Hizbollah fired dozens of rockets at northern Israel. In response, the Israeli military struck Hizbollah targets in southern and north-eastern Lebanon. The IDF also targeted what was described as “two Syrian Army sites in southern Syria”, while asserting that it held “the Syrian regime accountable for all activities which take place within its territory and will not allow for any attempted actions which could lead to the entrenchment of Hizbollah on the Syrian front”. Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities.

Hizbollah and Israel continued to exchange cross border fire; Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities, including three of its members.

Hizbollah and Israel continued to exchange cross border fire; Hizbollah confirmed several fatalities.

The Israeli military downed a drone flying from Syria into Israeli airspace. The same day, Israel and Hizbollah repeatedly exchanged cross-border fire, while Israel’s defence minister told a senior U.S. diplomat: “We are committed to the diplomatic process. However, Hizbollah’s aggression is bringing us closer to a critical point in the decision-making regarding our military activities in Lebanon”.

The Israeli military reported striking several Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including what it described as “a vehicle in which a number of terrorists who launched rockets into Israeli territory were driving”. Hizbollah confirmed several fatalities.

After Hizbollah downed an Israeli drone, the Israeli army announced striking Hizbollah targets in eastern and southern Lebanon; Lebanese sources reported multiple casualties. In response, Hizbollah launched several dozen rockets towards the Golan Heights.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that “in the event of a temporary truce in Gaza, we will increase the fire in the north, and will continue until the full withdrawal of Hizbollah [from the border] and the return of the residents to their homes… The goal is simple – to push Hizbollah back to where it should be. Either by an agreement or by force”.

Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote to the UN Security Council that “over the past months, while Israel is engaged in an ongoing armed conflict on numerous fronts, Iran is accelerating the pace of its weapons transfers to Hizbollah… Iran is doing so by ground, using the porous Syrian-Lebanese border, as well as by air and sea”. He later warned: “Iran is the head of the snake. We will not be patient much longer for a diplomatic solution in the north. If the dramatic intelligence information we revealed to the Security Council does not bring about change - we will not hesitate to act”.

Syrian state media reported an Israeli air strike in Damascus, citing an unnamed military source who said it killed two civilians and injured one. The same day, the Israeli military struck Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon. There were reportedly two civilian fatalities, for which Hizbollah responded by firing at what it said were military and civilian sites in Israel.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that “the enemy will pay the price of spilling their blood in blood” after ten Lebanese civilians were killed in a series of Israeli strikes. He also argued that “Israeli funds, weapons, missiles and artillery shells currently originate from Washington. If the U.S. halts the air bridge to Israel, the aggression against Gaza will cease… The American administration bears responsibility for every drop of blood shed in the region”. The same day, Israeli Foreign Minister Katz maintained that “if a diplomatic solution [for tensions in the north] is not found, Israel will be forced to act in order to remove Hizbollah from the border and return our residents to their homes… In such a case, Lebanon will also pay a heavy price”. “Lebanon will be destroyed if we attacked”, Katz told an international conference. “Pressure Hizbollah and Iran”.

Hizbollah rocket fire into northern Israel killed one soldier and wounded several others; the IDF conducted “an extensive wave of attacks” against Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Lebanese sources reported several civilian and Hizbollah casualties. Meanwhile, the IDF chief of staff affirmed that “we are not finishing this without returning the residents to… all the communities in the north, with a very high level of security”, adding: “We are now focused on being ready for war in the north. If it does not end in war, it will not end with any compromise to the achievements”.

Hizbollah rocket fire into northern Israel injured two civilians; the IDF reported conducting airstrikes and shelling against Hizbollah positions. Meanwhile, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asserted: “When the attack on Gaza stops and there is a ceasefire, the fire will also stop in the south... If they [Israel] broaden the confrontation, we will do the same”.

During a visit to Beirut, Iran’s foreign minister contended that “Hizbollah and the resistance in Lebanon have courageously and wisely carried out their deterring and effective role”, adding that Iran would maintain “its strong support to the resistance in Lebanon, as we consider Lebanon’s security as the security of Iran and the region”.

Media reports indicated that a senior Hizbollah commander was targeted in an Israeli drone strike.  Hizbollah subsequently launched dozens of rockets, and the following day the Israeli military reported “dozens of launches from Lebanon toward northern Israel… successfully intercepted”. The IDF further targeted “one of the launchers, a Hizbollah terrorist compound and several locations in Lebanese territory”.

An Israeli military spokesperson affirmed that “we will continue to act wherever Hizbollah is present, we will continue to act wherever it is required in the Middle East. What is true for Lebanon is true for Syria, and is true for other more distant places”. He further reported that since 7 October the IDF had struck over 3,400 Hizbollah targets in Lebanon and over 50 in Syria. The following day, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hizbollah that “we have not yet begun to activate all our units and all our special abilities. We have many elements ready… The clear-cut instruction I gave the Air Force is to point the noses of our aircraft northward”.

The U.S. designated “three entities and one individual located in Lebanon and Turkey for providing critical financial support to an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and Hizbollah financial network”. According to the Treasury Department, “these entities have generated hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of revenue from selling Iranian commodities, including to the Syrian government. These commodity sales provide a key source of funding for the IRGC-QF and Hizbollah’s continued terrorist activities and support to other terrorist organisations throughout the region”.

The Israeli military struck Hizbollah military infrastructure and sources of multiple rocket launches from Lebanon into Israel.

Hizbollah reported striking three military targets in northern Israel, while the Israeli military targeted Hizbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. The IDF also shelled the source of rockets launched from Syria into Israel, in addition to hitting Syrian military locations.

Hizbollah reported striking several Israeli targets near the border; two Israeli soldiers were wounded. The Israeli military targeted the sources of the launches and Hizbollah infrastructure. Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities.

Hizbollah reported striking multiple military targets in northern Israel, while the Israeli military struck Hizbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, including a command center, in addition to intercepting two “suspicious aerial targets” in the north; Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities.

Hizbollah reported conducting strikes against military targets in northern Israel, while the IDF hit Hizbollah infrastructure.

Hizbollah reported striking military targets in northern Israel, while the IDF hit Hizbollah infrastructure. Hizbollah reported four fatalities.

Hizbollah reported conducting drone and missile strikes against targets in northern Israel, while the Israeli military struck Hizbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

Hizbollah reported striking several Israeli targets near the border, while the Israeli military conducted air and artillery strikes against Hizbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported that “on the northern border, throughout the day, several launches were identified toward Israel. Some of the launches were intercepted, with one rocket hitting an Air Force base, damaging infrastructure that was repaired within a few hours. There were no casualties”. “Air Force fighter jets”, he added, “struck terror targets in Lebanese territory and destroyed a significant military asset used by the Hizbollah terrorist organisation which was also operated by Iranian forces”. The same day, a White House spokesperson remarked that “we still don’t believe that it’s in the interest of the Israeli people, certainly not in the interest of regional security, for another front to be opened up… There has been rocket fire exchanged on both sides. We want to see those tensions de-escalate. But we have not seen [Hizbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah give the orders that, you know, they’re going to go all in to help Hamas”.

The U.S. sanctioned “Iraqi airline Fly Baghdad and its CEO for providing assistance to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF) and its proxy groups in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon”, in addition to listing “two Iraq-registered aircraft owned by Fly Baghdad… as blocked property”. The U.S. also designated “three leaders and supporters of one of the IRGC-QF’s main Iran-aligned militias in Iraq, Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH), as well as a business that moves and launders funds for KH”. The State Department contended that “the IRGC-QF and Iran-aligned militia groups pose a significant threat to the Middle East region… The U.S. remains committed to exposing and taking actions against individuals and groups that abuse their local economies and engage in illegal activities that support terrorist groups destabilising the region”.

Hizbollah reported striking several Israeli targets near the border, while the Israeli military conducted multiple strikes in southern Lebanon, including against Hizbollah infrastructure. Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities. The same day, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that “a war in the north will be challenging for Israel, but devastating for Hizbollah and Lebanon. Israel will not cease fire until it can guarantee the safe return of the [evacuated] northern communities to their homes following a change in the security situation along the border”.

The Israeli military conducted several strikes against Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Lebanese sources reported that a Hizbollah member and a civilian were killed in an alleged Israeli strike in southern Lebanon.

Hizbollah reported striking military targets in northern Israel. The Israeli military conducted airstrikes against Hizbollah targets including military infrastructure. Hizbollah confirmed at least one fatality.

Hizbollah reported striking what it described as three separate Israeli military locations with rockets, while the Israeli military confirmed conducting air and artillery strikes against Hizbollah targets and downing a drone that had entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.

The Israeli military reported targeting several Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including military infrastructure and the origins of rocket and missile launches at northern Israel, while three rockets were reportedly launched from Syria into the Golan Heights, in response to which the Israeli military fired artillery. Defence minister Yoav Gallant assessed that “as long as fighting continues in the south, there will be fighting in the north. But we will not accept this reality for an extended period. There will come a moment when if we do not reach a diplomatic agreement in which Hizbollah respects the right of the residents to live here in security, we will have to ensure that security by force”.

Hizbollah claimed responsibility for targeting multiple Israeli targets near the border. An Israeli military spokesperson reported striking “a series of Hizbollah targets”, including Hizbollah as well as Hamas cells that had fired from southern Lebanon at northern Israel. Hizbollah confirmed one fatality. The spokesperson asserted: “Hamas continues to carry out terror from Lebanese territory. The Hizbollah organisation is providing shelter for Hamas in Lebanon, thereby endangering the residents of Lebanon and especially the residents of southern Lebanon”.

The Israeli military reported launching air and artillery strikes against Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including infrastructure and sites used for firing rockets and missiles into northern Israel.

The Israeli military struck multiple targets inside Lebanon, including the sources of a number of launches from Lebanon into northern Israel.

Hizbollah reported striking several Israeli targets, while an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed hitting “Hizbollah military targets in Lebanon”. “We continue to damage the organisation’s capabilities and extract an increasingly heavy price”, he stated, and in noting two civilian fatalities from missile fire, asserted: “We will not allow harm to civilians; the price for this will not only be extracted tonight but also in the future”.

The Israeli military struck the origin sites of several launches from Lebanon into northern Israel, in addition to Hizbollah infrastructure.

Hizbollah reported striking several Israeli sites near the border, while an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed hitting “Hizbollah military infrastructure in Lebanese territory and… the shooting sources from which rockets were fired into Israeli territory”. “We continue to erode Hizbollah’s capabilities, the capabilities Hizbollah has built along our border”, he added. “Our role is to create a security situation that will bring security to the residents of the north”. Hizbollah said there were two civilian fatalities.

An IDF spokesperson reported striking “Hizbollah terrorist infrastructure throughout southern Lebanon… [and] a terrorist cell”. “Throughout the day”, he added, “several launches towards Israeli territory were identified, and IDF forces responded with fire to every launch and to every shooting into our territory. During the night, we eliminated, from the air, a terrorist near the border… who was involved in advancing several terrorist attacks”. Hizbollah confirmed a fatality.

The Israeli military confirmed killing an individual described as “Hizbollah’s commander of southern Lebanon aerial unit, Ali Husin Berji ‘Abu Maadi’, using an IAF aircraft. Ali led dozens of attacks using UAVs against Israel”. A spokesperson further reported that “throughout the day, several launches were carried out from Lebanese territory, two UAVs hit the northern command base. There were no casualties and minor damage was caused… Ali also carried out this attack - and he was eliminated three hours afterwards, along with other operatives who were with him”. He also noted: “Today we eliminated a terrorist squad that was attempting to launch UAVs towards the State of Israel, three terrorists were killed in this strike and their weapons were destroyed”. Hizbollah maintained that “the brother who is in charge of [the] drone unit… has never been subjected to any assassination attempt”, but confirmed several other fatalities.

Hizbollah confirmed the killing of a senior commander in a suspected Israeli strike in southern Lebanon. The same day, Israel revealed that it had killed a Hamas official in Syria, while warning: “We will not allow terror from Syrian territory, and it is responsible for any action that emanates its territory”. Hizbollah reported striking several Israeli targets near the border throughout the day, while the Israeli military said it hit “a series of Hizbollah targets across southern Lebanon, including military sites belonging to the organisation. We responded with fire to areas from which launches were identified toward Israeli territory”. At the norther border, Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that “we will do everything to restore security to the north and allow [residents] to return home in safety… We prefer that this be done without a wide-ranging campaign, but that will not stop us. We have given it an example of what is happening to its friends in the south; this is what will happen here in the north. We will do everything to restore security”.

Hizbollah reported conducting “a series of targeted strikes on Israeli sites”, while an Israeli military spokesperson confirmed IDF “strikes throughout the day, significantly damaging Radwan forces”, adding: “Our focus on Hizbollah’s Radwan forces in southern Lebanon is driving them away from the border. We are determined to continue creating a different security reality in the north, one that ensures safety for the residents”. The same day, a member of Israel’s war cabinet asserted that “the reality where the citizens of northern Israel cannot return to their homes requires an urgent solution. The world must remember that it was the terrorist organisation Hizbollah that initiated the escalation. Israel is interested in a diplomatic solution, but if one cannot be found, Israel and the IDF will remove the threat”.

Ahead of a trip to the Middle East, Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted that “a big part of the conversations we’ll be having over the coming days with all of our allies and partners is looking at the steps that they can take, using the influence and ties that they have… to make sure that this conflict doesn’t spread”. He further emphasised that “it’s very important that Israelis have security in the north. Tens of thousands of people have been forced from their homes in northern Israel because of the threat posed by Hizbollah. We are looking at ways diplomatically to try to defuse that challenge, that tension, so that people can return to their homes, that they can live in peace and security”.

Hizbollah reported firing dozens of rockets at military bases in northern Israel as “an initial response” to the 2 January killing of a senior Hamas leader near Beirut; the Israeli military reported that “the Northern Air Control Unit on Mount Meron was damaged… The unit is still operating and has been reinforced with additional systems”. Throughout the day, the IDF “eliminated the terrorist cells that carried out the shooting and struck a series of targets including significant military compounds of the organisation”; Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported that IDF fighter jets targeted “Hizbollah terrorist infrastructure”, adding: “Several rockets were fired into Israeli territory. The rockets were either intercepted or fell in open areas”. The same day, Prime Minister Netanyahu told a senior U.S. official that “Israel is committed to bringing about a fundamental change on its border with Lebanon, so that the residents of the north will return to their homes and live in safety and with security… We will not stop until this goal has been achieved, whether diplomatically, which Israel prefers, or in some other way”.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported striking Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon, adding: “Our forces are responding to anti-tank missile launches and rocket fire that crossed into our territory with artillery fire”. Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that “Hizbollah is engaging in tuned battle with the Israeli enemy, but limits will disappear if Israel wages an all-out war on Lebanon… War with Hizbollah will be very costly. Hizbollah is now taking the Lebanese interests and conditions into consideration, but the same interests will be crossing all limits if an all-out war is launched on Lebanon”. He further attributed the 2 January killing of a senior Hamas leader near Beirut to Israel and pledged: “This crime will not go unanswered”.

Hizbollah reported targeting several sites in northern Israel. An Israeli military spokesperson announced that the IDF had struck Hizbollah infrastructure, in addition to “a launching cell”; Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities.

Hizbollah claimed responsibility for attacking multiple targets in northern Israel. The Israeli military reported striking Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon; Hizbollah confirmed several fatalities.

Lebanese officials reported that an Israeli strikes had killed a senior Hamas official and five others in a Beirut suburb. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister characterised the attack as “a new Israeli crime aimed at inevitably dragging Lebanon into a new phase of confrontation”, while Hizbollah pledged retaliation. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson also condemned the strike. An Israeli spokesperson indicated that “whoever did this, it’s not an attack on the Lebanese state. It’s not an attack on the Hizbollah terrorist organisation. Whoever did this, it’s an attack on Hamas”.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported: “We eliminated a terrorist cell that tried to launch three Hizbollah UAVs from within a civilian area… in southern Lebanon. We struck before the attack was launched. In addition, we attacked a series of Hizbollah targets”. Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities. The IDF also reported rocket launches from Syria into Israel, in response to which it targeted “military infrastructure of the Syrian army”. The following day, Syrian state media reported Israeli strikes against “several sites in [the] Damascus countryside”.

Hizbollah reported striking Israeli sites near the border. An Israeli military spokesperson announced that the IDF had conducted “a wide strike on Hizbollah targets”, adding: “Hizbollah has turned the southern villages in southern Lebanon into a combat zone”.

An Israeli military spokesperson announced “a widespread attack on Hizbollah targets in Lebanon”, adding: “We continue to strike and damage Hezbollah’s Hizbollah’s military positions in southern Lebanon. The southern region of Lebanon will not return to what it used to be”. He also reported that “throughout the day, several launches from Lebanon to Israel were identified, with many of Hizbollah’s launches falling in Lebanese territory. Yesterday, 80 per cent of Hizbollah’s rockets fell in Lebanese territory. [Hassan] Nasrallah is harming the state of Lebanon, jeopardising its future for his friends in Hamas and for his Iranian patrons”. Hizbollah confirmed multiple fatalities. The same day, Prime Minister Netanyahu indicated that “we are striking harsh blows against Hizbollah… We have approved operational plans for the continuation of the fighting. If Hizbollah expands the war – it will absorb blows that it has not dreamed of, and Iran as well. We will take all action until we restore security to the residents of the north”.

The Israeli military reported several rocket and missile launches by Hizbollah into northern Israel.  A spokesperson reported that the IDF had “completed a series of extensive operations using fighter jets, tanks and artillery on Hizbollah targets – these targets were attacked throughout Lebanon, including launching sites, military compounds and terrorist infrastructure. In addition, we attacked terrorist cells and eliminated terrorists”. “We continue to attack and harm Hizbollah’s deployment near the northern border”, he asserted. “It no longer looks as it did on 6 October, and it will not return to what it was. Southern Lebanon will not be what it was… We will ensure security and a sense of security before allowing citizens to return to the northern and southern borders”.

The Israeli military reported that Hizbollah had fired several missiles and rockets into northern Israel, in addition to two drones. In response, the IDF struck the sources of fire and other Hizbollah targets.

Hizbollah claimed responsibility for multiple rocket barrages at Israeli targets near the border. The Israeli military responded by targeting the launch sites and Hizbollah infrastructure and military sites. Hizbollah confirmed one fatality. A senior member of Israeli war cabinet affirmed that “the situation on the northern border requires change… The hourglass for a diplomatic arrangement is running out”.

Israel’s defence minister asserted that “we are in a multi-arena war, we are being attacked from seven different sectors - Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen and Iran”, adding: “We have already reacted and acted in six… And I say here in the most explicit way – anyone who acts against us is a potential target, there is no immunity for anyone”.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported that Hizbollah had fired multiple missiles at a church in northern Israel, injuring nine soldiers and two civilians. “Hizbollah is committing war crimes by indiscriminately attacking places”, he contended. “Hizbollah is trying to drag the country of Lebanon and the region into this war that Hamas started. If Hizbollah continues, they will bear the consequences and the responsibility for the outcome: an unnecessary war aimed at fulfilling an ISIS ideology, that could bring unwanted destruction to the people of Lebanon in this war… We are preparing for all scenarios should a diplomatic solution not be found to Hizbollah’s constant violations of UN Security Council Resolution 1701”. Throughout the day, Hizbollah claimed responsibility for several strikes at Israeli targets near the border. The Israeli military struck the origins of the launches, in addition to Hizbollah infrastructure; four individuals were killed, including two Hizbollah fighters.

The Israeli military reported that “Hizbollah recently attacked civilian buildings of the northern residents. In response, we struck a wide range of Hizbollah targets in Lebanon. Fighter jets attacked terrorist infrastructure and military buildings, and tanks targeted Hizbollah infrastructure along the border area”. Hizbollah confirmed two fatalities.

The Israeli military announced that the IDF had “completed a wave of extensive strikes, during which we struck a series of Hizbollah military targets, including terror infrastructure, military buildings and rocket launching positions… Throughout the day, we identified several launches from Lebanese territory, and our forces immediately returned fire”.

Hizbollah reported targeting several Israeli military sites near the border. An Israeli military spokesperson announced strikes against “Hizbollah targets including operational infrastructures, terrorist infrastructures and a military compound”, asserting: “We continue to attack in Lebanon and we deny Hizbollah’s capabilities, especially near the border”. Hizbollah confirmed two fatalities.

An Israeli military spokesperson announced strikes against “a series of Hizbollah targets in Lebanese territory and military sites operated by the terror organization... Throughout the day, we struck sources from which we identified launches towards Israeli territory”. The IDF also confirmed one fatality; Hizbollah confirmed two fatalities. The Israeli official further asserted that “southern Lebanon will continue to be a combat zone for as long as Hizbollah is deployed there and attacks us from there, with the IDF striking it with high intensity”. He also revealed “the successful interception of a UAV last week, which was… above the sea near Lebanon on its way to Israeli territory”.

Hizbollah claimed responsibility for launching missiles and rockets at Israeli civilian and military targets; Israeli sources reported two injuries. An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed striking “a series of Hizbollah targets in Lebanon, including launch sites, military buildings and additional terrorist infrastructure”, adding: “Hizbollah has turned southern Lebanon into a combat zone and continues to endanger the future of the entire state of Lebanon for the sake of Hamas and Iran. We are in a very high state of readiness and will continue to act decisively to push Hizbollah away from the border”. Hizbollah confirmed at least one fatality, and Lebanese media reported two civilian casualties.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken conferred with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on the war with Gaza, highlighting “the importance of measures to prevent the conflict from expanding, including affirmative steps to deescalate tensions in the West Bank and to avoid escalation in Lebanon”.

An Israeli spokesperson reported that the IDF had “attacked a series of Hizbollah targets in Lebanon from the air and land throughout the day in response to launches towards our territory”, further contending that “southern Lebanon is now a combat zone and will continue to be as long as Hizbollah operates there and attacks from within as it is currently doing… We will continue to attack and eliminate them as long as they attack and target us. We will not allow them to stay near our borders”. Hizbollah confirmed at least two fatalities and there were also reports of one civilian killed in southern Lebanon. The same day, the Israeli military reported rocket fire from Syria, to which it responded with artillery against the source location and hitting a Syrian army position.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported that “IDF air and land forces struck a series of Hizbollah terror targets in Lebanon… [including] infrastructure, military buildings, a weapons depot and a Hizbollah launch site. In addition, we struck a Hizbollah terrorist squad in the Hanita area and killed several Hizbollah terrorists”. “Our forces returned fire to the sources of several launches towards the State of Israel, including Hizbollah’s unmanned aerial vehicles”, he added. “Among the launches, we were also fired upon from Lebanon, fire that Hamas took responsibility for, and we responded with fire… Hizbollah continues to act as a shield for Hamas-ISIS, endangering the state of Lebanon and its citizens”. Hizbollah confirmed three fatalities.

Hizbollah claimed responsibility for firing missiles at an Israeli town in response to what it said were Israeli strikes against a “funeral procession”, warning that “any harm to civilians will be met with equal measures”. The group also reported striking Israeli military targets near the border. The Israeli military reported that in response to several launches from Lebanon and Syria, it struck the sources of the attacks and other targets including Hizbollah sites and a Syrian Army post.

During a visit to Israel, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin urged Hizbollah “to make sure that they don’t do things that would provoke a wider conflict”. His Israeli counterpart indicated that “in one hand, we are patient and we are looking for a diplomacy solution that will make sure that Hizbollah is not threatened Israeli civilians on the northern communities directly. On the other hand, we are preparing ourself to any situation that is needed, and if something like that happened, we will know what to do and we will prevail. We are not looking for anything similar to that and we hope that Hizbollah will understand that it's time to stop”.

Hizbollah reported targeting multiple Israeli targets near the border. An Israeli military spokesperson confirmed that the IDF had struck “a series of Hizbollah targets in Lebanon – a military site, weapons, and observation posts. In addition, we attacked a terrorist cell in Lebanese territory. Since the beginning of the war [in October], we have attacked over 120 terrorist cells”. He further asserted that “southern Lebanon today is a combat zone, and will continue to be one as long as Hizbollah continues to be deployed there and attack from within. The citizens of southern Lebanon know this and will feel our attacks so long as Hezbollah is deployed in this area”. Hizbollah confirmed one fatality.

The Israeli military reported that its “fighter jets struck a series of Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including military buildings, launch sites, terrorist infrastructure and terrorist squads. This was in response to launches and UAVs that crossed today from Lebanese territory. One of the aircraft was shot down, and another hit IDF soldiers”, killing one.

The Israeli military struck several Hizbollah facilities in response to rocket, artillery and missile fire from Lebanon.

Hizbollah claimed responsibility for strikes against Israeli military targets along the border. The Israeli military announced that its “fighter jets and tanks struck a series of Hizbollah infrastructures in southern Lebanon. IDF forces struck a terrorist cell attempting to fire anti-tank missiles and responded to the sources of the fire”; Hizbollah confirmed three fatalities.

The Israeli military reported striking several Hizbollah sites in southern Lebanon in response to multiple rocket attacks from Lebanon into Israel.

Hizbollah reported targeting multiple Israeli targets near the border with Lebanon. An Israeli military spokesperson announced that “there were exchanges of fire in the north. Shots were fired toward the community of Ma’alot and the IDF responded with very strong and focused fire towards terror targets in Lebanon. The message is clear – Lebanon, the state of Lebanon, the terrorist organisation, terrorist organisations will pay a very heavy price in Lebanon for any attack on civilian communities”. Hizbollah confirmed two fatalities.

A senior member of the Israeli war cabinet told Secretary of State Antony Blinken that “heightened aggression and increased attacks by Iranian-backed Hizbollah demand of Israel to remove such a threat to the civilian population of northern Israel… The international community currently has an important role to play, and it must act to ensure that the state of Lebanon stops such aggression along its border”. The following day, a senior Hizbollah official asserted that they would continue striking Israeli targets near the border should the Gaza war continue, emphasising: “We are completely ready for any border escalation… Threats and enticements do not affect Hizbollah”.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported that “fighter jets, tanks and artillery struck targets in Lebanon... We targeted terror infrastructure, launchers and military compounds – all belonging to the Hizbollah terrorist organisation. Additionally, IDF forces struck a terrorist squad that attempted to launch an anti-tank missile into Israeli territory”. “Throughout the day, we identified several launches toward the State of Israel, including hostile aircraft”, the spokesperson added. “Our air defence fighters shot down most of these launches”.

The Israeli military reported that “IAF fighter jets struck a series of Hizbollah targets in Lebanon, including operational headquarters. Throughout the day, IDF soldiers returned fire at sources from which launches from Lebanese territory were detected”. Hizbollah confirmed one fatality.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported the IDF having “eliminated a terrorist cell in the Har Dov area. An observation soldier identified an armed terrorist cell and directed a UAV which successfully struck the cell. Throughout the day, we struck Hizbollah targets in Lebanese territory and responded with fire to locations from which shots were fired into our territory. Earlier, shots were fired towards an IDF position”.

Hizbollah reported conducting multiple attacks against Israeli targets near the Lebanon border. The Israeli military confirmed that it had conducted airstrikes against “various terror targets, including terror infrastructure and an operational command center of the Hizbollah terrorist organisation, and killed its terrorists. The strike was in response to the firing of an anti-tank missile from Lebanese territory towards the State of Israel, which resulted in the death of an Israeli civilian”. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that “if Hizbollah decides to open an all-out war, then with its own hands it will turn Beirut and southern Lebanon… into Gaza and Khan Yunis”.

The Israeli military announced that it had “attacked a Hizbollah operational command center and terror infrastructure”, in addition to striking “the sources from which several rockets were launched into Israeli territory during the day”; Hizbollah reported one fatality.

Hizbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks against Israeli targets near the Lebanon border. An Israeli military spokesperson reported that “combat aircraft attacked a series of Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon today, including posts and military sites where weapons were stored and terrorists of the organization operated”. He underscored that “although we are focused on Gaza, where the hostages are held, we are also engaged in an ongoing operational effort aimed at improving the situation on the northern border. We are working on this around the clock and attacked in Lebanon today for this purpose”. The Lebanese army confirmed the death of one soldier and three injuries from Israeli fire; Hizbollah responded by firing what it described as “guided missiles” at Israeli military targets.

The Israeli military reported that “fighter jets and UAVs struck an operational command center, terror infrastructure and military structures belonging to Hizbollah in Lebanese territory. IDF forces struck with artillery the sources of launches fired toward the State of Israel”.

Hizbollah reported targeting multiple Israeli sites with guided missiles and other weapons. An Israeli military spokesperson asserted that “we are attacking Hizbollah terror targets in Lebanon from the air and the sources from which rockets were fired into our territory from Lebanon and Syria. One of the launches from Lebanon hit a military vehicle near Beit Hillel. Several soldiers and civilians were lightly injured”.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported that “Air Force combat jets attacked Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon. During the day, we attacked targets from which rocket fire was carried out towards northern Israel”; Hizbollah confirmed one fatality.

