Oct. 3: US official says Israel doesn’t seem to have decided how to respond to Iran attack

PA health ministry: Death toll in IDF strike in Tulkarem rises to 18

The death toll in the IDF airstrike in Tulkarem in the West Bank rises to 18, according to the Palestinian Authority health ministry.

After IDF evacuation order, Lebanese media reports airstrikes on two Hezbollah sites in Beirut

After the IDF called on civilians to flee the area surrounding two Hezbollah sites in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanese media report airstrikes in the area.

غارتين على الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت pic.twitter.com/0DtwsYvYQJ

— Ali Bk (@Bk_Hanas) October 3, 2024

PA health ministry reports at least 16 dead in Israeli strike in West Bank city of Tulkarem

The Palestinian Authority health ministry reports at least 16 dead in the Israeli airstrike in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

The IDF has confirmed the strike but not yet given details.

Washington doesn’t believe Israel has decided whether to hit Iran oil facilities — US official

WASHINGTON – The United States does not believe Israel has decided how to respond to Iran’s attack, including whether to hit its oil facilities, a US official says, days after Tehran attacked the Jewish state with some 200 ballistic missiles.

“As the president said, we continue to have discussions with the Israelis about their response to Tuesday’s attack and we understand that they are still determining what exactly they will do,” the source says.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report. 

IDF calls on Lebanese civilians near two buildings in southern Beirut to evacuate immediately

The IDF is calling on Lebanese civilians near two buildings in the southern suburb of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh, to evacuate immediately ahead of airstrikes.

Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, publishes maps alongside the announcement, which call on civilians to distance themselves at least 500 meters from the sites.

#عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى سكان الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا المتواجدين في المباني المحددة في الخريطتيْن والواقعيْن في حي برج البراجنة

????أنتم متواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله وسيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع على مدى الزمني القريب
????من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة أبناء عائلتكم عليكم… pic.twitter.com/zvYdvdeLBG

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 3, 2024

Top official in Hezbollah’s precision guided missile project killed in Beirut airstrike this week — IDF

Smoke seeps out from building rubble at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike on the Laylaki neighborhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 1, 2024. (AFP)

Earlier this week, a top official in Hezbollah’s precision-guided missile project was killed in an airstrike in Beirut, the military says.

The IDF says it struck and killed Muhammad Yousef Anisi, who served in Hezbollah’s weapons production division.

Anisi was “one of the leaders” of Hezbollah’s precision-guided missile project, and was a “significant source of knowledge” in the field, the military says.

IDF carries out airstrike in West Bank city of Tulkarem in joint operation with Shin Bet

The IDF says it carried out an airstrike with a fighter jet in the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

The military says the strike comes amid a joint IDF and Shin Bet operation in the area, and further details will be provided later.

The IDF has carried out dozens of airstrikes in the West Bank in the past year, but mostly with drones and helicopters, rarely with fighter jets.

???? متابعة صفا| من مكان قصف الاحتلال الإسرائيلي في حارة الحمام في مخيم طولكرم pic.twitter.com/1HU4Wmf7Fc

— وكالة صفا (@SafaPs) October 3, 2024

G7 reiterates commitment to Israel’s security, calls on regional players in Middle East to ‘act responsibly’

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (3rd R) meets with G7 Foreign Ministers during NATO's 75th anniversary summit in Washington, DC, on July 11, 2024. (Samuel Corum/AFP)

LONDON – Group of Seven (G7) leaders reiterate their deep concern over the crisis in the Middle East and call on players in the region to “act responsibly” and with restraint while repeating their backing for Israel’s security.

“We, the Leaders of the G7, express deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East … We unequivocally reiterate our commitment to the security of Israel,” a G7 statement provided by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office reads.

“A dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks fuelling uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East, which is in no one’s interest. Therefore, we call on all regional players to act responsibly and with restraint.”

Along with Britain, the G7 comprises the United States, Canada, Italy, France, Germany and Japan.

Pentagon says it’s in talks with Israel about possible response to Iranian missile attack

Image taken from video shows missiles fired from Iran being intercepted over Jerusalem, October 1, 2024. (AP)

The Pentagon says it is in discussions with Israeli officials about their possible response to Iran’s missile attack earlier this week, but declines to offer more details on the talks.

“We are certainly talking to them about their response, but what their response might be, I’m just not going to speculate further on. But we do continue to engage with them,” says Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.

Israel is reportedly mulling an attack on Iran’s nuclear or oil facilities as part of the retaliation for Tuesday’s attack, which saw Iran fire 181 ballistic missiles at Israel, sending most of the country into bomb shelters and causing considerable damage but only one known fatality — a Palestinian man in the West Bank.

IDF: 10 rockets fired from Lebanon at Haifa area; some intercepted, rest strike open areas; none hurt

A barrage of 10 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Haifa Bay area, setting off sirens in the Krayot and nearby towns.

The IDF says some of the rockets were intercepted and the rest struck open areas.

No injuries are reported.

Rocket sirens sounding in northern Israel including Haifa area, Central Galilee

Sirens are sounding in several northern towns and cities, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The alerts are sounding in the Haifa area, in the Central Galilee, and near the northern border with Lebanon.

Magen David Adom says there have been no immediate reports of injuries in the apparent attack from Lebanon.

The IDF said a short while ago that almost 200 rockets have been launched at northern Israel today.

???? Rocket Alert [21:45:13] (15):

• Center Galilee — Shfaram, Kabul, Tamra
• HaMifratz — Kiryat Biyalik, Kiryat Yam, Kiryat Atta, Kiryat Motzkin
• Confrontation Line — Misgav Am
• Upper Galilee — Achihud, Sha'ar Na'aman Industrial Zone, Afek, Bar Lev Industrial Zone, Yasur pic.twitter.com/nr1L15tqjz

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 3, 2024

IDF says fighter jets carried out strikes on 15 Hezbollah sites in Beirut over past day

In the past day, the IDF says fighter jets carried out strikes on 15 Hezbollah sites in the Lebanese capital of Beirut.

The targets included weapon manufacturing sites, weapon depots, and other infrastructure, the military says.

The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strikes, including using “precision munitions” and aerial surveillance.

“The Hezbollah terrorist organization has deliberately embedded its weapons production facilities and weaponry beneath residential buildings in the heart of the city of Beirut, endangering the population in the area,” the military adds.

ביממה האחרונה מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר תקפו בהכוונה מודיעינית של אמ"ן ובאופן ממוקד, אתרי ייצור אמצעי לחימה, מחסני אמצעי לחימה ותשתיות טרור נוספות במרחב ביירות>> pic.twitter.com/Gkk25QEDzC

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 3, 2024

Israeli strike targets warehouse near Beirut airport — Hezbollah-linked source

A Middle-East Airlines (MEA) plane approaches Beirut International airport on October 3, 2024. (Joseph Eid/AFP)

A source close to Hezbollah says an Israeli strike targeted a warehouse next to Beirut airport Thursday, the latest raid since Israel stepped up its offensive against the terror group last week.

“An Israeli airstrike targeted a warehouse adjacent to the airport,” the source tells AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, without giving details on what the building contained.

The report comes after Lebanese media reported two separate Israeli strikes today in Beirut’s southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.

As Iran vows ‘stronger response’ should Israel hit back, Gulf states said to fear their oil facilities could be targeted

The remains of an Iranian missile on the ground in the Negev desert near Arad, on October 2, 2024, in the aftermath of an Iranian missile attack on Israel. (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

After Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian warned last night that an Israeli response to its ballistic missile attack would prompt “a stronger response” from Iran, Iranian commentators are predicting that Iran would fire 1,000 missiles at Israel and target civilian infrastructure, Channel 12 reports.

