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Safieddine warns Israel 'Hezbollah ready to use new weapons'

Head of Hezbollah's executive council, Sayyed Hashem Safieddine, warned Israel on Friday that Hezbollah is ready to use new weapons in the battlefield.

Hezbollah has regularly fired missiles across the border with Israel over the past seven months, but has on Thursday launched its first successful missile airstrike from within Israeli airspace, using a drone that fired two missiles. The attack wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military.

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8 EU states recommend boosting support for Lebanon to mitigate refugee flow

The governments of eight European Union member states said Friday the situation in Syria should be re-evaluated to allow for the voluntary return of Syrian refugees back to their homeland.

In a joint declaration, officials from Austria, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Greece, Italy, Malta and Poland said they agree on a re-assessment that would lead to "more effective ways of handling" Syrian refugees trying to reach European Union countries.

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Hezbollah fighter, two children killed in Israeli strikes near Sidon

Israeli air strikes on Friday hit an area of southern Lebanon far from the border, with Hezbollah announcing one dead fighter and official media saying two Syrian children were killed.

The National News Agency said "Israeli strikes targeted Najjariyeh and Addousiyeh", two adjacent villages about 30 kilometres from the Israeli border just south of the coastal city of Sidon.

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Hezbollah introduces new weapons and tactics against Israel

Hezbollah this week struck a military post in northern Israel using a drone that fired two missiles. The attack wounded three soldiers, one of them seriously, according to the Israeli military.

Hezbollah has regularly fired missiles across the border with Israel over the past seven months, but the one on Thursday appears to have been the first successful missile airstrike it has launched from within Israeli airspace.

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Quint Ambassadors say 'Lebanon can't afford to wait another month'

After more than 18 months of presidential void in Lebanon, the ambassadors of Egypt, France, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United States reemphasized Thursday in a joint statement the dire situation facing the Lebanese people and the irreversible implications of delaying the crucial reforms on Lebanon’s economy and social stability. "Lebanon cannot afford to wait another month," they said.

"The country needs and deserves a president who unites the nation, prioritizes the well-being of its citizens, and forms a broad and inclusive coalition to restore political stability and implement necessary economic reforms. The election of a president is also needed to ensure that Lebanon has a seat at the table in regional discussions and to conclude a future diplomatic deal on Lebanon’s southern border," the statement said.

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Mikati at Arab League calls for Israel withdrawal from occupied territories

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for Israel's withdrawal from occupied Lebanese territories Thursday as he participated in an Arab League summit in Bahrain dominated by the Israel-Hamas war.

Mikati urged fellow heads of state and government at the 22-strong grouping in the capital Manama to "pressure Israel to withdraw from our occupied land and stop its violations and attacks on our land, sea and air."

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Arab Summit to urge Lebanese to elect president, boost army capabilities

The draft closing statement of the Arab Summit that will be held today, Thursday in Manama will express support for “the Lebanese republic and its sovereignty, stability and territorial integrity.”

“We urge all Lebanese parties to give the priority to the election of a president, to strengthen the work of state institutions, to address the political and security challenges, and to implement the necessary economic reforms,” the draft statement says.

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Two killed in Israeli drone strike on car in Ramadiyeh-Qana

Lebanese state-run media said an Israeli strike on a car in the country's south on Thursday killed two people, with Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers saying at least one of them was a group member.

Israel and Hamas ally Hezbollah have exchanged near-daily fire since the Palestinian group's October 7 attack on southern Israel that sparked the war in Gaza, now in its eighth month.

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Parliament recommends govt. repatriate illegal Syrians within a year at latest

Parliament convened Wednesday and approved a binding recommendation aimed at “returning the illegal Syrian migrants and residents in Lebanon to their country within a year at the latest.”

To this end, the legislature recommended that the government form a ministerial committee to “communicate and directly and strenuously follow up with the international and regional sides and the various bodies, especially with the Syrian government, and to devise a detailed timeframe for repatriating the displaced (Syrians), except for special cases protected by the Lebanese laws and specified by the committee.”

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Hezbollah launches rocket barrage at Israeli positions in retaliation to Brital strikes

Hezbollah said it launched on Thursday "more than 60" rockets at Israeli military positions in retaliation for overnight air strikes.

Hezbollah fighters "launched a missile attack with more than 60 Katyusha rockets" on several Israeli military positions including in the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights, the group said in a statement.

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