Netanyahu: Israel on Verge of Ending Seven-Front War
Palestinians stand on the edge of a crater after Israeli military strikes in a tent camp for displaced people near Al-Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Netanyahu: Israel on Verge of Ending Seven-Front War
Palestinians stand on the edge of a crater after Israeli military strikes in a tent camp for displaced people near Al-Aqsa Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that Israel is on the verge of ending what he called “the seven-front war” with Iran and its allies and to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all hostages in the Gaza Strip.
In a statement issued during his visit to the Gaza Division, the PM said: “I came to approve the military plans to take over Gaza City to defeat Hamas.”
“At the same time,” he continued, “I have instructed to begin immediate negotiations for the release of all our hostages and an end to the war, on terms acceptable to Israel.”
Also on Thursday, the Israeli military said it began making “initial warning calls” to medical institutions and international organizations in northern Gaza to prepare for the evacuation of all one million Palestinians from Gaza City to the south, as part of a plan to reoccupy the city.
A military statement said the Israeli officers emphasized to the medical officials that adjustments are being made to the hospital infrastructure in the south of the Strip to receive the sick and wounded, alongside necessary medical equipment.
And as Israel escalated its aggression in the West Bank, 21 countries, including Britain and France, rejected Israel’s approval of a major settlement project in the West Bank and described it as “unacceptable and a violation of international law.”
On Wednesday, Israel approved plans for the roughly 12-square-kilometer parcel of land known as E1, just east of Jerusalem.
“We condemn this decision and call for its immediate reversal in the strongest terms,” said the statement of foreign ministers, whose signatories also included Australia, Canada and Italy.
Lebanon Welcomes European Push to Form Int’l Coalition to Succeed UNIFILhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5288950-lebanon-welcomes-european-push-form-int%E2%80%99l-coalition-succeed-unifil
Lebanon Welcomes European Push to Form Int’l Coalition to Succeed UNIFIL
Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. (EPA)
Lebanon welcomed a French-Italian effort to form a multinational coalition that would replace the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) after its mission ends in southern Lebanon.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun said Lebanon looked forward to “any international formula that strengthens the capabilities of its armed forces and safeguards its territorial integrity.”
Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said the United States “has not vetoed” the creation of an international force to succeed UNIFIL, whose mandate expires at the end of this year.
Salam told Asharq Al-Awsat that Washington had not yet taken a position on the idea of forming the force.
He said the United States had no problem with the proposed international force, but “has a problem with international peacekeeping forces, which have become a major financial burden on the international organization and donor states in return for weak results in maintaining international peace, with some turning into forces that preserve the status quo and prolong crises.”
He said Lebanon had told the UN and friendly countries that it still needed an international force in the south because of the sensitivity of the situation.
He said the force would carry out essential tasks Lebanon needs, chiefly monitoring, reporting on developments to international organizations, and serving as a channel of communication with Israel after decades of wars, hostility, and tension.
Salam said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had visited Lebanon earlier this year and later sent a representative to discuss the issue before submitting three proposals to the Security Council to create the new force.
He said the proposals “will, of course, be open to amendment” so they can fit any security arrangements included in an agreement that may be reached by Lebanese-Israeli negotiations.
French President Emmanuel Macron said after talks with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on Thursday: “We want to launch a coalition for the post-UNIFIL arrangement, obviously in coordination with the European Union and the United Nations, to strengthen Lebanon’s sovereignty and that of its armed forces.”
Aoun voiced appreciation for the Italian-French emphasis on the need to avoid “leaving any dangerous vacuum in the post-UNIFIL phase.”
He said Lebanon looked forward to “any international formula that strengthens the capabilities of its armed forces, safeguards its territorial integrity and prevents its land from becoming an arena for escalation or regional disputes.”
UNIFIL’s mandate expires at the end of December under a Security Council resolution adopted in August 2025 under US pressure.
