Hezbollah claimed on Monday that it had targeted Israeli soldiers in the villages of Merkabah, Farqila and Ait al-Shaab. Israeli officials have confirmed that 123 soldiers were injured.
Hezbollah also opened fire and fired rockets at Israeli soldiers stationed near a municipal building in the border area of southern Lebanon.
Earlier, Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported that Israeli forces destroyed several houses in al-Shaab during clashes with Hezbollah. The towns of Merkabah and Farqila are located 20 km away from Ayat Shaab.
Israeli officials have also confirmed that rockets from southern Lebanon have attempted to target central Israel. The Israeli army has also claimed to have shot down drones left by Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi militia in the Mediterranean Sea.
Israeli officials said that the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office submitted the document to the White House ahead of the visit of President Joe Biden’s envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut on Monday to discuss a diplomatic solution to the conflict.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, a close confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sent the document to Hockstein on Thursday, US and Israeli officials said.
Israeli officials said that the document came from discussions conducted by Dermer with the Israeli Ministry of Defense and the Israeli Defense Forces about the principles that require Israel to be part of any diplomatic solution to end the war with the Lebanese faction movement.
An Israeli official said that one of the Israeli demands is to allow the Israel Defense Forces to engage in “active implementation” to ensure that Hezbollah does not rearm and rebuild its military infrastructure in the southern Lebanese areas close to the border. The official added that Israel also demands the freedom of its air force to operate in Lebanese airspace.
Axios pointed out that these two demands contradict United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which stipulates that the Lebanese Armed Forces and the United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) impose a ceasefire between Israel and the Lebanese faction movement.
The Israeli official said, “We are talking about 1701 with increasing implementation.” Our main message is that if the Lebanese Army and UNIFIL do more, the IDF will do less and vice versa.”
A US official said it was highly unlikely that Lebanon and the international community would agree to these terms, which would significantly undermine Lebanon’s sovereignty.
Meanwhile, Hockstein is expected to arrive in Beirut today, Monday, and meet with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, and other Lebanese officials, and discuss Israeli demands.
Berri told Al Arabiya on Sunday that Hockstein’s visit is “the last opportunity before the US elections to reach a solution” to the war in Lebanon.
He stressed that there is a consensus in Lebanon regarding United Nations Resolution No. 1701 and made it clear that he refuses to amend it in any way, which is what Israel is actually demanding.
According to Axios, American and Israeli officials said that Hockstein is pushing for a large-scale deployment of the Lebanese Armed Forces in southern Lebanon as part of a diplomatic solution that ends the war in Lebanon.
The officials said that Hockstein wants to deploy at least 8,000 Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon.
The US envoy also wants to upgrade UNIFIL’s mandate so that it can assist the Lebanese army in preventing the spread of individuals or armed groups not under the control of the Lebanese government near the border with Israel.
Source: Axios
#Freedom #operate #Lebanese #airspace #American #envoy #brings #Beirut #Israels #conditions #war
What’s Happened in the Last Few Hours in the Middle East?
It appears that the Middle East is once again the epicenter of drama worthy of a season finale. Buckle up because the latest updates make for riveting and rather tragic news!
Israel Punishes Beirut’s Southern Suburbs
The Israeli army has ramped up its punitive measures, striking the southern suburbs of Beirut like a bad stand-up comedy routine – you want to laugh, but it’s just not funny. Following new evacuation orders, the area around Dahiye, about six kilometers from Lebanon’s capital, is once again in chaos.
Who knew a geography lesson could be this deadly?
Casualties in Gaza: 87 Dead and Missing
In a grim tally, the latest bombing in Beita Lahia, northern Gaza, has left at least 87 people dead or missing, alongside about 40 wounded. A real knee-slapper if you’re looking for the most horrifying punchline.
The UN’s Not-So-Secret Admirer’s Club
The UN’s peace envoy, Tor Wennesland, has once again taken to the stage to denounce the humanitarian blockade in Gaza. With “horrific” scenes emerging from the north of the territory, Wennesland is making sure no one is left wondering that civilian casualties are the real showstopper here.
I mean, if you’re going to hold a charity show, at least let people in on the act!
Oxfam Condemns Murder of Hydraulic Engineers
The NGO Oxfam has condemned the “strongest terms” the heartless murder of four engineers and water workers in Gaza, a delightful reminder that our leading professionals can be caught in the crossfire of absolute insanity. Couldn’t we at least spare those trying to help?
A Day of Loss: Israeli Commander Killed
In the midst of the chaos, an Israeli commander known as Ehsan Daxa has been confirmed killed in combat in northern Gaza. His death is yet another chapter in this ever-growing tragedy. You’ve got to wonder if they offer “Survivor: Middle East Edition” trophies for enduring this kind of ongoing madness.
