The Times of Israel liveblogged Saturday’s events as they happened.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry reports 13 killed in Israeli strikes on Saturday
Israeli airstrikes on Saturday hit multiple areas in southern and eastern Lebanon, killing more than a dozen people and causing damage to hospitals, the Lebanese Health Ministry reports, as fighting with the Hezbollah terror group continues.
Nine people were killed in the Maisra village in the northeast, with 15 wounded, the ministry says. Four people were killed and 18 wounded in an apartment building on the edge of Barja south of Beirut.
The ministry does not detail how many were terror operatives.
It says Rayak and Tal Chiha hospitals in the Bekaa Valley were damaged, while seven people were wounded in strikes on Brital and Temnine in the Baalbek-Hermel province. In Nabatieh, eight people were wounded.
Beirut’s southern suburbs, which have previously faced heavy bombardment, have not been struck in the past 48 hours. Hezbollah functions as a state within a state there.
The total toll in Lebanon over the past year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is now 2,255 killed and over 10,000 wounded, according to the ministry. More than 1,400 people have been killed since mid-September.
Hezbollah has named 516 members who have been killed by Israel during the ongoing skirmishes, mostly in Lebanon but some also in Syria. Another 94 operatives from other terror groups, a Lebanese soldier, and dozens of civilians have also been killed.
These numbers have not been consistently updated since Israel began a new offensive against Hezbollah in September, including a ground operation in which the military says at least 450 Hezbollah operatives have been killed.
Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel over the last year have resulted in the deaths of 28 civilians. In addition, 33 IDF soldiers and reservists have died in cross-border skirmishes and in the ensuing ground operation launched in southern Lebanon in late September.
US official confirms sending THAAD air defense system to Israel being mulled, but no decision yet
A US official tells The Times of Israel that US President Joe Biden’s administration is considering transferring Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) air defense systems to Israel, but adds that a decision has not yet been made.
Earlier, several Israeli reports claimed that the US will deploy the anti-ballistic missile system in the Jewish state — including sending American troops to Israeli soil to operate it — as part of preparations for the expected Israeli response to Iran’s recent missile attack.
The US has a wide range of missile defense systems arrayed across the Middle East and Europe, including Patriot systems. Officials have been discussing for months what types of air defense systems to deploy to the region and where to put them. Any move of a THAAD to Israel would involve the deployment of soldiers to operate the complex system.
A year ago, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin ordered the deployment of a THAAD battery and additional Patriot battalions to locations around the Middle East to increase the protection of US forces and to aid in the defense of Israel. According to an April report by the Congressional Research Service, the US Army has seven THAAD batteries. Generally, each consists of six truck-mounted launchers, 48 interceptors, radio and radar equipment, and it requires 95 soldiers to operate.
The THAAD is considered a complimentary system to the Patriot, but it can defend a wider area. It can hit targets at ranges of 150-200 kilometers (93-124 miles).
IDF says some 40 rockets fired from Lebanon at north in separate barrages
The military says some 40 rockets were fired from Lebanon at Israel in separate barrages, with all either intercepted or landing in open areas.
According to the IDF, the first barrage included some 25 rockets and the second around 15. Both attacks triggered rocket sirens in several Upper Galilee communities.
Cabinet to vote tomorrow on holding second national day of mourning for Oct. 7
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is expected to vote to hold a second national day of mourning for the October 7 attack during tomorrow’s cabinet meeting, which will be marked with a state ceremony organized by Transportation Minister Miri Regev.
According to Hebrew media reports, the day of mourning will be held on the 24th of the Hebrew month of Tishrei, directly following the annual Simchat Torah holiday on which the Hamas attack took place last year. It will also be marked by special programs at schools and in the military, the lowering of flags to half mast and the closure of entertainment venues across the country.
