Israel-Lebanon live: Hezbollah drone attack kills 4 Israeli soldiers as US to deploy Thaad missile system
UN warns attacks against peacekeepers may constitute a war crime
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The US is sending a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) battery to Israel along with troops to operate it
The announcement was made on Sunday just hours after Iran warned the US to keep its military forces out of Israel. Thaad deployment “underscores” America’s “ironclad commitment to the defense of Israel, and to defend Americans in Israel, from any further ballistic missile attacks by Iran”, the Pentagon said.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah drone attacks on an army base in central Israel killed at least four soldiers and severely wounded seven others, the military said.
The Iran-backed group called the attack near Binyamina city retaliation for Israeli strikes on Beirut that killed 22 people on Thursday.
The attack comes as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN chief Antonio Guterres to remove peacekeeping forces in southern Lebanon “immediately”.
“Mr Secretary General, get the UNIFIL forces out of harm’s way. It should be done right now, immediately,” Mr Netanyahu said.
It comes as 40 nations, including the UK, “strongly” condemn the attacks on peacekeepers, after five were injured by gunfire.
A spokesperson for UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said attacks against peacekeepers might constitute a “war crime”.
Biden administration to send anti-missile system and US troops to Israel
UK government condemns ‘appalling’ Israeli fire on UN peacekeeping HQ in Lebanon
Israel strike on Gaza school kills 28, injures 54, including children
Firing on peacekeepers ‘can never be tolerated’, says Irish premier after IDF reports
UN-backed experts say Israel is destroying Gaza's health sector and both sides have tortured people
Netanyahu urges peacekeepers to leave Lebanon combat zones
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged the United Nations on Sunday to evacuate troops in its UNIFIL peacekeeping force from combat areas in Lebanon.
Netanyahu said the military had asked the UN to evacuate the soldiers repeatedly, adding that their presence in the area made them hostages of Hezbollah.
Israeli foreign minister reiterates UN chief is persona non grata over Iran stance
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz reiterated on Sunday that the country considers UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres persona non grata due to his failure to condemn Iran’s missile attack and what Katz described as antisemitic and anti-Israel conduct.
Katz had said on 2 October that he was barring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not “unequivocally” condemned the missile attack.
Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel on 1 October amid an escalation in fighting between Israel and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Many were intercepted in flight but some penetrated missile defences.
Iran has ‘no red lines’ in defending its people, says foreign minister
Iran has “no red lines” when it comes to defending its people and interests, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said in a post on X on Sunday, as the region braces for Israel’s retaliation following Iran’s recent missile attack.
US believes Israel has narrowed down targets in Iran for retaliation
US officials believe Israel has narrowed down targets in its potential response to Iran’s attack this month to military and energy infrastructure, NBC reported on Saturday.
The Middle East remains on high alert for further escalation in a year of war as Israel battles Iran-backed groups Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. Tehran, a major oil producer, has threatened Israel with severe consequences if the Islamic Republic is attacked.
Israel has repeatedly said it will respond to Iran’s missile barrage on Oct. 1, which was launched in retaliation for Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon and the killings of a string of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
There is no indication that Israel will target nuclear facilities or carry out assassinations, the NBC report said, citing unnamed U.S. officials and adding that Israel has not made final decisions about how and when to act.
US and Israeli officials said a response could come during the current Yom Kippur holiday, according to the report.
Israeli officials have not publicly commented on the report.
Paramedics searching for casualties after Israeli strikes in Lebanon
The Lebanese Red Cross said paramedics were searching for casualties in the wreckage of a house destroyed by an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon on Sunday when a second strike left four paramedics with concussion and damaged two ambulances.
It said the rescue operation had been co-ordinated with UN peacekeepers, who informed the Israeli side.
Israeli forces have repeatedly fired upon first responders and UN peacekeepers since the start of the ground operation.
The military has accused Hezbollah of using ambulances to ferry fighters and weapons, without providing evidence. Lebanon’s Health Ministry denies the allegations.
Ground invasions in Gaza has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians
Israel’s bombardment and ground invasions of Gaza have killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, and left much of the territory in ruins.
Palestinian medical officials do not say whether those killed by Israeli forces are militants or civilians, but say women and children make up more than half the fatalities.
Israel says it has killed more than 17,000 fighters, without providing evidence.
Israeli forces target Jabaliya refugee camp
In northern Gaza, Israeli air and ground forces have been attacking Jabaliya, where the military says militants have regrouped. Over the past year, Israeli forces have repeatedly returned to the built-up refugee camp.
Israel has ordered the full evacuation of northern Gaza, including Gaza City. An estimated 400,000 people remain in the north after a mass evacuation ordered in the opening weeks of the war.
The Palestinians fear Israel intends to permanently depopulate the north to establish military bases or Jewish settlements.
The military confirmed on Saturday that hospitals were included in the evacuation orders but said it had not set a specific timetable.
Families forced to leave homes in Gaza City
Israeli forces widened their raid into northern Gaza, and tanks reached the north edge of Gaza City, pounding some districts of the Sheikh Radwan neighborhood, residents said, forcing many families to leave their homes.
Residents said Israeli forces have effectively isolated Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya in the far north of the enclave from Gaza City, blocking access between the two areas except upon their permission for families willing to leave the three towns, heeding evacuation orders.
Gaza’s health ministry said the eight-day-old Israeli incursions in the north have so far killed dozens of Palestinians, with dozens of others feared dead on roads and under rubble of their houses, beyond the reach of medical teams.
Many Jabalia residents posted on social media platforms: “We will not leave, we die, and we don’t leave.”
Israeli strike kills family of eight in Gaza
An Israeli strike on the central Gaza Strip has killed a family of eight, Palestinian medical officials said.
The strike came as Israeli forces battled Palestinian militants and pushed for the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from the north of the territory.
Israel is also waging an air and ground campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, and is expected to strike Iran in retaliation for a missile attack earlier this month, though it has not said how or when.
The strike in Gaza late Saturday hit a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing parents and their six children, who ranged in age from eight to 23, according to the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah, where the bodies were taken.
It said another seven people were wounded, including two women and a child in critical condition. An Associated Press reporter counted the bodies and filmed funeral prayers held at the hospital.
UK among 40 nations ‘strongly’ condemning attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
The UK is among 40 nations “strongly” condemning attacks on United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon.
Earlier this week, Israeli troops fired on UN headquarters in southern Lebanon, injuring two peacekeepers for the second time in as many days.
On Saturday, it was reported by the United Nations that another peacekeeper was injured by gunfire in the country’s south.
A joint statement, co-signed by the UK and posted to the X account of the Polish UN mission on Saturday, said attacks on peacekeepers “must stop immediately”.
The statement said: “As the countries contributors to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) we reaffirm our full support for Unifil’s mission and activities, whose principal aim is to bring stabilisation and lasting peace in South Lebanon as well as in the Middle East, in line with relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.
“We consider Unifil’s role as particularly crucial in light of the escalating situation in the region.
“We therefore strongly condemn recent attacks on the Unifil peacekeepers. Such actions must stop immediately and should be adequately investigated.”
The statement continued: “We urge the parties of the conflict to respect Unifil’s presence, which entails the obligation to guarantee the safety and security of its personnel at all times so that they can continue to implement its mandate and continue their work of mediation and support for peace and stability in Lebanon and the entire region.
“We reiterate our commitment to multilateral cooperation with the UN at its core. We call for respect for the international law, in particular the Charter of the United Nations as well as the relevant resolutions of the Security Council.”
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