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Lebanon Says 13 Killed in Israeli Strikes in South

A man sits watching as Lebanese first responders search for human remains amongst the rubble the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
A man sits watching as Lebanese first responders search for human remains amongst the rubble the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
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Lebanon Says 13 Killed in Israeli Strikes in South

A man sits watching as Lebanese first responders search for human remains amongst the rubble the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)
A man sits watching as Lebanese first responders search for human remains amongst the rubble the day after a house was targeted in an Israeli airstrike in the southern Lebanese city of Nabatieh, on May 1, 2026. (AFP)

Lebanon's health ministry said 13 people were killed on Friday in Israeli strikes in the south, including in a town where Israel's army had issued an evacuation order despite a ceasefire.

The strikes in Habboush killed eight people, including a child and two women, and wounded 21 others, the ministry said, raising an earlier toll.

Other strikes in Zrariyeh killed four people, two of them women, and wounded four more, it said.

The ministry also reported a strike in Ain Baal near the coastal city of Tyre killed one person and wounded seven others.

In Habboush, where the Israeli evacuation warning was issued, an AFP photographer saw clouds of smoke rising after the raids.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that Israeli warplanes "launched a series of heavy strikes... less than an hour after" the warning.

Israel's military had said it would act "forcefully" against Hezbollah after the Iran-backed group's "violations of the ceasefire agreement", and told residents to flee to open areas at least one kilometer (0.6 miles) from the town.

The NNA also reported Israeli strikes and artillery fire on other south Lebanon locations, including Tyre.

Israel has kept up deadly strikes on Lebanon despite the April 17 ceasefire that sought to halt more than six weeks of war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The ceasefire text grants Israel the right to act against "planned, imminent or ongoing attacks".

Israeli soldiers are operating inside a "Yellow Line" running some 10 kilometers deep inside Lebanon's border, where they are carrying out wide-scale detonations and demolitions of buildings.

The NNA said Israeli troops carried out detonations in the southern town of Shamaa, and "demolished a monastery and a school" run by a religious order in the town of Yaroun after other detonations of "homes, shops and roads" there.

- 'Fear for their lives' -

Hezbollah claimed a series of attacks on Israeli troops and sites in southern Lebanon on Friday, saying they were in response to Israeli ceasefire violations.

The group drew Lebanon into the Middle East war in March with rocket fire at Israel to avenge the US-Israeli killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei.

Lebanon's health ministry on Friday raised the toll from Israeli strikes since March 2 to more than 2,600 dead, including 103 emergency workers and paramedics.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' under-secretary general for national society development and coordination, Xavier Castellanos, said that when Lebanese Red Cross volunteers go on a mission, "they fear for their lives".

Two Lebanese Red Cross paramedics are among those killed in Israeli strikes.

"That a person that is trying to save lives, is trying to alleviate human suffering, might be targeted, might be killed... this is something that I found absolutely unacceptable," Castellanos told reporters near Beirut.

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Arab World

China Says UN Should Revisit Lebanon Peacekeeping Mission Decision

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) armored vehicle drives at the entrance of the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 30, 2026. (AFP)
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) armored vehicle drives at the entrance of the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 30, 2026. (AFP)
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China Says UN Should Revisit Lebanon Peacekeeping Mission Decision

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) armored vehicle drives at the entrance of the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 30, 2026. (AFP)
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) armored vehicle drives at the entrance of the southern Lebanese coastal city of Tyre on April 30, 2026. (AFP)

China's ambassador to the United Nations said on Friday that there was a need to revisit the UN Security Council's decision to end the mandate of a long-running peacekeeping mission in Lebanon at the end of this year.

The UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), established in 1978, patrols Lebanon's southern border with Israel. Last year, the Security Council unanimously agreed to begin a withdrawal of the mission at the end of 2026.

Envoy Fu Cong said China, which has ‌taken over the presidency ‌of the Security Council for May, ‌was ⁠concerned about the situation ⁠in Lebanon. He said there was no real ceasefire in place, only a "lesser fire."

"It is incumbent on Israel to stop this bombardment of Lebanon," he told reporters.

More than 2,500 people have been killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon since March 2, when armed group Hezbollah fired on Israel in ⁠support of its ally Iran and triggered ‌an Israeli ground and air ‌campaign that has left swathes of southern Lebanon in ruins.

Israel's mission to ‌the United Nations did not immediately respond to a ‌request for comment, but Israel says its military activities in Lebanon are aimed at stopping attacks by Hezbollah.

