Figure Close to Hamas Survives Israeli Strike in Lebanon

Lebanese army soldiers stand around a  wrecked car following a drone strike in the village of Jadra, between Beirut and Sidon, Lebanon, 10 February 2024. EPA/STR
Lebanese army soldiers stand around a wrecked car following a drone strike in the village of Jadra, between Beirut and Sidon, Lebanon, 10 February 2024. EPA/STR
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Figure Close to Hamas Survives Israeli Strike in Lebanon

Lebanese army soldiers stand around a  wrecked car following a drone strike in the village of Jadra, between Beirut and Sidon, Lebanon, 10 February 2024. EPA/STR
Lebanese army soldiers stand around a wrecked car following a drone strike in the village of Jadra, between Beirut and Sidon, Lebanon, 10 February 2024. EPA/STR

An Israeli drone strike hit a car near Lebanon’s southern port city of Sidon on Saturday, killing several people and wounding two others, security officials said.
The drone strike near the coastal town of Jadra took place about 60 kilometers from the Israeli border, making it one of the farthest inside Lebanon since violence erupted along the Lebanon-Israel border on Oct. 8, a day after Hamas' attack in southern Israel.

The strike targeted a Palestinian figure close to Hamas but he survived, four security sources said, according to Reuters.
Three other people were killed, including one Hezbollah member, the security sources also told Reuters.
One source said the person targeted was close to Saleh al-Arouri, the Hamas deputy chief killed last month in an Israeli strike on a suburb of Beirut.

There was no immediate comment from Israel, but the Times of Israel daily reported that the strike targeted Basel Salah, describing him as a recruiter for Hamas in Gaza and the West Bank.
Drone strikes in Lebanon blamed on Israel have so far killed several officials from Hezbollah as well as the Palestinian militant group Hamas. The previous farthest strike was the Jan. 2 attack that killed Arouri in Beirut.

Earlier, Hezbollah said on Saturday it had seized an Israeli Skylark drone over Lebanese airspace "in good condition.”
The Skylark is a small, unmanned aerial vehicle typically used for surveillance and produced by Israel-based weapons manufacturer Elbit Systems.



US Says Hamas Solely to Blame for Resumption of Gaza Hostilities

 Dorothy Shea, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, addresses a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, March 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Dorothy Shea, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, addresses a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, March 18, 2025. (Reuters)
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US Says Hamas Solely to Blame for Resumption of Gaza Hostilities

 Dorothy Shea, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, addresses a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, March 18, 2025. (Reuters)
Dorothy Shea, United States Ambassador to the United Nations, addresses a Security Council meeting at the United Nations headquarters in New York City, US, March 18, 2025. (Reuters)

Responsibility for the resumption of hostilities in Gaza lies solely with Hamas, and the United States supports Israel in its next steps, the acting US ambassador to the United Nations said on Tuesday.

Ambassador Dorothy Shea made the statement to a United Nations Security Council briefing after Palestinian health authorities said Israeli airstrikes pounded Gaza and killed more than 400 people, ending weeks of relative calm after talks to secure a permanent ceasefire stalled.

"The blame for the resumption of hostilities lies solely with Hamas," Shea said, charging that the group had refused every proposal and deadline to extend the ceasefire and allow time to negotiate a framework for a permanent ceasefire.

Shea said US President Donald Trump had made clear that Hamas must release the hostages it is holding immediately or pay a high price.

"We support Israel in its next steps," she said, while rejecting allegations that Israel Defense Forces (IDF) were conducting indiscriminate attacks.

"The IDF is striking Hamas positions," she said. "It is well known that Hamas continues to use civilian infrastructure as launching pads, and the United States condemns this practice as should others."