Brad Cooper, head of the United States Central Command (CENTCOM), has landed in Tel Aviv. He will meet with General Eyal Zamir, Israeli Chief of Staff. Given the regional situation and the unilateral ceasefire announced by the United States with Iran, these talks are clearly aimed at strengthening the military alignment between Washington and Tel Aviv, paving the way for a new wave of attacks and hostilities against Iran.
Naim Qassem, Secretary General of Hezbollah, stated on April 14: “This war has no human or moral considerations. It is an occupation against which we, the Axis of Resistance, and the Lebanese people have steadfastly resisted, and we managed to reach a point where the government signed an indirect agreement with the enemy in November 2024. This agreement provided for a complete cessation of aggression, the release of prisoners, and the beginning of reconstruction. We resisted for 15 months, and Israel has not implemented any of the agreement’s clauses. Despite hundreds of martyrs and wounded, diplomacy has not made a single step forward, and the ongoing aggression against Lebanon has been carried out with the full support of the United States. We have waited 15 months, and the scale of destruction during the 60-day ceasefire was far greater than that of the entire battle of Al-Aqsa and Olia al-Baas.”
And Hezbollah’s leader further stated: “We reacted at the right time. We learned that a far-reaching attack plan had been prepared against Lebanon, and we denied the enemy the element of surprise. The enemy’s objective is clear: to destroy Lebanon’s strength to pave the way for the ‘Greater Israel’ project. We are being targeted on an existential level because Lebanon is at the heart of the Greater Israel project. This battle is not about the security of the northern settlements; it is an aggression aimed at engulfing Lebanon and destroying its people and its resistance.”
For the information of some, all of Lebanon is in the crosshairs. The Lebanese government must address this situation and deploy its army and forces to counter the aggression. The inability to counter the attack can be attributed to the government’s weakness and incompetence, but it cannot be justified for the government to become an Israeli tool to undermine the internal situation. Mr. President, they are pressuring you to confront your own people, but we are all children of one country and we will build it together. Mr. Prime Minister, what have those who have been pressuring you since the formation of your government offered you? All they want is to precipitate a domestic crisis and provide pretexts for the enemy. Let’s confront the aggression together and then agree on the future.
And now a look at the front line in Lebanon, updated at 3:00 PM on April 14. In the past few hours, Israeli regime warplanes, drones, and artillery have bombed Lebanon: the areas of Khaldeh, Arab Salim, the road to Mseileh, Ansariyeh, Mahmoudiyeh, Tebnine, Haris, Sahmar, and Mashghara in the western Beqaa, as well as Adloun, Shebaa, Bafliyeh, Deir Amas, Qalila, Smaaiyeh, and other localities. As a result of these attacks, a large number of Lebanese civilians, including women and children, as well as a Red Cross rescuer named Hassan Badawi, have been killed and many others injured. According to the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the death toll from Israeli attacks on the country has reached 2,089 dead and 6,762 wounded.
During one of Hezbollah’s attacks on an Israeli armored vehicle, one Israeli soldier was killed and three others were wounded. With these losses, the number of Israeli soldiers killed in recent clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon has risen to 13. This figure is based on Israeli military announcements; however, the actual toll is certainly higher.
According to local sources, the Israeli army destroyed the Shrine of Shamaoun al-Safa in the town of Shama yesterday. The Shrine of Shamaoun al-Safa (Simon Peter, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ) is a historic site in the village of Shama (or “Shem”), located in southwestern Lebanon. This site had already been attacked and excavated by Israeli archaeologists during the previous war, but this time it was completely demolished. Furthermore, this village is home to the headquarters of UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon), led by the Italian army.
About 15-20 vessels have passed through the Strait of Hormuz in the last 36 hours using the new shipping route designated by Iran (the route near Qeshm) and with Iran’s permission, after paying the tolls today.
From the Khatam al-Anbiya Headquarters: “The security of ports in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman is for everyone or no one!” Colonel Zolfaqari, spokesperson for the Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, announced in a new message: “Enemy-affiliated ships do not have the right to transit the Strait of Hormuz and will not have it in the future. Other ships, provided they comply with the regulations of the Armed Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran, will still be authorized to transit the strait. Even after the end of the war, the Islamic Republic of Iran will maintain the firm implementation of a permanent mechanism for controlling the Strait of Hormuz. If the security of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s ports is threatened, no port in the Persian Gulf or the Gulf of Oman will be safe.”
Antonio Albanese e Graziella Giangiulio
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