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Israel permanently closed six U.N. schools in east Jerusalem on Thursday, forcing Palestinian students to leave early and throwing the education of more than 800 others into question. Last month, heavily armed Israeli police and Education Ministry officials ordered six schools in east Jerusalem to close within 30 days, which ended on Wednesday. The United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, runs the six schools. UNRWA also runs schools in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which continue to operate. The closure orders come after Israel banned UNRWA from operating on its soil earlier this year, the culmination of a long campaign against the agency that intensified following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel that ignited the war in Gaza. Israel claims that UNRWA schools teach antisemitic content and anti-Israel sentiment, which UNRWA denies. UNRWA is the main provider of education and health care to Palestinian refugees across east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Mideast war. Israel has annexed east Jerusalem and considers the entire city its unified capital. The Israeli Ministry of Education says it will place the students into other Jerusalem schools. But parents, teachers and administrators caution that closing the main schools in east Jerusalem will force their children to go through crowded and dangerous checkpoints daily, and some do not have the correct permits to pass through. In a previous statement to The Associated Press, the Ministry of Education said it was closing the schools because they were operating without a license. UNRWA administrators pledged to keep the schools open for as long as possible.

Yemen's Houthi group said on Wednesday that it had launched fresh drone attacks towards Israel, a day after it signed a ceasefire agreement with the United States -- a deal the group said does not extend to its operations against Israel. In a televised statement aired on the group's al-Masirah TV, Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Sarea said the group fired two drones at Ramon airport in southern Israel, and launched another drone towards a "vital target" in Tel Aviv. No details were provided on the results of the strikes or their exact timing, though the Houthi TV reported it was in the past 24 hours. Also on Wednesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that it had intercepted a drone coming from the east, likely from Yemen.  The Houthi attacks came a day after Israeli Air Forces severely damaged Houthi-held Sanaa International Airport and Hodeidah port on the Red Sea in a series of deadly airstrikes. Syria's interim leader al-Sharaa makes first trip to Europe with Paris visit On Tuesday, the United States and Houthis agreed to an Oman-mediated deal to cease trading attacks after weeks of air strikes. However, the Houthi group claimed it will continue launching attacks towards Israel until Israel ends its offensive in Gaza and lifts the blockade against Palestinians.      

Syria’s interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa is visiting Paris on Wednesday for talks with President Emmanuel Macron. It's his first trip to Europe since taking office in January, and a possible opening to broader ties with Western countries. Al-Sharaa took power after his Islamist group, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), led a dayslong offensive that toppled former President Bashar Assad in December. Assad, a member of Syria’s Alawite minority, ruled for more than two decades. The presidential Elysee Palace said Macron will restate France’s support for “a free, stable, sovereign Syria that respects all components of its society,” while emphasizing the importance of regional stability — particularly in Lebanon — and the fight against terrorism. The visit comes amid renewed sectarian bloodshed, coming a week after clashes between forces loyal to al-Sharaa and fighters from the minority Druze sect that left nearly 100 people dead. This followed earlier violence in Syria’s coastal region between Sunni gunmen and members of the minority Alawite sect that Assad belonged to. That fighting left more than 1,000 people dead — many of them Alawite civilians killed in revenge attacks. Religious minorities in Syria, including Alawites, Christians and Druze, fear persecution under the predominantly Sunni Muslim-led government. Al-Sharaa has repeatedly pledged that all Syrians will be treated equally regardless of religion or ethnicity. The 14-year conflict has killed nearly half a million people and displaced millions. Syria’s infrastructure lies in ruins, and international sanctions remain a major barrier to reconstruction. The visit to Paris is being closely watched as a potential test of Europe’s willingness to engage with Syria’s new leadership. South Korea establishes diplomatic relations with Syria, a longtime friend of rival North Korea The Trump administration has yet to formally recognize the new Syrian government led by al-Sharaa, and HTS remains a U.S.-designated terrorist organization. Sanctions imposed on Damascus under Assad remain in place. However, Washington eased some restrictions in January when the U.S. Treasury issued a general license, valid for six months, authorizing certain transactions with the Syrian government, including some energy sales and incidental transfers. The European Union has begun easing sanctions, suspending measures targeting Syria’s oil, gas and electricity sectors, as well as transport — including aviation — and banking restrictions. In late April, the British government announced it was lifting sanctions on a dozen Syrian entities, including government departments and state-run media outlets.

