Live updates (closed)
The Times of Israel liveblogged Saturday’s events as they happened.
IDF soldier killed by grenade explosion in Gaza; Military Police probing circumstances
An Israeli soldier was killed by a grenade explosion early Saturday morning in the northern Gaza Strip, the IDF announces.
The Military Police has launched an investigation into the circumstances of the deadly incident, which was apparently not directly related to the fighting.
The IDF does not announce the soldier’s identity. He is named by local authorities as Shneur Zalman Cohen, 20, from the West Bank settlement of Yitzhar.
שניאור כהן, לוחם גבעתי בן 20 מיצהר, נהרג אתמול בעזה.
בן למשפחה חב״דית ותיקה ביישוב, למד בישיבת חב״ד במצפה יצהר.
גם אביו עושה מילואים בהגמ״ר.
שניאור הותיר אחריו הורים ו8 אחים ואחיות pic.twitter.com/HucHZ2DStX— Carmel Dangor כרמל דנגור (@carmeldangor) November 2, 2024
Harris opens ‘Saturday Night Live,’ urges US to ‘keep Calm-ala and carry on-ala’
Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris appears on the “Saturday Night Live” TV comedy show, adding a surprise jolt to the US presidential election just three days before her showdown with Republican Donald Trump.
“Keep Calm-ala and carry on-ala,” Harris says in unison with the actor who plays her on the show, Maya Rudolph.
It is Harris’s first time on the show, which has had other presidential candidates over its decades-long run.
KEEP CALM-ALA & CARRY ON-ALA! ❤️ @KamalaHarris @MayaRudolph @nbcsnl #SNL pic.twitter.com/OgjJQrK1g2
— Frank Costa (@feistyfrank) November 3, 2024
US B-52 bombers arrive in region as Iran threatens to attack Israel again
The US Central Command announces that B-52 bombers have arrived in its area of responsibility, which mainly consists of the Middle East.
The deployment, announced on Friday, is possibly an attempt to deter Iran from attacking Israel again — as it has promised to do — following several recent direct attacks on each other.
B-52 Stratofortress strategic bombers from Minot Air Force Base's 5th Bomb Wing arrived in the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility. pic.twitter.com/6mDs4n5G2u
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) November 2, 2024
IDF denies World Health Organization, Hamas claims of Israeli strike on vaccination center in Gaza City
Palestinian medics administer polio vaccines to children at the al-Daraj neighborhood clinic in Gaza City on September 10, 2024. (Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP)
The IDF denies claims made by the World Health Organization and Hamas that it carried out a strike against a vaccination center in Gaza City earlier today, wounding six.
“We have received an extremely concerning report that the Sheikh Radwan primary health care center in northern Gaza was struck today while parents were bringing their children to the life-saving polio vaccination in an area where a humanitarian pause was agreed to allow vaccination to proceed,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says in a post on X.
“Six people, including four children, were injured,” he adds.
The WHO chief does not specify who carried out the strike but a source in the Hamas-run civil defense agency tells AFP that it was “an Israeli quadcopter that fired two missiles which hit the wall of Sheikh Radwan clinic.”
In response to a query on the matter, the IDF says that it is aware of claims that civilians were hurt at the vaccination center, but contrary to the reports, it says that no Israeli strike was carried out in the area at that time.
“Today, a vaccination operation began, in coordination with the IDF via COGAT, and in cooperation with the international community, within which the population is allowed to safely reach the medical centers where the vaccinations will be given to the population,” the military says.
“We are aware of a claim about the harm to Palestinian civilians at the Sheikh Radwan vaccination center in the northern Gaza Strip. Contrary to what was claimed, a preliminary investigation reveals that there was no strike by IDF forces in the area at the time in question,” the IDF says.
The IDF adds that it “emphasizes that the Hamas terror organization deliberately fires from civilian areas, systematically violates international law, and cynically exploits the civilian population as a shield for terror acts against the State of Israel.”
Agencies contributed to this report.
Germany’s ruling parties agree on landmark resolution to combat antisemitism
A demonstrator displays a placard reading: "Germany finances, Israel bombs" during a pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protest rally in Berlin on October 19, 2024. (John Macdougall/AFP)
BERLIN – Germany’s ruling parties have agreed on a landmark resolution on combatting antisemitism that will be put to parliament this week, according to political sources.
The non-binding statement aims to toughen the official campaign against antisemitism that has made headlines since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, massacre sparked the ongoing war in Gaza.
Intensely debated by lawmakers of the ruling Social Democratic Party (SDP), Greens and Free Democrats (FDP) with the opposition Christian Democrats (CDU), the draft says no group that “questions the right of Israel to exist or calls for a boycott of Israel” should receive public funding.
It says the mounting antisemitism is “more and more manifest and violent in far-right circles” and also linked to “left-wing anti-imperialism” groups.
The resolution will be submitted to parliament this week.
The aim is to “protect, preserve and strengthen Jewish life in Germany,” according to a version seen by AFP.
Supporters say the statement is needed in response to the growing number of antisemitic attacks in Germany since October 7 last year, while critics say some parts of the text will restrict academic and cultural liberties.
Ben Gvir defends Otzma Yehudit MK who was dismissed from IDF over photo with graffiti in Lebanon home
Otzma Yehudit MK Yitzhak Kroizer (center) with fellow soldiers in a house in southern Lebanon on November 1, 2024. The Hebrew graffiti reads: "Office of MK Kroizer." (Courtesy)
National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir comes to the defense of a lawmaker from his far-right Otzma Yehudit party who was dismissed from the IDF reserves after a photo circulated showing him posing with Hebrew graffiti in a home in southern Lebanon.
“MK Kreuzer, you are the pride of Otzma Yehudit, and you are the pride of the people of Israel,” Ben Gvir writes on X.
“Thank you for the dozens of reserve days you volunteered in the last year. Shame on the IDF command who fired you because of the publication of this photo.”
The photo, which was disseminated on social media yesterday, shows MK Yitzhak Kroizer surrounded by soldiers from his unit with “Office of MK Kroizer” spray-painted on one of the walls behind them.
Kroizer also posts on X, confirming his dismissal from the IDF and blaming the Haaretz daily newspaper for investigating the photo.
“I’ve had the privilege of fighting for you during over 100 days of reserve duty over the past year. I’ll continue to fight for you in the Knesset together with my friends from the Otzma Yehudit faction,” the MK vows.
Israeli official says Jerusalem ‘pessimistic’ on chances of closing hostage deal — report
Demonstrators hold placards and wave Israeli flags during an anti-government protest calling for action to secure the release of Israeli hostages held captive since Hamas's October 7, 2023, massacre, Tel Aviv, November 2, 2024. (Jack Guez/AFP)
Israel is “pessimistic” about the chances of reaching a hostage deal, Ynet reports, citing an Israeli official.
“Hamas insists on a complete end to the war and is therefore not ready for small deals,” says the official. “This is not going in a good direction. The mediators have not yet returned with an official answer so that the talks do not collapse completely.”
The outlet cites another source who says, “The chance seems very small.”
Additionally, adds Ynet, Israel believes that it will face intense pressure to end the war in Gaza no matter who wins the US elections this week.
