Politics Fierce fighting on Israel's border with Lebanon

A night-time hail of rockets from the Lebanese Hezbollah on northern Israel is fueling fears of a new war breaking out. The pro-Iranian Shiite militia fired dozens of rockets in several waves of attacks into the morning hours. Hezbollah said it was responding to the deaths of five Syrians in Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon, including three young children. There were initially no reports of possible casualties from the shelling on the Israeli side.

According to Israel's army, some Hezbollah rockets were intercepted, while others fell on open ground. There were no casualties until late in the evening. In the early hours of the morning, the army then reported another rocket alert. In response to the rocket fire, the Israeli air force attacked Hezbollah positions in the south of Lebanon, according to the military. None of the information could be independently verified.

Reports of deaths in southern Lebanon

The Lebanese state news agency NNA previously reported that three Syrian children between the ages of five and ten had been killed in an Israeli drone attack on an agricultural area in southern Lebanon. Two Syrian men were also killed in another Israeli drone attack on a motorcycle. Israel and Hezbollah have been fighting almost daily since the beginning of the Gaza war. There is growing concern that it could turn into a full-scale war.

Israel wants Hezbollah to withdraw behind the Litani River, 30 kilometers from the border - as stipulated by a UN resolution. However, the Shiite militia only wants to stop firing on Israel if there is a ceasefire in the Gaza war between Israel and its ally, the radical Islamic group Hamas. However, this does not look likely at the moment. The indirect negotiations, in which the USA, Qatar and Egypt are mediating, are due to continue this week in Doha or Cairo.

Freed hostage reports torture

The negotiations involve the exchange of the 120 or so remaining hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and a ceasefire. Israel has so far rejected Hamas' demand for a permanent ceasefire. Andrey Kozlov, who was freed together with three other hostages in a dramatic Israeli military operation on June 8, recently reported in interviews about torture and punishments during his eight months as a hostage in the sealed-off Gaza Strip.

He believed that his captors would murder him and film it, he told the Times of Israel. "For the first three months, we were afraid of every bomb we heard," said the 27-year-old. The kidnappers laughed at them for it. In addition to psychological terror, one of the guards beat them and covered them with many blankets on very hot days. The Russian-born man was abducted during the terrorist attack on October 7 at the Nova music festival, where he was working as a security guard.

Hamas leaders in Gaza allegedly under pressure

According to a media report, the military commanders of Hamas in the embattled Gaza Strip are now pressuring their leader Jihia al-Sinwar to reach a ceasefire agreement with Israel. This is what CIA Director Bill Burns said behind closed doors at a business conference in the USA on the basis of US intelligence information, the US broadcaster CNN quoted an informed source as saying. Al-Sinwar is currently believed to be hiding in tunnels under Chan Junis in southern Gaza.

Al-Sinwar is considered the main planner of the massacre in Israel on October 7. Around 1,200 Israelis were killed and around 250 people were deported to Gaza. The attack triggered the war. Al-Sinwar is the most important decision-maker for Hamas when it comes to accepting an agreement. According to the source, Burns said that Al-Sinwar was not "worried about his mortality". But he is under pressure from growing discontent among his people over the enormous suffering the war is causing the Palestinians.

Al-Sinwar's own commanders are urging their leader to agree to a proposed ceasefire deal on the table and the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, CNN reported. This could not be verified independently. Israel's army had attacked al-Sinwar's deputy, military chief Mohammed Deif, near Chan Junis on Saturday. Dozens of people were killed. It is still unclear whether Deif is among them.

Israel: Half of the Hamas leadership dead

According to the Israeli army, half of the leadership of Hamas' military wing has now been killed. According to the military, "around 14,000 terrorists have been eliminated and arrested" since the war began more than nine months ago. The army did not disclose whether these were exclusively members of Hamas or also members of other terrorist groups. According to military estimates, there were around 30,000 Hamas fighters before the war began.

According to the Hamas-controlled health authority, at least 38,713 people have been killed since the beginning of the war. These figures, which do not distinguish between civilians and fighters, cannot be independently verified at present. Israel has come under heavy international criticism for the many casualties among the Palestinian population and the immense damage in the sealed-off coastal strip.