Israel-Palestine Escalation
Israel was hit by an unprecedented rocket attack from the Gaza Strip on October 7, with Hamas movement's troops infiltrating border areas. On October 8, the Israeli government announced that it had invoked Article 40 of the Basic Law, which means the country was officially in a state of war.

Hezbollah Field Commander Killed in Israeli Attack on Southern Lebanon

TUNIS, January 8 (Sputnik) - Following the start of Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip, the situation in southern Lebanon has significantly worsened. Along the border areas, the Israeli army and Hezbollah fighters engage in frequent and sustained exchanges of gunfire.
Sputnik
A field commander of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, Wissam al-Tawil, also known as Jawad has been killed during an Israeli air attack on southern Lebanon, Sky News Arabia reported on Monday.
Later in the day, the Lebanese movement confirmed the media reports, saying that its senior commander had been inside a car at the moment of his death.
"With utmost pride and honor, the Islamic resistance mourns the martyr, commander of the fighters for the faith of Wissam Hassan Tawil, 'al-Hajj Jawad', from the town of Kherbet Selem in southern Lebanon, who attained martyrdom," the movement added in a statement.
Israel Ready to Address Conflict With Lebanon's Hezbollah Through Diplomatic or 'Other' Means
The situation in southern Lebanon deteriorated after the start of Israel's military operation in the Gaza Strip. The Israeli army and Hezbollah fighters regularly exchange fire in areas along the border.
On October 7, 2023, Palestinian movement Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip, while its fighters breached the border, opening fire on the military and civilians. As a result, over 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza and launched a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 23,000 people have been killed so far in Gaza as a result of Israeli strikes, local authorities said.
On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1.