The Times of Israel liveblogged Friday’s events as they happen.

US slaps sanctions on Iran’s ‘ghost fleet’ of oil tankers, citing attacks on Israel

A part of Pardis petrochemical complex facilities in Assalouyeh on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, Iran, Sept. 4, 2018. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)
A part of Pardis petrochemical complex facilities in Assalouyeh on the northern coast of the Persian Gulf, Iran, Sept. 4, 2018. (Iranian Presidency Office via AP)

The United States hits Iran’s oil and petrochemicals sectors with new sanctions in response to Tehran’s October 1 attack against Israel, designating dozens of new companies and firms.

The Treasury Department says it is going after Iran’s so-called “shadow fleet” of ships involved in selling Iranian oil in circumvention of existing sanctions, designating 10 companies and 17 vessels as “blocked property” over their involvement in shipments of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products.

The State Department also announces it is slapping sanctions on six other firms and six ships for “knowingly engaging in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum or petroleum products from Iran.”

“Today’s sanctions target Iranian efforts to channel revenues from its energy industry to finance deadly and disruptive activity — including development of its nuclear program, the proliferation of ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles,” Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen says in a statement.

The sanctions form part of the US response to Iran’s attack, in which it launched some 200 ballistic missiles against Israel in retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed terrorist leaders and a general from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards.

Israel has said its response to Iran’s second direct attack against its territory this year will be “deadly, precise and surprising.”

US President Joe Biden told reporters last week that Israel should consider “other alternatives than striking oil fields,” amid reports it was planning to do so.

His national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, says the sanctions are being announced after the president consulted with America’s allies and partners.

“These measures will help further deny Iran financial resources used to support its missile programs and provide support for terrorist groups that threaten the United States, its allies, and partners,” Sullivan says in a statement.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Washington had made clear after the October 1 attack that Tehran would face consequences.

“To that end, we are taking steps today to disrupt the flow of revenue the Iranian regime uses to fund its nuclear program and missile development, support terrorist proxies and partners, and perpetuate conflict throughout the Middle East,” he says in a statement.

IDF says drone from Syria crashed in open area, no injuries

The IDF says a drone fired from Syria crashed into an open area in the Golan Heights.

There are no reports of injuries.

‘All options are on the table’ to keep Iran from going nuclear, Kamala Harris says in High Holiday call with Jewish voters

Democratic presidential nominee US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Democratic presidential nominee US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at a campaign event Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

In a pre-election High Holidays call with Jewish voters, US Vice President Kamala Harris vows never to allow Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon, saying she would prefer diplomacy but considers “all options are on the table.”

The call this afternoon, just hours before Yom Kippur commenced, was a bid to place herself to the right of her rival for the presidency, Donald Trump, whom she portrayed as feckless about Iran when he was president.

“Make no mistake, as president, I will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend American forces and interests from Iran and Iran-backed terrorists, and I will never allow Iran to acquire a nuclear weapon,” she says. “Diplomacy is my preferred path to that end, but all options are on the table.”

The phrase “all options are on the table” is a familiar one: It was used often by President Barack Obama when he was shaping the 2015 sanctions relief for nuclear rollback deal with Iran.

Drone infiltration alert sounds in central Israel

A drone infiltration alert is sounding in central Israel.

The siren goes off in the Herzliya and Ramat Hasharon neighborhoods and several surrounding communities.

The IDF says it is investigating the cause.

Trump asks for military aircraft protection, citing Iran threat

Republican presidential nominee former US president Donald Trump speaks at a meeting of the Detroit Economic Club, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
Republican presidential nominee former US president Donald Trump speaks at a meeting of the Detroit Economic Club, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024, in Detroit. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

Donald Trump’s campaign has requested the use of military aircraft and vehicles to protect the former president as he campaigns during the final weeks of the presidential campaign, the New York Times and Washington Post report.

The request follows two recent assassination attempts against the Republican presidential candidate. It also comes after Trump’s campaign last month said he had been briefed by US intelligence officials on alleged threats from Iran to assassinate him.

A representative for the US Secret Service, which is charged with protecting presidential candidates, says “the former president is receiving the highest levels of protection” but confirms the Trump campaign had requested more.

“The Secret Service will remain vigilant and continue to adjust and enhance its protective posture as needed to mitigate evolving threats,” the representative says.

US President Joe Biden, speaking to reporters, says he has authorized security to protect Trump as if he were a sitting president, and if Trump’s request falls in that category it should be granted.

Representatives for Trump’s campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

According to the New York Times, Trump’s campaign has been in contact with White House chief of staff Jeff Zients and acting Secret Service Ronald Rowe asking for military assets to protect the Republican candidate, who is facing US Vice President Kamala Harris in the Nov. 5 presidential election.