Guterres stressed earlier this month the “necessity” of maintaining a UN military presence in Lebanon after UNIFIL’s mission ends, an option feared likely to face opposition from the United States and Israel.
In a report to the Security Council, Guterres proposed three options, ranging from about 2,000 to more than 5,500 UN troops, to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and support the Lebanese Armed Forces.
France is one of the biggest contributors to the peacekeeping force, which currently includes about 7,500 troops from nearly 50 countries deployed in southern Lebanon near the Blue Line.
The force has been deployed since 1978 in southern Lebanon near the border with Israel, but its presence has not been enough to prevent repeated rounds of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel Prosecutors Charge Six Settlers with ‘Terror Offenses’ After West Bank Attackhttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5288922-israel-prosecutors-charge-six-settlers-%E2%80%98terror-offenses%E2%80%99-after-west-bank-attack
Israeli bulldozers guarded by Israeli soldiers demolish the home belonging to the Palestinian al-Atrash family, citing the lack of a building permit, in the village of Qilqes, a few kilometers from the Israeli settlement of Beit Hagai, just south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on June 23, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Prosecutors Charge Six Settlers with ‘Terror Offenses’ After West Bank Attack
Israeli bulldozers guarded by Israeli soldiers demolish the home belonging to the Palestinian al-Atrash family, citing the lack of a building permit, in the village of Qilqes, a few kilometers from the Israeli settlement of Beit Hagai, just south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on June 23, 2026. (AFP)
Israeli prosecutors filed charges against six people, including for "acts of terrorism", after a settler attack on a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank that included the torching of a mosque, police said Friday.
Palestinians frequently complain that violent acts by settlers in the West Bank often go unpunished.
Indictments have become more commonplace along with the rising frequency of settler attacks, but rights groups say this has not led to greater safety for Palestinians.
"Six indictments were filed for acts of terrorism, arson, sabotage, and violent rioting in the village of Deir Dibwan out of a nationalistic motive," police said in a statement, referring to a village in the central West Bank.
On June 14, Israeli settlers attacked two West Bank villages including Deir Dibwan, with the military saying at the time that security forces had been dispatched to several locations "following reports of arson and violent riots carried out by Israeli civilians".
Police said the investigation revealed that settlers had coordinated to enter the village together, masked and carrying flammable substances, tear gas and a knife.
"Upon entering the village, they carried out a series of terrorist acts, which included setting fire to vegetation, torching vehicles, damaging the local mosque, attacking residents' homes, and throwing stones at vehicles and inhabited houses," the statement read.
The police said the latest move by the Jerusalem District Attorney's Office marked the 51st indictment this year "against individuals involved in extreme violence."
More than 500,000 Israelis live in the West Bank -- excluding annexed east Jerusalem -- in settlements and outposts illegal under international law.
Three million Palestinians also live there.
Israel has occupied the Palestinian territory since 1967 and violence has escalated there since the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.
The number of settler attacks has risen sharply in 2026 to an average of six per day, according to the UN.
Houthi Leader Escalates War Rhetoric Despite Worsening Hardship for Yemenishttps://english.aawsat.com/arab-world/5288881-houthi-leader-escalates-war-rhetoric-despite-worsening-hardship-yemenis
Supporters of the Iranian-backed Houthi movement gather at a mass rally, denouncing what they perceive to be derogatory comments by the US president Donald Trump, held in capital Sanaa on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
Houthi Leader Escalates War Rhetoric Despite Worsening Hardship for Yemenis
Supporters of the Iranian-backed Houthi movement gather at a mass rally, denouncing what they perceive to be derogatory comments by the US president Donald Trump, held in capital Sanaa on June 16, 2026. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
As economic and humanitarian crises deepen across areas under Houthi control, the group's leader, Abdul Malik al-Houthi, used his latest televised address on Thursday to escalate his political and military rhetoric at both the domestic and regional levels.
He threatened confrontation with Israel and the United States, warned of attacks in Somalia, and signaled readiness to intervene alongside Iran in any future regional conflict.
