Hezbollah and Amal agree to join Salam

Before the end of the 60-day Lebanon-Israel ceasefire agreement, and a week after Judge Nawaf Salam was assigned to form a new cabinet, meetings with parliamentary blocs are intensifying to dispel any obstacles, one of which is the Lebanese Forces’ insistence on monopolizing the ministries of foreign affairs and energy.

Reportedly, Samir Geagea, head of the Lebanese Forces (4 ministries), has also sent MP Melhem Riachi to meet Prime Minister-designate Nawaf Salam and know the details of the cabinet lineup. 

Salam informed Riachi that he was determined to strengthen his relationship with Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Parliament, based on a promising future and putting national interests above anything else.

For his part, President Joseph Aoun, despite announcing that he is not seeking any ministry for his team, insists on granting him the power to place a “veto” on the names nominated for the sovereign ministries of foreign affairs, defense and interior.

According to sources, the prime minister-designate is in talks with figures who are supposed to have chances to hold ministerial positions; they say he is seeking to form a “technocratic-political” cabinet.

Salam insists on not excluding any political stakeholders, so he intends to appoint representatives of these factions to ministerial portfolios, provided that they: 1) do not hold senior positions in these factions and 2) sign a pledge not to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Given that the Interior Ministry is the Sunni share, there is a deep disagreement between Sunni figures in this regard, especially as the minister will supervise the upcoming parliamentary elections, scheduled for May 2026. 

Although Salam did not make any promise to appoint any Shiite figure outside the circle of the Hezbollah-Amal duo, he did not contact any of the so-called “Shiite opposition”, who saw an opportunity to find a foothold in the government. However, following the two meetings that brought Salam together with the duo, their US-prompted dream has faded.

The prime minister-designate further met with Mohammad Raad, head of the Loyalty to the Resistance bloc; Hussein Khalil, the political assistant to the Hezbollah Secretary-General, and MP Ali Hassan Khalil, a representative of the Amal Movement. 

During the two meetings, Salam spoke at length about the Lebanese political system since independence from the French occupation in the early fifties, until the Taif Agreement, which ended the 1975-1990 civil war, stressing his view not to exclude any political component. 

The duo expressed their objection to the violations that accompanied his nomination, but showed their willingness to overcome that in order to preserve Lebanon's interests during this critical period.

In addition to the Ministry of Finance, the duo demanded a significant service ministry, such as the Ministry of Public Works or the Ministry of Health, expressing their complete readiness to cooperate with Salam.

Meanwhile, it is not clear whether the duo will be the ones to propose the names of the five ministers for the prime minister-designate to choose from or vice versa, knowing that the duo’s priority is the mechanism for governance and addressing urgent issues in the next phase.

Since the signing of the Taif Agreement, successive governments have made it a priority for the ministerial statement to clearly state the right of the Lebanese to resist and liberate the occupied territories. Therefore, one of the duo’s priorities is for the current ministerial statement to stipulate the righteousness of the resistance.

In light of the anti-Hezbollah team’s biased interpretations of UN Resolution 1701, the duo is keen for the ministerial statement to express the government’s commitment that President Joseph Aoun would conduct a comprehensive national dialogue regarding the Resistance movement’s weapons along the general national defense strategy.

 

Lebanon: Growing Mistrust

The stance of those who have deliberately thwarted Hezbollah’s political victory in the presidential race and who openly declare their absolute loyalty to Washington is not shocking. What is shocking, however, is the stance of Hezbollah’s so-called allies, who have shamefully submitted to the higher foreign orders.

According to the Tehran Times, this same team has expressed its concern about the anti-Hezbollah team's relentless attempt to drag Lebanon into a “civil conflict”. Hence, they have communicated with the Shiite duo in a bid to reach an understanding on forming a national cabinet capable of running Lebanon until the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 2026.

They further warned Judge Nawaf Salam, the prime minister-designate, to avoid “being manipulated as a tool of confronting the Shiites or the resistance (movement), and to take the initiative to expand the circle of trust in his upcoming government.”

The Saudi-American orders have dictated the renunciation of the “January 09 National Understanding” that secured the election of Gen. Joseph Aoun as president after pledging not to violate political balances.

Sources confirmed that Walid Bukhari, the Saudi ambassador to Beirut, met Fouad Makhzoumi (the founder of the National Dialogue Party and a member of the Renewal Bloc in the Lebanese Parliament) ordering him to withdraw from his candidacy. The meeting made it clear that the nomination of MPs Makhzoumi and Ashraf Rifi was nothing but a poor play.

President Aoun has been reportedly quoted as saying, “I found myself before an international and Arab opportunity to carry out a major rescue operation. The understanding was a way to facilitate matters. As for now, I do not know how things will go.  Nevertheless, I will do my best with the prime minister-designate so that the government is not formed in a way that threatens the stability of the country.”

“We regret those who want to spoil the consensual beginning of the presidential term. It is our right to demand a ‘constitutional government’. We will monitor the steps. We are waiting – with all wisdom – and we will see their efforts to ‘expel Israel and return the prisoners’,” said Mohammad Raad, the chief of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc. Raad intended to reassure the people, amidst the growing threats, that any “rebellion” will be met with unexpected retribution that will hinder the reconstruction of what was destroyed by the US-backed Israeli aggression.

Undeniably, Lebanon’s political dilemma has reached a dangerous peak. The selection of Judge Nawaf Salam to form the upcoming cabinet was nothing but a deception that the Hezbollah and Amal Movement duo were subjected to, especially since the anti-Hezbollah team wanted this entitlement as a political gain for Washington after its aggression failed to eliminate the resistance movement.

Seemingly, this team will not stop at excluding the legitimate representatives of the Shiites from the cabinet. It will take revenge on the very existence of the Shiites in the country, simply because of their anti-imperialism stance.

 

Syria: Others Deciding Future

Key Arab and international figures gathered in Riyadh for critical meetings on the future of Syria, focusing on humanitarian and political support one month after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan chaired the Arab foreign ministers’ meeting, which included the Arab League Secretary-General, the Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary-General, and top diplomats from Egypt, Syria, Qatar, the UAE, Jordan, Oman, Lebanon, and Bahrain.

Western foreign ministers and the UN special envoy to Syria are set to join the discussions later, alongside the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs.

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock highlighted the opportunity for unified international action to rebuild Syria, calling for a Syrian-led political process.

