Top stories: 1) The Iranian-proxy Hezbollah declares its intention to intensify hostilities against Israel. 2) Despite a call by U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin – urging Israel to exercise restraint vis-à-vis Lebanon; Jerusalem asserts that it will hold Hezbollah accountable for its aggression. 3) U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken stresses that Washington will persist in efforts to pressure Hamas to accept the terms outlined in a ceasefire – which the Islamist terror group essential rejected.

