New Israeli air strikes hit the southern suburb of Beirut on Saturday, which has been the scene of daily attacks over the past week.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah has lost contact with a potential successor to its late leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to a Lebanese security source.
The commander of the military wing of Hamas in Lebanon was also killed in a rare Israeli air strike near the city of Tripoli in northern Lebanon.
Here’s what you need to know:
• New air strikes: Israel launched raids on the southern suburbs of Beirut, and fired several missiles at an area near the airport. This residential area, Hezbollah’s headquarters of power, is where Israel has focused many of its attacks during its escalating war with the Iranian-backed paramilitary group. Israel has been bombing Lebanon on a scale unprecedented outside Gaza over the past 20 years, according to air warfare experts, killing hundreds of civilians and creating a escalating humanitarian crisis.
• Losing contact with the main Hezbollah leader: A Lebanese security source told CNN on Saturday that the group had not heard anything from Hashem Safi al-Din since he was targeted by an Israeli raid in Beirut on Friday. Safi al-Din is seen as one of the likely heirs to the top seat in the organization after the killing of Nasrallah.
• A Hamas leader was killed in the north Hamas confirmed the killing of Atallah Ali, whom it described as the commander of the Lebanese branch of its military wing, the Al-Qassam Brigades. It is believed that Lebanon’s second-largest city, Tripoli, has not been targeted before since the 2006 conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
• Marches around the world: Thousands of people demonstrated on Saturday in support of the Palestinians ahead of the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks and the ensuing war in Gaza. Marches took place in Paris, Manila, Cape Town and other major cities. In Rome, police fired tear gas at an unauthorized pro-Palestinian demonstration attended by about 5,000 people after demonstrators began throwing projectiles at authorities.
• Ground operations: Israeli forces have so far destroyed more than 2,000 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon – including weapons, military buildings and underground infrastructure – according to an IDF spokesman. Israeli authorities said on Saturday that they were responding to several reports of direct hits to homes and falling debris in northern Israel after a barrage of rockets by Hezbollah.
• Nearly a year of war: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that nearly a year after the October 7 attacks, his country is now fighting on seven fronts. Israel continues its war against Hamas in Gaza, even as attention turns to its bombing of Lebanon. Hamas and Hezbollah, the two militant groups that Israel is fighting on all fronts, are backed by Iran, and the twin conflicts have deepened fears of a broader regional war. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Lebanon since the escalation began, according to government officials. The Gaza Ministry of Health says that more than 16,000 children have been killed in the Strip since last year.
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