Israel 'eliminates' Hezbollah chief, as China proposes 3-step initiative to end conflict

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had eliminated Suhail Hussein Husseini, the commander of Hezbollah's headquarters, in a strike in the area of Beirut.

If confirmed, the death of Husseini would be the latest in a string of Israel's assassinations of leaders and commanders of Hezbollah and its ally Hamas.

In the biggest blow to Hezbollah in decades, Israel killed its leader Hassan Nasrallah with an air strike in Beirut's southern suburbs late last month.

Israel's military struck Beirut's southern suburbs overnight and sent tanks deeper into Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, advising people to leave as it pounded the historic Palestinian refugee camp from the air, residents said.

Israel's army has said its forces are trying to stop fighters from the Hamas militant group staging attacks from Jabalia and want to prevent them regrouping.

Palestinian health officials did not immediately provide new casualty figures but said dozens had been killed in the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours. Israel's military said one soldier had been killed in combat in northern Gaza.

The Israeli army issued new evacuation orders to residents of Jabalia and nearby Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya, telling them to head to a humanitarian-designated zone in Al-Mawasi in the southern Gaza Strip.

The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said fighters had attacked Israeli forces in the north with anti-tank rockets, and that there were casualties among the Israeli troops.

The Israeli military said it had killed many Palestinian militants, located weapons, and dismantled military infrastructure in its operations in Jabalia.

Concerns for Lebanon

The World Food Programme (WFP) and World Health Organization (WHO) both issued warnings about the situation in Lebanon.

A WFP official voiced concern on Tuesday about Lebanon's ability to feed itself, saying thousands of hectares of farmland across the country's south has burned or been abandoned amid escalating hostilities.

"Agriculture-wise, food production-wise, (there is) extraordinary concern for Lebanon's ability to continue to feed itself," Matthew Hollingworth, WFP country director in Lebanon, told a Geneva press briefing, adding that harvests will not occur and that produce is rotting in fields.

At the same briefing, WHO official Ian Clarke in Beirut warned that there was an increasing risk of disease outbreaks among Lebanon's displaced population.

"We are facing a situation where there is a much higher risk of disease outbreaks, such as acute watery diarrhoea, hepatitis A, and a number of vaccine preventable diseases," said Clarke.

China's 'three-step' initiative 

Mao Ning, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told reporters that China recently proposed a "three-step" initiative to break out of the current Gaza conflict.

According to Mao: "The immediate priorities are a ceasefire, an end to the war, and humanitarian aid. The principle of Palestinians governing Palestine should guide Gaza's post-war reconstruction, and the 'two-state solution' is the fundamental path forward.

"The legitimate national rights of the Palestinian people should be realized, while Israel's reasonable security concerns should also be addressed. The international community should work on de-escalating the situation and convene a larger, more authoritative, and more effective international conference to establish a timeline and roadmap for implementing the 'two-state solution,' ultimately achieving peaceful coexistence between Palestine and Israel."

Separately, the China International Development Cooperation Agency said it will provide emergency medical supplies to Lebanon.

Li Ming, spokesperson for the agency, said in a statement: "At the request of the Lebanese government, the Chinese government has decided to provide emergency humanitarian medical supplies to Lebanon to help Lebanon carry out medical assistance."

Iran warning

Iran's foreign minister warned Israel against launching an attack on the country, saying on Tuesday any strike on Iranian infrastructure would be met with a stronger retaliation.

Iran attacked Israel last week with a salvo of missiles. Israel has vowed to retaliate.

"We recommend the Zionist regime (Israel) not to test the resolution of the Islamic Republic. If any attack against our country takes place, our response will be more powerful," Araqchi said in a televised speech.

Any attack on Iran's infrastructure will be met with a stronger retaliation, and "our enemies know what kind of targets inside the Zionist Regime (Israel) are in our reach," Araqchi added.

Saudi visit

Araqchi will visit Saudi Arabia and other countries in the region to discuss regional issues and work on stopping Israel's "crimes" in Gaza and Lebanon, Iran's state media reported.

Gulf Arab states - most of them major energy exporters like Iran - have sought to reassure Tehran of their neutrality in the Iran-Israel conflict, sources told Reuters last week.

Hamas leader-in-exile Khaled Meshaal said the Palestinian group would rise "like a phoenix" from the ashes despite heavy losses during a year of war with Israel, and that it continues to recruit fighters and manufacture weapons.

"Palestinian history is made of cycles," Meshaal, 68, a senior Hamas figure under overall leader Yahya Sinwar, told Reuters in an interview.

"We go through phases where we lose martyrs (victims) and we lose part of our military capabilities, but then the Palestinian spirit rises again, like the phoenix, thanks to God."

Meshaal remains influential in Hamas because he has played a crucial role in its leadership for almost three decades, and is widely seen now as its diplomatic face. He is one of six Hamas leaders indicted by the U.S. Justice Department on terrorism charges over the October 7 attack on Israel that triggered the war.

His comments appear intended as a signal that the group will fight on whatever its losses, Middle East analysts said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office declined to comment.

Meanwhile, the deputy leader of Hezbollah said on Tuesday the Iran-backed group had moved beyond "painful blows" inflicted by Israel as Israeli forces began ground operations in the southwest of Lebanon, expanding its incursions into a new zone.

Naim Qassem said the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel was a war about who cries first, and that this would not be Hezbollah. He said its capabilities are still intact after a year of fighting.

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