After several days of calm and following a prior warning of an imminent attack by its Army, Israel confirmed a new bombing in Dahieh, a suburb in southern Beirut largely dominated by the Shiite group Hezbollah, targeting an underground weapons depot; in addition to having targeted about 140 military targets of the group in southern Lebanon by air.
In addition, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) also targeted about 140 military targets of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon from the air, parallel to the ground military activities that began two weeks ago. They also claimed to have eliminated "dozens" of fighters from the group in firefights and airstrikes, as well as locating "numerous weapons, including rockets, mortars, and anti-tank missiles" aimed at communities in northern Israel.
The outskirts of the Lebanese capital were also attacked on Saturday by the Israeli Army, which bombed the town of Maaysrah in the Keserwan district, about 38 kilometers north of the capital, leaving around twenty dead.
At least 2,350 people have died and another 10,906 have been injured in the attacks that Israel has carried out on different points in Lebanon in the past year, although the vast majority of the victims have occurred since the start of the massive Israeli bombing campaign initiated at the end of September.
Israel launches more than a dozen consecutive bombings in Nabatiyeh
The Israeli Army launched more than a dozen consecutive bombings on Wednesday against the town of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon, one of the most heavily hit areas by the Israeli airstrikes campaign that began at the end of September, official sources reported, as per Efe.
The Lebanese National News Agency (ANN) reported around 10:15 local time (7:15 GMT) that "Israeli combat planes carried out a violent airstrike on the city of Nabatiyeh and launched more than ten attacks on most of its neighborhoods."
The state agency did not provide further details on the consequences of this intense bombing but shared images of a large amount of smoke rising throughout the southern town, which has been one of the most affected areas in the Mediterranean country since late September.
US warns Israel it could lose military aid if it does not improve aid entry to Gaza
The US government sent a letter to Israel warning that if it does not improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza by increasing aid entry over the next month, it may violate US rules on foreign military assistance and lose the military aid it receives, as reported by Efe.
The White House confirmed on Tuesday that, as some media outlets had reported, Secretaries of State Antony Blinken and Defense Lloyd Austin sent a letter addressed to their counterparts, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
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Macron reaffirms French support for UNIFIL
The French President, Emmanuel Macron, reaffirmed his country's support for the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with whom positions have hardened, as reported by Efe.
As announced on Wednesday by the Elysee in a statement, the call between both leaders took place on Tuesday and served, among other issues, for Macron to reiterate "the absolute need to conclude without further delay" a ceasefire in Lebanon, but also in Gaza.
"France, along with the United States, had proposed a 21-day ceasefire to reach a definitive agreement on the Blue Line: it was necessary to return to this diplomatic path, the only one that could meet Israel's security demands," the sources indicated regarding the situation in Lebanon.
Iran warns the UN it will give a "decisive" response to a potential Israeli attack
The Iranian Foreign Minister warned the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, that his country is prepared to give a "decisive" response that Israel will regret if it attacks the Islamic Republic in retaliation for a missile strike, as reported by Afp.
"Iran, despite making every effort to protect the peace and security of the region, is fully prepared for a decisive response" to Israel in case of an attack, said Foreign Minister Abás Araghchi in a conversation with Guterres, according to a statement from the Iranian Foreign Ministry.
Iranian Foreign Minister continues diplomatic offensive in Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Abás Araqchí, traveled to Jordan on Wednesday to continue his diplomatic offensive to try to stop the escalation in the Middle East, which will also take him to Egypt and Turkey, as reported by Efe.
"The Iranian Foreign Minister Araqchí will visit Jordan, Egypt, and Turkey as part of our diplomatic approach to the countries in the region to end the genocide, atrocity, and aggression," said Ismail Baghaei, the spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry. "Iranian diplomacy works for regional peace and stability," the diplomat assured.
Netanyahu opposes a "unilateral" ceasefire in Lebanon
The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, ruled out on Tuesday ordering a "unilateral" ceasefire in Lebanon, arguing that it would not prevent a regrouping at the border by the Islamist militants of Hezbollah, who threatened attacks across all of Israeli territory, as reported by Afp.
In a speech, the deputy leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qasem, stated on Tuesday that "the solution" to end the war in Lebanon is "a ceasefire," and he assured that their movement will not be "defeated" by the Israeli army. "Since the Israeli enemy targeted all of Lebanon, we have the right, from a defensive position, to target any place in Israel, whether in the center, north, or south," Qasem pointed out.
Israel kills Hamas drone unit chief in northern Gaza Strip
The Israeli Army claimed on Wednesday to have killed the head of Hamas' drone unit, Mahmud al Mabhouh, in the northern Gaza Strip, responsible for "directing attacks with unmanned aerial vehicles towards Israeli territory and troops," as reported by Efe.
In the past two weeks, the Israeli Army has resumed its offensive in the already devastated northern Gaza Strip, where new evacuations of the civilian population have been ordered, up to the gates of Gaza City, with the main hospitals in the area surrounded by troops.
The offensive is unfolding with particular harshness, once again, in the Yabalia refugee camp, which has been besieged for twelve days with over 350 dead in the third major Israeli military offensive in the area since the war began.
Hezbollah claims responsibility for launching 50 rockets from Lebanon into northern Israel
The Israeli Army reported that in the early hours of Wednesday, 50 rockets were launched from Lebanese territory towards northern Israel, something that was later claimed by the Shiite group Hezbollah, as reported by Efe.
According to the Israeli Army, the rockets were aimed at the Safed area in the northern territory, so alarms sounded minutes before to alert the population. "Some of the projectiles were intercepted, and fallen projectiles were identified in the area," Israeli authorities stated on their Telegram channel.
Israel claims radical Iranians and terrorist groups operate freely in Nicaragua
The Consul of Israel in Costa Rica, Amir Rockman, stated on Tuesday that Iranian forces and terrorist groups, with the endorsement of the government led by Daniel Ortega, "operate freely in Nicaragua," as reported by Efe.
"The Ortega family regime not only gives free passage to radical Iranians but also to other terrorist groups that operate freely on Nicaraguan soil, and we still do not know the purposes of their actions, but we are very concerned," said the Israeli diplomat to the Nicaraguan platform Despacho 505, which operates from exile.
Rockman made this statement after lamenting the decision of the Sandinista government to sever diplomatic relations with Israel last Friday.