During a cabinet meeting, the IDF chief of staff presented a plan to expand the campaign and ground maneuver, which was backed by most ministers. The prime minister voiced reservations, and the US later announced a ceasefire.
Iran claims respone by attacking US Fifth Fleet headquarters and an American air base. US military says two Iranian missiles fired at Kuwait fell short or broke apart en route, while three missiles launched at Bahrain were intercepted
Trump says he spoke with Netanyahu and Hezbollah through representatives to prevent an Israeli move into Beirut and halt cross-border fire, after Iran warned that renewed strikes in Lebanon could collapse the ceasefire.
A European diplomatic source warned that expanding strikes to Beirut could undermine Lebanese public support for the fight against Hezbollah and derail negotiations for an agreement. According to the source, the real solution to the threat posed by the terrorist organization lies in cutting it off from banks in Turkey and carrying out coordinated regional action.
The main operation is focused on gaining control of the Beaufort ridge and the Wadi Saluki area, which in recent years were considered major Hezbollah activity hubs. The IDF claims terrorist infrastructure was built in the area under Iranian guidance, from which operations against Israel were directed and various attack plans were prepared.
As relentless Hezbollah fire targets northern communities in Israel, calls for tougher action in Lebanon continue. Former prime minister Naftali Bennett attacks the government, National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir demands “flattening Dahiyeh,” and former IDF chief Gadi Eisenkot blames the lack of a decisive response.
The target was a senior Hezbollah missile array official. Earlier, the Israeli Air Force also attacked targets in the Tyre area.
Hamas confirmed Mohammed Odeh’s death after he had taken up the post only about a week and a half earlier. Six people were killed in the strike in an upscale Gaza neighborhood, including his wife, sons and daughter.
11 days after his predecessor, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, was eliminated by the Israeli Air Force, his successor, Mohammed Odeh, has also been eliminated. Before succeeding al-Haddad, Odeh headed the military intelligence headquarters in Gaza, which was responsible for gathering information on IDF bases in the western Negev.
Despite the isolated incident, at this stage it is impossible to know whether the cluster munition, combined with the nets IDF soldiers are deploying over fortified positions and sites, will eliminate the emerging threat they face in southern Lebanon, or at least reduce it.
