, Israeli, AFP, United States, State, Afghanistan

☆ Israel-Hamas war: Here’s why Israel’s ground offensive in Gaza hasn’t happened yet
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-26 | by ( Ivana Kottasová | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Ashkelon, Israel’s border with Gaza CNN —The lines of tanks, self-propelled artillery, armoured vehicles and army bulldozers stretch across the horizon near Israel’s border with Gaza. Israeli tanks are seen positioned near the border with Gaza, in southern Israel, on October 22. Gaza has been under blockade by Israel and Egypt for years, but after the Hamas attack, Israel also cut off its electricity, food, water and fuel supplies. The brutality of the Hamas attack sparked a huge wave of solidarity among Israel’s allies. Meanwhile on the Gaza border, the troops remain ready.

Persons: Violeta Santos Moura, Reuters Yocheved Lifshitz, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, –, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Olaf Scholz, Emmanuel Macron, Biden, Israel, Hassan Nasrallah, Stephane Dujarric, General António Guterres, Guterres ’, Antonio Guterres, Seth Wenig, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, ”, “ Organizations: Gaza CNN, Israel Defence Forces, Hamas, IDF, Reuters, Ichilov, Getty, British, CNN, UN, United, United Nations, UN Security, AP Australia, European Union, European Council Locations: Ashkelon, Israel’s, Gaza, Israel, Mexico, Brazil, United States, Germany, Thailand, Tel Aviv, United Nations, jazeera, gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Jihad, United, Egypt, European

☆ 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

[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

[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

☆ 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

The tiny Mediterranean country is home to Hezbollah, a Shiite Muslim political party with an armed wing of the same name. Hezbollah has reported the deaths of 24 of its militants since Hamas' bloody Oct. 7 rampage in southern Israel. Hezbollah has vowed to escalate if Israel begins a ground invasion of the Gaza Strip, which is likely, and Israel said it would aggressively retaliate. “If Hezbollah decides to enter the war, it will miss the Second Lebanon War. Israel sees Iran-backed Hezbollah as its most serious threat, estimating it has some 150,000 rockets and missiles aimed at Israel.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Jonathan Conricus, ”, Conricus, Hassan Nasrallah, Hassan Fadlallah, Fadlallah Organizations: —, Palestinian, Hamas, National News Agency, Sunday Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Lebanese, Aitaroun, Avivim, Blida, Iran, Dov, 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

☆ Opinion | To Win the War, Defeat Hamas and Stop Settlements
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Thomas L. Friedman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +11 min

After that rocket failed and fell on the Palestinian hospital in Gaza, killing scores of people, Hamas and the P.I.J. (Netanyahu’s coalition agreement actually vows to annex the whole of the West Bank.) I am well aware that Hamas has been committed to eliminating the Jewish state since its inception — not because Israel has expanded settlements in the West Bank. The Palestinian Authority, which is ready to coexist with the Jewish state, needs to be able to actually win a free and fair election against Hamas in the West Bank or Gaza. So no, we’re not telling Netanyahu what to do in Gaza — Israel is a sovereign country.

Persons: Biden, —, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Israel’s, Hassan Nasrallah, Nahum Barnea, beseeching Biden, beseech, it’s, “, Gazans, there’s, Bibi Netanyahu’s, Abraham, Netanyahu, Sam’s, we’re, Netanyahu’s, Dan Ben, David, ” Mr, Ben, Yuval Noah Harari, ” Organizations: West Bank . Settlers, Palestinian Authority, West Bank, U.S, U.S . Navy, Pentagon, Arab Hospital, United, Israel, Hamas, Peace Communications, Times, Abraham Accords, Ministry of Defense, Tel Aviv University, Technion, Israel’s Locations: Israel, Gaza, Iraq, Afghanistan, Jerusalem, —, Iran, Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, United States, U.S, Tehran, Persian, Gaza ”, America, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Gaza — Israel, We’re, Israeli

☆ What to know about Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed group on Israel’s border
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Islamist movement with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East. The origins of the groupHezbollah emerged from the rubble of Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, when Israeli forces took almost half of Lebanon’s territory. This included Beirut, where Israeli forces, along with right-wing Israel-allied Christian Lebanese militias, laid siege to the western part of the capital to drive out Palestinian militants. A terror designationIn Lebanon, Hezbollah is officially considered a “resistance” group tasked with confronting Israel, which Beirut classifies as an enemy state. Hezbollah is a group from the Shia branch of Islam, while Hamas is Sunni.

Persons: Israel –, –, Sabra, Shatila, Hassan Nasrallah, Marwan Naamani, Israel, Mustafa Badreddine, Hamas haven’t, Bashar al, Assad, Nasrallah, Francesca Volpi, ’ Organizations: CNN, Commission, Christian Lebanese, Embassy, Hezbollah, Hamas, Gaza, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel’s Locations: Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza, Beirut, Lebanese, Palestinian, Islamic Republic, Tehran, Argentina, Buenos Aires, East, Syria, Iraq, Islam, Baalbek, Lebanon's Bekaa, Israel’s, Golan

☆ Iran's Middle East allies primed as Israel-Hamas war rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Oct. 17 of further action by Tehran's allies against Israel if it did not cease its attacks. Since the war erupted on Oct. 7, the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has already mounted operations against Israel, while others have threatened U.S. interests. Hezbollah has trained paramilitary groups in Syria and Iraq and inspired other forces such as Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis. Other Iran-backed Shi'ite groups backed by Tehran have played a vital combat role in Syria, including groups from Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran-backed forces have deployed across much of government-held Syria during the war, including at the Iraqi border and near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Persons: Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, YEMEN Yemen's, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Party, Iran's, Guards, United, . Marine, U.S, Popular, Forces, Reuters, SYRIA Iran's Revolutionary Guards, The U.S . Fifth Fleet, Revolutionary Guards, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Tehran, Iran, Lebanese, LEBANON, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, . Washington, United States, Beirut, IRAQ, U.S, State, SYRIA, Afghanistan, Golan Heights, YEMEN, Gaza, Saudi, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, The, Bahrain, Gulf of Oman

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