Israel says it killed Hezbollah operative in east Lebanon
'Yesterday evening (Tuesday), the (Israeli air force)... struck the terrorist Hossam Qasem Ghorab, a Hezbollah terrorist who operated from Lebanese territory to direct terrorist cells in Syria,' the army said in a statement.
The Syria-based cells 'planned to launch rocket attacks toward the Golan Heights,' it added, referring the area annexed by Israel following the 1967 war with Syria.
Lebanon's cabinet on Tuesday tasked the army with developing a plan to disarm militant group Hezbollah by the end of the year, an unprecedented step since civil war factions gave up their weapons decades ago.
The decision followed heavy US pressure and came as part of implementing a November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah including two months of all-out war.
The confrontation left the militant group badly weakened, though it retains part of its arsenal.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Arab News
3 hours ago
- Arab News
Jordan and US to join meeting on rebuilding Syria
CAIRO: Jordan is to host a meeting with US and Syrian officials on Tuesday to discuss supporting the rebuilding of Syria after more than a decade of conflict and the ouster of former leader Bashar Assad in foreign minister Asaad Al-Shibani and the US envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack will attend, Jordan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, Damascus signed 12 agreements worth $14 billion, including a $4 billion agreement with Qatar's UCC holding to build a new airport and a $2 billion deal to establish a subway in the Syrian capital with the United Arab Emirates' national investment corporation.


Asharq Al-Awsat
3 hours ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Jordan to Host Jordanian-Syrian-American Meeting on Tuesday to Discuss Rebuilding of Syria
Jordan will host a Jordanian-Syrian-American meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways to support the rebuilding of Syria, Jordan's foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday, Reuters reported. The meeting will be attended by Syrian foreign minister Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, US envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack and the US ambassador to Türkiye, Jordan's foreign ministry added.

Al Arabiya
12 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Blast at Hezbollah site in Lebanon kills six soldiers
Lebanon's army said a blast at a weapons depot near the Israeli border on Saturday killed six soldiers as a military source said troops were removing munitions from a Hezbollah facility. Under a truce that ended a recent war between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, the army has been deploying in south Lebanon and dismantling the militant group's infrastructure there. The deaths come as Lebanon tackles the thorny issue of disarming Hezbollah, with the cabinet this week tasking the army with developing a plan to do so by year end and the Iran-backed group pushing back. Iran said Saturday it opposed the Lebanese government's decision. An army statement gave a preliminary toll of six soldiers killed and others wounded 'while an army unit was inspecting a weapons depot and dismantling its contents in Wadi Zibqin,' in the Tyre district near the Israeli border. Investigations were underway to determine the cause of the blast, it added. A military source, requesting anonymity as they were not authorized to brief the media, told AFP the blast took place 'inside a Hezbollah military facility.' Troops were 'removing munitions and unexploded ordnance left over from the recent war' between Israel and Hezbollah when the blast occurred, the source added. President Joseph Aoun said he was informed by army commander Rodolphe Haykal of the 'painful incident' that led to troop casualties. Prime Minister Nawaf Salam paid tribute on X to the troops who were killed 'while performing their national duty,' calling the army the protector of Lebanon's 'unity and its legitimate institutions.' Disarmament push The blast came days after Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, said that troops had 'discovered a vast network of fortified tunnels' in the same area. Under the November ceasefire which sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, weapons in Lebanon should be restricted to state institutions. The government has tasked the army with presenting a plan for restricting weapons to government forces by the end of August. Lebanon's cabinet met twice this week on the issue, while Hezbollah has rejected the government's decision to take away its weapons. A senior adviser to supreme leader Ali Khamenei said Saturday that Iran 'is certainly opposed to the disarmament of Hezbollah... Iran has always supported the people and the resistance of Lebanon and continues to do so.' Lebanon's cabinet on Thursday discussed a US proposal that includes a timetable for Hezbollah's disarmament, with Washington pressing Beirut to take action. The government endorsed the introduction of the US text without discussing specific timelines, and called for the deployment of Lebanese troops in border areas. It also called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from five south Lebanon areas they have occupied since the recent war. In April, Lebanon's military said three troops were killed in a munitions blast in the south, just days after a soldier was killed and three others wounded in another explosion as authorities said they had been dismantling mines in a tunnel.