The Israeli TV station’s regional affairs reporter Ohad Hemo also says reports in Iran claim that it fired 400 missiles at Israel — rather than the 181 that Israel has reported.

Hemo says the regime sees the current escalated conflict as a “moment of truth” and an “existential war for the Axis of Resistance it has put together.” But since the intended spearhead of that axis, Hezbollah, is weakened, it’s really a direct case of Iran against Israel, he notes.

Hemo quotes Pezeshkian saying in Qatar last night that, if Israel “wants to react, we will have a stronger response; this is what the Islamic Republic is committed to.”

But he also says Pezeshkian talked of other states that Israel ostensibly has in its sights after Gaza and Lebanon, and interpreted that comment as indicating a “real concern” in the regime of Israeli attack.

In his comments yesterday, Pezeshkian claimed Iran was “not looking for war; it is Israel that forces us to react.”

“The dirty goal of the Zionist regime is to cause insecurity and spread crisis in the region,” Pezeshkian also said. “What we want from US and European countries is to tell the entity they have planted in the region (Israel) to stop the bloodshed.”

But “any type of military attack, terrorist act or crossing our red lines will be met with a decisive response by our armed forces,” he said.

With Israel reportedly considering targeting Iranian oil facilities, Channel 12 also says that Iranians have been ordered not to fill up their cars with more than 30 liters of fuel for now.

Meanwhile, Reuters reports that Gulf Arab states meeting in Qatar are concerned that their oil facilities could be targeted by Iran.

Iran has not threatened to attack Gulf oil facilities but it has warned that if “Israel supporters” intervene directly their interests in the region would be targeted, Reuters says.

“The Gulf states think it’s unlikely that Iran will strike their oil facilities, but the Iranians are dropping hints they might from unofficial sources. It’s a tool the Iranians have against the US and the global economy,” Ali Shihabi, a Saudi commentator close to the Royal Court, tells the news agency.

Israel coordinating with US on ‘harsh’ response ‘within days’ to Iran missile attack – report

Members of Israel's Home Front Command and police forces inspect a crater left by an exploded projectile at a heavily-damaged school building in Israel's southern city of Gedera on October 1, 2024, after Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel (Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is tonight holding the latest in a series of top-level security consultations, as Israel decides how and when to respond to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Tuesday, Channel 12 reports.

It quotes ministerial sources saying Israel “will exact a heavy price from the ayatollahs’ regime.”

The anticipated “harsh response” is being closely coordinated with the Biden administration, the TV report says, citing the possibility of a phone call soon between Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden.

The Israeli response is expected to be carried out “within days,” the report says.

The unnamed ministerial sources say Israel cannot and will not allow Tuesday’s attack to pass without “a significant” Israeli response, and the report says that “many options” are being considered.

Israel is also seeking to apply heavy diplomatic pressure on the US and the west in general to impose stringent new sanctions on Iran, Channel 12 says, elaborating that Israel sees not only a military opportunity to hit Iran hard, but also a chance to toughen the global stance and see the imposition of sanctions that the west has refused to impose for a long time.

The report cites defense sources confirming that the US will back Israel in its response and help defend Israel against further Iranian attack.

It notes that Israel’s current official war goals require it to avoid a regional war, and asserts without elaboration or sourcing that this “will certainly be weighed in the future.”

It says the Israeli Air Force is ready “for a series of actions and responses” and is awaiting the political echelon’s instructions.

IDF announces death of Cpt. Ben Zion Falach during fighting in south Lebanon yesterday

Cpt. Ben Zion Falach, killed in southern Lebanon on October 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF announces the death of an officer killed during fighting in southern Lebanon yesterday.

The slain soldier is named as Cpt. Ben Zion Falach, 21, of the Paratroopers Brigade’s 202nd Battalion, from Nitzanei Oz.

His death brings the IDF’s toll in the ground offensive against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon to nine.

Falach was killed in a separate incident on Wednesday, and not in the battles in which eight other soldiers were killed.

Northern Israeli residents told to stay near bomb shelters ahead of potential Hezbollah rocket barrage

Residents of the upper and western Galilee, as well as several towns in the northern Golan Heights, have been ordered by the IDF to remain close to bomb shelters until further notice.

Such instructions are announced fairly regularly when the military has indications of planned major rocket fire from Lebanon.

Nearly 200 rockets have been launched at northern Israel today, according to the IDF.

IDF chief vows to keep Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon border area for the future

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi speaks in a video statement from northern Israel, October 3, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says the military will not allow Hezbollah to re-establish itself in southern Lebanon.

“Today I met the commanders and troops of the 98th Division and 36th Division, who are fighting in Lebanon, for a very important goal: creating security in the north and returning the residents to their homes after more than a year of being evacuated,” Halevi says in a video statement from northern Israel.

“[To] return of the residents, [we must] destroy the terror infrastructure that Hezbollah built near the border to raid our towns on the day of that the order is given [and] kill Israeli civilians. We are very determined to destroy these infrastructures and kill whoever is there,” he continues.

“We will not allow Hezbollah to position itself in these places in the future. The severe blows to Hezbollah in all areas, in Beirut, in the [Beqaa] Valley, in south Lebanon, will continue,” he says.

Halevi says that Israeli troops in Lebanon are “eliminating more and more terrorists, every such encounter ends with us having the upper hand.”

“Our forces are ready and trained more than ever, loaded with experience from fighting in Gaza and their advantage in the combat arena is clear,” he continues.

He said he reviewed the findings of the recent battles in southern Lebanon in which soldiers were killed. “I saw commanders who despite the fire, pushed forward, led — and troops with them — and bravely overwhelmed the enemy,” Halevi says.

“We will continue to fight on all fronts, in order to bring better security to the State of Israel,” he adds.

Pro-Iranian militia in Iraq says it fired drone shot down over southern Israel

The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq takes responsibility for the drone that was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over southern Israel.

The group says it launched the drone at an unspecified target in southern Israel.

The drone was shot down over the Egypt-Israel border area.

IDF says around 200 rockets and several drones fired from Lebanon at north today

Nearly 200 rockets have been launched from Lebanon at northern Israel today, along with several drones, according to the IDF.

There have been no immediate reports of injuries or major damage in the attacks.

Boris Johnson says bug was found in his bathroom after Netanyahu used it during a 2017 meeting

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets with British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in London on November 2, 2017. (Kobi Gideon/GPO)

Former British prime minister Boris Johnson says his security detail found a listening device in his personal bathroom at the Foreign Office in London after a meeting he had with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, The Telegraph reports, citing an excerpt of the Conservative politician’s new book.

Calling Netanyahu by his nickname Bibi, Johnson, who was the UK’s foreign secretary at the time, says the prime minister relieved himself in the bathroom in his “secret annex” during a meeting in 2017.

“Thither Bibi repaired for a while, and it may or may not be a coincidence but I am told that later, when they were doing a regular sweep for bugs, they found a listening device in the thunderbox,” Johnson writes in “Unleashed.”

When the Telegraph asked the former British premier for more information, Johnson answered: “I think everything you need to know about that episode is in the book.”

British Airways nixing London-Tel Aviv flights until Oct. 26

A British Airways flight taking off from Ben Gurion International Airport, September 3, 2014. (Moshe Shai/Flash90)

LONDON — British Airways says it was suspending London-Tel Aviv services until the end of the month as tensions mount in the Middle East.

