West Asia Conflict Highlights | Israel signs deal to acquire 25 F-15 fighter jets from Boeing

Israeli fire kills 11 in Gaza City as its forces tighten siege in the north

Israeli airstrikes killed 11 Palestinians in Gaza City on Thursday, medics said, while Israeli forces sent tanks into Jabalia in the north, where Palestinians and United Nations officials expressed alarm over shortages of food and medicine.

Residents of Jabalia said Israeli forces blew up clusters of houses from air, by tank shells and by placing bombs in buildings before blowing them up remotely. Gaza's civil emergency service said it evacuated several wounded people from a school sheltering displaced Palestinians that caught fire after being hit by Israeli tank shells.

Residents said Israeli forces had effectively isolated Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya in the far north of the enclave from Gaza City, blocking movement except for those families with permission to heed evacuation orders and leave the three towns.

"We have written our death notes, and we are not leaving Jabalia," one resident told Reuters via a chat app.

"The occupation (Israel) is punishing for not leaving our houses in the early days of the war, and we are not going now either. They are blowing up houses, and roads, and are starving us but we die once and we don't lose our pride," the father of four said, refusing to give his name fearing Israeli reprisal.

On Wednesday, the Israeli military said it had killed more than 50 Palestinian fighters over the past days in airstrikes and close quarters combat as troops try to root out Palestinian militant Hamas forces operating as guerrillas in the rubble.

In an update on Thursday, Israel's military said it had "eliminated" militants, destroyed infrastructure and recovered weapons in Rafah in the south and was operating in central Gaza, but did not mention the north. (Reuters)

Gaza unemployment surges to 80% as economy collapses, UN agency says

Unemployment in Gaza has soared to nearly 80 per cent since the Israel-Hamas war erupted, with the devastated enclave's economy in almost total collapse, the International Labour Organization said on Thursday.

Economic output has shrunk by 85 per cent since the conflict with Israel began a year ago, plunging almost the entire 2.3 million population into poverty, the United Nations agency said.

The conflict has caused "unprecedented and wide-ranging devastation on the labour market and the wider economy across the Occupied Palestinian Territory", the ILO said, referring to Gaza and the West Bank.

In the West Bank, the unemployment rate averaged 34.9 per cent between October 2023 and the end of September 2024, while its economy has contracted by 21.7 per cent compared with the previous 12 months, the ILO said.

Before the crisis, the unemployment rate in Gaza was 45.3 per cent and 14 per cent in the West Bank, according to the Geneva-based organisation. (Reuters)

Germany's Scholz assures, 'We will help Israel defend itself with weapons'

Germany will continue to help Israel defend itself by supplying weapons, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Thursday, adding that Israel must abide by international law and that a two-state solution was the ultimate goal.

"For me, however, it is clear that supporting Israel also means that we are constantly ensuring Israel's defence capability, for example by supplying military goods or weapons," said Scholz on the sidelines of an EU leaders' summit. (Reuters)

EU's Borrell questions US giving Israel one month to improve Gaza situation

The EU's foreign policy chief on Thursday appeared to criticise the United States giving Israel one month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, saying that during that time, too many people would die.

"The US has been saying to Israel that they have to improve humanitarian support to Gaza, but they gave one month delay. One month delay at the current pace of people being killed. It's too many people," Josep Borrell told reporters in Brussels, adding that the situation was a "catastrophe."

Israel must take steps over the next month to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza or face potential restrictions on US military aid, US officials said on Wednesday, in the strongest such warning since Israel's war with Hamas began a year ago. (Reuters)

Biden heads to Germany for talks on Ukraine, West Asia

US President Joe Biden takes off for Berlin on Thursday for a rapid visit to discuss Russia's invasion of Ukraine with the leaders of Germany, France and Britain as Kyiv urges its western allies to take urgent steps to end the fighting.

The rapidly expanding conflict in the West Asia is also expected to be high on the agenda in talks between the leaders as diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have stalled.

Biden had originally been scheduled to convene a broader meeting of Ukraine's military supporters at the US Ramstein airbase in Germany last week during a planned three-day state visit to the country that would have been the first in nearly 40 years.

He canceled that trip to focus on dealing with the onslaught of and fallout from Hurricane Milton, but is making up for it with the quick sojourn this week. (Reuters)

Latest visuals from the Israel-Lebanon border amid ongoing hostilities

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German warship part of UN mission shoots down drone off Lebanon

A German warship operating as part of the United Nations' UNIFIL mission brought down an unmanned flying object off the coast of Lebanon on Thursday, a spokesperson for the German defence ministry told Reuters.

"The corvette brought an unidentified unmanned aerial vehicle into the water in a controlled crash," the spokesperson said, reporting no damage to the German vessel or its crew.

The corvette Ludwigshafen am Rhein is continuing its duties, he added.

The dpa news agency first reported on the incident. (Reuters)

Sirens ring out in northern Israel

The Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) on Telegram announced on Thursday that sirens had been sounded Misgav Am, Margaliot, and Ghajar in northern Israel.

Hezbollah claims to have hit two Israeli tanks with guided missiles

Amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel, the Lebanon-based group said that it had hit two Israeli tanks near the border with guided missiles, news agency AFP reported.

42,438 Palestinians killed and 99,246 injured in Israeli ops in Gaza since Oct 7, 2023

More than 42,438 Palestinians have been killed and 99,246 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct 7, 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Thursday. (Reuters)

UN peacekeeping mission has vital role, must be strengthened, Italy says

The UN peacekeeping mission to Lebanon is vital to ending war in the region and needs to be strengthened, not withdrawn from combat zones as Israel has demanded, Italy's defence minister said on Thursday.

The UN mission known as UNIFIL is stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel -- an area that has seen fierce clashes this month between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

Israel has said the UN forces are providing a human shield for Hezbollah and has fired at the UNIFIL bases repeatedly over the past week, injuring several peacekeepers. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says UNIFIL should temporarily "get out of harm's way".

Italy has long been a major contributor to the multi-national operation and has denounced Israel for its actions, straining relations between two nations, which have been very close under Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's leadership. (Reuters)

After evacuation call, Israeli strike hits city of Tyre

An Israeli strike hit near the south Lebanon coastal city of Tyre on Thursday, reported news agency AFP.

Earlier, Israel had issued an evacuation call in the area.

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Iran, Egypt foreign ministers meet amid conflict in West Asia

Egypt's Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty attends a press conference with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi at Tahrir Palace, in Cairo, October 17, 2024.

UK govt pledges to match £10million donation by British public for humanitarian aid to West Asia

Anneliese Dodds, the UK Minister of State for Development, said donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Middle East Humanitarian Appeal fund will be used to “provide life-saving aid including medical supplies, shelter and clean water to those who need it most”.

Iran warns of 'painful' retaliatory attacks against Israel

Speaking at the funeral of slain Major General Abbas Nilforoushan, Major General Salami of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said that the earlier volley of missiles launched by Tehran on October 3 was merely a warning to Israel, and that further escalations, if any, would be met by a much harsher response.

Israeli strike kills 19 including children at Gaza school

At least 19 Palestinians including children were killed on Thursday after an Israeli strike hit a school in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip that is sheltering displaced people, a Gaza health ministry official told Reuters.

Dozens were also injured in the strike, said the official, Medhat Abbas, adding: "There is no water to extinguish the fire. There is nothing." (Reuters)

Israel stops processing key commercial food imports to Gaza

Israel has stopped processing requests from traders to import food to Gaza, according to 12 people involved in the trade, choking off a track that for the past six months supplied more than half of the besieged Palestinian territory's provisions.

Since Oct. 11, Gaza-based traders who were importing food from Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank have lost access to a system introduced in spring by Cogat, the Israeli government body that oversees aid and commercial shipments, and have received no reply to attempts to contact the agency, the sources said.

The shift has driven the flow of goods arriving in Gaza to its lowest level since the start of the war, a Reuters analysis of official Israeli data shows. The details of the halt in commercial goods into Gaza have not been previously reported.

Cogat did not respond to Reuters' questions about commercial food imports and aid to Gaza. The agency says it does all it can to ensure that enough aid enters the coastal enclave, and that Israel does not prevent the entry of humanitarian aid. It rejects allegations Israel has blocked supplies.

Between Oct. 1 and Oct. 16, the overall flow of shipments to Gaza - including both aid and commercial goods - fell to a daily average of 29 trucks, according to Cogat statistics.

That compares with a daily average of 175 trucks between May and September, the data shows. Commercial shipments -- goods bought by local traders, trucked in after direct approval by Cogat, and then sold in marketplaces in Gaza -- accounted for about 55 per cent of the total during that period. (Reuters)

Hezbollah MP says Israel has not captured any villages in southern Lebanon

A Hezbollah member of Lebanon's parliament said on Thursday the Israeli military had not so far captured any villages in southern Lebanon.

Hassan Fadlallah also told reporters that Hezbollah's leadership was carefully coordinating with the speaker of Lebanon's parliament, Nabih Berri, in efforts to secure a ceasefire in the fighting with Israeli forces. (Reuters)

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Which airlines have suspended flights over West Asia?

Concerns over a wider conflict in the West Asia have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.

Below are some of the airlines that have adjusted services to and from the region:

AEGEAN AIRLINES: The Greek airline cancelled flights to and from Beirut until Nov. 6 and to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 5.

AIRBALTIC: Latvia's airBaltic cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Oct. 31.

AIR ALGERIE: The Algerian airline suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.

AIR EUROPA: The Spanish airline cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 20.

AIR FRANCE-KLM: Air France extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until Oct. 22 and Paris-Beirut flights until Oct. 26. KLM extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of this year at least. The Franco-Dutch group's low-cost unit Transavia cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until end-March.

AIR INDIA: The Indian flag carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.

BULGARIA AIR: The Bulgarian carrier cancelled flights to and from Israel until Oct. 31.

CATHAY PACIFIC: Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 25, 2025.

DELTA AIR LINES: The U.S. carrier paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through March 2025.

EASYJET: The UK budget airline stopped flying to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume flights on March 30.

EGYPTAIR: The Egyptian carrier on Sept. 24 suspended flights to Beirut until "the situation stabilises".

EMIRATES: UAE's state-owned airline cancelled flights to Beirut through Oct. 31 and flights to Baghdad and Tehran until Oct. 23. Basra flights were set to resume from Oct. 17.

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES: The Ethiopian carrier suspended flights to Beirut until further notice, it said in a Facebook post on Oct. 4.

FLYDUBAI: The Emirati airline suspended Dubai-Beirut flights until Oct. 31, a flydubai spokesperson said.

IAG: IAG-owned British Airways cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Oct. 26.

IAG's low-cost airline Iberia Express cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 31, while Vueling cancelled operations to Tel Aviv until Jan. 12 and to Amman until further notice.

IRAN AIR: The Iranian airline cancelled Beirut flights until further notice.

IRAQI AIRWAYS: The Iraqi national carrier suspended flights to Beirut until further notice.

ITA AIRWAYS: The Italian carrier extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Nov. 30.

LOT: The Polish flag carrier cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 26, while its first scheduled flight to Beirut is planned for April 1.

LUFTHANSA GROUP: The German airline group suspended flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran until Oct. 31 and to Beirut until Nov. 30.

It will not use Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice, aside from a corridor used for flights to and from Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. Israeli airspace will not be used until Oct. 31.

SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, suspended flights to Beirut through Dec. 17.

PEGASUS: The Turkish airline cancelled flights to Beirut until Oct. 28.

QATAR AIRWAYS: The Qatari airline temporarily suspended flights to and from Iraq, Iran and Lebanon, while flights to Amman will operate during daylight hours only.

RYANAIR: Europe's biggest budget airline cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until the end of December. Group CEO Michael O'Leary on Oct. 3 said the suspension was likely to be extended until end-March.

SUNDAIR: The German airline cancelled flights to Beirut from Berlin until Dec. 8, Bremen until March 26, and Muenster/Osnabrueck until March 29.

UNITED AIRLINES: The Chicago-based airline suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.

TAROM: Romania's flag carrier extended the suspension of Beirut flights until Oct. 22.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC: The UK carrier extended suspension of Tel Aviv flights until end-March.

WIZZ AIR: The Hungary-based airline suspended Tel Aviv flights through Jan. 14.

Al Jazeera says Beirut office evacuated after warnings

Qatar's Al Jazeera TV said on Thursday its office in Beirut had been evacuated after the building received several warnings.

The broadcaster did not say who issued the warnings. (Reuters)

Russia warns Israel against strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities

Russia is warning Israel against any strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, state news agency TASS quoted Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov as saying on Thursday.

It was not immediately clear in what form Moscow had delivered such a warning.

After Iran's missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1, there has been speculation that Israel could strike Iran's nuclear facilities, as it has long threatened to do.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Tuesday that Israel would listen to the United States but would decide its actions according to its own national interest. (Reuters)

Hamas denies using school in Jabalia struck by Israel

Palestine's Hamas group denied on Thursday using Abu Hussein school in Jabalia for fighting purposes, after Israeli military said it targeted militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups who operated from within the school that had been serving as a shelter for displaced people. (Reuters)

Top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar possibly killed, says Israel

"During IDF operations in the Gaza Strip, three terrorists were eliminated. The IDF and ISA are checking the possibility that one of the terrorists was Yahya Sinwar. At this stage, the identity of the terrorists cannot be confirmed," the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) said on its Telegram channel.

At least 28, including kids, killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school

At least 28 Palestinians including children were killed on Thursday in an Israeli strike on a shelter in the northern Gaza Strip, a Gaza health ministry official said, while Israel said the attack targeted tens of militants at the site.

Dozens were also injured in the strike, said the official, Medhat Abbas, adding: "There is no water to extinguish the fire. There is nothing. This is a massacre."

"Civilians and children are being killed, burned under fire," said Abbas.

The Israeli military said in a statement the strike targeted militants from Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups, who operated from within the Abu Hussein School in Jabalia that had been serving as a shelter for displaced people.

It said dozens of militants were present inside the compound when the strike took place, and provided the names of at least 12 of them, which Reuters could not immediately verify. (Reuters)

Surge in Gaza violence increases famine risk, monitor says

The entire Gaza Strip remains at risk of famine and is experiencing emergency levels of hunger, with intense Israeli military operations adding to concerns and hampering humanitarian access, a global monitor said on Thursday.

About 1.84 million people across the Palestinian territory are living through high levels of acute food insecurity, including nearly 133,000 people experiencing the most severe, or "catastrophic", levels, according to an analysis from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC).

That is down from roughly 343,000 people suffering catastrophic hunger at the time of the last update in June, but the number was expected to double in coming months, the IPC said.

The IPC noted an increase in food entering Gaza since May, but said humanitarian access began shrinking again in September. (Reuters)

Israeli security cabinet ministers told Hamas chief Sinwar is very likely dead, two officials say

Members of Israel's security cabinet have been informed that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar is very likely dead, two officials with knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.

Two of Israel's broadcasters, KAN and N12 News also cited Israeli officials as saying Sinwar was dead. (Reuters)

IDF claims Hezbollah fired rocket that killed 9 in Golan, reports AFP

The Israeli military said a rocket that struck a football pitch in the annexed Golan Heights and killed nine people on Saturday was fired by Hezbollah.

Israel DNA-testing body to see if it's Hamas' top leader Sinwar, reports AP

Israeli military on Thursday said it was conducting DNA tests on a body to determine if it is Hamas' top leader Yahya Sinwar, reports AP

US President briefed as Israel checks if Hamas chief Sinwar killed, reports AFP

Israel police says dental image have been submitted to the police forensics lab, and DNA testing is currently in progress

Hamas sources say indications suggest that Sinwar has been killed

Hamas sources said on Thursday that indications from Gaza suggested that the group's leader Yahya Sinwar had been killed in an Israeli operation.

The Israeli military has said it is checking the possibility that Sinwar has been killed. There has been no official comment from Hamas.

Netanyahu to make statement, Al Jazeera reports

Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu will be making a statement at 17:30 GMT, reports Al Jazeera

Israel foreign minister says Hamas leader Sinwar 'eliminated', reports AFP

Earlier in the day Israeli military said that "three terrorists were eliminated" during operations in Gaza and that defence agencies were checking whether one of them was Sinwar

US House speaker hails death of Hamas leader, reports AFP

Israel military confirms Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar has been killed

Israeli military put out a statement saying, "The IDF and ISA confirm that after a year-long pursuit, yesterday (Wednesday), October 16, 2024, IDF soldiers from the Southern Command eliminated Yahya Sinwar, the leader of the Hamas terrorist organization, in an operation in the southern Gaza Strip."

The Israel foreign ministry in a post on X (formerly Twitter) wrote, "A year ago on the holiday of Sukkot, Yahya Sinwar orchestrated the horrific October 7th Massacre in which more than 1,200 Israeli men, women and children were butchered.

"𝐓𝐨𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐲 𝐈𝐬𝐫𝐚𝐞𝐥𝐢 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬.

"Justice has been delivered. Every single terrorist who harms Israelis will pay the price."

Five Israeli soldiers killed during combat in southern Lebanon, army says

Five Israeli soldiers were killed and several injured during combat in southern Lebanon, the army said in a statement on Thursday. 

Families of Israeli hostages fear for captives after Sinwar killed

Families of Israeli hostages taken captive to Gaza by Islamist group Hamas fear their loved ones are in greater danger after Israeli troops killed the militant group's leader, Yahya Sinwar.

Israel's military and the Shin Bet security service confirmed on Thursday that Sinwar, the architect of the devastating attack on Israel last October that set off the Gaza war, had been killed on Wednesday by Israeli forces who were conducting an operation in southern Gaza.

"We have settled the score with the chief murderer Sinwar. But now, more than ever, the lives of Matan, my son, and the other hostages are in tangible danger," said Einav Zangauker, whose 24-year-old son was abducted from their kibbutz home during Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack.

Macron urges Israel to halt Lebanon operations

 French President Emmanuel Macron urged Israel to halt military operations in Lebanon, respect its sovereignty, and avoid expanding the conflict, he told reporters on Thursday after meeting with other EU leaders at a summit in Brussels.

He added that France stands alongside Israel for its security and existence, but this does not prevent disagreements with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Blinken planning Mideast trip to discuss Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, Axios reports

Blinken discusses ending Mideast conflict with Qatari, Saudi counterparts

Iran says spirit of resistance will be strengthened by Sinwar's death

Lebanese Hezbollah announces new, 'escalating' phase in war with Israel

Lebanese Hezbollah early on Friday announced "the transition to a new and escalating phase in the confrontation with Israel".

In a statement, the militant group said Israel's military losses have totaled 55 dead and more than 500 wounded soldiers and officers since the ground war in Lebanon began on Oct. 1.

Biden, allies in Berlin to renew Gaza truce call after Hamas leader killed

US President Joe Biden and European leaders meeting during his farewell visit to Germany on Friday were expected to renew calls for a Gaza ceasefire after Israel said it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, AFP reported.

WHO accuses Israel of blocking medical specialists from entering Gaza

The World Health Organization (WHO) has accused Israel of barring medical specialists from entering Gaza to support clinics in the besieged enclave, Al Jazeera reported, quoting German news agency DPA.

15 projectiles launched from Lebanon to Israel: IDF

In a statement, the IDF said, "Following the sirens that sounded in the areas of the Haifa Bay, Upper Galilee and Western Galilee, approximately 15 projectile launches were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Some of the projectiles were intercepted and a number of fallen projectiles were identified.

Overnight, a UAV was intercepted inside Israeli maritime territory along Israel’s coast. No injuries were reported. Sirens did not sound in accordance with protocol."

45 killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon yesterday: Health ministry

In a statement, the Lebanese health ministry said that 45 people were killed and 179 wounded in the last 24 hours due to Israeli attacks, taking the total toll to 2,412 dead and 11,267 wounded since the beginning of the aggression.

Giving further details, they said:

• 12 killed and 41 wounded in South Lebanon

• 25 killed and 88 wounded in Nabatieh

• 3 killed and 14 wounded in Bekaa

• 5 killed and 36 wounded in Baalbek-Hermel

Over the past day, the Israeli Air Force struck approximately 150 terror targets in Gaza and Lebanon: IDF

IDF share drone footage of Yahya Sinwar moments before his death

Muhammad Hassin Ramal, Hezbollah’s commander of the Tayibe area killed in air strike, claims IDF

Almost entire Gaza population suffering from severe acute food insecurity

The entire Gaza Strip remains at high risk of famine, a report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) showed.

Sirens sounded in multiple areas in northern Israel: IDF

Two projectiles intercepted by air force: IDF

Lebanese PM says he rejects Iranian interference in a Lebanese matter

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Friday that he rejected Iranian interference in a Lebanese matter, after Iran's parliament speaker said his country was ready to negotiate with France on UN Resolution 1701.

The resolution, adopted in 2006, calls for the border area of southern Lebanon to be free of weapons or troops other than those of the Lebanese state.

-Reuters

Israel conducts raids on Gaza after killing Hamas chief Sinwar

Israel conducted raids on Gaza Friday, pressing its year-long war to crush Hamas after dealing it a massive blow with the killing of its leader, Yahya Sinwar - AFP

Israel Katz criticises UN Gen Sec for not 'welcoming the elimination of Yahya Sinwar'

2 terrorists who entered Israel from Jordan eliminated, search on for more: IDF

In a statement, IDF said, " A short while ago, IDF soldiers identified a number of terrorists that crossed from Jordan into Israeli territory south of the Dead Sea. IDF troops were dispatched to the scene and two terrorists who opened fire toward the troops were neutralized by the forces.

The troops are conducting searches in the area."

Israel conducts deadly attacks in southern Lebanon

Several people have been killed and wounded by Israeli air strikes across Lebanon, according to the Palestinian Wafa news agency.

- Al Jazeera

In Pics | Israelis celebrate the death of Yahya Sinwar

Israel targeted UN peacekeepers in Lebanon deliberately five times, says spokesperson

Hamas official says group cannot be eliminated, does not confirm Sinwar's death

senior Hamas official said the Palestinian militant group cannot be eliminated with the killing of its leaders, but stopped short of confirming the death of its chief, Yahya Sinwar.

"Hamas is a liberation movement led by people looking for freedom and dignity, and this cannot be eliminated," Basem Naim, senior member of Hamas's political bureau, told AFP.

In a statement, he listed several Hamas leaders killed in the past, and said their deaths had boosted the group's popularity.

India sends humanitarian assistance to Lebanon

UNIFIL vows to stay in Lebanon despite several 'deliberate' Israeli attacks

A UNIFIL peacekeeping mission spokesperson on Friday denounced several direct, deliberate attacks by Israeli forces in recent days and said it had found evidence of the possible use of white phosphorous near one of its bases.

"We need to stay, they asked us to move," said UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti by video link from Beirut.

"The devastation and destruction of many villages along the Blue Line, and even beyond, is shocking," he said, referring to a U.N.-mapped line separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Asked about the downing of a drone near its ship off the Lebanese coast on Thursday, he said: "The drone was coming from the south but circling around the ship and getting very, very close, a few metres away from the ship."