Responding to a question about the UNIFIL mandate, Fu said: "We do believe we should ‌revisit the decision actually to withdraw the UNIFIL."

Fu said he had spoken recently about the ⁠issue ⁠to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. He said the UN secretariat was thinking about a review and would come up with options in June for the implementation of UN resolution 1701 that ended a round of deadly conflict between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006.

"I think at least the view of the overwhelming majority of the Security Council is that this is not the time to redraw UNIFIL," Fu said.

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix said last month that some form of ongoing UN presence might continue after the UNIFIL mandate ends.

Arab World

US Backing for Al-Zaidi Rattles Baghdad Calculations

Iraq’s prime minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi attends a Coordination Framework meeting in Baghdad on April 27 (AP)
Iraq’s prime minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi attends a Coordination Framework meeting in Baghdad on April 27 (AP)
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US Backing for Al-Zaidi Rattles Baghdad Calculations

Iraq’s prime minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi attends a Coordination Framework meeting in Baghdad on April 27 (AP)
Iraq’s prime minister-designate Ali Al-Zaidi attends a Coordination Framework meeting in Baghdad on April 27 (AP)

The US administration went beyond its embassy’s congratulatory post in Baghdad for Iraq’s prime minister-designate, Ali Al-Zaidi, and a phone call by its envoy to Syria, Tom Barrack. It stepped up its engagement with a call from US President Donald Trump to Al-Zaidi.

Trump did not stop at the call, he then posted on his social media platform, Truth Social, congratulating Ali al-Zaidi and wishing him “success as he works to form a new Government free from terrorism that could deliver a brighter future for Iraq.”

The US president expanded on that vision, saying, “We look forward to a strong, vibrant, and highly productive new relationship between Iraq and the United States,” and calling it “the beginning of a tremendous new chapter between our Nations — Prosperity, Stability, and Success like never seen before.”

He also invited Al-Zaidi to visit Washington after his government wins a confidence vote.

The US stance appeared decisive and influential across several political forces, particularly within the Shi’ite camp.

Some leaders had been waiting for a signal from Trump rejecting Al-Zaidi’s nomination, which would have returned the process to the Coordination Framework, after it seemed to have temporarily slipped from its grasp with the nomination of an economic figure facing questions tied to previous US restrictions on his bank’s dollar transactions.

The US move unsettled armed factions, especially after three of their leaders were designated on terrorism lists, with financial rewards offered for information about them. Among those was a senior figure in the Coordination Framework who disappeared from view during recent meetings, along with leaders of other factions.

At the same time, additional complications emerged over the positions of political forces and figures previously considered for the premiership, amid talk of an undeclared US veto on some names, alongside clear support for Al-Zaidi.

This reshuffled dynamics within the Shi’ite political landscape.

“The last supper”

Alongside what appeared to be strong US backing, albeit conditional on forming a government “free of terrorism,” Al-Zaidi secured broad regional and international support, placing Iraqi political forces before a new equation.

Within the Shi’ite camp, this backing removed any suggestion that Al-Zaidi’s nomination was merely a political maneuver and weakened the chances of returning to the Coordination Framework's alternative names.

Some factions, despite recognizing his experience in economic files, had hoped to politically contain him, a prospect that has become more complicated under international backing.

Kurdish and Sunni forces had been counting on imposing their terms in forming the government, particularly regarding cabinet portfolios. However, US support for Al-Zaidi reshaped the negotiating balance and weakened his rivals’ ability to deal with him under traditional rules of engagement.

Concerns also surfaced within some political circles that Al-Zaidi could emerge as a strong, internationally backed prime minister, potentially reshaping internal balances and reducing the influence of regional actors, foremost among them Iran, which has yet to announce a clear position on his nomination. This silence has raised questions within Shi’ite circles about its implications.

Domestic moves

In a related development, Al-Zaidi received a phone call from Asif Ali Zardari, who congratulated him on being tasked with forming a government.

During the call on Friday, Al-Zaidi extended a formal invitation to Zardari to visit Iraq. The two sides discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen them in both countries’ interests. Al-Zaidi praised Pakistan’s role in easing regional tensions, while the Pakistani president expressed readiness to accept the invitation after the government is formed.

The Coordination Framework nominated Al-Zaidi on April 26 to form the new government, and he is preparing to present his cabinet to parliament within the constitutional deadline.

In parallel, the Coordination Framework plans to establish specialized advisory bodies to support the incoming government.

