The United Nations Interim Peacekeeping Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) called on all parties in Lebanon to abide by the Security Council Resolution on the Demilitarized Zone in Lebanon and prevent further escalation of tensions.
Security Council Resolution 1701 was adopted in 2006 and calls for an end to hostilities between Lebanon and Israel and the establishment of a demilitarized zone, allowing only the Lebanese army and UNIFIL to possess weapons and military equipment in the area.
UNFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti announced that they have asked all parties in Lebanon to abide by resolution 1701 and prevent further escalation of tensions, Anadolia reports.
Stating that peacekeepers witness conflicts on the ground every day, Tenenti said that UN patrols have been suspended due to the conflict.
As he added, in October there were more than 30 attacks that damaged UN property, and 20 such attacks were carried out by the Israeli army.
"Our message is very clear. We demand that the parties adhere to Security Council resolution 1701," Tenenti said.
He added that changes in UNIFIL's mandate can only be made by a decision of the UN Security Council.
Tenenti also said that about 500 people left southern Lebanon, which is a large part of the population of that region.
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The Israeli military said it killed Mustafa Ahmad Shahadi, who it claims was the deputy commander of Hezbollah's elite Radwan force, in an airstrike on the southern Lebanese city of Nabati.
The killing of Shahadi "is part of an effort to diminish the ability of Hezbollah's Radwan Forces to directly conduct and execute terrorist activities against Israeli troops and communities on the northern border," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
Hezbollah has not yet commented on the Israeli claims.
CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to arrive in Egypt on Wednesday as talks continue on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, a source familiar with his trip told CNN.
The proposal discussed in recent days by the United States, Israel and Qatar includes a month-long truce in exchange for the release of some hostages, according to two sources familiar with the discussions. The proposal was put forward by the USA, sources said.
It was not immediately clear how many hostages or Palestinian prisoners would be freed during that period. The temporary truce would be shorter than the six-week first phase previously considered before talks collapsed, sources familiar with the talks said.
Qatari negotiators, who along with Egypt are the main mediators in negotiations with Hamas, are currently discussing a limited proposal with Hamas, one of the sources said.
Another source, a diplomat, said Hamas wants confirmation that there is Israeli approval for any plan presented to them.
On Sunday, Burns was in Doha for a meeting with Israel's Mossad director, David Barney, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in an attempt to revive truce talks following the death of Yahya Sinwar, which US officials called a watershed moment in the Gaza war.
US diplomats are developing a plan to end the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, starting with a 60-day ceasefire, Reuters reports, as the war enters its fourth week.
A source familiar with the negotiations and a senior diplomat working on Lebanon told Reuters the two-month period would be used to finalize the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006 to rid southern Lebanon of weapons outside state control.
"We want to reiterate that we are seeking a diplomatic solution that fully implements Resolution 1701 and allows the return of Israeli and Lebanese citizens to their homes on both sides of the border," said Sama Habib, spokeswoman for the US Embassy in Beirut.
Meanwhile, Israel's invasion of Lebanon continues to intensify. On Wednesday, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of residents of Balbek, home to tens of thousands of mostly Shia Muslim Lebanese, including many who fled from other areas.
Saudi Arabia will host a high-level meeting in Riyadh on Wednesday, which the Gulf Arab country hopes will lead to steps that will "set a timeline for the realization of an independent Palestinian state and an end to the occupation" by Israel, Saudi state media said.
The meeting will be held by the "global alliance to implement the two-state solution", a group of Arab and European countries that Saudi Arabia founded last month.
Iran said its missile production remained intact after Israeli airstrikes on military facilities last week, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
"There was no interruption in the production process of offensive systems such as missiles. The enemy tried to damage our defensive and offensive systems," Defense Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh told reporters.
Israel launched strikes on military sites in Iran on Saturday, citing an Iranian missile attack on October 1, which followed the killing of an Iranian-backed militant leader and a Revolutionary Guard commander. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later said the strikes "hit Iran's defense capabilities and missile production."
Iran's armed forces said the attack killed four soldiers and caused "limited damage" to several radar systems. Iranian media reported that one civilian was also killed.
Israel has warned Iran to stay safe, while Tehran, claiming it does not want war, has promised an "appropriate response".
Hezbollah's new leader will deliver a speech on Wednesday, a source close to the group said, in what will be his first address since being appointed earlier this week.
"A speech by Hezbollah's new secretary general, Naim Kassem, is scheduled for Wednesday," a source told Agence France-Presse (AFP), requesting anonymity because of the sensitivity of the situation.
The Israeli security cabinet is considering the terms of a truce with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where Israeli troops are conducting a ground offensive, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"There are talks going on, I think it will take some time," Cohen told Israel's state radio.
According to Israel's Channel 12 television, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Israel's demands in exchange for a 60-day truce with ministers on Tuesday evening.
Those demands include the withdrawal of Hezbollah north of the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the Israeli border, the deployment of the Lebanese army along the border, an international ceasefire enforcement mechanism and a guarantee that Israel will maintain freedom of action in the event of threats, reports AFP.
"Thanks to all the military operations in the past months and especially in the last weeks ... Israel can come from a position of strength after the entire leadership of Hezbollah has been eliminated and more than 2.000 terrorist infrastructures of Hezbollah have been hit," said Cohen, the former intelligence minister.