According to Tenenti, an investigation several months ago had detected "a trace of the possible use of white phosphorous" by the Israeli army close to a UNIFIL base. He added that the U.N. Security Council was aware of the case. (Reuters)

UN denounces Israel's use of 'war-like' tactics in West Bank

Israeli military says it is calling up additional reserve brigade in northern Israel

Israeli hostages will not return until Gaza 'aggression' stops, Hamas official says

sraeli hostages in Gaza will not return until "the aggression" on the besieged Palestinian enclave stops and Israeli forces withdraw, Khalil Al-Hayya, deputy Gaza Hamas chief and the group's chief negotiator, said on Friday. (Reuters)

Hamas says leader Yahya Sinwar killed

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, architect of the group's cross-border raids in 2023 that became the deadliest day in Israel's history, was killed in combat, Khalil Al-Hayya, deputy Gaza Hamas chief and the group's chief negotiator, said on Friday.

Sinwar's death, which follows Israeli assassinations of other Hamas leaders and commanders, will deal a huge blow to the Islamist group which has faced relentless air strikes since it attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

It also dragged about 250 people back to Gaza, creating a hostage crisis for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's far-right government which has vowed to eliminate Hamas.

Sinwar will be remembered as a ruthless enforcer among Palestinians who collaborated with Israel and an implacable enemy of the country which jailed him for many years.

Sinwar was named the group's paramount leader on August 6, as a successor to former political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who was assassinated in Tehran on July 31. (Reuters)

At least 42,500 Palestinians killed in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct.7, health ministry says

Sinwar was chief obstacle to Gaza ceasefire: White House

Netanyahu faces pressure to end fighting in Gaza after killing of Sinwar

The killing of Israel's most wanted enemy Yahya Sinwar has been hailed as vindication for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but in a country weary after a year of war it also raises pressure on him to end the fighting and save the hostages still in Gaza.

Netanyahu himself described Sinwar's death as "the beginning of the end" to a conflict that has spread to Lebanon and Yemen, and said it could end if Hamas lays down its arms and return the 101 Israeli and foreign hostages held in Gaza.

With Sinwar joining a growing list of Palestinian and Lebanese militant leaders killed by Israel over recent months, the fear that a deal would reward the architect of the Hamas-led Oct. 7 attacks on Israel has gone.

"I think what we have now is an opportunity to use this moment in Gaza to close the front in Gaza," said Shira Efron, Senior Director of Policy Research at the pro-Israel Diane and Guilford Glazer Foundation.

"I mean, you need to remember that this goes into the kishka (the guts) of Israeli society, they've avenged the mastermind Sinwar," she said.

Yet it remains unclear how Hamas will respond to the death of their leader, filmed by an Israeli drone sitting badly wounded in a ruined building in Gaza before his body was recovered and taken to Israel for tests that confirmed his identity. (Reuters)

UK's Starmer says death of Hamas chief Sinwar 'provides opportunity' for ceasefire

Italy PM Meloni plans talks with Israel's Netanyahu after visit to Lebanon

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Friday she planned to hold talks with Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu after her current visit to Lebanon and Jordan.

"I think that at the end of my trip I will call Prime Minister Netanyahu", she told reporters. (Reuters)

Possible to work towards ceasefire in Lebanon, Gaza will be harder, says Biden

Hezbollah says launched rockets at north Israel's Haifa

 Lebanon's Hezbollah group said it targeted the Israeli city of Haifa and areas to its north with rockets on Friday, dedicating one of the salvos to the group's slain leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah fighters launched "a salvo of rockets... that targeted the city of Haifa", the Iran-backed group said in a statement, adding the attack was "at the service" of Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike last month. In another statement, it said fighters launched a separate "rocket salvo" at areas north of Haifa. (AFP)

Afghan Taliban feel 'profound sorrow' over Hamas chief killing

fghanistan's Taliban government said Friday it felt "profound sorrow" over the killing of Yahya Sinwar, the Hamas leader credited with masterminding the militant group's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

"It is with profound sorrow that we have received the news of the martyrdom of Yahya Sinwar," government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid said in a statement, adding his killing would "serve to intensify and fortify the resistance" against Israeli forces. (AFP)

'This is how a hero dies' say Gazans of Sinwar's battlefield death

For one Gazan father, Yahya Sinwar's death in battle trying to beat back a drone with a stick was "how heroes die." For others, it was an example for future generations even as some lamented the ruinous cost of the war he sparked with Israel.

Sinwar, the architect of Hamas' deadly Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that triggered the war in Gaza, was killed on Wednesday in a gunfight with Israeli forces after a year-long manhunt, and his death was announced on Thursday.

At least 30 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on Gaza's Jabalia camp: Report

Trump says Sinwar death makes peace easier, plans to speak to Netanyahu

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said on Friday that the death of Palestinian Islamist group Hamas' leader Yahya Sinwar would make the prospect of peace easier in Gaza.

"I think it makes it easier," the former president told reporters as he arrived in Detroit for campaign events.

Hamas says its demands are unchanged as Biden pushes for Gaza cease-fire

A top Hamas official vowed Friday that the killing of the group’s leader, Yahya Sinwar, would change nothing for its war with Israel, saying that it would fight on even as President Joe Biden pressed for a deal to stop the conflict in the Gaza Strip and free the remaining hostages there.

In Hamas’ first official comments since Israel announced Sinwar’s death Thursday, his deputy, Khalil al-Hayya, said that the group maintained its conditions for a cease-fire. He said Hamas still insisted on an end to Israel’s onslaught in Gaza, as well as its complete withdrawal from the territory and the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Source: NYT

IDF says sirens regarding a hostile aircraft infiltration sounded in central Israel

Toll reaches 33 in Israeli strike on Jabalia refugee camp: Gaza civil defence agency

Gaza's civil defence agency said an Israeli strike on Friday night near Jabalia in the territory's north killed 33 people at a refugee camp.

Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal announced "33 deaths and dozens of wounded" while a medical source at the Al-Awda hospital told AFP earlier that it had registered 22 dead and 70 wounded after the strike on the Tal al-Zaatar camp for Palestinian refugees.

3 drones cross into Israel from Lebanon, no one hurt: IDF

The Israeli military said a drone spotted crossing into the country from Lebanon on Saturday struck the central town of Caesarea, while two others were intercepted.

The drone "hit a structure in the area of Caesarea" without causing any casualties, the military said, without elaborating. It added that two other drones were intercepted.

Via: AFP

Iran's Khamenei says Hamas will survive after Sinwar death

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that Hamas was alive and will survive despite the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar in an Israeli military operation in Gaza.

"His loss is certainly painful for the resistance front" against Israel, "but it will not end at all with the martyrdom of Sinwar", Khamenei said.

The Palestinian Islamist movement "Hamas is alive and will remain alive", he said in a statement.

Sinwar "was the shining figure of resistance and struggle", Khamenei said in his first remarks on Sinwar -- seen as the mastermind of the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel that sparked the Gaza war -- since he was killed on Wednesday.

"He stood with unwavering determination against the cruel and aggressive enemy and slapped them with tact and courage," he added.

"He left behind the irreparable blow of October 7, 2023 as his legacy in the history of this region, and then he soared with honour and pride to the ascension of the martyrs."

Source: AFP

Drone attack targets Netanyahu's residence in Caesarea, say multiple media reports

In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli army said that "a UAV hit a structure in the area of Caesarea." Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has a residence in Caesarea.

"No injuries were reported," the statement read adding that the incident was under review.

Whether Netanyahu was at home at the time of the strike is not clear yet.

Cluster of Hezbollah rocket launchers dismantled in IDF targeted raids in south Lebanon

"IDF troops continue limited, localized, and targeted raids against Hezbollah terrorists and infrastructure in southern Lebanon," the IDF said in a statement.

It added, "The troops located and dismantled numerous weapons during operational activity in the area, including a cluster of rocket launchers, a "Kornet" anti-tank missile launcher that was ready to fire toward communities in northern Israel, rockets, and additional military equipment."

Drone launched at Netanyahu home in northern Israel, spokesman says

A drone was launched towards Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in the northern Israeli town of Caesarea on Saturday, his spokesman said, adding that the premier was not in the vicinity and there were no casualties.

Earlier, the Israeli military said that a drone was launched from Lebanon and that it had hit a building. It was not immediately clear what the building was.

Two more drones that crossed into Israeli territory were intercepted, the military said.

There were no casualties reported, according to the Israeli ambulance service and police said explosions had been heard in Caesarea, coastal town where Netanyahu has a holiday home.

The drone attack was not immediately claimed by the Lebanese Iran-backed group Hezbollah, which has been trading fire with Israel since last October, or any other militant group.

Source: Reuters

Lebanon says two killed in Israel strike north of Beirut

Lebanese authorities said two people were killed in an Israeli strike on Saturday in Jounieh, north of Beirut, the first attack on the area since Hezbollah and Israel started trading fire last year.

The strike occurred on the highway connecting Beirut to the country's north, state media said.

The health ministry said an Israeli raid killed two people.

The official National News Agency said a man and his wife were killed in a drone strike on their four-wheel drive.

They were killed in a field adjacent to the road after fleeing an initial strike near their vehicle, NNA said. It did not identify them.

Source: AFP

Hezbollah says launched rockets north of Israel's Haifa, reports AFP

Palestinian killed while carrying out attack on police vehicle in Israel: IDF

"A short while ago, a Palestinian terrorist attempted to carry out a terror attack by accelerating toward a police vehicle at the entrance of Ofra community," the IDF said in a statement.

It added, "The terrorist was neutralized. No IDF injuries were reported."

Turkey says Israel actions pushing Iran to take 'legitimate steps'

Israel's attacks in Lebanon and Gaza are pushing Iran to take "legitimate steps", Turkey's foreign minister said Saturday, in an apparent show of support for Tehran's October 1 missile attack on Israel.

"Israel's aggressive stance is forcing Iran to take legitimate steps," Hakan Fidan said at a joint press conference in Istanbul with his Iranian counterpart.

Source: AFP

At least 115 projectiles fired from Lebanon on Saturday, says Israel army

The Israeli army said at least 115 projectiles were fired on Saturday from Lebanon targeting the country amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah.

The projectiles were fired mainly into northern Israel, with sirens blaring across the region at regular intervals. AFP compiled the figure of projectiles based on a series of statements released by the Israeli army on Saturday. (AFP)

42,519 Palestinians killed and 99,637 wounded in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 7

At least 42,519 Palestinians have been killed and 99,637 others wounded in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza's health ministry said on Saturday.

Israel army issues new evacuation call for south Beirut residents

Lebanon state media says mayor among 4 killed in Israel strike on eastern town

 Lebanon state media said four people including a mayor were killed on Saturday in an Israeli strike on a town in the eastern Bekaa Valley region.

The strike hit a residential building in the town of Baaloul, killing four, the official National News Agency said, adding that the dead include Haidar Shahla, the mayor of the nearby town of Sohmor. (AFP)

Gaza rescuers say over 400 killed in two weeks of Israeli assault on territory's north

Gaza officials accuse Israeli forces of attacking hospital

Agents of Iran who tried to assassinate me and my wife today made 'a bitter mistake', says Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the attempt of Iran's proxy Hezbollah to assassinate him and his wife on Saturday was "a grave mistake," after his spokesman said a drone was launched from Lebanon at his holiday home.

None of the groups firing on Israel over the last year, including the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, have claimed responsibility for that attack. (Reuters)

Israeli military investigating death of Hezbollah detainee, Israeli media says

Death toll of Israeli strikes on Gaza's Beit Lahiya rises to 60, Hamas media says

Israeli soldier dies of wounds from combat in southern Lebanon, army says

The Israeli military said on Saturday a sergeant major has died of his wounds after being severely injured during combat in southern Lebanon on Oct. 9.

Israeli strikes in northern Gaza cause scores of casualties, doctors say

An Israeli airstrike that hit several houses and a multi-storey residential building in Beit Lahiya town in northern Gaza on Saturday caused dozens of casualties, doctors and officials said, with rescue operations still underway.

The Hamas media office said at least 73 people had been killed in the strike. No official casualty figures were immediately available from the health ministry however Medway Abbas, a senior health ministry official, said the figures were accurate.

Israeli official says toll from Gaza strike announced by Hamas appears exaggerated

The Israeli military is checking reports of casualties from an airstrike in northern Gaza, an Israeli official said on Saturday, after the Hamas media office said at least 73 people had been killed in Beit Lahiya town.

The official said that a preliminary examination suggested that the numbers published by the Hamas media office were exaggerated and did not match the information available to the Israeli military.

Fighting rages in Gaza and Lebanon, despite killing of Hamas leader

Israeli forces pounded targets in the northern Gaza Strip town of Jabalia on Saturday, killing at least 33 people and injuring dozens of others in the bombardment, a Palestinian emergency services group said.

Israel has surrounded Jabalia for a week as it seeks to root out Hamas fighters who it says have reorganized in the area. Since Friday, approximately 20,000 Palestinians have fled the neighborhood, according to UNRWA, the main United Nations agency aiding Palestinians in Gaza, amid Israel’s bombardment. Paltel, the largest telecommunications provider in Gaza, said that internet service was completely down in northern Gaza.

Fighting also escalated in Lebanon on Saturday as the Israeli military targeted several areas outside of Beirut in airstrikes that covered the area in clouds of dust. The resurgence in attacks, after several days of relative calm, came after Hezbollah warned of “a new and escalating phase” in the conflict with Israel.

Source: NYT

Families of Israeli hostages call on Netanyahu to return their loved ones

The families of several Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip issued a sharply worded televised statement Saturday in which they called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to seize the moment after this past week’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to reach a hostage and cease-fire deal to bring home their loved ones.

“Netanyahu, there are no excuses left,” said Einav Zangauker, whose 24-year-old son, Matan, was kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7, 2023, adding, “You got your victory photo in Gaza.”

One by one, the speakers also stressed the danger their family members in Gaza face and voiced their anger at what they see as the abandonment of the hostages by the government. Of the 101 hostages still in Gaza, at least a third are believed to be dead

Source: NYT

175 enemy targets hit in Gaza, Lebanon, says IDF

The Israel Defence Forces in a statement on Sunday said that it hit 175 "terror" targets in Gaza Strip and Lebanon over the past day.

"Over the past day, the IAF struck approximately 175 terror targets in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon. Among the targets struck were weapons storage facilities, launching pits and terrorist infrastructure sites belonging to the Hamas and Hezbollah terrorist organizations," the statement read.

The statement did not mention the strikes on northern Gaza’s Beit Lahiya, where at least 73 people were killed.

Israeli strikes on Beirut after evacuation warning: state media

Two Israeli air strikes targeted south Beirut on Sunday after the Israeli army warned civilians to evacuate the stronghold of Lebanon's Hezbollah movement, state media said.

The reported strikes came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement of trying to assassinate him by attacking his residence.

"Enemy (Israeli) airplanes carried out two strikes this morning on Beirut's southern suburbs, one of them hitting a residential building in Haret Hreik" near a mosque and a hospital, the National News Agency reported.

Source: AFP

Three including senior Hezbollah commander killed in Israeli strike on Beirut, says IDF

The IDF in a statement on Sunday said that it eliminated Al-Haj Abbas Salama in the area of Tebnine, a senior commander in Hezbollah's Southern Front.

"Additionally, the terrorists Rada Abbas Awada and Ahmad Ali Hussein were eliminated. Awada was a senior Hezbollah communications expert and Hussein served as the head of a weapons manufacturing unit that was responsible for the build-up of Hezbollah's strategic weaponry, following in-depth manufacturing training in Iran," the statement added.

Lebanon state media says Israel hits dozens of southern locations

Israel struck dozens of south Lebanon villages and towns overnight and targeted Nabatiyeh city for a third time this week, Lebanese state media said on Sunday.

"Warplanes struck... the city of Nabatiyeh seven times" including on an inhabited building, with rescuers still looking for survivors under the rubble, the official National News Agency said.

The city where Hezbollah and ally Amal hold sway had seen deadly Israeli strikes on Wednesday that killed its mayor, with bloody attacks last week razing its marketplace.

It added that Israeli jets "conducted strikes" on more than 50 towns and villages including the border villages of Kfarshuba, Bint Jbeil and Khiam that have seen heavy fighting, reporting casualties.

Source: AFP

Israel army says rescue operations underway as about 70 missiles cross from Lebanon within minutes

The IDF in a statement on Sunday that sirens were sounded between 11:09 am and 11:12 am in the Western Galilee and Upper Galilee areas as approximately 70 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon.

"Some of the projectiles were intercepted by the IAF and a number of fallen projectiles were identified in the area. Israel Fire and Rescue Services are operating to extinguish numerous fires that were ignited in the area as a result of the attack," the statement added.

42,603 Palestinians killed and 99,795 injured in Israel's offensive against Gaza since Oct 7, 2023

Gaza health ministry revises death toll to 87 in Israeli strikes on houses in Beit Lahiya

A total of 87 people were killed or missing under the rubble after an Israeli attack on Saturday on northern Gaza's town of Beit Lahiya, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

More than 40 others were injured, it added.

The Israeli military said they were checking the report.

Since Oct. 7, 2023, Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 42,603 Palestinians and wounded 99,795 the Gaza health ministry said. (Reuters)

Israel strikes Hezbollah's intelligence HQ in Beirut

Israel said its air force attacked Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut on Sunday as well as an underground workshop for the production of weapons.

In a statement, the Israeli military said its fighter jets killed three Hezbollah commanders, including Alhaj Abbas Salameh, a senior figure in the group's southern command, Radja Abbas Awache, a communications expert, and Ahmad Ali Hussein, who it said was responsible for strategic weapons development.

It was not clear if the three were killed in the attack on the headquarters or in separate actions.

Hezbollah made no immediate comment. (Reuters)

UN condemns Israeli airstrikes in Gaza's Beit Lahiya that killed 87

The UN peace envoy for the Middle East on Sunday condemned continued attacks on civilians after Israeli airstrikes in Gaza's Beit Lahiya killed dozens late on Saturday.

"This follows weeks of intensified operations resulting in scores of civilian fatalities and near total lack of humanitarian aid reaching populations in the north," said Tor Wennesland, the UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.

Israel's military said it intensified attacks in northern Gaza in early October to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping.

A total of 87 people were killed or missing under the rubble after an Israeli attack on Saturday on Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, the enclave's health ministry said on Sunday.

The Israeli military has said it was investigating reports of the incident, which left one of the highest casualty tolls in months.

Gaza's health ministry says the strikes have killed hundreds since the Israeli campaign escalated. (Reuters)

Israeli strike on army vehicle kills three Lebanese soldiers

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on an army vehicle in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese military said in a statement on a Sunday. (Reuters)

Investigation under way into leak of American intelligence on Israel-Iran, US says

US House Speaker Mike Johnson said on Sunday there was an investigation underway into the leak of classified US intelligence documents related to Israel's preparations for an attack on Iran.

Speaking to CNN, Johnson said: "There's a classified-level briefing ... we are following it closely." He did not provide details on the briefing. (Reuters)

Israel to take legal action against Macron over naval trade show ban

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday he had ordered his ministry to start legal proceedings against French President Emmanuel Macron after Paris banned Israeli firms from participating in an upcoming military naval trade show. (Reuters)

Israel says 'destroying' Hezbollah in south Lebanon

Israel's Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that the military was stepping up its strikes targeting Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border.

"Not only are we defeating the enemy, but we are destroying them in all the villages along the border, in the places that Hezbollah planned to use as launchpads for attacks against Israel," Gallant told troops during a visit to the border, adding that Israeli military presence in that area was "overwhelming the terrorists". (AFP)

The Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it launched rockets at the main north Israeli city of Haifa on Sunday, after new Israeli air strikes on Lebanon. (AFP)

Hezbollah says fired rockets at 3 military bases in Israel

 Hezbollah on Sunday said it fired rockets at three military bases in northern Israel, hours after Israel said it was stepping up its strikes targeting the Iran-backed group in southern Lebanon.

Israeli colonel killed in combat in northern Gaza

A 41-year-old Israeli colonel was killed in combat in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said in a statement on Sunday.

Israeli military spokesperson says forces will target sites of Hezbollah financier Al-Qard Al-Hassan in Lebanon in coming hours

UN peacekeepers say Israel army 'demolished' Lebanon watchtower, fence, reports AFP

Blast heard, smoke seen over Beirut's southern suburbs

A blast was heard and smoke was seen over Beirut's southern suburbs, Reuters witnesses reported on Sunday.

Lebanon media says Israeli strikes hit Hezbollah-linked finance group, reports AFP

AFP reported Lebanese state media reported Israeli strikes Sunday on branches of a Hezbollah-linked financial association, including near the country's only airport, after the Israeli military warned it would attack Al-Qard Al-Hassan's branches.

Aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs

US investigating intelligence leak on Israel’s plans to strike Iran

US officials planned to hold a classified briefing about a leak of US intelligence documents that appear to detail Israel’s plans to retaliate against Iran for a missile salvo this month, the House speaker said Sunday.

“The leak is very concerning,” Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said on CNN on Sunday morning. He said that he would take part in the classified briefing later in the day and that he was following the issue “very closely.”

The leaked documents, which began circulating Friday on the Telegram app, were prepared in recent days by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which is responsible for analyzing images and information collected by US spy satellites.

Via: NYT

Hezbollah, Hamas functionaries killed: IDF

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) released a statement on the operations conducted in Lebanon and Gaza over the past. It said that the IDF troops dismantled "terror infrastructure sites" and a weapons storage facility.

"The IAF eliminated a terrorist in Hamas’ engineering unit, along with several other terrorists in the area who posed a threat to the troops," the statement read.

It also mentioned killing tactical level Hezbollah commanders in southern Lebanon.

Israel gives the US its demands for ending war in Lebanon, Axios reports

Israel gave the United States a document last week with its conditions for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Lebanon, Axios reported on Sunday, citing two US officials and two Israeli officials.

Israel has demanded its IDF forces be allowed to engage in "active enforcement" to make sure Hezbollah doesn't rearm and rebuild its military infrastructure close to the border, Axios reported, citing an Israeli official.

Israel also demanded its air force have freedom of operation in Lebanese air space, the report added.

A US official told Axios it was highly unlikely that Lebanon and the international community would agree to Israel's conditions.

The White House could not be immediately reached outside regular business hours. The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Reuters)

25 rockets cross into Israeli territory; IDF conducts air raids in east Lebanon

The IDF said that "approximately 25 launches were identified from Lebanon crossing into Israeli territory, on Monday.

Meanwhile, an Israeli air raid hit the city of Baalbek and ground forces raided the town of Hazin in the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, Al Jazeera reported.

US envoy Hochstein to hold ceasefire talks with Lebanese officials, sources say

US envoy Amos Hochstein will hold talks with Lebanese officials in Beirut on Monday on conditions for a ceasefire between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, two sources told Reuters, as Israel expanded its air campaign on the group's assets overnight.

While Hochstein is likely to push for calm after a year of fighting during which Israel killed leaders of both Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, the US has made it clear it will show unwavering support for Israel despite rising death tolls.

