The Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist movement Hezbollah is rebuilding its military arsenal on Israel’s northern border, as experts warn that another war between the two sides could be on the horizon. The latest developments come a year after the U.S. helped broker a ceasefire between the parties.

On Wednesday, IDF spokesman Nadav Shoshani, said Hezbollah had engaged «in a blatant violation of the ceasefire agreement.» Shoshani also released a video showing the rearming, claiming the terror group was «operating to reestablish its assets in the village of Beit Lif.» 

Critics argue that the U.N. peacekeeping force, UNIFIL, is not fulfilling its mandate to disarm the terror group and the Lebanese Armed Forces are moving too slowly, which has led to continued Israeli actions against the terrorists. The IDF has been launching near-daily strikes against the group’s infrastructure and operatives inside Lebanon. 

IRAN SMUGGLED $1B TO HEZBOLLAH THIS YEAR DESPITE US SANCTIONS, TREASURY OFFICIAL SAYS

Sarit Zehavi, a leading Israeli security expert on Hezbollah from the Israel Alma Research and Education Center, told Fox News Digital that Hezbollah does not currently «have the capability to carry out an October invasion. They had it prior to Oct. 7, 2023. They can send in a few terrorists. I want to believe it will take a few years to get those capabilities back.»

Fox News Digital exclusively reported last year on Hezbollah’s war plan to invade northern Israel and carry out a scorched-earth campaign against the Jewish state.

A day after the Iran-backed Hamas invaded Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, and massacred over 1,200 people, Hezbollah launched missile attacks against Israel.

A strike against Hezbollah that the Israeli Air Force says was carried out overnight. (Israeli Air Force)

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE MIDDLE EAST’S HEZBOLLAH AND HAMAS GROUPS?

Zehavi said, «Both the IDF and Hezbollah are very active. The IDF is very active to stop the rehabilitation of Hezbollah and Hezbollah is very active in rebuilding. Hezbollah learned lessons. It has been more problematic to smuggle weapons to Lebanon from Syria. It is happening. But the Syrians intercepted weapons.»

She noted that the «Syrian regime is willing to fight Hezbollah to fight weapons smuggling. Hezbollah is relying more on manufacturing rockets.»

Zehavi, who lives in northern Israel, said that «almost half of Israeli attacks on Hezbollah are south of the Litani river. We see a lot of investment from Hezbollah in drones, short-range rockets, mortars and anti-tank missiles.»

On Tuesday in Germany, prosecutors started a trial against an alleged Hezbollah member running «an extensive drone program for some time.»

The German Federal Prosecutor’s Office said the suspected Hezbollah operative Fadel Z joined Hezbollah more than 10 years ago and worked as a «foreign operator» for the group’s drone program in 2022 in Spain and Germany.

Zehavi said it suffered a defeat of its leadership via the Mossad pager attack on its commanders. However, she added, «Iran immediately provided oxygen to Hezbollah for treatment to help revive Hezbollah.»

Hezbollah fighters carry the coffin of four fallen comrades who were killed Tuesday after their handheld pagers exploded, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon, on Wednesday, Sept. 18.  (Bilal Hussein/ AP)

ISRAEL DEGRADES IRAN-BACKED HEZBOLLAH TERRORISTS IN SPECTACULAR PAGER EXPLOSION OPERATION: EXPERTS

She outlined Israel’s main defense strategy against Hezbollah. First, the IDF has positions in Syria and Lebanon. «We cannot have civilians on the front line. The IDF is on top of hills in Israel and Lebanon and can see everything and can respond quickly to terrorist activities. This means when an Israeli woman opens her window and used to see a Hezbollah flag, she now sees an Israeli flag. This gives her a sense of security. This was not present before Oct. 7.

She estimates Hezbollah has 50,000 terrorists and 50,000 reservists. «We killed a few thousand terrorists.»

The IDF made dramatic advances in eradicating Hezbollah’s missile arsenal. «We degraded 80%» of the rockets, Zehavi said, noting the elimination of sizable numbers of Hezbollah’s long-range and highly accurate missiles.

Edy Cohen, a Lebanese-born Israeli scholar of Hezbollah, said, «There is no lack of arms for Hezbollah in Beirut and Lebanon. Lately, we saw many reports that Hezbollah received arms from Syria and Iran is trying to send arms by civilian Iranian airplanes.»

Lebanese Hezbollah fighters are taking part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta bordering Israel on May 21, 2023 ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000.  (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

HEZBOLLAH’S NEIGHBORS: ISRAELI BORDER COMMUNITY UNDER CONSTANT ATTACK FROM TERROR GROUP

He said there is enormous pressure on Hezbollah and every week Israel is killing Hezbollah operative. The Shiite community in Lebanon wants Hezbollah to retaliate against Israel, said Cohen, adding, «For the Shiite community Hezbollah is the state.»

