International

The death toll from Israel’s attacks in Lebanon exceeds 2,000

More than 2,000 people have died and more than 9,500 have been injured by the attacks that Israel has launched against different parts of Lebanon in almost a year, although the vast majority of the victims have occurred in about two weeks after the start of the massive campaign of Israeli bombings.

According to a report by the Presidency of the Council of Ministers published on Friday, the number of victims increased after Israel launched a total of 153 attacks against different parts of Lebanon, mainly in the south, east and southern suburbs of Beirut known as the Dahye.

Israel intensifies its bombings against Beirut

In the early hours of Friday, Israel bombed several targets in the southern suburbs of Beirut, where the intensity of the attacks caused the collapse of several buildings.

One of those targets, according to the Hebrew press, has been the candidate for leader of the Shiite group Hezbulá, Hashem Safi al Din.

The newspaper ‘The Times of Israel’ assured that the Israeli aviation intended to end the life of the clergyman, probable successor to the top leader of Hezbullah, Hassan Nasrala, who died a week ago in another Israeli bombing in Beirut.

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Meanwhile, the Israeli newspaper ‘Haaretz’, specified that among the targets of this morning’s attacks was again a bunker in Hizbulá used by senior officials.

According to the state media, the Israeli aviation used vacuum and anti-bunker bombs during the campaign, and also reached other points on the outskirts of Beirut outside the Dahye.

Several collapsed buildings

The strong wave of bombings, which resounded throughout the capital, caused the collapse of a police station, a supermarket and other buildings on the outskirts of the capital’s Dahye, an important stronghold of Hezbulah, reported the National News Agency of Lebanon (ANN).

Israel and Hezbullah have been facing each other since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip in October 2023, but violence increased to an unprecedented level about ten days ago, when Israeli forces began a massive bombing campaign that has devastated towns and entire towns.

In this context, for a week, the Dahye has been the target of intense waves of air strikes almost daily.

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Two Israeli soldiers die in a drone attack

On the other side of the border, two Israeli soldiers died this Friday in northern Israel by the attack of a drone “launched from the east,” a statement that the Israeli Army usually uses when referring to projectiles fired by pro-Iranian militias from Iraq.

The deceased are Sergeant Daniel Aviv Haim Sofer and Corporal Tal Dror, both 19 years old, according to the armed forces in a statement this afternoon.

Israel orders the evacuation of 36 villages in southern Lebanon

Meanwhile, in the south, the Israeli Army ordered this Friday the immediate evacuation of 36 villages, under the premise that “Hizbulah’s activities force the armed forces to act” and anticipating a new wave of attacks against them.

“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River, save your lives,” Israeli Army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement.

The Awali River, towards which the armed forces directed the Lebanese population, is located almost 50 kilometers from the Tyre region, where most of the villages called to evacuate are concentrated.

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Adraee warned that “anyone who is close to members, facilities and combat means of Hezbulá puts their life in danger,” as well as that any home that has served the objectives of the Shiite group will be a target of the Israeli fire.

“Be eare, you are forbidden to head south. Any direction to the south can expose you to dangers,” he added.

In addition, the Israeli Army detected the launch of about 100 rockets from Lebanese territory throughout the morning that it attributed to the Shiite group Hezbulá.

A bombing cuts the road that connects Beirut with Damascus

Since the beginning of hostilities, Israel’s attacks have killed almost 2,000 people and forced 1.2 million to leave their homes, mainly in the south and east of the Mediterranean country.

The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said that 235,000 Syrians and Lebanese have arrived in Syria in less than two weeks from Lebanon by land in their flight from Israeli bombings.

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This Friday, an Israeli bombing hit an area near the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria, cutting on the Lebanese side the road that connects Beirut with Damascus through which tens of thousands of people are fleeing to Syrian territory.

“The enemy’s fighter jets attacked the Masnaa area, which caused the international road to be cut,” reported the Lebanese National News Agency (ANN).

The Israeli Army confirmed this morning the bombing against “infrastructure sites adjacent to the Masnaa border crossing between Syria and Lebanon.”

For its part, local television Al Manar, belonging to the Lebanese Shiite group Hizbulá, broadcast a video of the attacked point in which large gaps and significant destruction can be seen on the target road of the bombings.

The representative of the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in Syria, Gonzalo Vargas Llosa, assured EFE that the attack near the crossing is “unacceptable” and a “real shame.”

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Syria is the only land supply route for Lebanon, which also has only one operating airfield throughout the country, the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut, in whose vicinity several missiles have already fallen in recent days.

