The IDF confirms that it has carried out warplane strikes against several Hezbollah air defense unit sites in the Beqaa Valley. The attacks come in response to the terrorist group shooting down an Israeli Hermes 450 drone in southern Lebanon this morning.
The attacks occurred near the town of Baalbek in northeastern Lebanon and marked the worst publicly confirmed Israeli attacks in Lebanon in years. Baalbek, an area historically considered a Hezbollah stronghold, is nearly 100 kilometers from the Israeli border. At least two Hezbollah members were killed in the operation
2:32 p.m
The PNA prime minister resigns
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayeh announced his resignation on Monday as the Palestinian Authority seeks to drum up support for a larger role following Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The move comes amid growing U.S. pressure on President Mahmoud Abbas to reorganize the authority as international efforts intensify to end fighting in Gaza and work on a political structure to govern the enclave after the war to start.
Shtayeh's resignation has yet to be accepted by Abbas, who is expected to ask him to remain in office until a permanent successor is named. The Palestinian Authority, created about 30 years ago under the interim Oslo peace accord, has been severely weakened by accusations of inefficiency and corruption, and the prime minister has little real power. But Shtayeh's departure marks a symbolic shift that underscores Abbas' determination to ensure the authority retains its leadership as international pressure grows for a resumption of efforts to create a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
In a statement to the Cabinet, Shtayeh, an economist who took office in 2019, said the next government must take into account the emerging reality in Gaza, which has been devastated by nearly five months of intense fighting.
1:22 p.m
Houthis, communication cables between Europe and Asia damaged
Four undersea communications cables between Saudi Arabia and Djibouti have been cut in recent months, reportedly following attacks by Houthi rebels in Yemen. This was revealed by Israeli news site Globes. The damage to the cables, believed to belong to the Aae-1, Seacom, Eig and Tgn systems, was the cause of a serious disruption in communications between Europe and Asia
1:20 p.m
Red Sea, underwater drones are the Houthis' new weapon
Yemen's Houthis have announced new attacks in the Red Sea using “underwater weapons”. In the last two months, the Yemeni Shiite movement has caused some problems to ships entering and leaving the Red Sea through the use of missiles, but especially cheap drones, largely obtained through the conversion of drones for civilian purposes . Now, despite the harsh response from the US and Britain, which bombed several Shiite rebel positions, the group's leader Abdulmalik Al Houti, announced new attacks, this time submarines. An economical but at the same time effective weapon that could pose enormous new problems for maritime transport. The American Naval Institute intervened against the Houti underwater drones, saying they were Iranian-style unmanned vehicles. Tehran is the most important ally of the Houthis, to whom it has supplied not only weapons but also the technology for its own production of missiles and drones. According to the US report, the Shiite drones are a propeller-driven torpedo that can only hit in one direction
12:48 p.m
IDF confirms airstrikes in eastern Lebanon
The IDF confirms that it has carried out warplane strikes against several Hezbollah air defense unit sites in the Beqaa Valley. The attacks came in response to the terror group's downing of an IDF Hermes 450 drone in southern Lebanon this morning, the IDF said. According to Lebanese media, the attacks occurred near the town of Baalbek in northeastern Lebanon and represented the worst publicly confirmed Israeli attacks in Lebanon in years. Baalbek, an area historically considered a Hezbollah stronghold, is nearly 100 kilometers away from the Israeli border. At least two Hezbollah members were killed in the attacks
12.40 p.m
Israel: “Hezbollah air defense equipment hit in Bekaa”
Israel today attacked “sites of the terrorist organization Hezbollah’s air defense apparatus” in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. This was announced by the military spokesman. “This attack – he explained – was carried out in response to the firing of surface-to-air missiles at a Hermes-450 drone “which fell to the ground today”. “We will continue to defend the State of Israel,” the spokesman concluded – and to operate in the skies of Lebanon against the terrorist organization Hezbollah.”