‘The army has already won, now it’s the political echelon’s turn’: Hostage families call for ceasefire at Tel Aviv rally
Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, November 2, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
The weekly rally at Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square disperses after a chorus of “Hatikva,” the national anthem.
Speakers at the rally reiterate the Hostage Families Forum’s recent demand for a hostage deal that would see all 101 remaining hostages released at once.
“There is no time for a multi-stage deal, and no use for it,” says Ronen Neutra, father of Israeli-American hostage Omer Neutra, who was kidnapped on October 7, 2023, while serving as a tank commander near Gaza.
Two of the possible deals currently being discussed are an Egyptian proposal to release four hostages during a two-day ceasefire, and a multi-stage, Qatari-American proposal that would ultimately see all hostages released and the war ended.
Earlier draft agreements envisioned a staggered release, beginning with “humanitarian” cases — female, elderly and injured hostages.
“All the hostages are humanitarian,” says Neutra, adding that a speedy release of all the captives would afford Israel a “magnificent victory” over Hamas.
כיכר החטופים
(מרסלו שניידמן) pic.twitter.com/YVNq23DEcu— Arbel Moyal???? (@ArbelPatootie) November 2, 2024
Speaking in English, Orna Neutra, the hostage’s mother, says that on October 7, 2023, her son fought Hamas terrorists knowing “that if something happened to him he would not be left behind.”
“That is the Israeli ethos,” she says.
Noam Idan Ben Ezra, whose brother Tsahi Idan was kidnapped from his home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, says, “The hostages’ release requires an end to the war.”
“The army has already won, now it’s the political echelon’s turn,” she says.
She demands a deal to release “everyone now, not in trickles and not in parts — Tsahi and all the hostages.”
The rally also features speeches by Amir Idan, Tsahi Idan’s cousin; Noam Katz, whose father Lior Rudaeff was killed on October 7 and kidnapped to Gaza; freed hostage Maya Regev; Ilan Dalal, father of hostage Guy Gilboa-Dalal; and Dr. Ayelet Levy Shahar, mother of hostage Naama Levy.
Levy Shahar urges the Israeli public to “take to the streets.”
“Vote with your feet,” she says, “to save the values on which the state was founded.”
Former Hamas hostage Maya Regev speaks at a rally at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, November 2, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
IDF: Two rockets launched from Gaza at Sderot area struck open areas; none hurt
Two rockets were launched from the northern Gaza Strip at the Sderot area a short while ago.
According to the IDF, both rockets struck open areas, causing no injuries.
Report: US warned Iran it won’t be able to restrain Israel if it attacks again
Commuters drive past a billboard in Tehran depicting missiles strikes on Jerusalem and declaring 'Israel must be wiped off the face of the Earth,' covering the facade of a building in Tehran on October 26, 2024. (Atta Kenare/AFP)
The US has reportedly warned Iran in recent days against launching another attack on Israel, adding that Washington will not be able to restrain Israel if it attacks again, the Axios news site reports, citing a US official and a former Israeli official.
“We told the Iranians: We won’t be able to hold Israel back, and we won’t be able to make sure that the next attack will be calibrated and targeted as the previous one,” the US official is quoted as saying.
The report quotes the official as saying the message was conveyed directly to the Iranians, though the Israeli source says a message was passed to Tehran via Swiss intermediaries.
There is no response from Washington or Tehran to the report, which comes hours after Iran’s supreme leader threatened Israel and the US with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its allies.
Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its October 26 attack on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and facilities and that Iran said killed at least five people.
Israel’s retaliatory strikes on Iranian military facilities came weeks after the October 1 attack, in which Iran launched 200 ballistic missiles at Israel, sending most of the population rushing to bomb shelters and safe rooms, causing relatively minor damage to military bases and some residential areas, and killing a Palestinian man in the West Bank.
Rocket sirens sounding in communities near Gaza border including Sderot
Sirens are sounding in communities near the Gaza Strip, warning of incoming rocket fire.
The alerts are sounding in Sderot, Mefalsim, Nir Am and Ibim.
???? Rocket Alert [21:02:34] – 2 Alerts:
• Gaza Envelope — Mefalsim, Sderot, Ibim
Population: 29,000 pic.twitter.com/kyq0DOWtSq
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) November 2, 2024
Some 500 people gather on Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square demanding deal to release remaining captives all at once
A woman holds a sign reading 'they're raping our sisters' at a pro-hostage deal protest on Tel Aviv's Begin Street, November 2, 2024. (Noam Lehmann/The Times of Israel)
Some 500 people gather on Tel Aviv’s Hostages Square for Hostage Families Forum’s weekly rally demanding a deal to release the remaining captives all at once.
On Begin Road, a block away, a similar-sized protest also calls for a hostage deal and accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of thwarting negotiations.
“Netanyahu don’t forget, history won’t forgive,” they chant.
Protesters gather outside IDF headquarters on Begin Road in Tel Aviv, calling for the government to close a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, November 2, 2024. (Yoav Loeff/Pro-Democracy Movement)
Bolstering the Begin Road rally are organizations opposed to the government’s judicial overhaul, including Darkenu, the Movement for Quality Government, and the reservist protest group Brothers in Arms, as well as a column of left-wing activists who marched over from an earlier anti-war protest on Habima Square.
Protesters in Jerusalem slam Netanyahu amid leak affair; Kfar Saba rally demands early elections
Anti-government protesters march in Jerusalem, calling for the government to secure a hostage deal with Hamas, November 2, 2024. (Orna Kupferman/Pro-Democracy Movement)
Protesters march from Jerusalem’s Zion Square to Paris Square, calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023.
Some anti-government activists carry a large banner criticizing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu amid an ongoing investigation into the alleged leak of classified documents from his office.
The banner reads, “A spy in my office? I didn’t see anything. Netanyahu – a useful idiot.”
Other protesters wave yellow flags, representing the hostages, and Israeli flags.
Simultaneous anti-government protests are taking place around the country, as they do every Saturday evening, in locations including Tel Aviv, Kfar Saba, Karkur and Hadera.
Anti-government protesters gather in Kfar Saba, calling for early elections, November 2, 2024. (Danor Aharon/Pro-Democracy Movement)
Palestinian-American congresswoman refuses to endorse Harris, three days before US elections
Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan protests during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's speech to a joint meeting of the US Congress at the Capitol in Washington, July 24, 2024. (Saul Loeb / AFP)
Palestinian-American Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib has declined to endorse Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, three days before the US presidential elections.
Appearing at a rally in Detroit, Michigan alongside fellow progressive Democratic lawmaker Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Tlaib encouraged attendees to get out the vote, without mentioning the US vice president.
The three other members of the “Squad,” the progressive contingent of Democrats — Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota — have all endorsed Harris.
Netanyahu’s office denies claims one of PM’s aides leaked Hamas document to German paper
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office denies that one of the premier’s aides leaked a classified Hamas document to a German newspaper, amid an investigation into the matter.
“The published document never reached the Prime Minister’s Office from the IDF Military Intelligence Directorate, and the Prime Minister learned about it from the media,” says the PMO.