Families of hostages and other October 7 victims had vocally objected to Regev’s appointment to oversee this past week’s official state ceremony marking the first anniversary of the Hamas-led onslaught, with several Gaza border communities accusing the government of using the official ceremony to avoid responsibility for its role in failing to prevent the terror massacres, and for not doing enough for the communities in the aftermath.
Regev refused a number of compromise proposals to solve the dispute, dismissing the criticism as “noise” and comparing memorial ceremonies other than the official one to a contentious joint Israeli-Palestinian commemoration event held annually on Memorial Day, which is seen by right-wing critics as equating terror victims with slain assailants and equating Israeli and Palestinian pain.
According to national broadcaster Kan, during a cabinet meeting last Monday, Regev asked about the possibility of changing the name of the alternative “national” ceremony in order to avoid confusion, sparking an angry reaction from Netanyahu.
She reportedly called to hold a memorial on the Hebrew date of the massacre as well, prompting ministers to accuse her of seeking to establish a day of mourning on a holiday.
Lebanon reports 15 killed in Israeli strikes outside Hezbollah strongholds
BEIRUT — Lebanon’s health ministry says that at least 15 people had been killed in Israeli strikes on three areas considered outside Hezbollah’s traditional strongholds, updating earlier tolls.
The ministry reports “nine dead and 15 wounded” in an “Israeli enemy strike” on the village of Maaysra north of Beirut, raising an earlier toll of five dead.
It also reports two dead, four wounded and unidentified “body parts” in a Israeli strike on Deir Billa, near the northern town of Batroun, and says four people were killed and 18 wounded in a strike on Barja, raising an earlier toll of 14 wounded for the raid in the Shouf district south of the capital.
FM defends decision to ban UN chief from Israel after over 100 member states protest
Foreign Minister Israel Katz defends his decision to ban United Nations Secretary General António Guterres from the country, after more than 100 UN member nations protested the move.
In a joint letter, the nations stressed their “full support and confidence in the Secretary General and his work” and stated that Katz’s decision to declare him persona non grata harmed the UN’s “ability to carry out its mandate” and “could further delay an end to all hostilities and the establishment of a credible path towards the two-State solution.”
Katz responds dismissively to the letter, tweeting that the decision to proscribe the Portuguese diplomat had been spurred by his refusal to condemn Iran’s recent missile attack against Israel along with “his antisemitic and anti-Israeli behavior.”
He asserts nearly 90 percent of Israelis agree with his decision and that “Guterres can continue to try to collect signatures in support [of himself] from UN members [but] the decision will not be changed.”
In announcing its decision last week, the Foreign Ministry stated that it was in reaction to Guterres’s response to the attack, “in which he failed to mention Iran by name and did not unequivocally condemn its grave aggression.”
Following the ban, Guterres stated that “as should have been obvious yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed — I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel.”
IDF says Hezbollah moving fighters, arms in ambulances as 2 Lebanon hospitals damaged in strikes
Two hospitals in the Bekaa Valley, a stronghold area of Hezbollah, sustained damage from Israeli strikes today, the hospitals say. There were no casualties, they add.
The Israeli military said today that Hezbollah was using ambulances to transport fighters and weapons and that it would take any necessary action.
Trump holds clear lead over Harris on who would better handle Israel-Hamas war — WSJ poll
Former US president Donald Trump has a clear lead over Vice President Kamala Harris among swing state voters on the question of who is better suited to handle the Israel-Hamas war, according to a new Wall Street Journal poll, with 48 percent preferring the GOP candidate and 33% saying the Democratic presidential nominee.
Trump also holds leads on the question among independent voters, with 43% saying Trump would do a better job and 26% Harris, with the rest selecting neither.
US military says it struck Islamic State camps in Syria
The US military says it conducted a series of airstrikes against multiple camps in Syria belonging to the Islamic State group.
The US Central Command says the strikes will “disrupt the ability of ISIS to plan, organize and conduct attacks against the United States, its allies and partners, and civilians throughout the region and beyond.”
