The Israeli army in a note released this morning states “that it will carry out a tactical pause in daily military activity in the areas of the southern Gaza Strip to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians”. The IDF said the break will take place every day between 8:00 and 19:00 along a road leading from the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Salah a-Din road, and then north towards the area of Khan Younis. «This is a further step forward in the humanitarian aid efforts conducted by the IDF and COGAT since the beginning of the war»say the military.
It should be noted that the suspension of fighting during the day does not prevent targeted actions, however, it will serve to potentially reopen negotiations with Hamas. In this sense, the US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, stated that the mediators of Qatar and Egypt plan to involve Hamas soon to propose moving forward with the ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip, formulated by President Joe Biden.
However, tension between Israel and Hezbollah is very high and last night Israeli fighters attacked a Hezbollah weapons depot in Aitaroun, in southern Lebanon, as reported by The Times of Israel, citing the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Further Hezbollah infrastructure was hit in Chihine, and another building used by the group was bombed in Ayta ash-Shab. The raids followed the launch of several rockets and missiles by Hezbollah against northern Israel. In an effort to prevent the recent escalation between Israel and Hezbollah from escalating into all-out war, US special envoy Amos Hochstein is about to arrive in Israel. Axios reports it, citing two Israeli officials.
The situation on the border with Lebanon has worsened in recent weeks and the White House is committed to preventing the outbreak of a far-reaching conflict that would further aggravate the already very complicated situation in Gaza, where diplomatic efforts are underway to reach a ceasefire . Hochstein will meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to discuss easing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah and warn them against the idea of ”a limited ground invasion into Lebanon.” According to some sources, US President Joe Biden's special envoy could also travel to Beirut for talks with Lebanese officials. That the US is concerned about what is happening on the borders between Israel and Hezbollah is shown by the fact that next Thursday an Israeli delegation led by Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and National Security Advisor Tzachi Hanegbi is summoned to the White House to discuss Lebanon , Gaza and the Iranian nuclear program.
There is another, less discussed front that could open up after American intelligence discovered meetings in Yemen between the Houthis and the Somali terrorist group al-Shabaab (affiliated with al-Qaeda) for the supply of weapons. Three American officials described this development to CNN as “worrying, capable of further destabilizing an already violent region.” Now, officials are looking for evidence that the Houthis' weapons were actually delivered to the Somali jihadists and are investigating whether Iran, which provides military and financial support to the Houthis, was involved in the operation. The most alarming news of the day comes from the United States, where qualified intelligence sources report that, last summer (therefore before 7 October 2023), the Houthis received Iskander missiles with launch trucks and four hypersonic Kinzhals from Russia, being trained in the use of this equipment. Both missile systems can carry conventional and nuclear payloads that disperse over large areas. Kinzhal hypersonic missiles can be launched from multiple platforms, including aircraft and land-based systems.