Israeli officials said Monday that the government has approved a plan to seize control of the entire Gaza Strip and maintain a presence there for an unspecified period, a decision that could significantly intensify the ongoing conflict and spark global condemnation. The decision came after a pre-dawn vote by Israeli Cabinet ministers, following an announcement by the military chief that tens of thousands of reservists were being called up. According to the officials, the objective of the plan is to achieve Israel's military goals — primarily the defeat of Hamas and the liberation of hostages held in Gaza. The operation is expected to displace hundreds of thousands of Palestinians toward southern Gaza, worsening an already critical humanitarian situation. Since the March breakdown of a temporary truce with Hamas, Israel has launched relentless airstrikes, killing hundreds and taking control of about half of the Gaza Strip. Prior to the truce’s collapse, Israel had already stopped the flow of humanitarian supplies, including essentials like food, water, and fuel — triggering what many consider the worst humanitarian emergency since the conflict began nearly 19 months ago. The aid blockade has led to widespread hunger and increasing lawlessness. Israel to expand military campaign in Gaza, says official The plan includes military occupation and sustained control over territory, the officials said. A key part of the strategy is to prevent Hamas from distributing humanitarian aid, which Israel claims helps strengthen the group’s grip on the region. According to Israeli officials, Hamas has diverted aid to support its military efforts, and the new plan involves intensified attacks on Hamas positions. Officials also revealed that Israel has engaged in discussions with other countries regarding a proposal tied to former U.S. President Donald Trump’s idea of relocating Gaza’s population — something Israel describes as “voluntary emigration” but which has drawn strong criticism from both European and Arab nations. One of the sources said the plan would roll out in phases. Both requested anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the military strategy. Israel has been steadily increasing pressure on Hamas in hopes of making the group more flexible in ceasefire negotiations, but diplomatic efforts have stalled. Hamas remains firm in its conditions, and Israel insists it will not end the war until Hamas is completely dismantled. A central feature of the new plan is preventing Hamas from managing humanitarian aid. While specifics remain unclear, one official mentioned that Cabinet ministers approved a new system for aid distribution. A leaked memo obtained by the Associated Press suggests Israel has informed the U.N. that it intends to use private security firms to distribute aid within Gaza — a plan the U.N. has rejected, citing violations of its core humanitarian principles. The memo, shared with aid organizations on Sunday, outlines a meeting between Israel’s defense liaison body COGAT and U.N. representatives. Under this approach, aid would enter through the Kerem Shalom crossing, with up to 60 trucks allowed daily. Aid parcels of about 20 kilograms would be handed out directly to individuals at distribution centers operated by private contractors. The system also includes facial recognition and SMS alerts to manage aid pickup. The United Nations has criticized the strategy, warning that it may exclude large portions of the population — especially the most vulnerable — from receiving aid. The U.N. said the system seems intended to use access to essential supplies as leverage in Israel’s broader military campaign. While the U.S. has expressed support for the plan, it remains unclear who will fund the private security operations and aid logistics. Neither COGAT nor the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem offered immediate comment. Earlier reports obtained by the AP show that humanitarian organizations fear the new distribution system could lead to the long-term displacement of Palestinians and result in what they describe as "de facto internment conditions." The conflict began after a deadly Hamas-led attack on southern Israel, which left 1,200 people dead and about 250 taken hostage. Israel claims 59 hostages are still held in Gaza, though roughly 35 are believed to have died. In response, Israel’s military campaign has killed over 52,000 people in Gaza — many of them civilians, including women and children — according to Palestinian health authorities. The conflict has forced more than 90% of Gaza’s population to flee their homes, often multiple times, leaving much of the region in ruins. Israel previously occupied Gaza after the 1967 war but withdrew in 2005. Hamas took control of the area in 2007 and has governed it since.