It says battle damage assessments are underway and do not include civilian casualties.
There are some 900 US forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors, mostly trying to prevent any comeback by the extremist IS group, which swept through Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking control of large swaths of territory.
IDF intercepts ‘suspicious aerial target’ over Red Sea; Iran-backed group in Iraq claims attack
The IDF says it intercepted a “suspicious aerial target” headed toward Israel from the direction of the Red Sea.
A statement from the military stresses the aircraft never entered Israeli airspace.
The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims responsibility for the attack, saying it launched two drones at Israel’s southernmost city of Eilat.
US yet to make final decision on deploying THAAD to Israel — reports
The US has yet to make a final decision on whether to deploy the THAAD anti-missile defense system in Israel, according to reporters for the Walla news site and Kan public broadcaster, who cite American officials.
Macron tells Lebanon parliament speaker that Hezbollah must ‘immediately stop’ attacks
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron calls on Hezbollah to end its strikes on Israel, after Israel’s army said a barrage of projectiles were launched from Lebanon over the Yom Kippur holy day.
“A ceasefire must be implemented in Lebanon immediately,” Macron says during a talk with Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri, adding that Hezbollah strikes must “immediately stop.”
US troops to reportedly operate THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in Israel
The US will deploy the THAAD anti-ballistic missile system in Israel, according to reports by Channel 12 news and Army Radio that describe the move as part of preparations for the expected Israeli response to Iran’s recent missile attack.
Channel 12 news says the advanced missile defense system will be operated by American troops on Israeli soil.
Senior UN official says he believes Israel gave ‘commitments’ not to attack Lebanese ports, airport
BEIRUT — A top United Nations official says during a visit to Beirut that he is concerned that Lebanon’s ports and airport might be taken out of service, with serious implications for getting food supplies into the county, as Israel continues its offensive against Hezbollah.
“What I have seen and heard today is devastating, but the sense is that this can get much worse still, and that needs to be avoided,” says Carl Skau, deputy executive director of the UN World Food Program, in an interview with The Associated Press.
He appeals for “all diplomatic efforts possible to try to find a political solution” to the war and for supply lines to remain open.
“We have huge concerns and there are many, but one of them is indeed that we need the ports and we need the supply routes to continue to be able to operate,” Skau says.
Skau says he believes that Israeli authorities had given “commitments” that in Lebanon, the ports and airport would not be taken out of commission.
“But of course, this is a very changing environment. So we don’t take anything for granted,” he says.
IDF declares closed military zone around several towns along Lebanon border
The IDF declares a closed military zone around several Western Galilee communities along the border with Lebanon, where Israeli forces are currently operating against Hezbollah.
A military decree stresses a total ban on entry to the towns of Zarit, Shomera, Shtula, Netuya and Even Menachem.
Police arrest 5 for blocking Tel Aviv highway during protest urging release of hostages
Police say they arrested five demonstrators for blocking Tel Aviv’s Ayalon Highway during a protest calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.
A statement from the force says the road has been reopened after officers cleared the demonstrators.
Among those who took part in the protest were Einav Zangauker, whose son Matan was taken captive during the October 7 terror onslaught last year.
“I’m sorry that a year has passed and we still haven’t succeeded in causing the government to bring a [hostage] deal,” she said in remarks addressed to her son while protesting outside the Kirya military base earlier this evening.
Home Front Command says schooling now allowed in towns along northern border, Golan
The IDF Home Front Command announces it’s easing restrictions imposed along the northern border and the Golan Heights, with educational activities now allowed in communities there.
A Home Front Command statement says restrictions are also being loosened in the northern communities of Daliyat al-Karmel and Isfiya, where residents can now hold events with up to 2,000 people.
IDF says Hezbollah fired around 320 projectiles at Israel during Yom Kippur
The Israeli military says that Hezbollah fired about 320 projectiles from Lebanon into Israel over Yom Kippur, Judaism’s holiest day which ended at nightfall.
