Israel attacks Gaza 'safe zone', issues new evacuation orders in Lebanon

The New Arab's lie blog on Israel's wars in Gaza and Lebanon has now ended, and will resume at 0900 GMT.

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Israeli forces detained a injured Palestinian from the village of Deir Qaddis near Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Wafa news agency reported.

Local sources told the news agency that Israeli forces  sealed off all the entrances of the village before the heavily armed soldiers barged their way into it.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) also said that the soldiers denied its paramedics access to the village, and held them, seizing their mobile phones.

Lebanon's Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing a series of missiles at army forces in northern Israel on Wednesday night.

The group said in a statement that it had targeted "a gathering of the Israeli enemy army forces in the Sa'sa settlement with a salvo of missiles".

The UN Security Council (UNSC) on Wednesday condemned attacks in recent weeks on the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), calling on all parties to respect the safety of members of that force.

"They urged all parties to take all measures to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises. They recalled that peacekeepers must never be the target of an attack," the UNSC said in a statement, noting in particular attacks on 29 October, 7 November and 8  November.

Hezbollah said on Wednesday it had fired missiles at Israeli soldiers near the key border town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon.

The group added it targeted the forces "on the southern outskirts of the town of Bint Jbeil with a salvo of Nasr 1-type missiles."

Earlier today we reported that Israeli forces launched a raid on the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency has now announced that two people have been killed in the raid, and another two wounded. 

The two individuals killed have been identified as Mamoun Saleh Shraim and Thaer Omar Amara, both of them 38 years old. According to the report, the Israeli army has taken their bodies. 

Israeli forces stormed the suburb of Ezbet Al-Jarad, surrounding homes in the area.

The Israeli military said on Wednesday it attacked 'smuggling routes' coming from Syria into Lebanon, which it added were used to smuggle weapons to Hezbollah.

A statement from the army also said it launched an air raid on the area as part of a larger effort "targeting the capabilities of Unit 4400, the Hezbollah unit responsible for smuggling weapons".

Israeli forces launched a raid on the occupied West Bank city of Tulkarem late on Wednesday, storming houses in the area.

According to reports, army vehicles were seen around the city, while forces surrounded a home in the suburb of Ezbet Al-Jarad.

The Wafa news agency also reported that reconnaissance military aircrafts were flying at low altitudes over the area.

Israeli strikes on Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp killed at least five people, and another two in the Nuseirat camp, various reports stated on Wednesday evening.

Israeli attacks have killed at least 33 Palestinians in Gaza on Wednesday.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said he and President Joe Biden "talked very much about the Middle East" in their conversation at the White House on Wednesday, according to reports.

"I wanted to know his views on where we are and what what he thinks. And he gave them to me, he was very gracious," Trump was quoted as saying.

Israeli officials are insisting on maintaining the ability to strike Lebanon at any moment as part of conditions to agree on a ceasefire, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking to a parliamentary hearing after holding talks in Israel last week, Jean-Noel Barrot said it was a condition increasingly voiced among Israeli officials.

"Today we hear in Israel voices calling for it to keep a capacity to strike at any moment or even enter Lebanon, as is the case with its neighbour Syria," said Barrot, who held talks with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer and new Defence Minister Israel Katz last week.

"That is not compatible with the sovereignty of a strong country," Barrot said, referring to broader efforts to help strengthen Lebanon's governance.

Several diplomats said that it would be all but impossible to get Hezbollah or Lebanon to accept any proposal that included this demand.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the remarks. Its defence minister, Israel Katz, said earlier: "We will not allow any arrangement that does not include the achievement of the war's objectives - and above all Israel's right to enforce and act on its own against any terrorist activity."

France, which has historical ties with Lebanon, has sought to play a role in trying to secure a ceasefire in the country.

It has worked with the United States to try to implement a temporary ceasefire, but those talks stalled at the end of September.

(Reuters)

Israel's army on Wednesday issued a statement saying that six soldiers have been killed in combat in southern Lebanon, while the military is continuing its ground operation there. 

