Middle East latest: Hezbollah says its war with Israel is entering a new phase

Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group said Friday it is entering a new phase in its fight against invading Israeli troops, as the region continued to reckon with Israel’s claim that top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar has been killed in a battle with Israeli forces in Gaza the previous day. Hamas has still not commented on the report, but its ally Iran released a statement commemorating the Palestinian militant leader via its mission to the United Nations. Many, from the governments of Israeli allies to exhausted residents of Gaza, expressed hope that Sinwar’s death would pave the way for an end to the war, but Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech announcing the killing that “Our war is not yet ended.”