“Throughout the weekend of Yom Kippur, approximately 320 projectiles that were fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organization crossed from Lebanon into Israel,” the military says in a statement.
IDF says 2 soldiers seriously hurt in Gaza and southern Lebanon over the past day
The IDF says an officer at the Combat Engineering Corps’ training school was seriously wounded today during a battle in southern Gaza.
In southern Lebanon, a reservist from the Alexandroni Brigade’s 9203rd Battalion was seriously injured yesterday amid the fighting.
The military says both have been taken to hospitals for treatment.
IDF says dozens of enemy fighters killed, 280 targets hit in Lebanon and Gaza over Yom Kippur
In a statement released after Yom Kippur ends, the military says Israeli forces killed dozens of enemy combatants in Gaza and Hezbollah over the holiday weekend.
The Israel Defense Forces reports that it carried out a total of some 280 strikes on terror targets, including over 200 in Lebanon, where it says soldiers killed 50 Hezbollah fighters in “face-to-face confrontations” over the past day.
As part of the operations in Lebanon, which also included raids on numerous Hezbollah sites, the IDF says that it struck “underground infrastructure” where the Iran-backed organization was storing arms along the border with Syria.
In the Gaza Strip, the military says that troops have been continuing to battle Hamas fighters in Jabaliya, where the IDF recently launched a renewed ground offensive to prevent the Palestinian terror group from reestablishing itself in the north of the enclave.
The IDF statement says the military killed over 20 combatants in Jabaliya and a number of fighters in central Gaza and the southern Strip’s Rafah.
MDA says paramedics treated 2,842 people during Yom Kippur, including 3 hurt by rocket blast
Magen David Adom says its paramedics treated 2,842 people across Israel during Yom Kippur, including three lightly hurt by the force of a rocket that exploded in the Western Galilee.
Another 12 people were hurt while running to shelters amid rocket attacks, the ambulance service adds.
According to MDA, 1,969 people who required medical attention were taken to hospitals for further treatment, including 286 patients who fainted, were dehydrated or otherwise feeling ill due to the fast.
Over 500 people were hurt while riding bikes, scooters, skateboards or rollerblading, including six seriously. Dozens were injured in car crashes, among them 11 people in serious condition.
MDA also reports that it brought 146 women to medical centers to give birth and that paramedics helped deliver a child in the ambulance while headed to a hospital.
Iranian news agency reports 2 satellites being sent to Russia for rocket launch
Iran has sent two locally made satellites to Russia to be put into orbit by a Russian space vehicle, the semi-official news agency Tasnim reports, in the latest space cooperation between the two US-sanctioned countries.
The development of Kowsar, a high-resolution imaging satellite, and Hodhod, a small communications satellite, is the first substantial effort by Iran’s private space sector, the report says.
Russia sent Iranian satellites into orbit in February and in 2022, when US officials voiced concern over space cooperation between Russia and Iran, fearing the satellite will not only help Russia in Ukraine but also help Iran monitor potential military targets in Israel and the wider Middle East.
Kowsar could be used in agriculture, natural resource management, environmental monitoring, and disaster management, Tasnim says. Hodhod is designed for satellite-based communications and could be used in remote areas with little access to terrestrial networks.
In September, Iran carried out its second satellite launch this year using a rocket built by its Revolutionary Guards. The launch came as the United States and European countries accuse Tehran of transferring ballistic missiles to Russia that could be used in its war with Ukraine. Iran has denied this.
Hamas delayed onslaught until Oct. 2023 in effort to enlist Iran, Hezbollah — NYT
Hamas originally planned to launch a major cross-border attack on Israel in fall 2022 but pushed off the invasion until October 7 last year in an effort to enlist Iran and Hezbollah to join in, according to a report in The New York Times that cites minutes from Hamas secret meetings that Israeli forces uncovered in Gaza.