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued new evacuation orders on buildings located in Lebanon's Haret Hreik and in Burj al-Barajneh on Wednesday. 

The notice, which stated "for  your safety and that of your family members, you must evacuate these and adjacent buildings immediately, and move at least 500 meters away" was posted on social media platform X.

Syrian state media said that Israel had carried out an air raid on Wednesday in a region near the border with Lebanon.

The Sana news agency said that "the Israeli aggression" on the Homs region had been met with a barrage of anti-aircraft fire.

Lebanon's Hezbollah said on Wednesday that it had fired ballistic missiles at the Israeli army's headquarters in Tel Aviv in the second attack of the day against the same location.

The group said in a statement that it had targeted the site, which houses both the defence ministry and the headquarters of the Israeli military, with Qader-2 missiles.

Hezbollah had already announced earlier in the day that it had targeted the same site with explosive drones.

Israel's new defence minister told senior military commanders Wednesday there would be no easing-up in the war against Hezbollah as he toured the northern border with Lebanon.

"We will make no ceasefires, we will not take our foot off the pedal, and we will not allow any arrangement that does not include the achievement of our war objectives," Israel Katz said on his first visit to the border region since his appointment.

"We will continue to strike Hezbollah everywhere," Katz added.

Following Katz's comments, the Israeli army said air raid sirens were activated across central and northern Israel, adding that it had intercepted some of the "five projectiles" that had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory.

He told army chief Herzi Halevi: "We have struck Hezbollah with heavy blows and eliminated (Hezbollah leader Hassan) Nasrallah -- and now is exactly the time to continue striking them with full force in order to realise the fruits of victory."

He said that Israel would not "allow any (ceasefire) arrangement that does not include achieving the objectives of the war," including "disarming Hezbollah, pushing them beyond the Litani River", which flows across southern Lebanon, "and creating conditions for the safe return" of residents of northern Iraeli towns and villages to their homes.

Around 100 students have taken over the Turin headquarters of Leonardo, an Italian defence company, accusing it of complicity in Israel's bombing of Gaza. They claim the company aids the war effort by providing technical support and parts to Israel’s air force.

Protesters unfurled a Palestinian flag from the rooftop and hung banners reading "No arms to Israel," accusing Leonardo of involvement in genocide.

Photos show students inside the offices with Palestinian flags and spray cans, while others climbed onto a plane on the grounds.

Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto condemned the action, accusing the students of "destroying and defacing" the offices during an important meeting with defence ministry staff.

Blitz di attivisti pro Palestina nella sede di «Leonardo» a Torino: «Complici del genocidio di Gaza» https://t.co/PtC586gNSD

— Corriere Torino (@CorriereTorino) November 13, 2024

Air raid sirens were activated across central and northern Israel on Wednesday, the army said, adding that it had intercepted projectiles fired from Lebanon.

"Following the sirens sounded a short while ago in a number of areas in central Israel and in the Carmel area, approximately five projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Some of the projectiles were intercepted by the IAF (Israel Air Force)," the army said in a statement.

According to Lebanon's Health Ministry, at least 78 people were killed and 122 wounded on Tuesday.

Since hostilities began on October 8, the death toll has reached 3,365, with 14,344 injured. Among the casualties are 216 children and 308 medical workers, the ministry added.

At least 10 Palestinians, including children, have been killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a house in the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, according to Al Jazeera Arabic.

More updates to come.

The Lebanese group says it launched its first air attack on Israel’s Kirya military base in Tel Aviv, which it identifies as the headquarters for Israel’s Defence Ministry, general staff, war management centre, and the air force’s control authority.

Hezbollah claims the operation used a squadron of attack drones, stating that targets were hit with precision.

France has condemned Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s call for Israel to annex the West Bank.

"These remarks are contrary to international law and undermine efforts to de-escalate regional tensions," said a spokesperson for the French Foreign Ministry.

France reaffirmed its commitment to a two-state solution, viewing it as the only viable path toward a just and lasting resolution, allowing Israel and Palestine to coexist in peace and security.

