key events
Overnight, the Israeli military released the name of a soldier it said was killed on the northern front during an IDF operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The military also said a soldier was “seriously injured during fighting” in northern Gaza on Wednesday.
The Israel Defense Forces said that since the launch of ground operations in Gaza on October 27, 2023, 368 soldiers have been killed and 262 IDF personnel are currently injured and hospitalized.
Journalists were unable to independently verify published casualty figures during the conflict.
Israel purchases 25 F-15 fighter jets as part of US aid package awarded by Biden/Harris administration
Reuters reported that the Israeli Defense Ministry said on Thursday that it had signed an agreement to purchase 25 next-generation F-15 fighter jets from Boeing.
The $5.2 billion deal is part of a broader U.S. aid package approved by the outgoing Biden/Harris administration and the U.S. Congress earlier this year and includes an option to buy an additional 25 aircraft, the company said.
Lebanon’s state news agency reported that at least ten locations came under Israeli air strikes overnight, while heavy artillery fire continued in the south of the country near the United Nations-drawn Blue Line that separates Lebanon and Israel.
There were also unconfirmed reports in Lebanon that Israeli soldiers were injured when their vehicle rolled over near a Lebanese village. Marlon Rasma.
According to the National News Agency:
Reconnaissance aircraft, drones and military aircraft continue to fly intensively over villages in the area fetal and Bint al-Jubeir district, and fired flares at villages in the West and Center districts, reaching the outskirts of Tire.
These claims have not been independently verified.
In an operational update posted via its official Telegram channel, the Israeli military claimed that its air operations baalbek and north of litani river exist lebanon It has “neutralized” what it claims are “approximately 60 Hezbollah terrorists” and attacked what it says is 20 targets.
These claims have not been independently verified. The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced yesterday that the death toll caused by the attack in Baalbek was 40.
Israel’s Knesset passes law allowing deportation of family members of people deemed terrorists
The Knesset passed a law early Thursday that would allow Israel to deport the families of Palestinian attackers to the Gaza Strip or other locations.
The law, backed by members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party and its far-right allies, passed in a 61-41 vote but is likely to be challenged in court.
It will apply to Palestinian citizens of Israel and residents of annexed East Jerusalem who authorities claim had prior knowledge of attacks against their families or “expressed support or approval of terrorist acts.”
Welcome and opening summary…
Welcome to The Guardian’s ongoing live coverage of Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon, and the wider Middle East crisis. Here are the latest headlines.
Israel launched new attacks in southern Beirut early Thursday. a few hours ago, Benjamin Netanyahu Said he spoke with the president-elect of the United States Donald Trump They “agreed to work together for Israel’s security”.
Israel’s prime minister was one of the first world leaders to congratulate Trump, calling his re-election “the greatest reversal in history.”
Netanyahu’s office said in a statement that the two “agreed to work together to safeguard Israel’s security” and “discussed the Iranian threat” during a phone call on Wednesday.
Shortly after, the Israeli military launched its latest attack on Iran-backed Hezbollah’s main stronghold in southern Beirut, with AFP reporting its footage showed an orange flash and billowing smoke over the densely populated suburb.
The Israeli army issued evacuation orders before the attack, calling on people to leave four neighborhoods, including one near the international airport.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said that Israel launched an air strike on the city of Baalbek in the Bekaa Valley on Wednesday, killing 40 people and injuring 53 others. Rescue workers were searching for survivors in the rubble.
Hezbollah has said the results of the U.S. election will have no impact on the war with Israel. In a speech after Trump’s election victory, Hezbollah’s new chief Naim Qasim It said only developments on the battlefield – not political action – could end Hezbollah’s hostilities with Israel, appearing to rule out any ceasefire talks unless Israel first halted its attacks.
In other news:
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Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas congratulates Donald Trump on electionexpressing confidence that he would support the Palestinians’ “legitimate desire” for statehood. Saudi Arabia’s de facto leader and crown prince mohammed bin salmancongratulated Trump on his speech, and Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace agreement with Israel, also congratulated him
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Four Israeli opposition leaders issued a joint statement condemning Benjamin Netanyahu’s firing of Defense Minister Yoav Galante. Protests over the firings took place in Jerusalem for a second night on Wednesday. Many protesters called for Netanyahu to resign and for the new defense minister to prioritize the hostage deal
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The United Nations responds to Israel’s decision to cut ties with the United Nations’ Palestinian aid agency (UNRWA), saying it has no responsibility to replace the agency’s operations According to excerpts from a letter seen by Reuters, this suggests this is a problem for Israel as the occupying power. Separately, the head of UNRWA said the agency was facing its “darkest moment.” “Without the intervention of member states, UNRWA would collapse, plunging millions of Palestinians into chaos,” said Philippe Lazzarini.
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Hezbollah said on Wednesday it fired missiles at an Israeli military base near Ben Gurion Airport. Israeli media reported that a rocket landed near the airport.
Subsequently, the Israeli military stated that dozens of projectiles crossed into Israel from Lebanon, and some of them were intercepted -
United Nations agencies say they have completed the second dose of polio vaccine for most children in Gaza. A total of 556,774 children under 10 have received their second dose, accounting for 94% of the total population in this age group
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Israel and the World Health Organization said some 230 people in Gaza, including patients and their caregivers, were evacuated on Wednesday to the United Arab Emirates or Romania for treatment.. “This is the highest number of patients and caregivers to have left through the Kerem Shalom crossing in recent months,” Israel’s defense agency Cogat said. The statement added that the operation was carried out in partnership with the UAE, the European Union and the world. conducted in collaboration with WHO
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Lebanon says it has lodged a complaint with the United Nations labor agency over a deadly attack on communications equipment across the country in Septemberblaming it on Israel. Lebanese Labor Minister Mustafa Bayram called the attack a “bad war against humanity, against technology, against jobs,” but Israel did not acknowledge this.
