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Two sources in Lebanon familiar with the Iran-backed group's arsenal say he was referring to Hezbollah's greatly enhanced anti-ship missile capabilities, including the Russian-made Yakhont missile with a range of 300 km (186 miles). Hezbollah perceives the U.S. warships as a direct threat because of their ability to hit the group and its allies. PAYING ATTENTIONThree current and one former U.S. official said Hezbollah has built an impressive array of weapons, including anti-ship missiles. Asked about the sources' accounts of Hezbollah having acquired Yakhont missiles, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: "First of all, this is news without any confirmation at all. Moscow said in 2010 it had signed a deal to send anti-ship cruise missiles including a version of the Yakhont to Damascus.

Persons: Aziz Taher, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Washington, Bashar al, Assad, Nasrallah, We're, Dmitry Peskov, Nasser Qandil, Qandil, Idrees Ali, Phil Stewart, John Davison, Maya Gebeily, Guy Faulconbridge, Tom Perry, Claudia Parsons Organizations: REUTERS, Group, U.S, Yakhont, Hamas, Hezbollah, Pentagon, Friday, Washington -, Strategic, International Studies, CSIS, Reuters, Marines, Thomson Locations: Aaramta, Lebanon, Russian, Syria, States, U.S, BEIRUT, Israel, Iran, Washington, Jihad, United States, Gaza, Lebanese, Iraq, Beirut, Russia, Hezbollah, Moscow, Damascus

☆ Israel's military says it is striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A general view shows the border between Israel and Lebanon as seen from the Israeli side, November 4, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Nov 6 (Reuters) - Israel's military said on Monday it was striking targets belonging to the Shi'ite militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon in response to a large barrage of rockets fired at northern Israeli cities. Chief military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters that fighter jets were attacking a broad range of targets and the military will continue to have a "significant response" every time Israel is fired upon. Reporting by Ari Rabinovitch; editing by Mark Heinrich and Chris ReeseOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Alexander Ermochenko, Daniel Hagari, Ari Rabinovitch, Mark Heinrich, Chris Reese Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Hezbollah, Thomson Locations: Israel, Lebanon

☆ France to give armoured vehicles to Lebanese army - defence minister
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

PARIS, Nov 6 (Reuters) - France will send dozens of armoured vehicles to the Lebanese army so it can properly carry out patrol missions in the country, France's defence minister said in remarks published on Monday. "We will pursue our partnership with military equipment, notably for the transport of troops protected by armour, which is key to maintain patrols," he said, adding that several dozen armoured vehicles would be given to the Lebanese army soon. "Our support for the Lebanese army is for the long-term whatever the current difficulties," Lecornu added. Paris will also provide medicines and is setting up a joint programme to purchase medical supplies at reasonable prices for the Lebanese army in the future, he said. France has sought to use its historical relationship with Lebanon to try to defuse tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, but violence has spiked.

Persons: Lebanon's, Sebastien Lecornu, Lecornu, John Irish, Gareth Jones Organizations: Lebanese, United Nations, UN Interim Force, Thomson Locations: France, Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Paris, United States

☆ Lebanon Must Be Kept Out of Hamas-Israel War, Patriarch Says
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's top Christian cleric urged state officials on Monday to shield Lebanon from the war between Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and Israel, as the Lebanese Shi'ite group Hezbollah clashes with Israeli forces at the border. The Iran-backed Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israeli forces across the Lebanese-Israeli frontier since the Hamas-Israel war began on Oct. 7, in the worst fighting there since Hezbollah and Israel fought a war in 2006. He called on Lebanese state officials to work to keep Lebanon away "from the scourge of this war ... and to carry out its political and diplomatic role in support of the Palestinian cause. Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, in his first speech since the start of the Israel-Hamas war, said on Friday escalation on the Lebanon front would hinge on events in Gaza and Israeli actions towards Lebanon. Hezbollah's supporters say its arsenal has defended Lebanon from Israel.

Persons: Israel, Long, Bechara Boutros Al, Rai, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's, Tom Perry, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Maronite, Security Locations: BEIRUT, Lebanon, Israel, Lebanese, Iran, Gaza

They trailed 9-7 at the half and Rutgers appeared ready to add to that lead when they took the opening kickoff drove to the Ohio State 20. Hancock grabbed the fluttering ball, turned and headed upfield and never stopped to give Ohio State a 14-9 lead. Ohio State, who was limited to 328 yards, made the score margin look bigger in a game it was clearly threatened. THE TAKEAWAYOhio State: Ohio State still have not given up more than 17 points this season. Ohio State figures to stay at No.