France, Italy and Spain condemn IDF for hitting UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

France, Italy and Spain condemn the injuries to members of the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL, from Israel Defence Forces fire and said such incidents were “unjustifiable” and should “immediately come to an end.”

“We express our outrage after several peacekeepers were injured in Naqoura. These attacks constitute serious violation of the obligations of Israel under UNSCR (United Nations Security Council Resolution) 1701 and under humanitarian international law,” a joint statement says.

“We recall that all peacekeepers must be protected and reiterate our praise for the continued and indispensable commitment of UNIFIL troops/personnel in this very challenging context,” it adds, as it called for “an immediate ceasefire.”

Biden says ‘absolutely’ asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers

US President Joe Biden speaks about the federal government's response to hurricanes Milton and Helene, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
US President Joe Biden speaks about the federal government's response to hurricanes Milton and Helene, in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

US President Joe Biden said Friday he was asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, after two incidents in which Blue Helmets were wounded.

“Absolutely, positively,” Biden said when asked by a reporter at the White House if he was asking Israel to stop.

Israel says two peacekeepers were wounded today as troops fired on an “immediate threat” near a UN base in southern Lebanon.

Macron says ending arms exports to Israel, only way to stop Gaza, Lebanon fighting

France's President Emmanuel Macron looks on during a press conference after the MED9 Summit in the Cypriot city of Paphos on October 11, 2024. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)
France's President Emmanuel Macron looks on during a press conference after the MED9 Summit in the Cypriot city of Paphos on October 11, 2024. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron doubles down on his call for an arms embargo on Israel, saying that “stopping the export of weapons” used in Gaza and Lebanon was the only way to end fighting there.

“We all know it. It’s the unique lever that would end it,” Macron says at a summit of European and Mediterranean leaders in Cyprus.

Macron also accuses Israel of deliberately targeting UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.

He says it was “absolutely unacceptable” that UN peacekeepers in Lebanon are “deliberately targeted” by Israeli forces.

Israel says troops fired at an “immediate threat” to troops near a UN post, leading to the wounding of two peacekeepers.

Lebanon says two soldiers killed in Israeli strike on southern Lebanon

FILE - A Lebanese soldier looks through his binoculars into the Israeli town of Metula at the Lebanese side of the border in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)
FILE - A Lebanese soldier looks through his binoculars into the Israeli town of Metula at the Lebanese side of the border in the southern village of Kfar Kila, Lebanon, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla, File)

Two Lebanese soldiers were killed and three others wounded in an Israeli strike on an army post in southern Lebanon on Friday, the Lebanese army says.

There was no immediate comment from Israel on the latest report.

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemns their deaths.

“This persistent Israeli crime against Lebanon did not spare today the brave soldiers who are carrying out their national duty in protecting the land and defending the people,” he says in a statement.

The latest conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted one year ago when the Iranian-backed terror group began launching rockets at Israel in support of the Hamas terror group in the wake of the October 7 massacre.

The Lebanese army has historically stayed out of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

Hezbollah says priority is defeating Israel, but open to efforts to halt ‘aggression’

Rescue workers search at the site of Thursday's Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Rescue workers search at the site of Thursday's Israeli airstrike in Beirut, Lebanon, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

Hezbollah’s priority right now is defeating Israel militarily but it is open to any efforts to stop “the aggression,” the head of the terror group’s media office, Mohammad Afif, says.

“Tel Aviv is only the start, Israel has only seen so little,” Afif says in a televised press conference in the southern suburbs of Beirut with the rubble of destroyed buildings behind him.

“Our absolute priority now is to defeat the enemy and force them to stop the aggression. However, any internal or external political effort to achieve a cessation of aggression is appreciated as long as it is consistent with our comprehensive vision of the battle, its circumstances and its results.”

He denies that there were weapons stored in Beirut’s southern suburbs. He also claims that the massive secondary explosions seen after Israeli strikes were caused by Israeli-timed bombs to make it seem so. He promises residents of the neighborhood and those displaced from southern Lebanon and Bekaa that they would return soon.

IDF says UN peacekeepers wounded after it fired at ‘immediate threat’ to troops in south Lebanon

Illustrative: A general view of a base of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the Lebanese-Israeli border, in the southern village of Markaba, on April 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)
Illustrative: A general view of a base of the United Nations peacekeeping forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) at the Lebanese-Israeli border, in the southern village of Markaba, on April 7, 2023. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar, File)

The Israel Defense Forces say that its forces fired at a threat near a UN peacekeeping mission position in southern Lebanon, and acknowledged that a “hit” was responsible for wounding two people, after an initial examination of the incident.

