Israel Will Strike Hezbollah Until Group Disarmed, Vows Army Chief

A picture taken along the Israel-Lebanon border shows rockets being fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel on March 3, 2026. (AFP)
A picture taken along the Israel-Lebanon border shows rockets being fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel on March 3, 2026. (AFP)
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Israel Will Strike Hezbollah Until Group Disarmed, Vows Army Chief

A picture taken along the Israel-Lebanon border shows rockets being fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel on March 3, 2026. (AFP)
A picture taken along the Israel-Lebanon border shows rockets being fired from southern Lebanon towards Israel on March 3, 2026. (AFP)

Israel's military chief on Tuesday said his forces would keep attacking Hezbollah until the Iran-backed Lebanese group was disarmed, as the war in the Middle East raged for a fourth day.

"We are determined to eliminate the threat Hezbollah poses and will not stop until this organization is disarmed," Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir was quoted as saying in a military statement.

The latest round of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel started early Monday when Hezbollah launched rockets towards Israel in retaliation for the killing of Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei in US-Israeli attacks on Saturday.



Israeli Strikes Kill Three People in Gaza, Medics Say

Palestinian casualties are transported by paramedics after arriving from Gaza at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing (File/AFP).
Palestinian casualties are transported by paramedics after arriving from Gaza at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing (File/AFP).
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Israeli Strikes Kill Three People in Gaza, Medics Say

Palestinian casualties are transported by paramedics after arriving from Gaza at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing (File/AFP).
Palestinian casualties are transported by paramedics after arriving from Gaza at the Egyptian side of the Rafah border crossing (File/AFP).

Israeli strikes killed at least three Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, the territory's health officials said.

Medics said an Israeli airstrike had killed a man and wounded two children in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The Israeli military told Reuters they had targeted a Hamas militant.

Later on Tuesday, another Israeli airstrike hit near a tent encampment housing displaced families in western Gaza City, killing one person and wounding five others, medics said, while a third airstrike in Khan Younis killed one person and wounded three others.

Israel has repeatedly carried out strikes in Gaza since a US-mediated ceasefire with Hamas was reached last October, saying it is targeting militants who threaten its forces or who took part in the October 2023 attack on Israel.

Hamas has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire. Nikolay Mladenov, US President Donald Trump's appointed Board of Peace envoy to Gaza, has said both sides have violated the agreement.

Since the ceasefire took effect eight months ago, more than 1,070 Palestinians, many of them civilians, and four Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza, according to figures released by the two sides. Hamas does not disclose the number of its fighters killed.

Israeli troops control more than 60% of Gaza, patrolling what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu describes as a buffer zone to deter Hamas attacks. Netanyahu says Israel will not withdraw from the territory.

Israel's devastating aerial and ground bombardment of Gaza displaced nearly the entire population of 2 million people, most of whom now live in tents or damaged buildings in a narrow coastal strip of territory governed by Hamas.


Syria President Says Relying on French Help to Stop Israeli Escalations

French President Emmanuel Macron and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (AFP)
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Syria President Says Relying on French Help to Stop Israeli Escalations

French President Emmanuel Macron and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (AFP)

Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Tuesday that he is counting on an "active French role" to halt Israeli escalations against his country.

During a joint press conference with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Damascus, Sharaa condemned "systematic Israeli attacks", saying "we are counting on an active French role to stop this escalation and ensure respect for international agreements".

Al-Sharaa also announced an agreement with Macron to install ambassadors, with the French embassy in Damascus closed since 2012 during the country's bloody civil war.

"I am pleased to announce today our agreement to begin the process of exchanging resident ambassadors between Damascus and Paris as soon as possible, signaling the return of diplomatic relations to their normal state," Sharaa said.

For his part, Macron said Syria should not let the blasts that wounded 18 people during his landmark visit to Damascus on Tuesday affect the country's stability.

In a joint press conference with Syrian counterpart Ahmed al-Sharaa, Macron called to "not let ourselves be destabilised" after the attacks, while Sharaa saluted Macron's "courage" for continuing his visit after the bombings.

 

 

 

 


Syria President Says Wants France to Be 'Primary Partner'

France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attend a meeting at the People's Palace in Damascus on July 7, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attend a meeting at the People's Palace in Damascus on July 7, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)
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Syria President Says Wants France to Be 'Primary Partner'

France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attend a meeting at the People's Palace in Damascus on July 7, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Syria's President Ahmed al-Sharaa attend a meeting at the People's Palace in Damascus on July 7, 2026. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)

Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa said Tuesday that he wants France to be a primary partner for Damascus, which he said has regained its role as a transit hub after the Strait of Hormuz closure.

"After the Strait of Hormuz crisis, the world realized the value of safe and stable corridors... here the importance of Syrian geography is highlighted, which today has regained its vital role as an indispensable link in the global corridors market, and we want France to be our primary partner in this path," Sharaa said in an economic forum with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and representatives from both countries.