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Israel Strikes North of Litani, Eastern Lebanon After Evacuation Warnings

Smoke billows after Israeli warplanes targeted the Rihan Heights in the southern Lebanese district of Jezzine, on January 2, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke billows after Israeli warplanes targeted the Rihan Heights in the southern Lebanese district of Jezzine, on January 2, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Strikes North of Litani, Eastern Lebanon After Evacuation Warnings

Smoke billows after Israeli warplanes targeted the Rihan Heights in the southern Lebanese district of Jezzine, on January 2, 2026. (AFP)
Smoke billows after Israeli warplanes targeted the Rihan Heights in the southern Lebanese district of Jezzine, on January 2, 2026. (AFP)

The Israeli military launched strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, Lebanese state media reported, after warning it would hit what it called Hezbollah and Hamas targets in four villages.

It was the first such warning issued by the Israeli military this year, as Israel continues to strike targets in Lebanon despite a ceasefire with Hezbollah.

An AFP photographer in Kfar Hatta, one of the targeted villages in south Lebanon, saw dozens of families flee the village after the warning was issued, amid drone activity in the area, adding that ambulances and fire trucks were on standby.

The Israeli military said in a statement it "began striking Hezbollah and Hamas terror targets in Lebanon".

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported strikes on the four villages.

In two separate posts on X, the military's Arabic-language spokesman, Colonel Avichay Adraee, said the villages were Kfar Hatta and Annan in south Lebanon, and Al-Manara and Ain al-Tinah in eastern Lebanon.

Adraee said the military would hit Hezbollah sites in Kfar Hatta and Ain al-Tinah, and Hamas sites in Annan and Al-Manara.

The NNA said the home targeted in Al-Manara belonged to Sharhabil Sayed, a Hamas leader in Lebanon who was killed by Israel in 2024.

- Repeated attacks -

Despite a year-old ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, Israel carries out regular strikes on Lebanon, usually saying it is bombing Hezbollah sites and operatives, and occasionally Hamas targets.

Two people were killed in an Israeli strike that targeted a vehicle on Sunday, around 10 kilometers (six miles) from the border, the Lebanese health ministry said.

In November, an Israeli strike on south Lebanon's Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp killed 13 people.

Israel said it targeted a Hamas compound, with the group rejecting the claim.

It has also hit Hamas' ally in Lebanon, the Jamaa Islamiya group, which claimed responsibility for multiple attacks against Israel before the ceasefire.

Under heavy US pressure and fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Beirut has committed to disarming Hezbollah, which was badly weakened after more than a year of hostilities with Israel including two months of open war that ended with the November 2024 ceasefire.

Lebanon's army was expected to complete the disarmament south of the Litani River -- about 30 kilometers from the border with Israel -- by the end of 2025, before tackling the rest of the country.

All four of Monday's targeted villages are located north of the river.

Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar on Sunday called the disarmament efforts far from sufficient.

Lebanon's cabinet is to meet on Thursday to discuss the army's progress, while the ceasefire monitoring committee -- comprising Lebanon, Israel, the United States, France and UN peacekeepers -- is also set to meet this week.

At least 350 people have been killed by Israeli fire in Lebanon since the ceasefire, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry reports.

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Arab World

Syria, Israel to Set Up Joint Cell Under US on De-Escalation

Syrian soldiers make their way through the snow in the country's mountainous Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon, during a patrol to secure the frontier and prevent smuggling operations on January 1, 2026. (AFP)
Syrian soldiers make their way through the snow in the country's mountainous Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon, during a patrol to secure the frontier and prevent smuggling operations on January 1, 2026. (AFP)
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Syria, Israel to Set Up Joint Cell Under US on De-Escalation

Syrian soldiers make their way through the snow in the country's mountainous Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon, during a patrol to secure the frontier and prevent smuggling operations on January 1, 2026. (AFP)
Syrian soldiers make their way through the snow in the country's mountainous Qalamoun region, near the border with Lebanon, during a patrol to secure the frontier and prevent smuggling operations on January 1, 2026. (AFP)

Syria's new government and Israel will set up a joint group under US supervision to share intelligence and seek military de-escalation on the ground, they announced Tuesday after talks.

The Syrian foreign minister traveled to Paris in his country's first known meeting in months with Israel, which has pounded its historic adversary despite US unease over the pressure on the fragile government.

A joint statement issued by the US State Department after the talks in the French capital said that Syria and Israel were committed to "achieving lasting security and stability arrangements for both countries."

"Both sides have decided to establish a joint fusion mechanism -- a dedicated communication cell -- to facilitate immediate and ongoing coordination on their intelligence sharing, military de-escalation, diplomatic engagement and commercial opportunities under the supervision of the United States," the statement said.

"This mechanism will serve as a platform to address any disputes promptly and work to prevent misunderstandings."

The statement did not say Israel would refrain from further strikes or restore an agreement that was previously in place.

Israeli strikes

Israel has no diplomatic relations with Syria, which during the half-century of rule by the Assad family publicly championed the Palestinian cause and was the Arab world's key ally of Iran's clerical state, Israel's arch-enemy.

Bashar al-Assad was ousted in a lightning offensive in December 2024 by Ahmed al-Sharaa after more than a decade of brutal civil war.

President Donald Trump has met and praised Sharaa, now the interim president, brushing aside Israeli skepticism.

The talks in Paris were mediated by Tom Barrack, ambassador to Türkiye and an outspoken advocate of supporting Sharaa.

The United States recently fully removed remaining sanctions on Syria, hoping to give the country a chance to integrate into the global economy.

Since Assad's fall, Israel sent troops into a UN-patrolled buffer zone that had separated Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights, which Israel captured in the 1967 Six-Day War.