Israel’s Upcoming Target List
The Israeli army is not pulling any punches; they’ve announced plans to target Hezbollah‘s financial arms in Lebanon. The military has even urged residents to evacuate the area so, you know, they can keep their property values intact while the world erupts around them.
You could say they are doing their best to keep the real estate market… explosive!
Demolition of UN Observation Tower
If that wasn’t enough, an Israeli excavator decided to play demolition derby with a UN observation tower in Marwahin, southern Lebanon. Some might call it “sabotage,” others might say it’s just a haphazard way of redecorating the neighborhood.
Conclusion
As the curtain falls on yet another day of upheaval in the Middle East, one can’t help but shake their head as the world spins. With each headline, we are reminded that the only true certainty is chaos – a lesson, indeed, that the human condition really knows how to deliver.
Is it too soon to start writing stand-up routines about this? Probably, but I’d love to have a go!
What has happened in the last few hours
These are the main news of the day in the war in the Middle East at 9:15 p.m. this Sunday, October 20:
Israel punishes Beirut’s southern suburbs again after new evacuation orders. The attacks occurred in Dahiye, after the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of several points in this damaged area located about six kilometers from the Lebanese capital.
87 dead and missing after the latest Israeli bombing in Gaza. The dead and missing after the latest Israeli bombing in the town of Beita Lahia, north of Gaza, amount to 87, as well as about 40 wounded, as reported by the authorities of the Ministry of Health of the Hamas government.
The UN again denounces the blockade of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The United Nations peace envoy for the Middle East, Tor Wennesland, denounced this Sunday the “horrible” scenes in the north of the Gaza Strip, the scene since last week of an Israeli military operation that has left, according to Gazan authorities, , hundreds of deaths in attacks against the civilian population.
Oxfam condemns the murder of hydraulic engineers in Gaza. The NGO Oxfam has condemned “in the strongest terms” the murder that occurred this Saturday in Gaza of four engineers and water workers from the municipality of Khuzaa who were working with its strategic partner, the Coastal Municipalities Water Company (CMWU, for its acronym in English).
An Israeli commander is killed in combat in northern Gaza. “Ehsan Daxa, 41, of Dalit Al Carmel, commander of the Iron Footprints (401st), 162nd Division, was killed in combat in the northern Gaza Strip,” according to a statement from the Israeli military. In a message on his profile on the social network
Israel announces that it will attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon “in the coming hours.” Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari announced in a hearing that Israeli forces will selectively attack “several targets” related to Hezbollah’s financial arm in Lebanon “in the coming hours.” Israel has urged Lebanese residents to evacuate areas near those facilities.
Israel demolishes a tower of the UN mission in Lebanon with an excavator. The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has reported that an Israeli excavator has demolished an observation tower in Marwahin, southern Lebanon.
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP).—Israel yesterday expanded its bombing of Lebanon and reached the southern suburbs of Beirut with 12 airstrikes, in addition to hitting for the first time a Palestinian refugee camp in the north of the country, in an attack against Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.
Tens of thousands of people in Lebanon, including Palestinian refugees, continued to flee the conflict in the region, while marches were held around the world to mark the anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza.
The attack on the Beddawi refugee camp, near the northern city of Tripoli, killed a leader of Hamas’s military wing, as well as his wife and young daughters, the Palestinian insurgent group said in a statement.
Hamas later reported that another member of its military wing was killed in an Israeli attack in the Bekaa Valley (eastern Lebanon).
Israeli forces say they have killed several officers from Hamas’s military wing in Lebanon, where the intensity of fighting has increased in recent weeks. Israel has killed several Hamas officers there since the start of the war against the insurgent group, as well as most of the top leaders of the political-paramilitary group Hezbollah.
Columns of smoke dominated the horizon of the towns south of Beirut, where Hezbollah has a strong presence. Israel claims its attacks are aimed at Hezbollah commanders and military equipment, and that their goal is to drive the group away from their mutual border.
Some 1,400 people, including Hezbollah fighters and civilians, have been killed and around 1.2 million have had to flee their homes in less than two weeks.
Hezbollah, Lebanon’s most powerful armed force that is also backed by Iran, began launching rockets into Israel almost immediately after the Hamas attack on October 7, saying it was a show of support for the Palestinians.
Hezbollah and the Israeli army have exchanged fire almost daily.
Last week, Israel launched what it called a limited ground operation in southern Lebanon, following a series of attacks that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others.
Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in intense ground clashes in which Israel says 250 Hezbollah fighters have been killed.
#Attacks #expand #Lebanon #Diario #Yucatán