Eric Tlozek

Yoav Gallant's presence in the Israeli government may have only been a small point of pragmatism and international awareness, but it was one of the last.

Farming and aid groups are warning the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could affect food supplies in Lebanon and Syria and push hundreds of thousands of people into long-term poverty.

Hezbollah's response to these strikes will depend on Hassan Nasrallah's condition and how much of the group's weapons and fighters remain.

Lebanon's health ministry says 66 people were also injured after the IDF struck a building in the suburb of Dahiyeh, a stronghold for the militant group Hezbollah. 

Someone appears to have intercepted and placed explosives in a shipment of pagers that Hezbollah purchased for the express purpose of avoiding Israeli surveillance of their mobile communications. The fallout will be significant.

The controversial "Hannibal Directive", which Israel says isn't named for the famous Carthaginian general who took poison rather than be captured by the Romans, was reportedly enacted after the October 7 Hamas attack, with revelations detailing attacks by IDF tanks and helicopters on homes and vehicles returning to Gaza.

If Israel's military is telling the truth, by launching a purported "pre-emptive strike" on Hezbollah missile sites, the Jewish state has had a great intelligence success and blunted an attack it had been fearing for weeks.

Israelis are on edge awaiting a response to two high-profile assassinations, but Iran is facing a near-impossible task of calibrating what it should be.

Specifics about how Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr were killed on Tuesday are scarce, but one thing is certain: the two high-profile hits will further destabilise the Middle East.

Israel promised to make Hezbollah pay for the strike in Majdal Shams, but as the war in Gaza drags on it finds itself in a tough position.