Israel suffered one of the deadliest days of its ground offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon when six of its soldiers were killed in combat near the border.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said that an unconditional cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel is "the first priority," calling for intensifying international and Arab efforts to prevent a large-scale war.

A neighborhood watch group in a Christian Beirut neighborhood is on the lookout for militant operatives, which could make the area a target for Israeli airstrikes.

Hezbollah’s drones were “ultimately,” the terrorist organization’s “trump card,” despite rockets being employed as their “main weapons.”

Mojtaba Amani, the Islamic Republic’s ambassador to Lebanon, himself badly injured by the pager incident, justified the purchase by quoting the ‘weakness of the Lebanese state’.

The United States is now seeking an enforcement mechanism that would ensure that the only armed body in that area would be the Lebanese Army.

The navy has, numerous times in the past, acknowledged that it carries out surveillance of Israel’s enemies, sometimes at a great distance.

Oil prices saw a partial recovery on Tuesday following Israel’s military response to Hezbollah’s recent attacks. The geopolitical tensions in the Middle East have once again highlighted the region’s critical role in global energy markets, causing fluctuations in oil prices. The latest conflict began when Hezbollah launched a series of rocket attacks into northern Israel, prompting a swift and decisive retaliation from the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF). The IDF targeted key Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, aiming to neutralize the threat and prevent further escalation. This exchange of hostilities has raised concerns about potential disruptions to oil supplies from the region, which is a significant factor in the global energy market. In response to these developments, Brent crude futures rose by 2.5%, settling at $82.30 per barrel, while West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures increased by 2.7%, closing at $78.50 per barrel. Analysts attribute this rebound to fears of supply chain disruptions and the market’s sensitivity to geopolitical instability in the Middle East. Energy market experts have noted that while the immediate impact on oil production and supply routes remains limited, the situation underscores the vulnerability of global oil markets to regional conflicts. The Middle East accounts for a substantial...

1. IDF: ‘New Hezbollah targets’ reached in expanded south Lebanon ground operation  The Times of Israel
2. A new deterrence for Lebanon is needed to avoid a long war with Israel  Al Jazeera English
3. Lebanon awaits truce proposals after US envoy expresses hope  Reuters
4. Israel-Gaza-Lebanon live updates: 'No cease-fire' in Lebanon, defense minister says  ABC News
5. While Israel Seeks Deal in Lebanon, IDF and Hezbollah Escalate Their Attacks  Haaretz

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved an audacious plan to employ booby-trapped pagers in September against members of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, his office said Monday.

Israel says it's reduced Hezbollah's rocket supply by 80%, and warns that if Iran strikes again then Israel could hit more valuable Iranian targets next time, Israel captures hundreds of Hamas terrorists, and Israel responds to international ...

On the eve of Yom Kippur, Hezbollah missiles flying into Israel from Lebanon, plus weapons cache discovered. Analysis from Gordon Robertson, Cindy Jacobs and Jon Medved on challenges facing Israel and the prospects of a bright future after the war.

Drone strike in Binyamina kills 4 IDF soldiers and wounds dozens. Underground Hezbollah command center discovered 1 mile from Israel's border..1988 Hamas charter details intent to annihilate Israel. Upcoming Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in Copenhagen.

Analysis from Gen. Amir Avivi about the war ahead against Iranian proxies. Pastor Adam Gabeli reports on the connection Iranians feel with Israel. Israeli innovation NoTraffic easing congestion & the upcoming Jerusalem Prayer Breakfast in Copenhagen.

Secretary of State of Blinken in Israel again pushing for a ceasefire- with Israel considering some possibilities, Israel continues to plan to strike Iran, Israel confirms it eliminated the upcoming leader of Hezbollah- Hashem Safieddine, and ...

Eleven Israelis were wounded by a Hezbollah rocket impact in the central town of Tira on Saturday, as the terror group shot some 160 rockets and 10 drones at Israel over the past 24 hours.

The BBC’s Orla Guerin is taken on a tour of Al Sahel Hospital in Beirut.

Israel says its targets are legitimate, but critics say it is aiming at Hezbollah's social base.

Backed by Iran and hated by Israel, Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah is Lebanon's most powerful man. He enjoys cult status among his Shiite supporters and holds sway over the country's institutions.