In September, Bild published a document indicating that Hamas’s main concern in ceasefire negotiations with Israel is to rehabilitate its military capabilities, and not to alleviate the suffering of Gaza’s civilian population. The spring 2024 document, which Bild said it had obtained exclusively, without offering further details, was reportedly found on a computer in Gaza that belonged to Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
Israeli troops in an underground Hamas tunnel in Gaza, February 4, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces/AFP)
The PMO also claims that the suspect, a spokesman for the prime minister, “never participated in security discussions, was not exposed or received classified information, and did not take part in secret visits.”
The PMO calls it “ridiculous” to allege that a sympathetic article “caused any damage to the negotiations for the release of the hostages, or to the security of Israel,” as investigators claim.
“On the contrary – the document only helped the effort to return the hostages, and certainly did not harm it,” says the PMO. “The document and the article exposed the Hamas methods of exerting psychological pressure from home and abroad on the Israeli government and public by blaming Israel for the failure of the talks to release the hostages. This at a time when everyone knows – as has been repeatedly confirmed by senior American officials – that Hamas is the one preventing the execution of the deal.”
Netanyahu’s office claims there has been a “flood” of leaks from confidential meetings throughout the war.
“It is very curious why out of all these leaks, this particular document – the contents of which were known to everyone and helped Israel – was given such an aggressive and systematic investigation,” the PMO concludes.
IDF says some 2,000 Hezbollah operatives killed amid ongoing ground op in southern Lebanon
Israeli forces operate in southern Lebanon, in an image released on November 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The IDF estimates that some 2,000 Hezbollah operatives have been killed by troops and in airstrikes during the ongoing ground offensive in southern Lebanon.
Since the start of the conflict with Hezbollah on October 8, a day after Hamas launched its terror onslaught, nearly 3,000 Hezbollah members have been killed, according to IDF assessments.
Report: Suspect in probe into leak from PM’s office prohibited from meeting his lawyer
One of the suspects arrested in the ongoing investigation of the alleged leak of classified documents from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office is prohibited from meeting his lawyer for several days, the Walla news site reports.
The suspect in question worked as a spokesman for Netanyahu, according to the report.
Suspects under interrogation can be blocked from meeting a specific lawyer for a short period if a judge determines that there is a risk of information being passed to other suspects or external actors.
Several suspects have been arrested for questioning in connection with the ongoing investigation, a judge revealed Friday.
Top Hezbollah commander responsible for rocket fire on Israel killed in recent south Lebanon airstrike — IDF
A senior Hezbollah commander responsible for rocket fire on Israel was killed in a recent airstrike in southern Lebanon, the IDF announces.
According to the military, Jaafar Khader Faour was the head of the rocket and missile array in Hezbollah’s Nasr regional division. The division is responsible for the region between Mount Dov and the Bint Jbeil area.
The IDF says Faour was killed in a strike in southern Lebanon’s Jouaiyya, along with the commander of Hezbollah’s drone unit in the regional division.
Faour was behind numerous rocket attacks on Israel from the eastern sector of southern Lebanon, the IDF says, including July’s deadly attacks on Majdal Shams, killing 12 children, and Golan Heights, killing a couple.
An undated photo of Hezbollah commander Jaafar Khader Faour, who was killed in an IDF strike in south Lebanon, in a photo released on November 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF announces deaths of 2 soldiers killed in battle in northern Gaza Strip
Soldiers killed in the northern Gaza Strip on November 2, 2024: Staff Sgt. Itay Parizat (L) and Staff Sgt. Yair Hananya. (Courtesy)
Two Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in the northern Gaza Strip earlier today, the IDF announces.
The slain troops are named as:
- Staff Sgt. Itay Parizat, 20, from Petah Tikva.
- Staff Sgt. Yair Hananya, 22, from Mitzpe Netofa.
Both served with the Givati Brigade’s Shaked Battalion.
Another soldier was seriously wounded in the same incident, the IDF says.
The military is still probing the deadly incident.
Some 300 left-wing activists protest ‘genocide’ in Gaza at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square
Protesters hoist banners against Zionism and the 'genocide in Gaza,' at a rally against the war on Tel Aviv's Habima Square, November 2, 2024. (Noam Lehmann/The Times of Israel)
Under heavy police guard, some 300 people gather on Tel Aviv’s Habima Square to protest the “genocide” in Gaza.
The protest is organized by the Peace Partnership, a coalition of left-wing groups that came together after the war began. At the end of the event, the protesters march to Begin Street to join the weekly anti-government, pro-hostage deal rally.
The protesters on Habima Square appear to coalesce in two separate, roughly equal circles, with one dominated by the binational socialist collective Standing Together and the other drawing smaller left-wing groups.
At the latter circle, there are no speeches. Activists chant slogans urging troops to “refuse to massacre,” and hoist banners with slogans such as “stop the genocide in Gaza” and “Zionism is nerdy.”
On Tel Aviv's Habima Square, far-left protesters urge IDF troops to decline to serve in Israel's 'massacre' in Gaza:
'Soldier! Attention! Refuse to massacre!'
'Pilots! Stop murdering children!' pic.twitter.com/V8xXdBOCox
— Noam Lehmann (@noamlehmann) November 2, 2024
Israel has strongly denied that it has committed any genocidal acts against Palestinians in Gaza, asserting in oral hearings and written submissions to the International Court of Justice in The Hague that statements by Israeli elected officials cited as evidence of genocidal intent were either taken out of context, mendaciously interpreted, or not reflective of government policy.
Standing Together’s circle features speeches by Alon-Lee Green and Roula Daoud, the movement’s co-leaders, and MK Ofer Cassif of the Israeli-Palestinian communist party Hadash.
Daoud urges the audience not to wait for the international community to intervene against the war.
“Only we can save ourselves from the fascist government,” she says. “We’re here, and we’re staying here: Jews, Arabs, Israelis, Palestinians.”
Green rails against the fighting, saying it is immoral and counterproductive.
“Killing children is a war crime. Starvation is a war crime. Destruction of cities is a war crime,” he says. “All of this is happening in the name of the settlements,” says Green, “the Israeli Ku Klux Klan.” He assails Israel’s media and Zionist left for “not telling us what is happening in Gaza.”
Cassif echoes the theme, saying that “what we are seeing now in Gaza is nothing less than a genocide” which the “conscripted” media is covering up.
Far-left lawmaker MK Ofer Cassif speaks during a protest against the war in Gaza at Tel Aviv’s Habima Square, November 2, 2024. (Noam Lehmann/Times of Israel)
“We’re learning in real time how” the Holocaust could have happened and nobody would speak up, says Cassif.
Referring to an ongoing probe, he says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has purposely leaked fake intelligence in an effort to thwart a hostage deal that would end the war.
After Cassif’s speech, a man yells at the protesters, calling them “faggots.”
“Let’s see you in Gaza!” he shouts.
Border Police officers securing the perimeter approach him, and he backs away.
IDF: Troops killed over 900 terror operatives in ongoing op in northern Gaza’s Jabalia
IDF troops operate in northern Gaza's Jabalia in a photo cleared for publication on November 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Israeli troops have killed some 900 terror operatives during an ongoing operation in northern Gaza’s Jabalia, according to the IDF’s latest assessments.
Another 700 Palestinians have been detained, among them at least 300 have so far been confirmed to be members of terror groups, according to the IDF.
