Hezbollah Launches Hudhud 3… Lebanon’s Losses from War with Israel Estimated at $2 Billion

Smoke rises from the town of Tayr Harfa targeted by an Israeli shelling (AFP)
Smoke rises from the town of Tayr Harfa targeted by an Israeli shelling (AFP)
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Hezbollah Launches Hudhud 3… Lebanon’s Losses from War with Israel Estimated at $2 Billion

Smoke rises from the town of Tayr Harfa targeted by an Israeli shelling (AFP)
Smoke rises from the town of Tayr Harfa targeted by an Israeli shelling (AFP)

Hezbollah on Wednesday broadcasted filmed episodes taken by its Hudhud 3 drone that it said showed an Israeli airbase in the north, sending a new threat to Tel Aviv.
A spokesman for the Israeli military said in a statement on X that the video was filmed by a surveillance drone and the base’s operations were not affected.
The video of Israeli air base Ramat David was more than eight minutes long and, Hezbollah said, mostly shot on Tuesday. Ramat David is one of the most important air bases and the only in the North of Israel.
The party also said that the video coincides with the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, where he addressed the Congress, and that it may be the first time that the airspace of a key Israeli air base is violated.
“Hezbollah drone carried out its mission and returned to its bases safely, leaving the Israeli military circles perplexed,” the party’s media said.
Amidst the exchange of threats between Israel and Hezbollah, the Canadian Embassy in Lebanon indicated on Wednesday in a letter addressed to Canadians, permanent residents and their family members in Lebanon, that “the situation in Lebanon is volatile and unpredictable due to the recent and ongoing events in Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.”
It pointed out that “Canadians, permanent residents, their wives and children must depart where commercial flights are available.”
Also on Wednesday, MP Wael Abu Faour shed light on the “massive losses” at the human, health, agricultural and environmental levels due to the Israeli attacks on south Lebanon, noting that these losses have been initially estimated at $2 billion by the concerned Lebanese institutions.
“This is a new challenge for the Lebanese state,” he said following a meeting between the Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs and European ambassadors to Lebanon.
Abu Faour then affirmed that the state cannot abandon its responsibility towards the citizens.
“We need a clear plan and an organized diplomatic and political effort to handle the results of the Israeli attacks as soon as possible,” he underlined.

Ever since the start of the Gaza war last October, Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged daily barrages of rockets, artillery, missile fire and air strikes in a standoff that has just stopped short of full-scale war.
Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.
Israeli strikes have killed nearly 350 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon and more than 100 civilians, including medics, children and journalists, while 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed.
 

 

 



Gaza Ceasefire Deal in 'Closing Stages', Says US Official

Smoke billows over Rafah in the south of Gaza after an Israeli bombardment during its war against Palestinian militant group Hamas © SAID KHATIB / AFP
Smoke billows over Rafah in the south of Gaza after an Israeli bombardment during its war against Palestinian militant group Hamas © SAID KHATIB / AFP
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Gaza Ceasefire Deal in 'Closing Stages', Says US Official

Smoke billows over Rafah in the south of Gaza after an Israeli bombardment during its war against Palestinian militant group Hamas © SAID KHATIB / AFP
Smoke billows over Rafah in the south of Gaza after an Israeli bombardment during its war against Palestinian militant group Hamas © SAID KHATIB / AFP

Negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are in their "closing stages," a US official said Wednesday, ahead of talks between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden will try to close some "final gaps" in his talks with Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday but key elements including the fate of the hostages remain in Hamas's court, the senior administration official said, AFP reported.

"We believe it's in the closing stages and a deal is closeable," the US official said on condition of anonymity in a call previewing Netanyahu's visit.

There would be a "lot of activity in the coming week" towards reaching a long-sought deal, said the official, adding that an agreement was "not only possible, it's essential and necessary."

The US official played down a fiery speech to Congress by Netanyahu on Wednesday in which he pledged "total victory," saying that the talks with Biden would be more focused on the mechanics of a deal.

A possible truce now hinges on a handful of issues about how a deal would come into effect, with Hamas having eased its demand for a full Israeli pull-out, the official said.

"I don't expect the meeting (with Netanyahu) to be a yes or no, it's a kind of like 'how do we close these final gaps?' And there are some things we need from the Israeli side, no question," the official said.

"But there's also some key things that are only in the hands of Hamas because the hostages are in the hands of Hamas."