The Day Hezbollah Struck Safad and the Litani Was Crossed

The day's editorial focus shifted northward as Hezbollah shelled Safad for the first time in nearly two months, while the Israeli army crossed the Litani River. Morning reports of rocket strikes on Kiryat Shmona and Meron gave way to afternoon escalation: Safad, Nahariya, and Karmiel were targeted, and Israeli media described 'the most violent northern days' since the ceasefire. Concurrently, diplomatic efforts to salvage the Gaza agreement intensified, with Egypt inviting Hamas to Cairo and warning Israel. The Gaza death toll rose to 72,938, and airstrikes continued in Deir al-Balah and Gaza City, killing a senior anesthesiologist. Editors juxtaposed the northern escalation with the fraying Gaza ceasefire and Cairo's mediation, while Netanyahu's threat to control 70% of Gaza and UN documentation of Israeli sexual violence in prisons added to the day's layered crises.