Israeli “soldiers operating in southern Lebanon identified an immediate threat against them. The soldiers responded with fire toward the threat. An initial examination indicates that during the incident, a hit was identified on a UNIFIL post, located approximately 50 meters (yards) from the source of the threat, resulting in the injury of two UNIFIL personnel,” the statement says.

It came after the UN mission said two of its peacekeepers were injured after explosions close to an observation tower at its Naqura headquarters.

It was the second incident of its kind reported by UNIFIL in two days after two other Blue Helmets were injured yesterday.

Hours before Friday’s incident, “the IDF instructed UNIFIL personnel to enter into protected spaces and remain there. This instruction was in place at the time of the incident,” the military adds.

The statement came shortly after the military said it was “conducting a thorough review” to determine details of attacks on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, after the four mission members were injured.

“The IDF expresses deep concern over incidents of this kind and is currently conducting a thorough review at the highest levels of command to determine the details,” the military said.

Troops entered southern Lebanon to push Hezbollah terrorist forces away from the border where they have been firing missiles and rockets into Israel for more than a year, and to allow evacuated Israeli residents to safely return to their homes in northern Israel.

IDF says jets hit Hezbollah launchers behind recent barrage

The Israel Defense Forces say that jets hit several Hezbollah rocket launchers that were used in recent barrages.

More than 20 rockets were fired at northern Israel over the past hours, setting several fires.

IDF says more than 20 rockets fired at north, several spark fires

The IDF says that more than 20 rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon in the past hour in several salvos.

Many of the rockets were intercepted and several fell in open areas.

There are no immediate reports of damage, but several fires are sparked in the Golan Heights.

Israel, on high alert, marks Yom Kippur amid war for first time since 1973

Police officers guard at a checkpoint on Highway 90 not far from the Israeli border with Lebanon, October 11, 2024.( Ayal Margolin/Flash90)
Police officers guard at a checkpoint on Highway 90 not far from the Israeli border with Lebanon, October 11, 2024.( Ayal Margolin/Flash90)

Israeli services shut down on Friday afternoon for Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day of Atonement, but the country remains on high alert amid fighting in Gaza and Lebanon.

As is customary, the roads will be all but empty for the duration of the day, the holiest in the Jewish calendar, and flights in and out of the country paused on Friday afternoon and will resume only once Yom Kippur ends on Saturday night.

In light of the security situation, the IDF’s Home Front Command reminds people that they can activate a silent broadcast station, that will transmit in silence with the exception of rocket warning sirens, which will be aired out loud, in real time.

This year marks the first time Israel has been in a state of active war on Yom Kippur since 1973, when it was attacked on the holy day by the armies of Egypt and Syria.

IDF soldier killed amid fighting with Hamas in southern Gaza

Staff Sgt. Ittai Fogel (Israel Defense Forces)
Staff Sgt. Ittai Fogel (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF announces that Staff Sgt. Ittai Fogel of the 401 “Iron Tracks” Brigade was killed in fighting in the southern Gaza Strip.

Fogel, 22, was from Yakir in the West Bank and served as a tank commander in the brigade’s 46th Armored Battalion.

UNIFIL says IDF bulldozer knocked over barriers at UN position near the Blue Line

UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon say that an IDF bulldozer knocked over barriers at UN position 1-31 near the Blue Line in Labbouneh, and IDF tanks moved into the proximity of the UN position.

“Today, several T-walls at our UN position 1-31, near the Blue Line in Labbouneh, fell when an IDF [bulldozer] hit the perimeter and IDF tanks moved in the proximity of the UN position,” it says in a statement. “Our peacekeepers remained at the location, and a UNIFIL Quick Reaction Force was dispatched to assist and reinforce the position.”

The incident is not connected to the one earlier in the day — which the IDF said it is investigating — in which UNIFIL said two peacekeepers were injured “after two explosions occurred close to an observation tower.”

The incidents put the peacekeeping forces “at very serious risk,” the UN body adds, warning that “any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Security Council resolution 1701.”

IDF says it will bolster West Bank presence with several additional combat platoons

The IDF’s Central Command, responsible for overseeing the military’s operations in the West Bank, will be reinforced with several additional combat platoons following the findings of a recent situational assessment.

In a statement, the military says that the additional troops will ensure the “defense of the settlements in the area and the security barrier, and prepare the forces for various scenarios in the sector.”

UK ‘appalled’ by reports of Israeli forces firing on UNIFIL base in Lebanon

The UK government condemns the alleged firing by Israeli forces on a United Nations peacekeeper base in Lebanon, urging all parties in the conflict to “comply with international law.”

