Israel’s defense minister claims “nearly 100% destruction” in sectors of southern Lebanon. Israeli forces have driven hundreds of thousands of Lebanese civilians from the south, most of them from the Shia population.
Hard power is needed to halt Israel’s reckless quest to redraw the borders of the Middle East in pursuit of “Greater Israel”. The power Israel lost to dictate the terms of peace on Iran, it has sought to regain in Lebanon. And Israel is now also focussing on Turkey (this has not gone down well with Trump).
In Jenin in the Palestinian West Bank, Israel is building the first (illegal) permanent military base in Area A since the Oslo Accords in the 1990s. Tens of thousands of Palestinians in the West Bank remain displaced from their homes, with no legal justification offered for blocking their return.
Despite the world’s frustration over its conduct, Tel Aviv is increasing market share and locking countries into strategic relationships. It’s also using US taxpayer money to compete with American companies and appropriate US intellectual property
Israel ramps up attacks on Gaza ■ Israeli pressure on West Bank Palestinians coming from all directions ■ Expect US boots on the ground in Lebanon, Israel, says official ■ Surprise! Israel already breaking promise to Lebanon
Doctors in Gaza keep treating one specific kind of patient, children with a single bullet wound. The adult beside them unharmed. A UN commission found that 17 doctors saw the same kind of injury in different hospitals. A bomb can miss its target. A sniper rarely will. In the first 2 years of Israel’s war on Gaza, its military killed more than 20,000 children
The publisher of Drop Site News is no longer on the board of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) – she asked why Palestinian journalists are excluded from the Committee to Protect Journalists’ death toll
Israeli forces closed a major charitable association in Nablus, confiscating aid and drawing accusations of systematically targeting Palestinian civil institutions.
Israel recently damaged Lebanon’s vital Qaraoun Dam, raising fears of a structural failure. Experts say the attack reflects Israel’s long-standing ambition to control Lebanon’s water — and mirrors the water apartheid it imposes on Palestinians.
International pressure mounts for independent investigations into mass graves found at Gaza hospitals.