Middle East war: Iran threatens Israel with an “unimaginable response” (video)

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has criticized the expansion of Israeli attacks in his country. The attacks, including on suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut, are “indications” that Israel rejects “any efforts to achieve a ceasefire,” Mikati said on Friday. In this context, he accused Israel of being “stubborn.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met on Thursday with US envoys Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk, who are trying to broker a ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah militia. According to Netanyahu’s office, the head of government insisted on security guarantees for his country.

There has been movement in recent days in efforts to bring about a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon. After a phone call with Hochstein, Mikati was “cautiously optimistic” about a ceasefire in the coming days or weeks. The new Hezbollah chief Naim Kassem expressed his willingness to call for a ceasefire in a televised speech. However, no acceptable agreement has yet been presented.

One day after the major attack on Israel by the radical Islamic Hamas on October 7, 2023, Hezbollah, which is allied with Iran, opened a second front against Israel with regular rocket attacks. In response, Israel shelled targets in its neighboring country. Since the end of September, the Israeli army has significantly increased its attacks in Lebanon. It also launched ground operations against militia positions in southern Lebanon.