Awaiting any breach in negotiations, the Southern Front maintained escalation, with today witnessing a series of Israeli airstrikes by warplanes and drones targeting various areas in the south, alongside intensive surveillance. In response, Hezbollah announced targeting Israeli army sites.
Politically, the Maronite Patriarchs Council expressed initial satisfaction with the positive movement undertaken by some deputies, hoping for consecutive open parliamentary sessions until the election of a new president, aligning with external diplomatic efforts. The council reiterated its firm rejection of dragging Lebanon into the Palestinian-Israeli war, urging local parties to protect southern residents regardless of their religious and political affiliations. They warned against linking the southern border conflict to settlements that encroach upon Lebanon's sovereignty, oil, water resources, and geographical rights. The council emphasized that any Lebanese negotiations in these matters fall under the president's authority, subject to a freeze until their election.
Regionally, on the 152nd day of the Israeli war on Gaza, international humanitarian bodies warned of risks threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands amid the ongoing siege and bombardment.
Politically, international efforts are underway to reach a ceasefire agreement before Ramadan despite the deadlock in Cairo negotiations. Hamas has shown the required flexibility to achieve a permanent ceasefire, return of displaced persons, and withdrawal from the Strip, but Israel remains unresponsive. The main sticking points include Israel's lack of positive stance on halting the war, reluctance to withdraw from Gaza, negotiating the return of displaced persons, providing aid without hindrance, and the false portrayal of negotiation stalemate as being about prisoner exchange and disagreement on numbers. Despite the high flexibility shown by the delegation, Israel seeks to thwart all mediation efforts to achieve a ceasefire and exchange deal.
Furthermore, an Israeli plan dominated today's negotiation news, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's plan emerging to keep Israel in Gaza for 10 years. Estimates suggest the initial phase of the war, aiming to eliminate Hamas, could take one to two years.
The plan involves another eight years until a replacement government stabilizes in Gaza post-Hamas destruction. Israel must maintain its continuous presence in Gaza during this period.
As troubles mount over Netanyahu's head, a new dilemma has been added to his troubles. An Israeli investigative committee concluded that Netanyahu bears "personal responsibility" for the deadly stampede at a religious site on Mount Meron in 2021, which resulted in the deaths of 45 people. The committee found that Netanyahu had "personal responsibility for this tragedy because he knew, or should have known, that the site had been poorly maintained for years and could pose a danger to the lives of many participants" in the religious celebration. Additionally, it noted that he "did not act as expected as prime minister to rectify this situation."
Regarding developments in the Red Sea, the Houthis announced targeting the Greek-owned cargo ship "Truck Confidence" with missiles in the Gulf of Aden, causing a fire onboard. The targeting came after the ship's crew rejected warning messages from the Yemeni naval forces. Three crew members of the ship were reported missing, and four others sustained severe burns after the ship was damaged off the coast of Yemen.
In response to attacks in the Red Sea, Washington imposed new terrorism-related sanctions on two entities and crude oil tankers. A US official was quoted by CNN saying, "The Houthis continue to surprise us, and we have no good idea what weapons they have."
Internationally, the spokesperson for European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the European Union is working to open a potential relief corridor via Cyprus in the Mediterranean to support Gaza residents.
He added, "Our efforts are focused on ensuring our ability to provide assistance to Palestinians. We all hope that this corridor will be opened very soon."
In American politics, President Joe Biden and his predecessor Donald Trump largely clinched "Super Tuesday." Trump won 13 states, including Texas and California, in the Republican presidential primaries, losing one state to his competitor Nikki Haley, Vermont. On the Democratic side, Biden won in 14 states, according to US television networks, but there are expectations that he will lose to a relatively unknown competitor, Jason Palmore, in American Samoa in the South Pacific.
In the latest of the Russo-Ukrainian war, explosions rocked the coastal city of Odessa in southern Ukraine during a visit by President Volodymyr Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis to the city on the Black Sea.
Greece strongly condemned the Russian attack and provided humanitarian aid and weapons, including infantry fighting vehicles, AK-47 assault rifles, grenade launchers, and ammunition to Kyiv.
