Tuesday, February 18, 2025

Israeli troops remain on 5 hilltops in Lebanon as deadline expires

The deadline for Israel to fully withdraw from Lebanon has expired today, but the Israeli military says its troops will remain in five “strategic points along the border”, despite opposition from Beirut.
Israel’s Defence Ministry says it is establishing a government body for the “voluntary departures” of Palestinians from Gaza as it pushes forward with a plan proposed by US President Donald Trump to forcibly displace the enclave’s residents.

The Times of Israel

US said to accept IDF request to remain in 5 south Lebanon posts after Feb. 18 deadline

Israel's ceasefires with Hezbollah and Hamas are in doubt again

LIVE: Israeli troops remain on 5 hilltops in Lebanon as deadline expires

Palestinians sit around a fire among the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Israeli offensive

01:58

Palestinians in northern Gaza return to rubble, struggle as bodies remain buried under destruction

By Maziar Motamedi

36m ago

(06:45 GMT)

Editor’s Choice: What to read and watch right now

Here are a few highlights of the pieces we’ve published about the war over the past day:

Gaza’s recovery: Egypt developing Gaza reconstruction plan to counter Trump’s “takeover”
Feature: “No more silence” – Israelis face Gaza war backlash on Sri Lanka’s beaches
Video: Senior Hamas official killed in Israeli attack in Lebanon’s Sidon
Opinion: Unchilding Palestine’s children

And there’s plenty more here.

1h ago

(05:45 GMT)

WATCH: Will the US and Israel succeed in ethnic cleansing of Gaza?

Author Pankaj Mishra argues that Israel’s war on Gaza has dealt a fatal blow to Western ideals of morality and international law.

Mishra, whose latest book is The World After Gaza: A History, tells Al Jazeera’s Bottom Line that US and Israeli leaders are normalising the idea of mass expulsion of the two million Palestinians who live in the Gaza Strip and may eventually succeed in carrying it out as the world watches.

The author also dives into the racist logic behind some Western foreign policies and argues that India has lost “moral and diplomatic leadership” due to its support for Israel.

Watch below:

24:01

Will the US and Israel succeed in ethnic cleansing of Gaza?