logo
Israel Pummels South Lebanon In Biggest Airstrikes Since November Hezbollah Ceasefire

Israel Pummels South Lebanon In Biggest Airstrikes Since November Hezbollah Ceasefire

Gulf Insider6 hours ago

In an dangerous sign that hostilities involving Iran and Israel could quickly ratchet again, Israel on Friday is pounding southern Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah is entrenched, in the biggest escalation there since a November ceasefire was agreed to.
Massive plumes of smoke have been observed over the region, with Lebanon's official National News Agency reporting that a residential building in Nabatieh was directly struck, resulting in the death of at least one person and the wounding of 21 more.
Local media further says there over twenty strikes in only under 15-minutes, making it the most intense attack in well over six months.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed what it said were airstrikes targeting a 'significant underground project' used by Hezbollah. The statement touted that the site was 'completely taken out of use' following the strikes,
But questions remain as the IDF said that it targeted a Hezbollah site identified as Beaufort Ridge, which actually lies some five miles from Nabatieh.
'In recent days, the IDF identified attempts by the Hezbollah terror organization to restore the site, and therefore the terror infrastructure in the area was struck,' the Israeli military said.
The IDF further claimed the 'presence of this site and the attempts to reestablish it constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.'
This statement suggests the Israel-Hezbollah truce could be on the brink of failure.
This could also be the result of Israeli frustration at President Trump having enforced an Iran ceasefire – given that Israeli leaders were telling the public to expect 'weeks' more of air attacks on the Islamic Republic.
As for current allegations of attacks on Lebanese residential buildings, Israel's military claims 'The IDF did not target any civilian building,' according to the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman.
BREAKING | An Israeli drone bombs a house in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, southern Lebanon.The warplanes also bombed between the southern Lebanese villages of Zrarieh and Ansar. pic.twitter.com/4lBrScKORU — The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 27, 2025
'According to the information we have, the building was hit by a rocket projectile that was stored at the site, and was launched and exploded as a result of the airstrike,' he said.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Israel Pummels South Lebanon In Biggest Airstrikes Since November Hezbollah Ceasefire
Israel Pummels South Lebanon In Biggest Airstrikes Since November Hezbollah Ceasefire

Gulf Insider

time6 hours ago

  • Gulf Insider

Israel Pummels South Lebanon In Biggest Airstrikes Since November Hezbollah Ceasefire

In an dangerous sign that hostilities involving Iran and Israel could quickly ratchet again, Israel on Friday is pounding southern Lebanon, where Iran-backed Hezbollah is entrenched, in the biggest escalation there since a November ceasefire was agreed to. Massive plumes of smoke have been observed over the region, with Lebanon's official National News Agency reporting that a residential building in Nabatieh was directly struck, resulting in the death of at least one person and the wounding of 21 more. Local media further says there over twenty strikes in only under 15-minutes, making it the most intense attack in well over six months. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed what it said were airstrikes targeting a 'significant underground project' used by Hezbollah. The statement touted that the site was 'completely taken out of use' following the strikes, But questions remain as the IDF said that it targeted a Hezbollah site identified as Beaufort Ridge, which actually lies some five miles from Nabatieh. 'In recent days, the IDF identified attempts by the Hezbollah terror organization to restore the site, and therefore the terror infrastructure in the area was struck,' the Israeli military said. The IDF further claimed the 'presence of this site and the attempts to reestablish it constitute a blatant violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.' This statement suggests the Israel-Hezbollah truce could be on the brink of failure. This could also be the result of Israeli frustration at President Trump having enforced an Iran ceasefire – given that Israeli leaders were telling the public to expect 'weeks' more of air attacks on the Islamic Republic. As for current allegations of attacks on Lebanese residential buildings, Israel's military claims 'The IDF did not target any civilian building,' according to the IDF's Arabic-language spokesman. BREAKING | An Israeli drone bombs a house in Nabatieh al-Fawqa, southern warplanes also bombed between the southern Lebanese villages of Zrarieh and Ansar. — The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) June 27, 2025 'According to the information we have, the building was hit by a rocket projectile that was stored at the site, and was launched and exploded as a result of the airstrike,' he said.

Europe's LNG Gamble Exposed By Middle East War
Europe's LNG Gamble Exposed By Middle East War