Hizbollah announced targeting multiple Israeli sites near the Lebanon border as the war in Gaza resumed following a brief pause. In response, the Israeli military struck Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon; Hizbollah confirmed that two of three reported fatalities were from its ranks.

The Israeli military reported intercepting “an aerial target that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory”.

The Israeli military reported downing a surface-to-air missile fired from Lebanon at an Israeli UAV, which “carried on with its mission”; In response, IDF struck Hizbollah sites. Later in the day, the IDF reported intercepting a “suspicious aerial target” that breached Israeli airspace.

The Israeli military reported dozens of rocket, missile and mortar launches from Lebanon at northern Israel. In response, it struck the origins of the attacks in addition to targeting “terrorist squads which attempted to carry out anti-tank missile attacks”.

The Israeli military reported striking a number of Hizbollah targets in Lebanon; Hizbollah confirmed several fatalities and claimed responsibility for several attacks in northern Israel using missiles and other weapons.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported “we killed a few anti-tank cells who attempted to fire anti-tank missiles along the border into Israel… Additionally, we targeted military installations, weapons and weapon production sites in response to Hizbollah fire towards Israeli civilian areas in the north. There are no casualties in our territory”. Media reports indicated that “eight people, including two journalists working for a Lebanese TV channel and a senior Hamas official”, were killed in Israeli airstrikes; Hizbollah said it had retaliated with “ten intensive operations targeting Israeli sites and bases”.

The Israeli military reported striking with “fighter jets, combat helicopters and tanks, Hizbollah terrorist infrastructure and eliminated terrorist cells in Lebanese territory. It was a very broad strike in which we eliminated Hizbollah terrorists who fired rockets at us, and a squad that tried to fire anti-tank missiles into Israeli territory. We responded in a very firm manner to the shooting toward our territory. Hizbollah’s launches struck Israeli territory. Three aircraft were launched and one hit an outpost. There were no casualties in the north”.

Hizbollah reported attacking multiple Israeli targets with missiles and other weaponry. The Israeli military reported that “aircraft struck a variety of Hizbollah terror targets in south Lebanon, including military compounds and terror posts. IDF fighter jets destroyed an advanced land-to-air missile system, in response to fire at a UAV used by our forces. The UAV made an emergency landing in Israeli territory”.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported striking Hizbollah “terror infrastructure, a weapons storehouse and a military building… In response to fire that burned two houses in Manara, injuring four people”. “We also struck a terror cell we detected in Lebanese territory, and we struck the origin of the launches towards our territory”, he added.

Hizbollah reported targeting multiple Israeli targets with guided missiles and “appropriate weapons”. The Israeli military indicated that “fighter jets attacked terror targets belonging to Hizbollah, including outposts along the borde. We are continuing to strike back immediately in response to any attempt to fire from Lebanese territory”. Hizbollah confirmed two fatalities.

Hizbollah reported carrying out multiple attacks against Israeli sites using guided missiles and rockets. The Israeli military announced that it had “targeted Hizbollah terror infrastructure, and returned fire to every source of fire”.

An Israeli military spokesperson maintained that “we are operating in accordance with defensive and offensive plans [in the north]... We’ve struck a number of terrorist cells that attempted to fire at our forces with anti-tank missiles”.

Hizbollah reported targeting multiple Israeli military sites with rockets and guided missiles. In response, the Israeli military struck several Hizbollah targets, including military infrastructure, in southern Lebanon.

The Israeli military confirmed injuries to at least fourteen civilians and seven soldiers in anti-tank missile and mortar attacks from Lebanon. In response the IDF struck “Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon… [and] the cell that fired an anti-tank missile”. An Israeli military spokesperson said that “Harming Israeli civilians is very grave. Over the past 24 hours, IDF troops struck four such terror cells along the border”. “The IDF is focused on Gaza, but we are at a very high level of preparedness in the north”, he asserted. “Hizbollah and the Lebanese government are responsible for everything fired from Lebanese territory. Lebanese civilians will pay the price for this lawlessness… the IDF has operational plans to change the security status in the north”.

The Israeli military reported striking “a wide range of military targets in Lebanon of the Hizbollah terror organisation, in response to fire on Israeli communities in the north over the past day”. The IDF confirmed firing artillery at targets in Syria “in response to two rockets that were fired into the Golan Heights and fell in an open area”. A spokesperson contended that “Hizbollah, with the guidance of Iran, are trying to challenge Israel with the aim of distracting the IDF’s attention from Gaza. We are focused on Gaza and will continue to operate and respond to Lebanon, and Hizbollah specifically, against every firing, every terror cell, that will try to attack Israel”. “In parallel”, he added, “we are also following the Huthi terror, supported by Iran and Hizbollah, with our American partners and other partners in the world”.

Hizbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah argued that “the U.S. is the side who runs the war and decides on the ceasefire in Gaza.. If you [ie, the U.S.] don’t want a regional war then stop the aggression in Gaza”. He further said that “the U.S. has been futilely pressing the resistance in Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen via Western and Arab channels. The only way to halt the Iraqi and Syrian attacks [against U.S. forces] is to stop the war on Gaza”. Regarding continued exchanges between Hizbollah and Israel, Nasrallah affirmed that “our policy in the current battle is that the battlefield speaks louder than the words. In the Lebanese front, eyes should be on the combat zone.”

The Israeli military reported four injuries from Hizbollah missile and drone strikes. A military spokesperson said that “we are striking extensively in the north. Our fighter jets are striking Hizbollah terrorist organisation targets and terrorist infrastructure. We are acting in response to the infiltration of three UAVs into Israeli territory, one of which was intercepted and two of which fell”.

The Israeli military reported that “in response to a UAV from Syria that hit a school in Eilat, the IDF struck the organisation that carried out the attack… The IDF holds the Syrian regime fully responsible for every terror activity emanating from its territory”. The same day, the IDF confirmed airstrikes and artillery fire against “Hizbollah terrorist infrastructure” in Lebanon, in addition to other ongoing cross-border exchanges.

Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office announced that Israeli and other security services had “foiled a terrorist attack in Brazil which had been planned by the Hizbollah terrorist organisation, directed and financed by the Iranian regime. This was an extensive network that operated in additional countries”. “Given the backdrop of the war in Gaza against the Hamas terrorist organisation, Hizbollah and the Iranian regime are continuing to operate around the world in order to attack Israeli, Jewish and Western targets”, the statement added. “The Mossad is working, and will continue to work, to thwart these efforts wherever necessary, by various methods”.

The Israeli military reported that its “soldiers struck a number of anti-tank missile launching posts belonging to the Hizbollah”, adding: “Two IDF soldiers were injured when terrorists launched an anti-tank missile toward the area of Dovev. The IDF responded with artillery fire toward the origin of the launch”. The military also “responded with tank and artillery fire” against the launch sites of two rockets fired into Israel.

The Israeli military used artillery to strike against the origin points of around 20 rockets launched from Lebanon; it also reported airstrikes on Hizbollah facilities in southern Lebanon and intercepting an aircraft approaching Israel’s airspace. Speaking in Beirut, a senior U.S. diplomat remarked that “the U.S. does not want to see conflict in Gaza escalating and expanding into Lebanon… Restoring calm along the southern border is of utmost importance to the U.S. and it should be the highest priority for both Lebanon and Israel”.

Hizbollah reported attacking several Israeli military sites near the Lebanon border using missiles, while Hamas’s military wing claimed responsibility for firing rockets from southern Lebanon in response to Israeli strikes against Gaza. The Israeli military reported targeting “a wide variety of terror targets” with airstrikes, adding that they were “in continuation to other strikes carried out in the past day, which is, of course, in response to the 30 rockets launched towards the north of Israel. We will continue with a robust response to any fire at Israel. This, alongside the wide air defence that thwarts the attack threats against us”.

Hizbollah reported attacks against multiple Israeli military sites near the Lebanon border using guided missiles and artillery. The Israeli military said that it had hit “targets belonging to Hizbollah in the south of Lebanon, in response to anti-tank fire that killed an Israeli civilian”, as well as “a number of other strikes against terrorist infrastructure, terrorist squads and terrorist vehicles that transported terror squads”. It also downed a Hizbollah drone. Hizbollah confirmed three fatalities. Later in the day, Lebanese state media reported that Israeli airstrikes had hit two cars in southern Lebanon, killing four; Hizbollah with rockets into Israel.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant noted that “we are on the defensive in the north and attacking with full force in the Gaza Strip, this is our priority… We are not interested in getting into a war in the north, but we are ready for any task. The Air Force maintains most of its strength for the Lebanese arena, against Hizbollah”. “If Nasrallah makes a mistake, he will seal the fate of Lebanon”, Gallant warned.

Hizbollah reported striking several Israeli military positions near the border with Lebanon. The Israeli military responded by attacking Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon, including “a military command center, rocket storehouses and military compounds belonging to Hizbollah”. “As in the Gaza Strip, we will not allow Hizbollah terrorists who are firing at us, to reap the benefits of using the south Lebanese population as human shields, as they embed themselves in urban infrastructure”, said a spokesperson. “We will strike the exact location from which attacks are fired towards us. We will continue to respond and to strike immediately. We are highly prepared in the north, both offensively and defensively”.

The Israeli military reported anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon, against which it replied with artillery. It also confirmed two injuries as a result of a Hizbollah drone operation against a military position; in response it struck a Hizbollah facility.

Hizbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah remarked that “since 8 October, the Islamic resistance in Lebanon has been actively engaged in a tangible battle, the full gravity of which is truly comprehensible only to those physically situated in the border region… The Lebanese front effectively diverted a significant portion of the Israeli forces originally intended for an attack on Gaza”. He further warned that “escalation and evolution hinge on two fundamental factors: The first one depends on the unfolding events in Gaza, and second on the conduct of the Zionist enemy towards Lebanon”, while cautioning against an “equation where civilians are pitted against one another”. “All possibilities on our Lebanese front remain open”, he asserted. “In the event of any regional war”, Nasrallah warned, “[American] interests and soldiers will be the ones to suffer the most and endure the greatest losses”. He also maintained that Hamas’ 7 October attack “was entirely a product of Palestinian determination and execution… [showcasing] that Iran exerts no control over the resistance factions”.

A senior White House official asserted that “we and our partners have been clear: Hizbollah and other actors – state or non-state – should not try to take advantage of the ongoing conflict [in Israel and Gaza]”. “The U.S. does not seek escalation or widening of the conflict that Hamas brought onto Israel”, she emphasised, while warning: “The U.S. does not want to see this conflict expand into Lebanon. The likely devastation for Lebanon and its people would be unimaginable and is avoidable”.

Hizbollah said it targeted nineteen Israeli “sites and military positions… through guided missiles, artillery shells and direct weapons”, in addition to drones. Hamas also took responsibility for rocket fire from southern Lebanon into northern Israel. In response, the Israeli military struck Hizbollah targets via airstrikes and artillery; Hizbollah confirmed one fatality.

The Israeli military asserted that “the Iranian Imam Hossein militia, originally stationed in Syria, was deployed to southern Lebanon in an attempt to support Hizbollah. The militia is involved in confrontations with the IDF and terrorist activities against Israel, putting the lives of the Lebanese people at risk”.

The Israeli military reported missile and mortar fire from Lebanon, to which it responded by targeting the sources of the attacks.

The Israeli military reported missile strikes, rocket launches and gunfire from Lebanon against military sites and residential areas in northern Israel, to which it responded by targeting the sources of the attacks and Hizbollah positions as well as striking cells allegedly preparing to fire anti-tank missiles.

The Israeli military reported Hizbollah mortar and missile fire, to which it responded by targeting the sources of the attacks as well as Hizbollah “military infrastructure”. It also struck a cell that were allegedly preparing to launch rockets against a northern Israeli town. The same day, Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister remarked that “I am doing my duty to prevent Lebanon from entering the war… For now, Hizbollah has managed the situation rationally and wisely, and the rules of the game have remained constrained to certain limits”. “But at the same time… I cannot reassure Lebanese”, he added. “I cannot rule out an escalation because there is a race to reach a ceasefire before escalation spreads in the entire region”.

The Israeli military reported multiple rocket attacks from Lebanon against military sites and residential areas in northern Israel, in addition to anti-tank fire and a cross-border UAV interception. The IDF responded by striking the sources of the attacks and Hizbollah targets; Hizbollah confirmed one fatality. The same day, the Israeli military announced that it had “struck military infrastructure in Syrian territory” in response to rocket fire.

The Israeli military reported that Hizbollah had fired anti-tank guided missiles and small arms; no casualties were reported. The IDF responded with artillery at the origin sites. The same day, it announced foiling “an aerial threat” over the Red Sea, as Israeli officials indicated that a missile that had struck Egypt had been “launched towards Israel by the Huthis”.

The Israeli military struck with a UAV what it said were Hizbollah forces preparing to fire anti-tank missiles towards Israeli forces.

The Israeli military announced that “in response to rocket launches from Syria toward Israel yesterday, IDF fighter jets struck military infrastructure and mortar launchers belonging to the Syrian Army”; military sources cited by Syria state media reported eight fatalities. The same day, the IDF reported striking with tanks fire and UAV multiple Hizbollah targets that had fired or planned to fire missiles and rockets at northern Israel from Lebanon.

The Israeli military reported targeting multiple Hizbollah cells and facilities that had fired or planned to fire missiles and rockets at northern Israel from Lebanon. The IDF also reported two rocket strikes from Syria, in response to which it fired artillery at the launch location.

Addressing a UN Security Council ministerial meeting, Secretary of State Antony Blinken contended that “for years, Iran has supported Hamas, Hizbollah, the Huthis and other groups that continue to carry out attacks on Israel… In recent weeks, Iran’s proxies have repeatedly attacked U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria, whose mission is to prevent ISIS from renewing its rampage. So let me say this before this council and let me say what we have consistently said to Iranian officials through other channels: The U.S. does not seek conflict with Iran. We do not want this war [between Israel and Gaza] to widen. But if Iran or its proxies attack U.S. personnel anywhere, make no mistake: We will defend our people, we will defend our security – swiftly and decisively”.

The Israeli military reported striking multiple Hizbollah targets that had carried out or were believed to be planning cross-border attacks, in addition to intercepting drones approaching Israel.

The Israeli military reported targeting multiple Hizbollah cells and facilities that had fired or planned to fire missiles and rockets at northern Israel, in addition to striking and intercepting a drone approaching Israel; Hizbollah confirmed five fatalities. Meanwhile, the Israeli government expanded evacuation orders for northern communities. The same day, an Israeli military spokesperson stated that “Hizbollah… is dragging Lebanon into a war… They’re escalating the situation. We see more and more attacks every day”. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned: “If Hizbollah decides to enter the war… It will be making the mistake of its life. We will strike it with a force that it cannot even imagine, that will be destructive for it and for the Lebanese state”.

Hizbollah reported that it had launched multiple guided missiles against Israeli targets. The IDF confirmed five injuries (three military and two civilian) and responded by targeting both the origins of the strikes and cells planning to conduct such attacks, leading to six fatalities, according to Hizbollah.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, citing “recent escalations by Iran and its proxy forces across the Middle East”, announced “the deployment of a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery as well as additional Patriot battalions to locations throughout the region to increase force protection for U.S. forces”, adding: “An additional number of forces on prepare to deploy orders as part of prudent contingency planning, to increase their readiness and ability to quickly respond as required”. He also conferred with his Israeli counterpart regarding “the continued provision of security assistance and the U.S. commitment to deter any state or non-state actor seeking to escalate this war [between Israel and Gaza]”. The following day, Secretary of State Antony Blinken: “We are concerned at the possibility of Iranian proxies escalating their attacks against our own personnel... We’re taking every measure to make sure that we can defend them and, if necessary, respond decisively. Not at all what we’re looking for, not at all what we want, but we’ll be prepared if that’s what they choose to do”.

The Israeli military reported rocket attacks, anti-tank missile strikes and gunfire from Lebanon into northern Israel, killing one soldier and wounding several others; Hizbollah claimed responsibility. In response, the IDF struck Hizbollah military infrastructure and personnel, and intercepted a drone heading towards Israel.

The Israeli military reported that dozens of rockets, claimed by Hamas, and anti-tank missiles were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel, injuring three. The IDF responded with artillery and airstrikes against Hizbollah targets and launch sites. An Israeli military spokesperson asserted that “Hizbollah will bear the consequences for all the actions”.

The Israeli military reported multiple exchanges with Hizbollah, including anti-tank and missile fire from Lebanon and UAV as well as tank fire in return; Hizbollah reported two fatalities.

The Israeli military announced foiling an infiltration attempt from Lebanon, in addition to multiple rounds of strikes against Hizbollah targets in southern Lebanon, killing five. The same day, the IDF reported anti-tank missile and rocket attacks from Lebanon toward northern Israel, injuring two reservists and a civilian. It also reported intercepting a drone approaching Israel over the Lebanese territory.

Hizbollah announced that it had targeted “five Israeli border posts” and an Israeli tank. The Israeli military responded with artillery strikes. The same day, the Israeli government ordered “the implementation of a plan to evacuate residents of northern Israel who live in the area up to 2km from the Lebanese border”. Prime Minister Netanyahu warned Iran and Hizbollah: “Do not test us in the north. Do not repeat your previous mistake because the price you will pay will be much worse”. Relatedly, an IDF spokesperson claimed that “Hizbollah carried out a number of attacks yesterday in order to try to divert our operational efforts [away from the Gaza Strip], under the direction and backing of Iran”. “If Hizbollah dares to test us, the reaction will be deadly. The U.S. is giving us full backing”, he underscored.

Hizbollah said that it had conducted “several strikes on an Israeli post and a settlement near the border with Lebanon, in retaliation for the aggression on Lebanon which killed three Lebanese in the last two days”. According to Israeli sources, the attacks led to two fatalities and several injuries. Separately, Hamas claimed responsibility for firing rockets into Israel from Lebanon. The Israeli military responded by striking Hizbollah facilities and the rocket launch site in Lebanon. The same day, defence minister Yoav Gallant asserted that “we have no interest in a war in the north”, adding: “If Hizbollah chooses the path of war, it will pay a very heavy price… But if it restrains itself, we’ll respect the situation and keep things the way they are, despite shooting from both sides”.

The Pentagon announced the deployment of the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group to the Eastern Mediterranean  “as part of our effort to deter hostile actions against Israel or any efforts toward widening this war following Hamas’s attack on Israel”. The following day, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that the bolstered presence was “not meant as a provocation; it’s meant as a deterrent. It’s meant to make clear that no one should do anything that could add fuel to the fire in any other place”.

Hizbollah reported targeting “Israeli military outposts in Lebanon’s occupied Sheba Farms… [with] precision missiles and mortar shells”, in response to Israeli strikes against “a number of Lebanese border towns”. Moreover, the Israeli military announced foiling an infiltration attempt claimed by Hamas, in addition to intercepting multiple drones, both originating from Lebanon. The IDF responded with artillery and airstrikes against Hizbollah’s facilities. The same day, the IDF reported that two rockets fired from Syria landed in open area, to which it responded with artillery against the source of the launch.

Hizbollah reported targeting multiple Israeli border sites in response to what it described Israeli “aggression on… a number of Lebanese towns”. The Israeli military, which also reported downing an unidentified object that had crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, responded with drone strikes and artillery.

Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian visited Beirut and met with Lebanese, Hizbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials. During his visit, he emphasised that continuation Israeli attacks against Gaza, what he described as “war crimes”, would “be followed by other reactions on other axes [of resistance], for which the Zionist regime [ie, Israel] and its supporters would be responsible”. The following day, Amirabdollahian contended that “the leaders of resistance enjoy remarkable cohesion, have designed the whole scenarios and everyone’s finger is on the trigger”.

Hizbollah announced that in response to the killing of three its members on 9 October, it had targeted an Israeli border post with what it said were guided missiles. An Israeli soldier was killed during the attack. In response, the IDF launched air and artillery strikes against Hizbollah targets.

CENTCOM announced the arrival of “the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group… in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea in order to deter any actor seeking to escalate the situation or widen” in Israel and Gaza. A spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council underscored that one reason for the deployment was “to send a clear, unequivocal message to any actor or nation-state that thinks that this is a chance to try to take advantage of the position that Israel finds itself in”, adding: ”[We] have been in close contact with our Israeli partners and are working with our regional partners to warn anyone who might seek to take advantage in this situation against taking hostile action”.

The Israeli military announced that “in response to the rockets launched from Lebanon at Israel… IDF tanks struck two observation posts belonging to Hizbollah”. This was followed by a further exchange of fire. Separately, the military reported that “a number of launches from Syria aimed for Israel were identified”, to which it “responded with artillery and mortar shells toward the origin of the launching in Syria”.

The Israeli military reported that it had “neutralised a number of terrorist infiltrators who crossed from Lebanon into Israel”, which was claimed by Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Three members of the IDF were killed in the clash, and Hizbollah confirmed three deaths as a result of Israeli strikes in Lebanon.

Hizbollah announced that it had struck three sites “in the occupied Lebanese Sheba Farms region… [using] a significant number of artillery shells and guided missiles”. The IDF responded with artillery and a UAV strike against what it described as “Hizbollah terrorist infrastructure in the area of Mount Dov”.

Unconfirmed media reports indicated that Israel had conducted airstrikes near Damascus, said to be “targeting an Iranian weapons shipment” en route to Lebanon.

The Israeli military reported that “IDF soldiers spotted an engineering vehicle’s shovel crossing the Blue Line from Lebanon into Israeli territory in the area of Mount Dov… In response, IDF soldiers used riot dispersal means”. Lebanon’s army asserted that Israel had “violated the withdrawal line fired smoke bombs at a Lebanese army patrol that was accompanying a bulldozer removing an earthen berm erected by the Israeli enemy north of the withdrawal line, the blue line… The Lebanese patrol responded to the attack by firing tear bombs”.

The U.S. sanctioned seven individuals and entities described as “key Hizbollah operatives and financial facilitators in South America and Lebanon network”.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant presented what he described as evidence of Iran building an airport in Lebanon approximately 20km from the border with Israel, adding: “You can see the Iranian flag flying over the runways, from which the ayatollah regime plans to operate against the citizens of Israel… The land is Lebanese, the control is Iranian, and the target is Israel”. “If it comes to a conflict”, he warned, “Hizbollah and Lebanon will pay heavy and painful prices”. He further asserted that “Israel… will not allow the establishment of a second Hizbollah in the Syrian Golan Heights, and the use of Syrian soil as a springboard for the transfer of [advanced] weapons to Hizbollah”. Gallant also noted that Iran’s “ultimate goal is to create another front against Israel, along the Jordanian border… Iran is also behind the wave of terrorism in Judea and Samaria: funding, weaponry, and direction, with the aim of sowing destruction and terror”. Relatedly, the IDF chief of staff warned that “our enemies may be tempted to see an advantage in the multi-front threat to us. It is better for them to know that when Israel is threatened, it knows how to mobilise all its resources, put the differences aside – and attack”.

During a visit to Beirut, Iran’s foreign minister told his Lebanese counterpart that Iran-Saudi rapprochement “will have a positive impact on the entire region and Lebanon”, while “any normalisation of relations with the Zionist regime [ie, Israel] will be detrimental to the region”. He further emphasised that “Iranian companies are ready to contribute to solving the electricity problem in Lebanon. We are also ready to hold a joint economic cooperation commission between the two countries in Tehran immediately after the formation of a new government in Lebanon”. Amirabdollahian also met with senior officials from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, as well as Hezbollah.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that “the potential for escalation on the northern border is increasing following a blatant violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty by Hizbollah’s military build-up… The UN must urgently intervene to reduce tensions by strengthening the freedom of movement of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon in the region, and implementing its mandate on the northern border”.

After a senior Hamas official warned that “the Resistance alliance is prepared… to partake in a regional war, and the active parties are ready and prepared for it”, Prime Minister Netanyahu responded: “Hamas, and the other Iranian proxies, understand very well that we will fight with all means against their attempts to use terrorism against us – in Judea and Samaria, Gaza and everywhere else. Whoever tries to hurt us, whoever finances and organises, whoever dispatches terrorists against Israel – will pay the full price”. Two days later, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared that “no assassination attempt on the Lebanese soil targeting the nationals of Lebanon, Palestine or Iran or other countries would go unanswered”.

The Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security service, announced the arrest of four Arab Israelis suspected of smuggling “a large number of quality weapons”, including Iranian-made explosives, asserting that “Hizbollah worked to recruit and operate an infrastructure of smugglers in Israel for the purpose of distributing unusual illegal weapons to various parties, including criminal elements”. A senior official contended that “this affair once again illustrates the efforts of terror elements from Hizbollah and Iran to exploit the Arab citizens of Israel for activities against the state”. On August 27, the Israeli military elaborated on a July discovery of arms smuggling from Jordan, indicating that it had included “Iranian-made explosives”.

A senior advisor to Iran’s Supreme Leader spoke with senior Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hizbollah officials, congratulating them on what he described as their “recent victories” against Israel, and emphasising that “the outcome of the unity [between the Palestinian groups and Hizbollah] will be ultimate victory”.

The U.S. sanctioned a Lebanon-based entity that it said had “provided support to and cover for Hezbollah's operations in southern Lebanon along the ‘Blue Line’ between Lebanon and Israel over the last decade while publicly operating under the guise of environmental activism”. The organisation’s leader was also blacklisted.

The Israeli military reported that “a suspect approached the security fence in the area of Metula on the Blue Line with Lebanon... The suspect hurled a Molotov cocktail toward the fence and caused light damage to the indication cable of one of the culverts in the area of the fence”.

During a visit to the border with Lebanon, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned Hezbollah’s leadership that in the event “an escalation or conflict develops here, we will return Lebanon to the Stone Age. We will not hesitate to use all our power, and erode every inch of Hezbollah and Lebanon if we have to… Don’t mistake us, we don’t want war, but we are ready to protect our citizens, our soldiers, and our sovereignty”.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah contended that Israel “is still occupying a part of our land… and over the past weeks it reoccupied a part of the Ghajar village”. He further warned Israel that “the Lebanese resistance movement is fully ready to shoulder responsibilities in defending Lebanon, Palestine and the entire nation”. The following day, Prime Minister Netanyahu reacted to Nasrallah’s threat by saying: “Even Nasrallah knows that it is worth neither his while, nor Lebanon’s, to put us to the test”.

The Israeli military said it had fired warning shots and used crowd dispersal methods against a group of individuals who had crossed the Blue Line; Lebanese media indicated that a parliament member and “a number of journalists suffered suffocation injuries after Israeli troops fired smoke grenades at them as they were touring the border”.

The Israeli military announced that “multiple suspects approached the northern security fence with Lebanon in a sabotage attempt. We operated to distance them from the fence”. Media reports citing an unnamed security source indicated that the individuals were Hizbollah members, three of whom “were wounded by Israeli fire near the border”.

Israel’s military confirmed that “a launch was carried out from Lebanese territory and exploded adjacent to the Blue Line in Israeli territory. In response, the IDF… [targeted] the area from which the launch was carried out in Lebanese territory”. The same day, unconfirmed accounts reported an Israeli air strike against targets described as “Iranian advanced arms depots in Damascus”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu affirmed that “we are working without respite against the attempts of Iran and its proxies to open terrorist fronts against us – in Syria, Lebanon, Gaza and in Judea and Samaria. We are also working against Iran’s efforts to develop terrorist cells and capabilities in neighbouring countries, which are not countries in conflict with us. We will not allow Iran to establish itself on our borders. We will not allow it to build precision weapons factories in Lebanon and Syria. And, of course, we will not accept Iran’s intentions to develop a nuclear arsenal. Even if an agreement is signed between the U.S. and Iran regarding the latter’s nuclear program, we will not be bound by this agreement”.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced that “a few days ago, an extensive and precedent-setting operation – to expose a route for financing terror with digital currencies – was wrapped up [by Israel]. This is the first incident of this magnitude, in which an infrastructure led by Hizbollah and the Iranian Quds Force that transferred millions of dollars to be used by terror elements was thwarted”. “This time too”, he added, “there is a clear line behind the terror [financing] moves that originate in Iran. Iran is the financier, trainer and spreader of terrorism against Israel and many countries around the world, both directly and through its proxies at the borders”. Gallant further warned that “whoever finances terror, or maintains a financial relationship with terror operatives, must know that he is a target, just like anyone who directs terrorism”.