WASHINGTON — Israel's war against Hezbollah and Hamas, while inflicting considerable damage, has yet to strike a crippling blow to either of the Iran-backed terror groups, according to a top U.S. counterterrorism official. The acting director of the U.S. National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) said Tuesday that the impact of Israeli intelligence operations, along with repeated military airstrikes and ground offensives in Lebanon and Gaza, have severely diminished the ability of both groups to launch new attacks on Israel. But he cautioned that both groups remain resilient, and in the case of Hezbollah, retain significant capabilities. "Before the conflict, they [Hezbollah] had built up unprecedented numbers of rockets and missiles and other munitions," the NCTC's Brett Holmgren told an audience in Washington, adding that the Lebanese group was starting at a "very strong point." And he said while Israeli strikes have decimated Hezbollah leadership, the group's ground forces in southern Lebanon "remain somewhat intact." Additionally, Israel's actions have done little to damage Hezbollah's reach beyond the Middle East. "Their external capabilities have largely been untouched," Holmgren said, noting the U.S. and its allies are on alert for any indication Hezbollah may seek to retaliate outside the region. Hamas' staying power Hamas, which touched off the war in Gaza when it launched its October 7, 2023, terror attack that killed about 1,200 mostly Israeli civilians, has also suffered greatly, according to the latest U.S. assessments. "Militarily, they have been significantly diminished," Holmgren said. "They're essentially morphing into an insurgent force on the ground." Yet despite being forced to keep a low profile and resort to hit-and-run-type tactics, U.S. intelligence sees few indications Hamas has lost its appeal. "Hamas has been able to recruit new members to its ranks and will likely continue its ability to do so, so long as there is not another viable political option on the ground for these disaffected young men in Gaza to turn to," Holmgren said.  "There has to be a more viable political actor on the ground in Gaza to give these new recruits for Hamas, to give them a better option," he added. Hamas, Hezbollah numbers Prior to Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, U.S. intelligence estimated that the U.S.-designated terror group had between 20,000 and 25,000 fighters, though some estimates put the number at 30,000 or more, citing support from about a dozen other terror groups that had pledged to fight under the Hamas banner. Hezbollah, according to U.S. estimates, had about 40,000 fighters with "state-like military capabilities." Holmgren on Tuesday did not elaborate on how many fighters from either group had been eliminated.  Israeli officials, however, have said their forces have killed upward of 14,000 Hamas fighters and more than 2,550 Hezbollah fighters. The Israel Defense Forces earlier this month said it estimates that about 80% of Hezbollah's arsenal of medium- and short-range rockets has been destroyed. Health officials in Gaza have said the Israeli offensive there has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children.   Lebanon's Health Ministry said more than 3,000 people have been killed during the conflict, though it does not differentiate between civilians and Hezbollah fighters. Terror spreading There are growing concerns, though, that the death tolls in Lebanon and Gaza are serving as a spark for other terror groups around the world. Less than a month after Hamas' October 7 attack on Israel, U.S. counterterrorism officials warned that the event had begun to galvanize other terror groups, including Islamic State and al-Qaida. Holmgren said it appears the Hamas attack, combined with growing political and economic turmoil, has in fact helped to reenergize other groups. Islamic State  "ISIS exploited reduced counterterrorism pressure last year to recover and to rebuild as governments shifted attention and resources to the conflict in Gaza," Holmgren said, using an acronym for the Islamic State terror group, also known as IS or Daesh. Central Syria, he said, had become an epicenter for IS plotting against the U.S. and the West, at large.   And although a series of recent operations by the U.S. and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have again weakened IS, the group continues to benefit from improved finances and resurgent media campaigns, Holmgren said. The IS affiliate in Afghanistan known as IS-Khorasan has likewise shown resilience. State Department officials, in a recent inspector general's report, admitted that serious questions remain about whether Afghanistan's ruling Taliban "have the will and capability to fully eliminate terrorist safe havens or control the flow of foreign terrorist fighters in and through Afghanistan." And although key elements of IS-Khorasan have fled Afghanistan for Pakistan, there are fears the group may be poised for a resurgence. "Sustained pressure will be needed to prevent the group from expanding further," Holmgren said. Africa Holmgren further warned that groups affiliating themselves with IS and al-Qaida are also seeing their fortunes rise in Africa. IS and al-Qaida attacks in West Africa and the Sahel alone are set to surpass more than 3,000 by the end of the year, he said, doubling the total number of attacks from 2021. And it could get worse. Holmgren said IS and al-Qaida affiliates have capitalized on turmoil in countries such as Mali, Burkina Faso and the Central African Republic, where governments have turned to the Russian military and Russian paramilitary groups to boost security. The situation in Africa, "if left unchecked, could become a much more acute long-term threat to U.S. interests," he said.  Younger terrorists U.S. counterterrorism analysts have also picked up on several other trends that they say bear watching. One is a propensity for younger people to join terror movements. "The rising number of juveniles engaging in terrorism is a global phenomenon, and it may well worsen in the near term as the effects of the Israel-Hamas conflict take hold," Holmgren said. Vulnerable young people the world over, he said, are turning to groups like IS for a sense of belonging and accomplishment. "A lot of the propaganda — it's easily accessible on the social media platforms" he said. "A lot of it [is in] English." Iran and Trump There is also concern about how Iran will respond to Israel's degradation of Hezbollah and Hamas, and to the reelection of former U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. intelligence officials warned in the run-up to last week's election that Iran was engaged in a series of influence operations aimed at hurting Trump's chance of returning to power. And late last week, the U.S. shed light on another in a series of efforts by Tehran to assassinate the once and future president. In the short term, Holmgren said, Iran could try to leverage its proxy forces in Iraq and Syria to launch additional attacks against U.S. interests and against Israel. But he also expressed concern that Iran continues to play host to al-Qaida's de facto leader, Saif al-Adel. "I won't speculate on what the Iranian intentions are, but suffice to say, it is unhelpful with his presence there," Holmgren said Tuesday in response to a question from VOA. Trump transition  Holmgren promised Tuesday to work with the incoming Trump administration to keep the U.S. and its allies safe. "I look forward to engaging with the Trump administration's national security team to conduct an orderly transition and to ensure that they are ready on Day One to address a dynamic threat environment," Holmgren said. "The U.S. counterterrorism community will be working diligently, as they do each and every day, to keep threats at bay so that our democracy may continue to shine as a beacon of freedom and hope in the world," he added.