“We … have taken the operational decision to cancel our flights to Tel Aviv up to and including Saturday 26 October 2024,” the company announces.

85 rockets and mortars launched from Lebanon at Metula over past hour

A barrage of some 85 mortars and rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Metula area in the past hour, according to the IDF.

Some of the rockets were intercepted, and several impacts were also identified.

There are no immediate reports of injuries in the attack.

Rocket sirens sound in Safed

Incoming rocket sirens activate in the northern city of Safed and the nearby village of Birya.

צבע אדום (03/10/2024 19:00): ביריה, צפת – עיר pic.twitter.com/YgiTshjRwm

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 3, 2024

Israeli strike kills Hezbollah field commander in south Lebanon

A Hezbollah field commander was killed in a recent airstrike in southern Lebanon amid ground operations by the Golani Infantry Brigade, the military says.

The IDF releases new footage of Golani soldiers operating in southern Lebanon, under the 36th Division.

In a joint operation with the Israeli Air Force, the military says a building in southern Lebanon in the area where the Golani soldiers were operating, was struck.

The strike killed the commander of Hezbollah’s regional unit in the area, and other top field officers. The IDF does not specify which area of southern Lebanon the incident took place, due to operational security concerns.

Other airstrikes were carried out against Hezbollah operatives spotted by Golani soldiers in the same area, the IDF says.

The Golani troops also located several weapons and equipment during the operations, the military adds.

FIFA puts off making decision on suspending Israel

ZURICH, Switzerland — World football’s governing body FIFA makes no verdict either way at its council meeting today on a Palestinian request to suspend Israel, instead launching a committee investigation to inform its decision.

“The FIFA Council has implemented due diligence on this very sensitive matter and, based on a thorough assessment, we have followed the advice of the independent experts,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino says in a statement.

Lebanese media reports fresh Israeli strikes in Beirut’s Dahiyeh

Lebanese media report new Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

الغارة "الإسـ ـرائـ ـيلية" التي استهدفت الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت#ملحق pic.twitter.com/adZJcWBLm5

— Mulhak – ملحق (@Mulhak) October 3, 2024

Rocket sirens sound in northern community

Incoming rocket sirens are activated in the northern community of Zivon.

צבע אדום (03/10/2024 18:46): צבעון pic.twitter.com/cxCgE21Lfo

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 3, 2024

Military says drone intercepted over southern Israel

A drone was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over southern Israel a short while ago, the IDF says.

The military does not specify where the drone was launched from, or where in the south it was intercepted.

There are no injuries in the incident.

Incoming rocket sirens sound in northern communities

Incoming rocket sirens continue to blare in northern communities, this time in the communities of Yiron and Avivim.

צבע אדום (03/10/2024 18:23): אביבים, יראון pic.twitter.com/f3W1aPXk2t

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 3, 2024

Rocket sirens sound in Metula

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern town of Metula.

צבע אדום (03/10/2024 18:12-18:15): מטולה pic.twitter.com/QMKVktV3JN

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 3, 2024

IDF kills Hezbollah commander whose rocket fire killed 12 Majdal Shams kids

Druze residents light candles in memory of the 12 Druze kids who were killed in a Hezbollah missile attack on their football field in Majdal Shams on July 28, 2024. (Photo by Erez Ben Simon/Flash90)

The commander of Hezbollah’s Mount Dov region was killed in an airstrike yesterday, the IDF announces.

The military says that Khader Shahabiya was responsible for the rocket fire on Majdal Shams in July, in an attack that left 12 children dead.

He was also behind numerous anti-tank missile and rocket attacks on IDF posts in the Mount Dov, Hermon, and northern Golan Heights area, the military adds.

Biden says discussions being held on possible Israeli strikes on Iran’s oil sites

Illustrative: A picture taken on March 12, 2017, shows an oil facility in the Khark Island, Iran, on the shore of the Gulf. (ATTA KENARE / AFP)

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden says he has been discussing possible Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities.

Biden tells reporters at the White House, however, that he is not expecting Israel to launch any retaliation for Tehran’s missile barrage on Israel before Thursday at least.

When asked by a reporter if he supports Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, Biden says, “We’re discussing that. I think that would be a little… anyway.”

Biden says he does not expect any immediate action

Asked if he will allow Israel to retaliate against Iran, Biden says: “First of all, we don’t ‘allow’ Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today.”

Biden said yesterday that he would not back Israel attacking Iranian nuclear sites.

IDF releases footage of reservists operating in southern Lebanon

Troops of the Etzioni Brigade are seen operating in southern Lebanon, in handout image published October 3, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The military releases footage of the Etzioni Brigade operating in southern Lebanon in recent days.

The brigade is the first reserve brigade to enter Lebanon amid the ongoing war. They are operating under the 36th Division.

Currently, two IDF divisions, the 36th and 98th, are operating in southern Lebanon, to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure there.

Hostage families cancel weekly rallies in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem due to spiraling tensions

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum cancels rallies in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem set for Saturday marking one year since Hamas’s October 7 massacre due to the heightened security tensions.

“Hostage families call on the public to continue to support the campaign and join rallies in Karmei Gat or Sha’ar HaNegev or other protest spots around Israel,” the forum says in a statement.

Rocket sirens sound in Kiryat Shmona, nearby community

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona and the nearby community of Misgav Am.

צבע אדום (03/10/2024 17:26): תל חי, משגב עם, קריית שמונה pic.twitter.com/6BnGNlOyUp

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 3, 2024

Biden says ‘nothing going to happen today’ in Iran

US President Joe Biden makes his way to board Air Force One with Colonel Angela F. Ochoa, Commander, 89th Airlift Wing before departing Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on October 3, 2024. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

WASHINGTON — US President Joe Biden says he did not believe any Israeli strikes against Iran would come today, as the region tensely awaits a response to Tehran’s massive missile attack on Israel.

“First of all, we don’t ‘allow’ Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today,” Biden tells reporters at the White House when asked if he would allow Israel to retaliate against Iran.

ביידן על תקיפה ישראלית נגד איראן: ״היום לא יקרה דבר״

pic.twitter.com/psXFKGMQXj

— Noam Ihmels | נעם אימלס (@NoamIhmels) October 3, 2024

Gulf ministers stress neutrality in conflict with Israel to Iranian counterpart

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani (C) posing for a group picture with leaders and officials attending the third Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) summit in Doha on October 3, 2024. (Qatar Amiri Diwan/AFP)

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Ministers from Gulf Arab states and Iran attending a meeting of Asian nations hosted by Qatar have discussed de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, three sources tell Reuters.

The Gulf Arab states sought to reassure Iran of their neutrality in the conflict on the back of concerns that a wider escalation in violence could threaten Gulf oil facilities, two of the sources say.

10 rockets fired from Lebanon at north; no injuries or major damage reported

A barrage of at least 10 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Lower Galilee a short while ago, according to the IDF.

Some of the rockets were intercepted, and others impacted open areas.

There are no reports of injuries or major damage.

Swedish intel points to possible Iranian involvement in attacks on Nordic Israeli embassies

A police vehicle is seen as police officers investigate two blasts near the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, October 2, 2024. (Ritzau Scanpix/via Reuters)

STOCKHOLM, Sweden — The Swedish intelligence agency Sapo says that Iran may have been involved in explosions and gunfire around Israeli embassies in Sweden and Denmark this week.

