Israel says there will be no Lebanon ceasefire until it achieves war objectives

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14/11/2024 - 01:26

Hezbollah claims missile attack in northern Israel targeting army forces

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

The Iran-backed 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".

14/11/2024 - 00:39

Beirut suburbs hit by after Israeli evacuation call

A strike hit the southern suburbs of Beirut on Wednesday night, according to an AFP videographer, after a series of three attacks on the Hezbollah stronghold in less than 24 hours.

AFP footage showed smoke rising from an area subject to a call to evacuate from the Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesman Avichay Adraee around an hour beforehand.

13/11/2024 - 23:38

UN Security Council condemns recent attacks on UNIFIL staff in Lebanon

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 October 29, November 7 and November 8.

13/11/2024 - 23:36

Hezbollah fired missiles at Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon, says group

Hezbollah said Wednesday it had fired missiles at Israeli soldiers near the key border town of Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, the scene of fierce fighting during their 2006 war.

The Iran-backed militia said in a statement it targeted the forces "on the southern outskirts of the town of Bint Jbeil with a salvo of Nasr 1-type missiles."

13/11/2024 - 20:38

US has secured extra commitments from Israel over Gaza conflict, White House says

The US has secured extra commitments from Israel in the past couple of days over the situation in Gaza, the White House said on Wednesday.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the US wants to see those commitments followed through on to continue to work on issues including humanitarian assistance, ensuring the defense of Israel against Iranian attacks, working on ceasefire efforts and a hostage deal in Gaza, or bringing a diplomatic resolution in Lebanon.

13/11/2024 - 20:32

Strike on Beirut suburb after Israeli evacuation call

An air strike hit a suburb of Lebanon's capital Beirut Wednesday after a warning by Israel's military for residents to evacuate, with images from AFPTV showing plumes of smoke shrouding the neighbourhood.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) said that the strike had been carried out by "the enemy airforce" in the Burj al-Brajneh suburb of southern Beirut after an evacuation call had been posted on X by the Israeli army's Arabic language spokesman Avichay Adraee. 

13/11/2024 - 20:07

Hezbollah says it fired ballistic missiles at Israel army HQ

Lebanon's Hezbollah said 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 pro-Iranian 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.

13/11/2024 - 20:05

Israeli army says six troops killed in south Lebanon combat

The Israeli army said six soldiers have been killed in fighting in southern Lebanon Wednesday, making it the deadliest day for its troops since the start of ground operations in September.

The soldiers "fell during combat in southern Lebanon", the army said in a statement. Their deaths mean 47 Israeli troops have been killed in combat with Hezbollah since the start of ground operations on September 30.

13/11/2024 - 20:05

Israel wants freedom to strike Lebanon even after ceasefire, France says

Israeli officials are insisting on maintaining a capacity to strike Lebanon at any moment as part of conditions to secure a ceasefire with Iran-backed Hezbollah, France's foreign minister said on Wednesday.

Speaking to a parliamentary hearing after holding talks in Israel last week in Jerusalem, Jean-Noël 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.

13/11/2024 - 18:59

Syria state media reports Israeli raid near Lebanon border

Syrian state media said that Israel had carried out an air raid on Wednesday in a region near the border with Lebanon which is a known stronghold of Hezbollah.

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

13/11/2024 - 17:08

Israeli military says heavy barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon at Israel

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that a heavy barrage of rockets was fired from Lebanon at Israel.

Following sirens that sounded in a number of areas in central Israel, approximately five projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon, the military said in a statement.

13/11/2024 - 17:06

Israeli attacks on Lebanon killed at least 3,365 since Oct. 7 2023, Lebanese health ministry says

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 3,365 and injured 14,344 since 0ct. 7 2023, the Lebanese health ministry said on Wednesday.

It said 78 people were killed and 122 wounded on Tuesday.

13/11/2024 - 16:32

Israeli defence minister says no ceasefire until Hezbollah disarmed, withdraws beyond Litani

Israel's defence minister said on Wednesday he would not agree to any Lebanon ceasefire that does not ensure a disarmed Hezbollah withdraws north of Lebanon's Litani River or allow the residents of northern Israel to return to their homes.