The US military has rushed its advanced anti-missile system to Israel and it is now "in place", US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said during a trip to Kyiv. (Reuters)

US envoy arrives in Beirut to meet Hezbollah-allied parliament speaker: AFP

Israeli forces storm shelters, detain men, as north Gaza raid deepens

Israeli forces blew up homes and besieged schools and shelters for displaced people on Monday as they deepened their operations in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, residents and medics said.

They also rounded up men and ordered women to leave the camp, they said.

Medics at the Indonesian Hospital told Reuters that Israeli troops stormed a school and detained the men before setting the facility ablaze. The fire reached the hospital generators and caused a power outage, they added. (Reuters)

Germany demands Israel probe all incidents involving UN in Lebanon

Killing of Hamas leader opens way for new Gaza ceasefire talks, France's Macron tells Netanyahu

French President Emmanuel Macron told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he sees the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a chance for a possible new phase of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, Macron's office said on Monday.

Macron, whose government has had increasingly tense public exchanges with Israel over the past few weeks, also reiterated previous calls for ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza and condemnations of Israeli army action towards UN forces in Lebanon. (Reuters)

Hezbollah says targeted Israeli troops in south Lebanon villages

Hezbollah said it repeatedly targeted Israeli troops in south Lebanon border villages over several hours on Monday, saying at least one of the attacks caused "certain casualties", news agency AFP said.

Ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel

Israel apologises for strike that killed 3 Lebanese soldiers

The Israeli military apologised Monday for a strike that killed three Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon, saying it is not battling the country's military and its troops believed they were targeting a vehicle belonging to the Hezbollah militant group, news agency AFP said.

Israeli police on Monday said they had arrested a spy network of seven Israeli citizens who were gathering information on Israel's military bases and energy infrastructure for Iranian intelligence

Israeli military says it intercepted five drones in Mediterranean

The Israeli military said on Monday that it had intercepted five drones in the Mediterranean Sea before they crossed into the country.

Lebanon says Israeli strikes on south kill 4 rescuers in 24 hours

US investigating IDF unit over human rights allegations, Axios reports

Biden 'deeply concerned' about release of documents on Israel's possible attack plans

resident Joe Biden is “deeply concerned” about the release of classified documents on Israel's preparation for a potential retaliatory attack on Iran, according to a White House spokesperson. (AP)

Israel hits projectile launcher in response to attack from Lebanon

Israel's military spokesman said on Monday that Israeli forces had struck a launcher responsible for firing a projectile from Lebanon that landed in central Israel without activating air sirens.

Hezbollah targeted Israeli army intelligence base near Tel Aviv, reports AFP

Iran tells UN: Biden has signaled US approval, support for attack on Iran

US President Joe Biden has signaled "tacit approval and explicit support for Israel's unlawful military aggression against Iran," Iran's mission to the United Nations said on Monday, citing remarks by Biden in Germany last week.

"The United States will bear full responsibility for its role in instigating, inciting and enabling any acts of aggression by Israel against the Islamic Republic of Iran ... as well as for the catastrophic consequences on regional and international peace and security," Iran's UN mission said in a letter to the UN Security Council.

IDF says Hezbollah fired about 170 projectiles into Israel, reports AFP

Three killed in Israeli strike on Beirut neighborhood near government hospital

At least three people have been killed and tens of others injured following an Israeli strike on a Beirut neighborhood near the capital's main government hospital, a senior security source told Reuters on Monday.

Israeli army says Hezbollah finance chief killed in Syria, reports AFP

5 projectiles intercepted by Air Force: IDF

Hezbollah hid millions under Beirut hospital, raids conducted on financial hideouts: IDF

The IDF on Tuesday reported that it carried out precise strikes on financial hideouts and hotspots of Hezbollah, who, it said, was taking advantage of Lebanon's economic crisis to fund its operations, which the Iranian regime is helping with.

They claimed that Iran sent money to its embassy in Beirut, from where Hezbollah was then given funds.

Further, they reported that millions in cash and gold were hidden by Hezbollah under the Al-Sahel Hospital in Beirut, in a secret vault.

More projectiles launched in Israel from Lebanon: IDF

State of emergency declared in Tel Aviv

Al Jazeera reported that All air traffic at Ben Gurion airport has been halted and the Israeli military has declared a state of emergency in the Tel Aviv area.

India sends humanitarian aid to Palestine through UNRWA

5 projectiles launched towards central Israel, 15 launched towards upper Upper Galilee area and northern Golan Heights: IDF

In a statement, IDF said, " Following the sirens that sounded between 07:43 and 07:45 in central Israel, approximately five projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon. The majority of the projectiles were intercepted and a fallen projectile was identified in an open area.

Following the sirens that sounded between 07:43 and 07:45 in the Upper Galilee area and northern Golan Heights, approximately 15 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon. Some of the projectiles were intercepted and the rest fell in open areas.

As of this moment, the IDF is unaware of injuries as a result of the attack."

Hezbollah says targeted Israeli 'intel base' in Tel Aviv suburbs

A "salvo of rockets" was fired against the "Glilot base of the 8200 military intelligence unit", the Iran-backed group said in a statement, after having claimed on Monday night similar attacks on the same position. Also Tuesday, the group said it fired rockets at another position in Tel Aviv's suburbs.

-AFP

Hezbollah shares photo of missiles strike in Caesarea,where Netanyahu's home is located

Hezbollah posted a photo on its Telegram channel with a caption claiming a missile strike in an area north of Caesarea, where Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home is located, without explicitly claiming the attack.

-Al Jazeera

At least 15 dead following Israeli drone attack in Beit Lahiya: Report

Wafa news agency reported that at least 15 died in a drone attack by Israel on n a group of Palestinians in the city of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza.

1 injured in Israel's Ma’agan Michael; building, vehicles damaged in northern Israel after Hezbollah attack

According to multiple Israeli media reports, the Magen David Adom ambulance service says a man has been wounded in the town of Ma’agan Michael by falling interceptor fragments.

Multiple media reports also said a residential building and several cars were damaged in the northern Israeli town due to falling shrapnel following the interception of rockets fired from Lebanon.

-Al Jazeera

US Secretary of State Blinken arrives in Israel to revive ceasefire talks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday for meetings with Israeli leaders, the first stop of a wider Middle East tour to launch another push for an elusive ceasefire.

Blinken will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and other officials during the day as part of a week-long Middle East visit that also includes Jordan and Qatar.

-Reuters

Hezbollah weapons storage facilities, command centers, and additional terror targets in Beirut overnight: IDF

In a statement the IDF said, "Overnight, under the direction of the IDF Intelligence Directorate and the Israeli Navy, the Israeli Air Force struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities, command centers, and additional terror targets in Beirut. Some of the targets were located underground and included aerial and naval equipment used by Hezbollah to carry out terror attacks against the State of Israel.

Among the targets in Beirut was a central base of Hezbollah's Naval Unit, where Hezbollah stored military speed boats, a training center, and an area to conduct experiments.

Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including issuing precise and advanced warnings to civilians in the area."

Neighbours won't allow Israel use of their 'soil or airspace' for attack, says Iran

Iran's neighbours have promised not to allow their "soil or airspace" to be used for attacks, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tuesday, as Israel weighs a potential retaliatory strike.

"All our neighbours have assured us that they won't allow their soil or airspace to be used against the Islamic Republic of Iran," Araghchi told a press conference in Kuwait, weeks after Iran's October 1 missile attack on Israel.

-AFP

4, including a child, killed and 32 injured in the attack around Hariri Hospital, says Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health

In its statement, the Ministry of Public Health - Lebanon, said, "4 people died including a child, and the number of wounded increased to 32 in an updated tally for Israeli raid in the vicinity of Hariri Hospital, in addition to causing significant damage to the hospital."

13 killed and 57 injured in attack on Al-Janah area, says Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health

Poverty rate in Palestinian territories seen doubling to 74.3% this year: UN

The poverty rate across the Palestinian territories will almost double this year to 74.3 percent after months of fighting in Gaza, according to a report by the UN Development Programme (UNDP) released Tuesday.

"The immediate consequence of the war, not just in physical infrastructure destruction, but also in terms of poverty, livelihoods and loss of livelihoods, is enormous," Achim Steiner, head of the UNDP, told AFP.

The poverty rate had been 38.8 percent at the end of 2023 but another 2.61 million Palestinians fell into poverty this year, bringing the total to 4.1 million.

Israeli army issues evacuation order for al-Haush in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army “is operating within your town and has no intention of harming you,” Avichay Adraee, the army’s Arabic-speaking spokesman, said on X.

“For your own safety, you must immediately evacuate your homes and move at least one kilometre outside the town,” he added.

“Anyone who is near Hezbollah elements, facilities, and combat equipment is putting his life in danger.”

At least 42,718 Palestinians killed in Gaza offensive since Oct 7, 2023: Gaza health ministry

At least 42,718 Palestinians have been killed and 100,282 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. (Reuters)

After killing of Hamas leader, Blinken arrives in Israel to push for a cease-fire, again, on his 11th visit to region

Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday on his 11th visit to the region since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war. The US hopes to revive cease-fire efforts after the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

Blinken landed just hours after Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel, setting off air raid sirens in the country's most populated areas, but causing no apparent damage.

“Secretary Blinken will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages, and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

Blinken will also discuss planning for when the conflict ends and “the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives,” Miller added. Following Israel, Blinken is expected to visit a number of Arab countries, likely to include Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates.

Blinken's previous trips have yielded little in the way of ending hostilities, but he has managed to increase aid deliveries to Gaza in the past. (AP)

Terrified Bangladeshis flee Israeli strikes in Lebanon

The first Bangladeshis airlifted home after fleeing Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon described the constant fear of living in a city rocked by explosions.

Late Monday, the first 54 of some 1,800 Bangladeshis wanting to escape the troubled Mediterranean nation flew back to Dhaka on a government-backed flight.

Some had given up long-established lives in Lebanon for a deeply uncertain economic future back in their home country.

Bangladesh's foreign ministry estimates between 70,000 to 100,000 of its nationals are working in Lebanon, many as labourers or as domestic workers.

For 68-year-old Abul Kashem -- who lived in Lebanon's seaside capital Beirut for nearly four decades, including during past heavy fighting in the civil war — the barrage of strikes that began last month was unlike anything he had seen before.

"I have never seen any war like this," said Kashem, who worked at a gas station, before it was reduced to rubble.

"Everything around the fuel pump where I worked has been destroyed", he said, after arriving exhausted on a plane chartered by the UN's International Organisation for Migration.

Israel drastically escalated its air campaign against Lebanon's Hezbollah group last month. (AFP)

Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise

AEGEAN AIRLINES The Greek airline cancelled flights to and from Beirut until Nov. 6 and to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 5.

AIRBALTIC Latvia's airBaltic cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 30.

AIR ALGERIE The Algerian airline suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.

AIR FRANCE-KLM Air France extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until Oct. 29 and Paris-Beirut flights until Nov. 30. KLM extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of this year at least. The Franco-Dutch group's low-cost unit Transavia cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until end-March.

AIR INDIA The Indian flag carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.

BULGARIA AIR The Bulgarian carrier cancelled flights to and from Israel until Oct. 31.

CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 25, 2025.

DELTA AIR LINES The U.S. carrier paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through March 2025.

EASYJET The UK budget airline stopped flying to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume flights on March 30.

EGYPTAIR The Egyptian carrier in September said it had suspended flights to Beirut until "the situation stabilises".

EMIRATES UAE's state-owned airline cancelled flights to Beirut through Oct. 31 and flights to Baghdad and Tehran until Oct. 30.

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES The Ethiopian carrier suspended flights to Beirut until further notice, it said in a Facebook post on Oct. 4.

FLYDUBAI The Emirati airline suspended Dubai-Beirut flights until Oct. 31, a flydubai spokesperson said.

IAG IAG-owned British Airways cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Oct. 26.

IAG's low-cost airline Iberia Express cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 31, while Vueling cancelled operations to Tel Aviv until Jan. 12 and to Amman until further notice.

IRAN AIR The Iranian airline cancelled Beirut flights until further notice.

IRAQI AIRWAYS The Iraqi national carrier suspended flights to Beirut until further notice.

ITA AIRWAYS The Italian carrier extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Nov. 30.

LOT The Polish flag carrier cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 26. Its first scheduled flight to Beirut is planned for April 1.

LUFTHANSA GROUP The German airline group extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until Nov. 10, while its low cost carrier Eurowings suspended them until Nov. 30. Flights for Tehran are cancelled until Oct. 31 and to Beirut until Nov. 30.

SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, suspended flights to Beirut through Dec. 17.

PEGASUS The Turkish airline cancelled flights to Beirut until Oct. 28.

QATAR AIRWAYS The Qatari airline temporarily suspended flights to and from Iraq, Iran and Lebanon, while flights to Amman will operate only during daylight hours.

RYANAIR Europe's biggest budget airline cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until the end of December. Group CEO Michael O'Leary on Oct. 3 said the suspension was likely to be extended until end-March.

SUNDAIR The German airline cancelled flights to Beirut from Berlin until Dec. 8, Bremen until March 26, and Muenster/Osnabrueck until March 29.

TAROM Romania's flag carrier extended the suspension of Beirut flights until Nov. 15.

UNITED AIRLINES The Chicago-based airline suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC The UK carrier extended suspension of Tel Aviv flights until end-March.

WIZZ AIR The Hungary-based airline suspended Tel Aviv flights through Jan. 14. (Reuters)

Lebanon state media says Israel strikes near south Lebanon city

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported that "enemy aircraft launched a series of strikes" near the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Tuesday, as per an AFP report. Earlier, the Israeli military had warned residents of Al-Hawsh, just south of Tyre, to evacuate in a tweet on X.

UN agency head calls for temporary truce in northern Gaza

The United Nations Palestinian refugee agency called on Tuesday for a temporary truce to allow people to leave areas of northern Gaza as health officials said they were running out of supplies to treat patients hurt in a three-week-old Israeli offensive.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UNRWA relief agency, said the humanitarian situation had reached a dire point, with bodies abandoned by roadsides or buried under rubble.

"In northern Gaza, people are just waiting to die," he said in a statement on social media platform X. "They feel deserted, hopeless and alone."

"I am calling for an immediate truce, even if for a few hours, to enable safe humanitarian passage for families who wish to leave the area & reach safer places," he said.

The call came as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel looking for ways of reviving attempts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, following the death of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar almost a week ago. (Reuters)

War knocked human development in Gaza back to 1955: UNDP

The war in Gaza has devastated the Palestinian economy, which is now 35% smaller than it was at the start of Israel's invasion a year ago, while development levels in Gaza itself have collapsed to the level of the 1950s, the UN's development agency said.

Launching a new study on the socioeconomic impacts of the war, which Palestinian officials say has claimed more than 42,500 lives, the UNDP's Chitose Noguchi said that by some measures the region's poverty level was now approaching 100% as a result of the disruption, with unemployment now at 80%.

"The state of Palestine is experiencing unprecedented levels of setbacks," she said over a crackling line from Deir Al-Balah. "For Gaza, reversing development by an estimated 70 years to 1955." (Reuters)

Yemen's Houthis say they targeted military base in Tel Aviv

Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis said on Tuesday they had targeted an Israeli military base in Tel Aviv using ballistic missiles in solidarity with Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. (Reuters)

Netanyahu meets US Secretary of State Blinken

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is currently meeting in his office in Jerusalem with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken", the Israeli leader's office has said in a statement. More details to follow.

Israel police say 7 Palestinians arrested for planning assassinations on Iran orders

"The Shin Bet and the Central Investigations Unit of the Jerusalem district police arrested seven residents from the Beit Safafa neighbourhood in Jerusalem," the police said in a statement. "These individuals, under Iranian direction, planned to assassinate a senior Israeli scientist and a mayor of a major Israeli city." (AFP)

FBI investigating leak of US intel on Israel's attack plans for Iran

The FBI is investigating the leak of a pair of highly classified intelligence documents describing Israel's preparations for a retaliatory strike on Iran, the Washington Post reported on Tuesday.

"The FBI is investigating the alleged leak of classified documents and working closely with our partners in the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community," the Federal Bureau of Investigation said in a statement cited by the Post. 

Revolutionary Guards commander cited saying Iran does not expect 'significant' Israeli retaliation

Israel is not likely to make a "significant move" against Tehran but could instead carry out a symbolic "limited attack", Revolutionary Guards Commander Mohammad Ali Jafari said on Tuesday, according to the Iranian Student News Network. (Reuters)

Hezbollah says it was behind drone attack on Netanyahu's house

Hezbollah's chief spokesman says the group was behind the weekend drone attack that targeted Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's house without inflicting casualties.

The group "takes full and sole responsibility" for targeting Netanyahu's house, Mohammad Afif, head of the Iranian-backed militant group's media office, told a press conference in the southern suburbs of Beirut.

"If our hands didn't reach you the previous time, then days, nights and the battlefield are still between us," he said.

Israel said a drone was launched at Netanyahu's holiday home on Saturday. Netanyahu was not there at the time, but he described it as an assassination attempt by "Iran's proxy Hezbollah" and called it a "grave mistake".

Hezbollah also for the first time acknowledged that Israel had captured some of its fighters since it launched a ground offensive in south Lebanon, and said that Israel was responsible for their wellbeing.

Hezbollah had not captured any Israeli soldiers but had come close, Afif said. "It won't take long before we have captives from the enemy (Israel)." (Reuters)

Over dozen killed in Israeli strikes near one of Beirut's main hospitals

 Israeli airstrikes in and around Beirut caused significant damage to the country's largest public hospital and killed more than a dozen people, Lebanese health officials said, as Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into central Israel hours before US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in the region.

Lebanon's Health Ministry said that 57 others were wounded in airstrikes late Monday that destroyed several buildings facing the Rafik Hariri University Hospital, located on the outskirts of southern Beirut.

The Israeli military said it struck a Hezbollah target, without elaborating, and that it had not targeted the hospital itself. (AP)

Amnesty says Israel strikes on Hezbollah-linked finance firm warrant war crime probe

Human rights group Amnesty International said Tuesday that the Israeli military's bombing of branches of a Hezbollah-linked financial firm in Lebanon should be "investigated as a war crime".

The Al-Qard al-Hassan firm, a lifeline for many Shiite Muslims and other Lebanese in the face of a years-long financial crisis, is sanctioned by Washington, which accuses Hezbollah of using it as a cover to gain access to the international financial system.

Israel accuses Al-Qard al-Hassan of financing "Hezbollah's terrorist operations", and the Israeli military hit branches of the organisation across Lebanon late Sunday and early Monday.

"The Israeli military's targeting of branches" of Al-Qard al-Hassan "likely violates international humanitarian law and must be investigated as a war crime", Amnesty said in a statement on Tuesday.

"Under the laws of war, branches of financial institutions are civilian objects unless they are being used for military purposes. Therefore, these attacks likely constitute a direct attack on civilian objects," it added. (AFP)

Lebanon's Hezbollah rules out any negotiations during fight with Israel

Israeli airstrike levels building in southern Beirut suburb

An Israeli airstrike levelled a building in the southern Beirut suburb of Beirut on Tuesday. The strike came 40 minutes after Israeli military Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued a warning, claiming the two buildings targeted contained “Hezbollah facilities”.

The building stood in a heavily trafficked area across the street from a large park, which has become a refuge for many displaced families. It is also not far from the French ambassador's residence.

No immediate casualties were reported. The Israeli military did not have immediate comment about the target of the strike.

At the time of the warning, Hezbollah's chief spokesperson was holding a pre-scheduled press conference just a few hundred meters from the targeted area. The event was quickly cut short, with journalists and the spokesperson evacuating the location. (AP)

Unclear if US intel on Israel's attack plans for Iran became public through a hack or a leak: White House spokesman

White House spokesman John Kirby said on Monday that it has not been determined whether the disclosure was a hack or a leak. President Joe Biden was watching the results of the investigation closely, he added.

"We're not exactly sure how these documents found their way into the public domain," Kirby told reporters.

"The president remains deeply concerned about any leakage of classified information into the public domain. That is not supposed to happen, and it's unacceptable when it does," he said.

The documents appear to have been prepared by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, describing U.S. interpretations of Israeli Air Force and Navy planning based on satellite imagery from Oct. 15-16.

They began circulating last week on the Telegram messaging app. (Reuters)

Saudi crown prince, Jordan king discuss Mideast de-escalation

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Jordan's King Abdullah II held talks Tuesday on efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, the Saudi foreign ministry said.

The pair held discussions "related to the security and stability of the region, including efforts made to stop the ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon and reduce escalation," the ministry said in a statement as the Jordanian ruler visited the Saudi capital Riyadh.

The meeting between the two Arab leaders comes amid a US diplomatic push through the region as war rages with Israel in both Gaza and Lebanon.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is due in Jordan on Wednesday to discuss humanitarian assistance for the Palestinian territory following Tuesday meetings in Israel aimed at progress towards an elusive truce in Gaza. (AFP)

Four children among 18 killed after Israeli strike near Beirut hospital, ministry says

Lebanon needs $250 mln a month for displaced, minister says ahead of Paris summit

Blinken emphasizes need for Israel to take additional steps to increase, sustain flow of aid into Gaza

Israel must 'capitalise' on Sinwar death for Gaza truce: Blinken to Netanyahu

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, urged Israel to capitalize on the death of Hamas' leader by securing the release of the Oct. 7 attack hostages and ending the conflict in Gaza, the U.S. State Department said.

Blinken also emphasized the need for Israel to boost humanitarian assistance into Gaza, the department said in a statement following their meeting in Jerusalem on Tuesday.

Israeli strikes pound Lebanon as death toll tops 1,550 since Sept 23

UN rights chief says 'appalled' by deadly Israeli strike near Beirut hospital

The UN rights chief said Tuesday he was "appalled" by a deadly Israeli strike nearly a south Beirut hospital Monday, demanding a "prompt and thorough investigation".

Lebanon's health ministry said Tuesday that at least 18 people had been killed in the Israeli strike near the Rafic Hariri Hospital, Lebanon's biggest public health facility, located a few kilometres from the city centre.

"I am appalled," United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk said in a statement, insisting that "the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law concerning the protection of civilians must be respected".

He pointed out that four children reportedly figured among the at least 18 people killed, while 60 people had been wounded.

Rescuers were on Tuesday still searching for survivors, amid fears that the toll may rise further.

Netanyahu, Blinken discussed joining forces against Iran threat: Israel PM office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his talks with visiting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Jerusalem, they discussed joining forces to counter threats from Iran.

"During the meeting, the Iranian threat and the need for both countries to unite forces against it were raised," Netanyahu's office said in a statement, adding that "the prime minister thanked the US secretary of state for the United States' support in the fight against Iran's axis of evil and terror," referring the Iran-aligned armed groups in the region.

Netanyahu, after meeting with Blinken, also said killing Hamas' Sinwar may have a positive effect on the return of israeli hostages, an issue that has provoked repeated civil protests in Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu, Blinken urge political and security changes in Lebanon war against Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, meeting with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, said there was a need for a security and political change in Lebanon that would allow displaced Israelis to return safely to their homes.