Speaking to reporters, she said, "A united effort for fair dialogue and reconstruction offers hope for the Syrian people."

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy emphasized his country’s support for Syria's transitional government. Lammy stressed the need for inclusive governance, humanitarian aid, and measures to counter chemical weapons and ISIS threats.

"The international community must unite to back the Syrian people as they build a democratic and diverse nation," he said, announcing plans to meet with Prince Faisal bin Farhan and other regional leaders.

Saudi officials reiterated their commitment to supporting Syria, stating that the aid bridge will remain open until humanitarian stability is achieved, under the guidance of the Saudi leadership.

This meeting follows the December summit in Aqaba, Jordan, where the Ministerial Contact Committee affirmed their commitment to standing by the Syrian people during this transformative period.

Lebanon: Army chief elected president

Lebanese parliament elected Army Chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who has US support and showing the weakened sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel, reports Reuters.

In a speech to the chamber, Aoun, 60, vowed to work to ensure the state has the exclusive right to carry arms, drawing loud applause as lawmakers from Hezbollah, which runs its own military forces, sat still.

He promised to rebuild south Lebanon and other parts of the country he said had been destroyed by Israel, and also to prevent Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which was mired in deep economic and political crises even before the latest conflict. "Today, a new phase in the history of Lebanon begins," he said.

His election reflected shifts in the power balance in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with Shi'ite Muslim Hezbollah badly pummeled from last year's war, and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad toppled in December 2024. It also indicated a revival of Saudi influence in a country where Riyadh's role was eclipsed by Iran and Hezbollah long ago.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar congratulated Lebanon, saying on X he hoped Aoun's election would contribute towards stability and good neighborly relations.

US ambassador Lisa Johnson, attending the session, told Reuters she was "very happy" with Aoun's election.

The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, with deeply divided factions unable to agree on a candidate able to win enough votes in the 128-seat parliament.

Joseph Aoun fell short of the 86 votes needed in a first round vote, but crossed the threshold with 99 votes in a second round, after lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shi'ite ally the Amal Movement backed him.

Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad said that by delaying their vote for Aoun, the group had "sent a message that we are the guardians of national consensus".

Momentum built behind Aoun on Wednesday as Hezbollah's long preferred candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, withdrew and declared support for the army commander, and as French and Saudi envoys shuttled around Beirut, urging his election in meetings with politicians, three Lebanese political sources said.

A source close to the Saudi royal court said French, Saudi, and US envoys had told Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a close Hezbollah ally that international financial assistance - including from Saudi Arabia - hinged on Aoun's election.

"There is a very clear message from the international community that they are ready to support Lebanon, but that needs a president, a government," Michel Mouawad, a Christian lawmaker opposed to Hezbollah who voted for Aoun, told Reuters.

"We did get a message from Saudi of support," he added.

The Saudi king and crown prince congratulated Aoun.

 

Lebanon: Who should elect the president?

Amidst the ongoing concerns about the future of Syria and before the expiration of the sixty-day truce, Lebanon is witnessing a session to elect the President of the Republic on Thursday. There is no internal consensus on the candidate, but external pressure is mounting to elect Lebanese Army Commander General Joseph Aoun.

Amos Hochstein, the US presidential envoy, who met with Nabih Berri, Speaker of the Parliament, in Beirut said that the Israeli withdrawal from the south will continue until the “deployment of the Lebanese Army in the south, reaching the Blue Line” is complete.

Hochstein pointed out that the process is difficult, but it is an opportunity “to not think about external forces, but to focus on rebuilding the economy and implementing the necessary reforms that will allow investment and return the country to prosperity.”

Accompanied by Lisa Johnson, US Ambassador to Beirut, and US General Jasper Jeffers, the head of the Quintet Committee (United States, France, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Qatar), Hochstein also met with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati at the Grand Serail.

Hochstein called the meeting with Mikati was very constructive, saying, “I think Mikati has shown great leadership in getting to this point … We talked about what the government needs to do to continue to implement this agreement and make sure that the country can benefit from it, and reach prosperity and stability.” 

Hochstein also visited Naqoura, where he chaired a third meeting on the mechanism of the Quintet Committee’s work. He discussed “technical military plans for the gradual withdrawal of the Israeli army from the entire area south of the Litani.”

Yazid bin Farhan, an advisor on Lebanon affairs at the Saudi Foreign Ministry, had also visited Lebanon, calling for the election of General Joseph Aoun, as agreed upon by the members of the committee.

It is worth noting that Yazid bin Farhan was present at Hochstein’s meeting with Faisal bin Farhan, the Saudi Foreign Minister, in Riyadh, where they discussed “regional developments, especially in Lebanon.”

The Saudi envoy’s meeting with Speaker Nabih Berri was described as “tense,” during which he confirmed that “Riyadh supports the nomination of the army commander.”

Berri did not hide his anger, informing bin Farhan that this proposal contradicted what he had agreed upon with the committee, demanding “support for the candidate that the Lebanese agree upon, rather than for the outside world.”

Berri said it is impossible to secure sufficient votes to amend the constitution to elect the army commander. Additionally, he said, there is a lack of agreement among Christians on it. 

Berri recalled Aoun’s rigid relationship with many political forces and the difficulty of reaching an understanding with him as was evident from his unsteady relations with the defense ministers who succeeded each other while he was in command of the army. 

Saudi envoy Yazid bin Farhan also met with Samir Geagea, leader of the Lebanese Forces, stressing his country’s intention to re-engage in Lebanon’s political arena “on the condition that there is a legitimate president [elected by consensus] who is strong and qualified to rule [official institutions] and form a government whose [policy] is in line with him.”

Bin Farhan continued, “Saudi Arabia is interested in Lebanon; the Lebanese must seize the opportunity because the world will be preoccupied with Syria.”

Geagea frankly told the Saudi envoy that he does not support the election of General Aoun. 

“We have approached him more than once, but he did not respond,” Geagea stated, recalling that Hezbollah, the Amal Movement, and the Free Patriotic Movement also oppose his election, which means that “he will not be able to obtain the 86 votes needed to be elected.”

According to sources, Geagea fears any way out during Thursday’s session that would result in the election of a president “that does not fit the requirements of the stage” or the availability of consensus on the army commander.

For this reason, Geagea asked his loyal MPs to be vigilant and to keep all options on the table, including withdrawing from the session or dismantling its quorum.