Israeli ministers on Monday approved a plan to intensify military operations against Hamas in Gaza, according to an official. The strategy includes capturing additional territory within the conflict-hit Palestinian enclave and mobilizing tens of thousands of reserve troops. The official, who requested anonymity due to regulations, said the escalation would unfold gradually. This move could signal a major intensification of hostilities, which resumed in mid-March after Israel and Hamas failed to extend an eight-week ceasefire. On Sunday, Israel’s Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Eyal Zamir announced the activation of tens of thousands of reserve soldiers and stated the military would expand operations in new parts of Gaza, continuing to target Hamas infrastructure. Israel currently holds about half of Gaza, including a buffer zone along the Israeli border and three east-west corridors across the enclave. These measures have compressed displaced Palestinians into increasingly smaller areas amid widespread destruction. In recent weeks, Israel has sought to increase pressure on Hamas in an effort to gain leverage in stalled negotiations. In early March, Israel halted the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza — a restriction still in place — worsening an already dire humanitarian situation for the enclave’s 2.3 million residents. Widespread hunger and looting have been reported. Since airstrikes resumed on March 18, over 2,600 people have been killed in Gaza, many of them women and children, according to local health authorities. The previous truce was intended to pave the way for broader negotiations to end the conflict. However, talks have repeatedly stalled over a core disagreement: Israel insists on continuing the war until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas demands a deal that would lead to a full cessation of hostilities. The conflict began when Hamas-led militants launched a deadly assault in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting about 250. Israel says 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with around 35 believed to be dead. According to Palestinian health officials, the Israeli offensive has killed more than 52,000 people in Gaza, including many women and children. The health ministry figures do not differentiate between combatants and civilians. The war has forced more than 90% of Gaza’s population to flee their homes — often multiple times — leaving much of the territory in ruins and virtually uninhabitable.

"The humanitarian situation throughout the Gaza Strip is beyond imagination," the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East warned on Sunday. The UN agency said on social media platform X that "as the complete blocking of supplies essential for survival enters its ninth week, there must be a concerted international effort to stop this humanitarian catastrophe from reaching a new unseen level," reiterating its call for an urgent ceasefire. Meanwhile, the Hamas-run media office warned of an imminent humanitarian disaster in Gaza due to the continued closure of the crossings and a stifling blockade lasting more than 60 days. The office said in a press statement that "the Israeli occupation continues to prevent the entry of baby formula, nutritional supplements, and all forms of humanitarian aid, leaving more than 70,000 children hospitalized due to severe malnutrition." Yemen's internationally recognized prime minister resigns over a political dispute It added that more than 3,500 children under the age of five are at imminent risk of death from starvation. The statement called on the international community to take urgent and immediate action to reopen crossings and allow the entry of baby formula and nutritional supplements into Gaza. Israel halted the flow of goods and supplies into Gaza on March 2 following the expiration of the first phase of a January ceasefire agreement with Hamas. The second phase has yet to be implemented due to a lack of consensus between the parties.

The prime minister of Yemen ’s internationally recognized government said Saturday he was resigning due to political struggles, underscoring the fragility of an alliance fighting Houthi rebels in the Arab world’s most impoverished country. Prime Minister Ahmed Awad Bin Mubarak announced the decision in a post on social media, attaching a resignation letter directed to Rashad al-Alimi, head of the ruling presidential council. The internationally recognized government is based in the southern city of Aden. Bin Mubarak, named prime minister in February 2024, said he was resigning because he was unable to take “necessary decisions to reform the state institution, and execute the necessary Cabinet reshuffle.” Within hours of the announcement, the presidential council named Finance Minister Salem Saleh Bin Braik as prime minister, according to the state-run SABA news agency. The council also named Bin Mubarak as an advisor to the ruling body, without addressing his claims. Ahmed Nagi, a senior Yemen analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, said Bin Mubarak’s resignation capped months of simmering tensions between the prime minister and the ruling council over the mandate of each party. He said Bin Bubarak was in part a scapegoat for the government’s failure to address the towering economic challenges in the government-held areas, including soaring prices and repeated power outages. US airstrike that hit Yemen prison holding African migrants kills 68: Houthi rebels Yemen has been embroiled in civil war since 2014, when Iranian-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital of Sanaa, forcing the internationally recognized government into exile in Saudi Arabia. A Saudi-led coalition intervened months later and has been battling the rebels since 2015 to try and restore the government. The war has turned into a stalemated proxy conflict. The seven-member presidential council was appointed in 2022 with the aim of unifying the anti-Houthi block, but has since been divided into two main blocs. One is loyal to council member Aydarous al-Zubaidi, who chairs the secessionist Southern Transitional Council, an umbrella group of heavily armed militias propped up by the United Arab Emirates since 2015. The second is loyal to Saudi Arabia and includes al-Alimi and Sheikh Sultan al-Aradah, the powerful governor of energy-rich Marib province. Bin Mubarak's resignation came as the United States has increased its attacks on the Houthis in Yemen. The U.S. military has launched nearly daily strikes in Houthi-held areas since March 15, when President Donald Trump ordered a new, expanded campaign against the rebels. Iran denies aiding Yemen's Houthi rebels after US strikes, Trump’s threat The war has devastated Yemen and created one of the world’s worst humanitarian disasters. More than 150,000 people, including fighters and civilians, have been killed.

