Hostages’ kin are terrified they won’t return after Israel resumes fighting

DUBAI: Lebanese official media reported an air strike Friday on south Beirut following an Israeli military warning, the first such raid since a November ceasefire largely halted hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.
"Israeli warplanes struck the Hadath neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs," the National News Agency said, referring to a densely populated area home to residential buildings and schools, after unclaimed rocket fire from Lebanon towards Israel earlier in the day.

The Israeli military said on Friday it was striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, hours after missiles were fired from Lebanese territory into Israel.

The army said it would provide further details later.

Israel earlier said Friday it had intercepted a projectile launched from Lebanon and vowed to respond strongly to protect its security, the latest strains to a shaky truce that ended a year-long war between Israel and Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

Defense Minister Israel Katz said Israel holds Lebanon responsible for missile fire on the Galilee area in northern Israel.

“We will ensure the security of the residents of Galilee and will act forcefully against any threat,” he said in a statement.

A second projectile landed inside Lebanon, the Israeli military said.

There was no immediate comment from the Lebanon government or from Hezbollah.

Israeli artillery and airstrikes hit southern Lebanon on Saturday after Israel said it intercepted rockets fired from across the border, killing at least eight people.

Hezbollah denied responsibility for the rocket fired on Saturday, saying it had “no link” to the launches and remained committed to the ceasefire.

Under a ceasefire deal agreed in November, Hezbollah was to remove its weapons from southern Lebanon, Israeli ground forces were to withdraw, and the Lebanese army was to deploy in the area.

The agreement tasked Lebanon’s government with dismantling military infrastructure in the south and confiscating unauthorized weapons.

The truce ended Israel’s bombardment and ground operations in Lebanon, as well as Hezbollah’s daily rocket fire into Israel. Both sides have accused each other of failing to fully implement the terms.

Israel says Hezbollah maintains military positions in the south. Lebanon and Hezbollah say Israel continues to violate the deal by carrying out airstrikes and keeping troops at five hilltop positions near the border.

DUBAI: Suspected US airstrikes pummeled sites across Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels early Friday, including neighborhoods in the capital, Sanaa.
The extent of the damage and possible casualties wasn’t immediately clear, though the number of strikes appeared particularly intense compared to other days in the campaign that began March 15.
An Associated Press review has found the new American operation under President Donald Trump appears more more extensive than those under former President Joe Biden, as the US moves from solely targeting launch sites to firing at ranking personnel as well as dropping bombs in cities.
Initial reports from the Houthis described at least seven people being hurt in the attacks Friday in Sanaa, Yemen’s capital that the rebels have held since 2014. Other strikes hit around the Red Sea port city of Hodeida, the rebel’s stronghold of Saada and in Yemen’s Al-Jawf, Amran and Marib governorates.
The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge what at those sites had been targeted, other than Sanaa International Airport, which is used for both civilian and military traffic. Neighborhoods in the capital also are home to military and intelligence service sites — as well as crowded with civilians.
An Associated Press video showed one bomb dropping into Sanaa, with a huge plume of smoke rising into the night sky as many people were awake in the final days of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.
Other areas hit included mountainous terrain north of Sanaa in Amran, where military camps and other installations are believed to be. The Houthis’ Al-Masirah satellite news network described communication networks going down after the attacks, which included at least 19 strikes there alone.
The US military’s Central Command, which now has authority from the White House to strike offensively in Yemen without pre-approval, did not immediately acknowledge conducting any strikes. The command, which under Biden offered details on individual strikes, has not provided that information in this campaign.
The new campaign of airstrikes, which the Houthis say have killed at least 57 people, started after the rebels threatened to begin targeting “Israeli” ships again over Israel blocking aid entering the Gaza Strip. The rebels in the past have had a loose definition of what constitutes an Israeli ship, meaning other vessels could be targeted as well.
The Houthis had targeted over 100 merchant vessels with missiles and drones, sinking two vessels and killing four sailors during their campaign targeting ships from November 2023 until January of this year. They also launched attacks targeting American warships, though none have been hit so far.
The attacks greatly raised the Houthis’ profile as they faced economic problems and launched a crackdown targeting any dissent and aid workers at home amid Yemen’s decadelong stalemated war that has torn apart the Arab world’s poorest nation.