Persons: Jordan Hancock, Kyle McCord, Marvin Harrison Jr, TreVeyon Henderson, Gavin Wimsatt, JaQuae Jackson, Jai Petel, Kyle Monangai, Wimsatt, Josh Proctor, Hancock, Henderson, Jackson, Harrison, Patel, Mohamed Toure, Monangai, McCord, Gee Scott Jr, Greg Schiano's Organizations: Ohio State, Buckeyes, Rutgers, Knights, CFP, Ohio, SHI, Scarlet Knights, Football, Michigan State, Hawkeyes, AP Locations: PISCATAWAY, N.J, Ohio State, Travel, Iowa

REUTERS/Jonathan... Acquire Licensing Rights Read moreAMMAN, Nov 4 (Reuters) - U.S.-allied Arab states will press Secretary of State Antony Blinken for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza at a meeting of foreign ministers in Amman on Saturday, as Washington tries to persuade Israel to agree to temporary pauses to allow in aid. Health officials in Hamas-run Gaza say more than 9,250 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since then. Blinken is in Amman for meetings with Arab officials after visiting Tel Aviv on Friday. After meeting Blinken on Friday, Netanyahu said Israel refused a temporary ceasefire that did not include the release of hostages. Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati stressed the urgent need for a ceasefire in Gaza during a meeting with Blinken in Jordan on Saturday, Mikati's office said.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Philippe Lazzarini, Jonathan, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Blinken, Matthew Miller, Netanyahu, Blinken's, David Satterfield, Satterfield, King Abdullah of Jordan, Olaf Scholz, Najib Mikati, Mikati, Miller, Tom Perry, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Hamas, REUTERS, Washington, United, Israeli, Health, Tel, NATO, Saudi, State Department, Alexandra Hudson Our, Thomson Locations: East, Israel, Palestinian, Amman, Jordan, AMMAN, Gaza, United States, Food, Tel Aviv, Turkey, Jordanian, U.S, Middle East, Rafah, Iraqi, Iran, Tehran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon

☆ 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

☆ Iran's appointment to chair UN rights meeting draws condemnation
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Emma Farge | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

GENEVA, Nov 2 (Reuters) - The United States and rights groups complained on Thursday that it was "insulting" to allow Iran's envoy to chair a U.N. human rights council meeting in Geneva, citing violations by Iranian authorities, especially those against women. "Any discussion led by representatives of a regime that continually, and with impunity, infringes upon its own citizens’ human rights is not just fruitless, but an insult to our shared ideals," she added. The two-day meeting called the "social forum" is an annual meeting that aims to improve dialogue between governments and civil society groups, with this year's theme devoted to technology and human rights. Farideh Karimi, an Iranian woman who is president of Women's Human Rights International Association, said her organisation wrote to democratic countries asking them not to attend. Some non-governmental organisations took part, with Justice for Iran criticising Iran's ban on U.S. and UK COVID-19 vaccines.

Persons: Geneva Ali Bahreini, Michèle Taylor, Bahreini, Farideh, Gabrielle Tetrault, Farber, William Maclean Organizations: Reuters, Rights International Association, Thomson Locations: GENEVA, United States, Geneva, Islamic Republic, Iran, Asia, Pacific, China, Cuba, Venezuela, Iranian

☆ Lebanon Says Fires Destroy 40,000 Olive Trees, Blames Israeli Shelling
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-02 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

By Riham AlkousaaBEIRUT (Reuters) - Fires caused by Israeli shelling in south Lebanon have burned some 40,000 olive trees and torched hundreds of square km (miles) of land, dealing a serious blow to a major Lebanese crop, the agriculture minister said. The Israeli army denied the accusation and said the types of smoke-screen shell it uses do not contain white phosphorus. "These olives have not been harvested yet, meaning we lost the trees and the season," Hajj Hassan said. (But) we have olives trees that are 200 years old." Mohammad el Husseini of the south Lebanon farmers syndicate said the Lebanese government would not be able to compensate farmers for the losses, with the country four years into a devastating financial meltdown.

Persons: Israel, Abbas Hajj Hassan, Hajj Hassan, Dory Farah, Alma Alashaab, Mohammad el Husseini, Riham Alkousaa, Emily Rose, Mark Heinrich Organizations: Hezbollah, Hamas, Reuters, Agriculture, Agriculture Organization, FAO Locations: Riham, BEIRUT, Lebanon, Iran, Lebanese, Israel, Palestinian, Alma, Food, Olive, 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

☆ Iran's Khamenei urges Muslim countries to boycott Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a meeting with a group of students in Tehran, Iran November 2, 2022. Israel has launched an unprecedented bombardment of Gaza and imposed a siege of the enclave. Khamenei, Iran's top authority, said the United States was complicit in Israel's "recent crimes against Palestinians". Israel, which Tehran refuses to recognise, has long accused Iran's clerical rulers of stoking violence by supplying arms to Hamas. "One of the shameless acts of the West is accusing Palestinian fighters of terrorism," Khamenei said.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Parisa, Andrew Cawthorne, William Maclean Organizations: Iran's, Iranian, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, Palestinian, Dubai Newsroom, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, Rights DUBAI, Israel, Gaza, Islamic Republic, United States, France, Britain, America

WAR IN YEMENThe war began in late 2014 when Sanaa was seized by the Houthis. Saudi Arabia has been holding talks with the Houthis in a bid to exit the war. But the Houthi attacks on Israel have increased the risks of conflict for Saudi Arabia. Part of an "Axis of Resistance" backed by Iran, the Houthis have rallied behind the Palestinians since Hamas attacked Israel. The Houthis' slogan is "Death to America, Death to Israel, curse the Jews and victory to Islam".