The Israeli military confirmed that an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory during what it described as routine activity; Hizbollah claimed credit for downing the drone.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned that “if Hizbollah makes a mistake and starts a war against Israel, we will hit it hard and return Lebanon to the Stone Age”. “I hear our enemies bragging about various weapon developments”, he added. “For anything like that, we have a better answer – in the air, at sea and on land, in the defensive and offensive efforts”.

A Palestinian militant group claimed that an Israeli airstrike had killed five of its members near Lebanon’s border with Syria, adding: “This crime is not isolated from the recent accelerating events on the Lebanese and Syrian fronts, and within the framework of continuous Zionist [ie, Israeli] threats targeting resistance forces inside and outside Palestine”. However, media reports cited unnamed Israeli sources denying involvement, and Lebanese sources indicating that the blast was “caused by mines or rockets detonating as they were being moved”.

The U.S. sanctioned five Syrian entities and individuals for having “secretly helped the Syrian regime under Bashar al-Assad and its Hizbollah and Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Quds Force (IRGC-QF) allies maintain access to the international financial system in violation of international sanctions”.

The IDF reported downing “a drone crossing from Lebanese territory into Israeli territory”, adding that it would “continue to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty”.

IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi assessed that Hizbollah “thinks it understands how we think. This thought brings it to dare and challenge us where it is sure it will not lead to war. I see this as a good way to create surprises if necessary”. He further highlighted that “we have good preparedness in the northern arena. A campaign in the northern arena will be difficult on the home front. We will know how to deal with it, but it will be difficult. It will be seven times harder for Lebanon, and even more so for Hizbollah”. Halevi also discussed Syria and argued: “Iran uses Syria for a potential war zone with Israel… We are not indifferent to this. I would remind Bashar Assad of one very interesting fact in an era where data is being talked about: The countries that clung to Iran became failed states. If he wants to build after the civil war, let him take that to heart”.

A senior IDF official asserted that Hizbollah’s leadership was “close to making a mistake that could plunge the region into a big war. [Hassan Nasrallah] is close to making this mistake from Lebanon or Syria”. Noting bullishness on the part of Syria’s government, he went on to assess that “all this creates a high potential for an escalation in the region and we need to be prepared that our enemies won’t understand the message we’re sending. Let them not be mistaken, we’re ready to use force and we will do whatever is possible and necessary to bring calm”.

Hizbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah, discussing hostilities between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, stated that “we are in constant contact with the Palestinian factions’ commanders. We keep a close eye on the situation… In addition, we offer, within certain limits, feasible assistance. But, I must emphasise, when duty forces specific actions or scenarios on us, we won’t hesitate to take an action”.

The U.S. Justice Department announced the seizure of thirteen Hizbollah-linked domains.

Defence Minister Gallant warned that “over the past six months, Iran has sent aircraft to Syria on a weekly basis, delivering weapons to be used for terrorism. The Syrian regime should be aware that the IDF will respond forcefully to any attacks launched from its territory. We will not allow Iran to establish military power in Syria, or to build a ‘highway’ for the delivery of advanced weapons to Lebanon”.

During a visit to Lebanon, Iran’s foreign minister expressed to the caretaker prime minister “Iran’s support for stability of Lebanon and its support for the Lebanese government, nation, resistance and army”, insisting that “Lebanon’s problems, including the election of its president and the completion of the political process in the country, should be handled and resolved by the Lebanese themselves”. Separately, he conferred with his counterpart on bilateral relations including Iran’s readiness “to work with Lebanon toward solving its energy and electricity crisis”. He also travelled to the Israel-Lebanon border, where he opined that “Lebanon’s resistance proved that the Zionists only understand the language of force and that resistance is the most important option that has brought security, comfort and preservation of territorial integrity to Lebanon”. 

Defence Minister Gallant assessed that “we are facing a new security era in which there may be a real threat to all arenas at the same time. We operated for years under the assumption that limited conflicts could be managed, but that is a phenomenon that is disappearing. Today, there is a noticeable phenomenon of the convergence of the arenas”. “Iran”, he continued, “is the driving force in the convergence of the arenas. It transfers resources, ideology, knowledge and training to its proxies… The increasing dependence [of the proxies] on Iran leads them to step over the boundaries and become more brazen”. Gallant further highlighted that “we continue to systematically damage Iranian assets and capabilities in the region. We will not allow Iran to establish an Iranian army in Syria, we will not allow the Golan Heights to become Lebanon, and we will not allow Syrian territory to be a springboard for advanced weapons heading to Lebanon... In the first quarter of 2023 we doubled the rate of attacks in Syria. We are systematically attacking [Iranian] intelligence and military capabilities”.

The U.S. sanctioned what the Treasury Department described as “a vast international money laundering and sanctions evasion network of 52 individuals and entities... [that] facilitated the payment, shipment and delivery of cash, diamonds, previous gems, art and luxury goods for the benefit of Hizbollah financier and Specially Designated Global Terrorist Nazem Said Ahmad, who was designated on 13 December 2019, for providing material support to Hizbollah”.

Israel’s defence minister asserted that “Iran is waging a multi-front war of attrition against the State of Israel... [and] continuing its attempts to establish itself on the northern front and at the same time sending its proxies to Judea, Samaria and Gaza”. The following day, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen underscored that “the way to change Iranian behaviour is through massive economic and political pressure, in every sector of Iranian interests... [along with a] military threat against it”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu contended that “we hit the Iranians, we attacked Syria, we attacked Hizbollah and Hamas targets in Lebanon... Hamas won’t be allowed to open another front in Lebanon, and I think that message was received”. “We attacked in many different ways, and not everything was visible”, he added.

The Israeli military reported that “three rockets were launched from Syrian territory toward Israel, two of them crossed into Israeli territory”, It subsequently struck “the launchers in Syria from which [the] rockets were launched” using a UAV.

The Israeli military confirmed that at least “34 rockets… were fired from Lebanon into Israel. 25 rockets were intercepted by the IDF Aerial Defence Array, while five landed in Israeli territory. Four additional launches are under review”. Three people were reportedly injured. A military spokesperson said that “Hamas was behind the rocket attack from Lebanon. The Lebanese government is responsible for any attack from its territory. We are checking if there was any Iranian involvement in the rocket attack”. The following day, Israel conducted airstrikes targeting what the military described as “infrastructures belonging to Hamas in southern Lebanon”, asserting: “The IDF will not allow the Hamas terrorist organisation to operate from within Lebanon and hold the state of Lebanon responsible for every directed fire emanating from its territory”. The IDF also downed a drone that had entered Israel from Lebanon.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah remarked that “Hizbollah’s silence [regarding the 13 March explosion at the Megiddo Junction in Israel] is part of the battle with the enemy… I will respond to the enemy’s threats that if Hizbollah was proven to be responsible for the Megiddo operation they will do such and such, by telling tell them: Buzz off”. He further warned Israel that “an attack on Lebanon could trigger a war in the region… The resistance in Lebanon adheres to its commitment and its decision that any attack against any person present on Lebanese territory, whether he is Lebanese, Palestinian or of another nationality, or an attack on a Lebanese region, will not get unanswered”.

The Israeli military announced that “An explosive device was detonated adjacent to the Megiddo Junction [on 13 March], severely injuring an Israeli civilian. During searches in northern Israel, security forces neutralised a terrorist armed with an explosive belt and multiple weapons in a vehicle”. The IDF further stated that “an initial inquiry suggests that the terrorist crossed from Lebanon… The possible involvement of the Hizbollah terrorist army is under review. The assumption is that due to the quick response of security forces, another terrorist attack was prevented”. Defence Minister Gallant warned that “whoever is responsible for the attack will regret it. We’ll find the right place and time and we’ll hit them”.

The U.S. sanctioned six individuals and associated entities for “facilitating financial activities for Hizbollah”. 

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah indicated that “Iran’s fuel offer is still existing, but the U.S. has been preventing Lebanon from accepting it”. He further urged “the U.S. allies in Lebanon to utilise their friendship with Washington and obtain sanctions waiver like the one obtained by Iraq”.

Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian, during a visit to Beirut, met with his Lebanese counterpart and reiterated “Iran’s support for the political process and restoration of stability in Lebanon and non-interference in the country’s internal affairs”. He further expressed “Iran’s readiness to help alleviate the sufferings of the Lebanese people pertaining to the electricity and energy crisis… help[ing] repair the power plants and build new ones in Lebanon”. He also met with other senior Lebanese officials and Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Outgoing IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi maintained that “the scope of [Hizbollah] targets that we have today – as a result of major changes that we did in intelligence – is unprecedented… there are waves of firepower that will strike all of these targets and will cause large and unprecedented damage to Lebanon, including to national infrastructure which supports terror, such as electrical power stations and other infrastructure. Nasrallah knows this, and this is our first and most substantial solution: a strong offensive capability”. He further assessed that “there is no way to know for certain if an attack against Iran will lead Hizbollah to join the fight. It really depends on what the situation is in Lebanon, which is in a state of deterioration. It will depend on what Hizbollah’s situation will be at the time… A third Lebanon war will see a powerful attack that they have never experienced”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu, visiting IDF Northern Command, asserted that “the main enemy that we face is the terrorist regime in Iran and its proxies in Syria and Lebanon. We are determined to fight Iran’s attempts to develop a nuclear arsenal. We are determined to fight any attempt by Iran to entrench militarily in Syria on our northern border. We are determined to fight any attempt by Hizbollah to show aggression against us in Lebanon. Whoever needs a reminder about our red lines on this matter will receive it”. During the same visit, Defence Minister Gallant maintained: “the security establishment will prevent Iran from entrenching in Syria and will sever the channels by which Iranian weaponry is transferred to Lebanon and Hizbollah… In addition to maintaining quiet, we will take strong action against any attempt to attack Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers”.

The Israeli military reported intercepting “a drone crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory… The drone most likely belongs to the Hizbollah terrorist organisation”.

The U.S. sanctioned “two individuals and two companies based in Lebanon for providing financial services to Hizbollah, along with an additional individual involved in facilitating weapons procurement for Hizbollah”. 

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah claimed that the U.S. had “prevented the Lebanese officials from purchasing Iranian fuel oil… [and] obliged Lebanon to reject an Iranian fuel donation as well”. The same day, Iranian ambassador in Beirut blamed “foreign hands” for preventing what he described as Iranian offers to assist with Lebanon’s electricity shortages.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid maintained that the maritime border agreement with Lebanon “preserves the security of communities in the north as well as the freedom of action of the IDF and the Israeli Navy’s control of the area closest to the shoreline... As the Chief of General Staff told the Government, it does not preserve our security, it enhances our security”. “This agreement staves off the possibility of a military clash with Hizbollah”, he continued. “Israel is not afraid of Hizbollah… and if we went out to battle, we would deal them a heavy blow. That being said, if it is possible to prevent war, it is the job of a responsible government to do so”. Lapid further reiterated: “At every step of the way, we made it clear to the Lebanese — that with or without an agreement, Israel will not delay by even a single day, the production [of gas] from the Karish platform, and will not give in to any threat. The Karish field is in our sovereign territory, and an attack on it is an attack on the State of Israel. We will not hesitate for a second to use force to defend our gas field”.

President Biden announced that “after months of mediation by the U.S., the Governments of Israel and Lebanon have agreed to formally end their maritime boundary dispute and establish a permanent maritime boundary between them… The agreement announced by both governments today will provide for the development of energy fields for the benefit of both countries, setting the stage for a more stable and prosperous region and harnessing vital new energy resources for the world”. Prime Minister Lapid’s office indicated that “the draft agreement meets all the security and economic principles laid out by Israel”, while Lebanon’s president asserted: “The final version of the offer is satisfactory for Lebanon and answers its demands and preserves its rights to its national wealth”.

The office of Israel’s defence minister announced that he had “directed the IDF to prepare for a scenario of escalation in the north, both offensively and defensively, given the developments in the [U.S.-mediated Israel-Lebanon] negotiations on the maritime border”. A U.S. official indicated that “we are at a critical stage in the negotiations and the gaps have narrowed. We remain committed to reaching a solution and believe a lasting compromise is possible”.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz contended that “Iran, through Hizbollah, is trying to buy Lebanon by supplying fuel, repairing the electricity system and building power plants… Lebanon’s energy dependence on Iran may eventually lead to the establishment of Iranian bases on Lebanese soil and the destabilisation of the region”. The same day, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi asserted: “Hizbollah has recently been increasing its negative activities, in a way that creates an ever-increasing risk of escalation, and tries to endanger Israel, but in practice also Lebanon and its citizens”.

Israel’s prime minister office, referring to U.S.-mediated maritime talks with Lebanon, stated that “it is both possible and necessary to reach an agreement... Such an agreement will be greatly beneficial and strengthen regional stability”. A spokesperson further underlined: “The production of gas from the Karish rig is not connected to these negotiations, and the production of gas from the rig will commence without delay, as soon as it is possible”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that “we won’t allow the Israeli enemy to extract oil and gas from Karish before restoring Lebanon’s legitimate rights… Hizbollah’s red line is the start of the Israeli extraction of gas in Karish”.

Israel’s defence minister addressed the maritime talks with Lebanon, saying “Israel is ready to reach a deal that will assist both countries economically and energy-wise. I believe there will be two gas rigs in the sea, one on the Israeli side and one on the Lebanese side”. He also warned that if Hizbollah’s leadership “wants to try and harm and to complicate this process, he is welcome to do so, the price is Lebanon… I hope for his sake that we won’t do this”. Relatedly, National Security Advisor Eyal Hulata asserted: “Israel wants a stable Lebanon. We want to weaken Hizbollah’s influence… We hope that the Lebanese leaedership will also work to reach an agreement and will not allow Hizbollah to increase instability. We are not deterred by Nasrallah’s threats”.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid asserted that “Israel is working to prevent Iran from establishing terrorist bases throughout the Middle East and especially in Syria… Israel will not allow Syria to be used as an axis for the transfer of weapons to terrorist organisations, and will not accept the establishment of Iranian bases or militia bases on our northern border”. The following day, Defence Minister Benny Gantz posited that Iran had built “production facilities [in Syria] for mid- and long-range precise missiles and weapons, provided to Hizbollah and Iranian proxies. In other words, it became yet another Iranian front – a factory for advanced, strategic weapons”. “These sites, particularly the underground facility at Masyaf”, Gantz added, “host significant threats to the region and to the State of Israel… Masyaf, specifically, is used to produce advanced missiles”. He also said, “the Iranians are currently working to build missile and weapon industries in Lebanon and Yemen… If this trend will not be stopped, within a decade, there will be advanced Iranian industries across the region, producing weapons and spreading terror”.

Israel’s defence minister warned that a Hizbollah attack against maritime gas facilities “could trigger a reaction… leading to several days of fighting and to a military campaign. We are strong and prepared for this scenario, but we don’t want it”.

Referring to U.S.-mediated maritime talks between Lebanon and Israel, Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned that “whether a nuclear deal with Iran is signed or not, if the U.S. mediator does not give Lebanon what it asked for in terms of its rights, we are heading towards an escalation”. 

IRGC Commander Hossein Salami indicated that “in Lebanon, tens of thousands, even more than one hundred thousand missiles, are ready to be fired to create a hell for the Zionists [ie, Israel] at the moment of making the divine predestination happen”. On 7 August, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel against any “miscalculation towards Lebanon”, adding: “It should not expect at all that the resistance will stand idly by in the face of a certain aggression or a certain infringement on our rights”.

Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson remarked that “we are more than ready to provide fuel to Beirut, provided an official request is made to us”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, referring to U.S.-mediated maritime negotiations, asserted that “when things reach a dead-end… we will reach Karish [maritime gas field], beyond Karish, and beyond, beyond Karish”, claiming: “The Americans distracted Lebanon with negotiations while Israel explored for gas and is preparing to extract it. The U.S. pressured the Lebanese state into agreeing to… the Israeli proposal for the maritime borders”. Nasrallah further warned that “no Israeli targets in the sea or land [are] out of the reach of the resistance’s precision missiles… If the extraction of oil and gas starts in September before Lebanon retains its rights, we are heading toward a confrontation”. Nasrallah also referred to “Hizbollah’s readiness to provide Iranian fuel to Lebanese power plants for free… Sadly, the Lebanese political class is not bold enough to take such a step out of fear of U.S. sanctions”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, discussing Karish maritime gas field, warned that “there will be no oil extraction across the Israeli entity if Lebanon does not obtain its rights… We might be heading to a war and we might not be. It is not our desire to open a front. We only want our rights and we’re escalating our rhetoric so that the Americans and Israelis submit, because the course of the collapse in Lebanon is continuing”.

Prime Minister Yair Lapid maintained that “Israel is interested in Lebanon being a stable and prosperous neighbour that is neither a platform for Hizbollah terrorism nor an Iranian tool… While we have no interest in escalation, Hizbollah’s aggression is unacceptable and is liable to lead the entire region into an unnecessary escalation, just when there is a genuine opportunity for Lebanon to develop its energy resources”. “Israel is taking action against all of Iran’s proxies in the region and beyond, and will continue to do so”, Lapid added. “Iran is the largest exporter of terrorism in the world. We will act on our own and in tandem with other countries in the region to prevent Iran from undermining regional stability”. The Prime Minister also flew over the Karish natural gas field and posited: “Israel’s natural gas reserves have the potential to contribute toward a solution for the global energy crisis. Lebanon could also benefit from developing the reserves in its economic waters, through negotiations, which should be concluded forthwith”.

The Israeli military reported downing a UAV “that likely belongs to the Hizbollah terrorist army [and] crossed from Lebanon into Israel”.

Marking the anniversaries of Hizbollah attacks against a Jewish community centre in Argentina in 1994 and Israeli tourists in Bulgaria in 2012, the U.S. referred to the attacks as “a clear example of Iran’s support of international terrorism” and reiterated its determination “to countering Hizbollah and Iran’s malign influence. The funding, training, weapons and other support Iran provides Hizbollah support complex and heinous terrorist attacks like these. The callous murder of civilians must not stand”. The State Department went on to note: “With our support, more than a dozen countries… have issued national level designations, bans or other restrictions against Hizballah. We urge more countries to take similar measures, which make it harder for the group and its backers in Tehran to threaten peace and security around the globe”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asserted that their 2 July drone operation over Karish maritime gas field was “a modest beginning to where the situation could be heading… The message of the drones meant that we are serious and we are not after a psychological war… Whatever we are supposed to do, we will without any hesitation. This message was understood by the Israelis and by the Americans”. “Whether our message was understood in Lebanon or not, we don’t care about that. What is important for us is that the enemy gets the message”, he added. He went on to warn that should the U.S. not “give us our rights that are demanded by the state and if you don’t allow companies to extract [oil] God knows what we will do. We will turn over the table in the face of the world”.

Prime Minister Lapid noted that “there have been repeated attacks on Israeli gas rigs. Israel will not agree to this type of attacks on its sovereignty and everyone who does so must know they are taking an unnecessary risk to their well-being. The Government of Lebanon needs to restrain Hizbollah in the face of such attacks or we will be compelled to do so”. The same day, Defence Minister Benny Gantz contended that the 2 July incident aimed to “disrupt the negotiations that are taking place on the maritime border between Israel and Lebanon”, and called it “an attack on Lebanese citizens… [that] shows Hizbollah is an extension of the Ayatollah’s regime – operating to destabilise the region and to cause miscalculations”. On 6 July, the Israeli military reported that in late June it had intercepted “a drone belonging to Hizbollah which was heading from Lebanon towards Israel’s territorial waters… The drone was dropped a far distance from the maritime border, without posing a threat or danger to Israel”.

The Israeli military announced that it had “intercepted three hostile UAVs from Lebanon which approached the airspace over Israel’s economic waters… An initial inquiry suggests that the UAVs did not pose any imminent threat”. Hizbollah claimed that its drones had conducted “reconnaissance” operations “over Karish maritime gas filed in the disputable zone”, adding: “The mission was completed and the messages were delivered”. The following day, Prime Minister Lapid contended that “Hizbollah is continuing on the path of terrorism and is hurting Lebanon’s ability to reach an agreement on a maritime border. Israel will continue to defend itself, its citizens and its assets”.

The U.S. and other participants of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG) convened for a two-day meeting discussing “Hizbollah’s ongoing global terrorist plotting, weapons procurement and financial schemes, and outlined how Hizbollah may adapt in the future to evade law enforcement detection”. Members also conferred on “how law enforcement or financial tools can be used to disrupt Hizbollah terrorist and criminal activities, and associated networks”.

Israel’s defence minister disclosed what he described as “recent malign activities conducted by Iranian security institutions in cooperation with Hizbollah”, asserting: “They launched a cyber operation with the aim of stealing materials about UNIFIL [UN Interim Force in Lebanon] activities and deployments in the area, for Hizbollah’s use. This is yet another direct attack by Iran and Hizbollah on Lebanese citizens and Lebanon’s stability”. In a statement, UNIFIL indicated that it had “not received any direct information on the alleged incident”. Gantz further asserted that IRGC-linked units had “tried to carry out operation against international, including charities and government networks in the U.S.”, and additionally noted “research to damage ships, gas stations and industrial plants in several Western countries… under the direct instructions of Iran’s leadership”.

Najib Mikati was appointed to form a new Lebanese government.

The U.S., Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and four other members of the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC) announced sanctions designations against three individuals for being “part of two networks directed by and providing financial support to the IRGC-QF and its terrorist proxy Hizbollah”, and “two terrorist groups affiliated with the IRGC” active primarily in Bahrain. The designees had been previously sanctioned by the U.S.

Microsoft announced that it had “successfully detected and disabled attack activity abusing OneDrive by a previously undocumented Lebanon-based activity group”, evaluating “with moderate confidence that the observed activity was coordinated with other actors affiliated with Iran’s Ministry of Intelligence and Security (MOIS)”. “Such collaboration or direction from Tehran”, the company added, “would align with a string of revelations since late 2020 that the Government of Iran is using third parties to carry out cyber operations on their behalf, likely to enhance Iran’s plausible deniability”. Microsoft further revealed that “since February 2022, POLONIUM has been observed primarily targeting organisations in Israel with a focus on critical manufacturing, IT and Israel’s defence industry”.

The Israeli military indicated that it had “no concern of leaked information” after a crashed IDF drone was reportedly recovered by Lebanese forces. 

The U.S. designated “an international oil smuggling and money laundering network led by Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Quds Force (IRGC-QF) officials that has facilitated the sale of hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil for both the IRGC-QF and Hizbollah. This oil smuggling network… backed by senior levels of the Russian Federation government and state-run economic organs, has acted as a critical element of Iran’s oil revenue generation, as well as its support for proxy militant groups”. The State Department asserted that “while the U.S. continues to seek a mutual return to full implementation of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), we will strictly enforce sanctions on Iran’s illicit oil trade. We will not hesitate to target those who provide critical support for the IRGC or Hizbollah and facilitate their access to the international financial system. We work vigorously to counter sanctions evasion and continue to strictly enforce sanctions on Iran’s illicit oil trade. Anyone purchasing oil from Iran faces the prospect of U.S. sanctions”. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson described the move as a “sign of the U.S. government’s ill will toward the Iranian people and an extension of the disastrous ‘maximum pressure’ policy”, adding: “Iran reserves the right to counteract such measures in a proportionate and firm manner in accordance with the principles of international law”.

The IDF announced that Israeli military officials had met with Lebanese and UN officials the previous day, and “highlighted the increase of hostile forces and illegal weapons along the Blue Line”.

The U.S. designated “a Lebanese businessman and Hizbollah financial facilitator, as well as five of his associates and eight of his companies in Lebanon and Iraq”. One of the designees, according to the Treasury Department, was engaged in “the import of Iranian oil on behalf of Hizbollah”, and another, in “the import and export of food products from Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Syria and Iraq”. The State Department asserted that “we continue to counter Hizbollah’s exploitation of businesses to fund its terrorist activities and its efforts to destabilise Lebanon and the wider region”.

Israel’s military reported downing “a Hizbollah drone [that had] crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace”.

Visiting Northern Command, Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “Israel will continue to act against any enemy that threatens it, and prevent the transfer of advanced capabilities from Iran that endanger the citizens of Israel and harm the stability of the entire region”. He further described the objective of a month-long military exercise as “preparing for various scenarios against our enemies in the various theaters, and against Hizbollah and Hamas, which also operates from Lebanon”.

Israel announced the arrest of “three suspects who approached the northern border between Israel and Lebanon in a weapon smuggling attempt”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah indicated that “Hizbollah has raised its military alert” in light of the start of a month-long Israeli drill. He also warned that “if Israel prevents Lebanon from investing its offshore gas resources, Hizbollah will prevent the Zionists from carrying out similar projects”, adding: “Lebanon’s socioeconomic crisis is severe to the extent that the only way to cope with it is extracting the offshore gas… Hizbollah protects Lebanon’s offshore resources from Israeli infringement”.

Marking Quds Day, Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, referring to upcoming Israeli military drills, cautioned that “any Israeli folly will be met by harsh response. In such case… [Israel] will not hear ‘we reserve right to respond in the appropriate time and place’. We will retaliate at once”. Nasrallah also claimed that “Iran informed normalising countries that any aggression against Iran from these countries will be responded to, and this message has made it to [Israel]… Iran could strike Israel directly, and its preludes are becoming greater by the day”.

Israel’s military reported that “a projectile was launched from Lebanon into northern Israel… [falling] in an open area”, in response to which IDF Artillery forces targeted “the source of the launch”. An Israeli military spokesperson assessed that the attack was “linked to the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the riots on the Temple Mount”, and said Israel’s reaction aimed “to make clear to all who are on the other side, whether it is Palestinian factions, Hamas, the government of Lebanon or Hizbollah that we won’t allow Israeli sovereignty to be violated”. Relatedly, Defence Minister Benny Gantz called upon “the Lebanese government [to] take responsibility for what happens on its territory”, warning: “If terrorism and violence continue, we will know to use the necessary force against the right targets”. The same day, the IDF reported firing warning shots as two individuals “attempting to smuggle two weapons and approximately 100 grenades into Israel” from Lebanon were spotted at the Blue Line.

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi assessed that Israeli strikes “had a decisive impact on preventing the entrenchment of Iranian forces in Syria, on preventing the establishment of Hizbollah forces in the southern Golan Heights, on preventing enemy intensification with advanced weapons systems, and on the direct and immediate thwarting of threats to infiltrate Israel”.

During a visit to Lebanon, Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian underscored that “we are ready to continue our support and important trade and economic cooperation with Lebanon”. He further noted that Iran had expressed “readiness to establish two 1,000-megawatt power stations in Lebanon”, adding: “We have made other proposals to work with Lebanon to overcome the current difficult economic situation”. The following day, Amirabdollahian again emphasised Iran’s willingness to fulfil Lebanon’s “energy needs, including in the fields of electricity and gas”.

The U.S. sanctioned “two key Hizbollah financiers operating in Guinea” with the Treasury Department saying “this action is aimed at disrupting Hizbollah’s business network in West Africa”. The State Department contended that “Hizbollah has developed a global network of financiers, supporters, donors and facilitators, enabling the group to constantly threaten the security, stability and prosperity of Lebanon and the broader region… The U.S. will continue to expose individuals such as those designated today who support Hizbollah’s destabilising activities”.

The Israeli military reported that “a radio-controlled aircraft crossed into Israel from Lebanon. Sirens were sounded and aerial defense systems were activated. After a few minutes, radar contact was lost with the aircraft”. Hizbollah stated that it had dispatched the drone, which “returned safely despite all the Israeli measures and attempts to shoot it down”.

The Israeli military reported intercepting “a Hizbollah drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace”, and in a second incident downed a drone launched by Hamas in Gaza.  

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah remarked that “we now possess the ability to transform our thousands of rockets into precision-guided missiles… We started that years ago and converted a large number of our missiles into precision-guided ones, so we do not need to bring them from Iran”. “We have been producing drones in Lebanon for a long time”, he added. Nasrallah further noted that Israel “tries throughout its aggression in Syria to prevent the reach of precision-guided weapons to the resistance in Lebanon. I tell the Israelis that what they call a ‘battle between wars’ has turned the threat into an opportunity for the resistance”.

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah asserted that “Iran itself, not its allies, will respond forcefully to any Israeli attack”.

Israel sanctioned “three Lebanese companies that Israel accuses of supplying materials to advance Hizbollah’s efforts to manufacture precision missiles”. Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “Hizbollah is endangering the citizens of Lebanon and the State of Lebanon. We will continue to offer humanitarian assistance to the citizens while acting resolutely in the face of the Iranian precision [missile] project operating from the heart of Lebanon”.

Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “Lebanon has unfortunately become an island of instability, and the citizens of Lebanon are not our enemies. Therefore, I offered four times this year to assist Lebanon, including last week in an application sent to the UNIFIL commander”. He further indicated that the offer had been made “in a targeted manner” to the Lebanese Armed Forces, which he argued was threatened by “the strengthening of Hizbollah with the direct support of Iran”.

