Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem on Thursday rejected a U.S.-brokered ceasefire framework between Israel and Lebanon, warning that the Iran-backed terrorist group would continue attacks as long as Israeli military operations continue in Lebanon.
Israel’s Mossad reportedly carried out a covert operation to supply Kurdish militias with weapons and military aid as part of a broader effort to destabilize Iran’s ruling regime, according to recent investigative reports in Israeli media.
Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a ceasefire provided the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement also halts hostilities and withdraws its operatives from areas south of the Litani River, the United States announced Thursday.
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to downplay signs of friction this week after Trump confirmed he used sharp language during a private phone call over Israel’s continuing military operations in Lebanon.
Senior members of Israel’s delegation said Tuesday that Hezbollah had not stopped fighting despite pledging to U.S. President Donald Trump a day earlier that it would de-escalate, as Israeli and Lebanese representatives opened a new round of U.S.-brokered talks in Washington.
President Donald Trump said Monday that Israel and Hezbollah had agreed to halt attacks after a day of rising tensions in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened renewed strikes on Hezbollah’s Dahiyeh stronghold in Beirut if the Iranian-backed terror group continued firing on northern Israel.
Israel moved another step closer to early elections after the coalition’s bill to dissolve the Knesset passed its first reading late Monday night by a vote of 106-0, with no lawmakers voting against the measure.
The United States has effectively signaled support for Israel to expand its military operations deeper into Lebanon, including toward Beirut, after a fresh diplomatic initiative collapsed and Hezbollah continued launching rockets and explosive drones at northern Israeli communities, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Israel now controls roughly 60 percent of the Gaza Strip and has ordered the Israel Defense Forces to expand that control to 70 percent, signaling a major escalation in Jerusalem’s campaign to weaken Hamas and prevent the terror group from rebuilding its military rule.
Israel carried out a targeted strike Thursday in a suburb south of Beirut, marking its first attack near the Lebanese capital in three weeks as the conflict with Hezbollah and Iran-backed terrorist groups intensifies.
Israel said Wednesday it killed Mohammed Odeh, Hamas’ newly appointed military chief and a senior figure tied to the Oct. 7, 2023 massacre, in a targeted airstrike in Gaza City, marking another major blow to the terror group’s effort to rebuild its command structure.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced Tuesday that Israel will deepen its ground operations in southern Lebanon, saying the Israel Defense Forces will expand its campaign against Hezbollah amid a growing wave of drone attacks targeting Israeli troops and northern communities.
Israel expanded its military campaign against Hezbollah on Monday, striking more than 70 targets across Lebanon as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to increase pressure on the Iranian-backed terror group following a sharp rise in drone and rocket attacks on northern Israel.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is preparing for the possibility that an emerging U.S.-Iran agreement could pressure Jerusalem to limit its military campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, even as Israeli leaders insist the country must retain freedom of action against threats along its northern border.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that President Donald Trump agreed any final agreement with Iran must dismantle Tehran’s nuclear enrichment sites and remove enriched nuclear material from Iranian territory, as Israeli defense officials voiced growing alarm over the emerging U.S.-backed diplomatic framework.
An Israeli Christian leader is urging the government to formally recognize Christians as a distinct community with stronger political representation, citing what church leaders and advocacy groups describe as growing harassment and discrimination against Christians in Israel.
Israel moved closer to early elections Wednesday after a bill to dissolve the 25th Knesset passed its preliminary reading with overwhelming support, exposing the deepening fractures inside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing coalition.
Israeli leaders are preparing for the possibility that war with Iran could resume within days, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu convened a second limited security cabinet meeting in 24 hours amid growing coordination with Washington.
The Israel Defense Forces has destroyed roughly 60% of Hezbollah terror infrastructure in Lebanese villages where Israeli forces are operating in southern Lebanon, a senior Northern Command officer told Walla on Monday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that Israeli forces now control roughly 60% of the Gaza Strip, marking a significant expansion of Israel’s security hold inside the enclave months after the U.S.-brokered ceasefire took effect.