Persons: Houthis, Sanaa, Yahya Saree, Saree, Nick Macfie Organizations: ISRAEL Houthi, ., AIM, United Arab, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Israel, Sanaa, Yemen, Islam, Saudi Arabia, YEMEN, Shi'ite Iran, Saudi, Aden, Egypt, Iran, America, IRAN, United Arab Emirates, Iranian

[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

☆ Yemen's Houthis say they launched missiles, drones at Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DUBAI, Oct 31 (Reuters) - Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi group said it launched a "large number" of drones and ballistic missiles towards Israel on Tuesday, after Israel's military said it downed an approaching "aerial target" off the Red Sea city of Eilat. The operation was the third targeting Israel and there would be more, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised statement. There were no reports of any missiles or drones hitting Israeli territory from the Red Sea on Tuesday. Last week, Israel accused the Houthi movement of sending drones that caused explosions in two Egyptian towns on the Red Sea, saying they were intended to strike Israel. The Pentagon said a U.S. Navy warship on Oct. 19 intercepted three cruise missiles and several drones launched by the Houthi movement from Yemen potentially toward Israel.

Persons: Yahya Saree, Saree, Yemen's, Abdel, Malek, Israel, Ari Rabinovitch, Maha El, Jason Neely, Ed Osmond, Tomasz Janowski, Andrew Heavens Organizations: Israel, Hamas, Hezbollah, Reuters, Pentagon, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: DUBAI, Iran, Israel, Sea, Eilat, Gaza, U.S, Iraq, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Yemen

☆ Jordan fears the crossfire if Gaza war pulls Iran into wider conflict
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-31 | by ( Suleiman Al-Khalidi | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

[1/3] Jordanians gather during a protest in support of Palestinians in Gaza, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in Amman, Jordan, October 27, 2023. Jordan neighbours Syria and Iraq - both states where Iranian proxies operate - and also sits next door to Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank. A Jordanian army spokesperson said on Sunday that Amman had requested that U.S. Patriot missiles be deployed in Jordan. He said Jordan's military and security forces were determined "to prevent any party in these Iranian militias from exploiting the Gaza war to achieve a security breakthrough". Iranian-backed militias hold sway on Syria's southern border with Jordan and Amman blames them and Iran for running a thriving drugs smuggling business.

Persons: Al Sukhni, Jordan, King Abdullah, Abu Nuwar, Amman, Jordan . Washington, Washington, Al Maitah, Maitah, Saddam Hussein, Asad, Bashar al, Assad, Israel, Saud Al Sharafat, Suleiman Al, Phil Stewart, Edmund Blair, Angus MacSwan Organizations: Hamas, REUTERS, West Bank, Reuters, U.S . Patriot, East, Washington, U.S, Embassy, Area Defense, Patriots, Pentagon, Patriot, Hezbollah, Jordan's General Intelligence, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Amman, Jordan, Jordan's, Jordanian, AMMAN, Washington, Iran, Syria, Iraq, Palestinian, U.S, Jordan ., United States, Ain, Lebanese, Red Sea, Eilat, Aqaba, Yemen, Khalidi

His statement confirmed the widening scope of a conflict that has unnerved states including the world's biggest oil exporter Saudi Arabia, hardening fears of spillover as Israel seeks to destroy Hamas in its Gaza Strip stronghold. The Houthis have demonstrated their missile and drone capabilities during the Yemen war in attacks on Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia has been holding talks with the Houthis in a bid to exit the war, as Riyadh focuses on economic priorities at home. But Houthi missile and drone attacks on Israel have increased the risks of conflict for Saudi Arabia. Saudi analyst Aziz Alghashian said Saudi Arabia would be worried about the conflict spilling across its own borders.

