Hamas Israel Conflict….Day 379….In Lebanon….’Out of Control?’

Mr. Hochstein told reporters that the only solution to the conflict would be administering the terms of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanon and for Hezbollah to be in effect disarmed along the countries’ border. He said additional measures were needed to ensure it was carried out “fairly, accurately and transparently.”

Israel, for its part, threatened further strikes on Hezbollah after attacks overnight that it said had targeted the armed group’s financial apparatus. The Israeli military said it had struck branches of Al-Qard al-Hasan, a financial institution that has been under U.S. sanctions over accusations that it finances terrorism by Hezbollah.

Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken will depart on Monday for another trip to the Middle East that will include a stop in Israel, the State Department said, as the Biden administration renews efforts to bring calm to the region after Israel’s killing of Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, Hezbollah’s ally, last week in Gaza. Mr. Blinken’s 11th trip to the region since the Hamas-led attacks on Israel a year ago comes as Israel is said to be weighing retaliation against Iran for a ballistic missile barrage this month.

Here’s what else to know:

• Hezbollah finances: In Lebanon, where Hezbollah is also a prominent political organization, Al-Qard al-Hasan is a registered charity that is at the heart of the group’s social services network. It operates as a lender and financial services provider for civilians in many areas of Lebanon, where the traditional banking sector is in shambles. Many of its branches are on the ground floors of residential buildings and it is deeply embedded in the Shiite Muslim communities it serves.

• Dismantled spy ring: The Israeli authorities said they dismantled a spy network made up of seven Israelis who had been gathering intelligence for Iran for two years, adding that the seven were arrested. They are suspected of photographing and documenting information on Israeli air force and navy installations, Iron Dome missile systems and a power plant, according to a statement by the Israeli police and Shin Bet, the Israeli security agency.

• Intelligence leak: U.S. officials planned to hold a classified briefing on Sunday about a leak of American intelligence documents that appear to detail Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran for a missile salvo earlier this month. The documents, which began circulating on Friday on the Telegram app, had been prepared recently by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which is responsible for analyzing images and information collected by American spy satellites.

• Antimissile system: Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said on Monday that the THAAD antiballistic missile system that the United States had sent Israel to help defend against an Iranian attack was now in place. “We have the ability to put it into operation very quickly,” Mr. Austin told reporters traveling with him to Ukraine…..

More….

Palestinian fighters killed an IDF brigade commander in Jabalia, northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian fighters recently detonated a pre-planted improvised explosive device (IED), killing IDF 401st Armored Brigade Commander Colonel Ehsan Daqsa.