A U.S. diplomatic spokesperson confirmed that the Biden administration had “notified Congress of the intent to provide additional support for the Lebanese Armed Forces”, adding: “We want to ensure that the Lebanese Armed Forces is able to carry out its duties and functions, including the ability to defend Lebanon’s territorial integrity, provide internal security and preserve stability”.

The U.S. sanctioned a “Hizbollah-affliated financial facilitator... as well as members of an international network of facilitators and companies connected to him”. The designees were linked to other individuals blacklisted three days earlier. The State Department asserted that “the sanctions evasion efforts of those designated today are a stark example of how Hizbollah abuses the international financial system to fund its acts of terrorism and illicit activities. The U.S. is committed to disrupting Hizbollah’s illicit activity, including attempts to evade sanctions through business networks”.

The U.S. blacklisted “three Hizbollah-linked financial facilitators and their Lebanon-based travel company”, asserting that “through businessmen like those designated today, Hizbollah gains access to material and financial support… to fund its acts of terrorism and attempts to destabilise Lebanon’s political institutions”. In a statement on the sanctions announcement, Secretary of State Antony Blinken asserted that “it is clear Hizbollah and its associates are more concerned with advancing their own interests and those of their patron, Iran, than the best interests of the Lebanese people”.

The Israeli military reported downing “a Hizbollah drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israel”, adding: “the IDF will continue to operate against any attempt by terrorists to violate Israeli sovereignty”.

The Saudi-led coalition presented what it described as evidence of Hizbollah training Huthi forces, with a spokesperson asserting: “The terrorist organisation Hizbollah… bears the responsibility for targeting civilians in Saudi Arabia and Yemen”. “The Iranian regime sponsors its proxies in the region to carry out destruction and devastation”, he added, further stating that “the Huthis do not have the ability to make the decision to be part of the political solution in Yemen”.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan assessed that “since Donald Trump made the decision to pull the U.S. out of the Iran Nuclear Deal in 2018, Hizbollah has continued to menace Lebanon and the region. Iran’s proxies in Iraq and Syria and Yemen have continued to move forward. So, not being in the nuclear deal has hardly been a solution to the proxy”. He further asserted that “nothing about the nuclear deal stops the U.S.’s capacity to deal with those proxies. And we are prepared to do so”, adding: “ultimately, an Iran with a nuclear weapon is going to be a greater menace in partnerships with its proxies than Iran without one. And so it is our determination to ensure they never get a nuclear weapon, and diplomacy is the best way forward”.

On the sideline of a military drill in northern Israel, Prime Minister Naftali Bennett asserted that “we are surrounded by security challenges and the goal is to utilise periods of relative quiet to build up strength”, adding: “we are dealing with Iran and its proxies, in Lebanon and Syria. It does not matter what occurs between Iran and the major powers. We are concerned by the fact that there is not enough firmness in the face of the Iranian violations; Israel will defend itself, by itself”. Speaking alongside Bennett, Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “the world needs to take action against Iran, and Israel needs to continue to do what it needs to on all fronts in general, and on the northern front in particular”.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz maintained that “on an operational level, we are acting extensively. We won’t allow Hizbollah and other Iranian proxies in the area to be equipped with weaponry that will harm Israel’s [military] superiority in the region”. Relatedly, IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi, told Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee that “the IDF will continue to act to remove threats and will respond forcefully to any violation of [Israeli] sovereignty, in Gaza or in the north”, adding: “[the army] is accelerating operational planning and preparedness to deal with Iran and the military nuclear threat”.

Discussing a diplomatic rupture between Riyadh and Beirut, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan remarked that “dealing with Lebanon and its current government is not productive and not helpful with Hizbollah’s continuing dominance of the political scene”. “Engagement [with Lebanon] at this point is not productive or useful. And it’s not really in our interest”, Farhan added. “The political scene in Lebanon continues to be dominated by Hizbollah, a terrorist group, a group that by the way, arms and supplies and trains that Huthi militia”. Subsequently, Lebanon’s foreign minister underscored that “If they just want Hizbollah’s head on a plate, we can’t give them that… Hizbollah is a component of politics in Lebanon. It has a regional armed dimension, yes, but this is beyond what we can resolve”.

The U.S. designated “two Lebanese businessmen and a member of Parliament whose actions”, according to the Treasury Department, “have contributed to the breakdown of good governance and the rule of law in Lebanon”. 

A senior U.S. diplomat announced that Washington was providing “an additional $67m in new U.S. support for the Lebanese Army”. She also contended that “what Iran is offering here on the energy front is a publicity stunt. A bunch of trucks full of dirty stuff that is not sustainable for the Lebanese people. What we are working on are short, medium and longer-term solutions to the energy issues that have long plagued this country, that are particularly acute now, and then onward toward clean energy in the future”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah urged the Lebanese “government to seek a waiver of sanctions in order to import fuel from Iran” and “respond to the latest offer made by the Iranian Foreign Minister to solve the electricity problem in Lebanon [by constructing power plant]”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian visited Beirut and met with senior Lebanese officials. He expressed Iran’s “steadfast support for Lebanon and its readiness to provide Beirut with full support in the areas it requires, especially in the difficult economic conditions it is going through”, while voicing Iran’s willingness “to play an active role in development plans in Lebanon, particularly in power plant projects”.

Addressing reports that a third Iranian tanker carrying fuel to Lebanon had arrived in Syria, a U.S. diplomatic spokesperson indicated that “we are aware of that… broadly speaking, fuel from a country subject to extensive sanctions like Iran is not very clearly a sustainable solution to Lebanon’s energy crisis”. He further underscored that “we support efforts to find transparent and sustainable energy solutions that will address Lebanon’s acute energy and fuel shortages. This is, in our minds, Hizbollah playing a public relations game, not engaged in constructive problem solving”. The following day, during a visit to Beirut, Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian affirmed that “at any point in time if the Lebanese government asks Iran formally within the context of their brotherly ties... Iran is ready to send fuel products”.

The Israeli military confirmed that “during routine activity, an IDF drone fell within Lebanese territory. The incident is being investigated”. Hizbollah issued a statement claiming that it had downed the UAV using “suitable weaponry”.

The U.S. and Qatar sanctioned “a major Hizballah financial network based in the Arabian Peninsula”. Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the designations as “one of the most significant joint actions we have taken with a Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) partner to date”, adding: “Hizbollah seeks to abuse the international financial system by utilising global networks of financiers and front companies to support its malign activity. The U.S. will continue to cooperate with partners… to protect the U.S. and international financial systems from terrorist abuse”.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett told the UN General Assembly that “Israel is, quite literally, surrounded by Hizbollah, Shiite militias, Islamic Jihad and Hamas... And they’re all backed by Iran. They get their funding from Iran, they get their training from Iran, and they get their weapons from Iran”. Bennett also said that “just this year, Iran made operational a new deadly terror unit — swarms of killer UAVs armed with lethal weapons that can attack any place any time… Iran plans to arm its proxies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon with hundreds and then thousands of these deadly drones”.

Hizbollah reported that “the second ship delivering diesel oil from the Islamic Republic [of Iran] docked in [Syria’s] Banias Port”.

A senior U.S. intelligence official assessed that “Lebanese Hizbollah maintains a high threshold for conducting attacks in the Homeland”, adding: “Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah balances his organisation’s view of the U.S. as one of its primary adversaries against the likelihood of U.S. retaliation if the group decided to conduct an attack”. Relatedly, FBI Director Christopher Wray indicated that “Hizbollah also continues to conduct intelligence collection, financial activities and procurement efforts to support its terrorist capabilities… the Government of Iran and Hizbollah each seek to establish infrastructure here, potentially for the purpose of conducting operational or contingency planning”.

Media reports indicated that a” convoy of diesel tankers brought by Hizbollah from Iran crossed the Syrian border towards Lebanon”.

The U.S. designated “Lebanon- and Kuwait-based members of a financial network that funds Hizbollah, as well as members of an international network of financial facilitators and front companies that operate in support of Hizbollah and Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force (IRGC-QF)”. According to the State Department, “together, these networks have laundered tens of millions of dollars through regional financial systems and conducted currency exchange operations and trade in gold and electronics for the benefit of both Hizbollah and the IRGC-QF”. Asserting that “Hizbollah uses revenues generated by these networks to fund terrorist activities and to perpetuate instability in Lebanon and throughout the region”, Washington warned that it would “not relent in targeting these networks, and we will continue to take actions to disrupt their activities”.

Hizbollah’s media hailed “breaking the U.S. blockade” after four convoys bearing Iranian fuel arrived in Lebanon via Syria.  

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah reported that “the first fuel ship, which the Party [ie, Hizbollah] decided to import from Iran, arrived in [Syria’s] Banias seaport… [and] finished unloading”. “The truck tankers transferring the diesel load will enter Lebanon” within days, he added, going on to assert that “some political sides wished Israel could have struck the ship and banned its arrival… the Resistance could have engaged in a naval confrontation with the Zionist enemy had this happened”.

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid contended that “there won’t be stability in Syria, or in the wider Middle East, while there is an Iranian presence… [Israel] will not sit quietly by while Iran builds terror bases on our northern border or while Iran supplies advanced weapons to terror organisations”.

IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi maintained that “a significant chunk of the boost to the defence budget” related to “greatly accelerated” planning for operations targeting Iran’s nuclear program, adding: “It’s a very complicated job, with much more intelligence, much more operational capabilities, much more armaments. We’re working on all these things”. He also indicated that the Israeli military’s priority was “minimising Iranian presence in the Middle East, with an emphasis on Syria. But these operations take place throughout the Middle East. They’re also against Hamas, against Hizbollah”. “[Israeli strikes] greatly diminished Iran’s presence and weaponry in the northern arena, certainly in comparison to what they sought”, Kohavi asserted, also noting that the IDF had been “very active in disrupting the smuggling routes of Hizbollah, of Hamas, of Iran, in all regions”.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amirabdollahian indicated that “if the government and businessmen of Lebanon need more oil, Iran is ready to sell and send it…there is no limitation for expansion of bilateral ties”.

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah revealed that “we have agreed to start loading a third vessel” of Iranian fuel, adding that “coming days will prove those doubtful about the shipments arriving with fuel wrong”. He also called on the U.S. to “go ahead and give Lebanon an exemption for Iranian gasoline”. In 1 September remarks, Lebanon’s caretaker energy minister indicated that “we did not receive a request for permission” for Iranian fuel imports.

A senior U.S. official noted that “the Israelis are quite concerned in terms of the precision-guided missile technology transfer piece to Hizbollah. And we’re quite con-cerned about that, but also quite concerned about the real potential for state collapse if... the Lebanese political elites do not get their act together, essentially, and form a new government”. 

Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson asserted that “we sell oil according to our own decisions and upon the announcement of demand from our friends… We express readiness to sell fuel to the Lebanese government if it is also willing, in addition to the fuel that has been purchased by the Shiite business people of Lebanon”. Asked about Iranian oil exports to Lebanon, a U.S. official maintained: “All of the sanctions that are in place on Iran remain in place. When it comes to petroleum, when it comes to oil, that has not changed”.

Referring to a first expected shipment of Iranian fuel to Lebanon, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned the U.S. and Israel against any attack on the consignment, which he characterised as “Lebanese territory”. The same day, the U.S. ambassador to Lebanon was cited as saying that “Lebanon didn’t need any Iranian tankers”.

The Israeli military revealed that the previous day, “a Hizbollah drone crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace… Our troops monitored and successfully downed the drone”. “We will continue to operate in order to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty”, the IDF added.

The Israeli military revealed that the previous day, “a Hizbollah drone crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace… Our troops monitored and successfully downed the drone”. “We will continue to operate in order to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty”, the IDF added.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “the crisis in Lebanon is devastating. The State of Israel calls on the international community to aid Lebanon. We are also willing to provide assistance. However, we will not let the tragedy in Lebanon cross the border into Israel”. He further noted that “we are well aware of Hizbollah’s attempts to exploit the situation at the expense of the safety and livelihoods of Lebanese citizens – under the direct influence of Iran”. Gantz went on to say that “Iran is the greatest threat to global and regional peace. Israel will not stand by while Iran advances its nuclear program… This is the time for joint action”.

The U.S. announced that it had “applied the measures authorised in Section 3 of the Iran, North Korea and Syria Nonproliferation Act” against, inter alia, Kataeb Hizbollah, Asaeb Ahl al-Haq and Lebanese Hizbollah.

The Israeli military reported that Hizbollah had fired nineteen rockets toward Israel, of which ten were intercepted and six impacted in open areas; the other three landed in Lebanese territory. In response, the IDF struck “the rocket launch sites in Lebanon”, and warned that “we will not tolerate any aggression against Israeli civilians”. The U.S. condemned Hizbollah’s attack “in the strongest terms”, and called on “the Lebanese government urgently to prevent such attacks and bring the area under its control”. Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah subsequently maintained that “our response was linked to the Israeli strikes that occurred in south Lebanon for the first time in fifteen years”, adding: “We wanted to tell the enemy… that any air strike by the Israeli air force on Lebanon will inevitably draw a response, though in a suitable and proportionate way”. “We are not looking for war and we do not want to head towards war, but we are ready for it”, Nasrallah added. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett remarked that “even during the severe economic and political crisis in Lebanon, Iran and Hizbollah are entangling the citizens of Lebanon in a front against Israel. Lebanon and its army must take responsibility for what is happening in their backyard… The State of Israel will not accept firing at its territory”.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz contended that “Iran seeks to pose a multi-front challenge to Israel, as such [it] is building up its forces in Lebanon and Gaza, deploying militias in Syria and Iraq and maintaining its supporters in Yemen. Iran is a global and regional problem and an Israeli challenge”. “We need to continue to develop our abilities to cope with multiple fronts, for this is the future”, he added, while noting: “We know that when the Islamic Jihad faction in Gaza launches attacks against Israel, they do so with the support and urging of the Islamic Republic”. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson subsequently warned that “any stupid action against Iran will meet a decisive response”.

The Israeli military reported that “three rockets were… fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel. Two rockets landed in Israel”. In response, the IDF conducted artillery strikes against “targets along the Lebanese border”, and underscored that “the Lebanese government is responsible for all attacks from Lebanon”. Defence Minister Benny Gantz subsequently maintained that “our actions overnight were meant to send a clear message that we will not accept such attacks. I hope we are not forced into further action”. “Lebanon is in a state of chaos caused in a large extend by the Hizbollah terror group”, he added.

Syrian state media reported Israeli airstrikes near Aleppo. The Israeli army subsequently confirmed that “two rockets were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel”, which was followed by Israeli artillery fire into Lebanon. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett warned that “we will not allow harm to Israel’s sovereignty and security. Whoever tries to harm us will pay a painful price”. He further contended that “Lebanon is on the verge of collapse, like any country in which Iran bases itself… Its citizens were taken hostage by Khamenei and Nasrallah for the sake of Iranian interests”. “This is unfortunate, but we will not accept a spillover of the situation in Lebanon into Israel”, he added.

The Israeli military announced that “during routine activities, an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory due to a technical malfunction”.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken characterised Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri’s decision to step down as a “disappointing development for the Lebanese people”. “The Lebanese economy is in free-fall, and the current government is not providing basic services in a reliable fashion”, Blinken asserted. “Leaders in Beirut must urgently put aside partisan differences and form a government that serves the Lebanese people”.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett contended that “Lebanon is on the verge of — or even I’d say in the midst of — a collapse, like every country that Iran takes over and establishes itself within… We have a joint enemy with the citizens of Lebanon: Iran and Hizbollah”. Bennett also emphasised: “We will not allow any country or terrorist organisation to threaten the State of Israel, its security, its sovereignty or its people”.

The Israeli military announced that it had “thwarted the largest smuggling attempt in the last few years on the Lebanon-Israel border”, adding: “We are examining the possibility of Hizbollah’s involvement”.

Israel’s defence minister announced that “in light of the dire economic situation in Lebanon, and considering Hizbollah’s attempts to deepen Iranian investments in the country, I have contacted UNIFIL via the IDF’s liaison officials and discussed a proposal to transfer humanitarian aid to Lebanon”. “Israel has offered assistance to Lebanon in the past”, he noted, “and even today we are ready to act, and to encourage others countries to extend helping hand to Lebanon so that it will once again flourish and to emerge from its state of crisis”.

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah asserted that “if we have to go to Iran to get gasoline and fuel oil [to address the shortage], we will, even if it causes a problem”, adding: “Everything is ready....all we need is permission to move”. The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon subsequently contended that “if you get rid of the rampant corruption in the energy and electricity sectors, half of the problem will be solved immediately… what Iran is looking for is some kind of satellite state that they can exploit to pursue their agenda”. Iran’s embassy reacted by saying: “The arrival of Iranian oil tankers in Beirut does not require an understanding with the U.S. ambassador. She should not interfere in the fraternal and brotherly relations between the two countries”.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “we wish for peace and calm, but we are willing to use our full capabilities should we be required on any front, including the Lebanese front. Attempts to sabotage the quiet on our borders have not gone unnoticed, and we are opening our eyes and acting routinely, and we are prepared for extensive activities even in an emergency”. President Rivlin, too, indicated that “we know the threat is still grave... We are aware of Hizbollah’s attempts to continue to grow stronger with Iranian support and arm itself with weapons whose only purpose is to harm the State of Israel’s Homefront”. He further reiterated that “Israel will not allow Iran to establish itself in Lebanon. The State of Israel will not allow Iran to send its satellite states here, to the Middle East”.

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah described Lebanon’s fuel crisis as “humiliating, adding that government can address this predicament by one courageous decision – importing fuel from Iran”. “If the Lebanese government fails to address the fuel crisis, Hizbollah will purchase fuel from Iran”, he indicated.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz cautioned that “if an attack comes from the north, Lebanon will tremble… the houses in which weapons and terrorist operatives are being hidden will become rubble. Our list of targets for Lebanon is bigger and more significant than the one for Gaza, and the bill is ready to be settled if necessary”. Gantz’s remarks came after Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had warned of “a regional war” in case of any assault on Jerusalem or any Muslim holy sites.

An official from Yemen’s internationally recognised government reported that a senior Hizbollah commander had been “killed in an air strike launched by coalition aircraft on sites controlled by the Huthi militia”, adding: “His killing reflects the level of the Iranian involvement in military escalation waged by the Huthi militia on various Marib fronts”.

U.S. and Lebanese officials convened an “inaugural Defence Resourcing Conference”. The two sides underscored “the strength of the U.S.-LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces] partnership and discussed ways to deepen security cooperation”, and the State Department “renewed its commitment to the LAF by announcing $120 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) assistance to Lebanon for fiscal year 2021, subject to Congressional notification procedures”.

The Israeli military reported that “four rockets were… fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, one of which was intercepted by the Iron Dome. In response, IDF artillery forces are striking a number of targets in Lebanon”. “We are prepared for any scenario on any front”, the IDF added.

The Israeli military indicated that “six rockets were… fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel, all of which fell inside Lebanon. In response, our artillery forces fired toward the sources of the launches”. An Israeli military spokesperson was cited as saying that “a small Palestinian faction… was responsible”. The following day, the IDF reported intercepting “a UAV [which had] approached the Israeli border near the Jordan Valley”.

The Israeli military reported that “IDF tanks fired warning shots toward a number of rioters who crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory. The suspects sabotaged the fence and set a fire in the area before returning to Lebanese territory”. Media reports noted one Lebanese fatality who was identified as a Hizbollah member, and President Aoun “strongly condemned the crime committed by Israeli forces”. Later in the day, the IDF indicated that “three rockets were... fired from Syria toward Israel, one of which fell in Syria”. 

The Israeli military reported that “three rockets were fired from Lebanon into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of northern Israel”.

The U.S. sanctioned “seven individuals in connection with Hizbollah and its financial firm, Al-Qard al-Hassan (AQAH). AQAH, which was designated by OFAC in 2007, is used by Hizbollah as a cover to manage the terrorist group’s financial activities and gain access to the international financial system”.

The Israeli military reported downing “a Hizbollah drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israel… In addition, we located another Hizbollah drone that we downed a few weeks ago”. “We will continue to operate in order to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty”, the IDF asserted.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz affirmed that the IDF “is ideally prepared along the northern border and definitely on the Lebanese front”, adding: “We are aware of Hizbollah’s attempts to challenge us in new ways… We will deal with any threat. If Hizbollah challenges the IDF and the State of Israel, it will suffer very, very heavy consequences and I hope they don’t do that”.

A senior U.S. diplomat met with senior Lebanese officials and reaffirmed “America’s continued support for the Lebanese people”, while urging “all parties to demonstrate flexibility and form a government that is willing and capable of implementing overdue economic and governance reforms”. He also expressed U.S. “readiness to facilitate negotiations between Lebanon and Israel on the countries’ maritime boundaries”.

The U.S. Intelligence Community’s 2021 Annual Threat Assessment maintained that “Tehran remains a threat to Israel, both directly through its missile forces and indirectly through its support of Hizbollah and other terrorist groups”. The assessment also forecast “Hizbollah, in coordination with Iran and other Iran-aligned Shiite militants, to continue developing terrorist capabilities as a deterrent, as retaliatory options and as instruments of coercion against its adversaries”, adding: “Hizbollah’s focus on reducing U.S. influence in Lebanon and the Middle East has intensified following the [2020] killing of IRGC-QF Commander Qassem Soleimani”. “Hizbollah maintains the capability to target, both directly and indirectly, U.S. interests inside Lebanon, in the region, overseas, and—to a lesser extent—in the U.S.”, the report noted.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin asserted that “a vision of partnership and peace will be achieved only through resolute opposition to the extremist Iranian position. We will not allow an Iranian establishment in Lebanon through Hizbollah and we ask all our friends… to continue to take responsibility for Hizbollah’s terrorist activities from the Lebanese government”. Too, Israel’s military chief of staff indicated that “Hizbollah currently holds thousands of missiles and rockets that are located in the heart of a civilian population and are deliberately intended to harm Israeli citizens”. “The IDF will do everything to prevent this”, he warned. “The IDF has thousands of targets in Lebanon that grow every week and has extensive capabilities to destroy them. We will not hesitate to attack with force on the day of fire, wherever we find weapons, an enemy or state infrastructure that aids the enemy”.

In advance of a UN Security Council discussion on resolution 1701, Israel’s UN envoy wrote to the Council warning that “Hizbollah’s continued military buildup and harmful activities have the potential to lead to serious consequences including a renewal of large scale hostilities between the parties”. “Hizbollah continues to operate a multitude of military installations and positions along the Blue Line. It routinely patrols the area, collects intelligence on IDF activities and carries out attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers”, he added, contending: “This dangerous situation poses a threat not only to Israel and its citizens, but also to the people of Lebanon, which Hizbollah uses as human shields to protect its arsenal of over 130,000 rockets and military infrastructure”.

Hizbollah asserted that the Lebanese military had “opened fire at an Israeli drone” and that its own forces had also “targeted with the suitable weapons” another Israeli UAV in Lebanese airspace.

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif indicated that “Iran is helping the Lebanese groups reach an agreement with each other, and also no one can impose an agreement on the Lebanese people”. He added that “after the [August 2020] explosion of the port of Beirut, Iran offered to provide assistance to Lebanon, but U.S. pressure prevented it”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel that “if you attack our towns and civilians, we’ll attack yours. You are an army state, so there’s no distinction whatsoever between Israeli soldiers and civilians”. “We are not seeking a confrontation or war”, he added. “But should a confrontation take place, we will engage in it... even the game of ‘a few days of fighting’ will be a dangerous game for the Israelis and would lead them to undesirable consequences”. Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz subsequently remarked: “If we have to go to battle, Lebanon will tremble and Hizbollah will be fatally wounded”. “If there are days of fighting… they will be difficult for the Israeli home front, but it will be difficult and terrible first and foremost for our enemies”, he added. “This is especially true for Hizbollah and Hamas, which are building offensive capabilities from within civilian areas and committing war crimes”.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “the IDF is operating and will keep operating on the border and beyond… we will not hesitate to uproot the Iranian entrenchment near our borders, and [Hizbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah knows well that his decision to build bunkers of ammunition and rockets and to strengthen Hizbollah’s capabilities is putting him in danger and putting the lives of Lebanese citizens in danger”. He also warned: “If a confrontation occurs on the northern front, the State of Lebanon will be the one that pays the heaviest price because [the ammunition and rockets] are in civilian areas”. 

The Israeli military reported that “anti-aircraft missiles were… fired toward an IDF UAV during routine activity over Lebanon. The aircraft was not hit and we continued our mission as planned”.

Hizbollah reported downing an Israeli drone that had entered Lebanese airspace. The Israeli military confirmed that “during operational activities by IDF troops on the Lebanese border, an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory”.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “when I tell you I know there are homes in Lebanon that have guest rooms and missile rooms, it’s not just a slogan. It’s the reality on the ground. Eventually, we will have to attack missiles that are being stored within civilian populations. This is verified intelligence, and we saw the repercussions of such reckless practice by Hizbollah in the port of Beirut”.

Israel’s military chief of staff asserted that Hizbollah and Hamas had “conceal[ed] their weapons in civilian areas on purpose”, warning that “Israel will strike every house that holds weapons in the event of a general war ‘with a deluge of strikes’”. He added: “I have already warned you in Lebanon and Gaza: Once war starts, we will let you leave the places you are in, the place you are in with missiles - and you know this”.

The Israeli military reported downing “a drone that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli airspace”, while asserting: “We will continue to operate in order to prevent any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty”.

An IRGC commander indicated that “what you see in missile power existing in Palestine’s Gaza and Lebanon is supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran… Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and other Islamic countries enjoy pinpointing missiles to confront the Zionist regime”. “Iran will support anyone and/or any country that confronts the Zionist regime [ie, Israel]”, he underscored.

The Israeli military reported sighting “a number of suspects approaching the security fence between Israel and Lebanon. One suspect crossed a few metres into Israeli territory before retreating”. “Our troops stopped the suspects and confirmed that there were no further infiltrations”, the IDF added.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was cited as saying that “his group now has twice as many precision-guided missiles as it had a year ago”, and “Israel’s efforts to prevent it from acquiring them have failed”. He further emphasised that “the last few weeks of the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump are critical and must be treated with care”, while pledging revenge over the January 2020 killing of Iranian IRGC Quds Force Commander Qassem Soleimani as well as the 20 July death of a Hizbollah fighter in a suspected Israeli strike in Syria.

An Israeli military spokesperson was cited as asserting that “Israel has no intention of stopping its efforts of preventing Iran from taking hold of areas in Syria and Lebanon”, adding that “the extended array of anti-aircraft systems deployed in Syria is no obstacle for the IDF”. He further noted that “Israel knows about the current efforts being undertaken by Hizbollah and will know how to neutralise any weapon or technology of the terrorist group – by military means or otherwise”.

The U.S. State Department issued a statement on U.S.-mediated maritime negotiations between Lebanon and Israel, indicating that “despite goodwill on both sides, the parties remain far apart. The U.S. remains ready to mediate constructive discussions and urges both sides to negotiate based on the respective maritime claims both have previously deposited at the United Nations”.

Commenting on the delivery of new corvettes for the Israeli navy, a senior Israeli military official was cited as saying that “the new fleet would bolster the navy’s capacity to defend increasingly lucrative offshore natural gas assets from rivals like Lebanon’s Shiite group Hizbollah”, which he assessed “are the main objective on the Hizbollah target list for the next war”.

Israel’s Foreign Minister, Gabi Ashkenazi, hailed Slovenia’s move “to recognise all branches of Hizbollah as a terrorist organisation”, and urged “the EU and other countries to recognise all branches of Hizbollah as a terrorist organisation”. The U.S. the same day welcomed a similar move by Latvia, adding: “The simple fact is that Hizbollah is a terrorist organisation, root and branch. The U.S. continues to call on all countries to take whatever action they can to prevent its operatives, recruiters and financiers from operating on their territories”.

The U.S. State Department published a factsheet entitled “Furthering Our Relationship with Israel”, noting, inter alia, that “the U.S. stands with Israel in countering Iran’s destabilising behaviour in the region” and underscoring the fact that “the U.S. supports Israel’s right to defend itself and is a partner to Israel in the face of Iran’s continued support for designated terrorist groups such as Hizbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza”. The document further recognised “Israel’s support for our decision to trigger the snapback of UNSC sanctions on Iran”, noting that “we continue to promote implementation of the snapped-back sanctions”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah warned that “with a person like Trump anything is possible during the remainder of his term... the axis of resistance should be in a state of high readiness to respond twice as hard in case of any American or Israeli folly”.