Israel, saying there was a power vacuum, also unilaterally declared void a 1974 disengagement agreement with Syria that had kept in effect a ceasefire.

Sharaa has sought to restore the agreement and avoid wider conflict with Israel, but he has also opposed Israel's insistence on maintaining a demilitarized zone in southern Syria.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office called for economic cooperation with Syria and "regional stability and security."

"It was agreed to continue the dialogue to advance shared objectives and safeguard the security of the Druze minority in Syria," it said.

Israel has cited violence against the Druze, who also have a presence inside Israel, as a reason to intervene in Syria.

Israel in July launched massive air strikes, including hitting the defense ministry in Damascus, leading some analysts to believe it was hoping to degrade military capacities of Syria while it was at a weak point.

Arab World

Egypt Stresses Full Support for Somalia's Unity, Sovereignty

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recent announcement recognizing the breakaway Somaliland region, during a gathering calling for Somalia's territorial unity at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu on December 30, 2025. (AFP)
Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recent announcement recognizing the breakaway Somaliland region, during a gathering calling for Somalia's territorial unity at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu on December 30, 2025. (AFP)
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Egypt Stresses Full Support for Somalia's Unity, Sovereignty

Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recent announcement recognizing the breakaway Somaliland region, during a gathering calling for Somalia's territorial unity at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu on December 30, 2025. (AFP)
Residents wave Somali flags as they attend a rally denouncing Israel's recent announcement recognizing the breakaway Somaliland region, during a gathering calling for Somalia's territorial unity at Mogadishu Stadium in Mogadishu on December 30, 2025. (AFP)

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty underscored on Tuesday Cairo's full support for the unity, sovereignty, and inviolability of Somali territory, describing it as a fundamental pillar for the stability of the Horn of Africa and the Red Sea region.

He stressed Egypt's rejection of any unilateral measures or attempts to impose parallel entities or create a new political reality outside internationally recognized legal frameworks.

He made his remarks during his participation in the session of the African Peace and Security Council (PSC), held virtually at Egypt’s request, in support of the unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Somalia.

Abdelatty said that Israel's unilateral and unlawful recognition of what is termed the "Somaliland region" is a flagrant violation of Somalia's sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity.

It undermines the principles of international law, the United Nations (UN) Charter, and the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU), he declared. Moreover, it sets a dangerous precedent threatening regional and international peace and security.

This demands a unified stance in support of Somalia and concerted efforts to achieve security and stability in Somalia and the Horn of Africa region, urged Abdelatty.

He called on the African PSC to adopt a strong and unified position condemning the recognition of so-called "Somaliland" and urged all AU member states to categorically reject any measures arising from the Israeli recognition.

He also underlined the need for full and unconditional support for the sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity of Somalia.

Arab World

Yemen's PLC Holds Emergency Meeting, Approves Measures to Protect Civilians, Facilities in Aden

This photo taken on January 4, 2026 shows Yemeni forces deployed in the city of Mukalla. (AFP)
This photo taken on January 4, 2026 shows Yemeni forces deployed in the city of Mukalla. (AFP)
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Yemen's PLC Holds Emergency Meeting, Approves Measures to Protect Civilians, Facilities in Aden

This photo taken on January 4, 2026 shows Yemeni forces deployed in the city of Mukalla. (AFP)
This photo taken on January 4, 2026 shows Yemeni forces deployed in the city of Mukalla. (AFP)

The Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, chaired by President Dr. Rashad Al-Alimi, held an emergency meeting on Wednesday to review the latest security and military developments in the southern governorates,

The meeting was attended by members Sultan Al-Aradah, Tariq Saleh, Abdulrahman Al-Mahrami, Dr. Abdullah Al-Alimi, and Othman Majali.

According to the Yemeni News Agency (SABA), the meeting reviewed the developments following a statement from the Joint Forces Command of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen, which highlighted a serious escalation by some rebel leaders and their obstruction of de-escalation efforts.

The council was briefed on the consequences of one member’s failure to respond to an invitation from Saudi Arabia, as well as unilateral actions and movements that clearly deviated from the agreed framework for the transitional phase, undermining efforts to protect civilians and prevent the spread of violence.

In response, the council decided to expel Aidrous Al-Zubaidi from his position and refer him to the Attorney General on charges of high treason, harming the political and economic standing of Yemen, obstructing state efforts to confront the Houthi coup, and inciting internal strife.

The meeting also approved the dismissal of Minister of Transport Abdulsalam Hamid and Minister of Planning and International Cooperation Waed Badhib, referring both for investigation.

It further ordered the pursuit and arrest of individuals involved in distributing weapons and threatening civil peace, ensuring they face justice. The council emphasized that the state will act firmly against all violations to uphold the rule of law and protect public rights and freedoms.

The PLC reaffirmed that unity in military and security decision-making and respect for the chain of command are inviolable principles, stressing that any serious breach of these duties will be met with accountability under the constitution and the law.

Accordingly, the council approved a series of urgent measures, including instructing the relevant authorities to take all necessary steps to protect civilians and public facilities in the interim capital, Aden, and the liberated governorates, unify command and control over all military and security formations, and prevent any movements or mobilizations outside the framework of the state.

The council expressed its gratitude for Saudi Arabia's efforts and the leadership of the Coalition to Restore Legitimacy in Yemen in de-escalating tensions, protecting civilians, maintaining security and stability, and preventing a return to internal conflict. It underscored the state’s commitment to implementing its sovereign decisions and upholding its legal authority.

The council commended the national stance of the people of Aden and the liberated governorates in defending the republican system and legitimate state institutions during this critical stage. It renewed its call for citizens to cooperate with security and military agencies fully and report any actions or movements that could disrupt security or endanger civilian lives.