Meanwhile, Hajj Mohammad Raad, head of the “Loyalty to the Resistance” parliamentary bloc, had met with Berri, reaffirming the “complete understanding” between Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, and the “unity of position regarding all internal files and political entitlements.”

During a press conference held at the site of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah’s martyrdom, Wafiq Safa, head of Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit, underscored that “Hezbollah’s only veto” would be on “the election of Samir Geagea because he is a project of sedition and war” and not on any candidate agreed upon by the parliamentary blocs.

For his part, Hussein Hajj Hassan, a Hezbollah MP, explained that this position does not mean that Hezbollah has backed down from its only declared candidate, namely Suleiman Franjieh, head of the Marada Movement, nor does it mean that it supports or rejects the army commander.

It is worth noting that Geagea declared, during one of the internal sessions, that after the Israeli war destroys Hezbollah, we will negotiate with him on the presidency of the republic after he becomes weak. 

Following the fall of the Bashar al-Assad government, Geagea foolishly thought that the “victory” of his American-Israeli ally would achieve his only chance to become president, even if he was forced as his predecessor Bashir Gemayel did. Nevertheless, his Saudi allies frustrated him by announcing their support for the election of the army commander.

On August 23, 1982, during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, Gemayel was elected President of the Republic. However, he was assassinated on September 14 before he could assume office, by the resistance fighter Habib Al-Shartouni because of his crimes during the civil war and his deep relationship with Israel.

At the moment, all that Geagea cares about is to thwart Thursday’s session until Trump’s inauguration, as he bets on three variables: escalating pressure on Hezbollah; resuming aggression against Lebanon; and launching an aggression against Iran. 

Geagea hopes to postpone the presidential elections that have been pending since 2022 and hold early parliamentary elections that will end what he calls Amal and Hezbollah’s “monopoly” over the Shiite seats, which will facilitate the election of an alternative to Speaker Berri. This will tip the balance in his favor. Hence, his presidential dream will come true.

As a reminder, during the 2022 elections, Hezbollah won the 347,171 preferential votes, an increase of 3,951 votes compared to the 2018 elections. MP Mohammad Raad won the highest number of preferential votes in all of Lebanon: 48,543 votes, followed by his fellow MP Sayyed Hassan Fadlallah: 43,235 votes, then Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri with 42,091 votes.

Courtesy: Tehran Times

Israel occupies vast land of Syria

According to the Hebrew media Israeli military has occupied more than 370 square kilometers of Syria that is larger than the besieged Gaza Strip. 

On Tuesday, it was reported that Israeli infantry was advancing in some neighborhoods of the city of Hader in Quneitra province, southwestern Syria.

The Israeli news television channel i24 NEWS stated that Israeli ground forces destroyed Syrian army military sites and assets in southern Syria.

The Israeli news outlet indicated that the activity was approved by the necessary levels and carried out with the assistance of armored battalions deployed in the region and infantry fighters.

According to the Israeli military correspondent Yinon Shalom Yitah, the operation targeted military infrastructure belonging to the Syrian army.

Since the fall of the Syrian president, the Israeli army continues to seize territory, after occupying Jabal Sheikh (Mount Hermon) and the buffer zone in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

The occupation forces are now only 15 kilometers away from the international highway between Damascus and Beirut.

They have also seized the most significant freshwater sources in southern Syria, located along the Yarmouk River. 

For decades, a large portion of Syrian households and businesses have relied on these basins along the Yarmouk River for sanitized water supplies. 

The Israeli occupation continues its attacks on military positions to neutralize Syria’s combat capability. 

The Israeli army claimed that its attacks over the past few days have “severely damaged Syria’s air defense system,” destroying “more than 90% of strategic surface-to-air missiles.”

Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces continue a ground invasion into southern Syria, expanding its control over new Syrian villages along the border with Lebanon.

Israeli occupation forces have brought in engineering equipment towards the slopes of Jabal Sheikh (Mount Hermon) in a bid to dig trenches and prevent any potential connection with Lebanese territories.

A prospective US war with Iran is pending

United States interference, at the behest of Netanyahu’s far-right Israel, has left the Middle East in ruins, with over a million dead and open wars raging in Libya, Sudan, Somalia, Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine, and with Iran on the brink of a nuclear arsenal.

The story is simple, in stark violation of international law, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers claim the right to rule over seven million Palestinians. When Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands leads to militant resistance, Israel labels the resistance “terrorism” and calls on the US to overthrow the Middle East governments that back the “terrorists.” The US, under the sway of the Israel Lobby, goes to war on Israel’s behalf.

The fall of Syria this past week is the culmination of the US-Israel campaign against Syria that goes back to 1996 with Netanyahu’s arrival to office as Prime Minister. The US-Israel war on Syria escalated in 2011 and 2012, when Barack Obama covertly tasked the CIA with the overthrow of the Syrian Government in Operation Timber Sycamore. That effort finally came to “fruition” this week, after more than 300,000 deaths in the Syrian war since 2011.

Syria’s fall came swiftly because of more than a decade of crushing economic sanctions, the burdens of war, the US seizure of Syria’s oil, Russia’s priorities regarding the conflict in Ukraine, and most immediately, Israel’s attacks on Hezbollah, which was the key military backstop to the Syrian Government. No doubt Assad often misplayed his own hand and faced severe internal discontent, but his regime was targeted for collapse for decades by the US and Israel.

Since 2011, the US-Israel perpetual war on Syria, including bombing, jihadists, economic sanctions, US seizure of Syria’s oil fields, and more, has sunk the Syrian people into misery.

In the immediate two days following the collapse of the government, Israel conducted about 480 strikes across Syria, and completely destroyed the Syrian fleet in Latakia. Pursuing his expansionist agenda, Prime Minister Netanyahu illegally claimed control over the demilitarized buffer zone in the Golan Heights and declared that the Golan Heights will be a part of the State of Israel “for eternity.”

Netanyahu’s ambition to transform the region through war, which dates back almost three decades, is playing out in front of our eyes. In a press conference on December 09, 2024 the Israeli prime minister boasted of an “absolute victory,” justifying the on-going genocide in Gaza and escalating violence throughout the region.

The long history of Israel’s campaign to overthrow the Syrian Government is not widely understood, yet the documentary record is clear. Israel’s war on Syria began with US and Israeli neoconservatives in 1996, who fashioned a “Clean Break” strategy for the Middle East for Netanyahu as he came to office.