Hezbollah fired over 130 rockets from Lebanon into Israel today — IDF tally
Hezbollah has fired over 130 rockets from Lebanon that crossed into Israel today, according to an IDF tally.
An attack early this morning in central Israel wounded 11 people after one of three rockets struck a home in Tira. The IDF says it is investigating the failure to intercept the rocket.
Additionally, some 10 drones were launched at Israel today — not all from Lebanon — seven of which were intercepted.
According to the IDF, at least six drones were launched from Lebanon at Israel, three of which were successfully intercepted. Another three drones launched from Iraq were intercepted, and another drone of unknown origin was also shot down.
IDF confirms: Navy commandos captured Hezbollah official in northern Lebanon raid last night
Imad Amhaz, a Hezbollah official captured by Israeli naval commandos on November 1, 2024. (Social media)
The Israeli Navy’s Shayetet 13 commando unit carried out a raid in northern Lebanon last night, capturing a Hezbollah official, the military confirms.
The Hezbollah operative, Imad Amhaz, is considered by the IDF to be a “significant source of knowledge” in the terror group’s naval force.
The Shayetet 13 commandos arrived from the sea and raided a chalet on the coast of Batroun, south of Tripoli. Amhaz was taken from the building by the commandos, and they left the area using speedboats, according to reports in Lebanon.
He is now being questioned by the Military Intelligence Directorate’s Unit 504, which specializes in HUMINT, or human intelligence.
Report: Egypt hosting Fatah-Hamas talks to discuss joint committee for post-war Gaza
Moussa Abu Marzouk (R), senior member of the Hamas terror group (R) signs a document as China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (C) and Mahmoud al-Aloul, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of Palestinian organization and political party Fatah, look on during the signing of the 'Beijing declaration' at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing on July 23, 2024 (Pedro Pardo/AFP)
Cairo is hosting meetings between Fatah and Hamas to discuss forming a committee to run Gaza as part of post-war plans, a senior Egyptian security source tells Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV.
The move is part of Egypt’s mediation efforts involving Palestinian and Israeli parties to reach a ceasefire and expand humanitarian aid access.
The two Palestinian factions have been rivals since the Hamas terror group violently routed forces loyal to the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah in Gaza in 2007, taking over the coastal enclave.
The two groups signed a declaration in China to end their years-long rift in July.
‘You’ve betrayed us’: Mother of hostage accuses Netanyahu of torpedoing ceasefire deal
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan Zangauker has been held hostage in Gaza for over a year, speaks at a press conference in Tel Aviv on November 2, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)
Relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza gather outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv for their weekly press conference, demanding that the government close a deal to free their loved ones.
Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan Zangauker has been held hostage in Gaza for over a year, decries what she calls a campaign “to paint the families [of Hamas hostages] as enemies and stall a [hostage-ceasefire] deal.”
Her comments come after a judge revealed yesterday that several suspects have been arrested in connection with an ongoing probe into the alleged leak of classified documents from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office that harmed efforts to secure a hostage deal.
“This is a knife in the back of the people,” she says during the press conference.
Addressing Netanyahu, she says, “You have betrayed the hostages. You have betrayed us. You have deliberately sabotaged the goals of the war, and you’ve lost the last scraps of mandate you had to manage the negotiations for a deal.”
393 ימים
עינב צנגאוקר בהתייחסות לפרשה שעדיין אסורה לפרסום:״השלטון מבצע תודעה שקרי ואכזרי נגד עסקת חטופים ונגד המשפחות. מבצע הונאה ציני שלקוח ממשטרים אפלים במטרה לסיים את המשפחות כאויב ולתקוע את העסקה. זהו סכין בגב העם.״ pic.twitter.com/drl0PdirnF
— ????️????????חגית קלימן – Hagit Klaiman????????????️ (@klaiman14) November 2, 2024
Netanyahu, who has been accused of torpedoing possible hostage deals for political reasons, has vowed that Israel will keep fighting in Gaza until it achieves total victory.
Negotiations for a hostage deal were renewed in recent weeks after Israel killed Hamas chief Sinwar in mid-October. Mossad chief David Barnea held discussions with mediators Egypt, Qatar and the United States in Doha this week, and further talks are slated to be held in Egypt.
It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.
Rocket sirens sounding again in northern border towns
Sirens are sounding again in communities near the northern border with Lebanon, warning of incoming rocket fire.
The sirens in the northern town of Metzuba come after Hezbollah launched at least 100 rockets at Israel since midnight.
???? Rocket Alert [18:27:53] – 1 Alert:
• Confrontation Line — Metzuba
Population: 1,200 pic.twitter.com/EEQyFw6uND
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) November 2, 2024
Anti-Israel group boasts ‘abducting’ busts of Israel’s first president from Manchester university
Footage posted to social media by anti-Israel group Palestine Action purports to show two activists stealing two busts of Israel's first president from the University of Manchester, November 1, 2024. (Screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
British police are investigating a robbery at the University of Manchester in which two busts of Israel’s first president were stolen, apparently by pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel activists.
Anti-Israel group Palestine Action posts footage on social media of two masked individuals smashing glass display cases to steal the busts from the University of Manchester.
“Palestine Action abduct sculptures of Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, from the University of Manchester. Weizmann secured the Balfour Declaration, a British pledge written 107 years ago, which began the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by signing the land away,” the group posts on X.
Greater Manchester Police says the burglary was reported shortly before midnight last night, according to British media reports.
BREAKING: Palestine Action abduct sculptures of Israel’s first president, Chaim Weizmann, from the University of Manchester.
Weizmann secured the Balfour Declaration, a British pledge written 107 years ago, which began the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by signing the land away. pic.twitter.com/a8urQciod5
— Palestine Action (@Pal_action) November 2, 2024
IDF eases restrictions in northern Israel despite repeated Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks
The IDF Home Front Command says it is easing restrictions in several areas in northern Israel, following a fresh assessment.
The changes come despite repeated Hezbollah rocket and drone attacks.
As part of the changes, the Home Front Command has adjusted the activity scale in the Lower Galilee and southern Golan Heights, from “partial activity” to “full activity.”
The changes there mean that gatherings are permitted up to 2,000 people.
There are no changes to other areas in the country.
Home Front Command restrictions issued November 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF: Suspected drone shot down over Mediterranean; incident under investigation
A suspected drone was shot down by Israeli air defenses over the Mediterranean Sea a short while ago, the IDF says.
The military says the drone was intercepted before entering Israeli airspace.
The IDF is still investigating where the drone was launched from.
Hackers calling themselves the ‘Iranian cyber army’ take over Israel journalists’ Telegram channel
Iranian hackers have taken over the Telegram channel of Israeli journalists Yaron Avraham from Channel 12 News and Yanir Cozin of Army Radio.
Channel 12 reports that the two haven’t had control of the social channel for almost 24 hours after the hackers changed its profile picture to a photo of slain Iranian al-Quds Force commander General Qassem Soleimani.
Since then, posts to the channel, which has over 38,000 followers, have included threats of rocket fire and photos of Adolf Hitler and Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“I’ll tell you the truth, it was most unpleasant. Friday night, the kids were already sleeping, and suddenly our photo was changed to Qassem Soleimani,” Avraham tells Channel 12.