Israeli military strikes killed at least 22 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, as Israeli forces deepened their incursion into Beit Hanoun town in the north, forcing most remaining residents to leave.

Residents said Israeli forces besieged shelters housing displaced families and the remaining population, which some estimated at a few thousand, ordering them to head south through a checkpoint separating two towns and a refugee camp in the north from Gaza City.

Men were held for questioning, while women and children were allowed to continue towards Gaza City, residents and Palestinian medics said.

Israel's campaign in the north of Gaza, and the evacuation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the area, has fueled claims from Palestinians that it is clearing the area for use as a buffer zone and potentially for a return of Jewish settlers.

"The scenes of the 1948 catastrophe are being repeated. Israel is repeating its massacres, displacement and destruction," said Saed, 48, a resident of Beit Lahiya, who arrived in Gaza City on Wednesday.

"North Gaza is being turned into a large buffer zone, Israel is carrying out ethnic cleansing under the sight and hearing of the impotent world," he told news agency Reuters via a chat app.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said he hopes US President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach on the Middle East during his term, but that some of the messages coming from his side were concerning, broadcaster NTV reported on Wednesday.

"It seems too early to me to make observations about this," Erdogan told reporters on a return flight from Baku.

"Our hope is that Trump takes very different steps toward the region this term because the messages being given from time to time concern us," he was cited as saying.

Asked about Turkey's decision to halt all trade with Israel in May, Erdogan said Ankara had no trade ties with Israel at the moment and no desire to develop them.

"A Republic of Turkey that is headed by Tayyip Erdogan can't continue to develop its relationship with Israel. We have no such intention," he was cited as saying.

"We have cut trade and ties with Israel, period."

Turkey withdrew its ambassador in Israel for consultations after the Gaza war broke out, but has not officially severed its ties with Israel and its embassy remains open and operational.

Erdogan also said China and Russia had signed an initiative that Turkey launched at the United Nations to impose a weapons embargo on Israel. 

Al Jazeera English reports an airstrike targeting Dahiyeh, a densely populated district in Beirut, where six buildings are now under forced evacuation orders.

The news publication noted that two loud explosions were heard within the last half-hour.

Earlier, an Israeli strike on Dawhet Aramoun, located 22 km (14 miles) south of Beirut, killed six people.

This area is not known to have any Hezbollah presence, and Israeli forces have not disclosed the target of the attack.

Imagine if this had happened in a residential area of any major capital; the media would be in an uproar. Yet, when it occurs in Lebanon, we are met with silence.

Israeli Airstrikes an hour ago on Chiyah area, Beirut Suburbs. pic.twitter.com/HN3PtsQJpI

— Marwa Osman || مروة عثمان (@Marwa__Osman) November 13, 2024

Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has praised the incoming US envoy to Israel, Mike Huckabee, for his comments appearing to endorse Israel's potential annexation of the occupied West Bank.

"I congratulate Ambassador-designate Mike Huckabee for his words. I am convinced that we will be able to work closely together with President-elect Trump and with all members of the incoming administration … on the basis of recognition in the unshakable historical belonging of the entire land of Israel to the people of Israel," Smotrich wrote in a post on X.

In an interview with Israel's Army Radio, Huckabee acknowledged that West Bank annexation is "of course" a possibility, though he emphasised that he does not set policy.

"I believe that the people of Israel deserve a safe state – anything I can do to help this will be a privilege for me," Huckabee added.

The health ministry in Gaza said on Wednesday that at least 43,712 people have been killed in more than 13 months of war.

The toll includes 47 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 103,258 people have also been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began on October 7, 2023.

US top diplomat Antony Blinken called Wednesday on Israel to implement "real and extended pauses" in fighting in Gaza to allow for aid deliveries, as a US-imposed deadline to improve conditions in the territory expired.

Blinken said Israel had taken multiple steps to address the humanitarian crisis ahead of the deadline set by outgoing President Joe Biden's administration -- but that more was needed.