“We were appalled to hear those reports and it is vital that peacekeepers and civilians are protected,” a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Keir Starmer tells reporters.

The IDF has said that it is investigating the report.

IDF says rocket fired from northern Gaza was intercepted

The IDF says that the Air Force successfully intercepted a rocket that had been launched from the northern Gaza Strip, activating sirens in nearby communities.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says there were no reports of any injuries.

Rocket sirens sound in Sderot, Gaza border communities

Rocket warning sirens sound in seversal communities close to the Gaza border including in the nearby city of Sderot.

Lebanon’s PM urges UN resolution on ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati urges the United Nations to pass a resolution calling for an “immediate” ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group.

In a televised address, Mikati emphasized his government’s commitment to deploy the army on the border with Israel as part of a cessation of hostilities and said Hezbollah agreed on the matter.

Mikati says Lebanon’s foreign ministry would ask the UN Security Council to issue a resolution calling for a “full and immediate ceasefire.”

He says his government was committed to “the full application of Resolution 1701,” which calls for the Lebanese army and peacekeepers to be the only armed forces deployed south of the country.

Lebanon is committed to “the deployment of the army in the south and the bolstering of its presence along the border,” he says.

“Hezbollah is in agreement on this issue,” he adds.

A government source had previously told AFP that Hezbollah informed Lebanese authorities it had accepted a ceasefire with Israel on September 27, the day an Israeli strike killed its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Mikati also condemned attacks on the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon as a “crime”, with peacekeepers targeted two days in a row by Israeli forces, according to Lebanese official media and the foreign ministry.

IDF chief, Shin Bet head visit south Lebanon, vow Hamas and Hezbollah will ‘remember the lesson of October 8’

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar (right) attend a situational assessment in southern Lebanon on Thursday, October 10, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)
IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi (center) and Shin Bet head Ronen Bar (right) attend a situational assessment in southern Lebanon on Thursday, October 10, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi visited southern Lebanon with Shin Bet head Ronen Bar on Thursday, the military says in a statement, where they held a situational assessment with the IDF’s Northern Command chief and the head of the 91st Division.

In remarks to troops at the end of the assessment, Halevi said that Israel will “continue to operate against the enemy,  and will not stop until we ensure that we can bring the residents back to safety, not just now but for the future as well.”

“If anyone considers rebuilding these villages again, they’ll know that it’s not worth constructing terrorist infrastructure because the IDF will destroy it again,” he said, referring to the southern Lebanon villages that Israel says have been used as hubs of operation by the Hezbollah terror group.

“Israel is operating across all arenas, both in the Belaa Valley and in Beirut, north and south of the Litani, and all these efforts are working very effectively,” Halevi continued, vowing that the military is “focused” on its work “so that the residents of Israel can celebrate the holidays and live here securely for years to come.”

Following on from Halevi, Bar told troops that the State of Israel “cannot protect its residents from terrorists solely with shopping mall security guards, nor defend against rockets only by building shelters,” but rather, during times of war it must have “freedom of action” to practice defense “on both sides of the border.”

“In the last few years, we have seen Hamas entrench itself in Lebanon, and this will intensify as they move out of Gaza and their focus shifts here,” he said. “We will continue to pursue them everywhere. We will always remember the massacre of October 7, and we will ensure they remember the lesson of October 8.”

Report: Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa in critical condition after airstrike in Beirut

People gather in front of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, October 10, 2024. (Bilal Hussein/AP)
People gather in front of buildings hit by an Israeli airstrike in central Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, October 10, 2024. (Bilal Hussein/AP)

Sky News Arabia reports that Hezbollah’s Liason and Coordination Unit chief Wafiq Safa is in critical condition following a rare Israeli airstrike in central Beirut on Thursday evening.

Citing unnamed sources, the report says that Safa “was seriously injured and is in critical condition.”

There is no other sourcing for the claim at this time.

Spanish PM urges world to stop selling weapons to Israel

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez urges the international community to stop selling weapons to Israel as he condemns IDF fire on UNIFIL posts in southern Lebanon.

The IDF said earlier in the day that it was investigating reports of injuries to two peacekeepers after a UN source said Israeli forces had fired at an observation post. The report came after two peacekeepers were injured in a similar incident a day prior.

Spain has deployed 650 peacekeepers in Lebanon and a Spanish general leads the UN mission.

“Let me at this point criticize and condemn the attacks that the Israeli armed forces are carrying out on the United Nations mission in Lebanon,” Sanchez says after meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Sanchez, who has been critical of Israel throughout its war with Hamas in Gaza, says Spain stopped selling weapons to Israel in October 2023 and urges the rest of the world to do the same, claiming it will prevent further escalation in the region.