The core of the “clean break” strategy called for the Israel (and the US) to reject “land for peace,” the idea that Israel would withdraw from the occupied Palestinian lands in return for peace. Instead, Israel would retain the occupied Palestinian lands, rule over the Palestinian people in an Apartheid state, step-by-step ethnically cleanse the state, and enforce so-called “peace for peace” by overthrowing neighboring governments that resisted Israel’s land claims.

The Clean Break strategy asserts, “Our claim to the land—to which we have clung for hope for 2000 years—is legitimate and noble,” and goes on to state, “Syria challenges Israel on Lebanese soil. An effective approach, and one with which the US can sympathize, would be if Israel seized the strategic initiative along its northern borders by engaging Hizballah, Syria, and Iran, as the principal agents of aggression in Lebanon…”

In his 1996 book Fighting Terrorism, Netanyahu set out the new strategy. Israel would not fight the terrorists; it would fight the states that support the terrorists. More accurately, it would get the US to do Israel’s fighting for it.

 

As he elaborated in 2001, the first and most crucial thing to understand is this: There is no international terrorism without the support of sovereign states.… Take away all this state support, and the entire scaffolding of international terrorism will collapse into dust.

Netanyahu’s strategy was integrated into US foreign policy. Taking out Syria was always a key part of the plan. This was confirmed to General Wesley Clark after 9/11.

He was told, during a visit at the Pentagon, that “we’re going to attack and destroy the governments in seven countries in five years—we’re going to start with Iraq, and then we’re going to move to Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Iran.”

Iraq would be first, then Syria, and the rest. (Netanyahu’s campaign for the Iraq War is spelled out in detail in Dennis Fritz’s new book, Deadly Betrayal. The role of the Israel Lobby is spelled out in Ilan Pappé’s new book, Lobbying for Zionism on Both Sides of the Atlantic). The insurgency that hit US troops in Iraq set back the five-year timeline, but did not change the basic strategy.

The US has by now led or sponsored wars against Iraq (invasion in 2003), Lebanon (US funding and arming Israel), Libya (NATO bombing in 2011), Syria (CIA operation during 2010’s), Sudan (supporting rebels to break Sudan apart in 2011), and Somalia (backing Ethiopia’s invasion in 2006).

A prospective US war with Iran, ardently sought by Israel, is still pending.

Syria: Insurgents Enter Aleppo

Insurgents breached Syria’s largest city Friday and clashed with government forces for the first time since 2016, in a surprise attack that sent residents fleeing and added fresh uncertainty to a region reeling from multiple wars.

The advance on Aleppo followed a shock offensive launched by insurgents Wednesday, as thousands of fighters swept through villages and towns in Syria’s northwestern countryside. Residents fled neighborhoods on the city’s edge because of missiles and gunfire, according to witnesses in Aleppo. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the country’s unresolved civil war, said dozens of fighters from both sides were killed.

The attack injected new violence into a region already experiencing wars in Gaza and Lebanon involving Israel, and other conflicts, including the Syrian civil war that began in 2011.

Aleppo has not been attacked by opposition forces since they were ousted from eastern neighborhoods in 2016 following a grueling military campaign in which Syrian government forces were backed by Russia, Iran and its allied groups.

But this time, there was no sign of a significant pushback from government forces or their allies. Instead, reports emerged of government forces melting away in the face of advances, and insurgents posted messages on social media calling on troops to surrender.

Robert Ford, who was the last US ambassador to Syria, said the attack showed that Syrian government forces are “extremely weak.” In some cases, he said, they appear to have “almost been routed.”

This week’s advances were among the largest in recent years by opposition factions, led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, or HTS, and represent the most intense fighting in northwestern Syria since 2020, when government forces seized areas previously controlled by the opposition.

 

Damages caused by Hezbollah are heavy

The western media publishes news indicating Israeli attacks causing huge losses in Lebanon. Today, allow us to share some of the losses western media and Israel are shy in admitting.

Hezbollah has retaliated to the latest Israeli aggression by bombarding Haifa with missiles and rockets overnight on Saturday and Sunday. It attacked a group of military bases in Haifa and the Carmel region.

These included:

1- Haifa Technical Base (affiliated with the Israeli Air Force, housing a training college for preparing Air Force technicians).

2- Haifa Naval Base (affiliated with the Israeli Navy, housing a fleet of missile boats and submarines).

3- Stella Maris Base (a strategic base for maritime surveillance and control along the northern coastline).

4- Tirat Carmel Base (housing the regiment and battalion of the northern region’s transport and a logistical naval base).

5- For the first time, Nesher Base (a gas station affiliated with the “Israeli” military).

Footage shows widespread devastation in the industrial Israeli hub. The Israeli military reported a number of casualties. 

The Hezbollah attacks also led to a power outage in the city. Verified videos circulating on social media show several areas of Haifa in the dark without electricity. 

Israeli media reported a massive missile strike launched from southern Lebanon towards Haifa and its surroundings making direct impact with air raid sirens blaring non-stop. 

On Sunday, Hezbollah waged more operations “in support of the steadfast Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip, backing their valiant and honorable resistance, and in defense of Lebanon and its people.” 

These included: “Operations targeting Israeli attempts to advance along the Lebanese-Palestinian borders, intercepting enemy drones and warplanes, and striking Israeli military sites, bases, deployments, and settlements in northern and deep occupied Palestine.”

Hezbollah struck the Israeli enemy gatherings with rockets on the outskirts of Khiam as the occupation forces (IOF) failed once again in their attempts to advance. 

Footage purportedly showed smoke rising from vehicles belonging to the Israeli occupation forces igniting on fire during clashes in Wati al-Khiam, east of the town of Khiam in southern Lebanon.

Hezbollah announced an Israeli army gathering was attacked on the southern outskirts of Khiam town with a rocket barrage.  

There Israeli Merkava tanks were spotted, being forced to withdraw from the outskirts of Khiam at high speed. 

The IOF reportedly reached its deepest point in Lebanon since the attempted ground invasion in late September before pulling back after fierce battles with Hezbollah fighters.

Troops temporarily took control of a strategic hill in the southern Lebanese village of Chamaa, five kilometers from the border, the state-run National News Agency said.

The agency noted the IOF was later pushed back from the position.

Hezbollah announced its fighters targeted an Israeli Merkava tank on the eastern outskirts of Chamaa with a guided missile, causing it to burn and resulting in casualties among its crew.

