Oct. 24: Far-right ministers fume over Netanyahu’s decision to send negotiating team to Doha

Rocket alert sirens sound in northern towns near Lebanon border; no injuries reported

Sirens sounded in communities near the northern border with Lebanon a short while ago, warning of incoming rocket fire.

The latest alerts, which come after Hezbollah fired over 120 rockets and at least three missiles at Israel throughout the day, sound in Malkia and Dishon.

There are no immediate reports of injuries.

🚨 Rocket Alert [23:26:13] – 2 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Malkia, Dishon

Population: 1,200 pic.twitter.com/VPA7esMpAM

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 24, 2024

IDF issues evacuation orders for three more buildings in Beirut ahead of airstrikes on Hezbollah

The IDF has issued evacuation orders for three more buildings in Beirut’s southern suburb, ahead of airstrikes against Hezbollah facilities.

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, which the military says belong to Hezbollah.

#عاجل إلى جميع السكان المتواجدين في منطقة الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا في المباني المحددة في الخرائط المرفقة والمباني المجاورة لها في المناطق التالية:
🔸برج البراجنة
🔸حدث بيروت

⭕️أنتم تتواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله حيث سيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني… pic.twitter.com/EAmVkDbCiB

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 24, 2024

Shouting matches erupt in Tel Aviv between group celebrating Simhat Torah, anti-government protesters

Men carrying Torah scrolls dance by protesters calling for the release of hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, during the Simhat Torah holiday, October 24, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Shouting matches erupt around Tel Aviv’s Disengoff Square between anti-government, pro-hostage deal protesters and people who have joined a holiday parade led by Rosh Yehudi, a right-wing religious group.

Dozens of police officers stand in the street between the two groups, ordering the protesters to stay on the Square, where they have been since the early evening, and the religious celebrators to stick to the sidewalk.

Among those participating in Rosh Yehudi’s parade is Rabbi Yigal Loewenstein, a teacher at the pre-military religious school Eli who is known for his anti-gay and anti-feminist statements.

On the parade’s coattails, right-wing youth hoist signs reading: “The leftist minority won’t decide for Israel.”

The anti-government protesters chant “he builds castles, they come back in coffins” — alluding to allegations that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lives luxuriously as the hostages languish in Gaza.

During 'Second Rounds' of Simhat Torah dances at Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square, where pro-hostage deal activists protest the celebrations, a National Religious celebrator calls on "whoever really cares about the hostages" to observe a momemt of silence, which fails to stick. pic.twitter.com/t1q0cPKF6F

— Noam Lehmann (@noamlehmann) October 24, 2024

The protesters’ slogans are drowned out by religious music blasted from speakers mounted on a Rosh Yehudi van. As the protesters shout at them, religious celebrators hold their hands in the shape of hearts.

Speaking into a microphone, one of the celebrators at the square calls on “anyone who really cares about the hostages” to observe a moment of silence.

The gesture fails: Protesters chant “Shame!” and the music returns barely ten seconds later.

The tension subsides after the dancers pass the Square, leaving the protesters behind.

The protesters sing the national anthem, Hatikva, and disperse.

Special counsel to probe whether Jared Kushner was functioning as Saudi foreign agent — US lawmakers

White House Senior Adviser Jared Kushner during a meeting in the Cabinet Room at the White House in Washington, DC on October 23, 2017. Right: Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a meeting with Lebanon's Christian Maronite patriarch on November 14, 2017, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images; Fayez Nureldine/AFP/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Democratic chair of the US Senate Finance Committee and a prominent Democratic congressman has asked the US attorney general to appoint a special counsel to investigate whether Jared Kushner, former US president Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was functioning as an unregistered foreign agent for Saudi Arabia, according to a letter from the lawmakers.

The letter from US Senator Ron Wyden and US Representative Jamie Raskin cites an October 4 Reuters report that revealed that Kushner on multiple occasions had discussed US-Saudi diplomacy concerning Israel with Saudi Arabia’s de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, since leaving government.

“This revelation is deeply disturbing, as Mr. Kushner appears to be influencing US foreign policy by acting as a political consultant to the Saudi government while also accepting their money,” Wyden and Raskin write in the eight-page letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland. The letter has not been previously reported.

Saudi Arabia has invested $2 billion into a private equity fund, Affinity Partners, that Kushner, who was a top adviser on the Middle East during Trump’s administration, founded in 2021 after leaving government, according to congressional investigators.

In a statement, Kushner says, “There is no conflict of interest.” He dismisses the letter as “silly political stunts.”

The Department of Justice and the Saudi Arabian embassy do not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Saudi Arabia’s investments in Kushner’s fund have been criticized by ethics experts, Democrats in Congress and some Republicans, who have expressed concern that Saudi Arabia’s stake can look like a payoff since Kushner worked on Saudi issues before leaving Trump’s White House.

The October 4 Reuters report, quoting a source familiar with the discussions, said Kushner’s talks with Saudi Arabia’s crown prince included the process of normalizing relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. The source did not identify when the talks took place and whether they occurred before or after the start of the ongoing war in Gaza.

Far-right ministers Smotrich, Ben Gvir fume over Netanyahu’s decision to send negotiating team to Doha

Religious Zionist party head MK Bezalel Smotrich with Head of the Otzma Yehudit party MK Itamar Ben Gvir at a vote at the Knesset in Jerusalem, on December 28, 2022. (Olivier Fitoussi/Flash90)

Far-right ministers Itamar Ben Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich fume over Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that Israel will send a high-level negotiating team to Doha on Sunday amid efforts to secure a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas.

In a post on X, National Security Minister Ben Gvir says that the decision was not approved by the cabinet and asserts that Israel should rather be “starving Hamas of oxygen.”

“This is the safest path to victory and the return of the hostages — rather than a path of deals that will allow Hamas to reorganize its forces in the Strip so that they can harm our soldiers, and restore its military capabilities,” he says, while also praising the prime minister and the military for “the positive trend over the last two months.”

For his part, Finance Minister Smotrich claims that “Qatar’s continued involvement in the negotiations for the return of the hostages is a grave mistake,” and says he “deeply regrets” Netanyahu’s decision to send Mossad chief David Barnea to Doha.

“Qatar is an enemy country that supports Hamas and backs its positions in the negotiations,” he writes on X. “Qatar owns Al Jazeera and severely harms Israel’s global image… Nothing good can come from its involvement.”

Smotrich says that the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, will only be achieved with military pressure “as our heroic soldiers are currently doing in the north of the Gaza Strip.”

Report: Russia provided targeting data for Houthi attacks on Western ships in Red Sea this year

The MV Tutor sinks in the Red Sea after it was struck by a Houthi drone vessel, June 12, 2024. (Etat-Major des Armées/ France via AP)

Russia provided targeting data for Yemen’s Houthi attacks on Western ships in the Red Sea earlier this year, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal.

An anonymous source quoted in the report says the data was passed through members of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps embedded with the Houthis in Yemen.

The Russian satellite data was provided to help the Iran-backed group expand its strikes, which began in November last year, in a campaign it says is in support of the Palestinians in Gaza amid the ongoing war there.

The Red Sea has become a battlefield for shippers since the Houthis began their campaign targeting ships traveling through the waterway, which once saw $1 trillion of cargo pass through it yearly.

Houthis have targeted more than 80 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel.