“I think it is urgent given what is happening in the Middle East that the international community stops exporting weapons to the Israeli government,” he says.

 

 

IDF says foreign laborer killed by fallen munition explosion, not anti-tank missile as first believed

Following a preliminary investigation, the IDF says that the death of a Thai laborer and the injury of another in Kibbutz Yir’on earlier was not caused by an anti-tank missile, as initially believed, but by fallen munition that exploded in the area.

All-clear issued in northern Israel after warning of suspected terrorist infiltration

An all-clear was issued in the Upper Galilee after residents of several communities in northern Israel were instructed to stay indoors due to a suspected terrorist infiltration.

Putin, Iran’s Pezeshkian talk Middle East on sidelines of regional summit in Turkmenistan

Russian President Vladimir Putin begins talks with his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in Turkmenistan’s capital Ashgabat, Russian news agencies report.

The leaders are meeting for the first time at a regional summit in the Central Asian country. The Kremlin earlier said they will discuss mutual relations as well as the situation in the Middle East.

Japanese org for atomic bomb survivors wins Nobel Peace Prize for nuclear disarmament efforts

Tomoyuki Mimaki, representative director of the Nihon Hidankyo, attends a press conference after the group was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, in Hiroshima on October 11, 2024. (JIJI PRESS / AFP)
Tomoyuki Mimaki, representative director of the Nihon Hidankyo, attends a press conference after the group was awarded the 2024 Nobel Peace Prize, in Hiroshima on October 11, 2024. (JIJI PRESS / AFP)

Japanese organization Nihon Hidankyo, a grassroots movement of atomic bomb survivors from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, in a warning to countries who have nuclear weapons not to use them.

Many survivors of the only two nuclear bombs ever to be used in conflict, who are known in Japanese as “hibakusha,” have dedicated their lives to the struggle for a nuclear-free world.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee said in its citation the group was receiving the Peace Prize for its efforts to achieve a world free of nuclear weapons and for demonstrating through witness testimony that nuclear weapons must never be used again”.

“The hibakusha help us to describe the indescribable, to think the unthinkable, and to somehow grasp the incomprehensible pain and suffering caused by nuclear weapons,” the committee said.

“I can’t believe it’s real,” Nihon Hidankyo co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki told a press conference in Hiroshima, site of the Aug. 6, 1945 atomic bombing during the closing stages of World War Two, as he held back tears and pinched his cheek.

Mimaki, a survivor himself, said the award would give a major boost to its efforts to demonstrate that the abolition of nuclear weapons was possible.

“(The win) will be a great force to appeal to the world that the abolition of nuclear weapons and everlasting peace can be achieved,” he said. “Nuclear weapons should absolutely be abolished.”

In Japan, hibakusha, many of whom carried visible wounds from radiation burns or developed radiation-related diseases such as leukemia, were often forcibly segregated from society and faced discrimination when seeking employment or marriage in the years following the war.

There were 106,825 atomic bomb survivors registered in Japan as of March this year, data from the country’s health ministry showed, with an average age of 85.6 years.

Without naming specific countries, Joergen Watne Frydnes, chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, warned that nuclear nations should not contemplate using atomic weapons.

“In a world ridden (with) conflicts, where nuclear weapons is definitely part of it, we wanted to highlight the importance of strengthening the nuclear taboo, the international norm, against the use of nuclear weapons,” Frydnes told Reuters.

“We see it as very alarming that the nuclear taboo … is being reduced by threatening, but also how the situation in the world where the nuclear powers are modernizing and upgrading their arsenals.”

Frydnes said the world should listen to the “painful and dramatic stories of the hibakusha.”

“These weapons should never be used again anywhere in the world … Nuclear war could mean the end of humanity, (the) end of our civilization,” he said in an interview.

IDF says it’s investigating reports of injuries to UNIFIL peacekeepers

The IDF says it has received reports about damage to a UNIFIL outpost and injuries to two peacekeepers.

“A short time ago, a report was received of damage to the UNIFIL outpost in the A-Nakura area,” the IDF tells The Times of Israel. “According to the report, as a result of the damage to the outpost, two UNIFIL personnel were injured. The incident is being investigated and its details are being examined.”

A UN source said Israeli forces fired at an observation post belonging to the UNIFIL peacekeeping force.

The report comes after two peacekeepers were injured in a similar incident a day prior.

‘No big resolutions’ made at security cabinet meeting on retaliation against Iran, source says

“There were no big resolutions” made at the security cabinet meeting last night, an Israeli source tells The Times of Israel.