According to Israeli media, US President Joe Biden's Middle East adviser and special envoy Amos Hochstein will travel to the region on Wednesday to meet with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials to discuss the terms of a ceasefire with Hezbollah.
At least 43.163 Palestinians have been killed and 101.510 wounded in the Israeli military offensive in Gaza since October 7, 2023, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
The ministry said 102 Palestinians were killed and 287 wounded in the past 24 hours.
The Ministry does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
Gaza cease-fire mediators will propose a truce of "less than a month" to Hamas, a source familiar with the negotiations told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Meetings between Mossad chief David Barney, CIA director Bill Burns and Qatar's prime minister in Doha, which ended Monday, discussed a proposal for a short-term truce lasting "less than a month," the source said on condition of anonymity.
The Lebanese Hezbollah announced that it had launched drones at an Israeli base in the port city of Haifa, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Hezbollah fighters carried out an airstrike at 7:45 a.m. with a squadron of combat drones on a base south of Haifa, the group said in a statement.
A Lebanese security official told Agence France-Presse (AFP) that an Israeli attack on a van carrying ammunition near Beirut killed the driver.
"The van was targeted by an Israeli attack on the Kahala road and the driver was killed," the official said, adding that the vehicle was carrying ammunition.
According to AFP, the official requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
Lebanese state media said the Kahala road, which connects Beirut to Damascus, was blocked in both directions due to a "security incident".
Medical organization Médecins Sans Frontières joined a growing number of humanitarian organizations condemning the Israeli parliament's decision to pass a law on Monday banning UNRWA from working in the country.
The ban will have catastrophic consequences for the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank, where millions rely on UNRWA for basic aid, said a statement from Doctors Without Borders.
"This decision is the culmination of a long-running campaign against the organization, with consequences that will affect generations to come," said MSF Secretary General Christopher Lockyer.
The organization called for immediate international intervention to pressure Israel to withdraw the decision, provide access to basic aid and move towards a cease-fire in Gaza, reports CNN.
A top United Nations official has condemned a deadly Israeli attack on a high-rise building in northern Gaza, reiterating calls for a ceasefire and a hostage deal in the Palestinian territory.
Tor Venesland, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East peace process, said the "horrific incident" in the Beit Lahia area was the latest in a series of mass casualties in northern Gaza, raising serious concerns about violations of international law.
"I unequivocally condemn the mass killing and wounding of civilians in Gaza and the endless displacement of the population. This endless vortex of death and destruction must stop immediately," he said in a statement.
More than 90 people, including 25 children, were killed in the attack, according to the Palestinian Authority. The US called the attack terrifying, and the UN described it as one of the deadliest Israeli attacks in nearly three months. The Israeli military said it was trying to understand why so many people were in the area.
Palestinian health officials describe dire conditions in Beit Lahia, which they say are only getting worse under Israeli bombardment. The municipality of Beit Lahija today declared the city "hit by a disaster" and issued an urgent appeal to the international community to allow water, first aid, medical personnel and other basic needs to arrive in the area.
Who is Naim Kassem, the new leader of Hezbollah?
Hezbollah appointed Shiite cleric Naim Qassem as its leader, more than a month after his predecessor Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The organization's senior council elected Qassem as secretary general, Hezbollah's media office said on Tuesday, adding that Qassem was committed to the "authentic Islam of the Prophet Muhammad" and the group's fundamental principles.
Qassem now leads an organization that was once considered Iran's most powerful ally in its conflict with Israel - a force that, in recent weeks, has been significantly weakened by Israeli attacks that have killed top leaders, wounded thousands of fighters and crippled its missile capabilities. The group now faces an intense Israeli military campaign in southern Lebanon.
Responding to the appointment, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant wrote on Platform X: "Temporary appointment. Not for long," reports CNN.
Kasem was a chemistry professor for six years before joining Hezbollah. He often gave interviews on television and in newspapers. He wrote the book "Hezbollah: The Inside Story", which describes the rise of Hezbollah as a "resistance force" and a political party directed against the Israeli occupation.
Despite its presence in the media, ordinary Lebanese could not easily understand it, making it less popular than its predecessors. Kasem represented the lower middle class, while Nasrallah was from the poor class.
Qassem, a Shiite cleric, has repeatedly condemned Israel's war in Gaza, saying that Hezbollah's front of support for the Palestinians will only grow stronger as Israel increases its aggression, especially when it targets civilians.
But Qassem is unlikely to be Hezbollah's absolute leader, but a coordinator of the organization's various voices, analysts say, since there were few options to choose from after Israel killed most of Hezbollah's senior leaders.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the United States "rejects any Israeli efforts to starve Palestinians in Jabalia or anywhere else" and called on the Netanyahu government to confront the "catastrophic humanitarian crisis" in Gaza, the Guardian reports.
Israeli tanks entered the suburbs of the Lebanese town of Qiyam in the deepest penetration so far into southern Lebanon as part of a ground operation, Lebanese media reported, while the Ministry of Health announced that at least 14 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the south.
The National News Agency of Lebanon reported on the entry of a large number of Israeli tanks on the eastern outskirts of Kiyam, about 6 kilometers from the border with Israel.
Israeli forces are said to have carried out a series of airstrikes on Qiyam later and launched a major purge using heavy and medium weapons, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.
Hezbollah said it destroyed two tanks using guided missiles and targeted Israeli troops south and southwest of Qiyam with rockets and artillery.
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