To persuade Hezbollah, Hamas leaders cited Israel’s “internal situation” — which the report says appears to be a reference to the domestic political unrest over the government’s judicial overhaul push — as a leading reason they were “compelled to move toward a strategic battle.”
According to the Times, despite feeling it had the support of Hezbollah and Iran, Hamas concluded it may need to launch the attack alone before Israel deployed a new air defense system. The Palestinian terror group was also reportedly motivated in part by a desire to disrupt the US-backed initiative for Israel-Saudi normalization.
The report adds that Hamas leaders sought to avoid major clashes with Israel in the two years leading up to the October 7 onslaught to “keep the enemy convinced that Hamas in Gaza wants calm.” The Times also reports that Hamas leaders in Gaza had briefed the terror group’s then-leader Ismail Haniyeh about “the big project” — Hamas’s code name for the attack plans.
UNIFIL says peacekeeper wounded a day earlier by unknown gunfire
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says that unknown gunfire a day earlier hit a peacekeeper, the fifth wounded in south Lebanon near the Israeli border in just two days.
“Last night, a peacekeeper at UNIFIL’s headquarters” in Naqura “was hit by gunfire due to ongoing military activity nearby… We do not yet know the origin of the fire,” a statement says, adding that the peacekeeper is “stable.”
A UNIFIL spokesman says recent Israel-Hezbollah clashes in southern Lebanon have inflicted “a lot of damage” on its positions.
Working is “very difficult because there is a lot of damage, even inside the bases,” UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti tells AFP. “Just last night, on the position of the Ghanaian peacekeepers, just outside, the blast was so strong that it destroyed some of the containers inside very badly.”
Tenenti also says Israel requested UNIFIL leave its positions where Israel is clashing with Hezbollah, but the peacekeepers refused.
They asked us to withdraw “from the positions along the Blue Line… or up to five kilometers (three miles) from the Blue Line,” Tenenti tells AFP, using the term for the demarcation line between both countries. “But there was a unanimous decision to stay.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
IDF says 2 rockets fired at Ashkelon from northern Gaza Strip
Two rockets were fired at Ashkelon from northern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces says.
The two projectiles struck open ground.
There were no injuries reported.
Some 15 rockets fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel in recent barrage, IDF says
Some 15 rockets were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel in a recent rocket barrage, the Israel Defense Forces says.
The military says that some of the rockets were intercepted.
Rocket sirens sound in Ashkelon
Sirens sound in Ashkelon, warning of incoming rocket fire toward the southern coastal city.
Rocket sirens sound in northern border communities
Sirens sound in a number of communities close to the northern border, warning of incoming rocket fire.
Two lightly injured in rocket attack from Lebanon – report
Two people were lightly injured in the recent rocket barrage fired from Lebanon, Channel 12 reports.
According to the outlet, emergency services say the two were wounded at the Mak’r intersection near Acre.
Some 35 rockets fired in barrage that triggered sirens in Acre and surrounding communities, IDF says
Some 35 rockets were fired from Lebanon toward northern Israel a short time ago, the Israel Defense Forces says.
The military says some of the rockets were intercepted.
The barrage triggered sirens in Acre and the surrounding communities.
יירוט כעת בשמי עכו. צילום אבי אבנר.
מאז הבוקר עשרות שיגורים לעבר הגליל, צפת חיפה עכו והקריות ללא נפגעים.
חיל האוויר יצא בצהריים לגל תקיפות בלבנון נגד יעדי חיזבאללה.
גם ברצועת עזה נמשכת הלחימה בכיפור ואוגדה 162 בארועי לחימה בג׳בלייה. pic.twitter.com/fr8cpDtabV
— Or Heller אור הלר (@OrHeller) October 12, 2024
IDF intercepts 2 rockets over Haifa area
The IDF says it intercepted two rockets over the Haifa area a short time ago.
Some 30 rockets launched at Israel from Lebanon; no casualties
The army says some 30 rockets were launched at Israel from Lebanon in the past hour. There are no reports of damage or casualties.