The little boy is in tears and, understandably, irritable. Diarrhea has plagued him for half of his brief life. He is dehydrated and so weak. Attached to his tiny left hand is a yellow tube that carries liquid food to his frail little system. At 9 months old, Khaled is barely 11 pounds (5 kilos) — half of what a healthy baby his age should be. And in Gaza's main pediatric hospital ward, as doctors try to save her son, Wedad Abdelaal can only watch. After back-to-back emergency visits, the doctors decided to admit Khaled last weekend. For nearly a week, he was tube-fed and then given supplements and bottled milk, which is distributed every three hours or more. His mother, nervous and helpless, says that's not enough. “I wish they would give it to us every hour. He waits for it impatiently ... but they too are short on supplies,” Abdelaal says. “ This border closure is destroying us.” The longer they stay in the hospital, the better Khaled will get. But Abdelaal is agonizing over her other children, back in their tent, with empty pots and nothing to eat as Israel’s blockade of Gaza enters its third month, the longest since the war started. Locked, sealed and devastated by Israeli bombings, Gaza is facing starvation. Thousands of children have already been treated for malnutrition. Exhausted, displaced and surviving on basics for over a year and half of war, parents like Abdelaal watch their children waste away and find there is little they can do. They are out of options. Acute malnutrition among children is spiking Hospitals are hanging by a thread, dealing with mass casualty attacks that prioritize deadly emergencies. Food stocks at U.N. warehouses have run out. Markets are emptying. What is still available is sold at exorbitant prices, unaffordable for most in Gaza where more than 80% are reliant on aid, according to the United Nations. Community kitchens distributing meals for thousands are shuttering. Farmland is mostly inaccessible. Bakeries have closed. Water distribution is grinding to a halt, largely because of lack of fuel. In desperate scenes, thousands, many of them kids, crowd outside community kitchens, fighting over food. Warehouses with few supplies have been looted. The longest blockade on Gaza has sparked a growing international outcry, but it has failed to persuade Israel to break open the borders. More groups accuse Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. Residents and humanitarians warn that acute malnutrition among children is spiraling. “We are breaking the bodies and minds of the children of Gaza," Michael Ryan, executive director of emergencies at the World Health Organization, told reporters in Geneva. "Because if we don’t do something about it, we are complicit in what is happening before our very eyes. ... The children should not have to pay the price.” Israeli proposal to control Gaza aid can forcibly displace people: Aid groups Israel imposed the blockade March 2, then ended a two-month ceasefire by resuming military operations on March 18, saying both steps were necessary to pressure Hamas into releasing the hostages. Before the ceasefire collapsed, Israel believed 59 hostages were still inside Gaza, 24 of them alive and still in captivity. It hasn't responded to accusations that it uses starvation as a war tactic. But Israeli officials have previously said Gaza had enough aid after a surge in distribution during the ceasefire, and accused Hamas of diverting aid for its purposes. Humanitarian workers deny there is significant diversion, saying the U.N. monitors distribution strictly. A mother wants to help her son — but can't Khaled has suffered from malnutrition since he was 2 months old. His mother managed it through outpatient visits and supplements distributed at feeding centers. But for the past seven months, Abdelaal, 31, has been watching him slowly shrivel. She, too, is malnourished and has had hardly any protein in recent months. After an exhausting pregnancy and two days of labor, Khaled was born — a low-weight baby at 4 1/2 pounds (2 kilos) but otherwise healthy. Abdelaal began nursing him. But because of lack of calcium, she is losing her teeth — and producing too little milk. “Breastfeeding needs food, and I am not able to give him enough,” she says. Khaled has four other siblings, aged between 9 and 4. The family has been displaced from Rafah and now lives in a tent further north in Mawasi Khan Younis. As food ran out under the blockade, the family grew dependent on community kitchens that serve rice, pasta and cooked beans. Cooking in the tent is a struggle: There is no gas, and finding wood or plastic to burn is exhausting and risky. Ahmed, 7 and Maria, 4, are already showing signs of malnutrition. Ahmed, 7, weighs 17 pounds (8 kilos); his bones are piercing his skin. He gets no supplements at feeding centers, which serve only kids under 6. Maria, 4, has also lost weight, but there is no scale to weigh her. “My kids have become so frail," Abdelaal laments. “They are like