In response to the Houthi attacks, a US-led coalition has carried out airstrikes in Yemen, and Israel has attacked the port of Hodeida. The latter serves as a key location for the delivery of aid and commercial goods which are critical as the country is reliant on imports.

Citing analysts, the WSJ report says Russia is stirring instability in the Middle East to “create problems” for the United States.

There is no comment from Russia or the Houthis in the report.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Senior Hamas official says terror group told Egypt it’s ready to stop fighting if Israel commits to truce

A senior Hamas official tells AFP that the terror group told Egyptian officials it was ready to stop fighting in Gaza if Israel committed to a ceasefire deal.

The official says a Hamas delegation discussed “ideas and proposals” related to a Gaza truce with Egyptian officials in Cairo earlier today.

Hamas-run Al Aqsa TV cites sources that the delegation to Cairo, headed by chief negotiator and deputy Hamas Gaza chief Khalil Al-Hayya, met with the head of Egypt’s general intelligence agency, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad.

“Hamas has expressed readiness to stop the fighting, but Israel must commit to a ceasefire, withdraw from the Gaza Strip, allow the return of displaced people, agree to a serious prisoner exchange deal, and allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the official says, adding that the talks in Cairo were part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to resume ceasefire negotiations.

Egypt and Qatar have acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas in months of talks that broke down in August without an agreement to end fighting that began when the Palestinian terror group launched its brutal onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

The report comes as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Egypt’s willingness to advance a deal for the release of hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

Earlier today, Qatar and Washington’s top diplomats said that American and Israeli negotiators would gather in Doha in the coming days to try to restart talks toward a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza.

IDF calls on Lebanese civilians near two buildings in southern Beirut to evacuate ahead of airstrikes

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, which the military says belong to Hezbollah.

#عاجل إلى جميع السكان المتواجدين في منطقة الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا في المباني المحددة في الخرائط المرفقة والمباني المجاورة لها في المناطق التالية:
🔸شويفات العمروسية
🔸حارة حريك

⭕️تتواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله حيث سيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع على المدى الزمني… pic.twitter.com/zHKH6eAznP

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 24, 2024

IDF announces death of soldier killed during fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon today

IDF Sgt. First Class Gai Ben-Haroosh, killed fighting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on October 24, 2024. (Courtesy)

An IDF soldier was killed during fighting against Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon today, the military announces.

The slain soldier is named as Sgt. First Class Gai Ben-Haroosh, 23, a commander in the Oketz canine unit, from Pardes Hanna-Karkur

A reservist with the 55th Paratroopers Brigade’s 7155th Battalion was seriously wounded in the same incident.

Orthodox Jewish group parades through Tel Aviv for Simhat Torah, raising ire of anti-government protesters

Jewish men carry Torah scrolls as they dance during Simhat Torah celebrations in Tel Aviv, on October 24, 2024. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Under heavy police presence, Orthodox Jewish group Rosh Yehudi launches its annual parade marking the end of Simhat Torah on Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Street, to the dismay of some anti-government groups.

The “Hakafot Shniyot” (second rounds, in English) parade has angered some anti-government activists who argue celebrations should be muted on Simhat Torah, which marks one Hebrew year after Hamas’s October 7 massacre.

Rosh Yehudi organized this year’s parade in cooperation with the Gvura forum of rightwing families bereaved in the war. Far-right activist Shefi Paz is present at the 100-odd celebration.

Based in central Tel Aviv, Rosh Yehudi is the bane of secularist groups that oppose its gender-segregated public prayers. There is no firm gender divide at the Hakafot Shniyot, though men and women appear to be dancing in distinct circles, with only men holding Torah scrolls.

The holiday celebrates the completion of the annual reading cycle of the Five Books of Moses.

Jewish men carry Torah scrolls as they dance during Simhat Torah celebrations at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, on October 24, 2024. (Tomer Neuberg/Flash90)

Earlier, about 100 pro-hostage deal protesters gathered on Dizengoff Square, and, under the banner “there is no joy and no Torah,” read the names of October 7 victims and recited Kaddish, the Jewish mourners’ prayer, after each one. Anti-government accounts on social media had urged supporters to stage a silent protest and prevent Rosh Yehudi from dancing on the square.

One protester wields a sign reading “Deplorables! Idolaters!” in front of the paraders and yells that they are destroying democracy as they march down King George Street on their way back to Dizengoff. Police tell him to back away, and someone running from the direction of the parade knocks the sign out of his hands.

Men dance with Torah scrolls in Tel Aviv, at National Religious group Rosh Yehudi's annual 'Second Rounds' of Simhat Torah dancing, which some anti-government, pro-hostage deal activists criticized, since it falls on the first Hebrew-calendar anniversary of the Oct. 7 onslaught. pic.twitter.com/Z8GVoNOvzG

— Noam Lehmann (@noamlehmann) October 24, 2024

Speaking before the parade set out, Rosh Yehudi head Israel Zeira, a disciple of anti-LGBTQ Rabbi Zvi Tau, thanked the Tel Aviv police for “surrounding us” against provocations.

“We came to dance not just for us, nor just because we want, but because it is our personal duty to our friends who aren’t here” — the hostages, soldiers at the front, those who were killed or injured, he said.

Netanyahu ‘welcomes Egypt’s readiness to advance hostage deal’ after Cairo meetings

Israelis attend a rally calling for the release of the hostages held by Hamas terrorists in Gaza, at Hostages Square in Tel Aviv on October 19, 2024. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Amid a new push toward hostage talks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office says in a statement that he “welcomes Egypt’s readiness to advance a deal to free hostages.”

Israeli officials, including Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar, have held meetings on the topic in Cairo over the past week.

“In addition to meetings that were held in Cairo, the prime minister instructed the head of the Mossad to travel to Doha to advance a series of initiatives on the agenda, backed by the cabinet,” the PMO continues.

Meanwhile, the Egyptian Al Qahera News outlet, citing a senior Egyptian official, reports that Egyptian negotiators met with Hamas officials in Cairo “to examine the situation in Gaza and ways to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of quiet in the Strip.”

The official says the meeting was part of “Egyptian efforts to restart talks for a ceasefire in Gaza.”

IDF says troops found some 3,200 explosive devices, 2,500 anti-tank missiles, RPGs in south Lebanon

The IDF releases footage of captured Hezbollah weapons amid the ongoing ground offensive against the terror group in southern Lebanon.

“In the last month alone we have struck over 3,200 targets in southern Lebanon, including 350 weapon depots,” IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says in a press conference.

He says troops have captured some 3,200 explosive devices and some 2,500 anti-tank missiles and RPGs.

Hamas commander who led massacre at roadside shelter near Kibbutz Re’im on Oct. 7 killed in Gaza strike – IDF

Hamas terrorist Muhammad Abu Attawi and UNRWA staffer during the attack on a bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re'im on October 7, 2023. (Israel Defense Forces)

A Hamas Nukhba Force commander who led the killing and kidnapping of Israelis from a roadside bomb shelter near Kibbutz Re’im on October 7, was killed in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip yesterday, the IDF and Shin Bet announce.

According to the military, Muhammad Abu Attawi, who served as a Nukha commander in Hamas’s Bureij Battalion, was also employed by UNRWA since July 2022.

