World
IDF strike reported near Beirut, sirens blare in north after peace talks in DC
Lebanese media reported on Wednesday that an Israeli strike hit a car in the town of Khalde, just south of the capital Beirut, as the Hezbollah terror group continued its attacks on Israeli troops and civilians despite a nominal ceasefire.
Additionally, two vehicles were reportedly targeted in the southern Lebanese town of Deir ez-Zahrani.
The state-run National News Agency reported strikes on around 20 locations in the country’s south.
A medical source in south Lebanon’s Tyre told AFP that two Israeli strikes on the Al-Hawsh area near the coastal city killed six people — four Syrian nationals and two Palestinians.
The reports came about an hour after the Israel Defense Forces issued evacuation warnings for three villages and towns in southern Lebanon ahead of airstrikes targeting Hezbollah.
Residents of Arzay, Mazraat Kauthariyet al-Rez, and Zrariyeh were instructed to evacuate and head north of the Zahrani River.
“In light of the Hezbollah terror organization’s violations of the ceasefire agreement, the IDF is forced to act against it with force and does not intend to harm you,” warned army spokesman Col. Avichay Adraee.
Later, the IDF issued evacuation warnings for three more villages and towns, urging residents of Jbaa, Houmine El Faouqa, and Arkey to evacuate at least a kilometer away.
IDF intercepts suspected drone over Kiryat Shmona
Meanwhile, a suspected Hezbollah drone launched from Lebanon was intercepted by air defenses over the Kiryat Shmona area late Wednesday morning.
The drone, and concern of falling shrapnel following the interception, triggered sirens in the northern city and nearby communities.
A rocket alert also sounded in the area.
The IDF Home Front Command had announced on Tuesday evening that it would ease safety restrictions in communities along the northern border.
The Galilee Medical Center in the northern coastal town of Nahariya announced that, in light of the changing security situation, the hospital was “once again returning aboveground.”
The hospital staff had brought all the inpatient wards to the hospital’s protected areas on Saturday, as a security measure amid the Hezbollah attacks.
A new round of talks between the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors was held in Washington on Tuesday, after US President Donald Trump said he had received commitments of de-escalation from both Jerusalem and Hezbollah.
It was the fourth round of talks to be held by diplomatic representatives of the two countries, which do not have ties and have been in a state of war since 1948. They were held at the State Department and were set to continue on Wednesday.
Trump confirms calling PM ‘f***ing crazy’
In an interview aired Wednesday, Trump confirmed that he called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “fucking crazy” during a Monday phone call about Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah.
“I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon,” Trump told podcast host Miranda Devine, while noting, “I like Bibi a lot. And I work very well with him,” he said, during an hourlong interview on the “Pod Force One” podcast.
Trump’s explicit outrage at Netanyahu was first reported on Monday by Axios, and later denied by Israeli officials, including one who spoke with The Times of Israel.
The latest round of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah began on March 2, when Hezbollah fired rockets into northern Israel two days after the US and Israel attacked its main backer, Iran.
Since then, 26 IDF soldiers and one Defense Ministry civilian contractor have been killed in southern Lebanon, 14 of them since a ceasefire was declared on April 16. Two civilians were also killed by Hezbollah rockets, and an Israeli civilian was mistakenly killed in the north by Israeli artillery shelling.
In Lebanon, the Israeli military has said that it has killed over 2,500 Hezbollah operatives, including hundreds of members of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force, since early March.
Since March 2, Hezbollah has fired some 5,500 rockets at IDF troops operating in the south of the country, as well as around 2,500 at Israel, according to the military. There have been at least 75 rocket impact sites in Israel. In addition, Hezbollah has launched around 300 drones, of which 25 struck Israel, according to the IDF.