An Israeli group campaigning for the release of hostages held in Gaza said Wednesday their loved ones had "no time left", following a Palestinian group's release of a video of a hostage.

"The hostages have no time left -- a deal for their release is the only way to bring them all back to us," the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said.

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, an ally of Hamas, released a video on Wednesday of a man identifying himself as an Israeli hostage held in Gaza since the October 7 attack on Israel.

In the video, the hostage identifying himself as Sasha Trupanov spoke about Israeli military operations in Lebanon, and called on Israelis to increase pressure on the government to secure the release of hostages.

Russia has asked Israel to avoid launching aerial strikes as part of its war against Lebanon's Hezbollah near one of Moscow's bases in Syria, a top official said Wednesday.

Syrian state media in mid-October claimed that Israel had struck the port city of Latakia, a stronghold of President Bashar al-Assad, who is supported by Russia and in turn backs Hezbollah.

Latakia, and in particular its airport, is close to the town of Hmeimim that hosts a Russian air base.

"Israel actually carried out an air strike in the immediate vicinity of Hmeimim," Alexander Lavrentiev, Russian President Vladimir Putin's special envoy in the Near East, told the RIA Novosti press agency.

"Our military has of course notified Israeli authorities that such acts that put Russian military lives in danger over there are unacceptable," he added.

"That is why we hope that this incident in October will not be repeated."

Israel has carried out intensive bombing of Syria but rarely targets Latakia, to the northwest of Damascus.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of transporting weapons through Syria.

Lavrentiev said that Russia's air base was not being used to supply Hezbollah with weapons.

Israel stepped up strikes on Syria at the same time as targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Since civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of air strikes on Syrian government forces and groups supported by its arch-foe Iran, notably Hezbollah troops that have been deployed to assist Assad's regime.

Israel rarely comments on its strikes but has said it will not allow Iran to extend its presence to Syria.

A strike hit south Beirut on Wednesday, AFP footage showed, following a warning by the Israeli army to evacuate parts.

AFPTV footage showed a plume of black smoke rising over the area after a strike, about an hour after Israel's army told residents of parts of the southern suburbs to leave.

 Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani will visit Turkey on Thursday for high-level meetings, Turkey's trade minister said on Wednesday, after Doha said at the weekend it stalled its Gaza mediation efforts for now.

Some analysts believe Turkey, despite strained ties with Israel, could play some role in mediation since it does not deem the Palestinian group Hamas a terrorist group, and some of its political officials regularly visit Turkey.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health has confirmed that six people were killed in an Israeli raid on Dawhet Aramoun.

In a statement on X, the ministry reported that body parts are being recovered from the site and efforts are underway to verify the victims' identities. Additionally, 15 others were wounded in the attack.

Earlier reports from Lebanese media had placed the death toll at eight.

According to the Lebanese National News Agency, the building suffered extensive damage, with multiple floors engulfed in flames.

Residents evacuated and gathered in the streets, fearing additional strikes. Rescue teams continue to search for missing individuals trapped under the rubble, the NNA report added.

Israeli forces have issued warnings to residents in the Haret Hreik and Ghobeiry areas, advising them to evacuate ahead of planned military operations.

"You are situated close to Hezbollah facilities and interests, which the IDF (Israeli army) will target with force in the near future," stated Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee on X.

This warning follows an Israeli strike on southern Beirut that left eight people dead.

The US military said on Tuesday it had conducted strikes against an Iranian-backed militia group's weapons storage facility in Syria.

"These strikes were in response to a rocket attack on US personnel at Patrol Base Shaddadi. There was no damage to U.S. facilities and no injuries to US or partner forces during the attack," the US military said in a statement.

Lebanese state-run media reported an Israeli strike on an apartment south of the capital Beirut on Wednesday that wounded an unspecified number of people.

"Israeli warplanes launched a strike at dawn targeting a residential apartment in a building in the Dawhet Aramoun area, injuring people," the official National News Agency said.