Naim Qassem Relaunches Hezbollah War, What It Means for Israel
Naim Qassem, the new leader of Hezbollah, said today that he will follow the war strategy established by his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, who was recently killed by the Israelis.
In Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon, at least ten people were killed and 26 others were injured, mostly in the village of Baalbek-Hermel, the Lebanese Ministry of Health reported. No evacuation requests were issued by Israeli forces today. In Tyre, southern Lebanon, Israeli warplanes struck two buildings near the Imam Hussein compound. Other strikes targeted several southern areas, including a house in Arab Salim in the Nabatieh region.
Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, warned of the grave risk to the historic cities of Tyre and Baalbek due to the bombings. She stressed that Lebanon’s cultural heritage must be protected and not be damaged by the ongoing conflict.
The United States has called on Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire with Israel to restart the broken-down negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah. However, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati denied this request, saying it was considered unacceptable. Sources say the US envoy to Lebanon has communicated this request to the Beirut government.
In an Israeli attack on the Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, at least ten Palestinians were killed while trying to enter a school housing displaced people. According to the Palestinian agency Wafa, 47 Palestinians were killed in overnight raids that targeted Deir al-Balah and surrounding areas.
Israel is currently in a state of “high readiness” for a possible attack from Iran, following recent operations against Iranian facilities. The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has warned that there will be an “unimaginable response” to attacks on Iranian military targets.
A United Nations official has warned that Israel’s ban on UNRWA is a “death sentence” for millions of Palestinians in Gaza who are already facing food shortages. The move would severely limit humanitarian assistance in occupied areas.
Overnight, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a drone from Syria and recorded rockets fired from Lebanon toward Israeli territory. In the airstrikes on Beirut, two dead and several wounded were reported in the new incursions on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital.
