Hezbollah Reaffirms ‘Gaza-Lebanon Equation’

Elements of UNIFIL forces participated in protecting the activities of the medical day to assist displaced families in the city of Tyre (EPA)
Elements of UNIFIL forces participated in protecting the activities of the medical day to assist displaced families in the city of Tyre (EPA)
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Hezbollah Reaffirms ‘Gaza-Lebanon Equation’

Elements of UNIFIL forces participated in protecting the activities of the medical day to assist displaced families in the city of Tyre (EPA)
Elements of UNIFIL forces participated in protecting the activities of the medical day to assist displaced families in the city of Tyre (EPA)

The Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon has reiterated its stance in the conflict with Israel, connecting the halt of Gaza aggression to ceasing “support operations” in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah underscored that Lebanon will decide on future actions.
During a ceremony honoring a Hezbollah fighter, Hassan Fadlallah, a Hezbollah parliamentary member, said: “The resistance in Gaza determines our steps. Today, we’re on the brink of a major blow to the occupying army, despite sacrifices.”
“In Lebanon, the equation is clear: when Gaza attacks stop, support actions cease. Our front supports pressure on the enemy to defend Lebanon, preventing any thought of violating our land,” added Fadlallah.
Responding to concerns about Hezbollah’s influence in Lebanese politics, Fadlallah asserted Lebanon’s sovereignty in decision-making.
“Post-aggression decisions are Lebanese. They’re decided by Lebanese people and authorities, strengthening Lebanon’s defense and denying the enemy political gains they couldn't achieve militarily,” he affirmed.
Fadlalllah pointed to Israeli army exhaustion as a factor in halting the Gaza conflict.
“The Israeli army is now unable to continue, pressuring political leaders to stop the war,” he claimed.
Criticizing Hezbollah opponents in Lebanon, he said: “Some political voices undermine Lebanon’s strength.”
Field reports noted cautious calm in South Lebanon after limited cross-border clashes between Hezbollah and Israel and night bombings injuring four civilians, including firefighters.



Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank

Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank
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Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank

Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Teen in West Bank

Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian hurling a rock at them in the occupied West Bank, the military said on Friday, and the Palestinian health ministry said the person killed was a 14-year-old boy.

There was no further comment from Palestinian officials about the fatal incident in the village of ⁠Al-Mughayyir. Official Palestinian news agency WAFA said the teen was killed during an Israeli military raid that led to confrontations, Reuters reported.

The Israeli military said its forces were called to the area after ⁠receiving reports that Palestinians were throwing stones at Israelis and blocking a road with burning tires.

The soldiers fired warning shots in an attempt to repel a person who was running at them with a rock, the military said, and then shot and killed him to eliminate the ⁠danger.

Violence has surged over the past year in the West Bank. Attacks by Israeli settlers on Palestinians have risen sharply, while the military has tightened movement restrictions and carried out sweeping raids in several cities.

Palestinians have also carried out attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians, some of them deadly.


Israeli Strikes in South Lebanon Kill Two

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
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Israeli Strikes in South Lebanon Kill Two

Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the village of Sohmor, in southern Lebanon on January 15, 2026. (Photo by Rabih DAHER / AFP)

An Israeli strike on south Lebanon killed one person on Friday, the health ministry in Beirut said a day after raids that Israel said had targeted Hezbollah.

Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon despite a November 2024 ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah, usually saying it is targeting members of the group or its infrastructure.

In a statement, the health ministry said an "Israeli enemy strike" on a vehicle in Mansuri in south Lebanon killed one person.

According to AFP, it also said that a strike on Mayfadun in south Lebanon the previous night killed one person.

Israel said Thursday's attack killed a Hezbollah member it alleged "took part in attempts to reestablish Hezbollah's infrastructure in the Zawtar al-Sharqiyah area.”

The attacks come a week after Lebanon's military said it had completed disarming Hezbollah south of the Litani River, the first phase of a nationwide plan, although Israel has called those efforts insufficient.

On Thursday, Israel carried out several strikes against eastern Lebanon's Bekaa region, north of the Litani, after issuing warnings to evacuate.

United Nations peacekeepers, deployed in the south to separate Lebanon from Israel, said on Friday that an Israeli drone "dropped a grenade" on its troops.

On Monday, the peacekeeping force said an Israeli tank fired near its troops, and warned that such incidents were becoming "disturbingly common".


Syria's Leader Sharaa in Berlin on Tuesday, Says German Presidency

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
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Syria's Leader Sharaa in Berlin on Tuesday, Says German Presidency

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa.

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa will be visiting Berlin next Tuesday and meet his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the German presidency said.

The office of Chancellor Friedrich Merz has yet to announce whether they would also hold talks during the visit, which comes at a time when the German government is seeking to step up repatriations of Syrians to their homeland.