The Israeli military announced it had “downed a drone belonging to Hizbollah that crossed from Lebanon into Israel”, adding that “there was no danger to the nearby communities and our forces. We maintain elevated readiness and will not tolerate any violation of Israeli sovereignty”.

Secretary Pompeo announced that “the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury sanctioned nineteen individuals and entities under the Caesar Syria Civilian Protection Act of 2019 and other sanctions authorities”. “The Assad regime has a choice: take irreversible steps toward a peaceful resolution of this decade-long conflict or face further crippling sanctions”, Pompeo asserted.

The U.S. designated “Gibran Bassil, the leader of the Lebanese Free Patriotic Movement and a former Lebanese cabinet official… for his role in corruption”. The State Department said the designation “build[s] on the recent counterterrorism designations under Executive Order 13224 of former Lebanese officials… who put personal interests and those of Iran-backed Hizbollah ahead of the welfare of the Lebanese people”, adding that Bassil “undermined good governance and contributed to the prevailing system of corruption and political patronage that plagues Lebanon, which has aided and abetted Hizbollah’s destabilising activities”.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz warned EU diplomats that “there are too many homes in Lebanon that also serve as arms depots. The Lebanese state will need to be held accountable for the activity on its soil and you should communicate this through your governments to the Lebanese government”. He further noted that “new voices are emerging from within Lebanon and we have even begun to enter dialogue on maritime borders... we can both learn from that type of process that dialogue is possible and productive. And were the Lebanese government to cease to be under the influence of Iran and Hizbollah, we could take an entirely different course toward dialogue and cooperation”.

On the sideline of a military drill along Israel’s northern border, Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that “even during the coronavirus, our enemies are not stagnant and neither are we… I have been impressed by the vast improvement in the IDF’s offensive capabilities. Hizbollah and the state of Lebanon should take this into account. Whoever attacks us will encounter firepower and a steel fist that will destroy any enemy”.

Former Prime Minister Saad Hariri was appointed to form a new Lebanese government.

The U.S. designated “two Hizbollah officials to maintain pressure on the group and impede its ability to operate in the financial system”. The following day, on the anniversary of the 1983 Beirut barracks bombings, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo underscored “our commitment to preventing Hizbollah and its sponsor Iran from spilling more innocent blood in Lebanon or anywhere in the world. The U.S. will continue to target, disrupt and dismantle Hizbollah’s financing and operational networks, and will continue to take all actions available to starve this terrorist entity of funds and support”. He further urged “all nations to designate Hizbollah as a terrorist organisation in its entirety”.

The U.S. ambassador to the UN told the Security Council that “Iran continues to arm Hizbollah in blatant violation of Resolutions 1701 and 1559, most notably the arms embargo that this Council reaffirmed less than two months ago. Month after month, some here today turn a blind eye as Iran channels sophisticated weapons and money into Lebanon, ensuring there can never be peace”. She went on to argue that “this Council must do more to address both the incomplete implementation of Resolutions 1559 and 1701, and Hizbollah’s illicit activities”.

The U.S. and the UN issued a joint statement announcing that “representatives from the governments of Israel, Lebanon and the U.S. met... to launch discussions aimed at reaching consensus on a common Israel-Lebanon maritime boundary”. “During this initial meeting, the representatives held productive talks and reaffirmed their commitment to continue negotiations”, the statement added.

Israel and Lebanon agreed on the framework of U.S.-mediated, UN-hosted talks over their maritime border. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed the announcement and said that it would be “a vital step forward that serves the interests of Lebanon and Israel, of the region and of the U.S.”. “Recognising the positive experience of the Tripartite mechanism, the U.S. also looks forward to separate expert-level talks to define unresolved issues related to the Blue Line, which offer the promise of another positive step for regional stability”, Pompeo added.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Netanyahu discussed explosions at the port of Beirut and a Hizbollah arms depot, arguing that “the next explosion could take place… [in] the Beirut neighborhood of Janah” where “Hizbollah is keeping a secret arms depot”. He further addressed the people of Lebanon and said: “Israel means you no harm. But Iran does. Iran and Hizbollah have deliberately put you and your families in grave danger. And what you should make clear is that what they have done is unacceptable. You should tell them, tear these depots down… The international community must insist that Hizbollah stop using Lebanon and Lebanese civilians as human shields”. Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah rejected the allegations and said: “we don’t store missiles at the port or near gas facilities. We know where to store missiles”.

Lebanese Prime Minister-Designate Mustafa Adib announced his resignation almost a month after his appointment.

The U.S. designated “two Lebanon-based companies... for being owned, controlled or directed by Hizbollah”. According to the Treasury Department, “Hizbollah leverages Arch [Consulting] and Meamar [Construction] to conceal money transfers to Hizbollah’s own accounts, further enriching Hizbollah’s leadership and supporters and depriving the Lebanese people of much-needed funds”. An individual described as “a senior Hizbollah Executive Council Official” and linked to the two companies was also sanctioned.

The Shin Bet, Israel’s internal security service, confirmed arresting an individual trying to enlist “Israeli and Palestinian civilians and residents to carry out terrorist activities in Israel”. A senior Israeli security official elaborated that the “investigation… is the product of a lengthy intelligence operation to locate those suspected of being recruited by Hizbollah. It is another step in the counterterrorism efforts carried out in the past year against [Iran’s IRGC] Quds Force and Hizbollah attempts to recruit Israeli Arabs”.

A senior U.S. official claimed that “since 2012, Hizbollah has established caches of ammonium nitrate throughout Europe by transporting first aid kits whose cold packs contain the substance… Such caches have been moved through Belgium to France, Greece, Italy, Spain and Switzerland”. “We have reason to believe that this activity is still underway”, he added, urging “more countries to designate Hizbollah in its entirety, and for the European Union to expand its 2013 designation of the so-called military wing to reach the entire organisation”. Hizbollah “is a terrorist organisation that exists to shed blood around the world, act at the behest of its masters in Tehran”, the official argued, adding that “we think there is an obvious practical effect to our sanctions”, as well as “a very strong messaging value”. A French diplomatic spokesperson subsequently indicated that “to our knowledge, there is nothing tangible to confirm such an allegation in France today”.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo asserted with respect to Lebanon that “to see what Hizbollah, under the direct control of the Islamic Republic of Iran, has done to that country saddens me greatly. And the U.S. is determined to prevent Iran from continuing to undermine sovereignty of the people of Lebanon, the sovereignty of the people of Iraq, the sovereignty, frankly, of the people of Syria who have been decimated by Iranian support for the Assad regime”. 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo welcomed Serbia’s decision to “designate Hizbollah as a terrorist organisation in its entirety” and called it a “significant step limiting this Iranian backed terrorist group’s ability to operate in Europe… there is no doubt that the dominoes are falling on Hizbollah’s European operations, where it has continue to plot terrorist attacks, procure military technology and raise much needed funding”. Pompeo further urged “the European Union and European nations to designate or ban Hizbollah in its entirety, and recognise the reality that it is a terrorist organisation root and branch with no distinction between its so-called ‘military’ and ‘political’ wings”.

The Lebanese army reported that it had downed an Israeli drone that had entered Lebanese airspace. The Israeli military stated that an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory during “operational activity”, noting that “there is no risk of breach of information”.

The U.S. designated two former Lebanese ministers for having delivered “material support to Hizbollah and engaged in corruption”. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin contended that “corruption has run rampant in Lebanon, and Hizbollah has exploited the political system to spread its malign influence”. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argued that “Lebanese politicians who have provided a false veneer of political legitimacy to Hizbollah or abused their positions to direct public funds to the terrorist group are as responsible for its entrenched influence as Hizbollah’s own members or the corrupt businessmen and money launderers that have helped fund the group for decades”. “Anyone helping to advance Hizbollah’s political or economic interests is further eroding what remains of effective governance and facilitating financing for terrorism”, he added. Hizbollah reacted with a statement declaring that “it is a badge of honor for the two dear friends and all who are accused by the U.S. administration of being resistant… all what is issued by the U.S. administration is denounced and rejected”.

Mustafa Adib was appointed Lebanon’s prime minister.

Addressing Israel, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asserted: “If you kill one of our fighters, we will kill one of your soldiers. We don’t care to retaliate by hitting machines or locations or causing material damage”.

The Israeli army reported that “during operational activity in northern Israel last night, shots were fired from Lebanon toward IDF troops. We responded with fire, and our aircraft struck Hizbollah observation posts near the border”. Defence Minister Benny Gantz asserted that “we will not allow [Hizbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah to harm our soldiers or our country. We will respond forcefully to any incidents on our border”. Prime Minister Netanyahu said “Israel views the gunfire against our troops by Hizbollah with great severity”, and urged “Hizbollah not to test the strike force of Israel. Hizbollah is again putting Lebanon at risk because of its aggressiveness”.

Hizbollah reported that it had intercepted an Israeli UAV in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military stated that “an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory. There is no fear of classified information leaking”.

A senior U.S. diplomat indicated that “we will not be providing that kind of long-term assistance [to Lebanon] until we see a government that’s actually capable of reform and change… We have been able to deal with governments in the past with a Hizbollah component, but the question is whether it is going to be a government that’s truly capable of reforms. Reforms are contrary to the interests of all of the status quo leaders and that very much includes Hizbollah, which is today perceived as a big part of the problem”. 

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hailed “the guilty verdict handed down by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon (STL) against Hizbollah operative Salim Ayyash for his role in the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri”. He further reiterated that “Hizbollah and its members are not defenders of Lebanon as they claim to be but constitute a terrorist organisation dedicated to advancing Iran’s malign sectarian agenda… Hizbollah’s terrorist and illicit activities in Lebanon and throughout the world demonstrate that it is more concerned with its own interests and those of its patron, Iran, than what is best for Lebanon and the Lebanese people”. On a similar note, Israel’s Foreign Ministry argued that “Hizbollah has taken the Lebanese people’s future hostage on behalf of foreign interests. The world must unite against this terror organization… Hizbollah’s armament, precision guided missile project and belligerent actions across the region threaten the entire Middle East”.​

Referring to the 20 July death of a Hizbollah fighter in a suspected Israeli strike in Syria, Hizbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah asserted that “Hizbollah will respond, but the response will be studied and measured, only [a] serious, calculated action would be taken, not media stunts”.

Speaking with his French counterpart, President Rouhani asserted that “Lebanon needs more unity among political groups and we must all help to create this unity. Lebanon today needs a strong government, and the Lebanese parliament and all parties must work together in this regard”. According to an Iranian readout, Rouhani “also welcomed the French president’s invitation from Iran to join the international action group to help resolve Lebanon’s problems”.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hassan Diab announced his cabinet’s resignation in the wake of a major 4 August explosion in Beirut’s port. “A political class is using all their dirty tricks to prevent real change”, Diab remarked. “Today we will take a step back in order to stand with the people”.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz contended that “while [Hizbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah is our biggest enemy to the north, he is the biggest problem for Lebanon… We are fighting enemies that keep weapons and operate in civilian surroundings. If we don’t have a choice but to fight, it will have dire consequences”. He also remarked that “Iran is interested in opening a terror franchise in Syria, and we must prevent the opening of this franchise as much as possible. We are operating in Syria and in other places around the region all the time and with all kinds of methods, and we will continue to do so”. The following day, Prime Minister Netanyahu told the French president that “in order to prevent disasters like the one that occurred at Beirut port, the explosives and missiles that Hizbollah has hidden must be removed from all concentrations of civilian population in Lebanon”. “Hizbollah is sorely mistaken if thinks it can solve the crisis in Lebanon by creating a crisis with Israel”, he added.

Media reports citing Bahrain’s Interior Ministry indicated that the country had “foiled two attempts to smuggle explosives from Iran after seizing two cars loaded with explosive materials”, adding that “those arrested confessed to Lebanon’s Hizbollah group being behind the operation”.

The Israeli military announced that it had “identified, monitored and downed a drone which infiltrated into northern Israel along the Blue Line”.

The Israeli army announced that it had “thwarted an attempt by four terrorists to place explosives near the security fence between Israel and Syria. Our troops and aircraft fired toward the squad and a hit was identified”. Israel’s top military official on 7 August argued that the “squad was sent by Iran, which was part of the process of establishing a radical axis in Syria”. The IDF confirmed that it had responded to the incident by targeting Syrian “observation posts, intelligence collection systems, anti-aircraft artillery and command and control systems”. Syrian state media reported “material losses” from the attack. Prime Minister Netanyahu later maintained that “we hit a cell and now we hit the dispatchers. We will do what is necessary in order to defend ourselves. I suggest to all of them, including Hizbollah, to consider this”.

The White House extended by one year the national emergency with respect to Lebanon, stating that “certain ongoing activities, such as Iran’s continuing arms transfers to Hizbollah – which include increasingly sophisticated weapons systems – serve to undermine Lebanese sovereignty, contribute to political and economic instability in the region, and continue to constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the U.S.”

At a session of the Supreme Defence Council, Lebanese President Michel Aoun denounced “the Israeli aggressions on south Lebanon yesterday… and considered what happened as a threat on stability in southern Lebanon”.  Meanwhile, the IDF deployed further military and intelligence support to Israel’s northern border. The same day, Prime Minister Netanyahu met with top military officials at IDF Northern Command headquarters, assessing that “everything happening now is the result of the effort by Iran and its Lebanese proxies to entrench militarily in our region. [Hizbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah is serving this Iranian interest at Lebanon’s expense”. “We will continue to take action to thwart Iran’s military entrenchment in our region”, he added. Relatedly, Defence Minister Benny Gantz remarked that “I suggest that the countries of the region – near and far, Iran, Lebanon, Syria and anyone involved in terrorism – remember that the State of Israel has infinite capacity and we know how to use it”.

The Israeli army announced that it had “thwarted an infiltration attempt by a Hizbollah terror squad in northern Israel”. Addressing the Knesset, Prime Minister Netanyahu affirmed that Israel would “not allow Iran to entrench militarily on our border with Syria”, underscored that “Lebanon and Hizbollah will bear responsibility for any attack against us emanating from Lebanese territory” and indicated that “We are active in all arenas for the security of Israel – both close to our borders and far from them”. Hizbollah subsequently issued a statement maintaining it “did not engage in any clash, nor did it open fire during today’s incident… The scared and tense enemy unilaterally opened fire”. It further pledged an “inevitable” response to the 20 July death of a Hizbollah fighter in Syria and insisted that “today’s Israeli bombardment… will not remain unanswered”. Later in the day, Netanyahu asserted: “[Hizbollah leader Hassan] Nasrallah is embroiling Lebanon because of Iran… we view the attempt to infiltrate our territory with great severity”. “Hizbollah needs to understand that it is playing with fire. Any attack against us will be met with great strength”, he added.

The Israeli army reported that “during an Israel Defense Forces operation on the Lebanese border, an IDF drone fell in Lebanese territory”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu told his cabinet that “we are acting according to our consistent policy of not allowing Iran to entrench militarily on our northern border. Lebanon and Syria bear the responsibility for any attack against Israel emanating from their territories”. The same day, Defence Minister Benny Gantz visited the northern border and listed “removing Iranian entrenchment in Syria, blocking the transfer of advanced [weapons] and preventing the development of precision [guided missiles] anywhere in the region – in Syria or in Lebanon” as Israel’s security interests. “We don’t want any unnecessary escalations, but anyone who tests us will be met by a very high capability to take action, and I hope we won’t need to use it”, he added, while further anticipating that “there can be [security] events on the border. We are prepared for all possibilities”.

The Israeli army confirmed that “explosions were heard adjacent to the security fence from the Syrian side of Israel’s northern border. Damage to a civilian building and an Israeli vehicle was likely caused by fragments”. It subsequently also raised “readiness to defend Israel’s northern border from all enemy threats with changes to troop deployment and enhanced field intelligence activity in the area”, asserting: “we hold the Lebanese government responsible for all actions emanating from Lebanon”. Later on, the IDF announced that “earlier today, munitions were fired from Syria toward Israel. In response, our aircraft struck military targets in southern Syria belonging to the Syrian Armed Forces”, describing these as “SAF observation posts and intelligence collection systems located in SAF bases”; Syria media reported two casualties. “We hold the Syrian regime responsible and will respond to any violation of Israeli sovereignty”, the IDF warned.

Media reports indicated that a suspected Israeli strike “hit weapons depots and military positions belonging to Syrian regime forces and Iran-backed militia fighters south of Damascus”. Syrian state media reported injuries to “at least seven Syrian troops”, while Hizbollah confirmed one fatality from its ranks. On 23 July, the Israeli army announced that “in accordance with a recently-concluded situational assessment, we have decided to reinforce the Northern Command with select infantry forces”. Responding to suggestions that Israel may have sent a message to Hizbollah after the incident, Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz said: “we acted against the entrenchment of Iran in Syria. If someone involved in Iran’s activities in Syria – which we will continue to act against – this is liable to happen. We take that into account”.

The Israeli military announced that “IDF soldiers spotted and monitored a drone infiltrating Israeli airspace from Lebanon… We will continue to operate to stop any attempt to violate Israeli sovereignty”.  

Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon reportedly indicated that “Iran will support Lebanon in all the domains [electricity, medical drugs, agriculture, industry…] upon its request… [and] is ready to accept the Lebanese Pound in the trade exchanges with Beirut”. He added that he had been “meeting with the Lebanese officials to coordinate the economic cooperation”.

CENTCOM Commander Kenneth McKenzie visited Lebanon and met with senior Lebanese officials including President Aoun. During the visit, McKenzie emphasised that “we will continue to support the Lebanese armed forces as a sole armed representative of the government of the Lebanon”. He further described military cooperation between the two countries as “deep”, which would “transcend any perturbation of political things that might otherwise disturb it”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah discussed “Iran’s readiness to sell Lebanon oil with the Lebanese pound” and stated: “I prefer that official talks between Lebanon and Iran take place away from media, and I can guarantee such offer… heading east is one of choices to confront starvation. This choice sends a message to the U.S. that whoever wants to besiege Lebanon will fail in this policy”. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo subsequently underscored that Iranian oil “would be sanctioned product for sure, and we’ll do everything we can to make sure that Iran cannot continue to sell crude oil anywhere, including to Hizbollah… Hizbollah is a terrorist organisation and we are supportive of Lebanon as long as they get the reforms right and they are not a proxy state for Iran”. Lebanon’s energy minister on 9 July indicated that “there is no plan to negotiate with Iran at present about importing fuel and the current discussion is with Iraq”.

Israel’s ambassador to the UN called on the Security Council “to act swiftly and with great resolve to respond to the Iranian regime’s violations, by using all means necessary to extend the arms embargo on Iran beyond the current October deadline”. He argued that Iran’s “illicit arms to its proxies… freely transported throughout the Middle East and used by armed militias and terrorist groups, poses a strategic threat not only to Israel, but to the entire region”. “Through its Quds Force, Iran does not stop at the mere illicit transfer of arms to Hizbollah, but also contributes to the development of Hizbollah’s self-production capabilities”, he added. “This project, taking place on Lebanese soil, exploits the local population by using local civilians as human shield to conceal its illicit activities, thereby not only contravening multiple Security Council resolutions, but also violating international law”.

Israeli Defence Minister Benny Gantz argued that “Hizbollah has been building an Iranian-backed weapons arsenal and manufacturing precision-guided missiles that could reach any part of Israel. Lebanon will be held accountable should any of these missiles find a way to us”. “I expect it to practice a state of responsibility, especially as it seeks international funding”, he added. “Israel will not accept any excuses, and neither should anyone else”.

The U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook argued that “economic pressure and diplomatic isolation works. It is the only language that this regime understands. We have seen this across the Middle East… Iran is operating in a much less permissive environment than when we took office”. Citing protests in Lebanon and Iraq, Hook contended that “the Iranian model is being rejected… Iran is a failed model”.

The U.S. ambassador to Lebanon posited that “by its actions and threats, Hizbollah destabilises the country and jeopardises the country’s economic recovery”, adding that while Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah “accuses us of starving Lebanon”, this was “classic deflection blaming everything on the U.S. when we are [Lebanon’s] largest donor… [Hizbollah] siphoned off billions of dollars that should have gone into government coffers”. The ambassador further maintained that “we continue to have very serious reservations” regarding Prime Minister Diab’s independence from Hizbollah, “and we also have not yet seen what we would have hoped for from this government, in the way of concrete steps to implement reforms”. Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry subsequently summoned the ambassador, and a court issued an order “prohibit[ing] any Lebanese or foreign media outlet operating on Lebanese soil… from conducting any interview with the American Ambassador for a period of one year”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu opined that “three main challenges are before us, and we are taking action without respite against them: First, we are taking constant action against the efforts of Iran and its proxies to entrench militarily in Syria. The Iranian military must leave Syria. Second, we are taking action against the efforts of our enemies to develop precision missiles in Syria, Lebanon and other areas. Third, and most importantly, we will not allow Iran to attain nuclear weapons”. “Iran is continuing to lie to the international community in its effort to achieve a bomb”, Netanyahu argued. “I have been claiming this for years and today the International Atomic Energy Agency, the IAEA, understands this”. He further affirmed that “we regard with utmost seriousness the threats of destruction against Israel by Iranian and pro-Iranian elements… Whoever tries to attack us places himself in very great danger”.

Israel’s top military official assessed that “Iran has become the most dangerous country in the Middle East… It has made considerable progress in its nuclear program, but the nuclear [threat] is no longer the only threat”. “Iran also holds conventional weapons”, he added. “It is supporting and financing our enemies in the first circle and chiefly Hizbollah, it influences and supports Hamas and the Islamic Jihad and it is behind attempts at terror actions against Israel in a variety of dimensions and arenas, near and far”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asserted that “the U.S. is using Lebanon and its economy to achieve their interests, among which are Israel’s security and the land and maritime borders”. He further affirmed that “whoever puts us between the option of withdrawing our weapons or killing us with hunger, we tell them: our weapons will remain in our hands and we will not starve, we will kill you”. Nasrallah also maintained that the “U.S.’s resort to Caesar’s Act is evidence of Syria’s victory in the military and field war, it is its last weapon… whoever calls to close [Lebanon’s] borders with Syria will later call us to open the borders with Israel”.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi, meeting with his German counterpart, assessed that “the greatest threat to regional stability is Iran. Their nuclear program and regional ambitions remain a great concern. We will not allow Iran to have nuclear weapons and we will not allow Iranian entrenchment on our borders”. Ashkenazi went on to contend that “Iran’s backing of Hizbollah’s precision-guided missiles project should bring increasing international pressure. The aim of this project is to give Hizbollah a strategic offensive capability that would directly threaten Israel and Israeli civilians. We won't tolerate it”.

CENTCOM commander Kenneth McKenzie indicated that “we worry about their [ie, Hizbollah’s] relationship to Iran, although I do not think that the Lebanese Hizbollah necessarily answers immediately when Iran calls. I do think they have a strong and powerful relationship”.  He further maintained that “the counterbalance for us is the LAF, the Lebanese Armed Forces. Not a perfect relationship and not a perfect organisation by any means, but one that we should view, aspirationally, is ultimately the expression of state security in Lebanon”. “I know that people occasionally get frustrated with the LAF and we talk about cutting on and off funding”, he added, “[but] I support continued funding to the LAF because… it's the best that we can do under very difficult circumstances”.

Israeli President Rivlin opined that “Hizbollah continues to entrench in Lebanon, gathering and arming itself with weapons to hurt Israel. We are determined to destroy these nests of terrorism, their operators and messengers”. “As long as Hizbollah is part of Lebanon, the Lebanese government is held responsible”, said Rivlin. “We will take every step to prevent war, but we will not hesitate to strike at our enemies”.

Hizbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah argued that “Israel is aware that any attack on Lebanon will not pass without a response”, adding that “the latest Israeli attack on a car that had members of Hizbollah in it in the Syrian territories without causing casualties was not an Israeli error… Israel intended not to hurt the men in that car because it was aware that the equation today is that there would be a response on any assassination”. He further noted that “America wants to humiliate Lebanon and impose its conditions on it”… the solution for the economic crisis is to abandon U.S. satisfaction and head east [ie, China]”. Nasrallah also “ruled out [the possibility of] any war between the U.S. and Iran or between Israel and Lebanon unless the U.S. or Israel decide to make a stupid act”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu told the cabinet that “the security challenges have not stopped for a moment, neither have the threats. You certainly heard the ruler of Iran, Khamenei, threatening our destruction. Whoever threatens us with destruction will certainly not succeed, but places himself in great danger”. “Our policy is to oppose Iranian aggression in every place and to oppose Iran’s attempts to entrench in Syria”, Netanyahu added. “We are active constantly and… oppose Iran’s attempt to place or develop in Syria weapons to serve its proxies and forces that could endanger the State of Israel”. In related remarks, Defence Minister Benny Gantz indicated that “we are still keeping a close watch on the military fronts in Lebanon and Syria. The security problems that could happen in the north have not passed… We have to stretch our hand out to peace on every front – and have the military strength that can ensure we will reach peace and preserve it”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah assessed that “we are so close to liberate al-Quds [ie, Jerusalem] thanks to faith, steadfastness, patience and sincerity of Axis of Resistance’s powers…We, Hizbollah, pledge to stand by the oppressed people of Palestine”. In related remarks two days later, Nasrallah acknowledged that “liberation cannot be achieved in one, two or three years. It could take generations”. He also contended that “any talk of an Israeli-U.S. direct war is far away, their priority is to compose sanctions… we are heading towards a new international and regional situation where new threats might appear”.  

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah contended that the “Israeli defence minister… is talking about fake victories in Syria. The Israelis lose the war in Syria, and they have been targeting all what is related to missiles manufacturing in Syria, because they believe that missiles pose a high risk to Israel”. Nasrallah also argued that Israel had “set a fake goal for Syria” in seeking an Iranian withdrawal, on the grounds that “there have been no Iranian troops in Syria but rather there have been military advisers who train forces and coordinate Tehran’s support to Damascus”.

The U.S. convened the UN “Security Council to meet under its 2231 Format to discuss Iran’s April 22 satellite launch”, which it called “yet another example of Iran’s relentless defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231”. According to the U.S. mission, its representatives “highlighted Iran’s ongoing violation of the UN arms embargo in Resolution 2231, reminding Council members that Iran continues to funnel weapons to proxy forces and terrorist groups in places like Yemen, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Bahrain”. The U.S. also argued that “Iran’s continued violations of the Security Council’s arms embargo demands greater pressure from the Security Council, not less, and the U.S. will work tirelessly with a coalition of concerned nations to ensure the embargo is extended”.

A senior U.S. diplomat indicated that “Iran has been persistent in its efforts to establish this beachhead basically on Israel’s border and to bring in advanced weaponry and assets targeting Israel and moving equipment… through Syria to Hizbollah with this sort of land bridge. We see repeatedly, oftentimes with no claims of responsibility, that these assets are being hit with great regularity, just pounded, and it would make sense at a certain point that Iran would want to cut its losses and downsize its presence there just because it’s increasingly costly to them in terms of life and property”. The official added that the Iranians “would be well advised to start using some of this investment in this military infrastructure in Syria and with Hizbollah to start spending some of that money on their own people who are suffering terribly from COVID”.

A senior U.S. diplomat indicated that “Hizbollah is an enormous factor in this [Lebanese] government and it is a Hizbollah-backed government… We are not giving money to the Lebanese Ministry of Health because it is run by Hizbollah”. He further indicated the U.S. was “delivering humanitarian and food aid to suffering Lebanese and refugees” amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Asked about reported Israeli strikes in Syria, the U.S. Special Representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, noted that “the U.S. supports Israel’s efforts to secure its self-defence. Israel is facing an existential threat from Iran, as they have said a thousand times that their mission is to destroy Israel. The Iranians are in Syria in large numbers, passing on long-range weapon systems to Hizbollah that threaten Israel”. “We give the support that is needed for effective Israeli actions to protect itself, and in protecting itself it is protecting all neighbors of Assad: Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Lebanon”, he added. Jeffry also maintained that “our policy is that all Iranian-commanded forces have to leave Syria, along with frankly all other military forces that entered after 2011. This includes the U.S., if all of the reports are correct about the Israeli Air Force that would include the Israelis, and it would include the Turks… The Russians entered before 2011, therefore they are exempt”.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu hailed Germany’s announcement that it had “banned all activities by the Shiite terrorist organisation Hizbollah”, and asserted that “all peace-loving countries need to condemn the terrorist organisations and not give them any direct or indirect assistance”. Foreign Minister Israel Katz called the German move “a valuable and significant step in the global fight against terrorism”, and urged “additional European countries and the European Union to adopt this necessary policy”. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo also praised the announcement and argued that “obstructing this terrorist organisation’s ability to plot terrorist attacks and to raise money will further reduce Iran’s malign behaviour and influence”. Describing Hizbollah as “a terrorist organisation dedicated to advancing Iran’s malicious agenda”, Pompeo “urge[d] other EU member states to follow suit and hold Hizbollah accountable for its terrorist activities”. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson emphasised that “the German government’s decision has been made with complete disrespect for the Lebanese government and nation, as Hizbollah is an official and legitimate part of that country’s government and parliament”. He further argued that Berlin “must be held accountable for the negative consequences of its decision for the fight against the true terrorist groups in the region”, referring to ISIS.

