Politics Hezbollah fires dozens of rockets at northern Israel
Despite efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Middle East, the Lebanese Hezbollah militia has again fired several volleys of rockets at northern Israel. A total of 90 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon on Monday, according to the Israeli armed forces. Some were intercepted by the missile defense and others hit uninhabited areas. The air force had attacked and hit a launching pad in Lebanon from which 30 of the missiles had been fired.
Hezbollah claimed five attacks on Israel, including on the area of the port city of Haifa and on the city of Safed in the Galilee. On Sunday, more than 100 rockets were fired at Israel. The Shia militia, which is allied with Iran, has been firing at Israel since the beginning of the Gaza war more than a year ago. Israel responded with massive air strikes, a ground offensive and other actions that decimated the Hezbollah leadership.
More than 3,000 dead since the start of the fighting in Lebanon
According to Israeli figures, 72 people have been killed by shelling from Lebanon in northern Israel since the start of the war, including 42 civilians and 30 soldiers. Meanwhile, more than 3,000 people have been killed in Lebanon, according to the Ministry of Health in Beirut. Among the fatalities are 589 women and at least 185 minors. The Ministry of Health does not differentiate between civilians and members of Hezbollah in its list. The information cannot be independently verified.
Talks on an end to the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah are currently underway under US mediation. Outgoing US President Joe Biden would like to be able to announce a success in the struggle for a ceasefire in the Middle East soon. Israel's enemies must fear that if Donald Trump were to win the US election, they would have to deal with a president who has been very sympathetic to the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the past.
US government calls for more humanitarian aid for Gaza
In view of the catastrophic situation after more than a year of war in the Gaza Strip, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is calling for more humanitarian aid for the civilian population in the largely destroyed coastal area sealed off by Israel. According to the US State Department, Blinken said during a meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Joav Galant that the people need additional food, medicine and everyday necessities. He also emphasized the importance of ending the war in the Gaza Strip, bringing home all hostages kidnapped from Israel and enabling the Palestinian population to rebuild their lives.
Blinken also spoke with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty about the situation in the Middle East. Hamas is still refusing to release even a limited number of hostages in return for a ceasefire and help for the people in the Gaza Strip, Blinken said according to his spokesman.
According to the Israeli newspaper "The Times of Israel", Egypt had recently submitted a proposal for Hamas to release four Israeli hostages in exchange for around 100 Palestinian prisoners. According to the proposal, a longer-term ceasefire was to be negotiated during an initial 48-hour truce. However, no significant progress appeared to have been made in the talks, which have been repeatedly interrupted for months.
Dead and injured after Israeli airstrikes near Damascus
Meanwhile, the Israeli armed forces reportedly bombed targets near the Syrian capital Damascus. The attack was aimed at a Hezbollah intelligence center, which had been further weakened after the killing of the heads of its intelligence service in Lebanon. According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, two members of the militia were killed and five others seriously injured. This information could not initially be independently verified either.
SDA