“A few minutes later they identified themselves as the ‘Iranian cyber army’ and said that their attack on the channel proves Israel’s weakness,” he says, adding that efforts are underway to recover the account.
האקרים איראניים השתלטו על ערוץ הטלגרם שלי ושל יניר קוזין. רגעים לא נעימים בכלל עם איומים ברמה לאומית. מבקש את עזרתו של כל מי שיכול לעזור pic.twitter.com/L7WGPaL6jL
— Yaron Avraham ירון אברהם (@yaronavraham) November 1, 2024
Tens of thousands join anti-Israel march to US embassy in London; man arrested for pro-terror placard
Anti-Israel protesters hold flags and placards during a march in support of the Palestinian people in Gaza, in London, November 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Tens of thousands of anti-Israel protesters are marching through the streets of London towards the US embassy, to call on Washington to stop arming Jerusalem amid its war on Iran-backed terror groups Hamas and Hezbollah.
Protesters wave Palestinian and Lebanese flags, and signs reading, “Free Palestine” and “End Israeli apartheid.”
London police say a man has been arrested at the protest after he was observed carrying a placard suspected of expressing support for a terror organization.
According to posts on social media, the sign read, “Resistance is not terrorism.”
@metpoliceuk a woman was arrested today in London because of this sign! What’s wrong about it? #genocide in Gaza IS THE crime ! #ceasefireNow pic.twitter.com/B0kqurb2TH
— NacerArt Guerin (@GuerinNacera) November 2, 2024
Far-left lawmaker Jeremy Corbyn addresses the protest, which is organized by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign.
A small pro-Israel counter-protest gathers near the march waving British and Israeli flags and signs calling for the release of hostages held by terror groups in Gaza since Hamas’s brutal October 7, 2023, massacre.
Pro-Israel demonstrators wave flags to counter-protest an anti-Israel march in London, November 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali)
Footage shows Hezbollah drone from Lebanon being shot down by IAF helicopter south of Haifa
A Hezbollah drone that set off sirens in northern Israel in the past hour was shot down by an Israeli Air Force attack helicopter in the Binyamina area, south of Haifa.
Footage posted to social media shows the moment that the drone was shot down.
Footage shows the moment an IAF attack helicopter shot down a Hezbollah drone over northern Israel this afternoon. https://t.co/DBFLNJhZ2x pic.twitter.com/vW3JGAI4cQ
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 2, 2024
IDF says troops destroyed large Hamas underground arms manufacturing plant in central Gaza
The inside of a Hamas weapons manufacturing tunnel, found in the central Gaza Strip, in a handout image published by the IDF on November 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
A large underground weapons manufacturing plant operated by Hamas was recently located and demolished by troops in the central Gaza Strip, the IDF announces.
Troops with the 252nd Division located the tunnel network, where Hamas had previously manufactured weapons.
The site was located “in the heart of a civilian population,” near Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighborhood, the IDF says.
In the tunnel, the IDF says troops found lathes, and hundreds of components used to build rockets, mortars, grenades, and diving equipment, the latter of which would have been used by Hamas terrorists to infiltrate into Israel via the sea.
The inside of a Hamas weapons manufacturing tunnel, found in the central Gaza Strip, in a handout image published by the IDF on November 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
Also in the tunnel, the IDF says it found several rooms where Hamas operatives could reside for long periods. The rooms included kitchens, bedrooms, and offices.
Combat engineers mapped out the tunnel system, before demolishing it.
The IDF says that by demolishing the tunnel and seizing the equipment, it “foiled another attempt by the Hamas terror organization to rearm.”
IDF says drone infiltration over after sirens sound in northern Israel for over half an hour
The IDF Home Front Command says the drone infiltration incident is over, without elaborating.
Sirens had sounded in northern Israel for over half an hour after a Hezbollah drone entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.
It is unclear if the drone was shot down or if it impacted.
Footage on social media shows Hezbollah drone flying over northern Israel; sirens continue to sound
Footage posted to social media shows a Hezbollah drone flying over northern Israel.
The IDF says it is working to intercept the device, as sirens continue to sound in northern communities from Nahariya to Haifa along the coast, and now also in Yokneam in the Jezreel Valley.
Footage posted to social media shows a Hezbollah drone flying over northern Israel.
The IDF says it is working to intercept it. pic.twitter.com/wFkgL2odzH
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 2, 2024
Drone sirens also sounding in Haifa area; IDF tracking target from Lebanon
Sirens warning of a drone infiltration sound in the Haifa Bay area, as the IDF says it is tracking a target that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon.
“The incident is still ongoing,” the IDF says.
The alerts come a few minutes after suspected drone alerts began to blare in Nahariya and surrounding areas.
???? ✈️ Hostile Aircraft Intrusion [16:24:07] – 10 Alerts:
• HaMifratz — Kiryat Bialik Industrial Zone, Kiryat Yam, Kiryat Biyalik, Kiryat Motzkin
• Menashe — Haifa – Kiryat Haim & Kiryat Shmuel
• Upper Galilee — Sha'ar Na'aman Industrial Zone, Acre, Kfar Masaryk, Ein… pic.twitter.com/mHuUroQXfO— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) November 2, 2024
Over 100 BBC staff accuse UK outlet of favoring Israel in Gaza war coverage — report
Illustrative: Protesters holding placards and Israeli flags join a gathering outside the headquarters of the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) in London on October 16, 2023, to appeal to the corporation to call Hamas 'terrorists.' (Daniel Leal/AFP)
Over 100 BBC employees have reportedly sent a letter to the British outlet’s director general accusing the corporation of favoring Israel in its coverage of the ongoing war in Gaza.
The letter to BBC director general Tim Davie, published in full by UK news site The Independent yesterday, charges that the broadcaster’s “journalistic tenets have been lacking when it comes to holding Israel to account for its actions.”
The BBC has also repeatedly been accused of bias against Israel since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 massacre that sparked the war in Gaza.
Some 230 media figures who signed the letter call on the BBC, along with British channels ITV and Sky News, to reiterate to their readers that Israel doesn’t give foreign media access to Gaza, to bring skepticism to Israeli claims, and to provide “proportionate representation of experts in war crimes and crimes against humanity.”
Israel blocked civilian access to Gaza on October 7 as the region was plunged into war by Hamas’s brutal attack. Since then only journalists already in the enclave, largely local Palestinian freelancers, or those escorted by the military under tightly controlled conditions have managed to report from inside the enclave.
The letter also calls on the outlets to “robustly challenge” Israeli government and military officials in interviews.
The Independent publishes a response from the BBC denying that it favors Israel in its coverage, insisting, “When we make mistakes or have made changes to the way we report, we are transparent. We are also very clear with our audiences on the limitations put on our reporting – including the lack of access into Gaza and restricted access to parts of Lebanon, and our continued efforts to get reporters into those areas.”
A British report released in September found that the BBC displayed a “deeply worrying pattern of bias” against Israel and had breached its own editorial guidelines more than 1,500 times in its reporting at the height of the Israel-Hamas war.
Suspected drone sirens sounding in Nahariya area in northern Israel
Sirens are now sounding in several areas near the northern city of Nahariya, warning of a suspected drone infiltration.