Netanyahu met with Blinken for 2-1/2 hours on Tuesday and the meeting was friendly and productive, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.

Netanyahu also said Israel was working hard to bring back hostages still held in Gaza and that the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar "may have a positive effect on the return of the hostages, the achievement of all the goals of the war, and the day after the war". The two leaders also discussed post-war Gaza governance.

France defends restrictions on Israeli firms supplying Middle East wars; says not a boycott

France's government on Tuesday defended its decision to bar Israeli companies supplying the wars in the Middle East from exhibiting at an upcoming trade fair outside Paris.

Organisers of the November 4-November 7 naval defence exhibition "Euronaval" posted on the event's website that Israeli firms can take part in the show and “may have an exhibition stand, provided that their products are not used in military operations in Gaza and Lebanon”.

The organisers attributed the restrictions to French government decisions taken earlier this month.

Addressing parliament on Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said the policy doesn't amount to a boycott of Israeli firms.

But he also said it would be “incoherent” for France to allow the promotion of weapons used in the wars when Paris is also pushing for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon.

“Therefore, we have indicated to the Israeli authorities, with whom we communicate very regularly, that the participation in the form of stands by companies should respect this balance,” Barrot said.

“Also, companies whose equipment is not used in offensive actions in Gaza and Lebanon will naturally be able to have stands at the exhibition," he said.

PM Modi meets Iranian President on margins of BRICS summit in Russia; discusses West Asia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, who emphasised the need for peace in West Asia and the role that India could play in de-escalating the conflict given its good relations with all the parties, amid heightened tension between Iran and Israel.

The two leaders, who met on the sidelines of the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan.

"Had a very good meeting with the President of Iran, Mr. Masoud Pezeshkian. We reviewed the full range of relations between our countries. We also discussed ways to deepen ties in futuristic sectors," Modi wrote on X in both English and Persian.

This was their first meeting after Pezeshkian became president in July following his victory in snap elections. Pezeshkian succeeded President Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash in May.

The two leaders had a "fruitful discussion," Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told a media briefing here.

"Both the leaders also discussed the situation in West Asia. Prime Minister Modi expressed his deep concern over the escalating conflict and reiterated India's call for the protection of civilians and the prevention of harm to civilians. He emphasised the need for dialogue and diplomacy to de-escalate the tensions," Misri said.

President Pezeshkian emphasised the need for peace and harmony in the region and the role that India could play in de-escalating the conflict given its good relations with all the parties involved, the foreign secretary said.

Ireland seeks way to restrict trade with occupied Palestinian territories

Ireland's government is seeking to introduce a bill restricting trade with the Palestinian territories after it said a UN court decision freed Dublin to make trade decisions independently of the European Union.

The Occupied Territories Bill was first tabled in 2018 by an independent lawmaker and despite receiving broad support in Ireland's parliament, the government said it could not bring it forward because the European Union, not member nations, is responsible for the bloc's trade policy.

However, Foreign Minister Michael Martin said on Tuesday that an advisory opinion by the United Nations' highest court in July that Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories is illegal had changed the context of how the government might move forward on the issue.

"Trade is an exclusive EU competence and so the government's focus has been on achieving action at the EU level," Martin said in a statement.

"The Attorney General has clarified that if this is not possible, there are grounds in EU law allowing states to take action at a national level. It is in that context that the government will now look again at the Occupied Territories Bill."

He said the bill will be reviewed and amendments prepared in order to bring it into line with EU law and Ireland's constitution, adding that a range of complex policy and legal issues remained to be resolved.

US charges IRGC official, others in Iran-backed plot to assassinate journalist

The United States issued fresh charges over the attempted Tehran plot to kidnap and assassinate an Iranian-American journalist in New York, indicting an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) official among others in the case, according to a court document on Tuesday.

US prosecutors have previously charged other suspects in the case, including one man in 2022 and two more in January 2023. Tuesday's filing did not name the alleged victim, but one of the previously charged suspects in the case was arrested for having a rifle outside the Brooklyn home of journalist and activist Masih Alinejad.

FBI probes classified docs leak on Israeli plans to strike Iran, reports AFP

Israel's military confirms killing of Lebanon Hezbollah's Hashem Safieddine

Israel's military confirmed on Tuesday the killing of Hashem Safieddine, of Lebanon's Hezbollah, who is the apparent heir to Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli attack. 

Blinken told Netanyahu Israel needs to do more on Gaza humanitarian aid

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday that Israel has so far taken insufficient steps to get more humanitarian aid into Gaza, and he asked it to work to improve the situation, a senior State Department official said.

Israeli defence minister: After we strike Iran, world will understand our preparations

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Wednesday that after Israel strikes in Iran, the world will understand the preparations that went into such an operation.

"After we attack in Iran, they will understand both in Israel and in other places what your preparation process includes, and the arrangements and your readiness," Gallant said in a video statement during a visit to an air force base.

Israel has said it would retaliate against Iran for its massive missile attack on Israel on Oct. 1.

Israel names Al Jazeera reporters as Gaza militants, network condemns 'unfounded allegations'

The Israeli military named on Wednesday six Palestinians in Gaza as Al Jazeera reporters who it said were also members of the Hamas or Islamic Jihad militant groups, an allegation which the Qatari network rejected as an attempt to silence journalists.

"Al Jazeera condemns Israeli accusations against its journalists in Gaza and warns against (this) being a justification for targeting them," the network said in a statement.

Israeli strikes kill 42 in Gaza as tanks tighten siege of north

Israeli strikes across Gaza killed 42 people on Wednesday as Israeli forces intensified a siege of northern parts of the Palestinian enclave, surrounding hospitals and refugee shelters, and ordering residents to head south, medics and residents said.

The Gaza health ministry and the World Health Organization said they would be unable to start a polio vaccination campaign in northern Gaza as planned because of the intense bombardments, mass displacements and lack of access.

Israeli forces began the operation in the north about three weeks ago with the declared aim of preventing Hamas fighters from regrouping. The operation has intensified since the killing of Hamas chief Yahya Al-Sinwar a week ago.

Lebanon media says 6 buildings levelled in Israel strikes on Beirut suburb of Laylaki, reports AFP

US expresses concern to Israel about strikes against Lebanese army

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart on Wednesday that Washington had concerns about strikes against the Lebanese armed forces while urging Israel to take steps to ensure the safety of the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, the Pentagon said.

Austin also told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant that Washington welcomed the movement of humanitarian assistance through the Erez crossing into northern Gaza and urged Israel take steps to address the dire situation there, the Pentagon's summary of the call said.

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed in an Israeli strike on an army vehicle in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese military said on Sunday. Israel, which says it is targeting Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants, apologized and said its military was not operating against the Lebanese army.

Israeli strikes on Damascus targeted residential building in Kafr Sousa district

No evidence of bunker under Beirut hospital, says US defence secretary

Refuting Israel's claim that Hezbollah is hiding millions in cash and gold in a bunker under a Beirut hospital, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said, “We have not seen evidence of that at this moment. But, you know, we will continue to collaborate with our Israeli counterparts to gain better fidelity on exactly what they are looking at.”

Over 160 Hezbollah terror targets struck in last 24 hours: IDF

In a statement, IDF said, "IDF troops continue their limited, localized, targeted ground raids against the Hezbollah terrorist organization in southern Lebanon. Over the past day, the troops eliminated dozens of terrorists and the IAF struck over 160 Hezbollah terror targets, including launchers and terrorist infrastructure sites throughout Lebanon."

Lebanese army says Israeli strike killed three soldiers in southern Lebanon

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed, including an officer, in an Israeli strike during the evacuation of wounded people on the outskirts of the village of Yater in southern Lebanon, the army said in a statement on Thursday.

-Reuters

Blinken heads to Hamas mediator Qatar on Gaza truce push

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken heads Thursday to key Hamas mediator Qatar as he seeks momentum to end the Gaza war following Israel's killing of the group's leader.

Two days after meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Blinken was flying Thursday from Saudi Arabia to the Qatari capital Doha to hear assessments on where Hamas stands on a truce.

Blinken is paying his 11th trip to the region since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, after repeated disappointment as he seeks to end the devastating Israeli retaliatory campaign in the Gaza Strip.

-AFP

28 killed, 139 injured in the past day's attacks: Lebanese health ministry

Israeli military arrests more than 200 people in northern Gaza, 10 in West Bank's Hebron

Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that over 200 people from northern Gaza and 10 from West Bank's Hebron have been arrested by Israeli forces.

Hezbollah arms facilities hit in overnight south Beirut strikes: IDF

50 projectiles launched from Lebanon to Israel: IDF

IDF, in a statement said, "Following the sirens that sounded between 09:51 and 09:53 in the Upper and Western Galilee areas, approximately 50 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Some of the projectiles were intercepted and fallen projectiles were identified."

Hamas wants Russia to push Palestinian president towards unity government for post-war Gaza

Palestinian militant group Hamas wants Russia to push Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to begin negotiations on a national unity government for post-war Gaza, a senior Hamas official told the RIA state news agency after talks in Moscow.

Mousa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas politburo member, met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow.

France to provide 100mln in humanitarian aid to Lebanon

Large rocket salvo launched in Northern Israel: Hezbollah

Further, Hezbollah fighters "bombed" the "defence industry" base "north of the city of Haifa with a salvo of rockets", a statement said, after claiming an attack Wednesday on the same site.

Underground hideout intended to be used by 'Radwan Forces' terrorists discovered: IDF

War death toll at 42,847: Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza

More than 42,847 Palestinians have been killed and 100,544 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, the Gaza health ministry said on Thursday.

Germany pledges 96 mn euros in aid for war-hit Lebanon

Putin says Middle East 'on brink of full-scale war'

Russian President Vladimir Putin told a BRICS summit on Thursday that the Middle East was on the verge of full-scale war.

"The military action that started a year ago in Gaza has now spread to Lebanon. Other countries in the region are also affected," Putin told a meeting in Kazan attended by several world leaders.

"The level of confrontation between Israel and Iran has sharply risen. This is all reminiscent of a chain reaction and puts the whole Middle East on the verge of full-scale war," Putin said.

Violence in the Middle East will not end until the creation of an independent Palestinian state, Putin said at the summit, attended by Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

"The key demand for restoring peace and stability on Palestinian territories is carrying out the two-state formula approved by the UN Security Council and General Assembly," the Russian president said.

He added that this would be "correcting the historical injustice towards the Palestinian people".

"Until this question is resolved, it will not be possible to break the vicious circle of violence."

Israeli strike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza kills 16 people: Palestinian officials

Palestinian president Abbas says Israel plans to 'empty' Gaza Strip of its people

Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said Thursday that Israel aims to "empty" the Gaza Strip of Palestinians, especially in the northern part where it launched a sweeping assault this month.

"It has been a full year since the greatest catastrophe that the Palestinian people experienced after the Nakba of 1948, which is the Israeli war in which crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing are being committed in the Gaza Strip," Abbas said in a speech to members of the BRICS group. "This is part of a plan to empty the territory of its people, especially now in northern Gaza where the occupation forces are resorting to starving the population there."

Rescuers say 'halting work in north Gaza' after Israel threats

Gaza's civil defence agency said Thursday it can no longer provide first responder services in the north of the territory, accusing Israeli forces of threatening to "bomb and kill" its crews.

Since October 6, the Israeli military has mounted a sweeping air and land assault on north Gaza, initially focused on the Jabalia area, describing it as an operation aimed at preventing Hamas militants from regrouping.

"We are unable to provide humanitarian services to citizens in the northern governorate of the Gaza Strip due to threats from Israeli occupation forces, who have threatened to kill and bomb our teams if they remain inside Jabalia camp," said Mahmud Bassal, the agency's spokesman.

First responders had been "targeted" on several occasions, leaving "several members injured, and others are left bleeding on the streets with no one able to rescue them", he told AFP.

Bassal published a photograph of a burnt truck on social media, saying it was "the only civil defence vehicle in the northern Gaza Strip governorate", which includes Gaza City.

The truck, he said, was "targeted by the Israeli army" in the northern city of Beit Lahia, just north of Jabalia and near Gaza's northern border with Israel.

Iran's Pezeshkian slams UN ineffectiveness to 'extinguish' regional crisis

Hezbollah clashing with Israeli troops in Lebanon border village

Hezbollah said it was clashing at close range on Thursday with Israeli troops in a south Lebanon border village, claiming it had hit two tanks.

Hezbollah fighters were engaged in "heavy clashes in the village of Aita al-Shaab" at close range, the group said in a statement, adding that they hit a Merkava tank that came to assist the troops after earlier saying it has "destroyed" another tank.

War monitor says two dead in Israel strikes on Syria

16 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on school in Gaza's Nuseirat camp, hospital says

At least 16 Palestinians were killed, including children, in an Israeli strike on a school in Gaza's Nuseirat camp on Thursday, Nuseirat's Al-Awda hospital said. It said 32 people were wounded. 

Updated death toll: Israeli strike on school kills 17

Gaza rescuers say 17 killed, dozens wounded in Israel strike on school.

France, other nations pledge massive aid package to support Lebanon at international conference

France pledged to provide a 100-million euro ($108-million) package to support Lebanon at an international conference Thursday, as President Emmanuel Macron said “massive aid” is needed to support the country where war between Hezbollah militants and Israel has displaced a million people, killed over 2,500, and deepened an economic crisis.

French organisers hope the Paris conference, which gathered over 70 nations and international organisations, will raise enough money to provide the USD 426 million in humanitarian aid the United Nations says is urgently needed.

“In the immediate term, massive aid is needed for the Lebanese population, both for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the war and for the communities hosting them,” Macron said in his opening speech at the conference.

Germany pledged a total of 96 million euros in humanitarian aid to both Lebanon and neighbouring Syria, also deeply affected by escalating violence in the Middle East. Italy this week announced an additional 10 million euros (USD 10.8 million) in aid for Lebanon.

But experts warn that delivering aid could be challenging as Lebanon's growing dependence on the informal and cash economy increases lack of transparency and corruption risks. (AP report)

List of airlines that have suspended flights in region, including Air India

Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.

Below are some of the airlines that have cancelled services to and from the region:

AEGEAN AIRLINES

The Greek airline has cancelled flights to and from Beirut until Dec. 17 and to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 12.

AIR ALGERIE

The Algerian airline has suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.

AIRBALTIC

Latvia's airBaltic has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 30.

AIR FRANCE-KLM

Air France has extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until Oct. 29 and Paris-Beirut flights until Nov. 30.

KLM has extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the year at least.

The Franco-Dutch group's low-cost unit Transavia has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until end-March.

AIR INDIA

The Indian flag carrier has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.

BULGARIA AIR

The Bulgarian carrier has cancelled flights to and from Israel until Dec. 23.

CATHAY PACIFIC

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 25, 2025.

DELTA AIR LINES

The U.S. carrier has paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through March 2025.

EASYJET

The UK budget airline has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until March.

EGYPTAIR

The Egyptian carrier in September said it had suspended flights to Beirut until "the situation stabilises".

EMIRATES

UAE's state-owned airline has cancelled flights to Beirut through Oct. 31 and flights to Baghdad and Tehran until Oct. 30.

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

The Ethiopian carrier has suspended flights to Beirut until further notice, it said in a Facebook post on Oct. 4.

FLYDUBAI

The Emirati airline has suspended Dubai-Beirut flights until Oct. 31, a flydubai spokesperson said.

IAG

IAG-owned British Airways has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through Oct. 26.

IAG's low-cost airline Iberia Express has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 31, while Vueling has cancelled operations to Tel Aviv until Jan. 12 and to Amman until further notice.

IRAN AIR

The Iranian airline has cancelled Beirut flights until further notice.

IRAQI AIRWAYS

The Iraqi national carrier has suspended flights to Beirut until further notice.

ITA AIRWAYS

The Italian carrier has extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Nov. 30.

LOT

The Polish flag carrier has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 26. Its first scheduled flight to Beirut is planned for April 1.

LUFTHANSA GROUP

The German airline group has extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until Nov. 10, while its low cost carrier Eurowings has suspended them until Nov. 30. Flights for Tehran are cancelled until Jan. 31, 2025, and to Beirut until Feb. 28.

SWISS, part of Lufthansa Group, separately said its flights to Beirut would be cancelled until Jan. 18.

SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, has suspended flights to Beirut through Dec. 17.

PEGASUS

The Turkish airline has cancelled flights to Beirut until Oct. 28.

QATAR AIRWAYS

The Qatari airline has temporarily suspended flights to and from Iraq, Iran and Lebanon, while flights to Amman will operate during daylight hours only.

RYANAIR

Europe's biggest budget airline has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until the end of December. Group CEO Michael O'Leary on Oct. 3 said the suspension was likely to be extended until end-March.

SUNDAIR

The German airline cancelled flights to Beirut from Berlin until Dec. 8, from Bremen until March 26, and from Muenster/Osnabrueck until March 29.

TAROM

Romania's flag carrier has suspended Beirut flights until Nov. 15.

UNITED AIRLINES

The Chicago-based airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

The UK carrier has suspended Tel Aviv flights until end-March.

WIZZ AIR

The Hungary-based airline has suspended Tel Aviv flights through Jan. 14.

Blinken in Doha to discuss Gaza cease-fire with Qatari officials

Lebanon state media says 2 killed in Israeli strike on car on highway

Lebanon PM Mikati says only state should carry arms

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Thursday that only the state should carry weapons, as he pushed for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

"Lebanese authorities must deploy over (all) Lebanese territory and weapons should be carried only by the state and the Lebanese army," Mikati said on the sidelines of a Lebanon aid conference in Paris, without explicitly calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah, the only group that did not lay down its arms after the end of the Lebanese civil war.

Israeli strike kills 3 members of Lebanon's military, including officer

Blinken expects Gaza truce negotiators to meet 'in coming days'

US, Qatar, Egypt continue efforts on Gaza ceasefire, Qatari PM says

The United States, Qatar, and Egypt continue their efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza and release Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, Qatar's prime minister said on Thursday.

"This painful period in the region should come to an end," said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who is also the foreign minister, after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha. 

Israeli says it dismantled tunnel of Hezbollah's elite forces

 Israel's military said on Thursday it had dismantled a tunnel of Hezbollah's elite Radwan forces in southern Lebanon.

"The underground tunnel was found inside a civilian house, which served as a weapons storage facility in a village in southern Lebanon," the military statement said

Blinken announces another $135 mn in US aid to Gaza but says it has to get into territory

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Thursday announced another $135 million in US aid for the Palestinians as he called again for a ceasefire in Gaza.

"Today, we're announcing an additional $135 million in humanitarian assistance, water sanitation, internal health for the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, as well as in the region," Blinken announced in Qatar, saying it brought the US total to $1.2 billion since the October 7 attack by Hamas last year triggered the war.

Blinken says US looking at 'different options' on ending Gaza war

"We're looking at different options," Blinken told reporters in Qatar. "We haven't yet really determined whether Hamas is prepared to engage, but the next step is getting the negotiators together... we'll certainly learn more in the coming days."

Gallery: Bread lines in Gaza as famine seems imminent

Mediators 're-engaged' with Hamas after Sinwar killing: Qatar PM

Qatari mediators have re-started meetings with the Palestinian militant group Hamas following Israel's killing of leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza last week, Qatar's prime minister said Thursday.

"We re-engaged with them. There has been an engagement with the representatives from the political office in Doha. We had some meetings with them in the last couple of days," Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani said, adding that discussions between Egypt and the Palestinian militants were also "ongoing".

$1 billion raised for Lebanon at Paris conference: French minister

France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said an international conference held in Paris in support of Lebanon raised $800 million in humanitarian aid and another $200 million for the country's army.

Some 70 government delegations and 15 international organisations met in Paris aiming to raise at least 500 million euros in humanitarian aid and push for a ceasefire, but with the US focused on its own efforts, diplomats said they expect little concrete progress.

US, Qatar announce new Gaza talks

The United States and Qatar on Thursday announced a resumption of negotiations on a Gaza ceasefire, as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said mediators were exploring new options after months of failing to seal a US-led plan.

With less than two weeks before US elections, Blinken is paying his 11th trip to the region since the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which last week killed the militant group's leader Yahya Sinwar.

Blinken said negotiators would resume talks "in the coming days" on ways to end the year-long Gaza war and free hostages seized in the October 7 attack.

"We talked about options to capitalise on this moment and next steps to move the process forward," Blinken said, after talks with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.

He said that the two partners were seeking a plan "so that Israel can withdraw, so that Hamas cannot reconstitute, and so that the Palestinian people can rebuild their lives and rebuild their futures".

"This is a moment to work to end this war, to make sure all the hostages are home, and to build a better future for people in Gaza," he said.

The Qatari prime minister said Israeli and US delegations would meet in Doha on the ceasefire. Blinken declined to give further details on the talks. (AFP report)

Germany approves over $100 million in arms exports to Israel amid latest legal challenge

Gaza rescuers say 770 people killed in Israel assault on north

Implementation of UN Lebanon resolution is still aim of diplomatic effort, France says

A joint proposal made by France and the United States remains the basis for any potential ceasefire in Lebanon, said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, adding that the full implementation of UN resolution 1701 was still the goal of diplomatic efforts.

The resolution calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state.

France's top diplomat also said Lebanon must end a two-year vacuum and elect a new president, calling the lack of an elected head of state 'inconceivable'.

"To preserve its unity in the face of challenges, to be represented at the negotiating table in the future, Lebanon must have a head of state," Barrot told a news conference in Paris.

US, Israeli negotiators to discuss Gaza ceasefire deal in Doha

US and Israeli negotiators will gather in Doha in the coming days to try to restart talks toward a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, Qatar and Washington's top diplomats said on Thursday.

Qatar and Egypt have acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas in months of talks that broke down in August without an agreement to end fighting that began when the Palestinian militant group launched attacks on southern Israel on Oct 7, 2023.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken traveled to the Middle East this week hoping to revive the talks following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, who Washington says was the main obstacle to a deal.

Blinken said it had not yet been determined whether Hamas was prepared to engage in new negotiations, but urged the group to do so.

He declined to say who would be present at the Doha talks but said Washington was talking to both Qatari and Egyptian mediators about "different options" for restarting the talks.

"Going back to the negotiations on ceasefire and the hostages, one of the things we're doing is looking at whether there are different options that we can pursue to get us to a conclusion, to get us to a result," Blinken said.

International Criminal Court's prosecutor denies misconduct allegation

The case involving prosecutor Karim Khan was referred to the ICC's oversight mechanism in May. The IOM deals with claims of misconduct against the court's elected officials. No official investigation was opened at the time.

ICC judges are currently also reviewing prosecutor Karim Khan's request in May for arrest warrants against Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his defence chief and Hamas leaders.

On Thursday, Khan denied an accusation of unspecified misconduct after the court's governing body confirmed that it had been notified of the allegation.