“There is will from the Israelis to coordinate with the Americans” over their response to Iran’s missile attack, the official continues. Strategic discussions continue between the sides.

The Prime Minister’s Office tells The Times of Israel that Defense Minister Yoav Gallant’s trip to the US to discuss Israel’s response has still not been approved.

Employers forbidden from hiring foreign laborers in evacuated areas, interior minister warns after Thai worker killed

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel warns that it is illegal to employ foreign workers in evacuated communities, after a Thai worker was killed and another was seriously injured by anti-tank missile fire in Kibbutz Yir’on.

He says that in light of the incident, he has instructed the Director General of the Population and Immigration Authority to clamp down on employers who have continued to hire foreign workers in evacuated areas.

“The duty to protect every individual’s life prevails over opening irrigation systems in evacuated agricultural areas,” he adds.

IDF says 205th Reserve Armored Brigade has moved into southern Lebanon

The 205th Reserve Armored Brigade moves into southern Lebanon, and has destroyed Hezbollah tunnels, prepared defensive positions, and other enemy infrastructure, says the IDF.

“The brigade eliminated a number of terrorists and destroyed dozens of terrorist targets from the air, from the ground and with artillery,” according to the IDF.

“Today we will remove the threat of attack on our country,” says Brigade commander Col. Yoav Scheider in a radio message to his troops before they move into Lebanon. “This is our mission, this is what we are tasked with.”
“We have a difficult battle ahead,” he says, “but the mission is clear, important and urgent.”

UN source says two UNIFIL peacekeepers again injured by IDF fire in southern Lebanon

A UN source says Israeli forces fired at an observation post belonging to the UNIFIL peacekeeping force at its main base at Naqoura in southern Lebanon earlier this morning, wounding two people.

The report comes after two peacekeepers were injured in a similar incident a day prior.

The IDF does not immediately comment on the report.

IDF says 25 rockets launched from Lebanon in earlier barrage

A short while ago, the Israeli Air Force intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles launched toward Israel from Lebanon, the IDF says, adding that the UAVs did not cross into Israeli territory, and as such, no sirens were activated.

Regarding earlier rocket launches, the military says that some 25 rockets were launched from Lebanon at around 8:30 a.m.

It says that some of the rockets were intercepted while others fell in open areas.

One other rocket was fired in a separate launch toward Kiryat Shmona, and fell in the area, the military adds.

IDF says commander of Hezbollah anti-tank missile unit killed in airstrike

The commander of an anti-tank missile unit within Hezbollah’s elite Radwan forces has been killed in an Israeli airstrike, the IDF says in a statement.

According to the IDF, Ghareeb Alshuja’a had overseen the firing of anti-tank missiles toward the Ramot Naftali area.

An airstrike targeting Alshuja’a was carried out in the Meiss Ej-Jabal area, in coordination with troops of the IDF’s 91st Division, the military says.

In addition, over the last day, IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon uncovered and destroyed rocket launchers aimed at Israel, and several gunmen were eliminated while operating in a building close to where Israeli forces were located, the military says.

It adds that the Israeli Air Force also carried out multiple strikes against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon over the last day, including weapons warehouses, an observation post and rocket launchers.

27-year-old Thai worker killed by anti-tank missile fire in Kibbutz Yir’on

A 27-year-old Thai worker was killed in the anti-tank missile attack on Kibbutz Yir’on, the Magen David Adom ambulance service says.

One other person was injured in the attack.

Residents of northern Israel communities told to stay indoors due to suspected terrorist infiltration

Residents of several communities in northern Israel have been instructed to remain indoors due to a suspected terrorist infiltration.

The orders apply to residents of Rehaniya, Kerem Ben Zimra, Dalton and Kadita.

Security forces are searching the area, and Ynet reports nothing unusual has been found thus far.

Two said wounded by anti-tank missile fire in Kibbutz Yir’on

Two people are said to have been wounded by anti-tank missile fire in Kibbutz Yir’on in the Upper Galilee, close to the Lebanon border.

The extent of their injuries is not immediately clear.

Reports of interceptions after rocket barrage fired at Acre, surrounding areas

Residents of Acre and the Krayot area report a number of interceptions in the latest rocket barrage fired at northern Israel from Lebanon.

Some 20 rockets were fired in the barrage, Hebrew media reports, triggering sirens in the Upper Galilee and in communities close to the Lebanon border.

One rocket appeared to have impacted in the Kiryat Bialik Industrial Zone, causing minor damage but no injuries.