"We will not make any ceasefires, we will not take our foot off the pedal, and 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," the minister, Israel Katz, said during his first visit to the Northern Command with the Chief of Staff.

"Terrorist infrastructure is collapsing in Beirut – we will continue to hurt Hezbollah everywhere."

13/11/2024 - 16:05

Israel questions ICC judge's impartiality in Netanyahu arrest case

Israel has questioned the impartiality of an International Criminal Court judge appointed to a panel deciding whether an arrest warrant should be issued for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Slovenian ICC Judge Beti Hohler joined the three-judge panel that is reviewing the request after Romanian magistrate Iulia Motoc requested to leave last month citing health grounds.

The Office of the Attorney-General of Israel said in a statement, dated Nov. 11 that Hohler had worked for the Office of the Prosecutor before she was elected as an ICC judge last December.

“Judges of this Court have acknowledged that previous duties within the OTP may, depending on the circumstances, give rise to a reasonable apprehension of bias," Israel said.

"Israel respectfully requests that judge Beti Hohler provide information to clarify whether there are (or are not) grounds to reasonably doubt her impartiality.”

The move could further delay a decision in the case, in which the ICC chief prosecutor filed a request in May for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, Israel's then defence minister, Yoav Gallant, and three Hamas leaders over the Gaza war.

13/11/2024 - 15:59

US federal worker charged in classified documents leak about Israel's earlier plans to strike Iran

A man who worked for the US government has been charged with leaking classified information assessing Israel's earlier plans to attack Iran, according to court papers filed Wednesday.

The man, identified as Asif William Rahman, was arrested by the FBI this week in Cambodia and was to due to make his first court appearance in Guam.

It was not immediately clear whether he had a lawyer or which federal agency employed him.

13/11/2024 - 15:57

Hezbollah says launched drone attack on Israeli military HQ

Hezbollah said it launched a drone attack targeting Israel's military headquarters and ministry of defence in the city of Tel Aviv on Wednesday.

In a statement, the Lebanese militant group said it conducted an "aerial attack with a squadron of exploding drones" on the site housing Israel's main defence institutions in the commercial hub.

13/11/2024 - 13:37

'No time left' say families of Israeli hostages after video release

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

 In the video, a bearded man identifying himself as Alexander (Sasha) Trupanov spoke in Hebrew about Israeli military operations in Lebanon, and called on Israelis to put pressure on the government to secure the release of hostages.

13/11/2024 - 12:45

43,712 Palestinians killed in Israel's Gaza offensive since Oct. 7, 2023, health ministry says

The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Wednesday that at least 43,712 people have been killed in more than 13 months of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

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 when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.

13/11/2024 - 11:44

Israeli forces kill 14 people in Gaza, force new displacement in the north

Israeli military strikes have killed at least 14 Palestinians across the Gaza Strip as Israeli forces deepen their incursion into Beit Hanoun town in the north, forcing most remaining residents to leave, Reuters reports.

Residents told the news agency that 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.

13/11/2024 - 11:39

Blinken calls on Israel to allow 'extended pauses' in Gaza war

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has called on Israel to implement "real and extended pauses" in fighting in Gaza to allow for the delivery of aid to its war-ravaged population.

"We need to see real and extended pauses in large areas of Gaza, pauses in any fighting, any combat, so that the assistance can effectively get to people who need it," Blinken told reporters during a visit to Brussels, adding that Israel was taking steps to address the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory. 

On Tuesday, eight international aid groups said Israel had failed to meet the US demands to improve access for assistance. Food security experts have said it is likely that famine is imminent in parts of Gaza.

Yesterday's key developments:

• US said Tuesday it will not limit Israel arms transfers after some improvements to the flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. Israel announced that it will open another Gaza aid crossing.
• French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said that "France will not accept" any repeat of an incident last week that saw two French consulate gendarmes with diplomatic status briefly detained in Jerusalem.
• Israeli strikes killed 46 people in Gaza and 33 in Lebanon on Tuesday, medics said.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

About casualty figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry:

Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. For more on the health ministry’s casualty figures, click here.