"There is no truth to suggestions of such misconduct. I have worked in diverse contexts for 30 years and there has never been such a complaint lodged against me by anyone," Khan said in a statement.

Khan said he would be willing to provide any information needed to the court's Independent Oversight Mechanism (IOM) and noted that his office has been the target of a "wide range of attacks and threats".

Head of Israel's Mossad to travel to Doha to 'try' restart Gaza hostage release talks on Sunday, says Netanyahu's office

The head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency will travel to Doha on Sunday to try to restart talks for a deal to release Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Thursday.

Mossad head David Barnea will meet with CIA director William Burns and the Qatari prime minister, Netanyahu's office said.

"The parties will discuss the various options for starting negotiations for the release of the hostages from Hamas captivity, against the backdrop of the latest developments," it said.

Aftermath of Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people, in Nuseirat in the central Gaza Strip

Concerned with Middle East events, Russia can play role in ending conflict: Putin

Israeli army chief sees possibility for 'sharp conclusion' to Hezbollah conflict

Israel's military chief said there was a possibility for a "sharp conclusion" to the conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, the military said on Thursday.

"In the north, there's a possibility of reaching a sharp conclusion. We thoroughly dismantled Hezbollah's senior chain of command," Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi said in a video statement from a security assessment in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday.

Putin meets Palestinian leader Abbas at BRICS summit

Putin met with Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas at a BRICS summit in Russia on Thursday.

"We are strongly for a quick end to the bloodshed (in Gaza)," Putin told Abbas in televised comments, in the pair's second meeting since August.

Egypt meets Hamas delegation in bid to resume Gaza ceasefire talks, Al Qahera News TV says

An Egyptian security delegation met with a delegation of Hamas leaders in Cairo as part of efforts to resume the Gaza ceasefire negotiations, Egypt's state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV said on Thursday, citing an unnamed official source.

Israeli military says four soldiers were killed during combat in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military said on Thursday that four soldiers were killed and six were wounded during combat in southern Lebanon. 

Hamas official says ready to stop fighting if Israel accepts Gaza truce, reports AFP

Lebanon says three children among 12 killed in Israeli strikes on east, reports AFP

Israel says it killed Hamas commander who doubled as UN aid worker

Russia helped Huthis target Red Sea ships, reports AFP

Israel's Netanyahu welcomes Egypt's willingness to advance Gaza hostage deal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday that he welcomed Egypt's willingness to advance a deal for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu said that after there had been meetings in Cairo, which had been a mediator in Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks, he decided to send the head of the Mossad intelligence agency to Qatar to "promote a series of initiatives on the agenda". 

Commander of Nukhba forces of Hamas, who led Re'im bomb shelter attack on Oct 7 eliminated, worked with UNRWA: IDF

In a statement last night, the IDF claimed that they eliminated Mohammad Abu Itiwi, commander of the Nukhba special forces of Al-Qassam brigade of Hamas. Itiwi reportedly led the October 7 attack on the Re'im bomb shelter "and was directly involved in the murder and abduction of Israeli civilians." IDF also claimed that, "Ironically and horrifyingly, this terrorist also worked for UNRWA."

"Israel has requested urgent clarifications from senior UN officials and an urgent investigation into the involvement of UNRWA employees in the October 7th Massacre," IDF said.

Lebanese state media says 3 journalists killed in Israeli air strike

Lebanese state media said Friday three journalists were killed in an Israeli air strike overnight in eastern Lebanon near the border with Syria.

"Our correspondent in Zahle reported the death of three journalists in an Israeli raid on Hasbaya," Lebanon's National News Agency reported, adding that "Israeli warplanes raided at 3:30 am (0030 GMT) on the Lebanese-Syrian border."

-AFP

Pro-Iran broadcaster says cameraman killed in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon

Al-Mayadeen, a pro-Iranian broadcaster, said early on Friday that an Israeli strike on Hasbaya in southern Lebanon killed one of its cameramen.

Projectiles aimed at Wadi Ara, Menashe and Carmel from Lebanon: IDF

IDF, in its initial report, said, " Sirens were sounded in the areas of Wadi Ara, Menashe and Carmel due to projectiles that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory."

Abbas Adnan Moslem, the Commander of the Aitaroun area in Hezbollah’s Radwan unit eliminated: IDF

Death toll rises to 28 after Israeli attack in Khan Younis: Report

At least 28 people are now confirmed dead following an Israeli military attack on a home in Gaza’s southern Khan Younis, the Wafa news agency reports.

5 projectiles launched into Upper Galilee and HaMifratz from Lebanon: IDF

More than 150 patients, staff trapped at Kamal Adwan Hospital

A spokesman for Gaza’s Civil Defence has told Al Jazeera that more than 150 patients and staff are trapped as the Israeli military besieges the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya, northern Gaza.

Journalists killed through premeditation and planning by Israeli army, alleges Lebanese Information Minister

Lebanon's Information Minister Ziad Makary accused Israel on Friday of intentionally targeting journalists in a strike on the country's south that killed three journalists, which he described as a "war crime".

"The Israeli enemy waited for the journalists' nighttime break to betray them in their sleep... This is an assassination, after monitoring and tracking, with prior planning and design, as there were 18 journalists there representing seven media institutions. This is a war crime," Makary said in a post on X.

-AFP

Tehran writes to UNSC to protest Israel’s killing of Iranian nationals in Lebanon

“The Israeli regime has this time targeted two Iranian nationals in Lebanon, committing a clear violation of international law, especially international humanitarian law,” Saeed Iravani, Iran’s UN mission lead, wrote, according to state media.

Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims drone attack on Eilat

Iran-aligned armed forces in Iraq have released a video to announce that it launched a drone towards a “vital target” in Israel’s port city of Eilat.

Hostage families and their supporters lead a procession around Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Jerusalem residence, in Jerusalem

Israeli military says five soldiers killed in fighting in southern Lebanon

Lebanon minister says Israel strike puts second Syria crossing out of service

Lebanon's Transport minister said Friday that Israeli bombing put a second border crossing between the country and Syria out of service -- leaving one official passage between the two nations operational.

"The Qaa crossing has been put out of service after an Israeli strike on Syrian territory, hundreds of metres from Syrian border guards," Ali Hamieh told AFP, adding that the strike blocked the passage of vehicles.

At least 14 children among dead victims in Israeli army’s attack in Khan Younis

Medical sources told Al Jazeera that the Israeli military has killed 33 people, including 14 children, from one family in eastern Khan Younis after its ground force pushed deeper into the al-Manara area.

Blinken meets Lebanese PM as war rages

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Friday with Lebanon's prime minister to discuss Israel's strikes on the country as Washington presses the Beirut government to take charge against Hezbollah.

Blinken, on his way back from a Middle East tour, met in London with Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who came in from a conference on Lebanon in Paris the day before.

-AFP

Israeli strikes kill 38 people in Gaza's Khan Younis, 3 journalists in southern Lebanon

Israeli strikes killed 38 people in Gaza and three journalists in Lebanon on Friday as growing worries about supply shortages in Gaza and international pressure for a cease-fire mounted.

The deaths reported by Gaza health officials were the latest in the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis, where people have in recent days lined up for bread outside the city's only bakery in operation. They come a day after United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that Israel had accomplished its objective of “effectively dismantling” Hamas and implored both sides to revive negotiations.

Also on Friday, an Israeli airstrike on a compound housing journalists in southeast Lebanon killed three media staffers. Outside of now-collapsed buildings rented by various media outlets, cars marked “PRESS" lay covered in dust and rubble after the strike, Associated Press photos showed. (AP)

Lebanon PM says Israel deliberately targeted journalists

Lebanon's prime minister accused Israel of intentionally targeting journalists after a strike in the country's south on Friday killed three media workers, in what he called a "war crime".

"The new Israeli aggression targeting journalists" was among the "war crimes committed by the Israeli enemy", Najib Mikati said in a statement, adding the attack was "deliberate" and "aims to terrorise the media to cover up crimes and destruction". (AFP)

UN peacekeepers say Israel troops fired at Lebanon post this week

Peacekeepers withdrew from post in Zahajra in south Lebanon under Israeli fire

Peacekeepers of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon withdrew from a observation post in Zahajra town in south Lebanon on Tuesday after Israeli forces fired at it, the force said on Friday.

Nine Palestinians killed and several wounded in Israeli air strike in Shati camp in Gaza

Three Israeli soldiers killed in northern Gaza Strip, military says

Gaza ministry says Israeli forces detain hundreds at hospital

Gaza's health ministry said Israeli forces detained hundreds of staff, patients and displaced people during a raid on Friday on the last functioning hospital in the territory's embattled north.

"Israeli forces have stormed and are present inside Kamal Adwan Hospital" in the city of Jabalia, the ministry said in a statement.

"They are detaining hundreds of patients, medical staff and some displaced individuals from neighbouring areas who sought refuge in the hospital from continuous bombardment."

World Health Organization chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said that contact with the hospital had been lost since Friday morning.

"Since this morning's reports of a raid on Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, we have lost touch with the personnel there," Ghebreyesus said on X. (AFP)

With no exit strategy for Israel in Gaza, critics fear an open-ended stay

Retired Israeli general Giora Eiland believes Israel faces months of fighting in Gaza unless Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu uses the chance offered by the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar to end the war.

Since Sinwar's death this month, Eiland has been one of a chorus of former senior army officers questioning the government's strategy in Gaza, where earlier this month troops went back into areas of the north that had already been cleared at least twice before.

For the past three weeks, Israeli troops have been operating around Jabalia, in northern Gaza, the third time they have returned to the town and its historic refugee camp since the beginning of the war in October 2023.

Instead of the Israeli military's preferred approach of quick decisive actions, many former security officials say the army risks being bogged down in an open-ended campaign requiring a permanent troop presence. (Reuters)

Deadly Israeli strike on journalists in Lebanon prompt global condemnation

Explosions heard in Iran's capital Tehran and nearby Karaj, semi-official Iranian media say

Several loud explosions were heard in Iran's capital Tehran and the nearby city of Karaj city early on Saturday, semi-official Iranian media said, adding that the cause was unknown. (Reuters)

Explosions heard in Damascus countryside and central region, state TV says

Explosions were heard in the Damascus countryside and central region, state TV said on early Saturday. (Reuters)

Israel conducted air strikes in Iran, an Axios reporter said on Friday on social media platform X, citing two sources.

(Reuters)

Israeli military says it is conducting precise strikes on military targets in Iran

The Israeli military said early on Saturday it is conducting "precise strikes" on military targets in Iran in response to what it called "the continuous attacks from the regime in Iran against Israel". (Reuters)

US notified by Israel ahead of its strikes in Iran, US official says

The United States was notified by Israel ahead of its operation against targets in Iran, a US official told Reuters on Friday, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The official added there was no US involvement in the Israeli operation. (Reuters)

Israeli strikes on Iran didn't include nuclear or oil facilities, US media says

Israel's strikes on Iran did not include attacking Iranian nuclear facilities or oil fields, and focused on military targets, NBC News and ABC News reported late on Friday, citing an Israeli official. (Reuters)

Israeli airstrike attacks Syrian military targets

An Israeli airstrike targeted some military sites in Syria's central and southern parts early on Saturday, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.

Syrian air defense forces intercepted missiles launched by Israel "from the direction of the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan Heights and the Lebanese territories" and shot down some of them, SANA added. (Reuters)

Iraq suspends flights until further notice due to regional tensions, INA says

Iraq's transport ministry suspended flights across all airports until further notice "due to regional tensions," the Iraqi state news agency INA reported after the Israeli military said it conducted strikes against Iranian military targets early on Saturday. (Reuters)

Israel strikes Iran military targets, blasts reported around Tehran

US, Israeli officials say three waves of strikes on Iran took place, Axios says

 U.S. and Israeli official have said that three waves of strikes on Iran took place, an Axios reporter posted on X early on Saturday, adding that the second and third waves focused on missile and drone bases and production sites.

Israeli public broadcaster said on Saturday the operation against Iran was over after three waves of strikes.

Iran says Israeli attacks thwarted, caused 'limited damage'

Iran said on Saturday its air defence system successfully countered Israel's attacks but that "limited damage" was caused to some locations.

In a statement, the Iranian air defence said Israel attacked military targets in the provinces of Tehran, Khuzestan and Ilam.

Israeli response targeted and proportional, US official says

Israel's strikes on military sites in Iran appear to have been a targeted and proportional response to Tehran's earlier attacks, with low risk of civilian harm, a senior Biden administration official said late on Friday.

If Iran makes the mistake of beginning new round of escalation, we will be obligated to respond, warns IDF after attack

Should Iran choose to respond US is fully prepared to once again defend any attack: Senior Biden administration official

Saudi Arabia condemns military targeting of Iran as 'violation of its sovereignty', state news agency says

Saudi Arabia on Saturday condemned the military targeting of Iran as a "violation of its sovereignty" and international laws, urging all parties to exercise maximum restraint and calling on the international community to take action towards de-escalation and ending conflicts in the region.

Iraq announces resumption of flights in all airports, state news agency says

Iraq announced the reopening of its airspace and the resumption of flights, state news agency INA reported on Saturday, citing the ministry of transportation, following a brief suspension which it had attributed to regional tensions. 

British PM Starmer says Iran should not respond to Israeli strikes

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Saturday Iran should not respond to a wave of Israeli strikes, urging restraint on all sides.

Earlier on Saturday, Israel struck military sites in Iran, saying it was retaliating against Tehran's strikes on Israel this month, the latest attack in the escalating conflict between the heavily armed rivals.

Emirati airline flydubai cancels flights to Jordan, Iran, Iraq, Israel

Emirati airline flydubai cancelled flights to Jordan, Iran, Iraq and Israel and diverted others on Saturday, a company spokesperson said, shortly after Israel struck military targets in Iran.

Two soldiers killed in Israeli strikes on Iran, state news agency IRNA says

Two soldiers were killed in Saturday morning's Israeli airstrikes on Iran, the official news agency IRNA reported.

"The army of the Islamic Republic of Iran, in defending Iran's security and protecting the people and Iran's interests, sacrificed two of its fighters while countering projectiles from the criminal Zionist regime,"

Qatar condemns Israeli airstrikes on Iran, urges restraint and dialogue

Qatar's foreign ministry on Saturday condemned Israel's airstrikes on Iran and urged restraint and dialogue to avoid regional instability.

Egypt voices grave concern over Israeli airstrikes on Iran

Egypt is gravely concerned over the escalation in the Middle East including the Israeli air attack on Iran, and condemns all measures that threaten regional security and stability, the foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday.

EgyptAir cancels flights to Baghdad, Erbil, citing regional developments

Egyptian national carrier EgyptAir said it had cancelled flights to Iraq's capital Baghdad and northern city of Erbil on Saturday, citing regional developments, after Israeli airstrikes on military targets in neighbouring Iran.

A flight to Jordan's capital Amman on Saturday was also cancelled, EgyptAir said, adding that the suspension would last until the situation stabilises.

Lebanon condemns Israeli airstrikes on Iran

Lebanon's Foreign Ministry on Saturday condemned Israel's airstrikes on multiple sites in Iran, describing them as a violation of Iranian sovereignty and a serious threat to regional and international peace and security. (Reuters)

Saudi airspace not used during Israeli strikes on Iran, official says

Saudi Arabia's airspace was not used during Israel's overnight airstrikes on Iran, a Saudi official told Reuters on Saturday.

At least 42,924 killed, 100,833 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct 7, 2023

At least 42,924 people have been killed and 100,833 injured in Israel's military offensive on the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said on Saturday. (Reuters)

Hezbollah launches rockets towards Israeli intel base

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group said on Saturday that it launched a drone attack against Israel's Tel Nof airbase, south of Tel Aviv, and had also targetted an intelligence base in the northern Israeli city of Safed with a rocket salvo.

The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted one year ago when the Lebanese armed group began launching rockets at northern Israel in support of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, at the start of the Gaza war.

It has intensified in recent weeks, with Israel bombing southern Lebanon, Beirut's southern suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, killing many of Hezbollah's top leaders, and sending ground troops across the border. Hezbollah for its part has fired rockets deeper into Israel. (Reuters)

Germany's Scholz urges Iran to de-escalate after Israeli strikes

German chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Iran to end the cycle of escalation following Israeli strikes on Iranian military sites early on Saturday, saying restraint could pave the way for peace in the Middle East.

"My message to Iran is clear: We cannot continue with massive reactions of escalation. This must end now. This will provide an opportunity for peaceful development in the Middle East," Scholz said in a post on social media platform X.

Israel struck military sites in Iran early on Saturday, but its retaliation for an Iranian attack this month did not appear aimed at the country's most sensitive oil and nuclear targets after urgent calls from allies and neighbours for restraint. (Reuters)

Bahrain condemns military action against Iran, calls for immediate ceasefire

Bahrain's foreign ministry on Saturday condemned military action against Iran, urging an immediate ceasefire to protect civilians and reduce regional tensions, after Israel carried out airstrikes on Iranian military targets. (Reuters)

'Hostilities benefit nobody': India calls for restraint amid fears of Iran-Israel flare-up

"We are deeply concerned by the evolving escalation in West Asia and its ramifications for peace and stability in the region and beyond. We reiterate our call to all concerned to exercise restraint and return to the path of dialogue and diplomacy. The ongoing hostilities are to nobody’s benefit, even as innocent hostages and civilian populations continue to suffer. Our Missions in the region are in contact with the Indian community," India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said on Saturday following Israeli strikes on Iran.

Israeli attacks killed 19 in Lebanon on Friday, year-long toll at 2,653

Israeli attacks killed 19 people in Lebanon on Friday, bringing the total death toll to 2,653 since October 2023, the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement on Saturday. (Reuters)

Israel releases footage of fighter jets departing for Friday night's strikes against Iran that killed two

Biden hopes Israeli strikes against Iran are 'the end'

President Joe Biden on Saturday said it appeared Israel had only struck military targets in its attack on Iran, and that he hoped they were "the end." (Reuters)

Iran has no limits in defending itself, says foreign minister

Iran has no limits when it comes to defending its interests, its territorial integrity and its people, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Saturday, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.

He was speaking after Israel bombed military sites in Iran in the early hours of Saturday, a retaliation for an Iranian attack on Israel earlier this month. (Reuters)

UN chief Guterres says escalation in West Asia must stop

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Saturday condemned the escalation between Israel and Iran and called for an end to all military actions in the region following Israeli strikes on military sites near Tehran, a UN spokesperson said.

'US complicity certain', says Iran on Israeli strikes

Israeli warplanes attacked Iran from Iraqi airspace, Iran's mission to the UN said on Saturday, blaming the United States for what it called its complicity.

"Iraqi airspace is under the occupation, command and control of the US military. Conclusion: The US complicity in this crime is certain," the Iran UN mission said in a post on X. (Reuters)

Qatar PM expresses 'grave concern' over possible consequences of Israeli strikes on Iran

Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, during a call with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, expressed his country's "grave concern" over possible consequences of Israeli strikes on Iran, the Qatari foreign ministry said in a statement on Saturday. (Reuters)

Iran's mission to UN says Israeli warplanes attacked Iran from Iraqi airspace

Israeli warplanes attacked Iran from Iraqi airspace, Iran's mission to the UN said on Saturday, blaming the United States for what it called its complicity.

"Iraqi airspace is under the occupation, command and control of the U.S. military. Conclusion: The US complicity in this crime is certain," the Iran UN mission said in a post on X. (Reuters)

Hezbollah urges residents of more than two dozen northern Israeli towns to evacuate

Lebanon's Hezbollah warned residents of more than two dozen towns in northern Israel on Saturday to immediately evacuate, saying they had become legitimate targets because it said Israeli troops were stationed there.

Iran-backed Hezbollah also issued a similar warning to a few communities in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, in a video posted on the Telegram messaging app. (Reuters)

At least 30 killed in Israeli strikes on northern Gaza

At least 30 people were killed in Israeli strikes on several houses in northern Gaza's Beit Lahiya on Saturday, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA said. (Reuters)

Iran should not respond to Israel's strikes, Pentagon chief says

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned Tehran on Saturday against responding to Israel's strikes on military sites in Iran and said he stressed in a call to his Israeli counterpart the opportunities to de-escalate tensions in the region.

"Iran should not make the mistake of responding to Israel's strikes, which should mark the end of this exchange," Austin said in a statement. (Reuters)

In a statement, Iran's military suggested a cease-fire in Gaza Strip and Lebanon trumps any retaliation against Israel

(AP)

Iran warns will defend itself after Israeli strikes

Iran warned on Saturday it would defend itself after Israeli air strikes killed at least four soldiers and further stoked fears of a full-scale war in the Middle East.

Israel warned Iran would "pay a heavy price" if it responded to the strikes, and the United States, Germany and Britain demanded Tehran not escalate the conflict further.

US President Joe Biden said he hoped "this is the end" after the pre-dawn Israeli strikes, noting that "it looks like they didn't hit anything other than military targets".

Biden had urged Israel to spare nuclear and oil facilities in its retaliatory strikes and the International Atomic Energy Agency confirmed that no nuclear sites were hit. (AFP)

2 drones from Lebanon intercepted by IDF

Two drones were identified crossing from Lebanon in Western Galilee and Upper Galilee areas, said the Israeli military. The drones were downed in open areas.

Satellite images show Israel hit Iran's defunct nuclear weapons test building, researchers say

An American researcher said an Israeli airstrike on Saturday hit a building that was part of Iran's defunct nuclear weapons development program, and he and another researcher said facilities used to mix solid fuel for missiles also were struck.

The assessments based on commercial satellite imagery were reached separately by David Albright, a former UN weapons inspector, and Decker Eveleth, an associate research analyst at CNA, a Washington think tank.

They told Reuters that Israel struck buildings in Parchin, a massive military complex near Tehran. Israel also hit Khojir, according to Eveleth, a sprawling missile production site near Tehran.

Reuters reported in July that Khojir was undergoing massive expansion.

Eveleth said the Israeli strikes may have "significantly hampered Iran's ability to mass produce missiles."

The Israeli military said three waves of Israeli jets struck missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in western Iran early on Saturday in retaliation for Tehran's Oct 1 barrage of more than 200 missiles against Israel.

Iran's military said the Israeli warplanes used "very light warheads" to strike border radar systems in the provinces of Ilam, Khuzestan and around Tehran.

In posts on X, Albright said commercial satellite imagery showed that Israel hit a building in Parchin called Taleghan 2 that was used for testing activities during the Amad Plan, Iran's defunct nuclear weapons development program.

The UN nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, and US intelligence say Iran shuttered the program in 2003. Iran denies pursuing nuclear weapons. (Reuters)

Six killed, one injured in Israeli strike on south Lebanon

Israeli raids on southern Lebanon on Saturday evening killed at least six people and wounded another person, the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) said.

The attacks took place in the town of Jdeideh Marjayoun.

At least 110 killed in Lebanon, Gaza in overnight Israeli strikes, says IDF

The Israel Defence Forces in a statement on Sunday said that the IAF conducted precise intelligence-based strikes on weapons manufacturing and maintenance facilities and a weapons storage facility belonging to Hezbollah in the Dahieh area.

