Israeli raid on Damascus, 7 dead

The director of the ‘Kamal Adwan’ hospital in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip, declared that the IDF ordered the evacuation of the medical center within 24 hours. The Israeli newspaper ‘Haaretz’ writes it

Netanyahu confirms the assassination of Hezbollah’s new leader, Hashem Safieddine

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirms that Israel has assassinated Hezbollah’s new leader, Hashem Safieddine, who was targeted in an airstrike in Beirut last Thursday, and says that Israel has also killed Safieddine’s replacement, without however specifying who would it be. In an English-language video message to the Lebanese public, Netanyahu says Israel has “degraded Hezbollah’s capabilities; we have eliminated thousands of terrorists, including (longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan) Nasrallah himself, Nasrallah’s replacement and the substitute of his substitute.”

“Hezbollah is weaker today than it has been for many many years,” the prime minister says. Much of the message is dedicated to urging the public to free the country from Hezbollah’s control. “Now you, the Lebanese people, find yourself at a significant crossroads. It is your choice,” he continues.

Lebanese citizens, Netanyahu says, “now can take back their country. You can bring it back to a path of peace and prosperity.” Otherwise, he argues, “Hezbollah will continue to try to fight Israel from densely populated areas at your expense.” Netanyahu says the Lebanese “deserve to return Lebanon to its days of tranquility; they deserve a different Lebanon.” “One country, one flag, one people,” he says, borrowing from the original United States Pledge of Allegiance. “Don’t let these terrorists destroy your future any more than they already have.” He urges the Lebanese to “stand up and take back your country.”

“Free your country from Hezbollah so that this war can end,” he says. “Free your country from Hezbollah so that your country can prosper again, so that future generations of Lebanese and Israeli children will know neither war nor bloodshed, but can finally live together in peace.”

Air raid on Damascus, 7 dead

The Syrian Defense Ministry said seven people, including women and children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a residential building in Damascus.
“The Israeli enemy launched an air assault, which targeted a residential and commercial building in the densely populated Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus killing seven civilians, including children and women,” the ministry said.
Rescuers are still searching for survivors under the rubble. Al Hadath TV channel, citing sources, had previously reported that the bombed building was located less than a kilometer from the Iranian embassy in Syria.