All articles tagged with #hezbollah
A U.S. envoy clarified comments on Israel’s Golan Heights and related Lebanon-Israel talks, saying he did not advocate a new negotiating table and that noting “two missing players” referred to Iran and Hezbollah; he stressed the U.S. does not negotiate with Hezbollah and defended his stance after bipartisan criticism that his remarks contradicted Trump’s recognition of Israeli sovereignty.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiled a Tel Aviv billboard pairing NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani with Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, Hezbollah’s Naim Qassem, and Turkish President Erdogan, captioned that opponents want Netanyahu to lose and to not let them win. Mamdani has publicly clashed with Netanyahu over Gaza, including threats to arrest him in New York under an ICC warrant (though authorities have since questioned the arrest power of the NYPD); Mamdani has not commented, and Netanyahu has previously used his opposition in campaign messaging.
Israel’s Likud released a Tel Aviv billboard depicting New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani alongside Iran’s leaders and Hezbollah with the slogan 'Don’t let them win,' a move tied to Mamdani’s clashes with Netanyahu over ICC arrest warrants and amid Netanyahu’s push during an election cycle, drawing rebukes from Trump and others.
Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon killed at least 11 people as violence surges despite US-brokered ceasefire deals; Lebanon’s leaders condemn the attacks and negotiations over withdrawal and Hezbollah disarmament continue but remain fragile, with Israel saying it is targeting Hezbollah after attacks on soldiers while civilians bear the cost amid broader Gaza-related tensions.
Eleven people, including three children, were killed and 19 wounded in two Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon (Ansar and Deir al-Zahrani), the deadliest toll since the June ceasefire. The strikes drew condemnation from Lebanon’s prime minister and prompted fears of broader escalation, with Hezbollah vowing retaliation as residents fled the area.
Israel’s IDF released details of a large weapons cache seized from Hamas and Hezbollah at the Tzrifin base, illustrating the breadth and foreign origins of arms used against Israelis. Among the seized items is a Nazi-era MG-34 machine gun bearing a swastika, reportedly kept for propaganda or morale by Iran-backed Hezbollah, along with other gear such as an MP-44/StG-44, AK variants, drones, mortars, canons and rifles from Iran, Russia, China and Lebanon/Gaza. The display underscores Hezbollah and Hamas embedding in civilian areas and Iran’s support network; U.S. officials say disarming Hezbollah remains a goal with talks in Rome scheduled for early September.
Israeli air strikes killed at least 11 people and wounded 19 in southern Lebanon, hitting Ansar and Deir ez-Zahrani in Nabatieh district. Hezbollah warned of retaliation and Lebanese officials condemned the attacks as dangerous; Israel said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in response to actions against its soldiers. The strikes continue amid fragile diplomacy, heightening fears in a region already tense between Israel and Hezbollah.
Iran hit an ADNOC-owned tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, with UAE officials saying there were no injuries, as Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon killed at least nine people and drew Hezbollah’s condemnation; Israel says it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure. The U.S. is reinforcing the region with carrier movements, including USS George Washington set to relieve USS Lincoln, and President Trump floated declaring the Hormuz Strait a U.S. territory, highlighting mounting regional tensions.
Eleven people were killed in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon—seven in Ansar, including three children and two women, and four in Deir al-Zahrani—on what authorities described as one of the deadliest days since a June ceasefire framework. Israel said it targeted Hezbollah infrastructure in retaliation for an earlier attack on its soldiers. Lebanon’s prime minister condemned the strikes and urged an end to escalation; the violence persists amid fragile negotiations slated for September, with Hezbollah not part of the ceasefire agreement and the fighting continuing along the border.
US-brokered talks in Rome floated Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Indonesia as potential contributors to a mechanism that would verify Hezbollah’s disarmament in southern Lebanon, with foreign personnel possibly defining the framework and observing inspections, including potential private-home checks; the plan remains in early discussions with cautious optimism and questions over scope, movement rights, and Lebanese consent.
Negotiators in Rome say Britain, Italy, Switzerland, and Indonesia are potential participants in an international monitoring mechanism to verify Hezbollah's disarmament in southern Lebanon, linked to a June framework tying Israeli withdrawal to Hezbollah's demilitarization. The states could help set the monitoring scope, provide staff, or deploy troops for inspections; final participation rests with Washington. The talks also cover expanding pilot zones and third-party oversight, alongside reconstruction aid, noting Hezbollah is not a party to the agreement and remains unwilling to disarm.
Experts say Hezbollah’s provocations have not derailed the Rome talks between Beirut and Jerusalem, which proceed under a US-brokered framework aimed at de-escalation and Israeli withdrawal; while diplomacy continues, analysts warn that progress hinges on Beirut demonstrating it can curb Hezbollah’s influence and on managing Lebanon’s internal dynamics amid ongoing violence and security concerns.
ISW-CTP’s Iran Update portrays Tehran pursuing proactive moves beyond tit-for-tat strikes, including efforts to secure recognition and control of the Strait of Hormuz (with reports of an Iran-Oman deal likely to toll traffic), while backing clandestine activity in Syria to deter border security and smuggling efforts tied to Hezbollah. The report outlines MLCOA and MDCOA as possible Iranian courses in Syria, notes intensified Syrian border deployments, and highlights Houthi attacks in Yemen and growing Arab-state coordination against Iran. Iraqi militias threaten retaliatory action against Saudi strikes, and Saudi Arabia has formed a multinational maritime coalition to defend Red Sea shipping as regional alignments tighten.
In Rome, the third day of Israel-Lebanon peace talks yielded progress on technical issues and a path to expanding the pilot zone, while the U.S. blocked a broader Israeli strike on Hezbollah after a deadly blast in southern Lebanon killed two IDF reservists; Washington also denied Iranian claims of control or tolls over the Strait of Hormuz. A Gulf-European maritime-security study urged closer cooperation to stabilize shipping amid Iran-related disruptions, with other regional developments including reports of a deadly explosion near Damascus.
CNN reports that since March, the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon has destroyed nearly 18,000 homes, including many owned by Americans and Lebanese-Americans; personal stories—such as Maysa Moghnie’s family compound and Anwar Ghaida’s wedding venue—illustrate extensive losses of homes and livelihoods, with satellite imagery showing systematic demolitions behind the yellow line. The UN and human-rights groups have urged a halt to demolitions, and the Arab American Civil Rights League is pursuing a civil suit to obtain compensation and push US aid divestment; some Americans have evacuated, while others remain to protect property or business.