"Over the past day, the IAF eliminated approximately 70 Hezbollah terrorists and struck over 120 Hezbollah terror targets," the statement read.

Its further added, "Simultaneously in the area of Jabaliya, IDF troops continued operational activity and eliminated over 40 terrorists over the past day."

Iranian officials to determine how to respond to Israel, Supreme Leader says

Iranian officials should determine how best to demonstrate Iran's power to Israel after the Israeli attack on Iran two nights ago, Iran's official IRNA news agency cited the country's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei as saying on Sunday. (Reuters)

2 injured in drone attack in Israel, says state broadcaster

Israel’s Channel 12 broadcaster said that a drone attack in Karmiel in the north of the country has wounded two people, reported Al Jazeera.

It added that the attack targeted a factory producing aviation components.

Four Israeli soldiers killed in south Lebanon, Israeli military says

Four Israeli soldiers were killed in south Lebanon, where Israel has been battling Iran-backed Hezbollah, the Israeli military said on Sunday. (Reuters)

Israeli strikes kill dozens in north Gaza, as raid deepens, medics say

An Israeli airstrike on a house in Jabalia killed several people and wounded others on Sunday morning, Palestinian medics say, as Israeli forces stepped up their campaign in northern Gaza.

Medics said the new strike damaged several houses in Jabalia, the largest of the Gaza Strip's eight historic refugee camps, which has been the focus of an Israeli military offensive for more than three weeks.

Israel says its forces have returned to northern Gaza more than a year into the war with Hamas to root out the militant group's fighters who had regrouped there. It said on Friday that three of its soldiers were killed in combat in the north of the enclave. (Reuters)

Israel police say 24 injured as truck rams into bus stop, reports AFP

The Paris-based news organization reported a truck driver rammed his vehicle into a crowd of people at a bus stop in central Israel Sunday, injuring at least 24 people before he was "shot and neutralised", police said.

This incident comes as Israel holds ceremonies to mark the Hebrew calendar anniversary of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year

Three killed in Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon, ministry says

 At least three people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on Zawtar Al Sharkiya in southern Lebanon, the country's health ministry said on Sunday, adding that an airstrike on Marjayoun the previous day resulted in five fatalities and one injury.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israeli strike 'severely harmed' Iran and 'achieved all its goals,' reports AP

Hamas And Hezbollah are no longer an effective tool that can be used by Iran against Israel, says Israeli defence minister

Israel urges residents of 14 Lebanese villages to move north of Awali River

The Israeli military urged residents of 14 villages in southern Lebanon on Sunday to evacuate immediately and move north of the Awali river. 

People gather in Iranian city of Mashhad in support of the Iran Army

People gathered in Iranian city of Mashhad in Beit Al-Moghaddas Square on Saturday in support of the Iranian Army and condemned the Israeli regime's strikes, reports IRNA New Agency.

CIA, Mossad chiefs to meet Qatar PM for Gaza ceasefire, hostage talks, official says

The directors of the CIA and Israel's Mossad will meet Qatar's prime minister in Doha on Sunday to begin negotiations for a new short term Gaza ceasefire deal and the release of some hostages by Hamas in exchange for Israel’s release of Palestinian prisoners, an official briefed on the talks told Reuters.

The talks aim to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza that would last less than a month, with the hope that it would lead to a more permanent agreement, the official said. The details of which or how many hostages and prisoners would be released as part of the deal is not yet clear, the official said.

Hezbollah says fired rockets at military base north of Israel's Haifa, reports AFP

In a statement IDF said, "Following the sirens that sounded between 12:31 and 12:33 in the Upper and Central Galilee areas, approximately 75 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

"Some of the projectiles were intercepted and fallen projectiles were identified in the area."

Two killed in Israeli strike on Lebanon's Sidon, ministry says

At least two people were killed and 11 wounded in an Israeli strike on Sidon (Saida) in southern Lebanon, the country's health ministry said on Sunday in an initial toll. 

Iran foreign minister, in letter to UN secretary general, says Tehran reserves the right to respond to Israel's 'criminal aggression'

'Shame on you' chants ring out as Israelis disrupt Netanyahu speech, reports AP

According to Associated Press, protesters disrupted a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a ceremony Sunday remembering the victims of Hamas' attack on southern Israel last year.

People shouted “Shame on you” and made a commotion, forcing Netanyahu to stop his speech shortly after it began. The major commemorative event is being broadcast live around the country.

Iran calls on UN Security Council to condemn Israeli strikes, reports AFP

Netanyahu says Israel hit Iran hard; Khamenei says damage should not be exaggerated

Israel's airstrikes "hit hard" Iran's defences and missile production, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday, but Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the damage from Saturday's attack should not be exaggerated.

With warfare raging in Gaza and Lebanon, direct confrontation between Israel and Iran risks spiralling into a regional conflagration. But a day after the airstrikes, there was no sign they would spark another round of escalation.

UN Security Council expected to meet Monday over Israel's strike on Iran, diplomats say

The United Nations Security Council is expected to meet on Monday to discuss Israel's attack on Iran, diplomats said on Sunday.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi called on the Security Council to meet over the attack and diplomats said the council was likely to discuss the situation on Monday.

“Israeli regime's actions constitute a grave threat to international peace and security and further destabilize an already fragile region," Araqchi said in a letter to the 15-member council on Saturday.

5 Israeli soldiers killed in south Lebanon combat, reports AFP

UN Security Council to hold emergency meeting on Monday after Iran request, reports AFP

Egypt says it proposed two-day Gaza ceasefire, exchange of Israeli and Palestinian captives

Egypt has proposed a two-day ceasefire in Gaza which would entail an exchange of four Israeli hostages for some Palestinian prisoners, President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday.

Speaking alongside Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune during a press conference in Cairo, Sisi also said that talks should resume within 10 days of implementing the temporary ceasefire in efforts to reach a permanent one.

Iran president says Tehran will give 'appropriate response' to Israeli attack, state media reports

Iran is not looking for war but will give an "appropriate response" to Israel's recent attack, President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday according to state media.

Britain foreign minister seeks to avoid 'catastrophic' escalation in calls with Israel and Iran

Britain's foreign minister David Lammy said he had spoken to his Israeli and Iranian counterparts in separate calls on Sunday seeking to avoid escalation into a "catastrophic" regional war after Israel struck Iranian military sites.

"Today I held important calls with Israeli FM (Israel Katz) and Iranian FM (Abbas Araghchi). The UK continues to press for de-escalation and an end to the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza," Lammy said in a statement after a Israeli air attack early on Saturday against Iranian targets.

"A regional war would be catastrophic and is in no one's interests," he said. (Reuters)

Israeli strike in Sidon kills 8, Lebanon’s Health Ministry says

An Israeli strike near the coastal city of Sidon in southern Lebanon killed eight people and wounded 25 others, the country’s Health Ministry said Sunday.

(NYT)

X suspends Hebrew account of Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei

As per X, the Elon Musk-owned social media platform, the account 'violated' X rules.

Islamic Resistance of Iraq strikes Israeli targets, group claims

Notification of the attack

Iran Guards chief warns Israel of 'bitter consequences' after attack, reports AFP

Iraq complains to UN after Israel uses its airspace to attack Iran

Iraq condemned the use of its airspace and lodged a complaint with the UNSC.

Meanwhile, Lebanon today said five had dead in an Israeli strike on the southern city of Tyre. (AFP)

Iran says it will 'use all available tools' to respond to Israel's attack

Tehran will "use all available tools" to respond to Israel's weekend attack on military targets in Iran, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.

Iran previously played down Israel's air attack on Saturday, saying it caused only limited damage, while U. President Joe Biden called for a halt to escalation that has raised fears of an all-out conflagration in the Middle East.

Speaking at a weekly televised news conference, Baghaei said: "(Iran) will use all available tools to deliver a definite and effective response to the Zionist regime (Israel)".

The nature of Iran's response depends on the nature of the Israeli attack, Baghaei added, without elaborating.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Sunday that Iranian officials should determine how best to demonstrate Iran's power to Israel, adding that the Isreli attack should "neither be downplayed nor exaggerated". (Reuters)

IDF reported sirens sounding in Metula, northern Israel

Amid the hostilities, Gaza starves

In pics | Palestinians gather to buy bread from a bakery, in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip

Credit: Reuters Photos

Spanish forces to remain in UN peacekeeping troops in Lebanon

The statement from Spain's Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares comes amid Israel's repeated insistence that UN peacekeeping troops should withdraw from Lebanon, and after instances of reported attacks on UN troops there.

Russia doing all it can to try to de-escalate West Asia tensions: Kremlin

The Kremlin said on Monday that Russia was doing everything it could to try to facilitate attempts to de-escalate tensions in West Asia.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov made the comments when asked about the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Iran. (Reuters)

Israeli military has issued evacuation order for large area in Lebanese port city Tyre

Israeli military issued on Monday an evacuation order for large swathes of Tyre, including areas already ordered to evacuate and other new ones, up to the edge of a hotel where journalists are usually based. (Reuters)

Gaza health ministry has said that till now, 3,020 Palestinians have been killed and 101,110 injured in Israel's military offensive since October 7, 2023

Israel military says its troops have captured around 100 Hamas militants in north Gaza hospital

Israeli campaign leaves Lebanese border towns in ruins, satellite images show

Israel launches fresh strikes on Tyre after 7 killed in earlier raid

Israel launched fresh strikes Monday on Tyre, Lebanese state media said, after the Israeli military told swathes of the southern city to evacuate and following an earlier raid that killed seven people. (AFP)

Israel says Mossad chief back from Doha talks, will try to advance Gaza deal

Israel wants more peace deals with Arab countries after war, Netanyahu says

 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he hopes to reach peace deals with more Arab countries once the war against Iranian proxies Hamas and Hezbollah is complete.

"The day after Hamas no longer controls Gaza and Hezbollah no longer sits on our northern border, we are working these days on plans to stabilize those two fronts. But the day after includes something else of utmost importance," Netanyahu said in a speech to parliament. (Reuters)

Death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon climbs to 2,710, health ministry says

The death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon has risen to 2,710, with 12,592 others injured since October 2023, Lebanon's health ministry reported on Monday. (Reuters)

Blasts reported near ship in Red Sea off Yemen

Maritime security agencies reported two explosions on Monday near a ship in the Red Sea off Yemen, where Iran-backed Huthi rebels have attacked shipping in what they call support for Gaza Palestinians, said news agency AFP

Israel signs deal to expand production of missile defence laser

Israel's defence ministry said on Monday it had signed a 2 billion shekel ($536-million) deal with local contractors to expand production of a new laser-based missile defence system that could be operational in the next year.

The deal signed with state-owned Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and Elbit Systems is for a high-power laser called Iron Beam that is designed to counter aerial threats, including rockets, mortar bombs, drones and cruise missiles. (Reuters)

Iran at disadvantage after Israel's airstrikes, Israeli defence minister says

Iran is at a disadvantage that can be exploited in the future after Israeli airstrikes over the weekend, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday.

"You have conducted accurate strikes on their radars and air defence systems, which creates a huge disadvantage for the enemy when we will want to strike later," a statement released by Gallant's office quoted the defence minister as saying during a meeting with air force chiefs. (Reuters)

US deeply concerned over Israel's UNRWA legislation, State Department says

 The U.S. has made it clear to Israel it is deeply concerned by Israeli legislation that could ban the UN aid agency in the Gaza Strip, as it carries out an irreplaceable role in delivering humanitarian assistance in the enclave, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Monday.

Speaking at a daily briefing, Miller said humanitarian assistance was not getting to the people in Jabalia in northern Gaza, where the Israeli military has stepped up its campaign, and that Washington would not accept that.  (Reuters)

Israeli parliament passes law to ban UN relief agency UNRWA from operating inside the country

The Israeli parliament passed a law on Monday to ban UN relief agency UNRWA from operating inside the country

(Reuters)

US warns Iran at UN of 'severe consequences' if further attacks

The United States warned Iran at the United Nations on Monday that if it undertakes any further aggressive acts against Israel or US personnel in the region "there will be severe consequences."

"We will not hesitate to act in self defense. Let there be no confusion. The United States does not want to see further escalation. We believe this should be the end of the direct exchange of fire between Israel and Iran," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council. (Reuters)

UNRWA official says Israel's ban will mean collapse of humanitarian process

The media adviser to the UN relief agency UNRWA, Adnan Abu Hasna, said on Monday that Israel's decision to ban the organisation's operation inside the country will mean the collapse of the humanitarian process as a whole.

Hasna described the decision as an "unprecedented" escalation while speaking to Qatar's Al Jazeera Mubasher TV. (Reuters)

Netanyahu says UNRWA workers must be held accountable for 'terrorist activities'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said UNRWA workers must be held accountable for what he called their "terrorist activities" against the country.

In a post on X, Netanyahu also said sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza "now and in the future". (Reuters)

UNRWA chief says Israeli ban 'will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians'

UN relief agency UNRWA's chief Philippe Lazzarini said on Monday that Israel's ban of the organization's operation inside the country "will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza." (Reuters)

Netanyahu: Israel did not receive a proposal for the release of 4 hostages

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Israel did not receive a proposal that would include the release of four hostages in return for a 48-hour ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

"If such a proposal were made, the prime minister would accept it on the spot," Netanyahu's office said in a statement. (Reuters)

At least 16 killed in Israeli strikes on eastern Lebanon, Lebanese health ministry says

At least 16 people were killed in Israeli strikes on three villages in eastern Lebanon's city of Baalbek, the Lebanese health ministry said on Monday. (Reuters)

At least 60 killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, three sources say

At least 60 people were killed and dozens wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, two security sources and the mayor of Baalbek told Reuters on Monday. (Reuters)

Yemen's Houthis say they've targeted vessels in Red Sea and Arabian Sea

Yemen's Houthis said on Monday that they carried out three operations targeting vessels in the Red Sea and Arabian Sea. The attacks included strikes on the Motaro in the Red Sea and Bab al-Mandab Strait with ballistic missiles.

Yahya Sarea, the Houthi military spokesman, also said in a televised address, that the group targeted the Maersk Kowloon in the Arabian Sea with a missile and the SC Montreal in the Arabian Sea with two drones. (Reuters)

CIA boss floats 28-day Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal, Axios reports

CIA Director Bill Burns floated a deal for a 28-day Gaza ceasefire, the freeing of around eight hostages by Hamas and the release of dozens of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, Axios reported on Monday, citing three Israeli officials.

Burns discussed the idea during a meeting on Sunday with Israeli and Qatari counterparts, Axios said.

India sends 30 tons of medical supplies comprising

Hezbollah elects Naim Qassem to succeed slain head Nasrallah

 Lebanese armed group Hezbollah said on Tuesday it had elected deputy head Naim Qassem to succeed Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli air attack on Beirut's southern suburb over a month ago.

The group said in a written statement that its Shura Council had elected Qassem, 71, in accordance with its established mechanism for choosing a secretary general.

He was appointed as Hezbollah's deputy chief in 1991 by the armed group's then-secretary general Abbas al-Musawi, who was killed by an Israeli helicopter attack the following year.

Qassem remained in his role when Nasrallah became leader, and has long been one of Hezbollah's leading spokesmen, conducting interviews with foreign media, including as cross-border hostilities with Israel raged over the last year. (Reuters)

60 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on Gaza's Beit Lahiya, says official

Iran plans to raise military budget by around 200%

Iran's government plans to raise its military budget by around 200%, government spokesperson Fatemeh Mohajerani was reported as saying by state media on Tuesday, after Iran and Israel exchanged attacks in recent months.

(Reuters)

UN expert says Israel 'genocide' seeks 'eradication' of Palestinians from their land

Outspoken UN rights expert Francesca Albanese reiterated Tuesday an allegation that Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza, charging that the country is seeking the "eradication of Palestinians" from their land.

The independent expert on rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, who has long faced harsh Israeli criticism, said in a fresh report that "the genocide of the Palestinians appears to be the means to an end: the complete removal or eradication of Palestinians from the land so integral to their identity, and which is illegally and openly coveted by Israel." (AFP)

Israel tanks enter Khiam outskirts in deep south Lebanon incursion, AFP reports

Gaza rescuers say 93 dead in Israel strike in north

UNRWA ban could kill more children in Gaza, UNICEF says

Israel's decision to ban the UN relief agency UNRWA could result in the deaths of more children and represent a form of collective punishment for Gazans if fully implemented, UN agencies said on Tuesday.

A law passed by Israel on Monday to ban the UN Palestinian refugee agency from operating inside Israel has raised concerns about its ability to provide relief in Gaza after over a year of war. The agency, which employs thousands of people in Gaza, provides nearly the entire population of the coastal enclave with basic supplies and needs access through Israel.

"If UNRWA is unable to operate, it'll likely see the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza," said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder, who has worked extensively in Gaza since the Oct. 7 war began. "So a decision such as this suddenly means that a new way has been found to kill children."

Palestinian health authorities' data show that over 13,300 children whose identities have been confirmed have been killed in the Gaza war. Many more are believed to have died from diseases due to a collapsing medical system and food and water shortages.

Other UN agencies described UNRWA's work as indispensable. (Reuters)

Satellite photos show Israeli strike likely hit important Iran Revolutionary Guard missile base

 Israel's attack on Iran likely damaged a base run by the paramilitary Revolutionary Guard that builds ballistic missiles and launches rockets as part of its own space programme, satellite images analysed by The Associated Press on Tuesday showed.

The damage at the base in Shahroud raises new questions about Israel's attack early Saturday, particularly as it took place in an area previously unacknowledged by Tehran and involved the Guard, a powerful force within Iran's theocracy that so far has remained silent about any possible damage it suffered from the assault.

Iran only has identified Israeli attacks as taking place in Ilam, Khuzestan and Tehran provinces — not in rural Semnan province where the base is located.

It also potentially further restrains the Guard's ability to manufacture the solid-fuel ballistic missiles it needs to stockpile as a deterrent against Israel. Tehran long has relied on that arsenal as it cannot purchase the advanced Western weapons that Israel and Tehran's Gulf Arab neighbours have armed themselves with over the years, particularly from the United States.

Satellite photos earlier analysed by the AP of two military bases near Tehran also targeted by Israel shows sites there Iran uses in its ballistic missile manufacturing have been destroyed, further squeezing its programme.

“We don't know if Iranian production has been crippled as some people are saying or just damaged,” said Fabian Hinz, a missile expert and research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies who studies Iran. “We've seen enough imagery to show there's an impact.”

Iran's mission to the United Nations did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Israeli military.

Images show major building at Shahroud base destroyed. (AP)

'Temporary appointment, not for long,' says Israel's defence minister on new Hezbollah chief

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday the election of Naim Qassem as the new chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah is "temporary".

Rocket that hit HQ in Naqoura likely fired by Hezbollah or affiliated group, says UN Force in Lebanon

US says Israel not yet doing enough to help Palestinians in Gaza

Mideast at 'most dangerous juncture' in decades: UN official

The UN's special coordinator for Middle East peace warned Tuesday that the region was at its "most dangerous juncture" in decades, as the war between Israel and Iran-backed groups risked spiraling into a broader conflict.

"We have now entered the second year of this horrific conflict, and the region is on the verge of yet another serious escalation," Tor Wennesland told the Security Council.

His remarks come just days after Israel carried out air strikes on military sites in Iran in response to Tehran's October 1 missile attack, itself retaliation for the killing of Iran-backed militant leaders and a Revolutionary Guards commander.

"Every effort -- by all of us -- must be made to de-escalate the situation and establish a different trajectory toward greater peace and stability in the region," he said.

Over a year after Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on Israel prompted the devastating war in Gaza, which has now extended to Lebanon, deadly violence "shows no signs of abating," Wennesland said. (AFP)

Gaza humanitarian crisis could develop into famine, WFP says

The U.N. World Food Programmed called on Tuesday for immediate action to avert famine in the Gaza Strip, warning that the humanitarian crisis there could soon worsen amid what it said were severe restrictions on aid flows. A global monitor warned this month that the whole of the Palestinian enclave remained at risk of famine, with Israeli military operations adding to concerns and hampering humanitarian access.

"Now, as the situation in northern Gaza continues to deteriorate, the likelihood of a larger group being impacted by famine will surely increase unless conditions on the ground improve," said WFP, the United Nations' food agency.

WFP said that it had approximately 94,000 tonnes of food standing by in Egypt and Jordan that could feed 1 million people for four months, but that could not bring it into Gaza because too few entry points were open and others were not safe enough. (Reuters)

As Israel hammers north Gaza, Palestinians dig for the dead in multi-storey ruins

After another of Israel's relentless airstrikes in its north Gaza offensive, Palestinians rushed to a bombed-out four-storey house of neighbours on Tuesday and plucked body parts off its walls and floors in a desperate search for any survivors.

The missile strike left a house of horror, with at least 93 dead or missing among mainly members of the extended Abu Naser family, the owners, as well as displaced men, women and children crammed into every available space, Gaza's health ministry said.

With most of the world focused on Israel's military campaign in Lebanon against Iran-backed Hezbollah, Israel has for more than three weeks been heavily bombarding north Gaza in its year-old war against Hamas after its militants regrouped there.

Civilians paid the bloodiest price once again.

At the Abu Naser house, neighbours scrabbled through mounds of concrete wreckage, wrapped whatever remains they could find in blankets and lowered them by rope from a balcony to be laid on the blood-splattered ground, next to intact bodies of others.

People dragged aside chunks of dusty masonry and twisted wire, revealing the limbs of victims trapped underneath, many of them lifeless as they were eased out. The Gaza health ministry said at least 20 of those killed were children. (Reuters)

UN chief writes to Netanyahu on Israel banning UNRWA

Hamas open to discussing new deal securing end to Gaza war, Israeli pull-out, group official says

A senior Hamas official said on Tuesday the Palestinian militant group was studying new proposals from mediators to end the Gaza war but reiterated that these should entail a complete Israeli military withdrawal from the enclave.

"The movement has confirmed it is open to any deal or ideas that ends the suffering of our people in Gaza and achieve a permanent ceasefire, and the occupation's withdrawal from all of Gaza Strip," Sami Abu Zuhri said in a televised speech.

He also said an agreement must end the Israeli-led blockade of the coastal enclave, allow unrestricted relief aid and a reconstruction of Gaza, and achieve a swap of Israeli hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners in Israel. (Reuters)

US concerned by 'horrifying' Israeli strike in northern Gaza, says State Dept

The United States is concerned by the loss of life in an Israeli attack on a residential building in northern Gaza, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday, calling the strike "a horrifying incident with a horrifying result."

At least 93 Palestinians were killed and missing and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike on a residential building in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya on Tuesday, the Gaza health ministry said.

US officials had reached out to the government of Israel to ask what happened, Miller told reporters, adding he could not speak to the total death toll but was aware of reports that many of the dead were children. (Reuters)

Israel military chief says if Iran attacks we will hit back with capabilities that we did not even use last time

Israel's military chief warned Iran on Tuesday to stand down from any retaliation for Israel's airstrikes near Tehran last week, which followed an Iranian missile barrage on Oct 1.