In Denmark, police said they arrested three Swedish nationals on Wednesday after two blasts, likely caused by hand grenades, close to the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen.

On Tuesday, the Israeli embassy in Stockholm was targeted in a shooting, according to Swedish police.

Asked about reports of links to Iran, Fredrik Hallstrom, head of operations at the Sapo agency, tells a press conference that “there are some things that could point in that direction.”

“In part due to the choice of targets and modus operandi, but that is an assumption rather than pure knowledge,” Hallstrom says.

In May, Sapo said that Iran was recruiting members of Swedish criminal gangs to commit “acts of violence” against Israeli and other interests in Sweden — a claim Iran denied.

Swedish broadcaster SVT on Wednesday reported that it had received information that the two latest embassy attacks had been ordered by the Swedish criminal network Foxtrot — at the behest of Iran.

A Danish court on Thursday remanded two of the arrested Swedes — aged 16 and 19 — in custody for 27 days.

Copenhagen police said that the third Swede, arrested near the crime scene, had been released.

Rocket sirens blare in Karmiel, surrounding towns

Incoming rocket sirens are sounding in the northern city of Karmiel and over a dozen surrounding communities.

צבע אדום (03/10/2024 16:30-16:32): ערב אל נעים, אשבל, אשחר, סכנין, יודפת, אזור תעשייה תרדיון, יובלים, כרמיאל, צורית גילון, שורשים, מג'דל כרום, שעב, ערב אל עראמשה, יעד, עצמון – שגב, עראבה, רקפת, מעלה צביה, מרכז אזורי משגב, קורנית, שכניה pic.twitter.com/dVUXCZlO70

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 3, 2024

Iran summons German, Austrian envoys over condemnation of missile attack on Israel

TEHRAN, Iran — Iran summons the German and Austrian ambassadors after their governments rebuked the Islamic Republic over its missile attack on Israel, state media reports.

The move, according to the official IRNA news agency, is in response to the “unacceptable measures” by Germany and Austria in summoning the Iranian envoys over Iran’s attack on Tuesday.

IDF says jets struck Hezbollah intelligence positions in Beirut

Israeli fighter jets struck Hezbollah intelligence and communications sites in the Lebanese capital of Beirut earlier today, the military says.

The IDF says the targets included operatives in the intelligence division, surveillance equipment, headquarters, and other infrastructure.

It releases footage of the strikes.

לפני זמן קצר, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר בהכוונה מודיעינית של אגף המודיעין, תקפו מטרות של מטה המודיעין של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה בביירות, בהן פעילי היחידה, אמצעי איסוף, מפקדות ותשתיות נוספות>> pic.twitter.com/8Rqfr0f1wz

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 3, 2024

Rocket sirens sound in northern community

Incoming rocket sirens are activated in the northern community of Kfar Giladi.

צבע אדום (03/10/2024 16:00): כפר גלעדי pic.twitter.com/SaRcs3J7kH

— צופר – צבע אדום (@tzevaadom_) October 3, 2024

Palestinian with knife shot by troops at entrance to base near Hebron

Illustrative: Israeli army vehicles in the city of Hebron in the West Bank on August 31, 2024. (Hazem Bader/AFP)

A Palestinian armed with a knife was shot by Israeli troops at the entrance to the Judea Regional Brigade’s base near Hebron in the southern West Bank, the military says.

There are no injuries to troops in the incident, the IDF adds.

In first since beginning of war, Lebanese army returns fire at Israeli forces

BEIRUT, Lebanon — The Lebanese army says that a soldier was killed in an Israeli strike on a military post in southern Lebanon, adding that soldiers fired back at the source of the fire.

It is the first time the army has fired back at Israeli forces since the conflict began a year ago, a Lebanese security source tells Reuters.

Lebanon says its monitoring border crossings after Israeli accusation of arms smuggling

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ali Hamieh says that all border crossings were under government monitoring following Israeli accusations that Hezbollah was smuggling weapons from Syria through the Masnaa border crossing.

IDF, Shin Bet confirm death in Gaza strike of Palestinian infamous for lynching of two Israeli soldiers in 2000

Palestinian Aziz Salha seen at a window showing off his blood-stained hands as a mob beat to death two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah, October 2000. (YouTube screenshot)

The IDF and Shin Bet confirm carrying out an airstrike in the Gaza Strip overnight, killing Aziz Salha, a Palestinian infamous for his role in the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000.

The military says Salha, 43, was targeted in central Gaza’s Deir al-Balah.

Soldiers Sgt. First Class (res.) Yosef Avrahami and Cpl. (Res.) Vadim Norzhic were killed in October 2000 after they took a wrong turn and ended up in the Palestinian Authority-controlled city of Ramallah in the West Bank.

Salha is known for an image in which he is seen proudly displaying his blood-soaked hands to a mob following the lynching of the two reserve soldiers.

He was detained by Israel in 2001 and eventually exiled to Gaza in a 2011 deal in which Israel exchanged 1,027 terror convicts for captive soldier Gilad Shalit.

The IDF and Shin Bet say that Salha had been involved in advancing terror attacks in the West Bank from Gaza in recent years.

Lebanese media reports new Israeli airstrikes in Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut

Lebanese media reports new Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburb, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.

There is no immediate comment from the IDF.

الغارات على الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت https://t.co/SLLhQxLekw pic.twitter.com/HyeIjwTDpY

— Ali Bk (@Bk_Hanas) October 3, 2024

Emirates cancels flights to Iraq, Iran, Jordan for three days over ‘regional unrest’

Dubai-based Emirates says it has canceled flights to Iraq, Iran and Jordan for three days over “regional unrest” after an Iranian missile strike on Israel stoked fears of a wider war.

“Emirates is canceling all flights to/from Iraq (Basra and Baghdad), Iran (Tehran), and Jordan (Amman) on 4th and 5th October due to regional unrest,” says the airline.

Earlier today, Iran announced that flights had resumed after a brief suspension since the Tuesday attack.

Red Cross claims Lebanese soldier killed, 4 medics wounded in Israeli strike on convoy

A picture taken from northern Israel along the border shows smoke billowing above south Lebanon during Israeli strikes on October 3, 2024 (Jalaa Marey/AFP)

The Lebanese Red Cross says an Israeli strike has killed a Lebanese army soldier and wounded four paramedics as they were evacuating wounded people from the south.

An earlier version of the AP report on the incident, since corrected, said that the medics were killed in the strike.

It says the convoy near the village of Taybeh, which was accompanied by Lebanese troops, was targeted despite coordinating its movements with UN peacekeepers.

Asked to comment, the IDF says it is looking into the incident.

IDF accuses Hezbollah of using civilian crossing between Lebanon and Syria to smuggle Iranian weapons

People fleeing Lebanon wait to cross the border with Syria through the Masnaa crossing is eastern Lebanon, on September 24, 2024. (Hassan Jarrah/AFP)

The IDF accuses Hezbollah of using the civilian Masnaa Border Crossing between Lebanon and Syria to smuggle Iranian weapons into the country, warning that it will act to prevent the terror group from obtaining new arms.

Tens of thousands of people, mainly Syrians, have fled Lebanon via the crossing in recent days as fighting has escalated between Israel and Hezbollah.

Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, says that since the military struck other border crossings between Lebanon and Syria last week that were used by Hezbollah to smuggle arms, the terror group began to use Masnaa as its main route for weapon shipments.

The terror group has also been attempting to repair the other damaged crossings following the Israeli strikes, according to the IDF.