A screenshot provided by the IDF on October 24, 2024, from an UNRWA spreadsheet, shows that Hamas terrorist Muhammad Abu Attawi is listed.

A screenshot provided by the IDF on October 24, 2024, from an UNRWA spreadsheet, shows that Hamas terrorist Muhammad Abu Attawi is listed.

During the October 7 onslaught, Attawi commanded the attack on a bomb shelter near Re’im where partygoers from the Nova festival had fled to.

Four people were taken hostage alive from the shelter — including Hersh Goldberg-Polin — and 16 were murdered. Seven managed to survive and were later rescued.

Dashcam footage of Aner Shapira tossing out grenades hurled by Hamas terrorists into a bomb shelter near Re’im on October 7, 2023. (Screen capture/X)

Attawi was also involved in attacks on troops during the war in Gaza, the IDF says.

New footage from October 7 shows how Hamas terrorists attacked a packed public bomb shelter near the Nova festival near Re'im, hurling grenades at the partygoers who were sheltering from the rocket attacks. Inside, off duty soldier Staff Sgt. Aner Elyakim Shapiro managed to toss… pic.twitter.com/pmlcVQnvg8

— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) November 14, 2023

The military says COGAT representatives have also “demanded from senior officials in the international community and the UN clarifications and an urgent inquiry into the participation of UNRWA employees in the October 7 massacre and terrorist activity against Israel.”

‘We will destroy you’: IRGC chief says THAAD air defense system won’t protect Israel from future Iranian strikes

Head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Hossein Salami speaking at the funeral of Razi Mousavi, a senior commander in Iran's Quds Force who was killed on December 25 in an alleged Israeli strike in Syria, in Tehran, December 28, 2023. (Atta Kenare/AFP)

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps chief Hossein Salami warns that an advanced US missile defense system recently stationed in Israel won’t be able to ward off future attacks from Tehran, according to Russian state news agency TASS.

“Just as the Arrow anti-missile systems did not work during Operation True Promise 2, the THAAD systems will not work either. Do not rely on THAAD, they have limited capabilities,” Salami is quoted as saying.

Iran has dubbed its October 1 ballistic missile attack on Israel “Operation True Promise 2,” following its April attack that it called “Operation True Promise 1.”

The Israel Defense Forces said that it intercepted “a large number” of some 181 missiles launched by Iran on October 1 and 99 percent of over 300 projectiles, comprising 170 drones, 30 cruise missiles, and 120 ballistic missiles, fired by Tehran on April 13-14.

The THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system, is a critical part of the US military’s layered air defense systems and adds to Israel’s already formidable anti-missile defenses.

“You cannot win this conflict, we will destroy you,” Salami threatens.

Urging hostage deal, protesters mark end of Simhat Torah near Netanyahu’s Jerusalem home

Demonstrators gather at the end of Simhat Torah to demand a deal to free the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, near to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home on Jerusalem's Gaza Street, October 24, 2024. The banner reads: 'Delaying the redemption of captives is akin to spilling blood.' (Hostages Families Forum.)

Protesters have gathered outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s home on Jerusalem’s Azza Street, marking Simhat Torah with a call for him to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

“In order for us to once again rejoice in our Torah, we must uphold it – and its most sacred commandment of redeeming captives,” the Hostages Families Forum says in a statement.

Among those participating in the hakafot ceremonies are Rabbi Bezalel Cohen, Rabbi Avidan Freedman and members of the Kol Haneshama Reform community.

IDF: Four reservists killed in clash with Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon yesterday

Soldiers killed during fighting in southern Lebanon on October 23, 2024: (L-R) Warrant Officer (res.) Mordechai Haim Amoyal, Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shmuel Harari, Master Sgt. (res.) Shlomo Aviad Nayman, and Sgt. First Class (res.) Shuvael Ben-Natan.

Four Israeli reserve soldiers were killed and six others were wounded during a clash with Hezbollah operatives in southern Lebanon yesterday afternoon, the IDF announces.

The slain soldiers are named as Warrant Officer (res.) Mordechai Haim Amoyal, 42, from Lod; Sgt. Maj. (res.) Shmuel Harari, 35, from Safed; Master Sgt. (res.) Shlomo Aviad Nayman, 31, from Mitzpe Yeriho; and Sgt. First Class (res.) Shuvael Ben-Natan, 22, from Rehelim.

They all served with the Carmeli Brigade’s 222nd Battalion.

According to an initial IDF probe, several Hezbollah operatives emerged from a tunnel and hurled grenades at the troops. The soldiers returned fire, but it remains unclear how many operatives were hit.

Among the six wounded soldiers, three are listed in serious condition.

In separate incidents today in southern Lebanon, the IDF says an officer with the 7th Armored Brigade’s 75th Battalion was seriously wounded in an anti-tank guided missile attack; a reservist with the 55th Paratroopers Brigade’s 7155th Battalion was seriously wounded during a battle with Hezbollah operatives; and an officer with 226th Paratroopers Brigade’s 6226th Battalion was seriously wounded by shrapnel.

The soldiers were all evacuated to hospitals for treatment.

Report: Hochstein didn’t ask for changes to UN Resolution 1701 in Lebanon meetings

Amos Hochstein, a senior adviser to US President Joe Biden, center, is received ahead of a meeting with Hezbollah-allied Lebanese Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, in Beirut, Lebanon, October 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)

US special envoy Amos Hochstein and Lebanon’s parliament speaker Nabih Berri have agreed on a draft agreement for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that is based on UN Resolution 1701, the Saudi Al-Arabiya network report.

Citing unnamed sources, the report says Hochstein didn’t request amendments to the 2006 resolution during his meeting in Lebanon this week.

Berri, a Hezbollah ally, told Al-Arabiya last week that Hochstein’s visit was “the last chance before the US elections” to reach a truce and said he would reject any amendments to 1701.

UN Resolution 1701, which ended the last round of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, calls for southern Lebanon to be free of any troops or weapons other than those of the Lebanese state.

The resolution has gone largely unenforced since it was passed, allowing Hezbollah to build up a formidable arms cache and defensive capabilities, with neither UNIFIL peacekeepers nor the LAF willing to challenge the Iran-backed terror group.

Today’s Al-Arabiya report says Hochstein is waiting for Israel’s response to the proposal.

In Beirut earlier this week, Hochstein said that Lebanon and Israel just committing to Resolution 1701 would not be enough and that the United States was working to devise a formula to end the conflict once and for all.

Protesters circle Netanyahu’s house in Caesarea for Simhat Torah, demanding hostage deal

Protesters march around Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s house in Caesarea calling for the government to close a deal to free hostages held by Hamas in Gaza, marking the Simhat Torah holiday on which 251 Israelis were kidnapped last year.

Instead of circling the synagogue with the Torah, as is traditional on the Jewish holiday, the protesters circle the prime minister’s private residence, waving Israeli flags and holding torches and photos of hostages held in Gaza.

Police officers accompany the march.

קיסריה | הקפות סביב ביתו של האשם

נתניהו מחסל
מחסל את ישראל

צילום | אלון בנקי pic.twitter.com/Y8kAiI1apC

— מוקד קיסריה (@GershonDror) October 24, 2024

Senior security official said to deny report Israel’s response to Iran was delayed by Pentagon leak

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

A senior Israeli security official quoted by Army Radio denies a British report that Israel was forced to delay a potential retaliatory attack on Iran after details of the planning were leaked from the Pentagon.