An Israeli military spokesperson reported that “we found three locations where our security fence along the Blue Line was damaged tonight. After searches, [there was] no risk of penetration into Israel”. He further asserted that “we hold the Lebanese government responsible for actions from its territory”.

Citing a Hizbollah official, media reports indicated that “two missiles from an Israeli drone targeted a four-wheel-drive vehicle carrying two members of Lebanon’s Hizbollah… near the Syria-Lebanon border, but neither person was hurt”.

The United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) reported a “short standoff” between Israeli and Lebanese forces. A UNIFIL spokesperson noted that “our troops were in the middle with the aim of preventing misunderstandings and decreasing tension… Shortly after the situation went back to normal”. The spokesperson also indicated that “no breach of the Blue Line occurred”.

A senior Hizbollah official asserted that “Hizbollah is now ready to confront any Israeli war on Lebanon whenever it erupts”. He further argued that “the U.S. administration enhances the [COVID-19] pandemic outbreak by insisting on its sanctions against certain countries and pirating the medical stuffs while being sent to EU states”.

The U.S. announced “a reward of up to $10 million for information on the activities, networks, and associates of Muhammad Kawtharani”, whom it described as “a senior leader of Hizbollah’s forces in Iraq”. According to the State Department, Kawtharani had “taken over some of the political coordination of Iran-aligned paramilitary groups formerly organised by Qassem Soleimani after Soleimani’s death”.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo argued that “Hizbollah has fewer dollars today to engage in nefarious activity than they did when President Trump took office, and they will continue to have fewer dollars tomorrow until they fundamentally get the Iranian regime to change its model”. He further asserted that Iran used its resources “to take weaponry into Iraq, to underwrite Hizbollah and Lebanon and threaten Israel, all of the things that the Iranians have engaged in for so long, even in this [COVID-19] crisis the Iranian regime hasn’t ceased doing, that’s most unfortunate”. Pompeo added: “we hope that the people of Iran one day will get a regime with a change in outlook, a change which says, ‘no, we want to respect what the Iranian people truly want’”.

The U.S. State Department announced that “American citizen Amer Fakhoury, who has been in detention in Lebanon since September [2019], is returning to the U.S. where he will be reunited with his family and receive urgent medical treatment”. A senior U.S. diplomat subsequently emphasised that “Mr. Fakhoury was released by competent judicial authorities… We did not promise money, we did not promise to release prisoners, we did not promise not to designate any Lebanese officials, and we absolutely don’t talk to Hizbollah”. Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah contended that “the U.S. ha[d] been for six months exerting all forms of pressures and threats against Lebanon in order to release Fakhoury”.

The U.S. Treasury Department announced it had “designated as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) three Lebanon-based officials and twelve Lebanon-based entities linked to the Martyrs Foundation, part of Hizbollah's support network”. Secretary Mnuchin asserted that “Hizbollah profits from the sale of goods vital to the Lebanese peoples' health and economy, such as pharmaceuticals and gasoline... the Trump administration stands with the Lebanese people, and we are committed to exposing and holding accountable Hizbollah's terror-funding business schemes”. 

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah assessed that “confrontation between the U.S. and the forces which reject to surrender to its will is inevitable” and stated that “all the regional peoples must be prepared for the key confrontation”. “The Israeli enemy”, he added, “has a major weakness which is the human losses; similarly, the Americans have their economic and financial situation as a point of fragility. Hizbollah hit the Israeli enemy at its weakness, so, likewise, we can concentrate on the U.S. economic interests”. Nasrallah further urged Iraqis “to respond to the U.S. crime of assassinating the two martyrs Hajj al-Muhandis and General Soleimani, preserve the Popular Mobilisation [Hashd al-Shaabi] in spite of the U.S. scheme to eradicate it, expel the U.S. forces of Iraq and strengthen the Iraqi role in the region”.

The Lebanese military announced that it had fired at an Israeli drone that entered Lebanon’s airspace, prompting the craft to withdraw.

Israeli Defence Minister Naftali Bennett assessed that “for years on end, we have fought against the Iranian tentacles in Lebanon, Syria and the Gaza Strip, but we have not focused enough on weakening Iran itself. Now we are changing the paradigm, we are now engaged in a continued effort to weaken the Iranian octopus through economic, diplomatic and intelligence measures, as well as with military means and various other approaches”. Bennett further addressed Iran and stated: “you have no business being in Syria, and so long as you continue to build terrorist bases there, we will continue to hurt you even further”.

Referring to Iran’s failed attempt to launch a satellite earlier in the day, Prime Minister Netanyahu said: “I’ll tell you what else they’re failing at: in transferring weapons to Syria and Lebanon, because we are operating there all the time, including at this time”.

Reacting to the formation of a new government in Lebanon, the U.S. State Department issued a statement indicating that “the test of Lebanon’s new government will be its actions and its responsiveness to the demands of the Lebanese people to implement reforms and to fight corruption...  We urge the government, army, and security services to guarantee the safety of citizens as they engage in peaceful demonstrations. Violence and provocative actions have no place in civil discourse”. Separately, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that “we’re prepared to engage, provide support, but only to a government that’s committed to reform. That’s important for America”.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo contended that “Hizbollah has now put down roots throughout the globe and in South America, and it’s great to see now multiple countries now having designated Hizbollah as a terrorist organization. It means we can work together to stamp out the security threat in the region”. “When we say that Iran is the leading destabilising force in the Middle East and throughout the world, it’s because of this terror activity that they have no spread as a cancer all across the globe”, Pompeo added.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praised “ the announcements of Colombia, Honduras and Guatemala to designate Iran-backed Hizbollah a terrorist organisation”. “It and other transnational terrorist groups remain active in the region”, Pompeo added. “The U.S. continues to rally international support to counter these threats”.

The Israeli military announced that it had “started deploying highly-sophisticated technical infrastructure along Israel’s border with Lebanon. These sensors will identify and prevent underground construction of attack tunnels into Israel by the Hizbollah terror organisation in Lebanon”.

The U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, congratulated “the UK for announcing today that it has designated the entire Hizbollah organisation as a terrorist group and frozen its assets. There is no distinction between Hizbollah’s political arm and its military arm”. He further said that “when I was negotiating with the E3 on trying to fix the deficiencies of the Iran nuclear deal... this was a regular topic of the need to be designating Hizbollah in its entirety”. The next day, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz likewise welcomed the designation and described it as “a great achievement for Israel in the fight against Iran and its proxies”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asserted that “the response on the assassination [of IRGC Qods Force Commander Qassem Soleimani] will be a long track that will end up in pulling the U.S. out of the region”. He further maintained that the “rest of the Axis of Resistance must begin operations. We are serious, and our goal is to force the U.S. out of our region. This is a long-term goal”.

Following the killing by the U.S. of Iran’s IRGC Qods Force commander, Qassem Soleimani, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asserted that “the minimal retaliation for the assassination of General Soleimani… is to expel foreign forces from Iraq and liberate it from U.S. troops”. “Iran can retaliate as it pleases, but this doesn’t exempt the Axis of Resistance from retaliation on its behalf”, Nasrallah added, stressing that “fair punishment means that U.S. forces, bases and warships must pay the price… The martyrs who blew themselves up and forced the U.S. troops out of the region in the past, are now many more”. “When the U.S. officers who came to the region vertically will return horizontally… Trump and his administration will realise that they lost the region and lost the elections. Those idiots don’t know what [they] did”.

The U.S. Embassy in Beirut issued a security alert noting that “due to heightened tensions in Iraq and the region, the U.S. Embassy urges U.S. citizens in Lebanon to maintain a high level of vigilance and practice good situational awareness".

The head of the IRGC's Qods force, Qasem Soleimani, was killed in a U.S. strike in Baghdad. The U.S. Department of Defense confirmed that "at the direction of the President, the U.S. military has taken decisive defensive action to protect U.S. personnel abroad by killing Qasem Soleimani”, adding that "Soleimani was actively developing plans to attack American diplomats and service members in Iraq and throughout the region". Iran confirmed Soleimani’s death, and the IRGC said that four other Qods force members along with five Iraqis, notably including a senior Hashd official, were also killed in the operation. Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei subsequently asserted that "enemies should bear in mind that the Islamic Republic of Iran will take tough revenge on criminals over the martyrdom of General Soleimani".

Syrian state media reported that “army air defences intercepted hostile missiles coming from the occupied lands [ie, Israel]… one of the hostile targets fell in Aqraba region in Damascus countryside”. The Lebanese defence minister subsequently asserted that “this blatant attack is condemned, and I call on the international community to intervene to prevent these repeated attacks on Lebanon’s sovereignty”. A senior advisor to Iran’s supreme leader warned that “Israeli airstrikes against Syria will not go unanswered, and Tel Aviv will regret having committed these crimes… Sooner or later, Israel will receive a response for its aerial attacks on and crimes in Syria”.

Discussing government formation in Lebanon, a senior U.S. diplomat indicated that “the U.S. government has worked before with the Lebanese governments that have had Hizbollah… We find a way to work with the Lebanese government that is productive within certain constraints”. He further maintained that “our principles on Lebanon, notwithstanding who may or may not be the next prime minister… is that this government must be capable of and committed to pursuing reform and fighting corruption. We are highly skeptical that a government led by Hizbollah would be capable of or committed to fighting corruption. This is an organisation that depends greatly on corruption for its survival and funding its criminal enterprise and terrorist activities”.

The U.S. State Department reported that the eighth session of “the Law Enforcement Coordination Group (LECG), which focuses on countering Hizbollah’s terrorist and illicit activities, convened at Europol’s headquarters in the Netherlands” concentrating on “Hizbollah’s financial, commercial, and procurement networks and schemes and their linkages to Hizbollah’s terrorist activity”.

Israel’s military chief of staff noted that “the IDF is fighting and operating daily and nightly on numerous fronts, which have grown in number recently, and the number of enemies is greater than the number of fronts. In Syria, for example, the [Iranian] Qods force and Hizbollah are operating, and in Lebanon, Iran's terrorist tentacles are solidifying their grip. He added that “any organisation, and especially the IDF, cannot be satisfied with maintaining and preserving the status quo. The IDF must change and innovate to beat its enemies to the punch and develop a significant advantage”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah asserted that “the Americans assumed that the Lebanese protests are against Hizbollah and Iran, knowing that they did not propose anything like that. Their slogans were economic and righteous ones”. He added that “Hizbollah is a great threat. A threat on U.S. agendas and interests not on the Lebanese interests”. Nasrallah further maintained that “some think that if Iran was attacked it will refer to its allies to defend it, and let me correct this misconception and assure that Iran will defend itself by itself, it will not stay silent and will not accept to be defended by anyone… If its allies wanted to take action, that would be their own decision”. Prime Minister Netanyahu subsequently said: “I would like to make it clear that if Nasrallah dares to attack Israel, the organisation and the Lebanese state that enable aggression from its territory against us will pay a very heavy price”.

The U.S. Treasury Department designated “two prominent Lebanon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)-based money launderers and their affiliated companies, including those that have generated tens of millions of dollars for Hizbollah, its financiers and their malign activities”. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo indicated that “we will continue to use all the tools at our disposal to counter the threat Hizbollah poses”.

The U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo underlined that “responsibility for how the Government of Lebanon will be formed and shaped falls to the Lebanese people to demand Lebanese sovereignty, Lebanese prosperity, Lebanese freedom from influence, from outside entities. We have a designated terrorist organisation there, Hizbollah… I know that the people of Lebanon understand the risk that that presents to their freedom, their capacity to deliver for themselves. This is not an American proposition; it is the – a proposition of the Lebanese people”. “We do stand ready to do the things that the world can do to assist the Lebanese people of getting their economy righted, getting their government righted”, he added. On Iraq, Pompeo noted that “the Iraqi people want a sovereign, independent Iraq... we’re continuing our counterterrorism campaign in Iraq, and stand ready as the Iraqi government asks us to, to support the Iraqi people in ensuring that the influence from those who don’t want a sovereign, free, and independent Iraq don’t have their way inside of that country”.

Speaking alongside U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that “we have been fortunate that President Trump has led a consistent policy of pressure against Iran. Iran is increasing its aggression as we speak even today in the region. They’re trying to have staging grounds against us and the region from Iran itself, from Iraq, from Syria, from Lebanon, Gaza and Yemen, and we are actively engaged in countering that aggression”. Netanyahu further maintained that “Iran’s aggression is growing, but its empire is tottering. And I say let’s make it totter even further”. Secretary Pompeo, citing unrest in Iraq, Lebanon and Iran, stated that “some of these are people that are seeking freedom and a reasonable way to live, and they recognise the threat that is posed by the kleptocrats that are running the Islamic Republic of Iran”.

Discussing protests in Lebanon, a senior U.S. diplomat asserted that “Iran’s support to the terrorist group Hizbollah has contributed to the group’s ability to exert domestic influence and put its own interests over those of the nation, leaving the Lebanese people on the losing end”. He further reiterated that “the U.S. also remains concerned about the role being played by Hizbollah, and its benefactor Iran. During these protests, Hizbollah, with some echoes from Russia, has tried to blame the U.S. for instigating the protests. These efforts have fallen short. Protestors in Lebanon know they are not the puppets of external influence”. “In stark contrast to Iran, which uses corruption to create openings to extend its influence, we are offering a positive vision”, he added.

Confirming the release of U.S. aid to the Lebanese Armed Force (LAF), a senior U.S. diplomat acknowledged that “there were some disagreements about the efficacy of U.S. aid to the LAF”, but added that the LAF “is a national institution. It defends Lebanon’s borders. It is an excellent partner to the U.S. in counterterrorism, in fighting Sunni jihadi Islamists. They have developed in recent years a high level of capability on that regard”. He added that “they have responded in recent weeks… in impressive fashion in terms of protecting demonstrators from violence, demonstrating, I think, the fact that they are a national institution”. The senior diplomat also noted that “there are detractors who would point to incidents, isolated incidents, of deconfliction with Hizbollah in certain areas. But this is an institution that nonetheless has great merit”.

Discussing protests in Lebanon, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo maintained that “you have Christians, Sunni Muslims, you have people from all across Lebanon just demanding basic autonomy for the nation. They want Hizbollah and Iran out of their country, out of their – out of their system as a violent and repressive force inside of their country”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that “in Tehran, in Baghdad, in Beirut, people are taking to the streets. They are being slaughtered by the hundreds, yet they continue to protest. The tyrants of Tehran shoot them to no avail”. “In Baghdad”, he continued, “Iran's cronies have killed hundreds of Iraqis… In Beirut, Hizbollah thugs attack peaceful demonstrators”. “What is driving these people to risk their lives and stand up to their oppressors?”, Netanyahu asked. “The answer is simple. They are fed up. They're fed up with corruption. They're fed up with failing economies. They're fed off with the siphoning off of their treasure and their lives to Iran's wars of aggression in the region”.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo indicated that “President Trump’s strategic effort certainly includes sanctions as an element of our efforts to make the [Iranian] leadership change their ways. But it is only one component, we think that has been an effective component, we think they are having to make very difficult choices about whether to feed their people, to provide medicine for their people or if they want to underwrite the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza or Hizbollah in Lebanon”. “We hope they will begin to make the right decision, we hope the people in Iraq will force them to make the right decision”, he added. Pompeo went on to elaborate that “our campaign has also been political and diplomatic, to get countries around the world to recognise Iran as the largest state sponsor of terrorism... We are trying to unite the world alongside us, including the Europeans, who have taken a very different approach on the JCPOA, and President Trump is working to ensure that the Islamic Republic of Iran knows that they cannot engage in an activity like they have without there being a cost”. He additionally referred to “an increase in our deterrence capabilities by our activity in the Strait of Hormuz” as well as military deployments and weapons sales to U.S. allies in the Gulf and stated: “we hope that the combination of those things will restore deterrence to a level that is satisfactory, and the leadership will understand that there is a cost to their malign activity wherever it takes place”.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz stressed that “Hizbollah and its Iranian patron have taken Lebanon hostage. Their actions endanger stability and peace. Israel is determined to prevent Iranian efforts to arm Hizbollah in a manner that threatens the citizens of Israel”.

Discussing Lebanon, a senior U.S. diplomat underscored “the urgency for political leaders to quickly form a capable and responsive government backed by the Lebanese people that is dedicated to enacting reforms and ending endemic corruption”. He further emphasised that “no party should be perpetrating violence against other parties”, and assessed that “the Lebanese people have shown… that they’re fed up and they want a new kind of government, but this is up to them entirely”.

Referring to protests in Lebanon, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that “we remain committed to a brighter future for Lebanon and proudly stand with the Lebanese people in their peaceful demonstrations calling for reforms and an end to corruption”. “The U.S. stands ready to work with a new Lebanese government that is responsive to the needs of its citizens and has the capacity and political will to build a stable, prosperous, independent and secure Lebanon for all”, Pompeo added.

A senior Hizbollah official contended that “the first obstruction in the formation of the government is America, because it wants a government that resembles it and we want a government that resembles the Lebanese people”. “Let them leave us alone so we can reach an understanding among ourselves. The more they intervene the more they delay the solution”, he added.

Israel’s foreign minister contended that “now is the time for the world, led by the U.S., to have an effective military threat against the Iranian regime, if it will continue its nuclear program”. He added that “we will strike at whomever threatens us… That is what we have always done, and what we will continue to do in the future”. Commenting on the U.S. maximum pressure policy, the foreign minister indicated that “we see the demonstrations in Iraq, Lebanon and also in Iran, and it is clear that the pressure is working… the public in the Arab states and in Iran itself are rising against Iran’s brutal oppression”. He further underscored that “we have no conflict with the Gulf states, and we have common interests in the field of security against the Iranian threat”.

Iranian President Rouhani remarked that "we have no doubt that if the Iraqi people take to the streets to solve problems, have more prosperity and warn their rulers, they [the U.S.] want to take advantage of it and transform this popular movement into killing and discord, or when the Lebanese people want to solve their problems by holding protests and gatherings, the country that wants to take advantage of it and turn the protests into a civil war is America”.

A U.S. senior official remarked that “we consider the funding of the LAF [Lebanese Armed Forces] to be a good investment. Of course we listen to our ally Israel and we will take their request [that military aid be contingent on curtailing Hizbollah’s missile capabilities] under consideration”. He further elaborated that “the U.S. has a lot of confidence in the Lebanese Armed Forces, and thinks they’re an excellent partner in fighting Sunni jihadist terrorists. And we think that it’s a valuable bilateral security arrangement. And we plan on continuing it”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah argued that “when we say that we need a sovereign government, we mean that it rejects the U.S. orders and follows the national interests. The Americans are to be blamed for impeding the economic process in Lebanon, and the Lebanese officials are expected to hold their responsibilities”. Nasrallah also asserted that “claims that missiles will be sent to Hizbollah via the al-Bukamal border crossings are baseless. We have an overload of missiles in Lebanon, and we don’t know where to store them”.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo stated that “the struggle for freedom continues… we see it in the streets of Beirut. We see it in the streets of Baghdad, where people are rising up against the Islamic Republic of Iran. They want to be Lebanese, not Hizbollah. They want to be Iraqi, not part of an Iranian militia”.

Iran's military chief of staff reiterated that “the enemies have in recent days implemented plots in Lebanon and Iraq to misuse people's righteous demands and empower proxy governments but senior clerics and the Lebanese and Iraqi people confronted their plots”. “No one is entitled to interfere in these countries”, he added. 

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin contended that “Iran continues to spread terror throughout the region. It continues to build military bases and plan attacks from Syria, and other parts of the region, Lebanon and even Yemen”. “Our enemies”, he added, “must know the state of Israel will do everything needed to defend its citizens”. 

U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo argued that “the Iraqi and Lebanese people want their countries back. They are discovering that the Iranian regime’s top export is corruption, badly disguised as revolution”. Pompeo went on to assert that “Iraq and Lebanon deserve to set their own courses free from [Iranian Supreme Leader Ali] Khamenei’s meddling”. 

The U.S. State Department in its Country Reports on Terrorism 2018 evaluated that “Hizbollah remained Iran’s most powerful terrorist partner and the most capable terrorist organisation in Lebanon, controlling areas across the country”. It went on to assess that “Iran’s annual financial backing to Hizbollah, an estimated $700 million per year, accounts for the overwhelming majority of the group’s annual budget. Hizbollah’s presence in Lebanon and Syria continued to pose a threat to Israel”. “Israeli security officials and politicians”, the report noted, “expressed concerns that Iran was supplying Hizbollah with advanced weapons systems and technologies, as well as assisting the group in creating infrastructure that would permit it to indigenously produce rockets and missiles to threaten Israel from Lebanon and Syria”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that “the area around us is stormy and restive. Threats lurk in every corner – in Syria, in Lebanon, in the Gaza Strip, as well as in Iraq, Yemen and directly in Iran. Where not? Iranian and pro-Iranian forces are relentlessly arming themselves”. He went on to assert that “we are prepared for the threats and will not hesitate to strike harshly at anyone who tries to attack us. Iran’s threshold of daring in the region is rising and it grows even more in the absence of a response. However, Israel will not turn the other cheek. Whoever is bent on aggression – will meet with a vigorous response, and will pay a heavy price”.

Hizbollah asserted that it had “confronted with the appropriate weapons an enemy drone in the skies of southern Lebanon and obliged it to leave the Lebanese airspace”. The Israeli military stated that “an anti-aircraft missile was launched over Lebanese territory towards an IDF UAV. The UAV was not hit”.

Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reacted to protests in Iraq and Lebanon by calling on “those who care in Iraq and Lebanon [to] remedy the insecurity and turmoil created in their countries by the U.S., the Zionist regime [Israel], some western countries and the money of some reactionary countries… the people have justifiable demands, but they should know their demands can only fulfilled within the legal structure and framework”. Khamenei added that “the enemies engaged in the same plots against Iran; but fortunately, people acted in a timely manner, and the sedition was nullified”.

The U.S., Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and four other members of the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC) announced sanctions designations against “25 targets affiliated with the Iranian regime’s terror-support networks in the region”. According to the Treasury Department, the designation was “focussed on entities supporting Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Iran’s regional proxy, Hizbollah”. Secretary Mnuchin commented that “this action demonstrates the unified position of the Gulf nations and the U.S. that Iran will not be allowed to escalate its malign activity in the region”.  

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri announced his resignation amid nationwide protests in the country. In a statement, U.S. Secretary of State Pompeo urged “Lebanon’s political leaders to urgently facilitate the formation of a new government that can build a stable, prosperous and secure Lebanon that is responsive to the needs of its citizens”, adding that the protests showed that “the Lebanese people want an efficient and effective government, economic reform and an end to endemic corruption”.

Speaking alongside U.S. Treasury Secretary Mnuchin, Prime Minister Netanyahu argued that “Iran is seeking to develop now precision-guided munitions, missiles that can hit any target in the Middle East with a circumference of five to ten metres. They are developing this in Iran. They want to place them in Iraq and in Syria, and to convert Lebanon’s arsenal of 130,000 statistical rockets to precision-guided munitions. They seek also to develop that, and have already begun to put that in Yemen, with the goal of reaching Israel from there, too”. He further asserted that “Iran is the single greatest threat to stability and peace in the Middle East”, and urged Mnuchin “to put even more” sanctions on Iran.

Prime Minister Netanyahu contended that “Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons. It’s transgressing on its agreement and commitment. Iran wants to develop precision guided missiles that can hit any target in Israel within five to ten meters. It’s doing that. Iran wants to use Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Yemen as bases to attack Israel with statistical missiles and precision-guided missiles.” He went on to assert that “to ward off this danger… you have to be strong militarily. And to be strong militarily, we have to shift now money from the civilian areas to the military areas”.

Amid protests in Lebanon, Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah remarked that “everyone should take responsibility rather than being preoccupied with settling political scores while leaving the fate of the country unknown”. He further asserted that “all of us have to shoulder the responsibility of the current situation that we arrived at in Lebanon. Everyone should take part in finding a solution”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah remarked that “Saudi Arabia is highly advised to stop the war on Yemen instead of seeking to purchase advanced air defence missile systems. All costly weapons purchased [from] the U.S. cannot protect you from [Huthi] drone attacks”. Nasrallah added that “a military aggression on Iran will never be to the benefit of Saudi Arabia and the UAE”.

Iran’s President Rouhani remarked that “it is strange that the enemies of the region have not yet understood the power of the regional nations’ resistance… instead of admitting that Lebanon’s Hizbollah has high capabilities and power both in scientific and military knowledge and bravery in the field, or that a part of brave young people of Iraq have liberated different cities across the country from the hands of terrorists, and instead of admitting to the growth and greatness of nations like Syria and Yemen, they are seeking to accuse others”.

President Rouhani stated that Israel “has increased the number of its acts of aggression on the Syrian soil in recent months, and its officials have claimed responsibility for the aggressions and have extended their attacks to Iraq and Lebanon”. He further asserted that “these attacks are a clear example of provocative and illegal hostile acts that can cause widespread tension and conflict in the region”.

A senior U.S. Treasury Department official argued that “Iran’s economy bankrolls its aggression.  That is why Treasury is actively targeting Iran’s key industries: to drive the realisation by Iran’s Supreme Leader that economic collapse is inevitable if Iran does not stop its sponsorship of terror and proliferation activities, and return to the negotiating table”. He added that “our efforts are having an impact, leaving Iran with scarce funds to spend on its perfidious pursuits… consequences for Iran continue to mount, and will do so for as long as the regime maintains on its current course”. The official went on to say that “Hizbollah is also feeling the squeeze”, asserting that that “just as we have done to Iran, we are demonstrating our resolve to dismantle Hizbollah’s financial infrastructure, root and stem”.  

En route to a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that “at this time, we are operating on several fronts, 360 degrees, in order to ensure the security of Israel in the face of the attempts of Iran and its proxies to attack us, and we are working against them. The Syrian arena is the main one… it is important that we continue to maintain freedom of action for the IDF, including the air force, against Iranian, Hizbollah and other terrorist targets”. Netanyahu added that “this trip is designed to continue this important cooperation, which prevents collisions between us and the Russian forces, and to continue to advance the common goal that we agree on, which has yet to be achieved and which is far from being achieved, and that is the withdrawal of Iran from Syria”.

A senior U.S. diplomat indicated that “in the future we will designate… individuals in Lebanon who are aiding and assisting Hizbollah, regardless of their sect or religion”.

The Arab Quartet Ministerial Committee for Follow-up of the Crisis with Iran and Response to its Interventions in Arab Internal Affairs, chaired by the UAE and including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the Secretary-General of the Arab League, “condemned Iran's continued support for terrorist and subversive acts in the Arab countries, including the continued firing of Iranian-made ballistic missiles from Yemeni territory into populated cities in the Kingdom”. It also denounced remarks by Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s as “intended to provoke sedition and incite hatred; and which is an extension of the dangerous role of this terrorist party, which is considered as one of the arms of Iran aiming to destabilise the security and stability in the region”. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson responded that “the rehash of groundless accusations against [Iran’s] eternal ownership of its three islands in the Persian Gulf and the blame game by some Arab countries whose regional policies have failed are… the reason behind their failure to understand the realities of the region and the world”. He went on to say that “it is regrettable that some, instead of relying on the power of Persian Gulf states, make divergent, unfounded and undocumented allegations about the security of the region and welcome foreigners with their desperation”.

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah contended that “we reject any war plans against the Iranian republic, because such a war will ignite the region and destroy countries and peoples. It will be a war against the entire axis of resistance”. He went on to say that “this supposed war will be the end of Israel and the American hegemony and presence in the region”.

President Trump signed an Executive Order on Modernising Sanctions to Combat Terrorism. Secretary of State Pompeo explained that it “enhances the U.S.’s ability to target and deprive terrorists and their enablers of financial, material, and logistical support worldwide”.  It also provides authorities “to directly target leaders of terrorist groups and their associated entities without having to tie terrorist leaders to specific acts”, he added. Pompeo indicated that “the State Department is moving aggressively to implement these new authorities”, including designations against Hizbollah, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad officials. In parallel, the U.S. Treasury Department designated “15 leaders, individuals, and entities affiliated with terror groups”, including Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods force. Iran’s Foreign Minister responded that “as the world—minus three or two panicked cohorts—was breathing a sigh of relief over ouster of the B-Team's henchman in the White House, Pompeo and Mnuchin declared further escalation of economic terrorism against Iran”. He went on to say that the “thirst for war – maximum pressure – should go with the warmonger-in-chief”.