Persons: Yahya Saree, spillover, Saree, Tzachi Hanegbi, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Mohanad Hage Ali, Aziz Alghashian, Nadine Awadalla, Nayera Abdallah, Tom Perry, Henriette Chacar, Ari Rabinovitch, Mohamed Ghobari, Angus MacSwan, Gareth Jones Organizations: Resistance, Mideast DUBAI, ., Israeli National Security, U.S, Lebanese, United, United Arab Emirates, Zionist, Carnegie Middle East Center, Thomson Locations: Iran, Israel, Sanaa, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, Gaza, Egypt, America, United States, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, United Arab, Iranian, Qatar, SAUDI, Riyadh, Jordan, Tehran, Dubai, Beirut, Parisa, Jerusalem, Aden

☆ What is Hamas, the Palestinian group at war with Israel?
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Oct 30 (Reuters) - The Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise attack from Gaza into Israel on Oct. 7, triggering an Israel-Hamas war that marked the most serious escalation in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in many years. It is designated as a terrorist group by Israel, the United States, European Union, Canada, Egypt and Japan. Hamas's 1988 founding charter called for the destruction of Israel, although Hamas leaders have at times offered a long-term truce, or Hudna in Arabic, with Israel in return for a viable Palestinian state on all Palestinian territory occupied by Israel in the 1967 war. Since then, there have been numerous rounds of conflict with Israel, often involving Hamas rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel and Israeli airstrikes and bombardment of Gaza. Although a Sunni Muslim group, Hamas is part of a regional alliance comprising Iran, Syria and the Shi'ite Islamist group Hezbollah in Lebanon, which all broadly oppose U.S. policy in the Middle East and Israel.

Persons: Suhaib, Fatah, Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas, Deen al, Mohammed Deif, Tom Perry, Stephen Farrell, Nick Macfie Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Movement, Muslim Brotherhood, West Bank, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, REUTERS, WHO, THE, Brigades, Hezbollah, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Israel, Egypt, United States, European Union, Canada, Japan, Oslo, Gaza City, Suhaib Salem, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, East, Qatar

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

[1/5] Fisherman Toufik Khouri, 63, filters newly caught sardines in his boat in the port city of Tyre, Lebanon October 27, 2023. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra Acquire Licensing RightsTYRE, Lebanon, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Fishermen in the Lebanese city of Tyre are among those counting the costs of war in the Middle East. "The (Lebanese) army has warned us against going to southern areas like Al Bayyada or Naqoura because it's dangerous. A Lebanese security source said the fishermen were allowed to fish normally in the Tyre area but not to approach floating barriers separating Lebanese and Israeli waters. At the port near the old city, small fishing boats painted bright white were tied up as fishermen loaded fish into buckets and repaired nets.

Persons: Zohra, Imad Azuzu, Al Bayyada, Adel Abde, Ibrahim Suwdan, Riham Alkousaa, Tom Perry, Giles Elgood Organizations: REUTERS, Palestinian, Hamas, Hezbollah, United Nations, Thomson Locations: Tyre, Lebanon, TYRE, Lebanese, Israel, United

☆ Shi'ite Cleric Muqtada Al-Sadr Calls for Closure of U.S. Embassy in Iraq
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-27 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +1 min

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on the Iraqi government and parliament on Friday to vote to close the U.S. embassy in Iraq for its "unfettered support of Israel." "If the government and parliament do not abide by this demand, we will go for further actions which we will later announce," the statement said. Hundreds of supporters of Iranian-backed Iraqi paramilitary groups gathered last week at Iraq's main border crossing with Jordan to express solidarity with Gaza and call for an end to Israel's blockade. Some 800 supporters of Iraq's Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF), an umbrella group of mainly Shi'ite militia, departed from Baghdad last week in buses for the Iraqi-Jordanian border crossing in western Anbar province. It is the closest access point from Iraq to the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Persons: Muqtada al, Sadr, Nadine Awadallah, Tala, Andrew Cawthorne Organizations: Iraq's Popular, Forces, Iraqi, West Bank Locations: BAGHDAD, U.S, Iraq, Israel, Iraqi, Iraq's, Jordan, Gaza, Baghdad, Jordanian, Anbar, Dubai

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

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei attends a graduation ceremony for armed forces officers at the Imam Ali academy in Tehran, Iran October 10, 2023. "There was a direct message relayed," White House spokesman John Kirby said at a news briefing, declining to elaborate. U.S. troops have been attacked at least 12 times in Iraq and four times in Syria in the past week, it added. On Wednesday, Biden said he had warned the ayatollah the United States would respond if U.S. forces continued to be targeted but did not say how the message was communicated. "My warning to the ayatollah was that if they continue to move against those troops, we will respond, and he should be prepared.

Persons: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Ali, Joe Biden, John Kirby, Biden, Israel, Hossein Amirabdollahian, Steve Holland, Susan Heavey, Arshad Mohammed, Doina Chiacu, Jonathan Oatis Organizations: Iran's, Iranian, West Asia News Agency, REUTERS, Rights, U.S, Hamas, Pentagon, Wednesday, United Nations, Palestinian, Thomson Locations: Tehran, Iran, Israel, U.S, Iraq, Syria, United States, Gaza, Iran's, Palestine, Lebanon, Hamas, Yemen

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