“There’s no connection between the leaking of the documents from the Pentagon and the choice of timing for the attack on Iran,” the security source is quoted as saying.

The official says that while several windows have been discussed, no final date has been set for an Israeli response to Iran’s firing of 200 ballistic missiles at the Jewish state on October 1, sending most of the population to bomb shelters and killing a Palestinian man in the West Bank.

Iran said the missile assault came in response to strikes in Lebanon that killed the top leadership of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group and a July blast in Tehran that killed Hamas politburo head, Ismail Haniyeh.

“We will choose the appropriate date according to operational opportunities,” the source tells Army Radio.

Marked top secret, the documents first appeared online Friday on the Telegram messaging app and quickly spread among Telegram channels popular with Iranians. The FBI is investigating the leak.

The Times report claimed that Israel has developed an alternative plan after the leak but needs to war game them before proceeding.

Trump says if elected he’ll fire federal prosecutor leading probes into his attempts to overturn 2020 defeat

Republican presidential nominee former US president Donald Trump gestures at a campaign rally, October 23, 2024, in Duluth, Georgia. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump says that if elected he will fire the federal prosecutor leading the criminal probes into his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office.

Asked during an interview whether he would pardon himself or fire Special Counsel Jack Smith, the former US president says: “It’s so easy. I would fire him within two seconds.”

US Attorney General Merrick Garland in November 2022 appointed Smith to the special counsel role, one meant to give him independence in leading the politically charged investigations into Trump.

Firing Smith would end the two cases almost immediately.

Asked if he believed lawmakers would move to file impeachment charges against him if he fired Smith, Trump tells conservative podcast host Hugh Hewitt, “No, I don’t think they would impeach me if I fired Jack Smith.”

The decision of whether to open an impeachment inquiry into Trump would lie with the party that wins control of the US House of Representatives in the November 5 election.

Hostage families welcome news of fresh Gaza talks, call on Netanyahu to close ‘single phase’ deal

Demonstrators call for the release of Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip at a protest outside the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv, October 17, 2024, hours after Israel confirmed the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. (Erik Marmor/Flash90)

The Hostages Families Forum reiterates its call for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the release of their loved ones held by terrorists in Gaza, a short while after he announced that an Israeli delegation will travel to Doha on Sunday to meet with US and Qatari negotiators.

“For over a year, 101 hostages have been held captive by Hamas in Gaza and are all currently under severe physical and mental risk. As we approach nearly a year since the last hostage release deal, other than three rescue operations, we have only received hostages in body bags. A negotiated deal is the only way to bring all hostages home,” the forum says in a statement.

“We must leverage the last military achievements, particularly the elimination of [Hamas leader Yahya] Sinwar, to secure a single comprehensive deal for all hostages’ return,” the statement adds.

The families call on Netanyahu to “grant the negotiating team full authority to secure this deal,” noting their preference for hostages to be released “in a single phase.”

Putin: Russia wants to help settle Middle East conflict, no country in region wants ‘big war’

Russian President Vladimir Putin holds a press conference at BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia, October 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov/Pool Photo via AP)

KAZAN, Russia – Russia is concerned by the events in the Middle East and sees its role in creating the conditions for the settlement of the conflict there, Russian President Vladimir Putin says.

He says Moscow doesn’t want the conflict to worsen and that he believes no country in the region wants a “big war.”

Israel can potentially reach decisive end to conflict with Hezbollah, IDF chief says

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is seen in the northern Gaza Strip, October 23, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi says that Israel can potentially reach a decisive end to the conflict with Hezbollah.

“In the north, there is a possibility of reaching a sharp end. We finished Hezbollah’s senior chain of command in a very thorough way,” Halevi says during an assessment in the northern Gaza Strip yesterday, in a video distributed by the IDF.

‘No joy and no Torah’: Protesters mark somber Simhat Torah, calling on government to free hostages

Photos of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7, 2023, on display at Tel Aviv's Dizengoff Square to mark the one year anniversary on the Jewish calendar of their abduction. (Pro-Democracy Movement/Sharon Ben-Porath)

Anti-government protesters gather in Tel Aviv to mark the Simhat Torah holiday and one year on the Jewish calendar since Hamas’s brutal massacre on October 7, 2023, that left some 1,200 people murdered and 251 kidnapped to Gaza.

Activists and relatives of hostages held by Hamas in Gaza gather around photos of the abductees displayed at the iconic fountain at Tel Aviv’s Dizengoff Square.

During an event at dusk, participants recite the traditional Jewish prayer for the dead in memory of the victims.

Protesters also carry a banner reading, “There is no joy, there is no Torah, only neglect,” calling on the government to secure a deal to free the remaining 97 hostages held by terrorists in Gaza since October 7 last year.

Protestors call for the release of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza, on the eve of the Jewish festival of Simhat Torah and the Jewish calendar anniversary of Hamas’s October 7 massacre. The banner reads, ‘There’s no joy and no Torah, only abandonment.’ (Marcello Sznaidman/Pro-Democracy Movement)

IDF: Drone sirens in Upper Galilee a short while ago were false alarms

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

No further details are given.

Mossad head to travel to Doha on Sunday to meet CIA chief, Qatari PM on Gaza hostage-truce deal – PM’s office

Mossad chief David Barnea will travel to Doha on Sunday to meet with CIA chief Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirms in a statement.

“At the meeting, the parties will discuss the various options for starting the negotiations for the release of the hostages held by Hamas, on the backdrop of the latest developments,” the PMO statement says.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently in Doha amid attempts to restart stalled talks to secure a hostage-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas.

Report: Delegation from Moscow arrived in Israel today to discuss release of two Russian-Israeli hostages

Hostages Maxim Herkin (left) and Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov. (Courtesy)

A delegation from Moscow reportedly arrived in Israel today to discuss negotiations for the release of two Israeli hostages who are dual Russian citizens held by Hamas in Gaza.

The Saudi Al-Hadath outlet reports that the delegation brought a message to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from Russian President Vladmir Putin to end Israel’s ongoing military campaigns against Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

A source in Netanyahu’s office tells The Times of Israel that the Russian delegation’s visit was not connected to hostages held by Hamas.

The report comes after the Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk told the RIA state news agency earlier today that the two hostages, Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov and Maxim Herkin, will be among the first to be released during an eventual hostage release, but only as part of a ceasefire deal and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian security prisoners.

It also comes as US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken is in Doha amid efforts to revive stalled hostage-ceasefire talks.

An Israeli delegation is expected to travel to Doha in the coming days to meet with US and Qatari negotiators.

It is believed that 97 of the 251 hostages abducted by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 34 confirmed dead by the IDF.

Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the military as they tried to escape their captors.

Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014.

Drone sirens sounding again in several northern communities near Lebanon border

Sirens are blaring again in communities near the northern border with Lebanon, warning of a possible drone infiltration.

The latest alerts, sounding in cities and towns including Kiryat Shmona, Kfar Giladi, Tel Hai, Manara, Ma’ayan Baruch, Metula, Beit Hillel, Margaliot, Misgav Am and Kfar Yuval, come a short while after the IDF said it intercepted two suspected drones launched from Lebanon.