Hizbollah announced it had shot down an Israeli drone in Lebanese airspace and retrieved the debris; the IDF acknowledged losing a drone but disputed Hizbollah’s claim of downing it.

The U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, argued that “Iran is using Yemen to increase its status as a regional power… Iran has provided the Huthis with hundreds of millions of dollars and an arsenal of advanced weaponry”. “Iran’s strategic alliance with the Huthis”, Hook wrote, “allows them to target Gulf nations at will with missile and UAV attacks, and to inspire, organise, and direct militant separatist groups in Saudi Arabia’s provinces”. He also posited that Iran’s “alliance with the Huthis now allows Iran to threaten ship traffic in the Bab al-Mandab strait”, and indicated that “newly declassified information shows that Hizbollah is actively supporting the Huthi cause in Yemen, bringing Iran’s proxy network full circle”. Hook went on to underscore that “the Trump administration is focused on reversing Iran’s strategic gains in the region as part of the ‘maximum pressure’ campaign”, and contended that “the Huthis have little gain and a lot to lose by continuing their partnership with Iran”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that “I had an important meeting with U.S. Secretary of Defence Esper. We discussed the entire region from Iran, to Syria, Lebanon, Hizbollah and the various challenges and attacks against us, actions we took to thwart them, coordination we are called upon to make especially regarding Syria”.

The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned “a large shipping network that is directed by and financially supports the IRGC Qods force and its terrorist proxy Hizbollah”. Secretary of State Pompeo commented that “maximum pressure continues… the Iranian regime funds the murderous Assad and terrorist proxies like Hizballah through its illicit oil sales. We’ll continue to deny Iran the resources it needs to destabilise the Middle East”.

The Israeli military published imagery of an alleged Hizbollah site in the Beqaa within which, it posited, “is Iranian-supplied machinery used to manufacture precision-guided missiles”.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu commended “remarks by the foreign ministers of Bahrain and the UAE against Hizbollah’s aggression”, and praised the U.S. for imposing sanctions against “the bank that provides Hizbollah with most of its funds”. He further remarked that “I defined three main goals for the IDF and the security arms in the following order: First of all, to stop and prevent the Iranian nuclear project. Second, to prevent Iran from supplying our enemies and its proxies, such as Hizbollah and others, with precision weapons that endanger us. And third, to prevent Iran and its proxies from entrenching on our borders”. Netanyahu added that “in effect, we are acting vis-à-vis all of these goals, in part openly and a considerable part covertly. We are determined to maintain the security of Israel”.

One day after the Israeli military and Hizbollah exchanged fire, Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that “we acted yesterday with determination and responsibility. We maintained the security of our citizens and the safety of our soldiers. The man in the bunker in Beirut [i.e. Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah] knows exactly why he is in a bunker”. Netanyahu added that “we will continue to do everything necessary in order to maintain the security of Israel – on land and sea, and in the air, and we will continue to act against the threat of precision-guided missiles”. In remarks the same day, Nasrallah contended that “we’ve punished the enemy” and suggested “the start of a new stage of the situation at the border”. He went on to say that “we have a new target, which is the Israeli drones… we will confront these drones in the Lebanese skies”. Iran’s diplomatic spokesperson condemned what he described as Israel’s “blatant breach” of Lebanese sovereignty.

President Rouhani spoke by phone with his French counterpart and asserted that “if Europe cannot put its commitments into operation, Iran will take the third step in reducing its JCPOA commitments, which of course will be reversible”. He additionally underscored “that the continuation of negotiations for settling problems is the right decision and we need to continue along this path until we reach a desired point”. Rouhani also told Macron that “the leaders of the Zionist regime [i.e. Israel] have made countless miscalculations towards other countries like Iran, Iraq, Lebanon and Syria, and they are announcing their acts of aggression proudly instead of apologising”.

Lebanese Prime Minister Hariri reportedly told the UN Secretary-General “that Israel is fully responsible of its unjustified attack on a populated residential area in the Beirut suburbs, unprecedented since 2006”. He further asserted that “this unacceptable act threatens the stability and calm that have been prevailing on the international borders for 13 years and warned that any escalation by Israel threatens to drag the region into a conflict with unpredictable consequences”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu told French President Macron that “Israel would defend itself against aggression against it and prevent its enemies who seek its destruction from arming themselves with lethal weaponry”. He further noted that “those who provide shelter for aggression and arming will not be immune. Netanyahu also advised Macron that “the present – when Iran is stepping up its aggression in the region – is precisely the wrong time to talk with Iran”.

The Treasury Department announced sanctions against “financial facilitators responsible for moving tens of millions of dollars between Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-Qods Force and Hamas’ operational arm”. In a press statement, Secretary of State Pompeo indicated that “today’s designation reflects our determination to counter Iran’s malign influence and the financial, material, or technological support, or financial or other services to or in support of Hamas”. The Treasury Department also sanctioned Jammal Trust Bank in Lebanon, along with its subsidiaries, asserting that it “knowingly facilitates banking activities for Hizbollah”. Secretary Pompeo said the bank’s “misconduct undermines the integrity of the Lebanese financial system”, adding that “today’s designation deflects our determination to counter Hizbollah’s terrorist and illicit activities in Lebanon”.  Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu praised “the important decision to impose sanctions on a Lebanese bank that serves as an Iranian financing arm for the Hizbollah terrorist organisation. This is an important step designed to put pressure on Iran and its proxies, which are acting against the State of Israel”.

The Israeli military published the names and photos of three individuals whom it said where “Iranian commanders… working on a secret project with Hizbollah to manufacture precision-guided missiles to attack Israel”. Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that “we will not stand to the side and allow our enemies to acquire deadly weapons to use against us. This week, I already told our enemies to be careful with their actions. Now I am telling them: Dir balak [watch out]”.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that “I heard [Hizbollah chief Hassan] Nasrallah’s remarks. I suggest that Nasrallah relax. He knows very well that the State of Israel knows how to defend itself and how to pay back its enemies”. Netanyahu continued by saying that “I want to tell him and the Lebanese state, which is sheltering this organisation that aspires to destroy us, and I also say this to [Qods force commander] Qassem Soleimani: Be careful with your words and be even more careful with your actions”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that “Iran is operating on a broad front to carry out murderous terrorist attacks against the State of Israel. Israel will continue to defend its security however that may be necessary”. He also urged “the international community to act immediately so that Iran halts these attacks”.

Lebanese media claimed that Israel “last night executed three air raids that targeted the anti-Lebanon region… in central Bekaa, where military outposts for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine under the command of Ahmed Jebril are located”.

The Lebanese military stated that “two Israeli enemy drones violated Lebanese airspace… the first drone crashed and the second drone exploded in the air causing material damages”. Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah warned Israel that a response “may take place at any time on the borders and beyond the borders”.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated that “I don’t grant Iran immunity anywhere. Iran is a state, a power, that has sworn to annihilate Israel. It’s trying to establish bases against us everywhere. In Iran itself, in Lebanon, in Syria, in Iraq, in Yemen”. Netanyahu went on to say that “we’re acting not only if necessary, we’re acting in very many theatres against a state that seeks to annihilate us. Obviously I’ve given the security forces the order and the operation freedom to do what is necessary in order to disrupt these plots by Iran”.

Secretary of State Pompeo applauded “Paraguay’s decision to designate Hizbollah, al-Qaeda, ISIS and Hamas as terrorist organisations”. He added that “Hizbollah is a violent proxy of the Iranian regime and has no business being in South America. We call on all nations to take action against Iran-sponsored terrorism”.

Secretary of State Pompeo contented that “we're going to continue to do our best to ensure that particular shipment [of crude oil aboard the Grace 1/Adrian Darya 1 tanker] doesn't get into the hands of terrorists so it can risk American lives or lives of citizens in any other part of the world”. He further underscored that “we put in place a set of sanctions designed to deny the ayatollah the wealth to terrorise the world conventionally or with nuclear weapons, and we've been pretty effective”. We can see with Hizbollah…we can see with the Shiite forces in Iraq. We can see that they have fewer dollars. They're having to make really difficult decisions about whether to spend money on defence or just spend money back home”. He added that “we hope they will ultimately conclude that the best thing to do is to rejoin the community of nations, to stop conducting assassination campaigns in Europe, to cease with terror operations supporting Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the Gaza Strip or Hizbollah in Lebanon and Syria”. “I don’t know that they will”, Pompeo assessed. “They’re pretty wedded to it, it’s ideological. It’s not even about logic. It’s deeply ingrained in their revolutionary culture, and we hope that the Iranian people will see a way to get the leadership in Iran to change its behaviour”.

Secretary of State Pompeo argued that “we’ve put in place a set of sanctions that have denied the Iranian regime wealth, and we can see that that is working. Hizbollah has less money.  Some of the proxy forces have fewer resources. The Iranian leadership is having to make difficult choices about how to spend its now limited money”. He added that “the Iranian people know that the terror campaign, the revolutionary campaign that their leaders are undertaking, isn’t in their best interests, and I hope that the Iranian people work to change the behaviour of the Iranian regime”. Elsewhere, he declared that “we have managed to take almost 2.7 million barrels [per day] of crude oil off of the markets by denying Iran the wealth to create their terror campaign around the world and we have managed to keep the oil markets fully supplied.  I’m confident we can continue to do that”.

Addressing the UN Security Council, Secretary of State Pompeo reiterated that “the Islamic Republic of Iran and its proxies continue to foment terror and unrest in Iraq, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen with devastating humanitarian consequences”, adding that “since the U.S. declared our intention to bring all Iranian oil purchases to zero in April, the ayatollah has gone all in on a campaign of extortion diplomacy”. He also indicated that “we are already tracking very closely the JCPOA provisions expiring in October of 2020, namely the UN arms embargo and the travel restrictions on Qasem Soleimani”. “Time is drawing short to continue this activity of restricting Iran’s capacity to foment its terror regime”, Pompeo argued. “The international community will have plenty of time to see how long it has until Iran is unshackled to create new turmoil, and figure out what it must do to prevent this from happening”. At a press conference, Pompeo stated that “Iran’s continued development and testing of advanced ballistic missiles in defiance of UN Security Council Resolution 2231 is also an issue that the international community must address”.

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah stated that “I tell the Israeli enemy that if you enter the south [of Lebanon]… your army will be defeated and your vehicles will be destroyed”. He further contended that “today Israel doesn’t consider waging a war on Lebanon because it is aware of its power of deterrence and because it is aware that any war on Lebanon would not only be against Hizbollah but it would explode the whole region”. “A war on Iran is a war on the resistance in the whole region”, Nasrallah added. The following day Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that “we are not impressed by Nasrallah's threats. He knows very well why he broadcasts them from the depths of his bunker”.

In remarks alongside Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri, Secretary of State Pompeo asserted that “we continue to support the credible state institutions inside of Lebanon. They are essential to preserving Lebanese security, stability and sovereignty, and they are essential to making sure that the needs of all of the Lebanese people are met”. Pomepo added that “they are also essential to an effective response to the many political, economic and humanitarian challenges in Lebanon. This is a region that is threatened by Iran and is a nation threatened by its proxy Hizbollah, and we welcome the prime minister’s courageous commitment to keep taking full responsibility for Lebanon’s defence”. Pompeo also emphasised “that U.S. sanctions against Hizbollah members and its supporters will continue”.

The Treasury Department announced sanctions on “a senior member of Hizbollah’s External Security Organization (ESO), which is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of terrorist attacks outside of Lebanon”. A senior Treasury Department official stated that “this Administration will continue to target Hizbollah terrorists who plot horrific murderous operations and indiscriminately kill innocent civilians on behalf of this violent group and its Iranian patrons”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that “In Operation Northern Shield, we neutralised the terrorist tunnels that Hizbollah had dug into our territory over the years. I do not want to expand here on the other actions that we are taking. The surprise will come in its time. We do not rejoice in war, but if it is forced on us we will strike the enemy decisively”. Netanyahu added that “we are working without respite to thwart Iran’s efforts to channel funds and weapons to Hizbollah…without the Iranian oxygen pipeline, Hizbollah could not exist for very long.”. He went on to say that “if we have to stand alone against Iran and its proxies – we will do so. Thus we have acted in Syria in order to prevent Iranian forces from entrenching themselves there. We will not allow a second Lebanon in Syria”. “The principle that has guided my government is simple”, Netanyahu asserted. “Whoever rises up to kill you, prevent him from arming himself, especially with advanced, equilibrium-changing weapons”.

Prime Minister Netanyahu told a visiting French delegation that “it's very important that France and the rest of Europe… declare Hizbollah as a terrorist group. It's the major terrorist organization in the Middle East and in the world, and it's operating terrorists on European soil”.

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri described recent U.S. sanctions against Hizbollah political and security figures as indicating a “new course”, but added that “this will not affect parliament or the work that we do both in parliament and in the Council of Ministers”. He went to say that “it is important that we preserve the banking sector and the Lebanese economy and God willing, this crisis will pass sooner or later”.

The Treasury Department announced sanctions on three “key Hizbollah political and security figures leveraging their privileged positions to facilitate Hizbollah’s malign agenda and do Iran’s bidding”. Secretary of State Pompeo commented that “today’s sanctions against senior Hizbollah officials are part of the U.S.’ effort to counter Hizbollah’s corrupting influence in Lebanon”.

At the Christians United For Israel summit, Secretary of State Pompeo remarked that “we’ve implemented the strongest pressure campaign in history against the Iranian regime, and we are not done. We’ve cut off billions in funds that the Islamic Republic of Iran’s leadership would have used for various nefarious purposes, not the least of which would have been their efforts to destroy the state of Israel”. Pompeo added that “it is also the case that under President Trump, the Israel haters such as Hamas and Hizbollah and Islamic Jihad receive far less blood money from Iran to pursue their terrorism than ever in recent history”. National Security Advisor John Bolton also stated that “ we will continue to increase the pressure on the Iranian regime until it abandons its nuclear weapons program and ends its violent activities across the Middle East, including conducting and supporting terrorism around the world”.

The head of Israel’s foreign intelligence service declared that “we can’t agree to Syria becoming a staging ground for Iranian forces or forces operated by it against us. We can’t agree to Syria becoming a logistics base for transferring weapons to Hizbollah and Lebanon. Israel has taken action in the past four years, overtly and covertly, about which only a small amount has been published, in order to block the entrenchment and the production lines of precision-guided munitions”. The Mossad chief added that “thanks to this effort, I believe the Iranians will reach the conclusion that it’s not worth it for them”. He also indicated that “Iran and Hizbollah are asking to move their bases to northern Syria, an area that they mistakenly believe will be difficult for us to reach. In addition, they are establishing bases and precision missile facilities in Iraq… and Lebanon”.

At a military exercise, Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that “I hear our neighbours from the north, south and east threatening our destruction. I say to our enemies: The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] has very great destructive power. Don’t test us.”

According to the Israeli military, a drone entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon and subsequently withdrew back behind the frontier. 

Iran released Nizar Zakka, a Lebanese citizen and U.S. permanent resident arrested in 2015. White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders stated that "we're thankful for the release of the individual in Iran", adding that "the big question is there's several others and we want to see those people released as well". 

A senior Israeli military official maintained that "Hizbollah's loyalty was and remains to the Supreme Leader of Iran, not to the citizens of Lebanon. As a direct result of this, the nation of Lebanon will pay a heavy price in the next campaign for cooperating with Shiite terror". He went to pledge that "Israel will not allow [Hizbollah] to fulfill its plans and the destructive ambitions that it and its patron Iran have... we will continue to thwart Hizbollah's efforts to threaten our security both overtly and covertly, as necessary. And if a war is forced upon [us], we will exact a heavy price from this organisation and from those who provide it cover - wherever is necessary".

A senior Israeli defence official assessed that "Iran is under growing pressure that is forcing it to take actions connected to oil and its nuclear project - though for now there are no changes to its policies". Referring to Hizbollah, he indicated that "to the best of our understanding, their capabilities, their missiles, are still not precise". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that "Iran transfers $700 million to Hizbollah per annum", part of which "is transferred under diplomatic cover, by seemingly innocent means, to Lebanon and from there to Hizbollah". "These enormous amounts fuel the relentless aggression by Iran and its proxies in the region", Netanyahu continued. He added that "while we do not make light of Iran's threats, neither are we deterred by them because anyone who tries to hurt us will be hurt far worse... we proved it just last night".

At a press conference with German Foreign Minister Maas, Secretary Pompeo opined that the U.S. was “hoping to get Germany’s help…in recognizing Hizbollah as a unified entity and banning it from Germany as our ally, the United Kingdom, did this year”. 

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah posited that “one reason that there’s no war is that Iran is strong, otherwise the war could have been launched. The other reason is that the CIA knows that a war on Iran will set the region on fire and won’t stop behind its borders. …The whole region will ignite and the U.S. troops and interests will exterminate if a war on Iran was launched.” Warning Israel that Hizbollah would respond to any Israeli aggression, Nasrallah declared that “we have in Lebanon precision rockets that are able to target direct posts in Israel and that would change the face of the region”.

The U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, stated that “Hizbollah has been Iran’s favourite child… and it’s a model that they try to replicate around the Middle East”. “We are doing, of course, everything we can to deter any shipments of weapons or illegal goods”, he continued, adding that “what we’ve been very pleased with is the fact that Hizbollah is struggling financially…our goal is for that to continue as long as possible”. Hook went on to argue that “we very much support Lebanese sovereignty and independence. Iran…would like to see a Lebanon that they dominate”.

The Israeli military published video footage of a Hizbollah tunnel, noting that it was “the longest and most significant” of the other five that they had found since January 2019.

The U.S.’ diplomatic spokesperson asserted that “our maximum pressure campaign on Iran is designed to deny the Iranian regime, the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism, the means to conduct its destructive foreign policy. Our campaign is working”. She elaborated that “the campaign is starving Iran’s proxies of the funds they rely on to operate on behalf of the regime”, citing examples including Hizbollah, Hamas, the Syrian government and Shiite militias in Iraq. She went on to affirm that “we will continue to apply maximum pressure on the Iranian regime to deny it the means to conduct its destructive foreign policy and compel the regime to negotiate a comprehensive new deal that addresses the full scope of its malign behaviour”, while also indicating that “there is a path forward and we will talk tomorrow if they would like to see the bright future that we believe is there for the Iranian people”. The spokesperson further indicated that “we do not want a war with Iran. We want to de-escalate with Iran. In fact, what we seek is to end economic sanctions, to end the maximum pressure campaign”.

Hizbollah parliamentarians characterised U.S. sanctions against Iran as "unjustified" and reflective of a "tyrannical and dictatorial trend" in Washington. 

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah maintained that "despite our points of weakness, the resistance's readiness has not been affected despite the harsh sanctions imposed against us". He also pledged that "all Israeli brigades which will enter Lebanon will be destroyed before the eyes of the mainstream media and the entire world". 

Finance Minister Ali Hassan Khalil asserted with respect to the U.S. sanctions that "we reject these punitive measures whether they're against Iran or Syria... however, Lebanon complies with all international procedure regarding financial transactions". He also indicated, with respect to sanctions against Hizbollah, that "there are effects [for Lebanon] but we have the ability to adapt and we have adapted with reality, and I think we managed to overcome this". 

Responding to a journalist's query as to whether "Lebanon has gone to Iran's bosom and lost its ties with Gulf and Arab countries", Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil responded "I don't think it's in Lebanon's interests to be in an axis or with a state against a state. Lebanon goes after its interest with each stance it takes". 

UN forces investigating what the IDF described as "Hizbollah attack tunnels" updated their findings to note that they had "independently confirmed the existence of five tunnels close to the Blue Line in northern Israel. Of these, three tunnels have been found to be crossing the Blue Line". 

UN forces investigating what the IDF described as "Hizbollah attack tunnels" updated their findings to note that they had "independently confirmed the existence of five tunnels close to the Blue Line in northern Israel. Of these, three tunnels have been found to be crossing the Blue Line". 

The Treasury Department announced that it had "further targeted the global business operations of Hizbollah by designating two individuals and three entities acting as conduits for sanctions evasion schemes". 

During a visit to the south of the country, Lebanon's defence minister remarked that "if Israel bombards our airport, we will bombard its airport; if it strikes our oil facilities, we will strike its oil facilities". 

The U.S. announced that it was "offering a reward of up to $10 million for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of the global terrorist organisation Lebanese Hizbollah". National Security Advisor John Bolton characterised the move as "another example of how the U.S. is continuing to expand the scope and scale of our maximum pressure campaign against Iran and its proxies". 

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah maintained that "U.S. efforts to increase economic pressure on Iran, especially its pledge to drive the country's oil exports to zero, will have negative repercussions and will affect the entire world, including the U.S. itself". Nasrallah also predicted that "there is very little likelihood that Israel would launch another war on Lebanon", on the basis that "the Israeli army is not prepared for any aggression against the country". 

A senior Israeli military official assessed that "Hizbollah still has plans to invade the Galilee", and predicted that "we will thwart those plans". He also indicated that "in the area referred to as 'southern Syria', our operations have been very effective, and they have actually pushed the Iranians out... in those places, Iran's presence is so weak it's almost nonexistent".  

A senior IRGC official indicated that "today, in the area of [Iran's] regional achievements, there are tens of thousands of Lebanese Hizbollah forces around the borders of the Zionist regime [i.e Israel], and this is something the Americans cannot stomach". 

The Treasury Department "identified Lebanese national Kassem Chams and designated the Chams Money Laundering Organisation as Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers (SDNT)... [and] an affiliated network of Hizbollah". National Security Advisor John Bolton, describing the designation targets as a "narco-terrorism money laundering network working for Hizbollah", added that "we will continue to impose maximum economic pressure on Iran, its terrorist arm, the IRGC and its proxies and criminal affiliates around the world". 

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah posited that the U.S. move to blacklist the IRGC "shows that U.S. audacity and folly went beyond limits". He added that "until now we have only settled with condemnation, denouncement, patience and managing the situation calmly in the face of sanctions and terror lists, but our patience does not mean that we, the axis of resistance, do not have cards of strength". Nasrallah also opined that discussion of U.S. sanctions against Lebanese allies of Hizbollah "so far... remains an intimidation campaign". 

A U.S. official opined that Nabih Berri, Lebanon's parliamentary speaker, "continues to be Iran's man in Lebanon. He is Hizbollah's main line of political support. U.S. economic targeting and sanctions will increase until Berri goes - or changes, which is unlikely". "As long as Berri remains in power", the official predicted, "the country will suffer". 

The U.S. Special Representative for Iran, Brian Hook, maintained that "in Lebanon, the Iranian regime’s obsession with using Hizbollah to provoke conflict with Lebanon’s neighbours threatens the safety of the Lebanese people. IRGC backing enables Hizbollah to use murder, terrorism, and corruption to intimidate other Lebanese parties and communities".

Unnamed U.S. sources revealed that during Secretary Pompeo's visit to Israel in March, Prime Minister Netanyahu shared intelligence indicating "that Hizbollah and Iran have set up a new covert factory for precision missiles on Lebanese soil". Pomepo had, during his subsequent stay in Beirut, conveyed these findings to the Lebanese government.

Reflecting on his recent trip to Beirut, Secretary Pompeo stated that he had "called out Hizbollah, an organisation that now has infiltrated Lebanon in a way that is horrible for the Lebanese people... it wasn't popular". 

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah responded to Secretary of State Pompeo's criticisms of Hizbollah during his visit to Beirut. "We feel happy when an official from the world's most powerful state is concerned over our role," Nasrallah asserted. "We feel happy when the administration of the Great Satan [i.e the U.S.] is annoyed by Hizbollah... [Pompeo's statements] made us more faithful that we are in the right position". 

Following Secretary Pompeo's visit to Beirut, in the course of which he had warned Lebanon against "allow[ing] the dark ambitions of Iran and Hizbollah to dictate your future", Iran's diplomatic spokesperson riposted that "the provocative, meddlesome and undiplomatic remarks made by the U.S. Secretary of State... once again revealed Washington's patronising attitude and behaviour towards other free and independent countries". He went on to argue that "now that is has failed to realise its ominous goals in the sensitive region of the Middle East, the U.S. is resorting to the worn-out, hackneyed and outdated trick of intimidating and threatening others in a bit to impose its hegemonic policies and behaviour". "Iran stresses at it will tap into all its capacities in order to promote internal solidarity and unity in Lebanon", the spokesperson added, "and to reinforce bilateral ties with the country in issues that are in the interest of the Iranian and Lebanese people". 

In remarks to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), Secretary Pompeo stated that "the Trump administration and my team at the State Department is confronting the world's number one proponent of anti-Semitism, the Islamic Republic of Iran... we're enacted the strongest pressure campaign in history against Iran and its proxies, and they are feeling the pain". "Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbollah's terrorist-in-chief, recently begged for contributions from the very people in Lebanon that he and his Iranian masters have subjugated and terrorised", Pompeo added. "Hassan Nasrallah passing the tin cup around is good news". 

In Beirut, Secretary Pompeo posited that Lebanon's democracy was "at risk because the Ayatollah Khamenei and [Qods force commander] Qasem Soleimani and the Islamic Republic of Iran want to take over this country; they want to control this state; they want access to the Mediterranean; they want power influence here". In his conversations with Lebanese officials, Pompeo argued, "all understand the importance of keeping the political power out of the hands of the Islamic Republic of Iran". He added that "our efforts [to counter Iran] will be everywhere. Our efforts will be intense. Our objective is noble: to help the Iranian people successfully retake the leadership and the governance of their own nation in the way I know they so richly deserve". 

The U.S. special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, noted that "we know historically that Iran has given Hizbollah an average of $700 million a year... we have seen evidence of the impact [of U.S. sanctions] when the leader of Hizbollah makes a public appeal for charity. It speaks for itself. This is the kind of impact that we want". He added that "we know that we have denied the [Iranian] regime even in the short amount of time [since sanctions came into effect] many billions of dollars in revenue", and underscored that the U.S. held "talks with any government where we see sanctions violations or even potential sanctions violations". Hook went on to underscore that "we are... committed to ensuring that troops under Iranian command are out of Syria", and suggested Iran had a "vastly-under reported role in Yemen" despite having "no legitimate interest" in the country. "Giving [Iran] a foothold in Yemen", Hook argued, "allows them to threaten two straits of international commerce". 

During a joint appearance with Secretary of State Pompeo, Lebanese Foreign Minister Bassil remarked that "from our side, we reiterated that Hizbollah is a political party, that it is not terrorist... we want to work together in order to solve all these problems, including the issue of Hizbollah and the perception of Hizbollah and how to deal with Hizbollah". 

On a visit to Beirut, Secretary Pompeo met with several senior Lebanese officials, including President Michel Aoun, Prime Minister Hariri and Foreign Minister Bassil. "We have to confront the facts. Hizbollah stands in the way of the Lebanese people's dreams", Pompeo declared in a joint appearance with Bassil, adding that "Hizbollah and its illegitimate militia put the entire country of Lebanon on the front lines of Iran's misguided proxy campaigns". "The U.S. will continue to bring unprecedented pressure to bear on Iran until it ceases all malign behaviour, including that which is carried out by Hizbollah", Pompeo added. Citing an estimate of $700 million in annual Iranian support for Hizbollah, he asserted that "our pressure on Iran is simple. It's aimed at cutting off all the funding for terrorists, and it's working... we believe that our work is already constraining Hizbollah's activities". "Lebanon and the Lebanese people face a choice", Pompeo suggested. "Bravely move forward as an independent and proud nation, or allow the dark ambitions of Iran and Hizbollah to dictate your future". 

Ahead of a visit to Beirut, Secretary Pompeo described Hizbollah as "a terrorist organisation - period, full stop". "This is an organisation underwritten by the Islamic Republic of Iran with the intention of the destruction of Israel and, if you listen to them closely, the destruction of Western democracy, including the U.S. as well", he continued. "We're going to be very clear about how America sees Hizbollah and our expectations about how Lebanon's success depends on - the Lebanese people will demand that a terrorist organisation not be in control of their government and not drive policies and create risk for their country as well". 

Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah declared that "the sanctions and terror lists are a form of warfare against the resistance and we must deal with them as such. I announce that... we are in need of the support of our popular base". 

CENTCOM commander Joseph Votel opined that "Hizbollah's manipulation of the Lebanese political process thwarts needed reforms while exacerbating sectarian tensions inside Lebanon". He added that "Hizbollah has... engaged in provocative actions with Israel, risking unpredictable escalatory actions that threaten Israeli security and could undermine Lebanon's stability. Through its Hizbollah proxy, Iran continues to meddle in Lebanon's internal affairs". 