The IDF estimates that “80% of Hezbollah’s rocket arsenal within a range of up to 40 kilometers has been destroyed.”

The IDF reiterated that it seeks to operate against Hezbollah's infrastructure and capabilities to push the group away from southern Lebanon.

While operating in the area, soldiers from the Shaldag Unit identified several tunnel shafts leading to the compound, which led to the exposure of the full tunnel. 

While reports in Israel assess that Hezbollah may have lost 80 percent of its rocket arsenal and also lost 2,000 fighters, Hezbollah is putting on a brave face, claiming Israel is far from its goals.

IDF intelligence had been tracking these underground facilities for years, and over recent weeks, the air force focused on destroying them.

BEIRUT/JERUSALEM — The Israeli military pounded Beirut's southern suburbs with airstrikes on Tuesday (Nov 12), mounting one of its heaviest daytime attacks yet on the Hezbollah-controlled area, and struck the middle of the country where more than 20 people were killed. Smoke billowed over Beirut as around a dozen strikes hit the southern suburbs starting in midmorning. After posting warnings to civilians on social media, the Israeli military said it struck Hezbollah targets in Beirut's Dahiyeh area and later said it dismantled most of the group's weapons and missile facilities. Israel said it had taken steps to reduce harm to civilians and repeated its standing accusation that Hezbollah deliberately embeds itself into civilian areas to use residents as human shields, a charge Hezbollah rejects. In northern Israel, two people were killed in the city of Nahariya when a residential building was struck, Israeli police said. Hezbollah later claimed responsibility for a drone attack that it said was aimed at a military base east of Nahariya.

The attacks, carried out on September 17 and 18, targeted thousands of handheld pagers and hundreds of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members across Lebanon and Syria.

Israel is choosing war over peace, escalation over compromise 

The attacks, carried out on September 17 and 18, targeted thousands of handheld pagers and hundreds of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah members across Lebanon and Syria.

In the midst of this coronavirus, Lebanon defaulted its $1.2 billion loan this past March, setting up the stage for Hezbollah to take over the government’s role in providing civil services.

Daniel Byman testifies before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs' Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa on Hezbollah's growing threat against U.S. national security interests in the Middle East.

What's behind the Saudi campaign campaign to undermine Iran's ally Hezbollah? So far, Saudi Arabia has had several successes in getting others to declare the group a terrorist organization, with more pushes from Riyadh likely to come.

The media focus on the Islamic State has taken the spotlight off another powerful Middle East rebel and terrorist group that also controls territory and acts like a state: Lebanese Hezbollah. In recent testimony before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on the Middle East and North Africa, Dan Byman, a senior fellow and director of research in the Center for Middle East Policy, described the ongoing transformation of Hezbollah—particularly since it entered the Syrian civil war—and the implications for the region and the United States.

The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement on Monday condemned Germany's ban on his group as bowing to US pressure and insisted it was not active in the country. 

Qassem Soleimani, who was killed in a US drone strike Thursday, led Iran's feared Quds force for two decades, helping Shia militias kill US troops in Iraq and backing Assad as he slaughtered civilians.

The Imam Al-Mahdi Scouts, which has 45,000 members - boys and girls - is officially recognised by the World Scouting Movement but the group is actually grooming its young recruits.

Kataib Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militia in Iraq at the centre of current tensions between Washington and Tehran, has threatened to attack US air bases in the country in revenge for the killing of Soleimani.

London : Hurst & Company, 2019.