🚨 ✈️ Hostile Aircraft Intrusion [18:17:29] – 11 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Kfar Giladi, Tel Hai, Manara, Ma'ayan Baruch, Kiryat Shmona, Metulla (×2), Beit Hillel, Margaliot, Misgav Am, Kfar Yuval

Population: 75,000 pic.twitter.com/Lt675BYsPb

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 24, 2024

Three suspected drones launched from Lebanon at northern Israel; two downed, one lands in open area – IDF

Three suspected drones were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel in the past hour.

The IDF says that in the first incident, two drones were launched at the Upper Galilee, one of which was shot down by air defenses and the second impacted an open area.

A short while later, a third drone launched at the Western Galilee was intercepted by air defenses, the military says.

Blinken: US doesn’t want IDF offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon to lead to protracted campaign

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, October 24, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)

DOHA – The United States does not want Israel Defense Forces operations in Lebanon to lead to a protracted military campaign, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says, more than a month since Israel began a major offensive against Hezbollah in the country.

Blinken is on his first trip to the region since Israel killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, a mastermind of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza. Washington has expressed hope his death can provide an impetus for an end to the fighting.

Israel launched its Lebanon offensive with the declared aim of securing the return home of tens of thousands of Israelis evacuated in northern Israel during a year of cross-border rocket fire by Hezbollah.

IDF troops operate in southern Lebanon, in a handout image published October 24, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

“As Israel conducts operations to remove the threat to Israel and its people along the border with Lebanon, we have been very clear that this cannot lead, should not lead, to a protracted campaign,” Blinken says, speaking in Doha alongside the prime minister of Qatar.

“Israel must take the necessary steps to avoid civilian casualties and not endanger UN peacekeepers or Lebanese armed forces,” he adds.

Blinken says the US is “working intensely” on a diplomatic resolution that would allow civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.

IDF says ‘incident over’ after drone warning sirens near Lebanon border

A short while after suspected drone infiltration sirens sound in communities near the northern border with Lebanon, the IDF says “the incident is over.”

No further details are given.

Footage shows damage to residential building in Karmiel apparently hit by rocket from Lebanon

Footage from the Magen David Adom ambulance service posted to social media and picked up by Hebrew news outlets shows damage to a residential building in the northern city of Karmiel in a barrage from Lebanon earlier this afternoon.

The building appears to have been directly impacted by the rocket barrage, though the IDF said earlier that five projectiles fired at the area were downed by air defenses.

An 84-year-old man was lightly injured in the attack, according to medics.

The IDF says over 120 rockets have been fired from Lebanon at northern Israel throughout the day.

📍כרמיאל:
לפני קצת יותר מחצי שעה שוגרו כ-5 רקטות משטח לבנון לעבר הגליל העליון ומרכז הגליל – זוהתה פגיעה ישירה בכרמיאל. צוותי מד״א מעניקים טיפול רפואי לגבר בן 84 במצב קל שנפגע מרסיסים ולמספר נפגעי חרדה. pic.twitter.com/HD3L43pZNc

— Tal Z 🖤⚜ (@TAL_TALZ) October 24, 2024

Drone sirens sounding again in communities near Lebanon border

Sirens are blaring again in communities near the northern border with Lebanon, warning of a possible drone infiltration.

The latest alerts in the town of Shlomi follow sirens a short while ago in several border communities.

🚨 ✈️ Hostile Aircraft Intrusion [17:23:12] – 1 Alert:

• Confrontation Line — Shlomi

Population: 6,500 pic.twitter.com/cTZpoovWjW

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 24, 2024

IDF releases more documents showing how Hamas instructed Al Jazeera to cover up failed rocket launches

The IDF reveals additional documents indicating close cooperation between Hamas and Al Jazeera, including advising the Qatari channel not to criticize the Palestinian terror group, concealing incidents of failed rocket launches, and establishing a secure communication line between Hamas and Al Jazeera.

A day after publicizing documents uncovered in the Gaza Strip that show that six active Al Jazeera reporters are operatives in Palestinian terror groups, the military releases a document from 2022 in which Hamas provides Al Jazeera with instructions on how to cover up a failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch in Jabaliya in which several civilians were killed.

The document instructs Al Jazeera not to use the word “massacre” to describe the incident, to display minimal images, and to make sure Hamas was not criticized in panel discussions.

A 2022 document, released by the IDF on October 24, 2024, in which Hamas describes how it provided Al Jazeera with clear instructions on covering a failed Islamic Jihad rocket launch in Jabaliya. (Israel Defense Forces)

In another document released by the IDF today, also from 2022, Hamas instructed journalist Tamer Almisshall to support the “resistance” in his coverage of Palestinian Islamic Jihad during a 66-hour battle between Israel and the terror group, dubbed Operation Breaking Dawn.

The document specifically instructed Al Jazeera not to criticize PIJ’s rocket capability or highlight its failed launches.

The military also releases evidence of Hamas’s efforts in 2023 to establish a secure line between the terror group and the channel for classified information and emergencies.

A 2023 document, released by the IDF on October 24, 2024, which shows Hamas efforts to set up a secure line with Al Jazeera in Qatar. (Israel Defense Forces)

“The documents reveal how Hamas directs Al Jazeera’s media coverage to serve its own interests, preventing the public in Gaza and around the world from discovering the truth about its crimes against Gazan civilians,” the IDF says in a statement.

Yesterday, the IDF released documents it said showed that Al Jazeera journalists Anas al-Sharif, Alaa Salameh, Hossam Shabat, Ashraf al-Sarraj, Ismail Abu Omar and Talal al-Arrouqi are operatives in the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups.

Al Jazeera journalists accused by the IDF of being members of the Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror groups, in a graphic released by the IDF on October 23, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Suspected drone infiltration sirens sounding in communities near Lebanon border

Sirens are sounding in several communities near the northern border with Lebanon, warning of a suspected drone infiltration.

The alerts are sounding in locations including Kibbutz Dan, Shear Yeshuv, Dafna, HaGoshrim, Ma’ayan Baruch, Snir, Metula, Kfar Szold and Shamir.

🚨 Rocket Alert, ✈️ Hostile Aircraft Intrusion [16:40:09] – 15 Alerts:

• Confrontation Line — Kibutz Dan, Shear Yeshuv, Metulla (×2), Dafna (×2), HaGoshrim (×2), Snir, Kfar Szold (×2), Shamir, Ma'ayan Baruch (×2), Misgav Am

Population: 14,000 pic.twitter.com/pfTZ0hb7Nr

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 24, 2024

Foreign Ministry says property damaged in apparent attack on Israeli embassy in Seoul; none hurt

The Foreign Ministry says that damage was sustained to the Israeli embassy in Seoul after a suspect entered the lobby of the building.

The incident has been resolved, according to the Foreign Ministry, which notes in its statement that the embassy is closed today due to the Simhat Torah holiday.

No injuries were reported in the incident.

The Foreign Ministry says South Korean authorities are handling the matter in coordination with Israel.

Blinken, Qatari PM say Doha to host US, Israeli hostage negotiating teams in coming days

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (C) is greeted by an official as US Ambassador to Qatar Timmy Davis (2R) and Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chief of Protocol Ibrahim Fakhroo (R) walk behind upon his arrival in Doha on October 24, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool/AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says negotiators will meet again soon on efforts to secure a hostage-ceasefire deal, as he again calls for Israel and Hamas to reach a deal after meeting Qatari officials in Doha.