Adraee says that this past week, the IDF struck a truck ferrying “sensitive weapons” to Hezbollah via one of the crossings. The IDF publishes footage of the strike.

The military warns that it will not allow weapon shipments to Hezbollah via the civilian crossing.

“The state of Lebanon is responsible for its official border crossings and its ability to prevent Hezbollah from [using] these crossings. The IDF urges the Lebanese state to carry out a strict inspection of the trucks passing through the civilian crossings and to return the trucks and vehicles containing weapons to Syria,” Adraee says.

“If necessary, [the IDF] will not hesitate to act, just as it has done during the entire war,” he adds.

Lebanese Transport Minister Ali Hamia, a Hezbollah member, is set to hold a press conference to deny the claims, Channel 12 reports.

#عاجل ‼️ ???? كشف النقاب عن محاولة حزب الله استخدام معبر المصنع المدني الحدودي بين سوريا ولبنان لنقل وسائل قتالية إلى داخل لبنان

????جيش الدفاع يحث دولة لبنان على إجراء تفتيش صارم للشاحنات المارة عن طريق المعابر المدنية وإعادة الشاحنات والمركبات التي تحتوي على الوسائل القتالية إلى… pic.twitter.com/V55ADsjvcg

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 3, 2024

IDF says ‘incident over’ after drone alert in northern Golan Heights

Following a series of suspected drone infiltration alerts in the northern Golan Heights, the IDF Home Front Command says “the incident is over.”

It does not provide further details.

Syria claims air defenses confronting Israeli strikes near Damascus

Syria’s state-run SANA news agency says air defenses are confronting “hostile targets,” code for Israeli strikes, near Damascus.

Explosions are reportedly heard in the western part of the Rif Dimashq Governorate, close to the border with Lebanon.

There is no comment from Israel on the alleged attack.

Yazidi woman kidnapped by ISIS in 2014 at age 11 rescued from Gaza, reunited with family in Iraq

A Yazidi woman who was kidnapped by ISIS from Iraq in 2014 at the age of 11 and transferred to the Gaza Strip has finally been rescued and reunited with her family.

Unverified posts on social media say that Israeli security forces carried out the rescue operation.

In a statement, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry says that the woman, Fawzia Amin Sido, was released through joint efforts “in high coordination” with the US embassies in Baghdad and Amman along with Jordanian authorities.

Jewish philanthropist Steve Maman, dubbed by some as the “Jewish Schindler,” shares a video of her reuniting with her family last night.

“I made a promise to Fawzia the Yazidi who was hostage of Hamas in Gaza that I would bring her back home to her mother in Sinjar,” Maman writes on X. “To her, it seemed surreal and impossible but not to me, my only enemy was time. Our team reunited her moments ago with her mother and family in Sinjar.”

Fawzia, a Yazidi girl kidnapped by ISIS from Iraq and brought to Gaza at just 11 years old, has finally been rescued by the Israeli security forces.

For years, she was held captive by a Palestinian Hamas-ISIS member.

She has now been reunited with her family. Her story is a… pic.twitter.com/nkVotqYdov

— David Saranga (@DavidSaranga) October 3, 2024

The Yazidis are a Kurdish-speaking group hailing from northern Iraq.

The Sunni extremist ISIS group attacked the Yazidi bastion of Sinjar in August 2014, killing more than 1,200 people, according to local authorities.

A further 6,400 Yazidis were abducted, around half of whom were rescued or managed to flee.

IDF chief recalls hostages at Rosh Hashanah dinner in Gaza, wishes troops a ‘much, much better’ New Year

At a Rosh Hashanah dinner to usher in the Jewish New Year in the Netzarim Corridor in central Gaza last night, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi recalls the hostages held by Hamas since October 7, and expresses hope for a “much, much better” new year.

“North and south of us, there are hostages who we very much want to return to us, and many bereaved families were added to us with great sorrow this year,” he tells soldiers around the dinner table.

“May this year be much, much better than the previous year, and together we will make sure to act and succeed.”

הרמטכ״ל הרצי הלוי עשה את ארוחת ערב החג עם לוחמי המילואים מאוגדה 252 במסדרון נצרים ברצועת עזה: ״לאזרחי ישראל שפה מצפון ומדרום לנו חטופים שאנחנו מאוד רוצים להשיב אלינו, ולהרבה משפחות שכולות שנוספו אלינו בצער גדול השנה – שתהיה השנה הזו הרבה הרבה יותר טובה מהשנה הקודמת, וביחד נדאג… pic.twitter.com/BQ6QrNXSIW

— דורון קדוש | Doron Kadosh (@Doron_Kadosh) October 3, 2024

IDF calls on civilians in 25 locales in south Lebanon, including city of Nabatieh, to evacuate immediately

The IDF is calling on Lebanese civilians in 25 locales in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately.

Among the list of cities, towns, and villages is Nabatieh, one of the largest cities in southern Lebanon. Nabatieh and several other villages on the list are north of the Litani River.

“Hezbollah’s activity forces the IDF to act against it. The IDF does not wish to harm you,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF’s Arabic-language spokesman, says in a statement on X.

“For your safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately. Anyone who is near Hezbollah operatives, their facilities or their weapons, puts themselves at risk,” he says.

#عاجل ‼️ تحذير عاجل لسكان القرى التالية في جنوب لبنان: الخرايب, ارزي, زرارية, عدلون, أنصارية, مزرعة دير تقلا, مزرعة الواسطة, مزرعة جمجم, قصيبه, جبشيت, نبطية, مزرعة سيناي, دوير الشرقية, كفر رمان, نبطية الفوقا, منزلة, ,حبوش ,الحمصية, بيصرية, السكسكية, لوبية, كفر تبنيت, أرنون, زوطر… pic.twitter.com/bcENOdWKN1

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 3, 2024

Adraee says that any house used by Hezbollah for military purposes is a target.

The Lebanese civilians are called to evacuate and head north. “Attention, do not move south! Any movement south could endanger your life,” the statement says.

The IDF says it will update the civilians when they can return.

Yesterday, the IDF issued similar orders to 24 other villages in southern Lebanon, and the day before that, it warned a further 28.

The military has also warned vehicles must not cross the Litani river in a southbound direction.

The military has described the ground operations in southern Lebanon as “limited, localized, and targeted raids,” with the goal of demolishing Hezbollah’s infrastructure in the border area. Officials have said that the military intends for the operations to end as quickly as possible.

EU announces extra 30 million euros of humanitarian aid to Lebanon

BRUSSELS, Belgium – The European Union announces that it is giving an extra 30 million euros ($33 million) of humanitarian aid to Lebanon as fighting rages between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Today, we are stepping up our humanitarian aid to the people of Lebanon,” says European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen.

“Our new funding will ensure civilians receive much-needed assistance during this very difficult time.

“I am extremely concerned by the constant escalation of tensions in the Middle East. All parties must do their utmost to protect the lives of innocent civilians.”

The latest EU aid package comes on top of 10 million euros announced over the weekend, taking the bloc’s humanitarian assistance for Lebanon to over 100 million euros this year.

IDF says over 50 rockets, 2 drones fired from Lebanon in past hour, bringing daily total to at least 75

More than 50 rockets and two drones were fired from Lebanon at northern Israel in the past hour, according to the IDF.

At 11:18 a.m., several rockets fired at the Lower Galilee struck open areas, and another rocket fired at the Upper Galilee was intercepted by air defenses, the military says.

At 11:30 a.m., a barrage of 40 rockets was fired at the Western Galilee, some of which were intercepted. The IDF says several impacts were also reported.