Cohen said the IDF is gathering intelligence information about Hezbollah’s arsenal and attacking almost every day its leaders and operatives.

Hezbollah terrorists are taking part in cross-border raids, part of a large-scale military exercise, in Aaramta, bordering Israel, on May 21, 2023 ahead of the anniversary of Israel’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. (Fadel Itani/NurPhoto via Getty Image)

He warned that because «Hezbollah said it will not disarm its militia … the big war will come.»

Fox News Digital reported in early November that Trump’s U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Thomas Barrack, who also serves as envoy to Syria, said that Lebanon is a «failed state,» because of its «paralyzed government.»

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He also noted that Hezbollah retains 40,000 fighters and between 15,000 and 20,000 rockets and missiles, noting the terror group pays its militia $2,200 per month, whereas the Lebanese Armed Forces soldiers earn $275 a month and have inferior equipment as well.

Un grupo de científicos de los Estados Unidos encontró en el cerebro unas “estrellas” que podrían ser la clave para frenar el deterioro de la memoria causado por la enfermedad de Alzheimer.

En realidad, son astrocitos, unas células que realizan funciones esenciales en el sistema nervioso.

Lo novedoso del hallazgo, que se publicó en la revista Nature Neuroscience, es que el equipo de investigadores demostró, por primera vez, que al activar una proteína llamada Sox9, los astrocitos pueden eliminar las placas amiloides que dañan las neuronas en el Alzheimer.

Los investigadores pertenecen a la universidad Baylor College of Medicine. Los resultados son cruciales ya las placas amiloides se acumulan y pueden dañar a las neuronas.

Están asociadas con el desarrollo de la enfermedad de Alzheimer, que afecta la memoria y otras capacidades mentales.

El descubrimiento abre una nueva puerta hacia tratamientos más eficaces y brinda esperanza a millones de personas y familias.

Los científicos trabajaron con ratones que ya mostraban síntomas de Alzheimer, como fallas de memoria y acumulación de placas amiloides en el cerebro.

A estos animales les aumentaron la producción de Sox9, lo que hizo que los astrocitos se activaran y “aspiraran” más placas tóxicas. Con esto lograron mejorar la función cerebral y la memoria de los ratones.

Esta investigación demuestra que el propio cuerpo tiene recursos para combatir la enfermedad si se activan los mecanismos adecuados.

El doctor Dong-Joo Choi, primer autor del trabajo, afirmó que los astrocitos “cumplen tareas esenciales para el funcionamiento normal del cerebro, como facilitar la comunicación y el almacenamiento de la memoria”.

También explicó que, aunque estas células cambian mucho con el tiempo, todavía no se sabe completamente cómo influyen en el envejecimiento o en enfermedades como el Alzheimer, que es una de las principales causas de deterioro cerebral en el mundo.

El equipo se enfocó en el gen Sox9, conocido por regular muchas de las funciones de los astrocitos. Experimentaron manipulando ese gen en ratones con Alzheimer avanzado, un método distinto del de otros estudios que suelen trabajar antes de que la enfermedad muestre síntomas.

El doctor Benjamin Deneen, otro de los investigadores y coautores, dijo: “Manipulamos la expresión del gen Sox9 para evaluar su papel en el mantenimiento de la función de los astrocitos en el cerebro envejecido y en modelos de Alzheimer”.

Los resultados fueron decisivos. Cuando aumentaron Sox9, los astrocitos se activaron, despejaron más placas y los ratones mantuvieron mejor su memoria.

Cuando Sox9 se redujo, se formaron más placas y el daño en el cerebro creció. Las pruebas mostraron que los animales trataban mejor la información y reconocían objetos o lugares con mayor facilidad si tenían más Sox9.

“Encontramos que al aumentar la expresión de Sox9, los astrocitos ‘aspiraban’ más placas amiloides y las retiraban del cerebro como una aspiradora”, explicó Deneen.

Frente a los tratamientos actuales, que buscan evitar la formación de placas o proteger las neuronas, este hallazgo apunta a potenciar la limpieza natural del cerebro al usar las células gliales, un área poco explorada hasta ahora.

Aunque este avance es prometedor, los científicos aclaran que aún falta mucho para evaluarlo en personas.

Queda pendiente investigar cómo funciona Sox9 en cerebros humanos y si este camino podría ayudar en etapas avanzadas de la enfermedad.

Sin embargo, el hallazgo muestra la importancia de seguir explorando los propios sistemas del cuerpo para tratar el Alzheimer.