Aqil al-Rudaini, spokesman for the Victory Alliance, said these bodies would cover vital sectors such as energy, investment and anti-corruption, and aim to provide advice to the prime minister.

Al-Rudaini said the success or failure of the prime minister would be the responsibility of the alliance.

He added that the number of these bodies has yet to be finalized and will be determined after the government is formed, and that they will include experts and advisers across various fields to support government performance.

Arab World

Israelis No Longer See Netanyahu as Best PM Choice

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Jerusalem, April 14, 2026 (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Jerusalem, April 14, 2026 (AP)
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Israelis No Longer See Netanyahu as Best PM Choice

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Jerusalem, April 14, 2026 (AP)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends Holocaust Remembrance Day ceremony in Jerusalem, April 14, 2026 (AP)

A new opinion poll shows that Israelis, for the first time since he became their leader, no longer view Benjamin Netanyahu as the most suitable figure for prime minister, with Naftali Bennett overtaking him.

The results also show Bennett is no longer the only challenger, as former general Gadi Eisenkot now outpaces both.

The findings come from a weekly poll by Maariv, conducted with Lazar Research, headed by Menachem Lazar, and Pane4ll. Respondents were asked the standard question, “Who is the most suitable political figure for the post of prime minister?”

For nearly four years, Netanyahu consistently led his rivals, even when party polling suggested his government could fall.

But in the poll published on Friday, Bennett ranked first for the first time, with 46% saying he is more suitable than Netanyahu, who scored 41%. Eisenkot also surpassed Netanyahu, with 44% compared with 42%.

When Netanyahu was excluded from the comparison, Eisenkot edged ahead, winning 33% to Bennett’s 32%, signaling growing public confidence in him.

The poll also points to a shift in the Knesset balance if elections were held now. A joint list between Bennett and Yair Lapid, announced earlier this week, would emerge as the largest party with 28 seats, ahead of Likud with 26.

A previous poll had shown the two could win 31 seats combined if they ran separately, Bennett 24 and Lapid 7, but the joint list would still be positioned to receive the mandate to form a government.

Opposition figures see the alliance as generating fresh momentum and are pressing Eisenkot to join with his party, “Yashar,” to form a bloc strong enough to defeat Netanyahu.

Eisenkot, however, is not rushing to join a lineup that would place him second to Bennett. With his popularity rising, he is waiting for further polls, and if his support continues to climb, he is expected to seek the top spot on a unified list and run as its candidate for prime minister.

The survey also shows a sharp decline for Netanyahu’s coalition, dropping from 68 seats to 50. Likud accounts for the biggest fall, sliding from 36 to 26 seats. Religious parties drop from 18 to 15, while Bezalel Smotrich’s party, currently holding 8 seats, disappears.

The only right-wing party to gain is that of Itamar Ben-Gvir, rising from 6 to 9 seats.

Jewish opposition parties would secure 60 seats, alongside 10 for Arab parties, leaving them short of forming a stable government unless they abandon their refusal to partner with Arab factions or expand their support further.

Netanyahu, however, is far from finished. He is preparing multiple strategies to counter the opposition, including efforts to reunite Ben-Gvir and Smotrich, form a new right-wing party to recover lost votes, and advance legal and administrative measures that could reduce the influence of Arab parties.

Some accuse him of preparing steps that could manipulate elections or sway outcomes using artificial intelligence.

At the same time, the opposition is reassessing its position to strengthen cohesion and avoid internal rifts. Veteran political commentator Nahum Barnea says Eisenkot is best placed to advance steadily in an election battle in a way that would be difficult for Netanyahu to undermine.

Though a former army chief of staff, Eisenkot is seen as modest, and the deaths of his son and nephew in the recent war have brought him closer to the public. Barnea notes that Eisenkot displays a quote attributed to David Ben-Gurion on his wall: “It is good for our enemies to know that Israel’s security is led by an unbreakable man.”

He projects a positive approach to regional issues. Unlike Bennett, he backs a two-state solution and the Oslo Accords. He has openly criticized the war in Iran and Lebanon, describing both fronts as failures, and his stance toward Arab parties is not marked by racism.

Barnea also recounts that “legendary pilot” Iftach Spector asked Eisenkot why he rejects forming a government with an Arab party, noting Arabs make up 20% of Israel’s population.

Eisenkot replied: “Pay attention to what I said. I said I would form a Zionist and official government. ‘Official’ includes Arabs and ultra-Orthodox Jews. Anyone joining must meet three conditions: Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, the values of the Declaration of Independence, and commitment to service, military or civilian.”