Lebanese Hezbollah early on Friday announced "the transition to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with Israel."In a statement, the terrorist group said Israel's military losses have totaled 55 dead and more than 500 wounded soldiers and officers since the ground war in Lebanon began on Oct. 1.

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Friday that he rejected Iranian interference in a Lebanese matter, after Iran's parliament speaker said his country was ready to negotiate with France on UN Resolution 1701.The resolution, adopted in 2006, calls for the border area of southern Lebanon to be free of weapons or troops other than those of the Lebanese state.

Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran Seyed Abbas Araghchi praised the eliminated Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar on social media on Friday, a day after the terrorist leader was killed, claiming that his death would inspire future martyrs for the "liberation of Palestine."Yahya Sinwar did not fear death but sought martyrdom in Gaza. He bravely fought to the very end on the battlefield.His fate - beautifully pictured in his last image - is not a deterrent but a source of inspiration for resistance fighters across the region, Palestinian and… pic.twitter.com/neKbQ3z6kU— Seyed Abbas Araghchi (@araghchi) October 18, 2024"Yahya Sinwar did not fear death but sought martyrdom in Gaza. He bravely fought to the very end on the battlefield. His fate - beautifully pictured in his last image - is not a deterrent but a source of inspiration for resistance fighters across the region, Palestinian and non-Palestinian," he wrote on X/Twitter. "We, and countless others around the world, salute his selfless struggle for liberation of the Palestinian people. Martyrs live forever, and the cause for liberation of Palestine from occupation is more alive than ever."

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday that work needed to be done to ensure the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar "actually does deal the kind of long-term blow to Hamas that all of us would like to see."Sullivan, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's objectives had not been reached as hostages taken by Hamas last year were not yet home.