Meanwhile, the resistance targeted the “Krayot area north of the occupied city of Haifa with a rocket barrage” on Sunday. 

Hezbollah also attacked the Ma’aleh Golani Barracks (the headquarters of the Hermon Brigade 810) with a rocket barrage.  

Despite the heavy Israeli bombardment of the Lebanese border region in the south, Hezbollah is launching more long-range missiles. 

 

 

Who is Sheikh Naim Qassem?

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Sheikh Naim Qassem has been elected as the new chief of the Lebanese resistance movement after his predecessor Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was martyred in an Israeli strike on southern Beirut last month.

On Tuesday, Hezbollah's Shura Council, the group's central decision-making body, appointed the 71-year-old cleric to the post.

“Based on faith in Allah Almighty…, adherence to Hezbollah’s principles and goals, and following the established procedure for the election of the Secretary-General, Hezbollah’s Shura Council has elected His Eminence Sheikh Naim Qassem as Secretary-General of Hezbollah, entrusting him with the blessed banner on this journey. We pray to the Almighty to grant him success in this honorable mission of leading Hezbollah and its Islamic resistance,” the council said in a statement, Press TV reported.

The statement also pledged to the fallen victims, fighters of the Islamic resistance as well as well the steadfast and loyal Lebanese nation that Hezbollah will stand by its principles, goals and path to keep the flame of resistance alive and its banner held high until final victory.

Sheikh Qassem is a veteran figure in Hezbollah, having served as deputy secretary general of the Lebanese resistance group since 1991.

He was appointed deputy secretary general under Hezbollah’s late secretary general, Abbas al-Musawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack in 1992, and remained in the role when Nasrallah became leader.

His political activism began in the Lebanese Amal Movement, founded in 1974. He left Amal in 1979, in the wake of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, which shaped the political thinking of many young Lebanese activists.

He took part in meetings that led to the formation of Hezbollah in 1982.

Sheikh Qassem has long been one of the leading spokesmen for Hezbollah, conducting many interviews with foreign media.

He was born in 1953 in Beirut’s Basta Tahta district, and his family originally hails from Kfar Fila town in Lebanon’s southern Nabatieh province.

 

Saudi Arabia convenes Arab Islamic Summit

Saudi Arabia has announced to hold a joint Arab-Islamic follow-up summit in the Kingdom on November 11, 2024 to discuss the continued Israeli aggression on the Palestinian territories and Lebanon, in addition to the current developments in the region.

This is in line with the directives of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman and in continuation of the efforts made by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in coordination with leaders of other Arab and Islamic countries. The summit will be held as an extension of the joint Arab-Islamic summit held in Riyadh on November 11, 2023.

Saudi Arabia reaffirmed its condemnation and denunciation of the crimes and violations that are being perpetrated by the Israeli occupation authorities against the Palestinian people, apart from the continuing Israeli attacks and violations against the people of Lebanon.

This is in light of the Kingdom's follow-up of the current developments in the region, as well as the continued sinful Israeli aggression on the occupied Palestinian territories, and its expansion to include the Lebanese Republic in an attempt to undermine its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and the serious repercussions of this aggression on the security and stability of the region, the Saudi Press Agency said in a statement.

Indonesia urges recognition of Palestine State

Indonesia has called on East Asian nations to officially recognize the state of Palestine and urged the international community to uphold international law and principles of humanity.

Speaking at the East Asia Summit in Laos, Indonesian Vice President Ma'ruf Amin warned that failure to adhere to international law could lead to the emergence of new conflicts.

“As leaders, we must take a stance and side with international law and humanity. Do not be selective in implementing international law. If this continues, I am afraid that many new conflicts will emerge,” Amin said, as reported by Antara News.

Amin also urged countries that have yet to recognize Palestine to do so immediately, stressing the importance of universal respect for international law without exceptions.

Currently, 146 countries recognize the state of Palestine, with recent additions including Spain, Norway, Ireland, and several Caribbean nations.

His remarks come amidst ongoing Israeli military actions in Gaza. Despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire, the conflict has claimed the lives of over 42,000 people, mostly women and children.

 

Israel with US fends off massive Iranian attack

Iran fired more than 180 missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israeli attacks that killed Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in July and Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah last week.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Tuesday that the attack "appears to have been defeated and ineffective." 

"We do not know of any deaths in Israel," he said. "We do not know of any damage to aircraft or strategic military assets in Israel."

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said at a briefing after the attack that Israel was able to intercept the majority of the incoming missiles and that there was minimal damage on the ground.

Ryder added that two US Navy destroyers helped shoot down the missiles, and fired around a dozen interceptors. 

The attack marked a significant escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, Ryder and Sullivan said.

Tehran previously attacked Israel in April in an attack defeated by the US and Israel, along with allied forces in the region.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said there were a "small number" of hits in central and southern Israel, but the "majority of the incoming missiles were intercepted."

"Iran's attack is a severe and dangerous escalation. There will be consequences," he said in a video address. "We will respond wherever, whenever, and however we choose."

Vice President Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, told reporters "I condemn this attack unequivocally."

"I'm clear eyed. Iran is a destabilizing, dangerous force in the Middle East, and today's attack on Israel only further demonstrates that fact," she said.

The Iranian attack comes after Israel began limited ground operations in Lebanon against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militant group, which has been severely degraded by Israeli attacks in the past two months, including a strike last week that killed Nasrallah.

 

Israel has fought Hezbollah for nearly a year after the militant group began firing over the border following the October 07, 2023 attacks by Iranian-backed militant group Hamas, which sparked war in the Gaza Strip.

While the war in Gaza is still raging, Hamas's presence has been reduced over the past year, freeing up resources for Israel to move north and try to push Hezbollah back from the border to return some 60,000 residents displaced by the fighting there.

The US has pushed for a diplomatic agreement to resolve the Lebanon crisis, but Ryder indicated the Pentagon supported limited Israeli border attacks, saying the US "fully understands" the need to protect civilians, though Washington is asking questions about the operation.

Before the Tuesday attack, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday appealed directly to Iranians, saying in a video message he supported efforts for regime change in Iran.

After the attack, Netanyahu said at a Security Cabinet meeting that Israel has the momentum and the axis of evil is in retreat, referring to Iran.

"This evening, " he said, "Iran made a big mistake – and it will pay for it."