At 11:45 a.m., two suspected drones that entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon were shot down by air defenses, the military says.

And at 11:51 a.m., a barrage of five rockets was fired at the Western Galilee. The IDF says impacts were identified.

There are no immediate reports of injuries in the attacks.

Earlier today, 25 rockets were fired at the Upper Galilee, bringing today’s total, so far, to at least 75.

IRGC consultant dies from injuries in alleged Israel strike on Damascus this week — Iranian media

DUBAI – A consultant working for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has died from injuries sustained in an alleged Israeli air attack on the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, Iran’s Student News Network reports.

The reports identifies the consultant as Majid Divani, without giving further details.

The attack appears to be the same as one reported by Syrian state media, which claimed on Tuesday that three civilians were killed and nine others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the Syrian capital Damascus.

State media reported on Tuesday that Syrian air defenses intercepted “hostile targets” over the vicinity of Damascus three times in a row in one night, following explosions that were heard in the capital.

When asked about the reported attack, the IDF said on Tuesday that it does not comment on foreign media reports.

Israel has been carrying out airstrikes inside Syria since the outbreak of that country’s civil war in 2011, mainly targeting attempts to transfer weapons to the Iran-backed Hezbollah or to keep Iranian fighters themselves from gaining a foothold near Israel’s border.

Since Hamas’s brutal October 7 massacre, which saw some 1,200 people killed in Israel and 251 kidnapped, Israel has escalated its strikes on Iranian-backed terror targets in Syria and has also struck Syrian army air defenses and some Syrian forces.

Rocket sirens blaring again in northern border towns; IDF says earlier drone alerts were false alarms

Sirens are sounding again in communities near the border with Lebanon, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The latest round of alerts are sounding in towns including Yir’on, Avivim and Matat.

Meanwhile, the IDF says that drone infiltration alerts that sounded in the Upper Galilee a short while ago were false alarms.

Rocket Alert [12:21:51] (3):

• Confrontation Line — Hurfeish, Sassa, Matat
Population: 13,000 pic.twitter.com/Tpkwf9hzAD

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 3, 2024

Hezbollah claims to push back IDF troops advancing on Lebanon border; no comment from military

Troops of the 36th Division are seen operating in southern Lebanon, in handout image published October 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Hezbollah claims to have fought off a bid by the Israeli army to advance at a border point in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanon-based terror group says it “repelled with artillery fire an attempt by enemy Israeli forces to advance at Fatima’s Gate,” a day after the IDF announced that eight soldiers had been killed in south Lebanon fighting Hezbollah.

Fatima’s Gate is located on the Israel-Lebanon border, near the northern town of Metula.

The IDF does not immediately comment on the claims.

IDF confirms death of Hamas de facto PM, other officials in Gaza airstrike several months ago

Hamas officials (L-R) Rawhi Mushtaha, Sameh al-Siraj, and Sami Odeh, are seen in posters released by the IDF on October 2, 2024. The text on the red strips reads, 'Eliminated.' (Israel Defense Forces)

Senior Hamas official Rawhi Mushtaha, the de facto prime minister of the Gaza Strip, was killed in an Israeli strike several months ago, the IDF and Shin Bet say they have confirmed.

According to the military and Shin Bet, Mushtaha was targeted in a strike in the Gaza Strip three months ago, along with Hamas officials Sameh al-Siraj, who held the security portfolio in Hamas’s political bureau, and Sami Odeh, the head of Hamas’s “general security mechanism.”

The IDF is now confirming that the three were killed in the strike.

The strike, carried out by fighter jets, targeted the officials while they were hiding in a tunnel in the northern Gaza Strip. The IDF says it had “precise intelligence” indicating the officials were in the tunnel.

The military describes the tunnel as “a fortified and equipped underground compound” that “served as a Hamas command and control center and enabled senior operatives to remain inside of it for extended periods of time.”

Illustrative – an Israeli airstrike hits a building in northern Gaza’s Jabaliya, May 14, 2024 (Emanuel Fabian/Times of Israel)

Hamas has not confirmed the deaths of the senior officials. The IDF says that Hamas is hiding its losses “to prevent loss of morale and functioning of its terror operatives.”

The IDF says that Mushtaha was Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s “right-hand man and one of his closest associates.”

Mushtaha and Sinwar served a prison sentence together in an Israeli jail, and later together established Hamas’s general security mechanism, according to the IDF.

“Mushtaha was considered to be the most senior figure in the Hamas political bureau in the Gaza Strip, and during the war maintained civil control of the Hamas regime, while simultaneously engaging in terror activity against Israel,” the military says.

The IDF says he was also “one of Hamas’s most senior operatives, and had a direct impact on decisions relating to Hamas’s force deployment.”

“Mushtaha was involved in military decisions while also acting as the head of Hamas civil governance in the Gaza Strip and holding the prisoners affairs portfolio. He also formerly held the finance portfolio,” the military adds.

Rocket sirens blaring again near Lebanon border, in communities including northern city of Safed

Sirens are blaring again in communities near the northern border with Lebanon, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The latest alerts are sounding in cities and towns including Safed, Kadita, Biriyeh and Dalton.

Rocket Alert [11:09:35] (6):

• צפת – עיר (2nd)
• Upper Galilee — Biriyeh (2nd), Kadita
• Confrontation Line — Dalton
Population: 3,100 pic.twitter.com/DFgA2AM6mA

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 3, 2024

IDF: Some 60 Hezbollah operatives killed, 200 targets struck in Lebanon in past day

Troops of the 36th Division are seen operating in southern Lebanon, in handout image published October 2, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says that in the past day, some 60 Hezbollah operatives were killed and more than 200 targets were struck by the Israeli Air Force, amid ground operations in southern Lebanon.

Overnight, some 15 Hezbollah operatives holed up at the town hall of southern Lebanon’s Bint Jbeil were killed in an Israeli airstrike, the military says.

According to IDF, fighter jets struck the Bint Jbeil town hall in a joint operation with the 36th Division, after several several Hezbollah operatives were identified there.

The military says that the building was used by Hezbollah to store weapons, and at least 15 terror operatives were killed in the strike.

In another joint operation, an IAF drone struck and killed a cell of Hezbollah operatives who were identified by troops of the 36th Division launching rockets at Israel, the IDF says.

This morning, two Hezbollah operatives opened fire at Golani soldiers in southern Lebanon, and a short while later, artillery forces identified the pair and directed an IAF drone to strike and kill them. No soldiers were hurt in the incident, according to the IDF.

In a separate joint operation with the 98th Division, several Hezbollah operatives who launched missiles at the Ramim Ridge area yesterday were killed in a strike carried out by IAF fighter jets, the military says.

Fighter jets also struck some 200 other Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past day, including buildings used by the terror group, operatives, weapon depots, observation posts, and other infrastructure, the IDF says.

במהלך הלילה, מטוסי קרב של חיל האוויר, תקפו באופן ממוקד ובשיתוף אוגדה 36, את בניין עיריית בינת ג'בל שבו פעלו מספר מחבלים של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה. בבניין אוחסנו אמצעי לחימה רבים ששימשו את הארגון. במסגרת התקיפה חוסלו כ-15 מחבלים ששהו בבניין>> pic.twitter.com/eCuSJXmm3q

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 3, 2024

Iranian state media says flights resumed after brief suspension following missile attack on Israel

Iranian state media says flights have resumed at its airports, after a brief suspension following its massive missile attack on Israel on Tuesday evening.

