Israel Targets Hamas Positions In Gaza Strip In Response To Rocket Fire

Israel Targets Hamas Positions In Gaza Strip In Response To Rocket Fire

Israel 

Israel Targets Hamas Positions In Gaza Strip In Response To Rocket Fire 

Israeli fighter jets early Friday targeted a rocket manufacturing site in the Gaza Strip, in response to rockets fired towards Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said. One of the rockets was intercepted and three others "exploded inside the Gaza Strip,” the IDF had said earlier Thursday. “In response...IDF fighter jets targeted overnight (Friday) an underground military site in the Gaza Strip used as a rocket developing and manufacturing complex,” the military said. The facility belonged to Hamas, it added. 

Hamas Officials Congratulate Lula da Silva On Election Victory 

Member of Hamas Political Bureau, Basim Naim, congratulated Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, on his victory in Brazil’s election after defeating his rival, incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, in a fiercely contested run-off election. Middle East Monitor Online, an outlet sympathetic to Hamas, called Lula da Silva a “freedom fighter” in its report on the matter, and added that Hamas officials were enthusiastic about his victory because they “considered da Silva's election a victory for all oppressed people around the globe, particularly the Palestinian people, as da Silva is known for his strong and continued support for the Palestinians at all international forums.”  

Lebanon 

U.S. Designates Oil Smuggling Network Linked To Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Iran’s Quds Force 

The United States on Thursday issued sanctions against an international oil smuggling network it said supports Hezbollah and Iran’s Quds Force. The U.S. government said the network designated on Thursday included key individuals, front companies, and vessels it accused of being involved in blending oil to conceal the Iranian origins of the shipments and exporting it around the world in support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its proxies. Most notably, one of the individuals sanctioned was said to be taking direct orders from officials affiliated with the Office of Iran’s Supreme Leader.

Hezbollah Claims Spy For Israel Surrenders Himself To Authorities

Pro-Hezbollah outlet Al-Akhbar claimed in a report on Wednesday that a young man, identified as M.H.SH, calmly surrendered himself to Lebanese authorities at a police station in Baalbek after a “crisis of conscience” for spying for Israel. The 21 year-old, from the town of Al-Asira, comes from a family with several members who are close to Hezbollah. He said that he had communicated with Israel through an application provided by an Israeli handler. The young man had been working with Israeli intelligence since 2018 to provide the personal information and phone numbers of Hezbollah members.

Syria

Jordan And Russia Coordination Mechanism In Syria 

Reuters reported on Thursday that Jordan and Russia have agreed to step up coordination in tackling instability in southern Syria, which Amman blames on Iran-backed militias’ involvement in multi-billion dollar drug smuggling across its border. Reuters cites regional intelligence sources as saying Moscow has in recent months increased military police patrols along the Syrian side of the border.  

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