11:19 a.m
Hezbollah fires rockets at Israeli soldiers in Shtula
A barracks of Israeli soldiers in a settlement in the Upper Galilee was recently hit by Lebanese Hezbollah rockets from southern Lebanon. This was reported by Beirut media, according to which the two rockets fell in the town of Shtula, which is opposite the Lebanese town of Aita Shaab. The same Lebanese media reports that alarm sirens recently sounded throughout the western Upper Galilee, in the communities of Shtula, Even Menahem, Arab Aramshe, Zar'it and Gorern
10:51 a.m
For the first time since the Gaza War, Israeli attacks hit Baalbek, Lebanon
At least two simultaneous Israeli attacks rocked the city about 100 km northeast of the capital Beirut on Monday. Baalbek, deep in Lebanese territory or the eastern Bekaa Valley, stronghold of the Lebanese Hezbollah. This was announced by the Israeli military spokesman. This is the first bombing of eastern Lebanon since regional hostilities broke out following the start of the war in Gaza. The Israeli military said it was “currently attacking Hezbollah terrorist targets deep in Lebanon,” but gave no further details. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah
10:45 a.m
The Lebanese Hezbollah shot down an Israeli drone in the south
Lebanese Hezbollah shot down an Israeli drone in southern Lebanon this morning. Lebanese media reported this, citing Hezbollah sources. According to sources, the Hermes 450 drone belonging to the Israeli company Elbit was shot down over the Lebanese sky by a surface-to-air missile fired by the Lebanese Armed Movement
10:05 a.m
Hamas Ministry of Health: “The number of deaths in Gaza has risen to 29,782 since October 7”
The number of Palestinians killed in the Gaza Strip has risen to 29,782 since Israel's retaliation for the attack on Hamas began on October 7. The Hamas-run Ministry of Health announced this, adding that 70,043 Palestinians had been injured since then
09:21
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Shtayyeh resigns
Mohammad Shtayyeh, Palestinian Prime Minister since 2019, has submitted his resignation to President Abu Mazen. This was reported by Wafa, the official Palestinian agency
(afp) 08:18
Israeli attack on Rafah: 4 dead, including a child
An Israeli military attack hit a house in the north Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, killing four people, including a woman and a child. This was reported by the Palestinian news agency Wafa. Many more were injured in the bombing. Israeli forces continue to bombard the eastern side of Rafah, where many residents have fled
(afp) 08:17
Ministers of Israel and Saudi Arabia meet in Abu Dhabi
The Israeli Minister of Economy Nir Barkat met the Saudi trade minister in Abu Dhabi Majid Al-Abdullah Al-Kassabi. This was reported by Yedioth Ahronoth, after which Barkat told his colleague in Riyadh: “Israel is interested in peace with countries that seek peace. Together we can make history.”
08:06
The soldier who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington dies
He died in hospital from severe burns. Aaron Bushnell, the US Air Force soldier who set himself on fire outside the Israeli embassy in Washington. Bushnell, 25, recorded himself sacrificing himself and calling for “the liberation of Palestine.” The video was shared on social media. “I will no longer participate in genocide. I am about to undertake an extreme act of protest, but compared to what the people of Palestine experienced at the hands of their colonizers, it is not extreme at all. This is what our ruling class has.” “I've decided it will be normal,” Bushnell said before setting himself on fire
Absolutely heartbreaking.
May the memory of 25-year-old Aaron Bushnell be a blessing. May his sacrifice be a call to action for those in a position to do something and a powerful reminder for those who refuse to change course. https://t.co/CQQ2MhxC4W pic.twitter.com/9wGAv5LJQr
— Mai El-Sadany (@maitelsadany) February 26, 2024
02:17
Washington, US soldier sets himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy: “Free Palestine”
In protest against the war, a US Air Force soldier set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington. This was reported by the New York Post, according to which the man in uniform said before lighting the flames that he “no longer wanted to be an accomplice to the genocide in Gaza. This is an extreme act of protest. Liberate Palestine.” The man is hospitalized in critical condition.
00:52
The Israeli army presents a plan to evacuate civilians in combat zones
The Israeli army presents a plan to evacuate civilians from “combat zones” in the Gaza Strip. This was announced by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office. The plan comes ahead of the announced Israeli offensive in Rafah, a crowded city in the southern Palestinian territory that was defined by Netanyahu as the “last stronghold” of the Islamist movement Hamas.