The U.S. welcomed the UK's move to "proscribe Hizbollah in its entirety". "This Iran-sponsored terrorist group has American blood on its hands and continues to plot and carry out attacks in the Middle East, Europe and around the world", said Secretary Pompeo. "International unity to confront Iran's regime continues to grow". 

U.S. Ambassador Elizabeth Richard revealed that she had shared with Prime Minister Hariri "U.S. concern over the growing role in the Cabinet of an organisation that continues to maintain a militia that is not under the control of the government, that continues to make its own national security decisions - decisions that endanger the rest of the country. And that continues to violate the government's disassociation policy by participating in armed conflict in at least three other countries". "This state of affairs does not contribute to stability", Richard suggested. "In fact, it is fundamentally destabilising". Lebanese President Michel Aoun argued the following day that "it is not true that Hizbollah's influence over Lebanon is increasing". 

The U.S. confirmed delivery of a $16 million shipment of laser-guided rockets for the Lebanese military, noting that the "delivery demonstrates the U.S. government's firm and steady commitment to support to the Lebanese army in their capacity as the sole, legitimate defender of Lebanon". 

Secretary Pompeo, in Warsaw for the Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East, described the proceedings as "absolutely historic... the first time in a quarter of a century that you had the prime minister of Israel in the same room talking about threats in the Middle East with senior Arab leaders from all across the Middle East". "This gathering is certainly about Middle East peace and stability," he explained. "You can't talk about that without talking about the threat from the Islamic Republic of Iran, whether it's Hizbollah, Hamas, the Houthis - I call them the three H's - whether it's their work against the Iraqi government... whether it's what they're doing in Syria today". Pompeo also remarked that "we don't expect the Iranian people to support the U.S. We expect them to take care of their own country... we want the Iranian people to have the opportunity to live in a prosperous, peaceful society and one that is controlled by their desires, their wishes. And if we can get that, I am very confident that these behaviours that we see in Iran will change dramatically". On Yemen, Pompeo stressed that "we have two problems - three problems really. The first problem is al-Qaeda... the second problem is Iran continuing to fund the Huthis... it provides missiles to the Huthis that they launch into airports in Saudi Arabia and the Emirates". 

Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif met with Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut, and underscored Tehran's determination to "stand firm by the Lebanese state, the Lebanese people and the Lebanese resistance". 

During a visit to Beirut, Foreign Minister Javad Zarif declared, with reference to military aid, that "we always have this type of readiness and we announced on other occasions that this tendency exists in Iran but we are waiting for this desire to exist on the Lebanese side". "If the Lebanese government requests, Iran is ready to cooperate with this country in all fields", he added. 

Secretary Pompeo, responding to a question about the danger of Venezuela "turning into a no man's land", asserted that "people don't recognise that Hizbollah has active cells. The Iranian are impacting the people of Venezuela and throughout South America". "We have an obligation", he added, "to take down that risk for America". 

Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared that "I'm willing to bring the Lebanese army air defence systems from Iran to confront Israel", and also asserted that "if America launches a war on Iran, it will not be alone in the confrontation at all". "The resistance axis is stronger than ever", Nasrallah continued, "and the U.S. will further withdraw from the region and Israel is heading towards more fear and panic". 

CENTCOM commander Joseph Votel posited that Hizbollah is "undermining the role of the legitimate Lebanese government and armed forces, adding that "Hizbollah has also engaged in provocative actions with Israel, risking unpredictable escalatory actions that threaten Israeli security and could undermine Lebanon's stability". Through its Hizbollah proxy", Votel continued, "Iran continues to meddle in Lebanon's internal affairs". 

Prime Minister told his cabinet that "in Iran today they are marking 40 years since the Islamic revolution and are trying to boast about the new missile. Iran openly declares its intention to destroy the State of Israel. I have a clear message to the tyrants of Tehran: we know what you are doing and where you are doing it. We will continue to take action against Iran with all the tools at our disposal in order to ensure the security and future of Israel". Netanyahu also met with a delegation of UN ambassadors, and asserted to them that "a great shift has taken place in the Middle East. That shift is the rise of the aggressive theocracy of Iran that seeks to conquer the Middle East, eliminate Israel and dominate many other parts of the world". "Iran has proxies", Netanyahu continued. "One of them is Hizbollah... they actually control the government of Lebanon. It means that Iran controls the government of Lebanon. It's important to send this very powerful message just as we stop the terror tunnels coming into Israel, we will stop all the aggression; from Lebanon or from Syria or from Iran itself". 

Lebanon's new national unity government was welcomed by Tehran and Washington, with the U.S. also noting concern "that Hizbollah, a U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization, will continue to occupy ministerial positions and was allowed to name the Minister of Public Health. We call on the new government to ensure the resources and services of these ministries do not provide support to Hizbollah". On a related note, a senior U.S. treasury official warned that "if we see that Hizbollah exploits, and they will exploit whatever ministry they are given, to funnel money and other terrorist agendas then we have significant problems with that".  He added that "our pressure on the Persians is having clear and obvious effect. We applied sanctions on Iran because they refuse to stop their missile launchers and funneling of their activities abroad. As a result of the domestic corruption in Tehran there is less and less money to go around. And as a result of that, we are actually seeing that Hizbollah... is not getting the paychecks they once enjoyed from the Iranians". 

The U.S. intelligence community assessed that "Hizbollah most likely will continue to develop its terrorist capabilities, which the group views as a valuable tool and one it can maintain with plausible deniability". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu, responding to 26 January remarks by Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, posited that Nasrallah "is very embarrassed for three reasons: one, because of the great success of our operation 'Northern Shield'... second, Nasrallah is in a predicament due to financial distress. The policy that we pushed of re-imposing sanctions on Iran, which was clearly and sharply adopted by President Trump, is striking hard at the sources of financing for Iran and its proxies, especially Hizbollah". The third factor, Netanyahu opined, was "our determination".

In an interview, Hizbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah remarked that "we will deal with any Israeli operation to hit targets in Lebanon as an attempt to change rules of engagement. And we will deal with any large-scale operation as a declaration of war against Lebanon". He also assessed that "no one knows when Syria would change its attitude towards the Israeli assaults, therefore they should be careful not to go too far with them, because the priority in the past was ending the internal Syria battle, but not the situation is different, Syria could respond, and Israel should never underestimate the response of the resistance axis, on top of which is Damascus". 

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin warned that "if we are threatened from Lebanon, we will not stand by. Hizbollah is creating facilities to produce and convert precision-guided missiles in the heart of Beirut under civilian cover and with Iranian support... this threatens Israeli security and could force us to respond, dragging the region into escalation that could badly harm Lebanon". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that "there is one central threat: Iran and its terror proxies. We have acted carefully and responsibly to thwart efforts by those who wish to annihilate us to become stronger. We did this by blocking the nuclear deal with Iran and reimposing sanctions. We had to penetrate through Iranian lies, as Iran lies all the time. They lied about the nuclear deal, and we exposed that by uncovering the secret nuclear archive from Tehran. They are lying now, saying that they are launching an ostensibly innocent satellite into space, but in fact, they are aiming to accomplish the first stage for an inter-continental missile in defiance of all international agreements. We fully support the U.S.' unwavering objection to this aggressive act". "Another step we have taken to protect Israel", he continued, "is disrupting Hizbollah's attempts to acquire precision-guided munitions, destroying Hizbollah's tunnels in the north and those of Hamas in the south, and above all, preventing the Iranian military entrenchment in Syria". Citing an Iranian official's recent remarks about Iran's advisory role in Syria, Netanyahu said: "I advise them to get out of there fast, because we will continue with our resolute policy, as we have promised and as we are doing, fearlessly and relentlessly".  

Confirming Israeli strikes against what he described as "an Iranian weapons warehouse at the international airport in Damascus", Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that "if necessary, we will step up these attacks". He also indicated that operation "Northern Shield", along the Lebanon border, had come "to a successful close". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that "we worked with impressive success to block Iran's military entrenchment in Syria. In this framework, the IDF attacked Iranian and Hizbollah targets hundreds of times. We worked together against the manufacture of precision weapons in Lebanon. We worked to dismantle Hizbollah's tunnels weapon in Lebanon, in Operation 'Northern Shield'". "Just in the last 36 hours", Netanyahu revealed, "the air force attacked Iranian warehouses with Iranian weapons at the international airport in Damascus. The accumulation of recent attacks proves that we are determined more than ever to take action against Iran in Syria, just as we promised". 

Secretary Pompeo warned that "in Lebanon, Hizbollah remains a major presence, but we won't accept this status quo. Our aggressive sanctions campaign against Iran is also directed at the terror group and its leaders". Pompeo added that "the U.S. will work to reduce the threat of Hizbollah's missile arsenal, which is aimed at Israel... many of these rockets are equipped with advanced guidance systems, courtesy of Iran, and that's unacceptable. Iran may think it owns Lebanon. Iran is wrong". 

Prime Minister asserted that "we are acting decisively to thwart all those who seek to endanger us. This is now happening in Syria, against Iran's attempts to entrench itself militarily... it is also happening on the Lebanese border". Netanyahu went on to argue that "the greatest threat from Iran is that of nuclear weapons in the hands of a power which declares that we need to be wiped off the face of the earth... I insisted on the re-imposition of sanctions on Iran and President Trump indeed made the brave decision to re-impose them. President Trump is acting against Iran in the economic sphere and here in Israel we are acting against Iran in the military sphere". 

The State Department issued a statement underscoring that "the U.S. fully support Israel's right to defend itself against Iranian regional actions that endanger Israeli national security and the safety of the Israeli people. Iranian support of and supply to terrorist groups in Syria and across the region that have the clear intent and capability to strike Israel are unacceptable". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that "we are not prepared to accept the Iranian military entrenchment in Syria which is directed against us. We will act against it vigorously and continuously... we will not be deterred from doing what is necessary". He added that "President Trump's decision to withdraw the American soldiers from Syria will not change our policy. We are standing steadfast on our red lines in Syria and everywhere else". Netanyahu also indicated that "we are eliminating Hizbollah's terrorist tunnels one after the other", referring to operation "Northern Shield" along the Lebanon border. 

U.S. defence officials indicated that overnight Israeli strikes in Syria targeted Iranian arms depots as well as members of Hizbollah, while a Russian military spokesperson argued that "provocative acts by the Israeli Air Force endangered two passenger jets". 

Prime Minister told his cabinet that Washington's "decision to withdraw 2000 U.S. troops from Syria will not change our consistent policy: we will continue to act against Iran's attempts to entrench itself militarily in Syria, and to the extent necessary, we will even expand our actions there". He went on to say that "cooperation with the U.S. will continue in full", and assessed that Israel's ongoing Operation "Northern Shield" along the Lebanon border was "meeting its timetable and its objectives". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu indicated that Israel was "continuing our efforts to neutralise the terror tunnels [along the Lebanon border]", and added that "we will continue to take very strong action against Iran's attempts to entrench itself in Syria. In neither of these sectors do we intend to lessen our efforts; we will intensify them, and I know that we do so with the full support and backing of the U.S."

Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that "we are committed to fighting the [Iran] nuclear agreement also with operations and actions and diplomatic moves... we are striking Iran and Syria and of course the U.S. is striking Iran economically. We are working to shrink this body which is responsible for almost all of the security problems that the State of Israel has". He added that "we are fighting the arms of Iran and Hizbollah... they [i.e. Hizbollah] planned to have thousands of precision missiles and they have a few dozen at best". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu opined that Hizbollah's digging of tunnels along the Israel-Lebanon border was "part of a war plan", adding that "Hizbollah is doing all this because Iran supports it in every way, including with money. Money that it got from the flawed Iranian [nuclear] deal. And this is part of the Iranian web of aggression". He went on to urge that the UN Security Council "condemn Hizbollah's wanton acts of aggression; to designate Hizbollah, in its entirety, as a terrorist organisation; to press for heightened sanctions against Hizbollah; to demand that Lebanon stop allowing its territory to be used as an act of aggression and its citizens to be used as pawns; to support Israel's right to defend itself against Iranian-inspired and Iranian-conducted aggression". 

The Israeli military published video footage of a Hizbollah tunnel, noting that it was "funded by Iran and cost millions of dollars". "Think about how that money could've been invested in the Iranian or Lebanese people", the IDF asserted, "but Lebanon allowed Hizbollah to invest it in killing Israelis". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu told his cabinet that "the IDF uncovered a fourth Hizbollah tunnel", and went on to say that the "operation [Northern Shield] to deny Hizbollah the tunnel weapon is proceeding according to plan and will continue until all of its goals are achieved". 

An Israeli military delegation met with Russian counterparts in Moscow to update them on operation "Northern Shield" and consult about "the improvement of the two militaries' deconfliction system in the norther region". The IDF indicated that it would "continue operating to prevent Iranian entrenchment and the arming of Hizbollah in Syria". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu indicated that "our red line is survival. We do what is necessary to protect the State of Israel against the Iranian regime that openly calls for the annihilation of the Jewish state". Netanyahu added that "I'm not ruling out doing anything that we need to do to defend ourselves. For the moment Israel's military is the only military... that is directly engaging the Iranian forces. We're doing that in Syria and pulling them back". He went on to say that "we're going to stop things... when they're small. So we meet Iran head-on in Syria and if we need to we'll do whatever else we need to do to protect ourselves". 

In an update on operation "Northern Shield", the Israeli military revealed that it had uncovered a third Hizbollah tunnel and "placed explosives" in it. The IDF went on to warn "Hizbollah terrorists: enter at your own risk". 

Discussing operation "Northern Shield", Prime Minister Netanyahu asserted that "the most important thing is the readiness... for a much stronger response if Hizbollah makes a major mistake and decides to attack us or oppose our action. Hizbollah will be dealt unimaginable blows". He went to assess that "Hizbollah understands that we are well prepared for any attempt on its part to respond and it realises that we have a great force here opposite it. I tell you now that it does not fully grasp it". 

Asked about Israel's operation "Northern Shield", Secretary Pompeo indicated that "the U.S. fully supports Israel's right and we do our best to support their capability to defend themselves from Iranian aggression". "These tunnels", Pompeo continued, "are Iranian-connected Lebanese Hizbollah efforts to violate the most basic premise of sovereignty". 

Prime Minister told Israel's diplomatic corps that "the exposure of Hizbollah's terrorist tunnels on the northern border is part of an effort, which is not just military, to block the tunnels threat. But it is also a public diplomacy, economic and diplomatic effort to impose increased sanctions Hizbollah, to designate all subdivisions of Hizbollah as one organisation". "It is also necessary", Netanyahu continued, "to increase sanctions on Iran, which is behind this organisation and is also behind Hamas' similar attempts". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu told his cabinet that "we will continue the operation [Northern Shield] until... the tunnel threat in the north is neutralised. At the same time we are working in the intelligence sphere in order to denounce Hizbollah and Iran and to increase sanctions against both of them". Netanyahu also detailed his earlier conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, stating that "I told President Putin that we are continuing our policy: we will not allow Iran to establish a military presence in Syria. We will continue to take action against the precision weapons in Lebanon, and we will complete the operation to foil the tunnels threat". 

A senior Hizbollah official claimed that "the Israeli domestic front, even Tel Aviv, and every point in the Zionist entity [i.e. Israel] can be targeted by Hizbollah's missiles". He went on to argue that "the rules of engagement that Hizbollah has created in Lebanon and the rules of deterrence have made the idea of a war initiated by Israel against Lebanon very difficult". 

Briefing foreign diplomats on operation "Northern Shield", Prime Minister Netanyahu remarked that "what we're facing is one big enemy. That enemy is called Iran. Iran is trying to act on two levels. One, to develop a nuclear arsenal... the second thing that Iran is doing is developing conventional weapons against us and have declared war to annihilate Israel". Hizbollah, Netanyahu asserted, "planned to have by now thousands of precision-guided missiles, in fact... [they have] a few dozen". He went on to call for "heightened sanctions on Hizbollah", and added that "Lebanon should be put on the list because they're saying nothing about this". 

UNIFIL chaired a tripartite session with Israeli and Lebanese military officials, and called on the parties to "avoid misunderstandings and ensure that security and stability along the Blue Line is maintained and reinforced". 

The Israeli military launched operation "Northern Shield", described by Prime Minister Netanyahu as "a campaign to expose and neutralise a network of terror tunnels on our northern border with Lebanon". "These cross-border terror tunnels were built by Hizbollah", asserted Netanyahu, "with direct support and funding from Iran". Warning that "Israel holds the Lebanese government accountable for all terror activity emanating from Lebanon against Israel", he added that "we will continue to do all that is necessary to defend ourselves against Iran's efforts to use Lebanon, Syria and Gaza as forward terror bases to attack Israel". In a statement, the Lebanese military maintained that "the situation is calm... and is being followed up on", while a Hizbollah official insisted that "routine is maintained in southern Lebanon's villages". 

The U.S. special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, stated that "every year, Iran's regime steals $700 million from its people and sends it to Hizbollah to fund its terrorist activities - like the newly-discovered tunnels - against Israel". "We're determined to exert maximum pressure to reverse all of the Iranian regime's threats", Hook added. 

An unnamed "senior Hizbollah source" maintained that "Iranian and Hizbollah positions in Kiswah... were not exposed to any bombardment" the week before. 

Hizbollah published a video citing its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, warning that "in case of any assault on Lebanon, in case of any air raid on Lebanon, in case of any bombardment at Lebanon, we will inevitably retaliate". 

The U.S. special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, indicated that "in Lebanon, we have evidence that Iran is helping Hizbollah build missile production facilities". 

The Treasury Department designated "four Hizbollah-affiliated individuals who lead and coordinate the group's operational, intelligence and financial activities in Iraq". "Treasury's concerted actions aim to deny Hizbollah's clandestine attempts to exploit Iraq to launder funds, procure weapons, train fighters and collect intelligence as a proxy for Iran", asserted a senior Treasury official. 

The State Department designated the son of Hizbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Jawad Nasrallah, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT), and additionally designated Al-Mujahidin Brigades, which it described as a "military organisation that has operated in the Palestinian Territories since 2005... [and] has ties to Hizbollah". "Today's action maintain the momentum of the Administration's snapback sanctions on Iran", the department noted. 

The U.S. announced "rewards of up to $5 million... for information leading to the identification or location" of a Hamas official purportedly "working with [IRGC Quds force commander] Qasem Soleimani" in Lebanon. Similar rewards were offered for two Hizbollah officials, one of whom was described as Hizbollah's "chief military liaison to Iran and to Palestinian terrorist organisations".  

The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, declared that the "source of our strength are our missiles because the Lebanese army is not allowed to acquire advanced missiles". He went on to warn that "we will respond to any Israeli strike on Lebanon and will not accept any aggression by the enemy on our land". 

Israel reportedly passed on a message to Lebanon warning that its "government must be careful when it comes to Hizbollah's rocket factories. If the issue isn't dealt with through diplomatic means by the Lebanese government, Israel will act on its own". 

President Trump signed into law sanctions legislation against Hizbollah intended to "further isolate Hizbollah from the international financial system and reduce its funding". In accompanying remarks, President Trump pledged that the U.S. would "target, disrupt and dismantle [Hizbollah's] operational and financing networks - of which they had plenty; they don't have plenty now". He also asserted that "we are doing a big number on Iran today", adding that the re-imposition of U.S. sanctions against Tehran on 5 November "will be followed up with even more sanctions to address the full range of Iran's malign conduct".  

The Justice Department designated Hizbollah as a "top transnational organized crime threat" 

The Justice Department designated Hizbollah as a "top transnational organized crime threat" 

The Treasury Department designated one individual and seven Lebanese companies for supporting a "Hizbollah insider and financier" already designated by the U.S. 

A minister in the Hadi government called on Lebanon "to intervene to stop the subversive and inciting activities of the Iranian Huthi militias in Lebanon under the cover of political, security and financial support from Hizbollah". 

Responding to Prime Minister Netanyahu's UN General Assembly speech, Lebanon's foreign minister, Gebran Bassil, asserted that "here is Israel, again coming up with excuses to justify assault and preparing to violate the sovereignty of states..."

Prime Minister Netanyahu warned Iran that "we will act against you in Lebanon", where he claimed "Iran is directing Hizbollah to build secret sites to convert inaccurate projectiles into precision guided missiles". Accusing Hizbollah of "deliberately using the innocent people of Beirut as human shields", he declared to Hizbollah that "Israel knows... and Israel will not let you get away with it". 

Prime Minister Netanyahu advised Hizbollah's leader to "think not twice but twenty times because if he confronts us he will receive a crushing blow that he cannot even imagine". 

The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, stated that Israel has "been working hard to cut off the road and prevent us from possessing accurate missiles. I say whatever you do to cut off the road on us, it's all over, we are now in possession of accurate missiles that if used in any future war you can't expect what your fate will be". 

The U.S. special representative for Iran, Brian Hook, revealed that "we have evidence is helping Hizbollah build missile production facilities". 

Commenting on the 2005 assassination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri, the Saudi ambassador to the U.S. noted that "the Special Tribunal for Lebanon renewed its accusations against four Hizbollah members, while they remain free; they continue to hold Lebanon hostage to Iranian terrorism". He added that "the international community must come together and hold those who committed this crime against Lebanon's sovereignty accountable by identifying the conspirators and punishing them. Rogue regimes must pay a price for using political assassinations to spread chaos in our region". 

Iran dismissed a Fox News article alleging possible Iranian weapons transfers into Lebanon, with the foreign ministry's spokesperson asserting that "the publication of such false news has become a common occurrence... indicating the escalation of the psychological warfare waged by anti-Iran and hostile circles". 

A senior Israeli military official declared that "Hizbollah speaks from the bunker. We're aware of their financial situation and abilities. If they knew what we knew about them, they wouldn't speak so confidently". "I hope there'll be no war", he added, "but if there is, it'll be the last northern war". 

The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, declared that "the Israeli army has developed much of its capabilities and acquired state-of-the-art missile and military hardware, it cannot yet evade defeat". He went on to warn of a "campaign being launched via social media to distort Hizbollah's image", and cautioned that "claims... Hizbollah is now in control of Lebanon's decisions are aimed at pinning the blame on the party for all the current situations". 

The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, met with senior Huthi officials in Lebanon.

The Saudi ambassador to Washington, Khalid bin Salman, took to Twitter to assert that "among the much ignored realities in Yemen is not only the direct assistance the Huthi militia receives from the Iranian regime, but the existence of Hizbollah commanders on the ground". Subsequent tweets showed an alleged Hizbollah member "advising [the Huthis] on asymmetric warfare" and "deception tactics", which the ambassador went to cite as "evidence (among others) [that] confirms the ideological and military connection the Huthis and Hizbollah have to the Iranian regime". 

The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, opined that the "U.S. and Israel are too weak to launch wars like those launched in the region before... those who want war we will give them war, but a war that we are ready for and will triumph in". He went on to say that "sanctions aim at creating public anger against the Islamic establishment in Iran in a bid to weaken the axis of resistance", adding that Iran "is more powerful than ever before". 

Saudi Arabia's UN envoy asserted that his government "will confront the militias of the Lebanese Hizbollah party everywhere, and expose its practices to the international community".

In a letter to his Lebanese counterpart, Yemen's foreign minister condemned remarks from Hizbollah's leadership supporting the Huthis. 

The secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, declared that "just in Europe, Iran-sponsored assassinations, bombings and other terrorist attacks have scarred countless lives"; accompanying graphics illustrated purported terrorist plots and attacks carried out by Iran and Hizbollah. 

The Saudi-led coalition claimed to have killed 8 Hizbollah fighters in clashes against Huthi forces in Saada.

Yemeni forces claimed to have apprehended seven Hizbollah members in Yemen's northern governorate of Saada. 

A senior Iranian defence official posited that "Lebanese Hizbollah, armed with 80,000 rockets, has turned into a permanent threat for the Zionists [Israel]". 

Quds Force Commander Qasem Suleimani claimed that "Saudi Arabia spent $200 million in a short period of time on the Lebanese elections", and argued that Hizbollah's performance in the polls, which he tallied at 74 seats, meant it "has transformed into a Lebanese Resistance state from a Lebanese Resistance political party". Saad Hariri called Suleimani's comments "regrettable". 

The speaker of parliament, Nabih Berri, asserted that Iranian and Hizbollah forces will remain in Syria "until Syria is liberated and regains its territorial integrity". 

The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, argued that "the U.S. and Saudi sanctions against me and my brothers do not have material effect, seeing as we don't have money in banks, but the aim is to scare people of meeting with us". 

Saad Hariri was appointed prime minister.

The UN Secretary-General "call[ed] upon countries in the region that maintain close ties with Hizbollah to encourage the transformation of the armed group into a solely civilian political party, and its disarmament". 

A Hizbollah official brushed off U.S. sanctions designations targeting the group as having "no value of political effect". 

The U.S., Saudi Arabia and five other members of the Terrorist Financing and Targeting Center (TFTC) announced sanctions designations against Hizbollah's leadership. 

President Rouhani pledged that "Iran will continue supporting the Lebanese government and nation to resist against terrorist groups and aggression by the Zionist Regime". 

The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, claimed that 55 missile were fired at Israel on 10 May, adding that "the message was delivered... the era when you hit Syria without response is over". 

Hassan Nasrallah hailed the results of Lebanese parliamentary elections as "a political and moral victory for the choice of resistance which will protect the country's sovereignty". 

With parliamentary elections approaching, Hassan Nasrallah declared that "the resistance needs political protection because of the international and regional conspiracy. The Saudi crown prince is ready to pay billions of dollars to incite the U.S. and 'Israel' to wage war on the region". 

Responding to the recent U.S.-led strikes in Syria, the leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, argued that the U.S. "knows well that going towards a wide confrontation against the regime and the army and the allied forces in Syria could not end... any such confrontation would inflame the entire region".   

A senior Hizbollah official downplayed the possibility that potential U.S. retaliation following the suspected chemical attack in Douma on 7 April might escalate "into a direct American-Russian clash or a wide state of war". He added that "if the assault on Syria has a very limited scope, then it's expected that reactions from the concerned sides in Syria will be tied to the Syrian arena". 

The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, blamed Israel for the 9 April airstrikes against the T4 airbase in Syria and called it "a historic mistake... which brings [Israel] into direct confrontation with Iran". 

The president of Lebanon, Michel Aoun, maintained that his country "will not accept any Israeli exploitation of our airspace". 

The leader of Hizbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, alleged that Saudi Arabia had offered substantial aid for Syria's reconstruction if the Syrian government broke ties with Iran and Hizbollah. 

A U.S. military official indicated that in the event of Iranian missile strikes against Israel, "we will have fighting forces moving within 72 hours". 

The commander of the Lebanese armed forces, Joseph Aoun, warned that "the army will not spare any method available to confront any Israeli aggression, whatever the costs". 

The Treasury Department announced sanctions designations against six persons and seven entities linked to Hizbollah. 

 In an article published on Arabic-language media, an Israeli military official dubbed Lebanon "one large missile factory". IDF spokesman Ronen Manelis went on to write that "Iran has de-facto opened a new branch, the 'Lebanon branch'", adding that "our security red lines are clearly demarcated. We have proven that is the case every week. The choice is yours, people of Lebanon".

Hariri withdrew his resignation. In remarks to the cabinet, he declared that “it cannot be that we accept that any Lebanese side interferes in the affairs of Arab states”. 

Hariri stated that “Lebanon cannot resolve a question like Hizbollah which is in Syria, Iraq, everywhere because of Iran. It is a regional political solution that needs to be done … I think in the interest of Lebanon, Hizbollah is carrying out a positive dialogue. They know we have to remain neutral in the region”.

Hariri declared that “we will not accept Hizbollah’s positions that affect our Arab brothers or target the security and stability of their countries”.

Hariri suspended his resignation after talks with Lebanon’s president.

After briefs stays in France and Egypt, Hariri headed back to Beirut.

Lebanese President Michel Aoun accused Saudi Arabia of holding Hariri against his will.

In a televised live interview on his own Future TV, Hariri insisted that he was staying in Saudi Arabia at his own will and was free to go.

Hariri held discussions with King Salman of Saudi Arabia and several top Saudi officials in Riyadh.

Hariri announced in Saudi Arabia that he was resigning from his post.

Ali Akbar Velayati, a senior adviser to Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, held meetings in Beirut with Hariri, Aoun and the parliament speaker, Nabih Berri.

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2017 (H.R. 3329) and the Sanctioning Hizballah’s Illicit Use of Civilians as Defenseless Shields Act (H.R. 3342). It also passed H.R. 359, “urging the European Union to designate Hizballah in its entirely as a terrorist organization and increase pressure on it and its members”.

The Israeli military reported several rockets and anti-tank missiles fired from Lebanon, in addition to mortar fire from Syria; it struck the origin points in response.