Both domestic and international flights were grounded for security reasons until 05:00 a.m. (0130 GMT) this morning.

Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation spokesman, Jafar Yazarloo, confirms the resumption, citing the lifting of restrictions.

“After ensuring favorable and safe flight conditions and ending of the restrictions, airlines are allowed to carry out flight operations,” he says, according to the official IRNA news agency.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has advised European airlines to avoid Iranian airspace until October 31, with the situation under ongoing review.

Similar warnings were issued for Israel and Lebanon over the weekend.

Sirens sounding again in northern town near border with Lebanon

Sirens are sounding in the northern border community of Shtula, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The alert comes after some 25 rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Upper Galilee a short while ago.

There are no immediate reports of injury.

Rocket Alerts [10:37]:

03/10/2024 10:37:45:
• Confrontation Line – Shtula

03/10/2024 10:38:20:
• Confrontation Line – Shtula pic.twitter.com/arE8n5kHQM

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 3, 2024

Fox News reporter embeds with IDF in southern Lebanon, showing Hezbollah position carved into mountain

Fox News publishes a report in which reporter Trey Yingst embeds with the IDF as elite forces entered southern Lebanon and infiltrated a Hezbollah outpost in recent days.

“It’s in tunnels and rooms like this the Israelis say they are finding Iranian weapons that were smuggled first to Syria and then into southern Lebanon,” the Fox reporter says in the report as he walks through a tunnel carved into rock at a Hezbollah position close by.

He notes that to get the position, which he says is less than a mile from the border, troops had to cross minefields and walk through difficult terrain.

The IDF has been operating inside Lebanon since Monday night, when the 98th Division crossed over the border to demolish the terror group’s infrastructure with the aim of safely returning the tens of thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in the north of the country.

The IDF has said that it intends for the operations to end as quickly as possible and reiterated yesterday that any house used by the Lebanese terror group for military purposes would be a target.

IDF: Drone from Lebanon downed off coast of Nahariya this morning; another lands in open area; none hurt

A drone launched from Lebanon was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over the sea off the coast of Nahariya an hour ago, the IDF says.

A second drone launched in the attack struck an open area, causing no injuries, the military says.

Additionally, some 25 rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Upper Galilee a short while ago. The IDF says some of the rockets were intercepted and impacts were also identified.

There are no immediate reports of injuries in the rocket attack.

Satellite imagery appears to show damage at air base after Iranian missile strike

Satellite images of an aircraft hangar at a key Israeli military air base taken after a massive barrage of Iranian missiles appear to show a large hole in the roof.

Images of the Nevatim air base in southern Israel on Wednesday show the damage to the roof in a row of buildings near a runway. Large pieces of debris can be seen spread around the building.

It was not clear what caused the damage. Israel’s military did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the satellite images.

The military censorship cleared the above image for publication.

Nevatim is home to the Israeli Air Force’s most advanced aircraft, including US-produced F-35 Lightning II stealth fighter jets.

The Israeli military on Wednesday acknowledged that some of its airbases were hit in Iran’s attack, but the damage was deemed “ineffective,” meaning that no harm was caused to the continuous operations of the Israeli Air Force.

The missile impacts damaged office buildings and maintenance areas in the bases, according to the military.

The military reported no damage caused to fighter jets, drones, other aircraft, munitions, or critical infrastructure.

Emanuel Fabian contributed to this report.

IDF said to hit weapons depot near Syrian port city of Lattakia

The IDF allegedly struck a weapon depot near the Syrian port city of Lattakia overnight.

According to the pro-government Sham FM radio, Syrian air defenses worked to confront “targets” over the sea in the Lattakia area. The station later reported that firefighters were working to extinguish a blaze in the coastal city of Jableh, just south of Lattakia.

Opposition media in Syria reported that the target of the strike was a weapons depot.

Footage posted to social media showed the aftermath of the strike.

The IDF has vowed recently to prevent all weapons shipments from Iran to the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon, which often are delivered via Syria.

مصادر لتلفزيون سوريا: قصف إسرائيلي استهدف مستودعا داخل قاعدة حميميم الروسية

القصف الإسرائيلي استهدف مواقعا عسكرية أخرى في محافظة اللاذقية بالتزامن مع ضرب المستودع داخل قاعدة حميميم

إسرائيل قصفت القاعدة بعد ساعة من وصول طائرة إيرانية تابعة لشركة "قاشيم فارس"

القصف الإسرائيلي لم… pic.twitter.com/qZZSHjjqzb

— Abdullah Almousa (@Abu_Orwa91) October 3, 2024

Some Syrian opposition outlets claim that the targeted warehouse was inside Russia’s Khmeimim Airbase.

Iran-backed Houthis take responsibility for overnight drone attacks

An aerial view of the coastal town of Bat Yam. October 11, 2013. (Moshe Shai/FLASH90)

The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen take responsibility for overnight drone attacks on central Israel.

In a statement, the Houthis claim to have successfully hit a “vital target” in Tel Aviv with several drones.

The IDF earlier reported that a drone was shot down by the Israeli Air Force over the sea off the coast of central Israel.

A short while later, two more drones were identified over the sea, one of which was shot down and a second which landed in an open area, according to the military. In the second incident, sirens sounded in the central town of Bat Yam.

No damage or injuries were caused.

The military is still investigating the origin of the drones.

Sirens sound in Gaza periphery in what army says was false alarm

The military says rocket sirens were activated in the Gaza periphery a short time ago, but were the result of a false identification.

No rockets were launched.

Man infamous for 2000 Ramallah lynch killed in Gaza strike — Palestinian media

Aziz Salha waving his bloody hands after the lynch of 2 IDF reservists in Ramallah in 2000 (Screen capture, YouTube)

Palestinian media reports that Aziz Salha, infamous for his role in the lynching of two Israeli soldiers in Ramallah in 2000, has been killed in an airstrike in Gaza.

The image of Salha waving his blood covered hands to crowds outside the scene of the murders, after repeatedly stabbing one of the soldiers, became seared in the minds of Israelis as one of the defining moments of the Second Intifada.

Salha was freed from prison and sent to Gaza under the 2011 deal to free captive soldier Gilad Shalit.

The reports say Salha was killed in a strike in the center of the Strip. It is not immediately clear whether he was specifically targeted.

IDF says Bat Yam attack included 2 drones, with one shot down and other landing in open

The Israel Defense Forces says that a pair of drones set off the sirens in Bat Yam, one of which intercepted by the air force while the other impacted in an open area.

There are no reports of injuries in the overnight attack, which came as Israeli Jews celebrate the Rosh Hashanah holiday.

Air raid sirens activated in numerous Golan Heights communities

Air raid sirens are activated in numerous communities around the Golan Heights due to a suspected drone attack.

Rocket sirens are also sounding in several other northern Israeli towns.

No initial reports of injuries or damage after suspected drone attack targeting Bat Yam

Magen David Adom says it hasn’t received any reports of injuries or direct impacts after sirens sounded in the Tel Aviv suburb of Bat Yam due to a suspected drone attack.

The ambulance service says paramedics are treating a number of people hurt while en route to shelters along with others suffering from acute anxiety.

Warning sirens activated in Bat Yam due to suspected hostile aircraft

Warning sirens are activated in Bat Yam due to what the IDF says is a suspected hostile aircraft, with the Home Front Command instructing residents of the coastal city just south of Tel Aviv to take shelter in protected areas.