Iranian Foreign Minister travels to Beirut

In the midst of Israeli bombing, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi reaffirmed his support for Lebanon on Friday during a meeting in Beirut with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who also informed that Tehran will start a diplomatic campaign with this objective.

“Iran will launch a diplomatic campaign to support Lebanon and request a meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference,” said the head of Iranian diplomacy during the meeting, according to a statement issued by the Lebanese Government.

Araqchi arrived in Beirut in the midst of an intense campaign of Israeli bombing against the bastions of its great Lebanese ally, the Shiite group Hezbula, and one week after the death of its leader, Hassan Nasrala, in an unprecedented bombing of the capital’s suburbs.

The head of Iranian diplomacy is also scheduled to meet this Friday with the president of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, another key ally of Hezbulah, although it is unknown if he will be able to meet directly with representatives of the armed movement.

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International

Ninth Victim Recovered After Deadliest U.S. Avalanche in Decades

Rescue teams in California on Saturday recovered the body of the ninth and final victim of a deadly avalanche in the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to the local sheriff’s office.

The avalanche struck a group of 11 skiers and four guides on Tuesday as they were returning from a three-day backcountry trip near Castle Peak, a 2,777-meter (9,111-foot) mountain and popular tourist destination on the U.S. West Coast.

Six people were rescued alive on Tuesday. Authorities said the incident marks the deadliest avalanche in the United States since 1981.

“All nine individuals who lost their lives in the February 17 Castle Peak avalanche have been safely recovered from the mountain,” the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.

“There are no words that can truly capture the magnitude of this loss, and our hearts grieve alongside the families affected by this catastrophic event,” Sheriff Shannan Moon said.

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Officials had warned on Thursday that search operations would likely continue through the weekend due to severe weather conditions in the area.

Survivors were able to call for help shortly after the avalanche occurred. However, near-zero visibility and the risk of additional snow slides prevented rescue teams from reaching them for several hours.

International

Trump Defies Supreme Court With New 10% Global Tariff

Defiant in the face of a judicial setback, Donald Trump on Friday imposed a new across-the-board 10% tariff after the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that he does not have the authority to levy customs duties under the guise of a national emergency.

The Republican president signed the order in the Oval Office and announced on social media that the measure would take effect “almost immediately.” According to a statement from the White House, the decree will formally enter into force on February 24 for a period of 150 days.

It remains unclear whether the new tariff will apply to countries that have already negotiated trade agreements establishing rates higher than 10%.

Earlier in the day, the conservative-majority court ruled that a 1977 law cited by Trump to abruptly impose tariffs on individual countries — disrupting global trade — “does not authorize the president to impose tariffs.”

Trump said he was “deeply disappointed” by the decision and accused some justices of being influenced by “foreign interests.”

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Although he has made variable tariffs a cornerstone of his foreign policy, Trump acknowledged that it is uncertain whether the government will have to refund revenue already collected. A study by the University of Pennsylvaniaestimated that the amount at stake could reach as much as $175 billion.

“That issue was not addressed by the Court,” Trump told reporters, warning that the legal battle could drag on for “years.”

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who dissented from the Court’s 6–3 majority opinion, cautioned that the legal process could become a “mess.”

Trump denied any error or haste in using tariffs as a policy tool, arguing instead that the six justices who ruled against him were motivated by “political correctness.” Vice President JD Vance wrote on X that the Court had acted “outside the law.”

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International

U.S. Targets Members of Outgoing Boric Administration With Visa Revocations

The United States government announced on Friday the revocation of visas for three Chilean officials—whose identities were not initially disclosed—citing activities that allegedly “undermined regional security,” an accusation that Chile denies.

In a statement, the U.S. Department of State did not provide specific details about the individuals involved but criticized the outgoing administration of leftist President Gabriel Boric.

“The legacy of the Boric government will be further tarnished by actions that undermine regional security to the ultimate detriment of the Chilean people,” the statement read. It was signed by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Chile’s Minister of Transport, Juan Carlos Muñoz, later confirmed in a video message to the press that he is among those sanctioned.

“I was recently informed that my visa to enter the United States has been revoked by that country, which I deeply regret,” Muñoz said.

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The U.S. statement also noted that Washington hopes to “advance shared priorities, including those that strengthen security in our hemisphere, with the upcoming Kast government.”

The electoral victory of ultraconservative leader José Antonio Kast was welcomed in Washington, which has been building alliances with like-minded governments in the region to reinforce its diplomatic and economic agenda—particularly in response to China’s growing investment presence in Latin America.

“We remain committed to promoting accountability for Chilean individuals who deliberately work to destabilize our hemisphere,” the statement concluded.