Ahead of International Women's Day, the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, accompanied by U.N. Women representative in Lebanon Gielan Elmessiri, has met in the northern city of Tripoli with youth, women-led groups and non- governmental organizations active in empowering women and girls, peacebuilding efforts and the promotion of social stability through inclusive political dialogue, social inclusion and economic empowerment.

"All across Lebanon, I have met with inspiring women who are playing leading roles in trying to make their communities more peaceful, inclusive, resourceful and involved in contributing to a more sustainable future for their country," Wronecka said Wednesday. "Creating a conducive environment for enhancing women and girls’ rights and participation is even more necessary during times of crisis so that Lebanon can benefit from the full potential of all its citizens," she added.

U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein has suspended his mission and decided to return to his country, while also recalling the aide whom he had kept in Beirut for further talks, after the Gaza truce negotiations reached a dead end, official sources said.

Two people were wounded Friday in an Israeli airstrike on the southern town of Baraashit, around 10 kilometers from the border, MTV reported.

Another airstrike destroyed a house between the southern towns of al-Mansouri and Majdal Zoun, the National News Agency said.

By Mireille Rebeiz, Dickinson College

(THE CONVERSATION) In October 2022, Lebanon and Israel signed a maritime border agreement brokered by the U.S., a move interpreted as the beginning of normalizing relations between two countries technically at war.

A report by an independent research organization in The Netherlands confirmed that Israeli tank fire killed a Reuters videographer and wounded six other journalists in southern Lebanon last October.

The journalists were covering cross-border clashes between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israeli forces on Oct. 13, just days after the eruption of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, when an Israeli tank shell landed among them.

The ambassadors of the five-nation group - the U.S., France, Egypt, Qatar and KSA - are meeting today at the Qatari Embassy, local media reports said Thursday.

The meeting will discuss a presidential dialogue initiative by the National Moderation bloc, al-Jadeed reported, while another local report in the Nidaa al-Watan newspaper said that the quintet will adopt in a statement the bloc’s initiative.

A delegation from Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc comprising MPs Mohammad Raad, Ali Ammar and Hassan Fadlallah on Thursday met with former president Michel Aoun in Rabieh.

Israel has informed Western countries that it has set a “March 15 deadline for reaching a political settlement with Lebanon” after which it would “escalate military operations to a broad war,” Western diplomats told al-Akhbar newspaper.

Once again, Lebanese will set their clocks forward by one hour at the end of March, losing perhaps a bit of sleep but gaining more glorious sunlight in the evenings as the days warm into summer.

Last spring, chaos ensued when the government announced a last-minute decision to delay the start of daylight saving time by a month — until the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Some institutions made the change and others refused as citizens tried to piece together their schedules. Within days, the decision was reversed.

Hezbollah attacked Thursday a command center in northern Israel as the conflict stretched into its sixth month.

The group said it has attacked a "newly created" command center in Liman while Israeli artillery shelled Aita al-Shaab, Salib near al-Ghajar, the Yaroun reserve and the outskirts of Rmeish in southern Lebanon.