IDF says it intercepted ‘suspicious aerial target’ off coast of central Israel

A screenshot of video showing an interceptor missile over central Israel, early October 3, 2024. The IDF later confirmed intercepting a 'suspicious' aerial object off the coast. (Twitter screenshot, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

The military says it intercepted “a suspicious aerial target” off the coast of the densely populated Gush Dan metropolitan region, after the sound of loud booms was reported in central Israel.

An IDF statement adds that warning sirens weren’t activated “in accordance with protocol.”

No injuries occurred in the overnight attack, for which there has been no immediate claim of responsibility.

חיל האוויר יירט מטרה אווירית חשודה מול חופי גוש דן @ItayBlumental @Itsik_zuarets

צילום: נעשה מאמץ גדול לאתר את בעלי הזכויות בצילומים. השימוש נעשה לפי סעיף 27א. אם אתם בעלי הזכויות יש לפנות ל-zcuyot@kan.org.il pic.twitter.com/IL8wIpX5L4

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 2, 2024

At least 2 said killed in Israeli strike on central Beirut

At least two were killed and 11 wounded in an Israeli strike on central Beirut’s Bashoura neighborhood early Thursday, the Lebanese health ministry says in a statement.

The airstrike started a fire in an apartment in a multistory building in the residential Bashoura district, not far from the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament. Ambulances rushed to the scene.

Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV station says the strike targeted a center of the terror group’s health unit.

There was no warning issued ahead of the strike.

Harris’s top security aide discusses Mideast diplomacy with Muslim and Arab community leaders

Vice President Kamala Harris's National Security Adviser Philip Gordon, in May 2024. (YouTube screenshot)

US Vice President Kamala Harris’s national security adviser Phil Gordon met earlier today with Muslim, Arab, and Palestinian American community leaders, laying out the Biden administration’s efforts to secure diplomatic solutions in Gaza and Lebanon while raising concern regarding destabilizing Israeli actions in the West Bank, the White House says.

The meeting appears to be an attempt to maintain ties with Arab and Muslim communities, whose members have fumed over the administration’s continued support for Israel in the war against Hamas, which has taken the lives of thousands of Palestinian civilians and left an ongoing humanitarian crisis for survivors.

An Arab American Institute survey of 500 eligible Arab voters conducted in late September said that 42 percent back former president Donald Trump in the upcoming election, compared to 41% who support Harris.

While the minority community’s socially conservative leanings would seem to make the Republican Party a more natural home for many, the GOP’s Mideast policies have long kept larger numbers of Arab and Muslim Americans away.

But many in those communities blame US President Joe Biden’s policies for the ongoing war, accusing him of complicity in “genocide.” Accordingly, some of those critics don’t see a difference between Biden and Trump — who has been far more hostile to the Palestinian cause — and are considering voting for the Republican nominee over Harris, who they view as an extension of the current administration.

Building in central Beirut reportedly hit in Israeli strike

People gather at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted an apartment building in Beirut's Bashura neighborhood on October 3, 2024. (Ibrahim Amro/AFP)

A Lebanese security source tells Reuters that an Israeli strike hit within Beirut’s city limits, not far from downtown. Witnesses in the center of the Lebanese capital heard a massive blast.

Some initial images from the Bashoura neighborhood show significant damage to a building, with a fire burning on the third floor.

The strike comes shortly after the IDF announced it was carrying out a “targeted” attack in Beirut and a source close to Hezbollah told AFP that Israel launched three air raids on Beirut’s southern suburbs just before midnight.

AFP journalists just outside Beirut could hear the explosions, which were audible kilometers away.

مشاهد من مكان الغارة التي استهدفت مركز الهيئة الصحية في منطقة #الباشورة قرب #سليم_سلام في #بيروت#ملحق pic.twitter.com/Ops6Al9uIz

— Mulhak – ملحق (@Mulhak) October 2, 2024

‘The time for empty calls for deescalation is over,’ says Israeli UN envoy after Iran missile attack

Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon speaks at the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East, at the United Nations on September 27, 2024 in New York. (Bryan R. Smith/AFP)

Israel’s UN ambassador says “the time for empty calls for deescalation is over.”

Danny Danon tells an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council that “Iran’s true face is one of terror, death and chaos.”

“This is no longer a matter of words,” he said. “Iran is a very real and present danger to the world, and if they are not stopped, the next wave of missiles will not be aimed solely at Israel,” he says.

He calls Iran’s missile barrage aimed at Israel on Tuesday “a cold-blooded attack against 10 million civilians” and “an unprecedented act of aggression.”

Danon stresses that Israel will not stop until all of the hostages taken by Hamas and other terrorists are back in Israel.

“Let the world understand: Israel will defend itself, and we will do so with justice and strength,” he says.

Speaking before Danon, the Iranian ambassador claimed Iran had to launch a barrage of missiles at Israel to “restore balance” after a recent series of significant Israeli strikes targeting its regional proxies.

Amir Saeid Iravani describes the missile attack as “a necessary and proportionate response to Israel’s continued terrorist aggressive acts over the past two months.”

He claims Iran has “consistently pursued peace and stability” and that Israel sees Iranian restraint “not as a gesture of goodwill but as a weakness to exploit.”

“Each act of restraint taken by Iran has only emboldened Israel to commit greater crimes and more acts of aggression,” Iravani says. “Consequently, Iran’s response was necessary to restore balance and deterrence.”

Lebanon’s UN ambassador meanwhile says his government rejects the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hadi Hachem says the Lebanese government wants the enforcement of a UN Security Council resolution that was supposed to end the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. It called for all armed groups, including Hezbollah, to be disarmed and the deployment of Lebanese forces to the southern border with Israel. None of this has happened.

The Lebanese ambassador says fully implementing the resolution is the only solution to the ongoing war and Israel’s “barbaric aggression.” He says Lebanon is opening enlistment for 1,500 new soldiers to strengthen the national army’s presence in the south.

“Lebanon today is stuck between the Israeli destruction machine and the ambitions of others in the region,” Hachem says, alluding to Iran’s support for Hezbollah.

Lebanese health ministry reports 46 killed in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah in past day

Forty six people were killed and 85 wounded in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the Lebanese health ministry says in a statement early Thursday.

IDF confirms ‘targeted’ airstrike in Beirut

The IDF confirms carrying out an airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut a short while ago.

It describes the strike as “targeted,” and says further details will be provided later.

غارتان تستهدفان #الضاحية_الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/ee5nAUKXxJ

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) October 2, 2024

According to Lebanese media, the strike was carried out in the southern suburb of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold known as Dahiyeh.

Report: Brother of slain senior Hezbollah commander killed in IDF strike in Syria

Hassan Qassir — the brother of a senior Hezbollah commander killed by Israel yesterday — was reportedly killed in the alleged IDF strike in Syria earlier today.

Qassir’s brother, Muhammad Ja’far, had headed Hezbollah’s Unit 4400, which is tasked with delivering weapons from Iran and its proxies to Lebanon. He was killed in a strike in Beirut alongside the commander of the Imam Hossein Division, an Iranian militia which operates alongside Hezbollah.

According to various Arab media outlets, Hassan Qassir, who was killed in an alleged Israeli strike in the Mazzeh district of Damascus today, is also the son-in-law of Nasrallah.

Breaking. Target of the Israeli airstrike in #Damascus was Nasrallah's son-in-law, Hassan Qassir. He was killed.
His brother, a prominent Hezbollah financier, was killed few days ago in Beirut. https://t.co/52RzIsQBOP pic.twitter.com/0WoRmP09kv

— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) October 2, 2024