???? ✈️ Hostile Aircraft Intrusion [16:16:54] – 8 Alerts:
• Confrontation Line — Gesher HaZiv, Milouot Industrial Zone North, Nahariya, Sa'ar, Shlomi, Lehman, Metzuba, Betzet
Population: 78,000 pic.twitter.com/EeOVBV3uei
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) November 2, 2024
UNFIL denies involvement in alleged capture of Hezbollah naval commander by Israeli commandos — Arab media
German navy UNIFIL peacekeepers stand on a vessel in the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon, April 24, 2014. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)
UNIFIL has denied involvement in the alleged capture of a Hezbollah naval commander by Israeli naval commandos in northern Lebanon yesterday, according to Arab media reports.
Saudi channel Asharq News quotes an unnamed deputy spokesperson from the UN peacekeeping force as saying, “UNIFIL has no involvement in facilitating any kidnapping or any other violation of Lebanese sovereignty.”
The UN spokesman also says the dissemination of “misleading information and unfounded rumors is irresponsible and puts peacekeeping forces at risk,” according to Asharq.
Lebanese journalist Hasan Illaik, who first reported the alleged Israeli raid, cited anonymous military officials as saying that the operation was carried out in coordination with the German Navy operating within the UNIFIL forces, to prevent the Lebanese Navy from interfering.
Rocket sirens sounding again in several northern cities, towns
Sirens are sounding again in northern communities, warning of incoming rocket fire.
The fresh alerts in cities and towns including Nahariya, Cabri, Shlomi, Betzet and Shavei Zion follow Hezbollah fire on northern Israel throughout the day, as Israel fights the Iran-backed terror group in Lebanon.
???? Rocket Alert [15:53:37] – 22 Alerts ????:
• Confrontation Line — Shlomi (×2), Gesher HaZiv, Sa'ar, Milouot Industrial Zone North (×2), Ya'ara, Nahariya (×2), Cabri, Evron, Lehman (×2), Betzet, Metzuba (×2), Ben Ami, Nahariya Cemetery, Hanita, Avdon
• Upper Galilee — Mazra'a,… pic.twitter.com/lsMcPxDUIG— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) November 2, 2024
Lebanese media report Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut; no comment from IDF
Lebanese media report an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.
There is no immediate comment from the IDF on the strike.
صور للغارة التي شنها العدو الاسرائيلي على مبنى في #الضاحيه_الجنوبية بالقرب من قاروط مول #الجديد pic.twitter.com/0LRMUvXRni
— AL Jadeed Tv (@AlJadeed_TV) November 2, 2024
Hezbollah official captured is senior member of terror group’s naval force — report
Imad Amhaz, a reported Hezbollah official allegedly captured by Israeli naval commandos on November 1, 2024. (Social media)
The Hezbollah official captured by Israeli naval commandos in northern Lebanon is a senior member of the terror group’s naval force, Axios reporter Barak Ravid says, citing an Israeli official.
The official says that Imad Amhaz was taken to be questioned on Hezbollah’s naval activities, according to Ravid.
????Israeli Navy SEALs captured last night Imad Amhaz – a senior member of Hezbollah's naval force in an operation in Northern Lebanon, an Israeli official tells me. The official said Amhaz was detained in order to interrogate him and learn more about Hezbollah's naval operations
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) November 2, 2024
Israeli jets strike Hezbollah launchers used to fire rockets at center; 30 rockets fired at north
Israeli fighter jets struck the Hezbollah rocket launchers used in this morning’s barrage on central Israel, the IDF says.
Three rockets were launched in the attack, one of which struck a home in Tira, wounding 11 people.
The IDF releases footage of the strike on the launchers in Lebanon.
מוקדם יותר היום תקפו בשטח לבנון מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר, בשיתוף פיקוד הצפון את המשגר ממנו זוהו השיגורים לעבר מרכז הארץ הלילה.
בהמשך להתרעות שהופעלו בשעה 13:57-13:59 במרחבים הגליל העליון ומרכז הגליל, זוהו כ-30 שיגורים שחצו משטח לבנון.
מרביתם יורטו על ידי חה״א, זוהו נפילות במרחב pic.twitter.com/JM1hYvNcLZ— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) November 2, 2024
Meanwhile, a barrage of some 30 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Galilee an hour ago.
The IDF says most of the rockets were shot down by air defenses. There are no reports of injuries.
Lebanese minister confirms civilian ship captain captured by Israeli commandos
Lebanon’s Minister of Public Works and Transport, Ali Hamie, confirms that a Lebanese man was captured by Israeli naval commandos in northern Lebanon yesterday.
Hamie tells the local Al Jadeed News station that the man, named by media reports as Imad Amhaz, was a captain of civilian ships and was studying at a civilian naval institute after some reports claimed he was in the Lebanese Navy.
The Saudi Al-Hadath outlet reported that Amhaz was a Hezbollah official.
????تدخل الموساد وسرية متكال الخاصة الى عمق لبنان وتختطف ارهابي متحصن في منزل بالقرب من شاطىء البترون وتأخذه عبر الزوارق
هذا هو الإرهابي عماد أمهز الذي يعترف الان على كل الخطط الحزبلاتية البديلة ومواقعهم التمويهية و بينما هو يتعرف الان يتم رصد كل تغيير خططهم لضربها واستهدفها… pic.twitter.com/hUmGh3JGJ7
— سفيان السامرائي (@SufianSamarrai) November 2, 2024
Rocket sirens blare across north
The site where a missile fired from Lebanon hit an open area, in Moshav Sde Eliezer, northern Israel, November 2, 2024. (Ayal Margolin/Flash90)
Incoming rocket sirens are triggered throughout the north.
The sirens sound in the town of Carmiel, in Lower and Upper Galilee communities, and along the northern border.
Lebanese reports say man captured by Israeli commandos is Lebanese Navy officer
Some Lebanese reports claim that Imad Amhaz, who was allegedly captured by Israeli naval commandos in northern Lebanon yesterday, was a Lebanese Navy officer.
The Saudi Al-Hadath outlet reported that Amhaz was a Hezbollah official.
الحدث نقلا عن مصادرها الصهيوںية تقول المعتقل في البترون عماد فاضل امهز، وعند البحث عنه تبين أنه ضابط بحري.. https://t.co/nXohEe62rW pic.twitter.com/ZC6MSYeHLS
— Ali Bk (@Bk_Hanas) November 2, 2024
Images posted to social media show Amhaz in navy uniform.
Hezbollah claims to target Palmachim Airbase with drones; IDF says it’s unaware of incident
Hezbollah claims to have targeted the Palmachim Airbase, south of Tel Aviv, with drones this morning.
The Lebanese terror group says it launched the drones at 11:15 a.m.
The IDF says it is unaware of any drones being launched at Israel at that time. No sirens sounded in Israel warning of a drone attack at that time either.
Hezbollah official reportedly captured in commando raid on north Lebanon
A Lebanese person said to have been captured by Israeli naval commandos in northern Lebanon yesterday is Hezbollah official Imad Amhaz, the Saudi news outlet Al-Hadath reports.
Lebanese media reported that the IDF special forces raided a chalet on the coast of Batroun, south of Tripoli, and took one person with them, before returning to the sea and leaving the area in speedboats.