Gulf Insider

time17 hours ago

  • Gulf Insider

Europe's LNG Gamble Exposed By Middle East War

The Israel-Iran conflict has driven up diesel, jet fuel, and gas prices. With 20% of global LNG flowing through the Strait of Hormuz, even threats of disruption have raised EU gas prices by 20%. Europe's refusal to sign long-term LNG deals or develop local hydrocarbon resources is backfiring. Oil and the security of its supply have stolen the media spotlight in the context of the new Middle East war, and with good reason. Ever since Israel first bombed Iran, diesel prices have soared, jet fuel prices have soared, and importers have been troubled. For Europe, the situation is even worse due to natural gas. Europe has been hurt more than others by the diesel price surge because it has boosted its imports considerably over the past years. About 20% of the diesel Europe consumes comes from imports, and a lot of these imports come from the Middle East. The situation is not much different in jet fuel. Europe depends on imports and a solid chunk of these imports comes from the Middle East. What's true of these essential fuels is doubly true of natural gas—even though direct imports of gas from the Middle East constitute a modest 10% of total imports. Yet they constitute a substantial portion of global gas exports, so any suggestion of disrupted supply affects gas prices in exactly the same way it has affected oil prices—and makes a vital commodity less affordable for Europeans. The latest import figures from the European Commission, for 2024, show that Norway was the EU's biggest supplier of natural gas via pipeline, and the United States was its biggest supplier of liquefied natural gas. Other large suppliers of LNG included—awkwardly—Russia, with 17.5% of the total inflows of LNG, and Algeria, with 10.7%. Qatar's share in EU LNG imports stood at 10.4%, largely because Qatar prefers to deal in long-term contracts, and European Union planners don't. Yet it is not these 10.4% that matter. It is the fact that around 20% of global LNG trade passes through the Strait of Hormuz and Iran threatened to close the waterway in response to Israeli and U.S. attacks. This prompted a jump in European natural gas prices by a fitting 20% per the Financial Times, which highlighted the dangers of import dependence in energy commodities. To be fair, the European leadership is aware of these dangers. They are one reason for many European leaders' near-obsession with the energy transition, on the assumption that wind and solar would be able to provide local energy—which is true—and that this energy can replace that provided by gas—which is not true. The latter was proven rather conclusively by the April 28 events in Spain, although it will be a while before the facts become accepted. In the meantime, Europe is in for more suffering, even if Iran doesn't close the Strait of Hormuz, which for the time being seems to have been taken off the table amid ceasefire efforts. The reason is that Europe needs to refill its gas storage caverns for next winter. Even if it cancels the 90% refill rate requirement, it still needs to buy a lot of gas, most of it on the spot market because of that aversion to long-term gas commitments it believes is part and parcel of the transition effort. And geopolitics has made LNG costlier—which will add billions to the refill bill. Earlier this year, it became clear that Europe's bill for natural gas would be higher this year than last because the winter of 2024-25 was colder and storage levels fell lower than in the previous two years. So, this year, Europe needs to buy more gas, adding some $11.2 billion to its total tab. But that was before the latest Middle Eastern war broke out. Now, the tab has gone further up—and Europe is already struggling with high energy costs, not least because of its dependence on LNG imports. Once again, then, Europe would need to rely on luck. If it is lucky, demand for liquefied natural gas from Asia will remain tepid, as it has been over the first half of the year. If it is lucky, the war between Israel and Iran will be over within the month, removing the supply disruption premium from LNG prices. If it is lucky, finally, winter 2025-26 will be as mild as winter 2023-24 and gas demand will be lower. Even if Europe gets lucky on all three, however, the cost of its energy will remain elevated compared to places such as China and the United States—its main business rivals. The reason is as simple as it is unpalatable for European political decision-makers: local supply. Both the U.S. and China are putting their local natural gas resources to good use. Europe isn't, although in all fairness, it doesn't have as much of an easily accessible gas resource abundance as either the U.S. or even China. The staunch refusal to develop any hydrocarbon resources locally, however, is as counterproductive as the refusal to make long-term LNG supply commitments. It is a refusal to acknowledge the reality of energy demand and supply. The sooner Europe gets over this, the better for energy supply security.

Who Counts? Trump Poised To Try To Remove Noncitizens From Census
Who Counts? Trump Poised To Try To Remove Noncitizens From Census

Gulf Insider

time18 hours ago

  • Gulf Insider

Who Counts? Trump Poised To Try To Remove Noncitizens From Census

Following a years-long surge in illegal immigration, the Trump administration is poised to challenge a longstanding but legally fraught practice: counting illegal aliens in the U.S. census. President Trump tried to end the practice during his first term, but President Biden overturned his predecessor's policy before it was implemented. Now, buoyed by red state attorneys general and Republican legislators, the second Trump administration is determined 'to clean up the census and make sure that illegal aliens are not counted,' White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Stephen Miller said last month. What Miller didn't mention are the political implications of the administration's move. It could have significant political implications because the census count is used to apportion House seats, determine the number of votes each state gets in the Electoral College for selecting the president, and drive the flow of trillions of dollars in government funds. Some immigration researchers project that including noncitizens in the census count disproportionately benefits Democratic states with large illegal alien populations. A recent study counters that, based on 2020 census figures, there would have been a negligible shift to the political map had the U.S. government excluded noncitizens from that count. But looking backward, those researchers found, red states would have benefited under the administration's desired census counting shift. Had authorities excluded such migrants from the 2010 census, Louisiana, Missouri, Montana, Ohio and North Carolina all would have gained one seat in the House, while California would have lost three seats, and Texas and Florida would have each lost one seat – with the total number of Electoral College votes allotted each state changing accordingly. Click here to read more…

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store