Hezbollah deploys drones over Israel in retaliation for Thursday's targeted killing
In the wee hours of Friday, a barrage of drones launched from Lebanon soared towards the western Galilee region of Israel. The Islamic militant group Hezbollah claimed responsibility for this attack, retaliating against the assassination of one of their members the previous day. Sirens blasted across multiple northern Israeli regions as the drones flew near.
Preliminary reports indicate that at least one drone was successfully intercepted by Israeli defenses, while another crashed near the kibbutz of Ga'aton. Notably, this incidence follows the reported first-ever air strike by Hezbollah on Israel Thursday, when a drone attacked Israeli military positions in Metula, firing two rockets.
Meanwhile, the situation in Gaza remains volatile. An Israeli air strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Nuseirat, central Gaza, resulted in the deaths of four individuals. This attack, accompanied by ongoing bombings across Gaza and Palestinian displacement from Rafah, has garnered concern from Group of Seven (G7) foreign ministers, except for the US. The ministers from Germany, France, the UK, Italy, Japan, and Canada, joined by their counterparts from Australia, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, and Sweden, signed a letter urging Israel to halt its operations in Rafah and enable aid to reach Palestinians.
As the conflict unfolds, the International Court of Justice is set to hear Israel’s legal team on Friday, discussing South Africa’s request for additional provisional measures in its genocide case against Israel. Simultaneously, fierce fighting continues between Israeli forces and Palestinian factions in Jabalia, northern Gaza.
Additionally, Fifa, football’s world governing body, is set to hear arguments from the Palestinian Football Association calling for the suspension of the Israeli Football Association from any football activity in its annual congress on Friday. Palestine's football association alleges that Israel's breach of international law by occupying Palestinian territory and allowing Israeli teams in occupied land to compete in the country's domestic league warrants suspension.
The Asian Football Confederation has endorsed Palestine's bid for sanctions, and Fifa will hold an extraordinary session of its ruling council before 20 July to review the situation and decide on the way forward. Palestine FA head Jibril Rajoub has addressed Fifa President Gianni Infantino directly, urging action in this matter.
The ongoing developments encompass aggressive Israeli operations, cautious Hezbollah responses, and a delicate balance between global powers that are closely monitoring the situation. Despite the potential for a larger-scale conflict, the current state of affairs remains tense but under control, with no decisive diplomatic breakthroughs reported as of yet.
- The news of politics and war-and-conflicts in the Middle East is filled with reports of Hezbollah's retaliation towards Israel, as seen in the recent drone attacks on Israeli regions.
- General news outlets are highlighting the volatile situation in Palestine, where Gaza remains in turmoil, and the International Court of Justice is discussing South Africa's request for additional provisional measures in a genocide case against Israel.
- In the world of sports, the Palestinian Football Association is seeking sanctions against the Israeli Football Association from FIFA, accusing Israel of breaching international law.
- Crime-and-justice headlines include the Islamic militant group Hezbollah's reported air strike on Israel and Israel's air strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinians, which resulted in civilian casualties.
- analysts are closely watching the ongoing developments in Lebanon, Israel, and Palestine, where Hezbollah's actions and Israel's responses continue to escalate tensions, while global powers exercise caution to avoid a larger-scale conflict.
