More than 600 residents in southern Lebanon have fled their homes due to Israeli airstrikes that leveled residential buildings and shops, raising urgent questions about escalating tensions in the region. In one of the neighbourhoods in Kafr Hatta, a town in southern Lebanon, the building where Hussein Ismail resides was reduced to rubble after a series of Israeli airstrikes on Sunday, following prior warnings issued by the Israeli army through social media platform X to residents to evacuate. The scene sums up the tragedy of hundreds of families who found themselves homeless in an instant, amid constant fears of further attacks. Ismail described what has happened.
"Our friends informed us by phone and via WhatsApp. My wife and I left the house in the clothes we were wearing as there was a bomb warning. We couldn't delay because it was an Israeli warning, and they bomb without restraint," said Hussein Ismail, a resident of Kafr Hatta.
One resident confirmed that Israel targeted the site, even though the Lebanese army had assured that it was civilian.
"We are the residents of this area. There is no justification for this. We were surprised the first and second time, now this is the third time to target the same place. The army came once, twice, three times, and the engineering teams confirmed there were no weapons there," said Shaouki Ismail, another resident of Kafr Hatta.
This is not the first attack on the town, which has displaced dozens of families.
"There are 54 apartments in this residential complex, which means there are approximately 450-600 people, all are families. They gave a warning two hours before the bombing, and people fled," said Ghassan Nimer, deputy mayor of Kafr Hatta.
Experts believe that Israel is sending messages through the escalation both north and south of the Litani River.
"[Israel] is shifting the escalation from south to north of the Litani River based on several factors. First, it wants to break the current equation based on [UN] Resolution 1701. Second, it seeks to send a message to Lebanon that it is unable to accept its plans, especially the plans related to the Lebanese army's plan which is rejected by the Israeli army," said Bahaa Halal, retired Brigadier General in the Lebanese Army. The Lebanese government has asked the Lebanese army to prepare a plan for disarmament north of the Litani River.
Families flee from homes in southern Lebanon as Israeli airstrikes level residential buildings, shops
China's securities regulator has pledged to prioritize market stability and resolutely prevent sharp fluctuations as a core objective for 2026, aiming to consolidate sound development of the capital market.
The China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) made the commitment at its annual work conference on Thursday, where the regulator reviewed the past year's performance and outlined key tasks for 2026.
In 2025, listed companies distributed a combined total of 2.68 trillion yuan (about 380 billion U.S. dollars) in cash dividends and share buybacks throughout the year, further consolidating the momentum for high-quality development.
Initial public offerings (IPOs) and follow-on offerings reached a combined 1.26 trillion yuan, while the exchange bond market issued various bonds totaling 16.3 trillion yuan.
Eighteen futures and options products were smoothly listed, demonstrating the robust functioning of the multi-tiered capital market.
The meeting emphasized that while the capital market currently shows stable and sound performance, it still faces complex and severe challenges posed by intertwined domestic and external risks as well as the overlapping of persisting and emerging issues.
Efforts will be made to effectively enhance the intrinsic stability of the market, the CSRC said, adding that it will rigorously investigate and punish excessive speculation, market manipulation, and other illegal activities to prevent sharp market fluctuations.
It will work to foster a market ecosystem where "long-term capital engages in long-term investment," the regulator said, pledging efforts to broaden the channels for medium and long-term capital inflows, introduce various products and risk management tools suited to long-term investment, and actively guide long-term, rational and value-based investment.
It also vowed to enhance the inclusiveness and adaptability of the multi-tiered equity market, crack down on illegal activities such as financial fraud, price manipulation and insider trading, and enhance corporate governance among listed firms.
The CSRC will advance the two-way opening up of the capital market in 2026.
Efforts will be made to expedite the implementation of the optimized Qualified Foreign Institutional Investor scheme, expand the scope of futures products accessible to foreign investors, and enhance the facilitation of cross-border investment and financing, the regulator said.
China's securities regulator stresses market stability in 2026 work plan
