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Israeli Strikes Deep in Lebanon Kill 60 Hezbollah Terrorists
An explosion takes place as Israeli strikes hit southern Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Zibqin, Lebanon, Aug. 25, 2024, in this still image obtained from a video. Photo: Reuters TV via REUTERS
JNS.org — Sixty Hezbollah terrorists were killed over the past day in Israeli airstrikes on 20 targets north of Lebanon’s Litani River, including in Baalbek, the Israel Defense Forces said on Thursday morning.
Among the targets hit was the launcher used in Wednesday’s rocket barrage on central Israel, the largest on the center since the war began over a year ago. Weapons storage facilities and terrorist infrastructure were also destroyed.
Strikes were also conducted on Hezbollah targets in Nabatieh and the Dahieh area south of Beirut on Wednesday, according to the IDF.
Among the targets hit in Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold, were command centers, weapons storage facilities, and terror infrastructure, according to the military.
“All of the targets were embedded in the heart of a civilian area, an additional example of Hezbollah’s cynical exploitation of Lebanese civilians as human shields,” the IDF said.
“Prior to the strikes, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk to civilians, including using precise munitions, surveillance, and issuing advance warnings to the population in the area.”
According to Lebanese media reports, slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s uncle and his family were killed by an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Wednesday. Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike on his bunker in Beirut on Sept. 27.
Israeli ground forces continued to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, including a weapons storage facility and a rocket launcher.
Israel hits Hezbollah target at Beirut Airport
In the early hours of Thursday morning, Israel conducted an airstrike on a Hezbollah target “within yards’ of runways at Beirut-Rafic Hariri Airport, according to The Daily Telegraph.
According to the British newspaper, which published a video of the strike, up to three missiles were fired at a building located between two runways at Lebanon’s only international airport. The IDF had previously issued an evacuation notice for the area.
The Telegraph noted that all scheduled passenger flights had departed or arrived prior to the attack.
One of the 10 rockets launched at central Israel by Hezbollah shortly before noon on Wednesday hit a parking lot at Ben Gurion Airport, temporarily halting flights at the country’s main international airport. There were no injuries reported.
The IDF said on Thursday morning that overnight the Israeli Air Force struck Hezbollah command centers and terrorist infrastructure sites in the Beirut area.
Hezbollah rocket kills Israeli soldier
Hezbollah launched 170 projectiles into Israeli territory in total on Wednesday, one of which killed an IDF soldier in the country’s north.
The soldier was identified on Thursday morning as Sgt. Ariel Sosnov Sasonov, 20, of the 605th Combat Engineering Battalion, from Jerusalem.
Sasonov was killed by one of 50 rockets launched at the moshav of Avivim near the border in the Upper Galilee, with over 10 reportedly scoring direct hits. Three other soldiers were lightly wounded in the attack.
His death brings the IDF’s casualty toll on all fronts since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023, to 781.
Hezbollah said on Thursday that the attack on Avivim was carried out using “Noor-1” rockets, which caused widespread property damage, with 12 homes and agricultural facilities hit.
The rocket strikes ignited fires that took 15 crews hours to get under control.
“Large parts of the moshav were destroyed,” Eyal Peretz, a community board member, told Ynet. “Homes, property, packing houses, and farmland — the damage is heartbreaking.”
Amid Sofer, head of the Merom HaGalil Regional Council, told Ynet: “I don’t understand how residents are expected to even consider returning when rockets are still falling. Security means no sirens, no rockets.”
On Wednesday evening, Sivan Sadeh, 18, of Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk, south of Acre, was killed by a Hezbollah rocket in the Western Galilee.
Magen David Adom first responders discovered Sadeh’s body in an agricultural field near the kibbutz. He had suffered severe shrapnel wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Initial reports had suggested that the victim was a foreign worker, but local authorities later confirmed his identity.
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Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages
Demonstrators hold signs and pictures of hostages, as relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages kidnapped during the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas protest demanding the release of all hostages in Tel Aviv, Israel, Feb. 13, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Itai Ron
i24 News – As Israeli leaders weigh the contours of a possible partial ceasefire deal with Hamas, the families of the 50 hostages still held in Gaza issued an impassioned public statement this weekend, condemning any agreement that would return only some of the abductees.
In a powerful message released Saturday, the Families Forum for the Return of Hostages denounced what they call the “beating system” and “cruel selection process,” which, they say, has left families trapped in unbearable uncertainty for 638 days—not knowing whether to hope for reunion or prepare for mourning.
The group warned that a phased or selective deal—rumored to be under discussion—would deepen their suffering and perpetuate injustice. Among the 50 hostages, 22 are believed to be alive, and 28 are presumed dead.
“Every family deserves answers and closure,” the Forum said. “Whether it is a return to embrace or a grave to mourn over—each is sacred.”
They accused the Israeli government of allowing political considerations to prevent a full agreement that could have brought all hostages—living and fallen—home long ago. “It is forbidden to conform to the dictates of Schindler-style lists,” the statement read, invoking a painful historical parallel.
