Israel’s Military Says Special Forces Carried Out Strike in Southern Lebanon 

Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike in the al-Labouneh area near Lebanon's southern border with Israel, on January 14, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza enters its 100th day. (AFP)
Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike in the al-Labouneh area near Lebanon's southern border with Israel, on January 14, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza enters its 100th day. (AFP)
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Israel’s Military Says Special Forces Carried Out Strike in Southern Lebanon 

Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike in the al-Labouneh area near Lebanon's southern border with Israel, on January 14, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza enters its 100th day. (AFP)
Smoke billows following an Israeli air strike in the al-Labouneh area near Lebanon's southern border with Israel, on January 14, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border tensions as the war between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group in Gaza enters its 100th day. (AFP)

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that its special forces had carried out a strike in the area of Ayta al-Shaab in Lebanon.

"IDF special forces struck in order to remove a threat in the area of Ayta al-Shaab in Lebanon," the military said.

It did not say what kind of forces had struck nor where specifically they had operated.

The military also said its aircraft struck an anti-tank missile launcher in southern Lebanon that belonged to the Iranian-backed group Hezbollah.



US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
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US Journalist Missing in Syria Since 2012 Is Believed to Be Alive, Says Aid Group

A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)
A banner for journalist Austin Tice, who disappeared while reporting in Syria in 2012, hangs outside the National Press Club building in Washington, US, May 2, 2023. (Reuters)

American journalist Austin Tice is believed to be still alive, according to the head of an international aid group.

Nizar Zakka, who runs the Hostage Aid Worldwide organization, said there has never been any proof that Tice, who has been missing since 2012, is dead.

He told reporters in Damascus on Tuesday that Tice was alive in January and being held by the authorities of ousted Bashar al-Assad. He added that US President Joe Biden said in August that Tice was alive.

Zakka said Tice was transferred between security agencies over the past 12 years, including in an area where Iranian-backed fighters were operating.

Asked if it was possible Tice had been taken out of the country, Zakka said Assad most likely kept him in Syria as a potential bargaining chip.

Biden said Dec. 8 that his administration believed Tice was alive and was committed to bringing him home, though he also acknowledged that “we have no direct evidence” of his status.