Israel-Hamas War day 307: What's happening in Israel, Gaza, Lebanon?

Iran's new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps disagreed on the response to the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, with the former suggesting the Islamic Republic target secret Israeli bases, according to a Friday report in the Telegraph.

While the IRGC reportedly wants to attack Tel Aviv and other cities directly, the president fears the consequences and suggested attacking Israel's "secret bases" in neighboring countries instead.

This is part of ongoing disputes between the new president and the IRGC, with Pezeshkian being considered more moderate than his predecessor, Ebrahim Raisi.

The decision is in the hands of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who serves as the country's Commander-in-Chief.

Iran has previously attacked what it claims are Mossad "spy bases" in Iraqi Kurdistan in multiple strikes in January, which killed several civilians, including a local millionaire and his family.

Alternative targets for an Iranian strike could be in Azerbaijan, with the plan to warn them ahead of time.

BRIGADIER-GENERAL Esmail Qaani, head of the IRGC Quds Force, attends the opening ceremony of Iran’s 12th parliament in Tehran, in May. Recent events show the deep deterioration of Iran’s internal security apparatus, says the writer. (credit: West Asian News Agency/Reuters)

A power struggle in Tehran

Sources told the Telegraph that the IRGC was attempting to undermine the Pezeshkian and were pushing for more aggressive retaliation.

"Mr. Pezeshkian fears that any direct attack on Israel would have serious consequences," a close aide to the president told the Telegraph.

"He mentioned that we were lucky that Iran did not go to an all-out war with Israel last time and maybe not this time," the aide said, referring to the April attack on Israel.

The IRGC's insistence on targeting Israel is "more about undermining his week-long presidency rather than covering the humiliation they have suffered," the aide continued.

They added that the president "does not feel humiliated as it happened hours after he was sworn in."

There have been some rumors that Hezbollah may attack on its own, with some in Iran wanting to let Hezbollah handle the response and simply provide them with more sophisticated weapons.

IRGC officials, however, are reportedly still intent on striking Tel Aviv in coordination with their "Ring of Fire" proxy groups.

Sources in Iran are speculating about possible internal power struggles between Pezeshkian's newly ascendant faction and the IRGC, with both trying to set the tone for the new regime.

The United Arab Emirates urged Israel and Palestinian terrorist group Hamas to accept an invitation from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the US to resume Gaza ceasefire negotiations on Aug. 15, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

Kuwait's Foreign Ministry mirrored similar sentiments, issuing in a statement "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses the State of Kuwait's appreciation for what was expressed in the contents of the joint statement issued by His Highness the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Excellency the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and His Excellency the President of the United States of America, regarding the necessity of putting an end to the ongoing suffering of the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.

"While the Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirms the position of the State of Kuwait in support of all efforts made within the framework of reaching agreements that would stop the aggression on the Gaza Strip, it renews the State of Kuwait's appreciation for the ongoing efforts made by the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the United States of America to reduce escalation and achieve security and stability in the region."

The commander of the Quds Force of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Esmail Qaani, sent a letter to the incoming political head of Hamas, Yahya Sinwar, promising to avenge the assassination of the previous political head, Ismail Haniyeh, in Tehran at the end of July.

"We promise to avenge the blood of the martyr Ismail Haniyeh in the incident that took place in the Islamic Republic," Qaani wrote.
 

A three-kilometer tunnel network was identified and dismantled by the IDF, the military announced on Friday.

Over July and August, combat teams of the 252nd Division have investigated and located multiple underground tunnel routes while eliminating hundreds of terrorists and dismantling terrorist infrastructure in central Gaza. 

Part of a three kilometre-long tunnel route destroyed by the IDF in the central Gaza Strip, August 9, 2024. (credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON'S UNIT)

The Southern Command's engineering unit, in cooperation with the Yahalom Unit, located and dismantled a multi-story underground tunnel roughly three kilometers long.

living accommodations 

The network of tunnels consisted of multiple branches and rooms, inside of which the troops found stored weapons and means for long-term stay used by terrorist operatives.