“All of the abductees could have returned for rehabilitation or burial months ago, had the government chosen to act with courage.”
The call for a comprehensive deal comes just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu prepares for high-stakes talks in Washington and as indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas are expected to resume in Doha within the next 24 hours, according to regional media reports.
Hamas, for its part, issued a statement Friday confirming its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on the implementation of a ceasefire and hostage release framework.
The Forum emphasized that every day in captivity poses a mortal risk to the living hostages, and for the deceased, a danger of being lost forever. “The horror of selection does not spare any of us,” the statement said. “Enough with the separation and categories that deepen the pain of the families.”
In a planned public address near Begin Gate in Tel Aviv, families are gathering Saturday evening to demand that the Israeli government accept a full-release deal—what they describe as the only “moral and Zionist” path forward.
“We will return. We will avenge,” the Forum concluded. “This is the time to complete the mission.”
As of now, the Israeli government has not formally responded to Hamas’s latest statement.
The post Hostage Families Reject Partial Gaza Seal, Demand Release of All Hostages first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Melbourne Police Investigate Wave of Antisemitic Attacks, Including Synagogue Arson
Illustrative. Vandals defaced the Melbourne Hebrew Congregation in Australia on June 22, 2025. Photo: Screenshot
i24 News – A wave of antisemitic incidents across Melbourne is under urgent investigation by Victoria Police, after a synagogue was set alight, a Jewish-owned restaurant targeted by protesters, and a third attack saw multiple cars torched at a business in the city’s northeast.
The third incident occurred around 4:30 a.m. Saturday at a business on Para Road in Greensborough. Offenders set fire to three vehicles and sprayed graffiti on both the cars and a nearby building wall. One car was destroyed, and two others sustained moderate damage.
“There were references of antisemitism in the graffiti,” Dunstan confirmed, adding that the business had previously been linked to pro-Palestinian activism.
While police say no direct link between the three incidents has been established yet, they are not ruling out the possibility of coordination.
The attacks began Friday night, when a man was seen pouring a flammable liquid on the entrance of the East Melbourne Hebrew Congregation and setting it alight around 8 p.m., while around 20 people were inside for Shabbat services. Worshipers quickly evacuated through the back, and the fire was contained to the front of the building. No injuries were reported.
Police have released an image of a suspect believed to be in his 30s, of Caucasian appearance, with a beard and long hair.
Just hours after the synagogue arson, a protest of around 70 people moved through Swanston Street before a smaller group gathered outside Miznon, a popular Jewish-owned restaurant in the CBD, chanting offensive slogans. One man was arrested and later released on summons for hindering police.
In response to the series of attacks, federal agencies including the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Australian Security Intelligence Organization (ASIO) have joined the investigation.
“This is disgraceful behavior by a pack of cowards,” said Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan. “Any attack on a place of worship is an act of hate. Any attack on a Jewish place of worship is an act of antisemitism. There should be no hesitation in calling this what it is.”
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Trump Says Iran Has Not Agreed to Inspections, Give Up Enrichment
US President Donald Trump speaks at a meeting with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte (not pictured), at the NATO summit in The Hague, Netherlands, June 25, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Brian Snyder
US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Iran had not agreed to inspections of its nuclear program or to give up enriching uranium.
He told reporters aboard Air Force One that he believed Tehran’s nuclear program had been set back permanently although Iran could restart it at a different location.
Trump said he would discuss Iran with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he visits the White House on Monday.
“I would say it’s set back permanently,” Trump said as he traveled to New Jersey after an Independence Day celebration at the White House. “I would think they’d have to start at a different location. And if they did start, it would be a problem.”
Trump said he would not allow Tehran to resume its nuclear program, adding that Iran did want to meet with him.
The U.N. nuclear watchdog said on Friday it had pulled its last remaining inspectors from Iran as a standoff deepens over their return to the country’s nuclear facilities bombed by the United States and Israel.
The U.S. and Israel say Iran was enriching uranium to build nuclear weapons. Tehran insists its nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.
Israel launched its first military strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites in a 12-day war with the Islamic Republic three weeks ago. The International Atomic Energy Agency’s inspectors have not been able to inspect Iran’s facilities since then, even though IAEA chief Rafael Grossi has said that is his top priority.
Iran’s parliament has passed a law suspending cooperation with the IAEA until the safety of its nuclear facilities can be guaranteed. While the IAEA says Iran has not yet formally informed it of any suspension, it is unclear when the agency’s inspectors will be able to return to Iran.
Iran has accused the agency of effectively paving the way for the bombings by issuing a damning report on May 31 that led to a resolution by the IAEA’s 35-nation Board of Governors declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations.
The US and Israeli military strikes either destroyed or badly damaged Iran’s three uranium enrichment sites. But it was less clear what has happened to much of Iran’s nine tons of enriched uranium, especially the more than 400 kg (880 pounds) enriched to up to 60% purity, a short step from weapons grade.
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