Hostage talks have been largely stalled for over two months, with the US publicly blaming Hamas for refusing to engage, while Egypt and Qatari mediators have privately blamed Israel, according to officials familiar with the matter.

The Biden administration has argued that last week’s killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by Israel may provide an opening for a revival of talks for a ceasefire and hostage deal.

“We talked about options to capitalize on this moment and next steps to move the process forward, and I anticipate that our negotiators will be getting together in the coming days,” Blinken tells reporters.

He says Israel has accomplished the strategic goals that it set out for itself at the beginning of the war just over a year ago: Making sure that Hamas’s brutal October 7, 2023, massacre can never happen again, by effectively dismantling the organization of Hamas and bringing its leaders to justice.

Asked whether negotiators are looking at new formulas, Blinken says, “One of the things we’re doing is looking at whether there are different options that we can pursue to get to a conclusion. We’re talking to the other mediators in Egypt and Qatar about that, and this is something that the [US and Israeli] negotiators will discuss when they get together.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken attends a press conference in Doha, Qatar, October 24, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)

“We haven’t yet really determined whether Hamas is prepared to engage, but the next step is getting the negotiators together… we’ll certainly learn more in the coming days.”

He also announces another $135 million in aid for the Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, which he says brings the US total to $1.2 billion since the October 7 attack by Hamas last year triggered the war.

Blinken says Israel has made some progress in allowing more humanitarian aid into Gaza since he and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent their Israeli counterparts a letter warning that continued US offensive weaponry is at risk if Jerusalem doesn’t take significant steps to address the humanitarian crisis in the Strip within 30 days.

However, the US Secretary of State stresses that much more must be done by Israel.

Pressed on the so-called Israeli General’s Plan that envisioned the IDF laying siege to northern Gaza, Blinken says, “The US fully and firmly rejects it [and that] the government of Israel says that it is not the policy of israel and rejects the plan.”

Blinken had pressed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to publicly reject the plan during their meeting in Jerusalem on Tuesday, but the premier balked at doing so.

Asked about the anticipated Israeli response to Hamas’s October 1 missile attack, Blinken stresses that the US supports Israel’s right to defend itself and is coordinating with Jerusalem in order to deter Iran.

However, the US does not want Israel’s response to lead to further escalation in the region.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose country is a mediator alongside the US and Egypt, says during the press conference that an American delegation will meet Israeli negotiators soon in Doha.

“We will discuss the means to achieve a breakthrough in these negotiations,” he says.

The Qatari leader also says that Doha has recently “re-engaged” with Hamas leaders in Doha since its leader, Yahya Sinwar, was killed by Israel in Gaza earlier this month, and that the Palestinian terror group’s position has not changed.

“Until now, there is no clarity (regarding) the way forward or the clear position (of Hamas), but… what we have sensed was (that it’ position was) the same position as the last paper (that it submitted),” Al Thani says, referring to a July proposal from the terror group. That offer was rejected by Israel, which added several new conditions to its terms, including extended control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border.

Al Thani declines to answer whether Doha agrees with the US that Sinwar was the main obstacle to a deal and says Doha has a policy as mediator not to publicly assign blame to either side.

Doha has repeatedly criticized Israel throughout the negotiations, however, over its prosecution of the war in Gaza.

Agencies contributed to this report.

Medics: 84-year-old man lightly injured by shrapnel in Karmiel area in latest Hezbollah rocket barrage

A man was lightly hurt by shrapnel in the Karmiel area following Hezbollah’s latest rocket barrage on northern Israel, medics say.

The Magen David Adom ambulance service is taking the 84-year-old to a hospital.

The IDF says that five rockets were launched in the attack, all of which were successfully intercepted.

Member of Hezbollah’s drone unit killed in IDF strike in southern Lebanon — military

A member of Hezbollah’s drone unit was killed in an IDF strike in southern Lebanon earlier today, the military says.

The IDF says it identified the operative collecting a surveillance drone that had returned to Lebanon after being launched at Israel.

A short while later the operative was targeted in an Israeli drone strike.

The military releases footage of the incident.

מוקדם יותר היום, כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף וסגר מעגל על מחבל מהיחידה האווירית של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה (127) ששיגר כלי טיס בלתי מאויש לעבר שטח מדינת ישראל<< pic.twitter.com/LDhX5k9mKP

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) October 24, 2024

IDF: 5 rockets fired from Lebanon at northern Israel successfully intercepted

The IDF says around five rockets fired from Lebanon at the Central and Upper Galilee a short while ago were successfully intercepted by air defenses.

The update comes a short while after rocket alert sirens sounded in the city of Karmiel in northern Israel and in surrounding communities.

There are no reports of injuries in the latest volley, which follows over 120 rockets fired at Israel from Lebanon today.

Rocket warning sirens are sounding in Karmiel area

Rocket warning sirens are sounding in the city of Karmiel in northern Israel and in surrounding communities.

Hezbollah has fired more than 120 rockets in Israel so far today, wounding at least 4 people.

🚨 Rocket Alert [15:17:26] – 9 Alerts:

• Upper Galilee — Bi'ina, Deir al-Asad, Majd al-Krum, Carmiel Industrial Zone, Karmiel, Lavon, Nachaf
• Center Galilee — Arab Al Naim, Eshchar

Population: 123,000 pic.twitter.com/m8uFgCLGGe

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 24, 2024

Lebanon PM Mikati says only the state should carry arms, does not explicitly call to disarm Hezbollah

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati (L) speaks next to France's President Emmanuel Macron during an international press conference in support of Lebanon, in Paris on October 24, 2024 (ALAIN JOCARD / POOL / AFP)

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati says that only the state should carry weapons, as he pushes for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

“Lebanese authorities must deploy over [all] Lebanese territory and weapons should be carried only by the state and the Lebanese army,” Mikati says on the sidelines of a Lebanon aid conference in Paris, without explicitly calling for the disarmament of Hezbollah, the only group that did not lay down its arms after the end of the Lebanese civil war.

IDF says some 120 rockets fired at northern Israel so far today

Hezbollah has fired some 120 rockets at northern Israel today so far, according to an IDF tally.

At least four people were wounded in the Western Galilee in one of the attacks earlier today.

המטח לצפת: שוגרו עשרות רקטות. מהבוקר נורו כ-70 רקטות לעבר יישובי הצפון @rubih67
(צילום: יפתח וולף) pic.twitter.com/DCyaxPLa2h

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 24, 2024

IDF releases footage of recently destroyed Hezbollah tunnel complex

The IDF releases footage of a Hezbollah tunnel system located by special forces during commando operations in southern Lebanon earlier this year after the site was recently demolished.

Troops of the 769th “Hiram” Regional Brigade in recent weeks raided several Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon to demolish them.

The sites were to be used by Hezbollah for a planned invasion of Israel, according to the IDF.

The tunnel, first raided by the Air Force’s elite Shaldag Unit, was located in “the heart of a civilian neighborhood” in southern Lebanon, the IDF says.

It was used by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force as a weapons depot. Inside the soldiers found numerous weapons and other equipment, according to the military.

The tunnel was recently demolished by combat engineers. In separate operations, the IDF says the 769th Brigade and combat engineers demolished several buildings used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, including a hotel.

