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00:00Let's speak to our correspondent in Beirut, Rawad Taha, standing by, hello to you, Rawad.
00:05What's the latest you have on the strikes this Friday, as well as the fallout from Thursday's
00:09events?
00:10Indeed.
00:11So, we have another round of airstrikes, mostly focusing on the Bekaa Valley and southern
00:18Lebanon.
00:19Over the past 24 hours, overnight, we saw a number of significant airstrikes near the
00:26city of Nabotiyeh, near the town of Shaba'a in the southern eastern part of Lebanon.
00:31We've also seen a significant number of airstrikes in the Bekaa Valley, which is located in the
00:36northeast around the city of Baalbek and surrounding towns.
00:40So the scope of the Israeli shelling and attacks has widened in terms of geographical location.
00:50So we're seeing daily strikes, often deep into southern Lebanon, and daily strikes deep
00:56into the northeast of Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley and around the city of Baalbek.
00:59We've also seen the assassination of a commander yesterday in Beirut's southern suburb, Srour.
01:07He was responsible for one of Hezbollah's anti-air defense units.
01:12So a lot of developments.
01:15But for the time being, we've only seen some airstrikes in southern Lebanon for today.
01:20Rawad, stay with us.
01:22I want to get your reaction on something.
01:23As we heard in the report at the top of the bulletin, Israel's prime minister dismissing
01:27calls for a truce.
01:28He's scheduled to address the General Assembly this Friday.
01:30On Thursday, we heard from Lebanon's acting foreign minister and the head of the Palestinian
01:35Authority, both pleading for an end to the fighting.
01:37Take a listen.
01:43Mr. President, we welcome the ceasefire proposal delivered yesterday by the U.S. and by France
01:48and supported by a number of friendly states.
01:52It opens the possibility of long-term peace and could help ensure the return of stability
01:57at the border, as well as the return of displaced persons.
02:02We're asking that all possible measures be adopted in order for this proposal to be implemented.
02:15Stop this crime.
02:17Stop it now.
02:21Stop killing children and women.
02:24Stop the genocide.
02:27Stop sending weapons to Israel.
02:31This madness cannot continue.
02:33The entire world is responsible for what is happening to our people in Gaza and the West Bank.
02:43Impassioned pleas from the UN General Assembly floor there, Rawad.
02:47Where do those negotiations for a potential ceasefire stand?
02:52According to an Arab diplomatic source, the negotiations aren't heading anywhere, at least
02:56for the time being.
02:58Israel has rejected the proposal of a 21-day ceasefire, which was put forward by the U.S.
03:04and France and other allies.
03:06Israel has rejected that proposal, claiming that it will not accept any initiative that
03:12does not immediately push Hezbollah's forces north of the Litani River.
03:17On the other hand, the Arab source mentioned that the responses from Hezbollah on that
03:22proposal, as well, were considered vague, while Hezbollah is interested in some sort
03:27of a de-escalation.
03:28It still prefers some sort of a de-escalation that happens on both the Gaza front and the
03:35Lebanon front.
03:36The ceasefire proposal we saw by the U.S., France and other allies decouples the Gaza
03:42front from the Lebanon front, which is something that Nasrallah and Hezbollah don't want.
03:47And last but not least is the fact that the ceasefire proposal, which has been put forward
03:53on the table, the 21-day ceasefire, does not explicitly commit to ending the war in Gaza,
04:01which is something that Hamas rejects, and thus Hezbollah in turn, even if he was interested
04:08in de-escalation, rejects.
04:09So we have multiple roadblocks in front of the proposal, which was put forward by the
04:13major global powers, and it seems that for the time being, Israel is continuing its military
04:18action inside Lebanon, while Hezbollah is also committed to supporting Hamas in Gaza
04:24and this war of attrition, which has significantly expanded over the past week.
04:29All right, Rawad, thank you very much.
04:30Stay safe.
04:31Rawad Taha reporting from Beirut.