The IDF has not commented on the incident.
Israeli commandos said to capture individual in north Lebanon yesterday
Israeli naval commandos conducted a raid in northern Lebanon yesterday, where they captured one person, according to Lebanese journalist Hasan Illaik.
More than 25 soldiers arrived on the coast of Batroun, south of Tripoli, and raided a chalet near the beach. One Lebanese person, who was alone, was taken from the area, and the special forces left the area via speedboats, the report says.
Illaik shares surveillance camera footage purportedly from the incident. It shows a group of soldiers taking a detained person with them.
The journalist says Lebanese security officials are investigating the incident.
حدث خطير وقع في منطقة البترون فجر أمس, تحقق فيه الأجهزة الأمنية اللبنانية (الجيش وقوى الأمن الداخلي). قوة خاصة قوامها أكثر من ٢٥ جندي (بحارة وغواصون)، نفّذت عملية إبرار (إنزال بحري) على شاطئ البترون، وانتقلت بكامل أسلحتها وعتادها إلى شاليه قريب من الشاطئ، حيث اختطفت شخصاً… pic.twitter.com/R6eGtITpzi
— Hasan illaik (@Hasanillaik) November 2, 2024
Kfir Brigade deploys to Gaza’s Jabalia amid IDF offensive against Hamas
The Kfir Infantry Brigade has been deployed to northern Gaza’s Jabalia, as the IDF expands its ongoing operation against Hamas there.
The military says Kfir joins the Givati and 401st brigades, which have operating under the 162nd DIvision in Jabalia since last month.
So far during the operation in Jabalia, the IDF says troops have killed and detained hundreds of terror operatives.
One rocket fired from Lebanon shot down, another lands in open area
Two missiles were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel a short while ago, setting off sirens in the Western Galilee and Haifa Bay area.
According to the IDF, one of the projectiles was intercepted, while the second struck an open area.
There are no reports of injuries or major damage.
Rocket sirens sound throughout north
Rocket sirens are triggered in several locations throughout the north, including communities on the border with Lebanon, the Haifa Bay area, and the Central and Upper Galilee.
צבע אדום (02/11/2024 11:05): אזורים המפרץ, מרכז הגליל, העמקים, גליל עליון, קו העימות pic.twitter.com/xbmvjYIulq
— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) November 2, 2024
3 drones launched from Iraq intercepted by air defenses over Red Sea
Three drones launched at Israel from Iraq were shot down by Israeli air defenses over the Red Sea a short while ago, the military says.
The drones were launched “from the east,” a term the IDF uses to describe attacks from Iraq.
The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq takes responsibility for launching them, claiming to have targeted sites in Eilat.
No sirens sounded in Eilat as the drones were shot down before entering Israeli airspace.
Senior official in Iraqi pro-Iran militia says it’s coordinating with Tehran on response to Israel
Fighters lift flags of Iraq and paramilitary groups, including al-Nujaba and Kataib Hezbollah, during a funeral in Baghdad for five militants killed a day earlier in a US strike in northern Iraq, on December 4, 2023. (Ahmad Al-Rubaye/AFP)
A senior official in the pro-Iran Hezbollah al-Nujaba militia says Islamist groups in Iraq are fully coordinating with Tehran on a response “at the appropriate time and place” against Israel for last week’s airstrikes.
Israel’s airstrikes on October 26 came in response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack on October 1.
“When Israel attacked Iran it violated Iraqi airspace and international norms, and the United States cooperated with it, despite its security agreements with Iraq,” Haider al-Lami, a member of the militia’s political bureau, tells Lebanese news outlet Al-Akhbar.
“Iran has the right to attack Israel from any point in Iraq,” he adds.
Khamenei threatens ‘crushing response’ against Israel and US over actions against Iran
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei waves to the crowd in a meeting in Tehran, Iran, October 27, 2024. (Office of the Iranian Supreme Leader via AP)
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Iran’s supreme leader threatens both Israel and the US with “a crushing response” over attacks on Iran and its allies.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks as Iranian officials are increasingly threatening to launch yet another strike against Israel after its October 26 airstrikes on the Islamic Republic that targeted military bases and other locations and killed four Iranian soldiers.
Those strikes were a response to Iran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack on Israel.
“The enemies, whether the Zionist regime or the United States of America, will definitely receive a crushing response to what they are doing to Iran and the Iranian nation and to the resistance front,” Khamenei says in a video released by Iranian state media.
The supreme leader did not elaborate on the timing of the attack, nor the scope.
The 85-year-old Khamenei had struck a more cautious approach in earlier remarks, saying officials would weigh Iran’s response and that Israel’s attack “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Two Hezbollah commanders killed in Israeli strike in Tyre
Israeli forces operate in southern Lebanon, in an image released on November 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
The commander of Hezbollah’s coastal region in southern Lebanon was killed in an Israeli airstrike yesterday, along with another top member of the terror group, the IDF announces.
The military says that Moein Musa Izz al-Din, the commander of Hezbollah’s coastal regional unit, and Hassan Majed Diab, the commander of the unit’s artillery array, were killed in the strike yesterday in the Tyre area.
Diab was responsible for a rocket barrage on the Haifa Bay area on Thursday, which killed a mother and son, along with more than 400 other rockets in the past month, according to the IDF.
Drone shot down, another said to hit factory in north in latest attack
Several drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in the past hour, setting off sirens in the Haifa area.
According to the IDF, one of the drones was successfully shot down by the Israeli Air Force.
Another drone reportedly impacted a factory building in an industrial zone near Nahariya.
There are no reports of injuries in the attack.
Footage posted to social media purports to show some of the drones and the damage caused to the factory.
Several drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in the past hour, setting off sirens in the Haifa area.
According to the IDF, one of the drones was successfully shot down by the Israeli Air Force.
Another drone reportedly impacted a factory building in an… pic.twitter.com/5Cb0jqlOrw
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 2, 2024
Separately, two rockets fired from Lebanon at the northern Golan Heights a short while ago struck open areas, according to the military.
11 hurt, three moderately in Tira rocket attack
A home impacted by a Hezbollah rocket in the central town of Tira, November 2, 2024. (Magen David Adom)
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says 11 were injured, three moderately, in an overnight rocket attack on the central town of Tira.
Seven others were treated for acute anxiety, MDA says.
Hezbollah claims it targeted intelligence base with rockets overnight
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Lebanon’s Hezbollah terror group says it had launched rockets at an Israeli intelligence base near Tel Aviv in the early hours of the morning.
At 2:30 a.m. (00:30 GMT) terrorists “fired a salvo of rockets at the Glilot base of the 8200 military intelligence unit in the suburbs of Tel Aviv” the Iranian proxy says in a statement.
The IDF said three rockets were launched from Lebanon toward central Israel overnight.
An impact in the central town of Tira injured 19 people.
דיווחים על נפילה בטירה | תיעוד@hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/nbSnwy5hKB
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 2, 2024
IDF tracking aerial target in north as drone sirens sound in Western Galilee
The IDF is tracking an aerial target over northern Israel that triggered drone infiltration warnings in the Western Galilee a short while ago.
The IDF says the incident is ongoing.
