Lebanon Archives

Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah start a ceasefire after nearly 14 months of fighting

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel has approved a United States-brokered ceasefire agreement with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, setting the stage for an end to nearly 14 months of fighting linked to the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. Israeli warplanes meanwhile carried out the most intense wave of strikes in Beirut and its southern suburbs since the start of the conflict and issued a record number of evacuation warnings. At least 24 people were killed in strikes across the country, according to local authorities, as Israel signaled it aims to keep pummeling Hezbollah before the ceasefire is set to take hold at 4 a.m. local time on Wednesday. President Joe Biden, speaking in Washington, called the agreement “good news” and said his administration would make a renewed push for a ceasefire in Gaza.… Continue Reading

A rare Israeli strike on central Beirut kills Hezbollah’s spokesman, official says

BEIRUT (AP) — A rare Israeli airstrike on central Beirut has killed Hezbollah’s chief spokesman. An official with the militant group confirmed that Mohammed Afif was killed on Sunday. The latest in targeted killings of senior Hezbollah officials came as Lebanese officials consider a United States-led cease-fire proposal. Israel also bombed several buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has long been headquartered. In Gaza, Israeli strikes killed at least 12 people. And two flares fired overnight at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s residence have been blamed on domestic critics as frustrations over the war in Gaza remain high.… Continue Reading

The US is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is investigating an unauthorized release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran and note that Israel continues to move military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on Oct. 1. Three U.S. officials told The Associated Press an investigation is ongoing, and it is still known if the documents were leaked or hacked. A fourth U.S. official said the documents appear to be legitimate. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment over the leak of the two documents that first appeared online Friday on the messaging app Telegram. The information appeared entirely gathered through the use of satellite image analysis.… Continue Reading

At least 22 killed in airstrikes in central Beirut, with Israel also firing on UN peacekeepers

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon’s health ministry says at least 22 people have been killed and 117 wounded in Israeli airstrikes that hit two areas in central Beirut. An Associated Press photographer who went to the scene Thursday evening said the first strike, in Ras al-Nabaa, appeared to have hit the lower half of an eight-story apartment building and explosions were ongoing inside the building. The second strike, in Burj Abi Haidar, collapsed an entire building, which was engulfed in flames. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reported strikes. Earlier in the day, a strike on a central Gaza school-turned-shelter killed 27 people.… Continue Reading

Hezbollah steps up rocket fire into Israel, which sends more troops into Lebanon

BEIRUT (AP) — Hezbollah fired a barrage of rockets into Israel, and the militant group’s acting leader vowed to keep up pressure that has forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes near the Lebanese border. The Israeli military said it sent more ground troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday, and that a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in an airstrike. Dozens of rockets fired by Hezbollah were aimed as far south as Haifa, and the Israeli government warned residents to the north of the coastal city to limit activities, prompting the closure of more schools. The Israeli military said Hezbollah launched more than 170 rockets across the border.… Continue Reading

A year into the Israel-Hamas war, students say a chill on free speech has reached college classrooms

WASHINGTON (AP) — Campuses across the U.S. have been calmer in the wake of last spring’s protests, yet many are mired in a lingering unease. Students say they are reluctant to speak out for fear it could pit them against students, professors or employers. Social bubbles have cemented along the divisions of the war. New protest rules on many campuses raise the risk of suspension or expulsion. American universities pride themselves as being places of open discourse where students can engage across their differences. But when it comes to the war in Gaza, some students say in today’s climate, it’s easier to stay quiet.… Continue Reading

Israel expands its bombardment in Lebanon as thousands flee widening war

MASNAA BORDER CROSSING, Lebanon (AP) — Israel is expanding its bombardment of the Hezbollah and Hamas militant groups in Lebanon, hitting Beirut’s southern suburbs with a dozen airstrikes and striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north for the first time. Hamas says two members of its military wing there have been killed. Thousands of people in Lebanon continue to flee the widening conflict in the region. Meanwhile, rallies are being held around the world marking the approaching anniversary of the war in Gaza. Palestinians along a key corridor there are facing a new Israeli evacuation order as deadly airstrikes continue.… Continue Reading

Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon, signaling a wider offensive

BEIRUT (AP) — The Israeli military has warned people to evacuate a city and other communities in southern Lebanon that are north of a U.N.-declared buffer zone. The warning on Thursday signals that the military may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group. Israel has told people to leave Nabatieh, a provincial capital, and other communities north of the Litani River, which formed the northern edge of the border zone. The region was meanwhile bracing for Israeli retaliation following an Iranian ballistic missile attack.… Continue Reading

Iran fires at least 180 missiles into Israel as regionwide conflict grows

JERUSALEM (AP) — Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel, the latest in a series of escalating attacks in a yearslong conflict between Israel and Iran and its Arab allies. The missile attack — and a retaliation promised by Israel — threaten to push the Middle East closer toward a regionwide war. Before Iran’s attack on Tuesday, Israel had landed a series of devastating blows in recent weeks against Hezbollah’s leadership in Lebanon. It ratcheted up the pressure on the militant group — which has been firing rockets into Israel since the war in Gaza began — by launching what it said is a limited ground incursion in southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran will pay a price for its missile barrage.… Continue Reading

Wall Street retreats from records and oil prices jump after Iran’s missile attack on Israel

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are retreating from their records as worries worsen about the escalating violence in the Middle East. The S&P 500 was down 1.2% in afternoon trading Tuesday, a day after setting an all-time high for the 43rd time this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 259 points, or 0.6%, after coming off its own record. The Nasdaq composite fell 2%. Oil prices jumped as Iran launched missiles at Israel, worsening tensions that investors worry could lead to disruptions in the flow of crude from the region. Treasury yields fell following an encouraging update on inflation in Europe.… Continue Reading