Body of infant discovered in the street in south Tel Aviv

The body of an infant was found in the street in south Tel Aviv earlier on Friday morning, authorities say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service says it received a report of an unresponsive infant on Hizkiyahu Hamelech Street at around 7 a.m., and upon arriving at the scene, medics and paramedics determined the baby’s death.

Hebrew media reports that the body was found by a municipal sanitation worker, who alerted the police and medical authorities.

An investigation has been opened into the circumstances of the incident.

Rocket sirens sound in Acre, surrounding communities

Sirens sound in the Upper Galilee, including in Acre and the surrounding communities, and in areas close to the Lebanon border, warning of incoming rocket fire.

IDF confirms downing drone after Ashkelon alarm

The Israel Defense Forces says it successfully shot down a drone that crossed into Israel, after drone alarms sounded in Ashkelon and nearby towns north of Gaza.

It does not say where the UAV came from, and there is no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack.

The attack comes hours after an Iran-backed militia in Iraq claimed to have fired a drone at the Red Sea city of Eilat.

Army said to fire interceptors at drone in south

The IDF says it is investigating after a drone alert was issued for Ashkelon minutes ago.

According to unverified reports in Hebrew media, interceptors were fired at a suspect object in the sky.

Residents report hearing loud blasts, Channel 12 news reports.

The Magen David Adom emergency service says there are no reports of injuries, though several people were injured running to shelters or suffered acute anxiety attacks.

Drone alarm sounds in Ashkelon area

Drone alert sirens are sounding in Ashkelon and several surrounding areas north of the Gaza Strip.

The successive warning covers the entire coastal city as well as several small towns to the north and east, including Nir Yisrael and Hodaya.

Islamic Jihad leader in Nur Shams camp killed in Israeli strike

A handout photo released by the IDF on October 11, 2024, shows what the Israeli military says are guns and other items found on a pair of terrorists killed in an airstrike near Tulkarem a day earlier. (IDF Spokesperson)
A handout photo released by the IDF on October 11, 2024, shows what the Israeli military says are guns and other items found on a pair of terrorists killed in an airstrike near Tulkarem a day earlier. (IDF Spokesperson)

Israel says it killed the head of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the central West Bank in an airstrike yesterday.

Muhammad Abdullah was made the head of the Iran-backed terror group in the Tulkarem-area camp after his predecessor Muhhamad Jabber was killed in a gunbattle in late August, the Israel Defense Forces says.

The IDF says Abdullah was killed in a strike from the air alongside a second terrorist, without naming the second person.

The army says Abdullah was responsible for organizing the group’s activities, including “many attacks.” It accuses him of deploying explosives against Israeli troops.

The army says troops on the ground seized semi-automatic rifles and flack jackets found on the pair, the IDF says.

Official Palestinian Authority news outlet Wafa says troops also seized the bodies of the two, naming the second fatality as Awad Omar from the nearby town of Bal’a.

US allies said to close airspace for Israeli hit on Iran after threats from Tehran

Tehran has threatened Western-backed Arab states that it will attack them next if an Israeli-US retaliatory action against Iran goes through their territory or airspace, the Wall Street Journal reports, citing Arab officials.

The threats, described as vague, have been issued via backchannels to Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, raising concerns that Iran could attack key oil infrastructure, the paper reports.

The countries, all of which host US military bases, have all informed Washington that they will not allow their airspace or facilities in their territory to be used for Israeli or American military action against Iran, according to the report.

US defense officials quoted by the Journal confirm that some states have informally requested that Israel not use its airspace for an attack and that the US bases they host not be used for such action.

The region has been tensely awaiting a promised Israeli reprisal for an October 1 ballistic missile attack by Iran, with Washington attempting to coordinate and temper Israel’s reaction.

Harris: We need ceasefires in Lebanon and Gaza

US Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris says Israel needs to halt its military campaigns against the Hamas and Hezbollah terror groups in Gaza and Lebanon respectively.

“We have got to reach a ceasefire, both as it relates to what’s happening in Lebanon, and, of course, Gaza,” she tells reporters as she departs Las Vegas.

“We are working around the clock in that regard, but we need these wars to end and we’ve got to definitely deescalate what is happening in the region, and we’re working on that.”

Some UNIFIL peacekeepers moving, Security Council told as US pushes to bolster Lebanese army

The head of UN peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix tells a Security Council meeting that 300 peacekeepers in southern Lebanon were temporarily relocated to larger bases earlier this week, “with the movement of another 200 planned.”

UNIFIL’s footprint in the most affected positions has been slashed by 25 percent, he says, while noting that peacekeeper numbers had earlier been beefed up due to tensions.