Rocket sirens sound in several northern communities
Rocket sirens are sounding in Metula, Kfar Giladi and a number of other northern communities.
IDF tells 22 south Lebanon villages to evacuate, warns not to return amid fighting
The Israeli military has ordered residents of 22 more southern Lebanese villages to evacuate to areas north of the Awali River, according to a statement.
It also warns residents of south Lebanon “not to return” to their homes as troops continue fighting Hezbollah in the area.
Israeli forces continue to “target Hezbollah posts in or near your villages,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee says on X. “For your own protection, do not return to your homes until further notice. Do not go south; anyone who goes south may put his life at risk.”
In a separate post, Adraee reiterates an earlier call for health workers and medical teams in southern Lebanon to avoid using ambulances, saying they are being used by Hezbollah fighters.
“We call on medical teams to avoid contact with Hezbollah members and not to cooperate with them,” he said.
“The IDF affirms that the necessary actions will be taken against any vehicle transporting armed individuals, regardless of its type.”
Rocket sirens sounding again in northern communities including Safed
Sirens are sounding again in northern communities, amid an apparent rocket attack from Lebanon as Jewish Israelis mark the Yom Kippur holy day.
The alerts are sounding in several towns and cities including Safed, Rosh Pinna, Machanaim, Biriyeh, Hatzor HaGlilit, Kadita, Amuka, Tzahar Industrial Zone, Bar Yochai and Dalton.
🚨 Rocket Alert [10:55:47] – 13 Alerts:
• Upper Galilee — Machanaim, Biriyeh, Hatzor HaGlilit, Machanaim landing pad, Kadita, Amuka, Tzahar Industrial Zone, Bar Yochai, Rosh Pinna, Or HaGanuz, Safed – City, Hatzor HaGlilit Industrial Zone
• Confrontation Line — Dalton… pic.twitter.com/jvc690qaf0— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 12, 2024
IDF says rocket fired at central Galilee from Lebanon downed as fresh sirens sound in northern border town
As fresh rocket sirens sound on the northern border, the IDF says one rocket fired from Lebanon at central Galilee was successfully intercepted.
There are no reports of injuries or damage in the earlier attack.
The new sirens are blaring in the border town of Margaliot.
🚨 Rocket Alert [10:20:38] – 1 Alert:
• Confrontation Line — Margaliot
Population: 23,000 pic.twitter.com/Ak2DqFPULn
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 12, 2024
Rocket sirens blare in central Galilee towns near Nazareth
Sirens are sounding in northern communities in central Galilee north of Nazareth, warning of incoming rocket fire.
The sirens are blaring in towns including Eilabun, Massad and Tafahot.
There are no immediate reports of damage, with Hebrew media largely closed down for Yom Kippur.
🚨 Rocket Alert [10:06:00] – 4 Alerts:
• Center Galilee — Eilabun, Maghar, Massad, Tefahot
Population: 57,000 pic.twitter.com/dLcFPws3fO
— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 12, 2024
Lebanese media reports alleged Hezbollah rocket attack on Haifa; no sirens sound in Israel
Hezbollah-affiliated media reports that the Lebanese terror group claims to have launched a barrage of rockets at a military base in southern Haifa a short while ago, though no sirens sound in Israel and there are no reports of attacks.
The Al Mayadeen report questions the veracity of the Hezbollah statement, which said the barrage was launched at 6 a.m. local time.
There have been no IDF Home Front Command alerts in Israel since shortly before 4 a.m.
Nicaragua breaks off ties with Israel
Nicaragua announces plans to break off relations with Israel over the war in Gaza, calling the Israeli government “fascist and genocidal.”
Left-wing President Daniel Ortega, who has been fiercely critical of Israel’s yearlong war with the Palestinian terror group Hamas, ordered ties to be cut over Israel’s attacks on Palestinian territories, says Vice President Rosario Murillo, who is also Ortega’s wife.
