While waiting for the good news that Donald Trump, President of the United States, has promised on the Middle East issue, here is a statement from Trump on the Houthis: “We respect the Houthis’ promise not to attack the ships”. “We have dealt severe blows to the Houthis, but they have been very resilient and have shown great courage”, Trump concluded.
In response, Houthi leader Sayyid Abdul-Malik Badr al-Din held a live TV conference like every Thursday afternoon on the latest developments in the Israeli aggression in Gaza and the latest regional and international developments where he said: “Our support operations from the 15th of Ramadan to the 9th of Dhu al-Qi’dah amounted to more than 131, carried out with 253 ballistic, cruise, hypersonic missiles and drones. This large number of support operations was carried out despite the intense American aggression against our country. This week we conducted several operations with 10 missiles and drones against Jaffa, Ashkelon, the Negev, Umm al-Rashrash and Haifa. The repercussions of the attack on Ben Gurion Airport have been widely spread worldwide and in the comments of experts and analysts.” The Houthis remain alongside Gaza against Israel.
In Israel, doubts continue over the operation in Gaza. According to Haaretz: “The Israeli army needs four times more forces to control Gaza”. While Defense Minister Israel Katz continues his battle against Iran: “What we did to Hezbollah, Hamas, Assad and the Houthis, we will also do to you in Tehran”.
Flour price drops to 400 shekels for 25 kilograms of flour and this has allowed the transfer of quantities of flour from the remaining warehouses in the Rafah governorate to the remaining areas of the Strip.
Channel 12 reports that following the wave of cancellations by foreign airlines, an emergency meeting will be held on the evening of May 8 at the Transport Ministry office with executives of Israeli airlines. The main concern is: large-scale cancellations could lead to the cancellation of the entire summer season, causing serious damage to the #Israeli aviation sector and travelers.
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 15:30 on May 8. On the evening of May 7, an explosion was reported in the As Suwaida region, southern Syria. Cause unknown. Israeli drones entered Syrian airspace at the same time. Clashes were reported between the Arab Tribal Army and Druze factions in the southern As Suwaida region of Syria. The IDF began operating a mobile forward post for the treatment of the wounded in southern Syria on May 8 “to ensure the safety of the Druze in the country”
A massive wave of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon on May 8. Social media images from southern Lebanon show that Israeli forces targeted Hezbollah’s covert networks. A UNIFIL patrol was seen attempting to throw some flags and images of Hezbollah leaders into a garbage bin after removing them from their installation site, at a bend leading to Aitaroun from the border town of Blida. The patrol risked being lynched by local youths.
Israeli warplanes conducted at least 15 airstrikes on the forested hills and heights of Kfar Tibnit and Nabatieh al-Fawqa in southern Lebanon this morning. The strikes reportedly targeted a Hezbollah underground facility. It is not yet clear whether the site was previously damaged during the war and then targeted again or whether new activity has resumed there.
Hamas representative Ahmed Abdel Hadi reiterated that: “The movement is fully committed to respecting the ceasefire agreement in Lebanon. Hamas was not aware of the missile launch incident, nor did it decide to do so. After the Lebanese state officially requested the handover of the 4 criminals, we responded positively and handed over 3 of them.” “A meeting with the official Lebanese authorities established close future cooperation on issues related to the Palestinian presence in Lebanon”!
In Gaza, the Qassam Brigades announced the start of Operation “The Gates of Hell” which led to two attacks in the Gaza Strip in very close proximity on May 8. Israeli soldiers injured after a Qassam ambush in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip, the second security incident occurred in eastern Gaza City. Four Israeli helicopters were reportedly involved in the evacuation. In Rafah, one Israeli soldier was killed and at least six were injured. At the time of writing, there were no details on the second Hamas attack against the IDF.
According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza: 106 dead and 67 injured in the last 24 hours in the Gaza Strip. Clashes in eastern Rafah are still ongoing, with fierce clashes between the Palestinian resistance and the Israeli army. A post by a local pro-Palestinian source reads: “Dismantling settler platforms: Forces are having difficulty evacuating the dead and wounded from the site of the security incident in Rafah, due to the intensity of the fighting. – Four helicopters arrived at the scene amid heavy clashes, while other helicopters are carrying out live fire operations to ensure the evacuation.” “The area east of Rafah has been declared as very dangerous, and there is a tight control over the distribution of the casualty toll and the ongoing clashes at the site of the ambush.”
According to Israeli sources, an explosive device was detonated against a member of the Golani Brigade, causing the collapse of a building. So far, one soldier has been killed and several people, in very serious cases, have been injured under the rubble. But the death toll could be as high as five.
Breaking news released by the Al-Qassam Brigades: “Al-Qassam fighters are engaged in close-range clashes with enemy soldiers and vehicles in the area of the incursion in the Al-Janina neighborhood, east of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip.”
In the West Bank, according to the IDF: “The Israeli military announced that two reserve soldiers were seriously injured in a shooting incident this morning near the Reihan checkpoint in the northern West Bank. One of the soldiers served in the 5703rd Reserve Search and Rescue Battalion of the Home Front Command, while the other served in the 703rd Battalion of the Technology and Maintenance Corps. Additionally, an officer from the 5016th Reserve Battalion of the Jordan Valley Regional Brigade was moderately injured in a ramming and stabbing attack near Hebron.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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