"If Iran makes the mistake of launching another missile barrage at Israel, we will once again know how to reach Iran, with capabilities that we did not even use this time," chief of the general staff Herzi Halevi told air and ground crews who took part in the strike on Iran against missile factories and other sites last Saturday. (Reuters)

Death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon hits 2,787, health ministry says

The death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon has risen to 2,787, with 12,772 others wounded since October 2023, Lebanon's health ministry reported on Tuesday.

In the last 24 hours, the death toll reached 77, with 180 others wounded, the health ministry report added. (Reuters)

Israeli strike kills dozens in north Gaza residential block, US calls incident 'horrifying'

At least 93 Palestinians were killed or missing and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike on a residential building in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya on Tuesday, the Gaza health ministry said, and the US called the incident "horrifying".

Medics said at least 20 children were among the dead.

"A number of victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defence crews cannot reach them," the territory's health ministry said in a statement. (Reuters)

US steps up pressure on Israel over Gaza as military aid deadline looms

Israel is not addressing the "catastrophic humanitarian crisis" in Gaza, the U.S. envoy to the United Nations said on Tuesday as a deadline imposed by Washington looms for Israel to improve the situation or face potential restrictions on US military aid.

"Israel's words must be matched by action on the ground. Right now, that is not happening. This must change - immediately," US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the Security Council.

The United States told its ally Israel in a letter on Oct. 13 that it must take steps within 30 days.

"The US has stated clearly that Israel must allow food, medicine and other supplies into all of Gaza – especially the north, and especially as winter sets in – and protect the workers distributing it," Thomas-Greenfield said. (Reuters)

At least 10 killed in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon town, mayor says

At least 10 people were killed in an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Sarafand, most of whom were women and children, the town's mayor told Reuters late on Tuesday.

Israel issues evacuation warning to residents of Lebanese city of Baalbek

Hezbollah says struck Israel base south of Haifa

Iran says missile production not disrupted by Israeli strikes: Report

Iran's missile production has not been disrupted following Israeli airstrikes on the Islamic Republic on Oct. 26, Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh was quoted as saying on Wednesday by state media. (Reuters)

Israeli strikes kill 20 Palestinians in Gaza, medics say

 A series of Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip killed at least 20 people on Wednesday, medics said.

Eight people were killed in a strike in the Salateen area of Beit Lahiya in the north, close to where the Gaza health ministry said at least 93 were killed or missing in an Israeli airstrike that struck a multi-floor house on Tuesday.

The United States called that attack "horrifying".

There was no immediate Israeli comment on either strike. (Reuters)

Israel cabinet discusses Lebanon ceasefire framework: Minister

 Israel's security cabinet is discussing the terms of a truce with Hezbollah in south Lebanon, where Israeli troops are conducting a ground offensive, Energy Minister Eli Cohen said Wednesday.

"There are discussions, I think it will still take time", Cohen told Israeli public radio.

According to Israel's Channel 12 television, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks with ministers on Tuesday evening on Israel's demands in return for a 60-day truce.

These include an Hezbollah pullback north of the Litani river, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli frontier, the Lebanese army's deployment along the border, an international intervention mechanism to enforce the truce and a guarantee that Israel will maintain freedom of action in case of threats. (AFP)

Health ministry says 43,163 Palestinians killed in Israeli offensive since Oct 7, 2023

New Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem to give first speech today

Hezbollah's new leader is to give a speech on Wednesday, a source close to the group said, his first since he was appointed earlier this week.

"A speech by the new secretary general of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, is scheduled for Wednesday," the source told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

Israeli minister's comment on new Hezbollah chief will not deter resistance, Hezbollah official says

Senior Hezbollah official Hassan Fadlallah said on Wednesday a remark by Israel's defence minister suggesting the Lebanese armed group's new chief, Naim Qassem, would not hold the post for long would not deter the group's resistance.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant posted a photo of Qassem on X on Tuesday with the caption: "Temporary appointment. Not for long." (Reuters)

Israeli military says it killed deputy commander of Hezbollah's Radwan Forces

Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem's first remark after his appointment

• My agenda is to follow Nasrallah's agenda in all aspects.

• We will continue our war plan

• Iran supports our project and doesn't ask anything of us

• We don't fight on behalf of anyone or for anyone's project, we fight for Lebanon

• We can keep fighting for days, weeks and months

• If Israelis decide they want to stop the war, we say we accept but with the conditions we see fit

Israel begins simultaneous strikes on edges of Lebanon's historic city of Baalbek after evacuation call

Israel began heavy airstrikes on Wednesday on the historic city of Baalbek and surrounding villages in Lebanon's eastern Bekaa region, security sources told Reuters, following an evacuation order by the Israeli military for the city and its outskirts.

There was no immediate word on casualties. Thousands of people have fled the city since the evacuation order was issued, approximately four hours before the strikes began. (Reuters)

Israel wages deadly Gaza strikes as northern areas issue plea for help

Iran slams Israeli UNRWA ban as 'outrageous'

Iran on Wednesday condemned what it called Israel's "outrageous and cruel" new law that could effectively cripple the work of the United Nations agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.

The regulations approved by Israel's parliament on Monday ban UNRWA from operating in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem, and prevent it from communicating and coordinating with Israeli authorities, which could essentially end its work in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Israel has long been at odds with UNRWA, and has alleged that some of its employees were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks that triggered the war in the Gaza Strip.

The ban is due to start in three months.

"This is outrageous and cruel and extremely consequential as UNRWA is 'irreplaceable' and 'essential' without which the humanitarian system in Gaza will collapse," Iran foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghi said. (AFP)

Israeli military says it attacked fuel reservoirs in Lebanon's Bekaa region

Israeli military says it attacked fuel reservoirs in Lebanon's Bekaa region located in military complexes of Hezbollah's logistical empowerment unit.

11 killed in Israeli strike on eastern town, says Lebanon

Israeli military says it struck Hezbollah fuel sites in Lebanon

Cairo: The Israeli military said on Wednesday it had attacked fuel reservoirs located in military complexes of Hezbollah's logistical empowerment unit in Lebanon's Bekaa region.

One Lebanese source told Reuters that one of the massive explosions that created a huge column of black smoke had been caused by strikes on Hezbollah's fuel stores.

-Reuters

US supports Israel's right to go after legitimate Hezbollah targets in Lebanon

Washington: The United States supports Israel's right to go after legitimate Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, the State Department said on Wednesday when asked about the eastern city of Baalbek being bombarded by Israel.

But State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at a regular news briefing that Israel must do so in a way that does not threaten the lives of civilians and it was critical civilian infrastructure and significant cultural heritage sites can be protected.

-Reuters

Iran should not respond to Israel's retaliation: White House

Washington: Iran should not respond to Israel's retaliation, but if it does, the United States will support Israel, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre said on Wednesday.

"Iran should not respond to Israel's retaliation. They should not... If they do, we will support Israel in defending itself, but they should not," she said at a news briefing.

-Reuters

Death toll from Israeli attacks in Lebanon reaches 2,822, Lebanon’s health ministry says

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed 2,822 people and injured 12,937 others since October 2023, Lebanon’s health ministry said on Wednesday.

-Reuters

Israeli strikes kill 19 people including 8 women in two towns in Lebanon's Baalbek, health ministry says

Cairo: Israeli strikes killed 19 people including eight women in two towns in Lebanon's Baalbek region, the Lebanese health ministry said on Wednesday.

-Reuters

Israel releases footage of weapons stash in southern Lebanon

One dead in Israel strike on car near Beirut: Sources

A Lebanese security source said one person was killed Thursday by an Israeli strike on a road where a Hezbollah van carrying munitions was hit the previous day.

The drone strike hit the Araya-Kahhale road which links the capital Beirut to Lebanon's eastern Bekaa Valley, said the source, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

It targeted a Mercedes vehicle, killing the driver, the source said, without identifying the victim.

The official National News Agency said a "hostile drone" targeted the car on the key road that passes through the town of Araya.

On Wednesday, an Israeli strike hit a Hezbollah van carrying munitions on the same highway, according to the security source, who said the attack killed the driver. (AFP)

Sirens sounded in Metula, northern Israel amid growing tensions

Israeli military says it downed drone smuggling weapons from Egyptian territory to Israel

Hamas official says group rejects short-term Gaza truce, AFP reports

'Israeli aggression' targets residential buildings in central Syria's Qusayr area: Report

Over 30 projectiles intercepted by army as sirens go off in northern Israel, claims IDF

Hezbollah missile attack on Israel's Metula kills five people: Report

Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise

Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.

Below are some of the airlines that have cancelled services to and from the region:

AEGEAN AIRLINES

The Greek airline has cancelled flights to and from Beirut until Dec. 17 and to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 12.

AIR ALGERIE

The Algerian airline has suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.

AIRBALTIC

Latvia's airBaltic has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until Nov. 30.

AIR FRANCE-KLM

Air France has extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until Nov. 5 and Paris-Beirut flights until Nov. 30.

KLM has extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the year at least.

The group's low-cost unit Transavia has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until end-March.

AIR INDIA

The Indian flag carrier has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.

BULGARIA AIR

The Bulgarian carrier has cancelled flights to and from Israel until Dec. 23.

CATHAY PACIFIC

Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Oct. 25, 2025.

CORENDON AIRLINES

The Turkish airline cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until January.

DELTA AIR LINES

The U.S. carrier has paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through March 2025.

EASYJET

The UK budget airline has suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until March.

EGYPTAIR

The Egyptian carrier in September said it had suspended flights to Beirut until "the situation stabilises".

EMIRATES

UAE's state-owned airline has cancelled flights to Beirut through Nov. 30 and to Baghdad until Nov. 14.

ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES

The Ethiopian carrier has suspended flights to Beirut until further notice, it said in a Facebook post on Oct. 4.

FLYDUBAI

Flights between Dubai and Beirut remain suspended, while flights to Iraq and Iran are operating, a flydubai spokesperson said on Oct. 30.

IAG

IAG-owned British Airways has suspended their flights to Tel Aviv until the end of March 2025.

IAG's low-cost airline Iberia Express has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Nov. 30, while Vueling has cancelled operations to Tel Aviv until Jan. 12 and to Amman until further notice.

IRAN AIR

The Iranian airline has cancelled Beirut flights until further notice.

IRAQI AIRWAYS

The Iraqi national carrier has suspended flights to Beirut until further notice.

ITA AIRWAYS

The Italian carrier has extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through Nov. 30.

LOT

The Polish carrier has cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until Nov. 11. Its first scheduled flight to Beirut is planned for April 1.

LUFTHANSA GROUP

The German airline group has extended the suspension of its flights to Tel Aviv until Nov. 25, while its low cost carrier Eurowings has suspended them until Nov. 30. Flights for Tehran are cancelled until Jan. 31, 2025, and to Beirut until Feb. 28.

SWISS, part of Lufthansa Group, has cancelled flights to Beirut until Jan. 18.

SunExpress, a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines, has suspended flights to Beirut through Dec. 17.

PEGASUS

The Turkish airline has cancelled flights to Beirut until Nov. 15.

QATAR AIRWAYS

The Qatari airline has temporarily suspended flights to and from Iran and Lebanon, while flights to Jordan and Iraq will operate during daylight hours only.

RYANAIR

Europe's biggest budget airline has cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until the end of December. Group CEO Michael O'Leary on Oct. 3 said the suspension was likely to be extended until end-March.

SUNDAIR

The German airline cancelled flights to Beirut from Berlin until Dec. 8, from Bremen until March 26, and from Muenster/Osnabrueck until March 29.

TAROM

Romania's flag carrier has suspended Beirut flights until Nov. 15.

UNITED AIRLINES

The Chicago-based airline has suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.

VIRGIN ATLANTIC

The UK carrier has suspended Tel Aviv flights until end-March.

WIZZ AIR

The Hungary-based airline has suspended Tel Aviv flights through Jan. 14. (Reuters)

Six Lebanese health workers killed, four wounded in Israeli strikes across south Lebanon on Thursday

Israeli military says attacked Munitions warehouses, headquarters used by Hezbollah in Syria

Palestinian officials say three killed by Israeli army in West Bank

43,204 Palestinians killed in Gaza offensive since October 7, 2023, health ministry says

Lebanon state media says Israel strikes near Baalbek after evacuation call

Lebanon's Hezbollah says it attacked area near Haifa with missile salvo

Israeli cabinet set to approve austerity budget amid wars

Israeli cabinet ministers were to start voting later on Thursday on a long-awaited wartime budget for 2025 that will rein in spending and raise a host of taxes to pay for the military conflicts that have engulfed the country.

The wars in Gaza and Lebanon have cost Israeli coffers tens of billions of shekels on spending for defence - equipment and in manpower after hundreds of thousands of citizens were called into reserve duty - and in compensation for those impacted.

"Our security also depends on the economy. We cannot have a strong military if we have no way of financing it," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said at the outset of the cabinet meeting before the budget vote, which could run into the night.

"There is no economy without restrictions. If you give to one place, you unfortunately need to take from another," he said.

Israel's economy has taken a hit since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Palestinian Hamas militants. There has been zero growth but supply issues have pushed up inflation, and the cost of living for Israelis - already emotionally drained by the more than one-year war - has soared.

All three major credit ratings have cut Israel's credit rating this year due to the wars, raising financing costs, and stubborn inflation of 3% has forced the central bank to keep interest rates high with no respite from rate cuts in sight. (Reuters)

Israel can reach anywhere in Iran, Netanyahu says

Israel is able to reach anywhere in Iran should the need arise, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday.Netanyahu, in a speech to new military officers, said that Israel has unprecedented freedom of action following its recent airstrikes against Iran."Israel today has more freedom of action in Iran than ever. We can reach any place in Iran as necessary," Netanyahu said. "The supreme goal I gave to the Israel Defence Forces and the security branches is to prevent Iran from achieving a nuclear weapon."

EU Council chief warns of 'consequences' of Israel's UNRWA ban for key trade deal

Geneva: The European Council President warned on Thursday that Israel's decision to ban the key U.N. aid agency for Gaza could result in the annulment of a deal establishing Israeli trade relations with Brussels.

Israel passed a law on Monday banning the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA from operating in the country, raising concerns about its ability to provide relief in Gaza after over a year of war between Israeli forces and Hamas-led militants.

"The decision made by parliament in Israel, if implemented, to ban UNRWA in Israel is absolutely not acceptable and I cannot imagine that there would be no consequences on the EU side," Charles Michel told reporters in Geneva.

-Reuters

Israeli attacks kill 45 in Lebanon in last 24 hours, health ministry says

Beirut: Israeli attacks killed 45 people in Lebanon in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 2,865 since October 2023, the Lebanese health ministry said on Thursday.

-Reuters

Israel, Lebanon make progress on how to implement UN resolution, says Blinken

Washington: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday that Israel and Lebanon were moving toward understandings on what is required for implementing a long-violated UN resolution that would be the basis for ending the current conflict.

The United Nations Security Council adopted resolution 1701 in 2006 with the aim of keeping peace on the border between Lebanon and Israel.

"It's important to make sure we have clarity, both from Lebanon and from Israel, about what would be required under 1701 to get its effective implementation," Blinken told a press conference.

"I can tell you that based on my recent trip to the region, the work that's ongoing right now, we have made good progress on those understandings."

-Reuters

At least 46 Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, hospital hit, says Gaza ministry

Cairo: At least 46 Palestinians were killed in Israeli military strikes across the Gaza Strip on Thursday, mostly in the north where one attack hit a hospital, torching medical supplies and disrupting operations, the enclave's health officials said.

Israel's military has accused the Palestinian militant group Hamas of using Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahiya for military purposes and said "dozens of terrorists" have been hiding there. Health officials and Hamas deny the charge.

Later on Thursday, an Israeli airstrike on two houses in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza killed at least 16 Palestinians, medics at Al-Awda Hospital in the camp told Reuters. The dead included a paramedic and two local journalists, they added.

Northern Gaza, where Israel said in January it had dismantled Hamas' command structure, is currently the main focus of the military's assault in the enclave. Earlier this month it sent tanks into Jabalia, Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya to flush out militants it said had regrouped.

-Reuters

Four Thai nationals killed near Israel-Lebanon border, says Thai foreign minister

Four Thai nationals were killed and one was injured by rocket fire near the town of Metula, close to border between Lebanon and Israel, Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa posted on the social media platform X on Friday.

Last year, 41 Thais were among the 1,200 people killed when Hamas militants launched an attack across Israeli borders, according to Israeli authorities.

Forty seven Palestinians were killed and dozens injured overnight, most of them children and women, in Israeli bombardment on the city of Deir Al-Balah, the Nuseirat camp and the town of Al-Zawayda in the central Gaza Strip, the Palestinian news agency WAFA reported on Friday.

Israel pounds Beirut's southern suburbs after US truce push

Israel pounded Beirut's southern suburbs with a series of powerful airstrikes early on Friday morning after issuing evacuation orders to residents, in the first such strikes in days targeting the dense urban area, Reuters witnesses said.

The Israeli military said it was targetting Hezbollah facilities and assets, an assertion that it has repeated over the course of dozens of strikes over more than a month in the neighborhood where the Iran-backed group holds sway.

IN PICS | Aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs

Lebanese PM's office denies US asked Lebanon to declare unilateral ceasefire with Israel

The office of Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati on Friday denied that the US had asked Lebanon to declare a unilateral ceasefire, after two sources told Reuters that a US envoy had made the request to inject momentum into stalled talks on a deal to end hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.

In a statement to Reuters, Mikati's office said the government's stance was clear on seeking a ceasefire from both sides and the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between the two foes in 2006. (Reuters)

43,259 Palestinians killed, over 101,000 injured in Gaza since October last year

At least 43,259 Palestinians have been killed and 101,827 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Friday. (Reuters)

WHO 'deeply concerned' over rising attacks on healthcare workers and facilities in Lebanon

The World Health Organisation is deeply concerned about rising attacks on health care workers and facilities in Lebanon, a WHO official said on Friday.

While 55 attacks have been verified, the actual number of incidents is likely to be significantly higher, Margaret Harris said at a UN briefing. (Reuters)

At least 10 Palestinians killed in Israeli strike on school in Gaza

At least 10 Palestinians were killed on Friday in an Israeli strike targeting the entrance of a school sheltering displaced people in Nuseirat camp in the central Gaza Strip, medics told Reuters.

Israeli cabinet approves 2025 state budget as war drags on

Israel has had to boost military spending by billions of shekels to accommodate the cost of a war that has resulted in thousands of troops deployed in Gaza and Lebanon, while much of the economy has slowed drastically due to a lack of workers.

Read more

Iran signals possible missile expansion, nuclear doctrine shift

Kamal Kharrazi, an adviser to Iran's Supreme Leader, told pro-Iran broadcaster Al-Mayadeen on Friday that Tehran is likely to increase the range of its ballistic missiles.

Kharrazi also indicated that Iran's nuclear doctrine could change if the nation faced an existential threat. (Reuters)

Delayed Gaza polio vaccinations to resume on Saturday, agencies say

The third phase of a delayed polio vaccination campaign in Gaza will begin on Saturday, aid organisations said on Friday, after the rollout was derailed by Israeli bombardments, mass displacement and lack of access.

The polio campaign began on Sept. 1 after the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed in August that a baby was partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus, the first such case in the territory in 25 years. (Reuters)

Israel claims to have killed one of Hamas' last senior officials

The Israeli military said on Friday it killed senior Hamas official Izz al-Din Kassab, describing him as one of the last high-ranking members of Hamas responsible for coordinating with other groups in Gaza, in an airstrike in Khan Younis. (Reuters)

Lebanon death toll from Israeli attacks rises to 2,897, ministry says

Beirut: Israeli attacks have killed at least 2,897 people and injured 13,150 in Lebanon, with 30 fatalities reported in the past 24 hours, Lebanon's health ministry said on Friday.

-Reuters

At least 41 killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon's Baalbek region, governor says

Beirut: At least 41 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon's Baalbek region on Friday, the regional governor said.

-Reuters

Israeli military says sirens sound in central Israel

Cairo: The Israeli military said in the early hours of Saturday that sirens sounded in a number of areas in central Israel following launches that crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

The military said shortly afterwards that three projectiles crossed from Lebanon, some of which it said were intercepted.

"A fallen projectile was most likely identified in the area," the army added, noting that the details were under examination.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said later in a statement it had targeted a "vital target" north of Israel with drones. It was not immediately clear if the group's action was related to the sirens.

The development comes as Israel's escalation in Lebanon continues and fighting between the Israeli forces and the Lebanese Hezbollah group rages on.

-Reuters

North Gaza 'apocalyptic,' everyone at 'imminent risk' of death, warns UN

The situation in the northern Gaza Strip is "apocalyptic" as Israel pursues a military offensive against Hamas militants in the area, top United Nations officials warned on Friday.

"The entire Palestinian population in North Gaza is at imminent risk of dying from disease, famine and violence," they said in a statement signed by the acting U.N. aid chief Joyce Msuya, heads of U.N. agencies, including U.N. children's agency UNICEF and the World Food Programme, and other aid groups.

-Reuters

Yemen's Houthis getting 'unprecedented' outside military support: UN report

According to a UN report released Friday, Yemen's Houthi rebels are becoming a "powerful military organisation" as a result of "unprecedented" military assistance from external parties, including Iran and Hezbollah, AFP reported.

The Houthis, who have ruled over vast areas of war-torn Yemen for ten years, have "exploited the regional situation and enhanced cooperation with the 'axis of resistance,'" which consists of Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah, according to UN experts, since the start of the conflict in Gaza last year.

It recognised "the transformation of the Houthis from a localised armed group with limited capabilities to a powerful military organisation, extending their operational capabilities well beyond the territories under their control."

IDF shares details of '1 month recap of limited, localized & targeted' operations against Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon

Khamenei says US, Israel will face 'crushing response' for confronting Iran

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said on Saturday that the United States and Israel will "undoubtedly receive a crushing response" for what they do against his country, state media reported.

"Enemies, including America and the Zionist regime, should know that they will undoubtedly receive a crushing response for what they do against Iran and the resistance front," Khamenei said.

He made the comments to students ahead of the anniversary of the 1979 seizure of the US embassy in Tehran by hardline students shortly after the Islamic revolution that ousted the US-backed Shah. (Reuters)

Pro-Iran coalition in Iraq says it carried out drone strike on Israel

A group of Iraq-based pro-Iran outfits claimed that it had carried out drone strikes on the Israeli resort of Eilat on Saturday, news agency AFP reported.

Hezbollah attacks Israeli airbase with drones

The Lebanese Hezbollah group said it had targeted Israel's Palmachim Airbase in southern Tel Aviv on Saturday with drones.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the attack. (Reuters)

43,314 Palestinians killed, over 1.02 lakh injured in Israeli offensive on Gaza since Oct 7, 2023

At least 43,314 Palestinians have been killed and 102,019 injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, Gaza's health ministry said. (Reuters)

Hezbollah fires rocket salvo at 'military industries' in Israel's Haifa

Iran-backed Hezbollah carried out a rocket attack against Israeli "military industries" in Zvulun, near the northern city of Haifa, following a drone attack on a base south of Tel Aviv, news agency AFP reported.