The move is an essentially symbolic one, with ties between Israel and the central American country virtually nonexistent.
Israel has no ambassador in the Nicaraguan capital Managua.
Nicaragua has twice before broken off ties with Israel — once in 2010 under Ortega as well as in 1982 under the Sandinista revolutionary government led by Ortega following the country’s 1979 revolution.
Rocket alerts sound in western Galilee towns
Rocket alerts blare in the western Galilee towns of Hila and Mi’ilya.
There are no immediate reports of impacts.
Blinken says US wants a solution in Lebanon, not ‘broader conflict’
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voices hope for a diplomatic solution in Lebanon and preventing a broader conflict, as he backs efforts by the fragile state to assert itself against Hezbollah.
Blinken again says that Israel, which has been carrying out extensive and deadly strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, “has a right to defend itself” against the terror group, but says he is alarmed by the worsening humanitarian situation.
“We continue to engage intensely to prevent broader conflict in the region,” Blinken tells reporters after an East Asia Summit in Laos.
“We all have a strong interest in trying to help create an environment in which people can go back to their homes, their safety and security, kids can go back to school,” he says.
“So Israel has a clear and very legitimate interest in doing that. The people of Lebanon want the same thing. We believe that the best way to get there is through a diplomatic understanding, one that we’ve been working on for some time, and one that we focus on right now.”
Blinken also speaks by phone with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, according to a statement from the US State Department.
Lebanon’s presidency has been vacant for two years, and Blinken stresses “the need to empower leadership that reflects the will of the people for a stable, prosperous, and independent Lebanon.”
He says that “Lebanon cannot allow Iran or Hezbollah to stand in the way of Lebanon’s security and stability.”
The statement does not mention discussions on a possible ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed group.
Blinken says the United States will work to support the fragile Lebanese state to build itself up after Hezbollah’s long-held sway.
“It’s clear that the people of Lebanon have an interest — a strong interest — in the state asserting itself and taking responsibility for the country and its future,” he says.
Irish PM demands Israel ‘stop firing’ at UN peacekeepers in Lebanon
Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris urges Israel to heed “the concerns of the international community” and not repeat recent firing on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
“Israel must stop firing on UN peacekeepers serving with UNIFIL in Lebanon,” Ireland’s leader says in a statement, his latest comments on the recent incidents that have sparked a fierce diplomatic backlash.
“Israel must listen to the voice and the concerns of the international community,” he adds.
Ireland accounts for 347 of the 10,000 soldiers serving in the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL, which is charged with maintaining peace in the south of Lebanon.
Israel says its forces fired at “an immediate threat against them” near a UNIFIL position in Lebanon Friday, acknowledging that a “hit” was responsible for wounding two Blue Helmets.
The two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were hurt at UNIFIL’s main base in Naqura, southern Lebanon, according to the mission.
It follows two Indonesian soldiers suffering injuries when tank fire hit a watchtower the previous day, the mission said.
The Irish Defense Forces has said none of its staff were hurt in Thursday’s incident.
Harris, who visited US President Joe Biden earlier in the week, says in the statement he and Biden “agreed that those who serve in Blue Helmets on behalf of the UN must always be afforded full protection.”
US envoy Hochstein: Israeli ‘campaign of bombing in Beirut… needs to stop’
US special envoy to Lebanon Amos Hochstein tells local media that the United States is working “non-stop” toward a ceasefire in the country.
“We want the whole conflict to end,” he tells Lebanese television channel LBC from Washington. “We are working on this non-stop.”
Reviewing the latest developments, Hochstein says reports that Israel hit UN peacekeeping positions in south Lebanon on Friday are “unacceptable.”
He sends his condolences to the families of two soldiers who Lebanon’s army says were killed in an Israeli strike in the south of the country, also on Friday.