Israel brings the world to a ghastly war

The assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, alongside Iranian General Ali Nilforushan, has escalated tensions in the Middle East to dangerous levels, potentially triggering a regional conflict involving numerous proxies. Some analysts now even refer to the United States as an Israeli proxy.

On Friday, a large-scale Israeli strike in Beirut resulted in the death of Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah. Given Nasrallah’s pivotal role in Lebanese politics, regional geopolitics, and Hezbollah’s position as a central figure in the 'Axis of Resistance,' his assassination is poised to send shockwaves throughout the Middle East.

Since October 7, 2023, Hezbollah has been exchanging fire with Israel following Hamas’s armed incursion into Israeli territory. In the ensuing weeks, Israel has intensified its operations inside Lebanon, launching a brutal bombing campaign that, as of Monday, has claimed hundreds of lives and displaced tens of thousands of people. Israeli forces have been systematically targeting key Hezbollah commanders for months, with Nasrallah’s killing being the most significant blow to the movement.

While Israel may have secured a tactical victory with Nasrallah’s assassination, it risks unleashing a cycle of violence that could spiral out of control. This echoes the assassination of Abbas Musawi, Nasrallah’s predecessor, by Israel in 1992, which, despite Musawi’s death, only strengthened Hezbollah. Under Nasrallah’s leadership, the group became one of the most formidable armed non-state actors in the region, playing a key role in ending Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000.

Similarly, Hamas founder Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was assassinated by Israel in 2004, yet his organization remains a powerful political and military force within the Palestinian territories. Israel’s strategy of targeted killings has repeatedly backfired, as these movements often emerge more resilient, committed to retaliation.

While Hezbollah may be reeling from this latest loss, the group remains defiant. In a statement, they vowed to continue “confronting the enemy.” Iran’s Supreme Leader has also pledged continued support for Hezbollah and Lebanon, pushing the region into highly volatile territory.

Israel’s actions, including its unrelenting bombing campaign in Gaza and the targeted killings of Nasrallah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, suggest it is seeking a broader confrontation with Iran and its allies. Moreover, some argue that Israel is attempting to drag the United States—its staunchest ally—into the conflict.

Israel’s aggressive posture has now brought the world to the edge of a major war.

Iranian General killed alongside Nasrallah

A prominent Iranian general in the Revolutionary Guard, Gen. Abbas Nilforushan, was killed in an Israeli airstrike that also claimed the life of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to Iranian media reports on Saturday.

The strike occurred in Beirut on Friday as part of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war, which has pushed the conflict closer to becoming a full-scale regional confrontation.

Nilforushan, 58, held a senior position as the deputy commander for operations in the Revolutionary Guard, overseeing ground forces. His presence in Lebanon during the strike has raised questions, although his role in the region highlights Iran’s long-standing support of Hezbollah.

The Tehran Times and other state-run media confirmed his death, with Iranian officials, including Ahmad Reza Pour Khaghan, deputy head of Iran’s judiciary, describing him as a "guest to the people of Lebanon." Khaghan stressed that Iran reserves the right to retaliate under international law.

Nilforushan’s death adds to the growing list of casualties within Iran's military leadership as Israel continues its operations against Hezbollah, which has been heavily involved in the conflict. Iranian support for Hezbollah has long been a source of tension, with the Guard’s Quds Force arming and training the militia in Lebanon.

The airstrike marks a significant blow to Iran’s military presence in the region, coming on the heels of the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was reportedly killed in Tehran earlier this year.

Both Hezbollah and Iran have vowed retaliation for these high-profile losses, intensifying concerns of a broader Middle Eastern war. 

World reaction on killing of Hezbollah Leader

The Lebanese group Hezbollah has confirmed the death of Hassan Nasrallah, its longtime leader, in an air strike on the group’s underground headquarters near the capital, Beirut.

Hours after Israel claimed killing the 64-year-old Nasrallah on Saturday said its leader “has joined his fellow martyrs” and pledged it would “continue the holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine” amid fears that a regional war is now inevitable.

Israel carried out a large strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday evening, which it said targeted the Hezbollah leader, flattening at least six residential buildings.

Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for more than three decades, was by far the most powerful target to be killed by Israel in weeks of intensified fighting with Hezbollah.

According to the United Nations, more than 50,000 people have fled Lebanon for Syria, as Israel’s attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 700 people since Monday.

Israeli jets pounded south Beirut and its outskirts throughout the night into Saturday, in the most intense attacks on the Hezbollah stronghold since the group and Israel last went to war in 2006.

Nasrallah had rarely been seen in public since 2006. He was elected secretary-general of Hezbollah in 1992, aged 32, after an Israeli helicopter gunship killed his predecessor, Abbas al-Musawi.

Hezbollah

The Lebanese group confirmed in a statement its leader had been killed “following the treacherous Zionist strike on the southern suburbs” of Beirut.

The group’s statement said Nasrallah had “joined his great and immortal martyred comrades, whose path he led for nearly 30 years, during which he led them from victory to victory”.

The group said it pledged “to the highest, most sacred and most precious martyr in our journey” to “continue its jihad in confronting the enemy, in support of Gaza and Palestine, and in defence of Lebanon and its steadfast and honourable people”.

Hamas

Hamas has condemned the killing of the Lebanese leader as “cowardly, terrorist act”.

“We condemn in the strongest terms this barbaric Zionist aggression and targeting of residential buildings,” the group said in a statement, accusing Israel of disregarding “all international values, customs and charters” and “blatantly threatening international security and peace, in light of silence, helplessness and international neglect”.

“In the face of this Zionist crime and massacre, we renew our absolute solidarity and stand united with the brothers in Hezbollah and the Islamic resistance in Lebanon,” the group said.

Fatah

The Palestinian Fatah movement also offered condolences and condemned the assassination, emphasizing “the historical relationship between the Lebanese people and their resistance and Palestine”.

Iran

Mourning Nasrallah’s killing, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani said in a post on X that “the glorious path of the Resistance leader … will continue and his sacred goal of liberating Jerusalem will be achieved.”

Iranian Vice President Mohammad Javad Zarif also expressed his condolences, praising Nasrallah as a “symbol of the fight against oppression”.

Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei condemned what he called Israel’s “short-sighted” policy in the region.

“The massacre of the defenceless people in Lebanon once again… proved the short-sighted and stupid policy of the leaders of the usurping regime,” Khamenei said in a statement before Hezbollah officially announced its leader’s death.

