Raids continue on both sides of the border between Israel and Lebanon. Hezbollah, an ally of Iran and Hamas, announced Thursday April 18 the death of two of its fighters killed in Israeli strikes. According to rescuers, they were killed by a drone attack on Kfar Kila, a village in southern Lebanon. The Lebanese National News Agency says Israel launched more than 100 artillery shells and phosphorus bombs against southern border towns overnight, including Kfar Kila. The Israeli army is intensifying its raids in southern Lebanon, after an attack by the pro-Iranian party which injured 14 soldiers on Wednesday, according to the IDF. Follow our live stream.
Hunger increasingly threatens the Gaza Strip. This is the observation of the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, who called on Wednesday to preserve his organization. Attacked by Israel over possible links between its employees and the terrorist attack of October 7, 2023, UNRWA has suffered funding shortfalls since the start of the year. “Dismantling UNRWA will have lasting repercussions”warned his boss, arguing that in the short term, “This will worsen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.”
Israel is holding back its response to Iran. The Hebrew State “reserves the right to protect itself” against Iran, supports its Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, whose government would have considered rapid retaliatory strikes against Tehran after the weekend attack. Israeli authorities repeat that the Iranian attack, with more than 350 drones and missiles launched towards Israel, will not remain “unpunished”. The United States, Israel’s historic ally, has made it known that it will not support a military response.
Negotiations over Gaza at an impasse. Talks aimed at ending hostilities in the Gaza Strip and freeing Israeli hostages “trample”noted the Prime Minister of Qatar on Wednesday. “We are going through a sensitive phase”, recognized Mohammed ben Abdelrahmane al-Thani, during a press conference. On Wednesday evening, Qatar finally declared “carry out a global reassessment” of his role as a leading mediator in the negotiations for a break in the fighting.