chicks.” Nutrition centers around Gaza are shutting down Since March 2, U.N. agencies have documented a rise in acute malnutrition among children. They are finding low immunity, frequent illness, weight and muscle mass loss, protruding bones or bellies, and brittle hair. Since the start of the year, more than 9,000 children have been admitted or treated for acute malnutrition, UNICEF said. The increase was dramatic in March, with 3,600 cases or an 80% increase compared to the 2,000 children treated in February. Since then, conditions have only worsened. Supplies used to prevent malnutrition, such as supplements and biscuits, have been depleted, according to UNICEF. Therapeutic food used to treat acute malnutrition is running out. Parents and caregivers are sharing malnutrition treatments to make up for shortages, which undermines treatment. Nearly half of the 200 nutrition centers around Gaza shut down because of displacement and bombardment. Meanwhile, supplies are languishing at the borders, prevented by Israel from entering Gaza. Multiple countries send aircraft to help Israel battle widespread wildfire “It is absolutely clear that we are going to have more cases of wasting, which is the most dangerous form of malnutrition. It is also clear we are going to have more children dying from these preventable causes," UNICEF spokesperson Jonathan Crickx says. Suad Obaid, a nutritionist in Gaza, says parents are frequenting feeding centers more because they have nothing to feed their children. “No one can rely on canned food and emergency feeding for nearly two years." At Nasser Hospital, four critical cases were receiving treatment last week for acute malnutrition, including Khaled. Only critical cases are admitted — and only for short periods so more children can be treated. “If we admit all those who have acute malnutrition, we will need hundreds of beds,” says Dr. Yasser Abu Ghaly, acknowledging: “We can’t help many, anyway ... There is nothing in our hands.” The system for managing diseases has buckled Before the war, hundreds of families in Gaza were registered and treated for congenital defects, genetic or autoimmune disorders, a system that has broken down mostly because food, formulasor tablets that helped manage the diseases quickly ran out. Dr Ahmed al-Farrah, head of the pediatrics and obstetrics ward at Nasser Hospital, says hundreds of children with genetic disorders could suffer cognitive disorders as well, if not worse. “They are sentenced to death,” he says. Osama al-Raqab’s cystic fibrosis has worsened since the start of the war. Lack of meat, fish and enzyme tablets to help him digest food meant repeated hospital visits and long bouts of chest infections and acute diarrhea, says his mother, Mona. His bones poke through his skin. Osama, 5, weighs 20 pounds (9 kilos) and can hardly move or speak. Canned food offers him no nutrition. “With starvation in Gaza, we only eat canned lentils," his mother says. “If the borders remain closed, we will lose that too.” Rahma al-Qadi’s baby was born with Down syndrome seven months ago. Since then, Sama gained little more than half a pound (300 grams) and was hospitalized multiple times with fever. Her mother, also malnourished and still suffering from infection to her wound after birth, continues to breastfeed her. Again, it is not enough. Sama is restless, doesn’t sleep and is always demanding more food. Doctors ask her mother to eat better to produce more milk. Lifting Sama’s scrawny legs up, her mother says: “I can’t believe this is the leg of a 7-month-old.” A father's lament: ‘Waiting for death' Abdelaal's kids fetch water and wait in line at soup kitchens because she cannot. To get there, they must climb a small hill. When she can, she waits for them at the bottom, fearing they may fall or drop the food. Israeli airstrike targets area near Syrian presidential palace When they do bring back food, the family divides it over several meals and days. When they get nothing, they share beans out of a can. Abdelaal often surrenders her share. “My kids," she says, "are more deserving.” Her husband, Ammar, has a heart condition that limits his movement, so he cannot help either. "Because of lack of healthy food, even as adults, we have no energy to move or exert any effort,” Ammar says. “We are sitting in our tents, waiting for death.” The kids plead for fried tomatoes or cooked potatoes. But produce is unavailable or too expensive. A kilo of each would cost her $21. A bar of biscuits costs $2. Canned sardines cost nearly $10 — a fortune. “In two years, my child won’t be able to walk because of lack of food,” Abdelaal says. Smiling through her helplessness, Abdelaal brought Khaled out of the hospital for a few hours to visit his family on Friday. They gathered around a can of cold beans. She wishes Khaled’s doctors could give her the treatment to take back to the tent, so she could be with her family. “I am exhausted before birth and after birth from lack of food,” she says. “We are not able to live.”

