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
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.”
Israeli forces and Hezbollah clash in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah said on Sunday it was fighting Israeli forces trying to infiltrate Ramya village in southern Lebanon, as a third UN peacekeeper was wounded in Israel’s escalating conflict with the Iran-backed Lebanese group.
Israeli strikes have shook the peacekeepers’ main base in southern Lebanon, prompting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Western countries to condemn the attacks. The UNIFIL force called it a “serious development” and said the security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed.
France summoned Israel’s ambassador and issued a statement with Italy and Spain calling such attacks “unjustifiable”. US President Joe Biden said he was asking Israel not to hit the UNIFIL forces. Russia said it was “outraged” and demanded Israel refrain from “hostile actions” against peacekeepers.
As Hezbollah and Israel battle on the border, Lebanon's army watches from the sidelines
Since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have clashed along the border while the Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines.
It’s not the first time the national army has found itself watching war at home from the discomfiting position of bystander.
Lebanon’s widely beloved army is one of the few institutions that bridge the country’s sectarian and political divides. Several army commanders have become president, and the current commander, Gen. Joseph Aoun, is widely regarded as one of the front-runners to step in when the deadlocked parliament fills a two-year vacuum and names a president.
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As Hezbollah and Israel battle on the border, Lebanon's army watches from the sidelines
Since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have clashed along the border while the Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines
The Trump Organization wants to open a luxury hotel in the heart of Israel
Donald Trump’s family business tried to open a luxury hotel in Jerusalem, Israel, according to a report.
The Trump Organization sought a deal last year to open a Trump-branded hotel on the former site of Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The New York Times reported.
The former president’s company also looked into transforming a developing skyscraper — near the Israel Defense Forces headquarters — in Tel Aviv into another hotel. Once completed, that building will house the most hotel rooms in the country, the outlet noted.
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The Trump Organization wants to open a luxury hotel in the heart of Israel
The Trumps reportedly planned to start with the Jerusalem project before possibly expanding to Tel Aviv
The UN says that aid entering Gaza is at its lowest level in months
UN humanitarian officials say aid entering Gaza is at its lowest level in months and warn that critical lifelines in the territory’s north, where Israel has renewed its military offensive, have been cut off.
UN deputy spokesman Farhan Haq delivered the grim news Friday, saying the main crossings into northern Gaza have been closed and no food or other essential supplies have entered since Oct. 1. More than 400,000 people who remain in the north are under increasing pressure to move south, he said.
“The situation is terrible” across northern Gaza, Haq said, adding that the entire territory faces insecurity.
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The UN says that aid entering Gaza is at its lowest level in months
U.N. humanitarian officials say aid entering Gaza is at its lowest level in months and warn that critical lifelines in the territory’s north have been cut off
Israeli soldier urges UK to be Churchill not Chamberlain in standing against ‘evil’ Iran
A wounded Israeli soldier urged the UK not to forget the mistake of Neville Chamberlain by being more like Churchill and standing up against “the evil of Iran”.
Barak Deri, an Israeli Defence Force reservist, has been hailed as a hero in his country and is visiting London this week as part of a mission to win support for Israel’s struggle in the ongoing war on multiple fronts in the Middle East.
The 32-year-old, who was wounded and is likely to be disabled for the rest of his life, arrived in the UK with a simple warning that “Israel’s war is the West’s war” and the demand: “We cannot be quiet, we must send a clear message that another Holocaust is not an option.”
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Israeli soldier urges UK to be Churchill not Chamberlain in standing against Iran
Wounded soldier Barak Deri said his war started on 7 October last year when he faced ‘the toughest choice’ of his life
Activists risk their lives to rescue animals in areas of Lebanon hit by Israeli airstrikes
Hours after an Israeli strike destroyed a three-story building in Beirut, killing at least 10 people, Maggie Sharawi received a telephone call from a person living nearby saying that the attack had killed a cat that had several kittens.
While civil defense members were combing through the rubble for human victims or survivors, Sharawi and other members of Animals Lebanon, an animal protection organization, also rushed to the scene in Beirut’s central Burj Abi Haidar neighborhood Friday.
They began climbing through rubble, twisted metal and collapsed walls to reach the kittens. The animals, just a few days old, were pulled out, put in a plastic carrier and taken away as the rescuers continued searching for other cats whose cries could be heard emerging from under the debris.
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Activists risk their lives to rescue animals in areas of Lebanon hit by Israeli airstrikes
Animal rights activists are risking their lives in Lebanon to rescue cats, dogs and other animals harmed by Israeli airstrikes
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