The Israeli occupation army today ordered the evacuation of new neighborhoods north of Khan Yunis and east of Deir al-Balah, in the southern and central Gaza Strip, respectively. The army ordered citizens to evacuate areas in the eastern districts of Deir al-Balah, the al-Qarara, al-Mawasi, al-Nasser and al-Jalaa areas, and Hamad City. Israeli media outlets reported that the occupation army decided to reduce the boundaries of the Israeli-designated humanitarian zone, ordering residents of several areas in the southern Gaza Strip to evacuate. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said that families in the besieged Gaza Strip continue to be forced to flee. However, there's nowhere safe for displaced people to go.--WAFA Source : National news agency - Lebanon
White House condemns settler attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank
The White House has condemned the recent attack by Israeli colonists on the village of Jit, east of Qalqilya, describing it as "unacceptable." In response to a journalist's inquiry, a White House spokesperson stated that "violent attacks by settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank are unacceptable and must stop. Israeli authorities need to take necessary measures to protect all residents." The spokesperson also urged Israel to "take steps to prevent the recurrence of such attacks and hold the perpetrators accountable." The condemnation follows an assault by Israeli colonists on the village of Jit the last night, which was carried out with the protection of Israeli occupation forces. During the attack, live ammunition was fired at residents, resulting in the murder of 23-year-old Rashid Sedda and injuring several others, one of whom sustained severe wounds. The attackers also set fire to several homes and vehicles belonging to residents. Source : National news agency - Lebanon
Security update: Israeli enemy warplanes strike Aitaroun with air-to-ground missiles
Israeli enemy warplanes on Friday launched an airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun, firing two air-to-ground missiles. Source : National news agency - Lebanon
Geagea criticizes government’s stance on Hezbollah, pushes for sovereign decisions
Lebanese Forces Party leader, Samir Geagea, on Friday emphasized the importance of implementing UN Resolution 1701 during a press conference in Maarab, asserting that doing so would significantly improve the current situation. However, the LF chief criticized the government's passive role, accusing it of merely echoing Hezbollah's actions rather than prioritizing Lebanon's national interest. He also condemned Hezbollah's activities on the border, arguing that they serve Iran's strategic goals rather than supporting Gaza. Geagea went on to urge Lebanese citizens to consider the current state of affairs when voting in the upcoming elections and called for the term "illegal Syrian presence" to be used instead of "refugee" or "displacement." He demanded that the government adopt a sovereign stance on the Syrian issue and collaborate with international organizations to halt aid to those deemed illegal residents. In the context of the ongoing tensions, Geagea expressed concerns about Hezbollah's potential intern al actions, drawing parallels to the events of May 7, 2008. He affirmed that his relationship with the Progressive Socialist Party remains cordial despite differences in certain positions. Additionally, Geagea criticized the government for its handling of the situation in southern Lebanon, holding it responsible for the casualties there and insisting that the Lebanese people did not elect Hezbollah but rather a parliamentary majority. Regarding the presidential file, Geagea urged undecided MPs to express their convictions. On the matter of Pascal Sleiman's case, the LF leader highlighted the need to uncover the underlying motives behind the assassination, as current investigations have only addressed minor details. Source : National news agency - Lebanon
Mikati, Egyptian Foreign Minister meet at Grand Serail
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Friday received at the Grand Serail, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, in the presence of Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Dr. Abdullah Bou Habib, and the Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Alaa Moussa. The meeting also took place in the presence of Premier Mikati's Advisors former Minister Nicolas Nahas and Ambassador Boutros Assaker, as well as Lebanon's Ambassador to the Arab League, Ali Halabi. Source : National news agency - Lebanon
Bou Habib meets Egyptian Foreign Minister
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, on Friday arrived at the Lebanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, for a meeting with Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Dr. Abdullah Bou Habib. Source : National news agency - Lebanon
(Update) Mikati meets Egyptian Foreign Minister at Grand Serail, renews Lebanon’s commitment to implementing UN Resolution 1701
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, on Friday met at the Grand Serail, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, with discussions reportedly touching on the relations between Lebanon and Egypt and currently exerted efforts to end tensions in the region. Attending the meeting had been Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Dr. Abdullah Bou Habib, Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon Alaa Moussa, Lebanon's Ambassador to Egypt and the Arab League, Ali Halabi, Premier Mikati's Advisors former Minister Nicolas Nahas and Ambassador Boutros Assaker, as well as the Egyptian diplomatic delegation. During the meeting, Prime Minister Mikati thanked Egypt for its continued support for Lebanon in all circumstances and forums, and expressing his appreciation for President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi's constant initiatives to support Lebanon. The Prime Minister also stressed that "Lebanon appreciates the international and Arab efforts being exerted to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and stop the Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon." Mikati renewed Lebanon's commitment to fully implement UN Resolution 1701, adding that 'pressure must be exerted on Israel to implement the resolution and stop its aggression against Lebanon." The Egyptian Minister, in turn, conveyed President El-Sisi's greetings and appreciation to Prime Minister Mikati. He also indicated that his visit "is a strong message of support for Lebanon,' adding that 'efforts are ongoing to reach a ceasefire in Gaza to defuse tensions.' Source : National news agency - Lebanon
Israeli airstrikes and shelling in Gaza result in multiple casualties
In the early hours today, several Palestinian civilians were killed and others injured as a result of Israeli aerial and artillery strikes, along with gunfire from Israeli occupation forces targeting various areas across the Gaza Strip. According to our correspondent, medics recovered the bodies of five individuals from the families of Abdul Wahid and Al-Khour and treated eight injuries after Israeli forces shelled an apartment in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City. The victims, who were taken to the Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, include Abu Bashar Abdul Wahid, his wife, their son Bashar, and their 13-year-old daughter. Additionally, one person was killed and several others wounded in an Israeli drone strike near the entrance to the town of Al-Zawayda in central Gaza. The injured were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah. Medics also retrieved the body of a young man, Hatem Hassouna Qweider, who was shot by a drone near Al-Dawa Mosque east of the Nuseirat refugee camp. He was taken to Al- Awda Hospital in the camp. Furthermore, medics recovered another body following an Israeli strike on a house in the Al-Mufti area, north of the Nuseirat refugee camp. Simultaneously, Israeli military vehicles stationed at the Shuhada intersection opened fire on residential homes in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City. In Rafah, southern Gaza, Israeli artillery also fired several shells at western areas of the city, with no casualties being reported in the aftermath. Israeli warplanes further targeted a house belonging to the Eid family in the Bureij refugee camp, central Gaza, and conducted two airstrikes east of Khan Younis in the south of the enclave. They also dropped flares over the western area of Gaza City and destroyed residential buildings in the town of Al-Qarara, near Khan Younis. The ongoing Israeli aggression on Gaza since October 2023 has so far resulted in 40,005 documented Palestinian fatalities, with over 92,401 others injured. Thousands of victims are feared trapped under rubble, inaccessible to emergency and civil defense teams due to Israeli attacks. Source : National news agency - Lebanon
Public Health Emergency Operations Center: Israeli airstrike on Aitaroun claims one life, injures another
The Public Health Emergency Operations Center of the Ministry of Public Health on Friday announced that an Israeli airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Aitaroun resulted in the death of one person and left another injured. Source : National news agency - Lebanon
Security update: Massive fire erupts in Marjeyoun plain
A massive fire broke out on Friday in southern Lebanon's Marjayoun Plain following the fall of a flare shell opposite the Israeli settlement of Metula. Source : National news agency - Lebanon