Israel has blocked aid from entering Gaza for two months and says it won’t allow food, fuel, water or medicine into the besieged territory until it puts in place a system giving it control over the distribution. But officials from the UN and aid groups say proposals Israel has floated to use its military to distribute vital supplies are untenable. These officials say they would allow military and political objectives to impede humanitarian goals, put restrictions on who is eligible to give and receive aid, and could force large numbers of Palestinians to move — which would violate international law. Israel has not detailed any of its proposals publicly or put them down in writing. But aid groups have been documenting their conversations with Israeli officials, and The Associated Press obtained more than 40 pages of notes summarizing Israel’s proposals and aid groups’ concerns about them. Aid groups say Israel shouldn’t have any direct role in distributing aid once it arrives in Gaza, and most are saying they will refuse to be part of any such system. “Israel has the responsibility to facilitate our work, not weaponize it,” said Jens Laerke, a spokesperson for the UN agency that oversees the coordination of aid Gaza. “The humanitarian community is ready to deliver, and either our work is enabled ... or Israel will have the responsibility to find another way to meet the needs of 2.1 million people and bear the moral and legal consequences if they fail to do so,” he said. Pakistan conducts ballistic missile test amid soaring tensions with India None of the ideas Israel has proposed are set in stone, aid workers say, but the conversations have come to a standstill as groups push back. The Israeli military agency in charge of coordinating aid to Gaza, known as COGAT, did not respond to a request for comment and referred AP to the prime minister’s office. The prime minister's office did not respond either. Since the beginning of March, Israel has cut off Gaza from all imports, leading to what is believed to be the most severe shortage of food, medicine and other supplies in nearly 19 months of war with Hamas. Israel says the goal of its blockade is to pressure Hamas to free the remaining 59 hostages taken during its October 2023 attack on Israel that launched the war. Israel says it must take control of aid distribution, arguing without providing evidence that Hamas and other militants siphon off supplies. Aid workers deny there is a significant diversion of aid to militants, saying the UN strictly monitors distribution.

Lebanon’s top military authority has issued a stern warning to Hamas, vowing the “harshest measures” if the group attempts to launch any attacks from Lebanese soil. The Higher Defence Council’s statement on Friday followed the recent arrest of several Lebanese and Palestinian individuals accused of firing rockets into northern Israel, according to AP. “Hamas and other factions will not be allowed to endanger national stability,” the council declared. “The safety of Lebanon’s territories is above all.” Brig Gen Mohammed al-Mustafa, reading the statement, added, “The harshest measures will be taken to put a complete end to any act that infringes on Lebanon’s sovereignty.” There was no immediate response from Hamas officials to requests for comment. Hamas previously launched attacks on Israel from within Lebanon since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023. Israeli airstrike targets area near Syrian presidential palace In retaliation, Israeli airstrikes have targeted Hamas operatives in Lebanon, including the assassination of senior military leader Saleh Arouri in Beirut. Lebanese authorities are aiming to reassert control over the entire country, particularly the south near the Israeli border, following a 14-month conflict between Israel - Hezbollah that concluded in late November with a US-mediated ceasefire. In March, multiple suspects, including Palestinians, were arrested in connection with two rocket attacks on Israel. Those attacks prompted heavy Israeli bombardments in Lebanon. Lebanon’s Hezbollah denied involvement in the rocket fire.