Earlier on Friday, the IDF announced renewed ground operations in Khan Yunis, as well as IAF strikes on 60 terror targets throughout the central and southern Gaza Strip.

Lebanon would struggle to meet even a fraction of its aid needs if full-scale war erupts between Israel and Hezbollah, a senior official said, as it seeks increased donor support amid persistent border clashes.

Nasser Yassin, the minister overseeing contingency planning for a wider conflict, told Reuters Lebanon would need $100 million monthly for food, shelter, healthcare and other needs in a worst-case scenario.

"A small fraction, even 10 to 15 percent of that, would be huge for the government. We will need donors to step up," Yassin said.

International aid is already falling short. Lebanon has received only a third of the $74 million sought over the course of the 10-month conflict between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel.

"Humanitarian funding in many places has been reduced to a minimal level of just keeping heads above water. Some organizations are even slashing funding for critical life-saving matters," Yassin added.

People stand at a damaged building following an explosion, in what security sources say is an Israeli drone strike, at the Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh, Lebanon January 2, 2024 (credit: REUTERS/MOHAMED AZAKIR)

Lebanon's state, hollowed out by a five-year economic crisis left to fester by ruling elites, struggled to provide basic services even before the current conflict began alongside the Gaza war.

Nearly 100,000 Lebanese, mainly from the south, have been displaced, as well as more than 60,000 Israelis, according to official figures.

While Israel houses its displaced in government-funded accommodation, Lebanon relies on ill-equipped public schools or informal arrangements such as staying with family or friends.

Possible next steps in conflict

An Aug. 7 government document seen by Reuters outlines two scenarios other than the conflict remaining at its current levels.

A "controlled conflict" displacing 250,000 people, requiring $50 million in monthly funding for three months.

An "uncontrolled conflict" displacing 1 million or more, needing $100 million monthly for three months.

The document emphasizes the urgent need for additional resources, noting current stocks and shelter capacity are "far from adequate".

"Additional resources are urgently needed to respond to ongoing needs and to prepare and respond to increasing needs in event of escalation," it says.

Yassin said Lebanon's food supply would last four to five months under an Israeli blockade similar to the 2006 war.

However, diesel supplies would last only about five weeks - a concern given the country's reliance on generators to power everything from hospitals and bakeries to the internet due to limited availability of state electricity.

Hamas demanded the release of Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti as part of the Hostage and prisoner exchange deal, according to a Friday Sky News Arabia report. 

According to the report, there was an indication that the mediators and the US expressed support for Barghouti's release. The US has openly supported the idea of "renewed authority" over the West Bank and Gaza Strip. 

Does Barghouti have a future in Gaza?

The call for the Fatah leader's release was allegedly connected to Hamas's concerns that it would not be able to maintain power over the Gaza Strip and Barghouti would be a way to maintain a position of influence.

The 64-year-old reportedly has wide support in both the West Bank and Gaza.

MARWAN BARGHOUTI is brought into court by police for his judgment hearing in May 2004, at which he was convicted on five counts of murder in terrorist attacks. (credit: David Silverman/Reuters)

In May, Maariv reported, citing the Saudi Asharq channel, that Israel no longer opposed Barghouti's release but had insisted he be released into Gaza instead of the West Bank.

Barghouti, former leader of the Tanzim, a militant faction of the Palestinian Fatah movement, was sentenced in 2004 by an Israeli court to five cumulative life sentences and 40 years in prison for terrorist acts in which five Israelis were murdered and many injured.

This is a developing story 

Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.

Lebanon would struggle to meet even a fraction of its aid needs if full-scale war erupts between Israel and Hezbollah, a senior official said, as it seeks increased donor support amid persistent border clashes.

Pakistan's foreign ministry denied reports by the Post that Pakistan was planning to provide Shaheen-III medium-range ballistic missiles to Iran, Reuters reported on Friday.

Following the appointment of Yahya Sinwar as the head of Hamas' political bureau, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz issued specific instructions to Israel's diplomatic missions on how to respond on Friday. Katz urged countries that have not yet designated Hamas as a terror organization to do so immediately.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guards said on Friday that its navy has new cruise missiles equipped with highly explosive warheads that are undetectable, state media reported.