Over the past hour, the Israeli Air Force conducted a significant wave of airstrikes against Hezbollah civil and military infrastructure sites in southern Lebanon, and Israel issued an ultimatum threatening significant cuts to Gaza aid if Hamas does not return the bodies of hostages within days. The IDF stated on October 16th, 2025, that warplanes raided Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure in the Sinai Farm area, including a quarry used for cement production, aimed at rebuilding facilities destroyed during the Iron Swords War. These actions, targeting infrastructure used by Hezbollah with alleged civilian cover, including a facility belonging to the Green Without Borders Association, are considered a violation of understandings between Israel and Lebanon, according to the IDF. Separately, Israel has stated that foreign forces will not be approved to enter the Gaza Strip to help locate kidnapped civilians until Hamas releases all abducted civilians, as reported by Kann News. This comes as Hamas reportedly handed over two bodies, claiming inability to locate others, leaving 19 hostages unaccounted for. Israel believes Hamas knows the locations of at least 10 more, according to Ynet, as cited by IsraelRadar.com. Prime Minister Netanyahu previously stated on October 16th that Israel knows the exact number of hostages Hamas holds. In a separate development, a statement attributed to Donald Trump on October 16th at 13:30 ET stated, "If Hamas continues to kill people in Gaza, which was not the Deal, we will have no choice but to go in and kill them." This statement follows previous reports from October 16th, 2025, indicating that Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Bahrain warned the White House they would not proceed with Gaza rebuilding if Hamas retains its weapons. Qatar is also expected to donate over 87,000 tents to Gaza. Previous reports from October 16th, 2025, also detailed the impending operational status of a U.S.-led coordination center for Gaza's postwar rebuilding, to be led by a U.S. three-star general with approximately 200 U.S. troops involved in logistics, transport, and security. The U.S. has been collaborating with international partners to form an "International Stabilization Force" for Gaza's security and reconstruction. These reports also claimed the elimination of chiefs of staff for Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthi movement, attributed to Yahya Al-Sinwar.