Iraq

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani condemned the attack as “shameful” and “a crime that shows the Zionist entity has crossed all the red lines”.

In a statement, Sudani called Nasrallah “a martyr on the path of the righteous”.

The leader of the Sadrist movement in Iraq, Muqtada al-Sadr, announced three days of mourning, writing on X: “Farewell to the companion of the path of resistance and defiance.”

Turkey

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned Israel’s recent attacks in Lebanon as part of what he called an Israeli policy of “genocide, occupation, and invasion”, urging the UN Security Council and other bodies to stop Israel.

In a post on X, Erdogan, without naming Nasrallah, said Turkey stood with the Lebanese people and its government, offering his condolences for those killed in the Israeli strikes, while saying the Muslim world should show a more “determined” stance.

France

The French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs said in a statement that it is in contact with the Lebanese authorities and France’s partners in the region to prevent destabilization and conflagration.

The ministry also stressed that the security and protection of civilians must be guaranteed.

Courtesy: Al Jazeera 

 

Israel getting desperate to attack Iran

Since October 07, 2023 Israeli citizens have been holding their collective breath, knowing that the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip and incessant fire exchanges on the northern border could escalate into a full-scale regional war at any moment.

The mysterious attack in Lebanon on Tuesday, in which thousands of pagers in the use of Hezbollah operatives exploded, apparently killing at least 11 and wounding thousands more, has made that possibility more likely than ever.

A war with the Iranian-backed militia to Israel’s north could quickly expand into war with Iran, which has yet to avenge the assassination of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July, despite Islamic Republic leaders vowing a response.

Israel, in turn, stated it would exact a heavy price from the Iranian regime were it to carry out a significant attack against the Jewish state.

Maj-Gen. (res.) Itzhak Brik is adamant that war with Iran now would lead to Israel’s destruction.

Security expert Yair Ansbacher is convinced that war with Iran at this point is a must – to avoid Israel’s destruction.

This is the fork in the road that Israel faces today, 11 months after Hamas initiated the horrific October 07 attack, in which 1,200 Israelis and other nationals were murdered and 250 more were taken hostage.

Additional factors such as the apparent exhaustion of negotiations between Israel and Hamas for a ceasefire agreement, and the Israeli government’s decision earlier in the week to make the return of displaced northern residents an official war goal, have increased the likelihood of a regional war.

Speaking to The Jerusalem Post on the phone earlier in the week, Brik warned that Israel is not prepared for a multi-front war.

“Iran and its proxies have 250,000 missiles, rockets, and drones encircling Israel. Which means about 4,000 munitions hitting the Israeli home front on a daily basis, population centers, Haifa Bay, water and electricity facilities, gas fields [in the Mediterranean Sea], IDF bases, and strategic civilian infrastructure. A regional war can ruin the State of Israel,” he stressed.

Brik further warned that Israel would enter this all-out war alone, without the aid of the United States.

“Iran is backed by Russia, China, and North Korea, who don’t want to lose their [Iranian] asset,” he said, explaining that the US will avoid getting involved in a war that could develop into a world war.

What Israel should do, he advised, is build a strategic alliance with Western and moderate Arab nations that will form a “deterrence balance” against Iran and its partners. Trying to thwart the Islamic Republic’s nuclear capacity is futile, he added, which “is a development that can’t be stopped.”

Ansbacher views the situation differently. He is certain that now is the right time to strike Iran, before it makes its final nuclear breakthrough.

“If today the West has little success in taming the ayatollahs, it will have zero success when they obtain nuclear weapons,” he said via Zoom with the Post last week.

“Iran will provide a nuclear umbrella to terrorists across the globe. Imagine Hezbollah kidnaps [IDF] soldiers on [Israel’s] northern border, and before Israel launches a rescue operation, Hezbollah sends a message that this could result in a nonconventional missile attack. This is a scenario that we cannot accept,” Ansbacher stipulated.

In addition, the possibility of a hostile US administration come the November election, along with the inferior position Iran found itself in after the October 07 attack – exposing its plan to annihilate Israel – means that Jerusalem must now use this narrow opportunity to strike Iran, he noted.

“Tehran’s original plan was to attack Israel simultaneously [on all fronts], and that would have brought us to the brink of extinction. But their plan was disrupted when [Hamas head] Yahya Sinwar jumped the gun. This puts Iran in a weakened position. If the plan had fully worked, Israel would have been caught unawares, with all arms of the octopus around its neck. Then it’s checkmate. But the plan’s disadvantage was its extended period of implementation where many things could go wrong,” Ansbacher said.

Attacking Iran now is Israel’s last chance before it faces an existential threat of a nuclear Islamic Republic, he stressed. If Israel hits Iran in its two centers of power, Tehran and Qom, he added, the Iranian regime, largely unsupported by the nonreligious population, will very likely fall.

Israeli Cyber Attacks Cripple Hezbollah

In unprecedented covert operations, Israel triggered explosions on thousands of pagers and hundreds of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah fighters and followers in back-to-back attacks on September 17 and 18, 2024.

Both attacks targeted Hezbollah in at least three strongholds—Beirut, the eastern Bekaa Valley and southern Lebanon. Some pagers also detonated in neighboring Syria. In a speech on September 19, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that "retribution will come."

The escalation was the single largest blow to the Lebanese militia, which is Iran’s most important ally in the Middle East. It also signaled Israel’s growing shift from the Gaza war in the south to the tense 49–mile northern front with Hezbollah—and potentially a turning point for war in the wider Middle East.

Shortly before the pagers exploded on September 17, Israel announced that the Security Cabinet had decided to expand its military focus.

“The center of gravity is shifting northward, meaning that we are increasingly diverting forces, resources, and energy towards the North,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on September 18.

Military strikes along the northern border have intensified since the outbreak of the Gaza War on October 07, 2023, as Hezbollah fired rockets almost daily on northern Israel.

Some 70,000 fled Israeli towns, farms and kibbutzim with long-term impact on the economy, schooling, and security. Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon have led some 112,000 residents to flee villages, town and farms.

The Israel operations seriously degraded Hezbollah’s ability to communicate with its fighters as Israel mobilized forces closer to the northern border. The pager attacks:

·         Injured almost 3,000 Lebanese

·         Killed at least 12, including two children

·         Injured Mojtaba Amani, Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, who reportedly lost one eye and injured the other

·         Overwhelmed Lebanese hospitals

Arab news outlets reported that the explosives were pre-planted in the AR-924 pagers, which were produced in Hungary on a license from Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese company. Hezbollah pledged retaliation for the “sinful assault, both in ways that are expected and unexpected.”

