The Israeli military said it was "currently striking Hezbollah terror targets deep inside Lebanon" but provided no further details. There was no immediate comment from the heavily armed, Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
The month of Ramadan, usually a period teeming with shoppers, will not be the same because of the ongoing war. Saleh Mitwali, owner of a clothing store in the Muslim Quarter says, "All the merchants here in the city usually wait for Ramadan all year."
Proponents of Hamas will claim that Israel “started up” first and thus, contrary to popular and not so popular belief in some quarters (Europe, South Africa, the United Nations, Harvard University) the only civilized country in the Middle East was really the offensive party.
About 80% of the abducted families' women reported a deterioration in their health condition, with 62% describing it as moderate or bad. This percentage is four times higher during the war compared to before the war (15%).
Negotiators face an unofficial deadline of the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan around March 10, a period that often sees heightened Israeli-Palestinian tensions.