Around 15 rockets fired from Lebanon in latest barrage
Around 15 rockets were fired from Lebanon triggering sirens in northern Israel a short while ago, the IDF says.
Some five rockets fired at the Upper Galilee were mostly intercepted, the IDF states.
Some 10 rockets were also fired at the Haifa Bay area and Galilee. Some were intercepted while others fell in open areas, the military adds.
There are no reports of injuries.
Rocket sirens blare throughout north
Rocket sirens are triggered again in the north, this time in the Haifa Bay area, Upper Galilee, Central Galilee, and communities on the border with Lebanon.
צבע אדום (02/11/2024 07:15-07:16): אזורים המפרץ, גליל עליון, מרכז הגליל, קו העימות pic.twitter.com/HekTy3NMUz
— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) November 2, 2024
Rocket warning sirens sound in Safed and other Upper Galilee communities
Incoming rocket sirens are triggered in the city of Safed and numerous other communities in the Upper Galilee.
Police update says 19 wounded in rocket attack on Tira
A screenshot of video showing a building in the central Arab Israeli town of Tira that was damaged by a rocket fired from Lebanon early on November 2, 2024. (Screen capture via X, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)
Citing medical officials, police raise the injury toll in the rocket attack on Tira to 19, four of whom were moderately hurt and the rest lightly.
All 19 were taken to local hospitals, police add.
Democratic chair of US Senate foreign affairs c’tee urges ICC to probe top prosecutor
Sen. Ben Cardin, Democrat-Maryland, speaks during a Senate Finance Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 8, 2021. (Tom Williams/Pool via AP)
Democratic Senator Ben Cardin of Maryland, who chairs the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, calls for the ICC to investigate sexual misconduct allegations against its top prosecutor Karim Khan.
“Until a thorough administrative investigation into the allegations of misconduct is concluded and necessary actions are taken, there is a shadow cast on the prosecutor’s own investigations. I urge the bodies of the ICC to take action under their authorities to remove any doubt, and to weigh their deliberations carefully,” Cardin says in a statement.
“It is no secret that I find the application for arrest warrants against Israeli officials inconsistent with the ICC’s principle of complementarity, and such inconsistency undermines its own efforts to promote and uphold the rule of law globally,” Cardin adds.
Ambulance service raises number of wounded in Tira to 11
Magen David Adom raises the number of people injured in the central town of Tira by a rocket fired from Lebanon to 11.
According to the ambulance service, three people were moderately wounded and the other eight were lightly hurt.
7 wounded after Lebanon rockets impact in central Arab Israeli town of Tira
The Magen David Adom ambulance service says paramedics are treating seven people in Tira who were wounded by a rocket fired from Lebanon that impacted in the central Arab Israeli city.
MDA says two of the wounded are moderately hurt and the other five suffered light injuries, most of them from shrapnel. Another two people are being treated after suffering acute anxiety.
Images from Tira show damage to a building that was apparently struck by the rocket.
IDF says 3 rockets fired from Lebanon at central Israel; man said moderately hurt in Tira
The IDF says that three rocks were launched from Lebanon toward central Israel, after warning alerts were triggered in the Sharon and Dan regions.
“Interceptions were carried out,” a military statement from says.
The military says that “apparently an impact was identified in the area,” without specifying whether it was caused by the rocket itself or shrapnel from an interceptor missile.
Dash camera video shows an explosion in the town of Tira, where reports say a man was moderately wounded.
דיווחים על נפילה בטירה | תיעוד@hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/nbSnwy5hKB
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) November 2, 2024
Rocket fire from Lebanon sets off sirens in communities across central Israel
Warning sirens are heard in the Tel Aviv suburb of Herzliya and other communities across central Israel, with the military saying the alerts were triggered by the firing of projectiles from Lebanon.
Trump appears in Michigan with Arab supporter who claims ‘Palestine is being erased’
Republican presidential nominee and former US president Donald Trump talks with owner Albert Abbas as he visits The Great Commoner restaurant, November 1, 2024, in Dearborn, Michigan. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Donald Trump meets with Arab Americans in Dearborn, Michigan — America’s largest Arab-majority city — as the Republican presidential nominee works to court the potentially decisive group amid discontent over the Biden administration’s support for Israel.
Trump is greeted with cheers and applause from a modest crowd at The Great Commoner restaurant in one of his campaign’s final attempts to garner support in the key battleground state.
Metro Detroit is home to the nation’s largest concentration of Arab Americans, with a large chunk of them living in Dearborn. The city — which Democrat Joe Biden won by a 3-to-1 margin in 2020 — has been roiled by political turmoil, with many upset with the Biden-Harris administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
Democrats worry that anger over the war will lead traditionally loyal voters to shift their votes to Trump or third-party candidates like Jill Stein — or skip the top of the ballot altogether. This could prove pivotal in Michigan, a state both parties see as a toss-up.
The meeting with Arab supporters follows Trump’s rally in Michigan last week, when he brought local Muslims up onstage with him. Trump has also received endorsements from two Democratic mayors of Muslim-majority cities.
“It is time to prioritize our nation’s best interests and foster lasting peace for all,” Albert Abbas, an Arab American, says while standing next to Trump. “This current administration has failed miserably in all aspects of humanity.”
He continues: “We look to a Trump presidency with hope and envisioning a time where peace flourishes, particularly in Lebanon and Palestine.”
“I can’t stand in silence while Palestine is being erased. Please help us stop the bloodshed. No amount of money and power should be prioritized over human life.”
Trump also delivers remarks, saying, “I know many people from Lebanon and we have to get this whole thing over with. We want to have peace. We want to have peace on earth, all over, all over. And these are wonderful people, and I very much appreciate it.”
זאת סצינה שחובה לראות. טראמפ בביקור מפתיע בעיר הערבית דירבורן. לצידו גורם בקהילה שאומר: ״מחכים לנשיאות של טראמפ. אנחנו לא יכולים לעמוד בשקט כשפלסטין נמחקת. תעזור לנו לעצור את שפיכות הדמים״. בקמפיין טראמפ יודעים בדיוק מי מדבר ומה יגיד. הקטע כתוב על דף. pic.twitter.com/EMp1SQjXqH
— Neria Kraus (@NeriaKraus) November 1, 2024
Lebanon says 52 killed in Israeli strikes in country’s east
Lebanon’s health ministry says 52 people had been killed in Israeli strikes today in the country’s east, attacks for which the Israeli army had not issued evacuation warnings.
Without differentiating between civilians and combatants, the ministry reports “52 people killed and 72 wounded in an updated toll of today’s Israeli enemy strikes on the Baalbek-Hermel region.”
Twelve of the victims were killed in the village of Amhaz, it said, while nine others were killed in Yunin and eight in Bednayel.
Israel has been targeting Hezbollah sites throughout Lebanon in response to the terror group’s near-daily attacks against Israel since October 8, 2023.
Reported Israeli strike near Lebanon-Syria border forces crossing closure after partial reopening
Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ali Hamieh says an Israeli strike near a border crossing between northeast Lebanon and Syria forced the crossing to shut after it had been partly reopened.
The strike hit the same location within Syria, just past the Syrian border installation, as an Israeli bombardment last month closed the crossing, Hamieh says. It had been partly reopened for cars but not trucks and was now closed again.
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