Despite EU foreign policy chief Kallas’ remarks that “Military actions must be proportionate, and Israeli strikes into Syria and Lebanon risk further escalation,” the IDF continued today to strike locations in Lebanon and Syria. The IDF announced that one of its strikes on Lebanon today killed Hezbollah anti-tank commander Hassan Kamal Halawi in Nabatieh, with the IDF claiming, “He facilitated the movement of operatives and the supply of weapons into southern Lebanon.” The IAF executed a strike on the southern Syrian village of Koya, reportedly after Israeli soldiers received oncoming small-arms fire in the area. At least six people died in the attack. The Syrian Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the strike as a “blatant violation of its sovereignty.”

UNHCR cited figures from Lebanese officials and the Lebanese Red Cross announcing that the past month has seen at least 21,637 new migrants from Syria flowing into Lebanon, primarily due to the outbreak of sectarian violence in western Syria between the government and Alawite communities.

Lebanese PM Salam visited Tripoli today, stating, “The basis of security is the developmental aspect, which Tripoli lacks, and the issue of the proliferation of arms must be addressed. We are committed to sustainable security stability in the city, and we will not be lenient with anyone who violates security, and they will be referred to the relevant security agencies.”

Irish Tánaiste Simon Harris asserted that the delays in the prosecution of the death of Irish UNIFIL peacekeeper Private Rooney were “simply not acceptable.” Roney was killed in 2022 during his service in Lebanon, but the prosecution of those indicted has been consistently delayed, most recently from this past February to this coming September.

Washington has reportedly given Damascus a list of conditions requisite to the removal of sanctions. Among the most notable of these demands are the exclusion of foreign fighters from senior government positions, the destruction of any remaining chemical weapons stockpiles, and cooperation in counterterrorism operations, particularly concerning Hezbollah and ISIS.

The new Syrian government appears to be making progress on the point regarding foreign fighters, now that Damascus has announced that it will begin stripping foreign fighters of their citizenship granted to them under the Assad regime. Syrian Civil Affairs Chief Abdullah clarified, “The decision will not apply to those who acquired citizenship through legal means, such as marriage to Syrian nationals.” Still, we cannot attribute this action solely to American demands. It is largely in the new government's interest to remove foreign fighters from its territory, as those granted citizenship were typically affiliated with pro-regime organizations and are likely to support Assadist militias. While HTS also used foreign fighters, few received citizenship under the Syrian Arab Republic due to HTS’s opposition to the Assad government.

As fighting re-escalates between Israel and Hamas amid continued strains on negotiations for stage two of the ceasefire, the IDF has put an evacuation order on approximately 14% of Gaza. The last few days have seen the displacement of 125,000 people in the region. The IDF released that over the past week, it has killed 150 Hamas militants, including 10 top officials, and struck 420 sites throughout Gaza. Over the past 24 hours, health officials reported that 62 children were among those killed by Israeli bombardment in Gaza.