Hezbollah Threatens Israel, Intensifies Attack on US

 London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Ari Rabinovitch
London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Ari Rabinovitch
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Hezbollah Threatens Israel, Intensifies Attack on US

 London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Ari Rabinovitch
London-based Energean’s drill ship begins drilling at the Karish natural gas field offshore Israel in the east Mediterranean May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Ari Rabinovitch

Hezbollah intensified its attack on the United States, accusing it of “working to weaken and blackmail Lebanon to subject it to Israeli conditions.”

The party has also threatened Israel over the border dispute and the oil and gas exploration in the Mediterranean.

With the arrival in June of the Energean vessel to the coast of Haifa to begin gas extraction from the Karish field, Hezbollah officials repeated their threats, saying that the party would not allow Israel to produce gas without Lebanon obtaining its rights to explore energy in its territorial waters. They set September 2022 as a deadline to reach a border settlement mediated by the United States.

Deputy head of Hezbollah’s Executive Council Sheikh Ali Damoush said that the US was seeking to “weaken and blackmail Lebanon to subject it to Israeli conditions,” adding that the party, in return, “was working to impose power equations that Lebanon possesses to achieve its demands and rights.”

“The resistance in Lebanon is no longer just an option for liberation and defense; with the equations it imposes on the enemy, it has become a means to restore wealth and rights and save Lebanon from its economic and living crises,” he stated.

A Lebanese newspaper close to Hezbollah published reports on Friday, saying that the party’s missile capabilities had developed “to reach areas exceeding 450 kilometers.”

It quoted a military leader in the party as saying: “The resistance in Lebanon has capabilities that match its needs, capabilities that do not exist even in Iran.”



Hamas, Two Other Palestinian Groups Say Gaza Ceasefire Deal 'Closer Than Ever'

Palestinians inspect damages in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect damages in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023. (Reuters)
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Hamas, Two Other Palestinian Groups Say Gaza Ceasefire Deal 'Closer Than Ever'

Palestinians inspect damages in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023. (Reuters)
Palestinians inspect damages in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, following a Hamas surprise attack, at Beach refugee camp, in Gaza City, October 9, 2023. (Reuters)

Hamas and two other Palestinian militant groups said on Saturday that a Gaza ceasefire deal with Israel is "closer than ever", provided Israel does not impose new conditions.

"The possibility of reaching an agreement (for a ceasefire and a prisoner exchange deal) is closer than ever, provided the enemy stops imposing new conditions," Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a rare joint statement issued after talks in Cairo on Friday.

Last week, indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States were held in Doha, rekindling hope of an agreement.

A Hamas leader told AFP on Saturday that talks had made "significant and important progress" in recent days.

"Most points related to the ceasefire and prisoner exchange issues have been agreed upon," he said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak publicly on the issue.

"Some unresolved points remain, but they do not hinder the process. The agreement could be finalized before the end of this year, provided it is not disrupted by (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's new conditions."