Israel-Lebanon latest: ‘At least 7’ killed in Israeli airstrike on Gaza school as Al Jazeera office shut down
Israel has accused Al Jazeera of being the ‘mouthpiece’ of Hezbollah and Hamas - allegations it denies
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At least seven people have been killed in an Israeli airstrike on a Gaza school, the Hamas-run health ministry said.
The strike hit Kafr Qasem School in Gaza City at around 11am (8am GMT) local time on Sunday as it was being used to shelter displaced people, the ministry added.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted Hamas fighters and it had used aerial surveillance to limit the risk to civilians.
It come as Israeli forces raided the bureau of Qatar-funded media network Al Jazeera in Palestine’s capital of Ramallah in the West Bank.
Balaclava-clad troops could be seen standing in the network’s newsroom with rifles as a military order was issued to shut down operations for 45 days.
Israeli has accused Al Jazeera of being “the mouthpiece” of Gaza’s Hamas and Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah. The network denies these allegations.
Meanwhile, Israel said it struck around 290 targets inside Lebanon after Hezbollah launched just over 100 rockets at northern Israel in the most intense skirmish since the war in Gaza began almost a year ago.
Israel closed schools and in many northern areas of the country and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights early on Sunday, with reports of rockets hitting Haifa, a port city around 17 miles from the Lebanon border.
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The Lebanon explosions raise a question: Deep into the smartphone era, who is still using pagers?
Japan company denies making Hezbollah walkie-talkies that exploded in Lebanon
David Lammy considers plans to evacuate Britons from Lebanon as Israel conflict escalates
What is Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group hit in ‘double tap’ pager attacks?
Israel will 'pay price' for killing top commander, Hamas says
Hamas has warned Israel will “pay the price” for killing a top Hezbollah commander in an airstrike on the Lebanese capital of Beirut.
The group, based in Gaza, described the killing as a “crime” and “folly”. Hamas is part of Iran’s so called axis of resistance.
The “axis of resistance” comprises a group of violent proxies across Yemen, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon and Palestine, coordinated by Iran’s Quds Force, the foreign arm of the IRGC.
The Quds Force’s aim is to export Iran’s 1979 Islamic revolution abroad. The US assassinated the former head of the Quds Force, Qassem Solemaini, in January 2020.
Lebanon’s Hezbollah, the most powerful group in the axis, boasts 100,000 fighters and has exchanged fire with Israeli forces in near daily exchanges since Hamas attacked Israel last year.
What to know about the growing conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah
This week saw a dizzying escalation in the 11-month-old conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
First came two days of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah — deadly attacks pinned on Israel that also maimed civilians around Lebanon.
Hezbollah’s leader vowed to retaliate, and on Friday the militant group launched dozens of rockets into northern Israel. Later in the day, Israel said it killed the commander of Hezbollah’s most elite unit with a strike in Beirut that left at least 14 dead.
Read the full article here:
What to know about the growing conflict between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah
This week saw a dizzying escalation in the 11-month-old conflict between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah
Israeli pensioner arrested over Iran-backed plot to assassinate Netanyahu, security service says
An Israeli man has been arrested on suspicion of involvement in a plot to assassinate prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu or other senior officials after being recruited by Iran, Israel’s internal security service has said.
The suspect – who was arrested in August – is a 73-year-old businessman with links to Turkey who had been smuggled into Iran for two meetings to discuss assassinating either Mr Netanyahu, defence minister Yoav Gallant or the head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, it was alleged in a joint statement from the Israeli police and Shin Bet.
The allegations date back to April, when when the Israeli man – named as Moti Maman – agreed to meet a wealthy businessman living in Iran for business purposes.
Read the full article here:
Israeli man arrested over ‘Iran-backed plot to assassinate Netanyahu’
Suspect was smuggled into Iran twice to discuss plots against Israel, police and Shin Bet security agency claim
Netanyahu accuses UK of undermining Israel’s right to self-defence
Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the UK government of “undermining” Israel’s right to self-defence.
Israel’s prime minister criticised the new Labour administration for suspending around 30 arms exports to the country amid concerns they could be used in violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza conflict.
Sir Keir Starmer has also dropped the previous Conservative government’s plan to challenge the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) application for an arrest warrant against Mr Netanyahu.
Read the full article here:
Netanyahu accuses UK of undermining Israel’s right to self-defence
The new Labour administration has taken decisions, including suspending some arms exports, which have caused diplomatic tensions with Israel
US no longer expects Israel-Hamas ceasefire before Biden leaves office
After nearly a year of conflict, senior US officials reportedly have lost hope that Israel and Hamas will reach a ceasefire deal before Joe Biden leaves office.
“No deal is imminent,” an unnamed official toldThe Wall Street Journal. “I’m not sure it ever gets done.”
“There’s no chance now of it happening,” another official, from an Arab country, added in the same report. “Everyone is in a wait-and-see mode until after the election. The outcome will determine what can happen in the next administration.”
Read the full article here:
US no longer expects Israel-Hamas ceasefire before Biden leaves office
Hostage and prisoner release terms reportedly a key sticking point
Are our smartphones and devices safe?
Pagers across Lebanon have exploded in what appears to be a highly advanced and unexpected deadly attack.
The particularly novel and surprising nature of the attack has led some to worry that it could represent a new front in warfare. And many have asked whether that might mean that all of our consumer devices could really be considered safe.
The simple answer is: yes, they are. There is nothing at all to indicate that the attacks suggest there is any danger to the smartphones and other technology that most people carry around every day.
Read the full article here:
Are our smartphones safe? Experts speak out about dangers after pager explosions
Deadly attacks rely on specific nature of pagers and the way they are delivered, experts say
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