IDF says it hit Hamas command center in former Gaza school; Palestinians say 17 killed

The IDF says it carried out an airstrike against a group of Hamas operatives operating out of a former school in the central Gaza Strip a short while ago.

According to the military, Hamas was using the “Martyrs School” in Nuseirat to plan and carry out attacks against IDF troops and Israel.

The school has been serving as a shelter for displaced Gazans. Hamas-run rescue services report at least 17 dead and 42 wounded in the strike.

The IDF says it took steps to mitigate civilian harm in the strike and accuses Hamas of “systematically” using civilian sites for terror.

In recent months, dozens of airstrikes have been carried out against Hamas sites embedded within schools and other sites used as shelters for civilians, according to the IDF.

Large blaze sets several homes on fire in Kochav Yair in central Israel

A large fire erupted near the community of Kochav Yair in central Israel and has engulfed several homes, according to the Fire and Rescue Service.

Eight firefighting teams are at the scene and four aircraft are also helping to battle the blaze, the fire service says. Additional teams are on the way.

Police are evacuating several homes — the first and second rows of homes on the eastern side of the community. There are no reports of injuries.

The cause of the fire is not immediately clear.

שריפת חורש הגיעה לקו הבתים ביישוב כוכב יאיר, המשטרה מפנה חלק מהתושבים – אין נפגעים@hadasgrinberg pic.twitter.com/21ahgZwkp8

— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) October 24, 2024

Qatar Airways suspends flights to Iran, Iraq and Lebanon

A Qatar airways plane lands at the airport in Frankfurt, Germany on Sept. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Probst, File)

Qatar Airways announces that it is suspending flights to Iran, Iraq and Lebanon and limiting flights to Jordan amid soaring tensions and an expected Israeli strike on Iran.

“Due to the current situation in the Middle East region, Qatar Airways has temporarily suspended flights to and from Iraq, Iran and Lebanon until further notice,” the statement says.

The airline says flights to Jordan will be limited to daylight hours.

Blinken discusses hostages, Gaza ceasefire with Qatari leaders

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani in Doha, Qatar, October 24, 2024. (Nathan Howard/Pool Photo via AP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken holds talks in Qatar, a key mediator in the Gaza war, as he seeks to build momentum for a ceasefire after Israel’s killing of the leader of Hamas.

Following a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Blinken flew to Saudi Arabia and then Qatar, where he will seek assessments of where Hamas stands on a truce.

Blinken “discussed renewed efforts to secure the release of the hostages and end the war in Gaza” with the Gulf state’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, the State Department says.

He then went into talks with Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani, with whom he will hold a joint news conference.

Moldova says Israeli-born businessman Shor channeled $24 million to pay off voters

Moldova's then parliamentary candidate Ilan Shor, mayor of the town of Orhei, arrives to meet with supporters during a campaign event in the city of Comrat on February 15, 2019. (Daniel MIHAILESCU/AFP)

Moldovan police say that Israeli-born pro-Russian fugitive businessman Ilan Shor had channeled $24 million this month to pay voters in a presidential election and referendum on joining the EU.

The chief of the country’s police, Viorel Cernauteanu, says at a briefing that Shor used Russia’s Promsvyazbank for money transfers. Shor denies wrongdoing.

PA’s Abbas accuses Israel of trying to ’empty’ Gaza of its population

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas (C) poses with Mauritania's President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani (L), UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres (R) and others during the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, October 24, 2024. (Maxim Shipenkov / Pool / AFP)

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas accuses Israel of trying to “empty” the Gaza Strip of Palestinians, especially in the northern part where it launched a new offensive this month.

“It has been a full year since the greatest catastrophe that the Palestinian people experienced after the Nakba of 1948, which is the Israeli war in which crimes of genocide and ethnic cleansing are being committed in the Gaza Strip,” Abbas says in a speech to members of the BRICS group.

“This is part of a plan to empty the territory of its people, especially now in northern Gaza where the occupation forces are resorting to starving the population there.”

The war started on October 7, 2023 when Hamas-led terrorists invaded southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages.

In its offensive aimed at destroying Hamas and returning the hostages, Israel has repeatedly called on civilians to evacuate from combat areas to a humanitarian zone on the coast.

IDF probing report 3 Lebanese soldiers killed in strike

Illustrative: Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Hezbollah on the outskirts of the south Lebanese village of Yater on September 20, 2024 (Kawnat HAJU / AFP)

The IDF says it is investigating reports that three Lebanese soldiers were killed in a strike yesterday in southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese army claimed that its soldiers were hit during the evacuation of wounded people on the outskirts of the village of Yater.

According to the IDF, a building confirmed to have been used by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon was struck in the incident.

“The IDF is investigating whether, as a result of the strike, a number of soldiers of the Lebanese army were accidentally hit,” the military says in response to a query on the matter.

“The IDF clarifies that it does not intend to harm the soldiers of the Lebanese army and that it is fighting only against the Hezbollah terror organization,” the military says, adding that the incident is being further investigated.

Israel said to have delayed Iran attack after Pentagon leak

Israelis stand on top of the remains of an Iranian missile in the Negev desert near Arad, on October 2, 2024, in the aftermath of an Iranian missile attack on Israel. (Menahem Kahana/AFP)

Israel has been forced to delay a potential retaliatory attack on Iran after details of the planning were leaked from the Pentagon, the UK’s Times newspaper reports.

According to the report, citing an intelligence source with knowledge of Israeli deliberations, Israel is worried that even though no potential targets were named in the leak, the details provided could help Iran predict certain patterns of attack.

The Times says Israel has developed an alternative plan but needs to war-game them before proceeding.

“The leak of the American documents delayed the attack due to the need to change certain strategies and components,” the source says. “There will be a retaliation, but it has taken longer than it was supposed to take.”

Marked top secret, the documents first appeared online Friday on the Telegram messaging app and quickly spread among Telegram channels popular with Iranians.

The FBI is investigating the leak.

The Islamic Republic has been bracing for an Israeli reprisal after its latest direct attack on Israel, in which it fired 200 ballistic missiles that sent most of Israel to bomb shelters on October 1, killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank, and caused minor damage in residential areas and at military bases.

Iran said the missile assault came in response to strikes in Lebanon that killed the top leadership of the Iran-backed Hezbollah terror group and a July blast in Tehran that killed Hamas politburo head, Ismail Haniyeh.

Rocket hits house in northern moshav, no injuries

One of the rockets fired by Hezbollah at the Nahariya area scored a direct hit on a home in Moshav Netiv Hashayara. There were no injuries.

‘Footage from the scene shows a large crater and heavy damage to the home.

נתיב השיירה
פגיעה ישירה במזל גדול בלי נפגעים
בעל הבית לא היה בבית! pic.twitter.com/AJdpF5k8Yn

— yair יאיר (@yairbitton45) October 24, 2024

Rocket warning sirens again sounding in Nahariya, Acre areas

Rocket warning sirens are again sounding in the Nahariya and Acre areas.

Both areas were targeted already today by salvos of rockets from Lebanon.

