Israel bombs tents in Gaza's Khan Younis as Lebanon ceasefire talks 'progress'

A vessel located 60 nautical miles southeast of Yemen's Aden reported on Monday a missile splashing into the sea in its close proximity, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said.

UKMTO added that the vessel and its crew were safe.

(Reuters)

The Israeli military said about 30 projectiles were detected crossing from Lebanon into Israel on Monday, with the country's air defence system intercepting some of them.

"Following the sirens that sounded a short while ago in the Upper and Western Galilee areas, approximately 30 projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory," the army said in a statement.

The European Union needs to continue its diplomatic dialogue with Israel amid tensions in the Middle East, Dutch foreign Caspar Veldkamp said on Monday, disagreeing with the EU's top diplomat who proposed to pause the dialogue with the country.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell last week proposed that the bloc suspend its political dialogue with Israel, citing possible human rights violations in the war in Gaza, according to four diplomats and a letter seen by Reuters.

Reports that Palestinian militant group Hamas' office has moved to Turkey do not reflect the truth, a Turkish diplomatic source said on Monday, adding members of the group visited the country from time to time.

Doha said last week it had told Hamas and Israel it will stall efforts to mediate a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal until they show willingness and seriousness. It also said that media reports it had told Hamas to leave the country were not accurate.

Turkey has fiercely criticised Israel over its offensives in Gaza and in Lebanon and does not deem Hamas a terrorist organisation. Some Hamas political officials regularly visit Turkey.

The European Union's top diplomat on Monday confirmed he would suggest to members of the bloc that the EU pauses its political dialogue with Israel, citing the country's conduct of the war in Gaza.

"Many people tried to stop the war in Gaza... this has not happened yet. And I don't see a hope for this to happen. That's why we have to put pressure on the Israeli government, and also, obviously on the Hamas side," Josep Borrell told journalists ahead of an EU meeting.

The European Union's foreign policy chief last week proposed that the bloc suspend its political dialogue with Israel, citing possible human rights violations in the war in Gaza, according to four diplomats and a letter seen by Reuters.

In a sign his proposal won't be welcomed by all EU members, Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said the EU needed to uphold its dialogue with Israel.

"In the view of the Netherlands, this door should be kept open", he said

The US official overseeing contacts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon is due to visit Beirut on Tuesday, sources in Lebanon said on Monday, with Beirut expected give its response to a US truce proposal.

The US-led ceasefire diplomacy has come back into focus as Israel has been stepping up its offensive. Israeli strikes in two Beirut neighbourhoods killed six people including at least one senior Hezbollah official on Sunday, the first time Israel has struck central areas of the capital in a month.

The new US truce proposal was delivered last week to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been endorsed by Hezbollah to negotiate.

White House envoy Amos Hochstein was expected in Beirut on Tuesday for talks on the ceasefire, a Lebanese political source told Reuters. Lebanese media outlet Voice of Lebanon also reported the visit, citing Lebanese lawmaker Kassem Hashem, who is part of Berri's parliamentary bloc.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq (IRI) has claimed a new drone attack against Israel that has been reportedly launched from Syria.

In a Telegram statement late yesterday, the group said the attack was launched against a "vital" target in the southern Israeli city of Eilat.

The New Arab's Arabic language site Al-Araby al-Jadeed quoted three sources close to the IRI as saying that the group decided to launch attacks from Syria for "security and political reasons" aiming to avoid a military response by Israel or the US against the group in Iraq.

Yemen's Houthi forces claimed responsibility yesterday evening for two fresh drone launches targeting Israel's southern Ashkelon and central Gush Dan area.

In a statement, the group's military spokesman Yahya al-Sarea said that a number of drones were launched and "achieved their goals successfully". He said that the group would continue their operations until Israel halted its "aggression" on Gaza and Lebanon.

After midnight, the Israeli army said that it intercepted a hostile unmanned aircraft in the Eilat area before it crossed into Israel, with no reports of casualties as a result of the interception.

The Houthi launches follow a similar drone launch on 16 November targeting Israel's southern Red Sea city of Eilat, which was also intercepted by Israel.

Palestinian factions have condemned the killing of Hezbollah's media chief Mohammed Afif with Hamas describing it as a "heinous crime", saying his assassination "will not silence the voice of resistance".

In a Telegram statement yesterday, the group said Afif represented a "strong and defiant voice of resistance".

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) also denounced Afif's killing as "sinful", saying that "this barbaric aggression will only increase the brilliance and strength of the resistance".

For its part, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said the "cowardly assassination" of Afif is nothing but additional evidence of Israel's "failure to break the will of the resistance… and its [Israel's] inability to silence the voice of the resistance and its free media".