El trabajo contó con el apoyo de importantes instituciones como los Institutos Nacionales de Salud de los Estados Unidos.

El avance puede motivar a la comunidad científica a enfocar más recursos y colaboraciones en la búsqueda de soluciones para el deterioro cognitivo.

After billionaire activist Tom Steyer entered the California gubernatorial race Wednesday, former Congresswoman Katie Porter, who is also running for governor, blasted him despite previously taking thousands of dollars from him when she was in Congress.

Porter said Steyer was entering the race claiming to fight «the very industries he got rich helping grow,» to which the former member of Congress said: «I call bulls—.» Meanwhile, FEC filings show Porter, who is claiming to fight Steyer, received more than $16,000 between her House campaigns and failed Senate campaign.

«Katie Porter is the ultimate hypocrite and all she’s done in this race is step on one rake after another,» a longtime Democratic strategist, who has worked with campaigns across the country, told Fox News Digital. «This is easily the most disastrous race a Democrat has been running in 2026, which is why Porter is a real liability at the top of the ticket and why Democrats are looking around for alternatives.»

TOM STEYER MOUNTS CALIFORNIA GUBERNATORIAL BID, JOINING CROWD OF CANDIDATES JOCKEYING TO SUCCEED NEWSOM

The Porter campaign did not respond to Fox News Digital’s requests for comment on this story.

Steyer, who once financed his own unsuccessful presidential bid in 2020, announced plans to enter the California gubernatorial race this week. The billionaire anti-Trump activist pledged to make life more affordable for working-class Americans and take on corporate interests in an announcement advertisement alerting people of his candidacy. Steyer specifically said he would take on the oil and tobacco industries in particular, which he touted a record of doing in the past as well.  

«A new billionaire in our race claims he’ll fight the very industries he got rich helping grow — fossil fuel companies, tobacco, and private immigration detention facilities — at great cost to Californians,» Porter posted on X after Steyer announced his run. «I call bulls—.»

Attached to Porter’s post was also a screenshot of a news headline from The Sacramento Bee that reads: «Tom Steyer, starring in TV ads for tobacco tax hike, invested in tobacco companies.»

People commenting on Porter’s post highlighted her financial support she has received from Steyer in the past. Between 2018 and 2023, Porter received at least $16,100 from him, a Fox News Digital review found.

CALIFORNIA PARENTS CONVICTED OF STABBING, DECAPITATING 2 CHILDREN AND FORCING OTHER KIDS TO SEE BODIES 

For Steyer, his wealth will likely be a target for his opponents.

Democratic presidential candidate businessman Tom Steyer speaks, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2020, during a Democratic presidential primary debate hosted by CNN and the Des Moines Register in Des Moines, Iowa. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

«Tom Steyer tried to buy the presidency — and he failed,» Betty Yee, a former state controller who is running in the Democratic Primary for governor, said following Steyer’s announcement. «The California governorship is not going to be his consolation prize.» 

Porter, meanwhile, has faced criticism on the campaign trail for her attitude towards staffers and the media. She faced criticism last month after abruptly walking away from a CBS interview after lashing out at the reporter interviewing her. 

«What do you say to the 40% of CA voters who you’ll need in order to win, who voted for Trump?» Porter was asked by CBS California’s Julie Watts during a segment on the controversial redistricting effort launched by Democrats in the state. 

«How would I need them in order to win, ma’am?» Porter responded.

DID CALIFORNIA MISMANAGE THE DEADLY PALISADES FIRE?

«Well, unless you think you’re going to get 60% of the vote,» the reporter, asking about the voter breakdown of Democrats and Republicans in the state, said before Porter started laughing.

Porter then went back and forth with the reporter, arguing about whether she needs to court and win over Trump voters, particularly if she’s running head-to-head against another Democrat. 

«So you don’t need them to win,» Watts asked Porter.

«I feel like this is unnecessarily argumentative,» Porter said, prompting the reporter to point out that she had asked the same question to the other candidates in the race and they answered it. 

«I don’t want to keep doing this, I’m going to call it,» Porter said. 

When Watts reminded Porter that every candidate had answered the question, Porter said, «I don’t care.»

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Meanwhile, Porter has also faced repeated criticism about how she allegedly treats staffers. In just a span of a single week, three videos went viral of Porter berating her staff.  

The race for California governor is a crowded one, with big names like former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and former U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra. Former Vice President Kamala Harris was reportedly planning on getting involved but ultimately backed away.  

Lesser known candidates include state schools Superintendent Tony Thurmond, former Controller Betty Yee and former Assemblyman Ian Calderon.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller and Sophia Compton contributed to this report.