The US envoy also says Israeli strikes on the central Beirut districts of Basta and Nweiri late Thursday that killed 22 people were “totally unacceptable.”
Israel reportedly targeted senior Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa in one of those strikes.
“We have a continued campaign of bombing in Beirut. It needs to stop,” he says.
“We’re trying to bring this bombing to a close. We don’t like this campaign of bombings in densely populated Beirut,” Hochstein says.
Earlier on Friday, caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged the United Nations to pass a resolution calling for an “immediate” ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
Southern European leaders want Lebanon’s army to reassert itself in country’s south
The leaders of nine southern European Union countries pledge support for Lebanon’s armed forces to reassert control over the country’s southern territory in hopes of bringing peace to an area plagued by fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.
In a joint declaration, the leaders of the so-called MED9 — Italy, Spain, France, Greece, Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Portugal and Croatia — say they will “continue advocating for further support to Lebanon and its people, including to the Lebanese Armed Forces which are called to play a critical stabilizing role.”
“The unfolding situation in the Middle East is gravely alarming,” the declaration says. “In light of the reverberations of the Gaza conflict on the wider region, we express our extreme concern with the escalation of the military confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah.”
French President Emmanuel Macron tells a news conference that the return of the Lebanese armed forces to South Lebanon and the restoration of Lebanese sovereignty “are essential to its peace and stability.”
Macron doesn’t specify what form that support would take, but says an October 24 conference in the French capital will aim to ramp up aid deliveries to Lebanon as humanitarian crisis looms while helping to bolster the country’s military and internal security forces.
Ahead of that conference, Macron and Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni say a meeting of G7 defense ministers will also look at ways of assisting Lebanon’s army to move into the south.
Report: Herzliya building hit in drone attack is a retirement home
A building in Herzliya that was hit in a drone attack on Yom Kippur is a retirement home, the Ynet news site reports.
The strike sparked a small fire that was put out by the fire department. There are no reports of physical injuries.
The Herzliya municipality tells residents that they can leave their safe rooms, but urges them to closely follow instructions from the Home Front Command.
IDF says building in Herzliya hit amid drone attack from Lebanon, no injuries
The Israel Defense Forces says a building was hit in the central city of Herzliya after two drones were fired from Lebanon. There were no immediate reports of injuries.
The military says the drones were tracked from the moment they crossed the border and fighter jets managed to down one of them.
It was not immediately clear why the second drone was not intercepted.
The IDF did not say if the building was hit by the drone or by shrapnel from interceptors but says the incident is under investigation.
Footage posted to social media shows a drone flying over buildings in the city.
Channel 12 reports that the impact sparked a fire and that parts of the city are without electricity.
The Israel Police says it has received multiple reports of shrapnel landing in the Herzliya area.
“Police officers and police bomb disposal experts from the district are currently on-site, managing the debris from the interception and conducting thorough searches to mitigate any further risks to the public. At this time, no injuries have been reported, although there is some damage to a building,” police say.
זה וידאו פסיכי. פגיעה ישירה במבנה בהרצליה, הפסקות חשמל באזור. לא ידוע על נפגעים pic.twitter.com/1BIAbq1WyV
— איתי בלומנטל 🇮🇱 Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) October 11, 2024
IDF says incident in Herzliya is over; reports say building was hit
The Israel Defense Forces says an incident in which a drone infiltration alert sounded, followed by several explosions, is over.
Hebrew media reports say a building in Herzliya was hit, but it’s not immediately clear if the damage was caused by a drone or by debris from an interceptor missile.
IDF says it attempted to intercept drone over central Israel, warns more explosions likely
The Israel Defense Forces say they “attempted several interceptions” after a hostile aircraft warning sirens sounded in central Israel.
Residents reported hearing several explosions.
The IDF says the incident is under investigation and warns residents they may hear further explosions “caused by interruptions or impacts.”
The IDF urges residents to follow Home Front Command instructions.
The incident comes as Israelis mark Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for Jews.
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