Israeli negotiators left the Qatari capital Doha on March 14 and returned to Israel after five days of trying to reach an agreement for the release of prisoners, with the United States in the middle, with nothing.
On March 17, The Times of Israel, citing an Israeli official, reported: “Israel has contacted the Trump administration to express its rejection of direct negotiations with Hamas. According to a US official: Adam Boehler’s talks with Hamas were coordinated with Steve Witkoff, but Israel was not fully aware of this” at least according to the newspaper, which also added: “Israeli Minister Dermer then pressured the Americans to sideline the US envoy. Israel has communicated with the Trump administration through several channels and has been careful to avoid criticizing it publicly”. According to insiders, after the failure of negotiations, Israel is preparing to enter Gaza again.
Trump has allowed US forces in the Middle East to carry out attacks without the approval of the White House. According to i24NEWS, “Israel was informed in advance of the American operation against the Houthis in Yemen” which is intended to send a warning signal to Iran, with whom Trump wants to conclude a nuclear deal. The decision to carry out the attacks came at the end of a series of meetings between Trump, Vance, Hegseth, Rubio, Walz and CENTCOM commander Michael Kurilla.
Some have recommended a larger attack operation against Yemen, but Trump has not supported the proposal in order to avoid involving the US in the complex hostilities in the Middle East.
There were three different raids for a total of 47 attacks. On Sunday, March 16, the Houthis responded by carrying out their attack towards US warships in the Red Sea. Houthi drones and missiles against the Truman aircraft carrier intercepted and destroyed long before they reached their target.
And now a look at the military scenarios updated at 16:00 on March 17.
From Yemen, the Houthi armed forces claim to have targeted the USS Harry S. Truman with 18 ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and drones. On March 17, the Houthis hit the US aircraft carrier for the second time in 24 hours. The second attack comes in response to US attacks in Yemen.
Yemen informs the UN and other international bodies of a ban on Israeli ships from transiting the Red Sea. Yemeni Foreign Minister Jamal Ahmed Ali Amer has written to the United Nations and several regional and international organizations regarding the country’s decision to ban Israeli ships from transiting strategic waterways.
Syrian activist and supporter of Jawlani’s regime, Omar al-Hariri, wrote in an editorial for the Israeli newspaper Kan that Damascus does not want to fight Israel but only the Shiites in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon. In the meantime, clashes between Syria and Lebanon have begun, but not against Hezbollah. Jawlani’s men and Lebanese clans living on the edge of Syria are clashing on the borders. Three members of the Syrian security forces were killed by local Lebanese fighters after illegally entering Lebanon. Their bodies, found in the Qasr area, were recovered by the Lebanese Red Cross: one is a Chechen, another was from Sinjar and the third was from Quneitra.
Starting on March 16, many residents of Al-Qasr have been leaving the city after the Syrians started hitting it with rockets. Starting on the 16th, the Syrian attack on Lebanese border towns began. Hezbollah has issued a statement denying its involvement in the elimination of three Syrian soldiers who entered Lebanon, and confirming that it is not involved in the border clashes or the events on the Syrian coast
In southern Syria, the IDF confirmed the attack on March 16, saying that the strikes were launched at Hezbollah’s command center and other buildings used by the group. According to the IDF, the command center belonged to the elite Radwan Hezbollah unit. “The presence of this terrorist infrastructure is a violation of the agreements between Israel and Lebanon. The IDF will not allow this type of activity and will act against it,” the military said, adding that “the IDF will strike armed terrorists in southern Lebanon and will act to eliminate any threat to the Israeli state.”
Explosions heard in Damascus on March 17.
Weekend attacks by IDF in Lebanon: Aynatha, one killed; Burj al-Muluk in southern Lebanon, two dead.
Tripoli residents attacked a truck carrying food aid intended for Lebanese Sunnis and Palestinians in the Beddawi camp. Residents attacked the truck, tore down Nasrallah’s photo and then cursed him, before looting the truck.
Israeli infantry forces advanced from Maskvam via Khalat al-Mahafer to the vicinity of the cemetery and the destroyed mosque in the town of Adaysseh.
The Houla Municipality says Israeli soldiers are digging a trench from the road to the Abbad site, thus occupying an area outside the five points. “Enemy forces have dug a long trench on the western side of the road leading from the town of Houla to the Israeli site “Al-Abbad,” in preparation for placing wires inside the trench on Lebanese territory belonging to the town.” Lebanese social media reports that Israeli forces have occupied an area outside the five points. In this case, the entire area stretching from Al-Abbad to the newly established site on the Houla-Merkabah road becomes occupied territory, along with the surveyed lands of the town of Hounin, which contain numerous civilian homes. Local sources also write: “The Israeli attack is taking place under the watchful eye of the UNIFIL position and the Lebanese Army deployment points.”
The IDF carried out two drone strikes in Yatar and Mays al-Jabal. The attack in Yatar occurred near a house, causing injuries among civilians. According to the IDF, they were Hezbollah members. Local sources report: “There have been non-stop Israeli attacks on cars in the small Lebanese town for the past 72 hours.”
Three Apache helicopter raids targeted 3 prefabricated houses in Kfar Kila, one of them near Fatima Gate and two in the center of the city, in conjunction with the launch of 4 sound bombs by a drone. These houses are civilian homes where farmers can return to their cities. The IDF attacking these small houses, the same ones they damaged in Ramiah, is an explicit attack on civilian homes, aimed at preventing people from returning
About 50 rockets were fired by the Syrians towards Lebanese civilian homes, damaging 3 of them. On the night of March 17, the Syrian army crossed the Lebanese border to steal sheep. The border crossing was a known fact, also reported by Al-Hadath media. On the night of the 17th, Lebanese army aircraft were active in the clash area but so far they have only observed the Syrians attacking Lebanon with rockets and bullets.
Since March 15, regular attacks on Gaza have been reported, on March 15, the IDF killed 9 Palestinians claiming they were Hamas. According to Palestinians, the 9 killed had already been identified, including their drones as photo drone operators for a local humanitarian NGO. According to local sources, the IDF has been conducting drone strikes almost every day for several weeks and has claimed to have targeted units planting IEDs. The Palestinian death toll since the ceasefire began is close to 200.
Minister Smotrich: “In light of Hamas’ rejection of the proposals, we are preparing to return to the fight to occupy the Gaza Strip with an attack involving several military teams.”
After 56 days of clashes, the Jenin Government Hospital was permanently destroyed by Israeli bulldozers.
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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