Al-Houthi's remarks coincided with an intensified campaign of internal mobilization and mass recruitment, reflecting the group's continued commitment to escalation despite the deteriorating living conditions of millions of Yemenis.
His speech carried multiple messages, beginning with renewed assertions of what the group describes as its unwavering position toward the United States and Israel, and a pledge to continue coordinating with the so-called "Axis of Resistance."
He also reaffirmed the group's readiness to participate in any future round of escalation, particularly if linked to the Gaza Strip or any other regional front.
Members of Yemen's security forces stand guard as crown of people listen to a speech by Houthi leader Abdul-Malik al-Houthi in Sanaa on June 25, 2026. (Photo by Mohammed HUWAIS / AFP)
The Houthi leader also congratulated Iran on what he described as its "victory" in its recent confrontation with Israel, arguing that the outcome represented a triumph for the entire "Axis of Resistance," in another affirmation of the group's continued alignment with the Tehran-led alliance.
Al-Houthi's speech extended beyond the conflict in Gaza and the confrontation with Israel to the Horn of Africa. He warned of what he described as Israeli efforts to establish a presence in Somaliland, claiming the move was intended to secure control over the Gulf of Aden, the Bab al-Mandab Strait, and the Red Sea.
He threatened that his group would target any potential Israeli presence in the area "by all available means," while calling on Red Sea littoral states to adopt a unified position to prevent such a development, further expanding the group's military rhetoric beyond Yemen's borders.
Vehicles pass under a billboard showing Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi, in Sanaa, Yemen, Tuesday, June 9, 2026. (AP Photo/Osamah Abdulrahman)
Internal Political and Military Mobilization
Alongside the political escalation, the Houthis have intensified mobilization efforts in recent days ahead of Ashura, organizing large-scale events in the Houthi-held capital, Sanaa, and other areas under their control.
Local sources said Houthi supervisors carried out field campaigns in neighborhoods, government institutions, and educational facilities, compelling residents, employees, and students to attend the events. Attendance lists were reportedly compiled and submitted to the organizing authorities.
Residents in Sanaa said many participants attended under direct pressure for fear of questioning or harassment, while the group relied on loudspeakers and extensive propaganda campaigns to maximize turnout.
One resident of Maeen district said neighborhood leaders had received explicit instructions to mobilize as many residents as possible. Government employees also reported being ordered to attend despite having gone unpaid for years.
Residents say the focus on sectarian events and mass mobilization comes at a time when families are struggling daily to secure food, medicine, and other basic necessities amid rising prices and declining purchasing power.
Al-Houthi also called for preserving what he described as the "home front" and urged the continuation of public mobilization programs and military training courses, while praising tribal initiatives and popular activities organized by the group across areas under its control.
Observers say these calls reflect the group's continued investment in military and ideological mobilization through religious occasions with a sectarian character, which have, over the years, become tools for expanding political and military influence and recruiting additional fighters.
They also argue that the latest speech is consistent with the group's approach since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, using regional developments to reinforce its domestic narrative and keep its support base in a constant state of mobilization.
Millions of Yemenis in Houthi-controlled areas face severe hunger (EPA)
Food Emergency
The Houthi escalation comes as international warnings continue over Yemen's worsening humanitarian situation. UN and international reports maintain that the country remains one of the world's worst humanitarian crises, with millions of people in urgent need of food and humanitarian assistance.
In its latest report, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network forecast that severe food insecurity across Houthi-controlled areas will persist through the end of the third quarter of this year.
The governorates of Hodeidah, Hajjah, and parts of Taiz are expected to remain at emergency food insecurity levels, while the rest of the group's territory will continue to face crisis-level conditions.
The report attributed the continuing crisis to a deteriorating business environment, restrictions on economic activity, limited income-generating opportunities, and the ongoing impact of the war, all of which have contributed to expanding poverty and increasing humanitarian needs.
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