“The safety and security of peacekeepers is now increasingly in jeopardy,” Lacroix tells the Security Council.

Most members at the meeting express condemnation or concern over Israeli tank fire that hit a UNIFIL watchtower Thursday, but Deputy US Ambassador Robert Wood says the international community should focus its efforts on strengthening Lebanese state institutions.

“The solution to this crisis is not a weaker Lebanon. It’s a strong and truly sovereign Lebanon, protected by a legitimate security force, embodied in the Lebanese Armed Forces,” he says.

Israel’s UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the council that resolution 1701, which requires Hezbollah to move armed units away from southern Lebanon, must be enforced, along with resolution 1559, which was adopted in 2004, and “calls for the disbanding and disarmament of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias.”

“We are fulfilling our obligations to ensure this, and the council must support us in our efforts,” he says.

Lacroix says it is up to Lebanon and Israel to ensure resolution 1701 is upheld.

“UNIFIL is mandated to support the implementation of resolution 1701, but we must insist that it is for the parties themselves to implement the provisions of this resolution,” he told the Security Council.

UNIFIL spokesperson Andrea Tenenti earlier insisted that Blue Helmets would remain despite the danger of being caught in the crossfire.

“We are there because the (U.N.) Security Council has asked us to be there. So we are staying until the situation becomes impossible for us to operate,” Tenenti added.

French UN Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere tells the council that one of the goals of a conference that France plans to hold on Lebanon on October 24 is to guarantee Lebanon’s sovereignty.

“We want heightened support for Lebanese institutions, in particular, the Lebanese Armed Forces,” he says, later telling reporters: “We need the Lebanese Armed Forces to be deployed to the south and do the job … What we need to do is to make sure that the Lebanese Armed Forces are properly equipped and trained.”

Jakarta blasts Israel over tank fire that injured Indonesian peacekeepers

Indonesia’s UN ambassador is joining international condemnation of Israel over an incident in which two peacekeepers from the country were apparently injured by Israeli tank fire.

The incident “clearly demonstrates how Israel positioned itself above international law, above impunity and above our shared values of peace,” Hari Prabowo says.

A UNIFIL spokeswoman says the two, who did not suffer major injuries, were from Indonesia, a major contributor of troops to UNIFIL.

“This morning, two peacekeepers were injured after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqura, directly hitting it and causing them to fall,” the mission said earlier, using an acronym for the Israeli military.

Israel says its military “opened fire in the area” of the UNIFIL base after telling UN forces to seek shelter.

Italy’s defense minister Guido Crosetto said earlier that the attack and other incidents UNIFIL blames on Israel “could constitute war crimes.” Italy and other countries have asked for an explanation because “it was not a mistake,” Crosetto said.

Wry Biden jokes Netanyahu coming to chip in on Milton recovery

US President Joe Biden turns to respond to a question following an update on the impact and the ongoing response to Hurricane Milton, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.  (AP/Susan Walsh)
US President Joe Biden turns to respond to a question following an update on the impact and the ongoing response to Hurricane Milton, in the South Court Auditorium on the White House complex in Washington, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024.  (AP/Susan Walsh)

While giving a status update on the administration’s efforts to respond to Hurricane Milton, US President Joe Biden is asked by a reporter what Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu shared with him on their phone call yesterday about how Israel plans to react to Iran’s missile attack.

“He’s coming over to help with the storm,” Biden jokingly responds.

Israel and US seen narrowing gaps on Iran

The US and Israel are overall on the same page regarding strategic challenges in the Middle East following Wednesday’s phone call between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and US President Joe Biden, an Israeli source familiar with the matter tells The Times of Israel.

The phone call, to discuss Israel’s retaliation plans against Iran, was the culmination of discussions between US and Israeli officials that have been ongoing since Tehran’s October 1 ballistic missile attack, the source says.

Those conversations will continue in the days ahead, and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is slated to meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon next week, the source adds.

Netanyahu earlier this week blocked a planned trip by Gallant to Washington at the last minute, demanding that he be able to speak to Biden first about what Israel is looking to do against Iran.

A US official quoted by Axios says the allies “are moving in the right direction” following the call, although an Israeli official cited by the outlet says the US still thinks Israel’s plans are too aggressive.

France downs Israel 4-1 in Nations League soccer

Israel’s national soccer team has fallen to France 4-1 in Nations League play at a “home” game played in Budapest due to security concerns.

The Israeli squad appeared to hold their own against Les Blues for much of the match, keeping France within one goal until the 87th minute before a late burst put the match out of reach.

The loss leaves winless Israel in the cellar of Group A2, while France moved closer to A2 Group leader Italy was held to a 2-2 draw with Belgium.

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