Twice on Saturday, "salvos of rockets" were fired at "the Zvulun base for military industries north of the city of Haifa", AFP reported the the militant group as saying.

Earlier, Hezbollah had said it had launched drones at the Palmachim air base south of Tel Aviv.

Large Israeli force lands in Lebanese coastal town, seizes one person

A suspected Israeli naval force landed in the northern Lebanese coastal town of Batroun early on Saturday and captured one person, a security source said, while another source confirmed the incident but did not say who was responsible.

There was no immediate comment from Israeli and Lebanese authorities.

Pro-Hezbollah journalist Hassan Illaik said in a post on X that a large group of Israeli troops made a landing in the resort town and captured the man, before departing on speed boats.

He shared CCTV footage appearing to show soldiers walking in a street, two of them holding a person.

Lebanese transport minister Ali Hamiye, who represents Hezbollah in Lebanon's government, said the video was accurate but did not provide further details. (Reuters)

Disclaimer: DH could not independently verify the video.

Senior Hezbollah member reportedly captured from Lebanon town by Israel

Israeli naval forces captured a senior Hezbollah official, Imad Amhaz, in an operation in northern Lebanon on Friday, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said on X, citing an Israeli official.

Egypt hosts Fatah-Hamas ceasefire talks on Gaza

Cairo is hosting meetings between Fatah and Hamas to discuss forming a committee to run Gaza as part of post-war plans, a senior Egyptian security source has told Egypt's state affiliated Al Qahera News TV.

The move is part of Egypt's mediation efforts involving Palestinian and Israeli parties to reach a ceasefire and expand humanitarian aid access.

The source also said that Hamas insists that talks should lead to a comprehensive agreement that secures an end to the war, and also achieves a hostages-for-prisoners swap deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has said war can only end once Hamas is eradicated. (Reuters)

Israel raises alert level in Lower Galilee, allows limited gatherings

Israel's military said on Saturday it had updated the Home Front Command's defensive guidelines, raising the alert level in the Lower Galilee and southern Golan regions from "partial" to "full" while permitting gatherings of up to 2,000 people in some communities.

The changes reflect heightened security concerns at a time of hostilities between Israeli forces and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, increasing readiness in specific areas while allowing limited public activities. (Reuters)

Israeli military says it has killed Hezbollah rocket unit cammander in Southern Lebanon

Two more Israeli soldiers killed in southern Gaza, military says

Cairo: The Israeli military said on Saturday two more Israeli soldiers had been killed in the southern Gaza Strip, and that the total number of Israeli soldiers killed in the Palestinian enclave since October 2023 had risen to 780.

-Reuters

Israel eases restrictions in north amid heightened tensions with Hezbollah

Israel's military announced updates to its Home Front Command's defensive guidelines on Saturday, raising the alert level in the Lower Galilee and southern Golan regions from "partial" to "full".

It also eased restrictions in its precautionary guidelines to the public by permitting gatherings of up to 2,000 people in some communities.

The changes follow ongoing hostilities with Hezbollah in Lebanon, which shares its southern border with Israel and has exchanged fire with Israeli forces since October 2023.

-Reuters

Israeli military says it killed Hezbollah unit commander in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military said on Saturday it had killed Jaafar Khader Faour, a commander of Hezbollah's Nasser Brigade rocket unit in southern Lebanon, and said he had been responsible for multiple attacks on Israel since October 2023.

Hezbollah did not immediately comment or confirm Faour's death.

-Rueters

US warns Iran that it won't be able to restrain Israel if it attacks again

he U.S. has warned Iran in recent days against launching another attack on Israel, adding Washington will not be able to restrain Israel if it attacks again, Axios reported on Saturday, citing a U.S. official and a former Israeli official.

Axios previously reported that Israeli intelligence suggests Iran is preparing to attack Israel from Iraqi territory in the coming days, possibly before the U.S. presidential election on Nov. 5.

(Reuters)

IDF shares raw footage of a weapon-manufacturing unit in Gaza

Israel army issues new evacuation call for Lebanon's Baalbek region

The Israeli military called for the evacuation of the Baalbek area in eastern Lebanon, warning that it was poised to strike Hezbollah targets there and in nearby Douris.

"You are currently located near the facilities and assets associated with Hezbollah, which the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) will be targeting in the near future," the Israeli military's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X addressed to residents of Baalbek and Douris. (AFP)

Israeli attacks kill 23 people in Gaza, medics say, as ceasefire hopes dim

Israeli forces stepped up bombardment of the Gaza Strip on Sunday killing at least 23 people, Palestinian medics said, with over half the deaths in northern areas where the army has waged a month-long campaign it says is to prevent Hamas from regrouping.

Palestinians said the new aerial and ground offensives and forced evacuations were “ethnic cleansing” aimed at emptying two north Gaza towns and a camp of their populations to create buffer zones. Israel denies this, saying it is fighting Hamas militants who launch attacks from there.

Medics said at least 13 Palestinians were killed in separate attacks on houses in Beit Lahiya town and Jabalia, the largest of the enclave's eight historic refugee camps and the focus of the army's new military offensive. The rest were killed in separate Israeli air strikes in Gaza City and the southern areas. (Reuters)

Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says war death toll at 43,341

Lebanon says 3 killed in Israeli strike near Sidon city

Lebanon's health ministry said three people were killed and nine others wounded in an Israeli strike Sunday on Haret Saida, a densely populated area near the southern city of Sidon.

At least seven Palestinians killed in Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis city in Gaza

 At least seven Palestinians, including children, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Sunday, health officials told Reuters.

Turkey presses UN for arms embargo on Israel in joint letter

Turkey's foreign ministry said Sunday it had submitted a letter to the United Nations, signed by 52 countries and two organisations, calling for a halt in arms deliveries to Israel. (AFP)

Israel's Netanyahu visits Lebanon border: PM office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Lebanese border on Sunday, his office said, as the Israeli military continued to pound Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon.

"Netanyahu visited the Lebanon border today," his office said in a statement, his second such visit to the frontier in less than a month. (AFP)

Iran president says potential ceasefire 'could affect' response to Israel

Israel PM vows to respond 'firmly' to Hezbollah in visit to Lebanon border

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed during a visit to the Lebanon border to respond "firmly" to Hezbollah's attacks and to prevent the group from rearming, his office said.

"I want to be clear: with or without an agreement, the key to restoring peace and security in the north, the key to bringing our northern residents back home safely, is first and foremost to push Hezbollah back beyond the Litani River, secondly to target any attempt to rearm, and thirdly to respond firmly to any action taken against us," Netanyahu told soldiers at the border, according to a statement from his office. (AFP)

Death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon reaches 2,986, ministry says

Beirut: The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon has now climbed to 2,986 and the number of injured to 13,402 since October 2023, including 18 dead and 83 injured in the past 24 hours, the Lebanese health ministry said on Sunday.

At least 772 of those killed were women and children, the ministry added in a statement.

-Reuters

Israeli authorities probe suspected Gaza intelligence leak by Netanyahu aide

Rishon le-zion, Israel: A suspected leak of classified Gaza documents involving an aide to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has jolted Israeli politics and outraged the families of hostages held by Hamas who have been pushing for a deal to get their loved ones home.

Details of the case have been trickling out only slowly because of a gag order.

But a court ruling partially lifting the order has provided an initial glimpse of the case which the court said had compromised security sources and may have harmed Israel's war effort.

On Friday, the magistrates' court confirmed that a number of suspects had been arrested as part of the probe into a suspected "security breach caused by the illegal provision of classified information."

Netanyahu has denied any wrongdoing by his office staffers and said in a statement on Saturday that he was only made aware of the leaked document by the media. The suspects could not be reached for comment.

-Reuters

Israeli airstrikes kill at least 31 people in Gaza, medics say

Cairo: Israeli airstrikes killed at least 31 people in the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian medics said, with nearly half of the deaths in northern areas where the army has waged a month-long campaign it says aims to prevent Hamas regrouping.

Palestinians said the new aerial and ground offensives and forced evacuations were "ethnic cleansing" aimed at emptying two northern Gaza towns and a refugee camp of their population in order to create buffer zones. Israel denies this, saying it is fighting Hamas militants who launch attacks from there.

Medics said at least 13 Palestinians were killed in separate attacks on houses in Beit Lahiya town and Jabalia, the largest of the enclave's eight historic camps and the focus of the army's new offensive.

The rest were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City and in southern areas, including one in Khan Younis, which health officials said had killed eight people, including four children.

Later on Sunday, health officials at the Kamal Adwan Hospital near Beit Lahiya said the facility came under Israeli tank fire and that one child hospitalized at the hospital was critically wounded.

Hussam Abu Safiya, the hospital's director said the incident took place after a delegation from the World Health Organization visited the facility and evacuated some patients.

He said while evacuating the wounded was important, it was more important to dispatch specialized medical teams to north Gaza hospitals that have become overwhelmed by the number of casualties.

-Reuters

Dialogue among Palestinian factions in Cairo is 'positive', senior Hamas official says

Cairo: A dialogue among Palestinian factions in Cairo has been "positive", senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told the Palestinian militant group's Al Aqsa TV on Sunday, though he added that he did not want to rush to any conclusions.

Hamdan also said that Hamas had not received any new written proposals regarding a possible ceasefire in Gaza, where the group has been battling Israeli forces for more than a year.

-Reuters

Amid war, 94,00 Gaza children get second polio vaccine dose

Nearly 94,000 children in Gaza City received a second dose of polio vaccine this weekend in an effort that was delayed by intense Israeli bombardment and mass evacuation orders in the northern Gaza Strip, the Gaza Health Ministry said. (NYT)

Israel seizes man in first announced ground ops into Syria

Iran arrests Iranian-American citizen after Israel attacks on country

Israel informs UN that 1967 agreement recognising UNRWA is void

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said "UNRWA, the organizations whose employees took part in the October 7 massacre and many of whose workers are Hamas operatives, is part of the problem in Gaza, not part of the solution," adding, "The UN was provided with countless pieces of evidence regarding Hamas operatives who work in UNRWA, and nothing was done."

The country has also notified the United Nations it is canceling its agreement regulating UNRWA operations. (Times of Israel and Axios reports)

Israel attack kills Hezbollah commander in Baraachit, says military

The IAF struck and eliminated Abu Ali Rida, the Hezbollah commander of the Baraachit area in southern Lebanon. Abu Ali Rida was responsible for planning and executing rocket and anti-tank missile attacks on IDF troops and oversaw the terrorist activities of Hezbollah operatives in the area, the IDF said.

Latest visuals from Israeli operations in Gaza

In the Gaza Strip, the IAF, with the direction of the ISA and IDF ground troops, struck and eliminated the terrorist Ahmed Al-Dalu, a member of the Islamic Jihad's Military Intelligence Unit. Ahmed Al-Dalu took part in the October 7th Massacre in the Israeli community of Kfar Aza. An additional terrorist was eliminated alongside him, the IDF said.

Sirens ring out in several parts of northern Israel

The IDF reported sirens ringing out in Keshet, Ani'am, and Katzrin in northern Israel

As tensions with Israel escalate, Iran executes Jewish Iranian in murder case

Arvin Ghahremani was hanged in prison in the western city of Kermanshah after being convicted of a murder during a street fight, a Norway-based Iran Human Rights Group said, as per AFP.

Sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee area, northern Israel: IDF

Four UAVs fired at Israel from Lebanon and the east as tensions simmer

The IDF said four UAVs were fired from Lebanon and the east -- two were intercepted after they entered Israeli territory, and two were intercepted outside.

Hezbollah says launched 'big rocket salvo' at Israel's Safed: AFP

Israel ban on UNRWA likely to cause Gaza aid work 'collapse', says Palestinian aid body

Israel today communicated it to the UN, after maintaining for long that UNRWA was in cahoots with Hamas.

'Destabilising': Iran slams US deployment of B-52 bombers

ran's foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Monday criticised what he called the United States' "destabilising presence" after the deployment of B-52 bombers in the region. (AFP)

30 projectiles fired from Lebanon, says Israel army

The IDF said some had been intercepted while most fell in open areas.

As 94K Gaza kids get 2nd polio shot, Israel denies striking vaccination clinic

The Israeli military denied on Monday that it had hit a clinic in the northern Gaza Strip where health workers were carrying out polio vaccinations.

Nearly 94,000 children in Gaza City received a second dose of polio vaccine this weekend in an effort that was delayed by intense Israeli bombardment and mass evacuation orders in the northern Gaza Strip, the Gaza Health Ministry said. (Reuters and NYT)

43,374 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023

Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 43,374 Palestinians and wounded 102,261 since Oct. 7, 2023, the Palestinian enclave's health ministry said on Monday. (Reuters)

Latest visuals from Israel-Lebanon hostilities

Berlin calls on Israel to boost aid access to 'desperate' north Gaza

Germany calls on Israel to let more humanitarian aid into north Gaza, where a lack of supplies has led to a "desperate" and "unbearable" situation, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Monday.

"We call on the Israeli government urgently to meet its responsibilities under international law," the spokesperson told a regular news conference in Berlin.

"Israel has the right to self defence against Hamas within the framework of humanitarian international law," he added. (Reuters)

IDF releases footage of strike on launcher used to fire rockets at Israel from Lebanon

Israeli strikes kill 10 people in Gaza, keep up pressure on north

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 10 Palestinians in Gaza on Monday, with seven dead in an attack on two houses in the north Gaza town of Beit Lahiya and three fatalities in a strike on a house in Nuseirat camp in the enclave's centre, medics told Reuters.

Several people were wounded in both attacks, they said, adding that Israeli forces had sent tanks into the northeast of Nuseirat camp earlier on Monday.

Israel deployed tanks into Jabalia, Beit Hanoun, and Beit Lahiya on Oct. 5, 2024, saying it intended to prevent Hamas from regrouping.

Palestinians said the new aerial and ground offensives and forced evacuations were "ethnic cleansing" aimed at emptying two northern Gaza towns and a refugee camp of their population to create buffer zones. Israel denies this, saying it is fighting Hamas militants who launch attacks from there. (Reuters)

Israeli settlers torch cars on Ramallah outskirts

Jewish settlers torched 20 cars during an attack on Palestinian property on the outskirts of Ramallah on Monday, residents said, in one of their boldest raids yet in the area that serves as the Palestinians' seat of government in the occupied West Bank.

Around a dozen attackers, masked and carrying petrol bombs, targeted the Al-Bireh area, which adjoins Ramallah, at around 3 am (0100 GMT), torching the cars in a matter of minutes, they said.

Resident Ihab al-Zaben said he yelled at the settlers but they carried on burning the vehicles regardless.

"When we came down to try to extinguish the fire, they started shooting at us," he said.

The facade of a residential building was left blackened by fires set in cars that had been parked outside.

The Israeli police and the Shin Bet security agency were investigating after receiving a report that a number of Palestinian cars had been burned, the Israeli police spokesperson said in a statement.

Jewish settler violence against Palestinian communities in the West Bank has drawn condemnation internationally and led to sanctions on violent settlers by some governments, notably the United States, which has urged Israel to do more to stop the attacks. (Reuters)

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Sirens ring out in northern Israel; air force intercepts UAV launched from Lebanon

Sirens were sounded in the Manara, Margaliot, Western Galilee, and Upper Galilee areas of northern Israel on Monday evening, the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said on its Telegram channel, as the Israeli Air Force (IAF) said it intercepted a UAV launched from Lebanon.

US voices alarm to Israel over settler violence in West Bank

The United States on Monday urged Israel to take action over violence by settlers in the West Bank, voicing alarm after the torching of nearly 20 cars near Ramallah.

"The United States is deeply concerned by these and other recent reports of increasing extremist settler violence in the West Bank," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

In addition to the torching of cars on Monday, Miller pointed to West Bank settlers' attacks on homes, killing of Palestinians' livestock and hindering of olive harvesting.

Israel says it struck Hezbollah target near Damascus, Syria says civilian sites hit

Israel's Air Force said on Monday it had struck Hezbollah intelligence assets near Damascus in an attack on key infrastructure in Syria that Syria said had targeted civilian sites.

"Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters has a branch in Syria, which includes an independent intelligence gathering, coordination, and assessment network," the Israeli military said in a statement, expanding on the Air Force's post on X.

Syria's defence ministry earlier said Israel targeted civilian sites south of the capital and had caused some damage.

Syrian state media SANA said that initial reports indicated the strike had hit the Sayeda Zeinab area. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Sayeda Zeinab, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and site of a major Shi'ite shrine, has been the target in previous strikes.

Israeli strikes target Syria for a second day in a row

Jerusalem: The Israeli military on Tuesday said its air force had struck targets in Syria for the second day in a row, attacks it said were aimed at cutting off the flow of weapons and intelligence between Hezbollah, the armed Lebanese group, and its sponsor, Iran.

The announcement was the third time in a week that Israel made the rare admission of attacking inside Syria. The strike Tuesday targeted “weapons storage facilities used by Hezbollah’s munitions unit” in al-Qusayr in Syria, near the Lebanese border, according to a statement from the Israeli military.

The military has said that Hezbollah’s munitions unit recently expanded its activities into Syria, and accused the armed group of deliberately establishing weapons infrastructure within civilian areas.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a British-based group that monitors violence in Syria, on Tuesday reported that Israeli jets struck warehouses in and near al-Qusayr, an industrial city, and that about seven explosions were heard. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

-NYT

Egypt joins Turkey call to UN for arms embargo on Israel, AFP reports

Iran's Revolutionary Guards Deputy Commander Fadavi says Iran and 'resistance front' are ready for confrontation

Rescue workers pull 30 bodies from apartments in Lebanon after Israeli strike, reports AP

Iran says it is ready for confrontation with Israel as Trump claims victory

Iran's Revolutionary Guards deputy chief Ali Fadavi said Tehran is ready for confrontation with Israel and does not rule out a pre-emptive strike by the U.S. and Israel, the Iranian Student News Agency reported on Wednesday, after Donald Trump claimed victory in the US presidential election

Iran sentences four people to death over charges of spying for Israel

Four people were sentenced to death by a revolutionary court in northwest Iran over charges of spying for Israel, the semi-official Fars news agency reported on Wednesday.

Hezbollah fired missiles at Israel military base near main airport, reports AFP

IAEA Chief Grossi: New US administration means "Adjustments, Different Approaches" in dealing with Iran

IAEA chief says might visit Iran in the coming days

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi on Wednesday said he might visit the Iranian capital Tehran in the coming days, and he expected to work cooperatively with the newly elected US President Donald Trump.

"Maybe in a few days, we still have to confirm the moment but it will be done," Grossi told a news conference in Rome after a nuclear energy event, when asked about a trip to the Iranian capital.

Asked about what might change in dealing with Iran after Trump's victory, he said a new administration means "adjustments, different approaches."

Hezbollah chief says ceasefire deal not hinged on who wins US election, reports AFP

Strike on Beirut's southern suburbs after Israel evacuation warning, AFP reports

Lebanon minister says death toll tops 2,600 since Israel intensified strikes on Sept 23, reports AFP

Iraq says will not allow its territory to be used in Mideast conflicts, reports AFP

Israel's Netanyahu calls Trump, discusses Iran threat: PM office, reports AFP

30 killed, 35 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon's Baalbek-Hermel province

UN to Israel: Replacing UNRWA relief agency would be your responsibility

The United Nations says replacing its Palestinian relief agency UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank is not the world body's responsibility, signaling it was Israel's problem, according to a letter excerpt seen by Reuters.

The U.N. formally responded in a letter to Israel's decision to cut ties with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, a move that UNRWA has said leaves its operations in Gaza and the West Bank at risk of collapse.

Under a new law, Israel told the U.N. on Sunday it was ending a 1967 cooperation agreement with UNRWA that covered its protection, movement and diplomatic immunity. The law will also ban UNRWA's operations in Israel from late January.

PSG fans unveil 'Free Palestine' banner as France v Israel Paris game approaches

Fans from Paris St Germain's Boulogne Kop unveiled a giant 'Free Palestine' banner before the kickoff of their Champions League game against Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, eight days before France take on Israel in Paris in a Nations League game.

"War on the pitch, but peace in the world," a message underneath said. (Reuters)

Hezbollah launched 170 projectiles into Israel last night: IDF

Israeli parliament passes law allowing deportation of relatives of ‘terrorists’

Lawmakers in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, gave final approval to legislation allowing the government to deport family members of so-called “terrorists” to war-torn Gaza and elsewhere, even if they are Israeli citizens.

-Al Jazeera

The Israeli military is carrying out artillery shelling in the city of Rafah in southern Gaza

-Al Jazeera

60 Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated in a number of strikes in Baalbek and north of the Litani River: IDF

IDF said in the a statement, " Over the past day, the IAF struck over 110 terror targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Among the targets struck were approximately 20 terror targets in the area of Baalbek and north of the Litani River, in which approximately 60 Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated.

Additionally, dozens of terror targets were struck, including a launcher from which projectiles were fired toward central Israel, weapons storage facilities, and additional terrorist infrastructure. "

Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims drone operation against Israel

The coalition of armed groups has released video footage of what it said was the launch of an attack drone towards a military target in territories occupied by Israel.

The group, which regularly launches drones bound for Israel, gave no further details of its intended target, only that the attack was a “continuation of our approach to resisting the occupation, and in support of our people in Palestine and Lebanon”.

-Al Jazeera

Israeli military says no return home for north Gaza residents

The Israeli army will not allow residents of northern Gaza to return to their homes, the Israeli Broadcasting Authority says, citing a military briefing on Tuesday evening.

Israeli forces plan to split Gaza City off from the rest of the north, in an operation that appears to be the first official acknowledgement that Israel plans to permanently displace northern Gaza’s population.

At least 11 killed in and around Gaza’s Jabalia

At least six people have been killed in Israeli artillery shelling targeting a group of people near the Abu Sharkh roundabout west of the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza.

-Al Jazeera

Israel signs deal to acquire 25 F-15 fighter jets from Boeing Co

The Israeli defence ministry said on Thursday it had signed an agreement to acquire 25 next generation F-15 fighter jets from Boeing Co.

It said the $5.2 billion agreement was part of a broader package of U.S. aid approved by the U.S. administration and Congress earlier this year and included an option for 25 additional aircraft.

The aircraft will be equipped with weapons systems integrated with existing Israeli weapons as well as having increased range and payloads.

"These advantages will enable the Israeli Air Force to maintain its strategic superiority in addressing current and future challenges in the Middle East," the ministry said in a statement.

Delivery of the F-15 aircraft will begin in 2031, with 4-6 aircraft to be supplied annually, it said.

"This F-15 squadron, alongside the third F-35 squadron procured earlier this year, represents a historic enhancement of our air power and strategic reach - capabilities that proved crucial during the current war," the director general of the defence ministry, Eyal Zamir, said in the statement.

-Reuters