The walkie-talkie attack the next day was smaller in scale but a further humiliating blow to Hezbollah and, potentially, its military capabilities. The walkie-talkie operation:

·         Injured at least 608

·         Killed at least 25

·         Sparked fires in Beirut’s southern suburbs as well as the Bekaa Valley

·         Added to stress on Lebanese health facilities

The United States and the European Union expressed alarm about the operations. In Cairo, Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned all parties against actions that would intensify regional hostilities.

“We remain very clear about the importance of all parties avoiding any steps that could further escalate the conflict that we’re trying to resolve in Gaza to see it spread to other fronts.  It’s clearly not in the interest of anyone involved to see that happen,” he said at a joint press conference with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty. “It’s imperative that all parties refrain from any actions that could escalate the conflict.”

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the operations for endangering Lebanon’s stability and increasing the risk of regional escalation. 

“Even if the attacks seem to have been targeted, they had heavy, indiscriminate collateral damages among civilians, including children among the victims,” he said in a statement after meeting with the Lebanese foreign minister on Sept. 18, 2024. “I consider this situation extremely worrying.”

In contrast, President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned the use of pagers as tools for “assassination and annihilation.” The attack “once again showed that western nations and Americans fully support crime, killings, and blind assassinations by the Zionist regime,” he said in a cabinet meeting on September 18, according to the presidential website.

Israel has pledged to continue military operations against Hezbollah, the most experienced and well-armed non-state actor in the world, until it withdraws from the border and ends rocket and missile strikes.

Hezbollah, in turn, has vowed not to stop until the Gaza war ends. Between October 2023 and mid-September 2024:

·         Hezbollah launched more than 8,000 rockets and more than 450 drones at Israel.

·         Israel carried out more than 7,000 strikes in Lebanon.             

Both sides have suffered deaths and casualties. At least 25 Israeli civilians and 21 soldiers have been killed in Hezbollah attacks.

Israel had already been linked to the deaths of at least 48 senior Hezbollah commanders and more than 430 operatives between October 08, 2023 and September 17, 2024.

Israel killed Fuad Shukr, one of Hezbollah’s most senior commander and a close advisor to Nasrallah, on July 30. At least 137 civilians in Lebanon have reportedly been killed in Israeli strikes.

 

Courtesy: United States Institute of Peace

Israel accused for pager explosions

Several news outlets confirmed late Tuesday what was widely suspected, Israel's military and intelligence services were behind the explosions of pagers recently purchased by the Lebanese political party and militant group Hezbollah.

The explosions, reportedly set off earlier Tuesday by a message that appeared as if it was from Hezbollah's leadership, killed at least 11 people—including an 8-year-old girl—and wounded thousands more.

Citing both an unnamed former Israeli official with knowledge of the operation and an anonymous U.S. official, Axios reported that Israeli intelligence services planned to use the booby-trapped pagers it managed to 'plant' in Hezbollah's ranks as a surprise opening blow in an all-out war to try to cripple Hezbollah."

"But in recent days, Israeli leaders became concerned that Hezbollah might discover the pagers," the outlet continued. "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his top ministers, and the heads of the Israel Defense Forces and the intelligence agencies decided to use the system now rather than take the risk of it being detected by Hezbollah”, a US official said.

A spokesperson for the US State Department publicly denied that the Biden administration was involved in the attack or aware of the operation in advance.

Heidi Matthews, an associate professor at the Osgoode Hall Law School of York University, wrote Tuesday that each explosion constitutes an indiscriminate attack, pointing to video footage of a pager detonating in a crowded market.

"Under these circumstances," Matthews added, "this is an act of terror."

The New York Times reported Tuesday that Hezbollah ordered thousands of pagers from the Taiwanese manufacturer Gold Apollo, but the company denied making the devices.

According to the Times, which cited unnamed officials, Israeli operatives tampered with the devices they reached Lebanon, planting in them as little as one to two ounces of explosive material and a switch that could be triggered remotely to detonate the explosives.

Heightening fears of a broader conflict, Hezbollah pledged Tuesday to retaliate against Israel over the attack, which reportedly injured Iran's ambassador to Lebanon as well as Hezbollah fighters and medics.

The Guardian's Andrew Roth noted Tuesday that just a day before the coordinated sabotage, Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, was in Israel urging Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli officials against an escalation in Lebanon.

Netanyahu has repeatedly sabotaged cease-fire negotiations with hardline demands in recent weeks as the Israeli military—heavily armed by the US—continues to assail the Gaza Strip.

"While US officials have said that the basis for peace along Israel's northern boundary with Lebanon would come through a cease-fire in Gaza, that agreement has proven elusive and appears no closer to fruition," Roth wrote Tuesday.

 "The White House had hoped that a period of quiet around Israel would allow for cease-fire negotiators to achieve a breakthrough, as intermediaries shuttle between Hamas and Israel to thread the needle of both sides' complex demands regarding a hostage exchange and territorial claims."

"That period of quiet has now been shattered with a breathtaking act of subterfuge and Hezbollah has vowed to retaliate," Roth added.

 

Hezbollah members injured in mysterious explosions

Hundreds of members of Lebanon's Hezbollah were injured due to small explosions that struck their communication devices in various regions across the country, which a party official described as "the largest security breach to date."

Iranian news agency Mehr reported that the Iranian ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was injured in an explosion involving a wireless communication device.

Security sources told Reuters that over 1,000 injuries have been reported across Lebanon due to the device explosions.

Activists shared dozens of images and videos showing injured young men in the streets amid widespread panic among residents caused by the mysterious blasts targeting mobile communication devices used by Hezbollah members.

Reports of injuries came from southern Beirut, the Bekaa Valley, and southern Lebanon, with conflicting information regarding the number of casualties, which are believed to be in the hundreds.

Lebanese security sources expressed suspicion that the incident resulted from an Israeli infiltration that caused the devices' batteries to explode.

A Reuters journalist witnessed ten Hezbollah members bleeding from their injuries in southern Beirut.

A Lebanese security source stated that Israel accessed Hezbollah's communication system and caused the explosions, adding that calls were made for party members to discard their devices.