🚨 Rocket Alert [12:17:11] – 17 Alerts:

• Upper Galilee — Ness Amim (×2), Beit HaEmek, Jadeidi-Makr, Shavei Zion, Mazra'a (×2), Acre, Regba (×2), Netiv HaShayara, Lochamei HaGetaot, Shomrat, Bustan HaGalil
• Confrontation Line — Nahariya, Evron, Ben Ami

Population: 150,000 pic.twitter.com/aDiW21t94l

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 24, 2024

Lebanese PM urges international help to bolster military, recruit 8,000 new soldiers

International support will be needed to shore up and expand Lebanon’s army and rebuild the country’s destroyed infrastructure, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati tells a Paris conference convened amid Israel’s offensive on Hezbollah.

Mikati said the Lebanese government had decided to recruit more troops and could deploy 8,000 soldiers as part of a plan to implement a ceasefire and a 2006 UN Security Council resolution, which calls for the army to be deployed in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon state media say Israeli strike targets car on highway outside Beirut

Lebanon’s official National News Agency says an Israeli strike targeted a car on a highway leading to the capital Beirut

“An enemy drone targeted a car on the Kahale road,” the NNA says, referring to a mountain area on the main highway between Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley.

استهداف سيارة على طريق الشام في الكحالة . pic.twitter.com/YGNFQYZJQ2

— البجاني (@kahale_tayyar) October 24, 2024

IDF says 30 rockets were fired in barrage on Safed, no injuries

A barrage of some 30 rockets was fired from Lebanon at the Safed area an hour ago.

The IDF says most of the rockets were intercepted, and there are no reports of injuries or major damage.

Since this morning, Hezbollah has fired over 80 rockets at northern Israel.

Two rockets from Lebanon explode near Acre, no injuries

Two rockets launched from Lebanon at the Acre area impacted open areas, the IDF says.

Sirens had sounded in Acre’s industrial zone, south of the coastal city, amid the attack.

IDF finds Hezbollah tunnel to be used as staging area for potential attack on Israel

A Hezbollah tunnel found by troops of the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade in southern Lebanon, in a handout image published October 24, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Israeli troops operating in southern Lebanon located a cache of weapons in a Hezbollah tunnel, the military says.

The tunnel was to be used by Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force for preparations ahead of a potential invasion of Israel, according to the IDF.

In the tunnel, the IDF says reservists of the 646th Paratroopers Brigade found bunk beds, storage closets, food, and other equipment that would have allowed Hezbollah operatives to reside there for long periods, along with weapons and military gear.

The paratroopers also found rocket launching positions in the area, the IDF adds.

A Hezbollah tunnel found by troops of the 646th Reserve Paratroopers Brigade in southern Lebanon, in a handout image published October 24, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Macron says France to provide 100-million euro package to support Lebanon

French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, left, Wednesday, Oct. 23, 2024 at the Elysee Palace in Paris. (AP Photo/Louise Delmotte)

France will provide a 100-million euro ($108-million) aid package to support Lebanon, French President Emmanuel Macron tells an international conference in Paris.

Macron says “in the immediate term, massive aid is needed for the Lebanese population, both for the hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the war and for the communities hosting them.”

The war between Hezbollah terrorists and Israel has displaced a million people in the country, killed over 2,500, and deepened an economic crisis.

French organizers hope participants’ financial pledges of humanitarian aid will meet the $426 million the United Nations says is urgently needed.

Paris also seeks to help restore Lebanon’s sovereignty and strengthen its institutions.

Hezbollah claims rocket salvos on Nahariya area and Safed

Hezbollah claims two large rocket salvos in northern Israel.

The terror group says that a barrage of some 50 rockets on the Nahariya area targeted a “defense industry” base.

Four people were injured by a rocket strike near Klil, an ecological village in Western Galilee.

Hezbollah also says it fired at the northern city of Safed “with a large rocket salvo in response to Israeli enemy attacks” on Lebanon.

Hebrew media reports say dozens of rockets were fired at Safed, with many intercepted.

קרוב ל 100 שיגורים רק בשעה האחרונה: צפת מהמטח האחרון pic.twitter.com/0EgMTpBoWD

— יוני בן מנחם yoni ben menachem (@yonibmen) October 24, 2024

Putin says Middle East is on the ‘brink of a full-scale war’

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other participants in the outreach/BRICS Plus format meeting pose for a family photo during the BRICS summit in Kazan on October 24, 2024. (Photo by Alexander NEMENOV / POOL / AFP)

Russian President Vladimir Putin says that the Middle East was on the brink of a full-scale war as tensions rose sharply between Israel and Iran.

“The fighting that began a year ago in Gaza has now spread to Lebanon,” Putin, sitting beside Chinese President Xi Jinping, tells a meeting of the BRICS+ group in the city of Kazan on the Volga.

“Other countries in the region were also affected. The degree of confrontation between Israel and Iran has sharply increased. All this resembles a chain reaction and puts the entire Middle East on the brink of a full-scale war.”

Nahariya hospital says its treating 4 people wounded in rocket barrage

The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya says it is treating four people wounded in the rocket barrage on the northern city and surrounding area.

It says two are in moderate condition and two are lightly hurt. All suffered shrapnel injuries.

Hebrew media reports that they were hit by a rocket strike near the Klil, an ecological village in Western Galilee.

Blinken arrives in Qatar on Gaza mediation push

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken waves as he departs Riyadh for the Qatari capital Doha on October 24, 2024. (Photo by Nathan Howard / POOL / AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives in Doha for talks with Gaza mediator Qatar as part of a diplomatic effort aimed at heading off further escalation in the region.

The visit to the Gulf emirate, which hosts Hamas and has led mediation for a Gaza truce alongside the United States and Egypt, follows talks in Israel and Saudi Arabia on Blinken’s 11th visit to the region since the start of the war last year.

Rocket warning sirens sound in Safed area

Rocket warning sirens are sounding in the northern city of Safed and surrounding communities.

🔴 Rocket Alert [10:52:24] – 32 Alerts 🔴:

• Upper Galilee — Safed – City (×2), Machanaim, Biriyeh (×2), Amuka (×2), Amiad (×2), Kfar HaNassi, Hatzor HaGlilit Industrial Zone (×2), Tzahar Industrial Zone (×2), Kadita, Machanaim landing pad, Tuba-Zangariyye, Hatzor HaGlilit… pic.twitter.com/QaHw9rMsMs

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) October 24, 2024

IDF says jets hit Hezbollah arms factories in overnight Beirut strikes

Flames and smoke rises from buildings hit by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburb of Beirut, October 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

The Israel Defense Forces says it hit several Hezbollah weapons production facilities in overnight strikes on the group’s south Beirut stronghold of Dahiyeh.

“Air Force fighter jets conducted accurate intelligence-based strikes overnight on several weapons storage and manufacturing facilities belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the area of Dahiyeh in Beirut,” the military says in a statement.

The IDF notes that all the weapons factories “were situated under and inside civilian buildings in the heart of a civilian neighborhood,” calling it another example of Hezbollah’s “cynical exploitation [of] Lebanon civilians and of civilian facilities as a human shield.”

Hamas says 2 hostages with Russian citizenship will be among first released in hostage deal

Hostages Maxim Herkin (left) and Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov. (Courtesy)

The Hamas terror group says two Israeli hostages who are dual Russian citizens will be among the first to be released during an eventual hostage deal.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas politburo member, tells the RIA state news agency after talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow that the release of Alexander (Sasha) Trufanov and Maxim Herkin would be a “priority,” but only as part of a ceasefire deal and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

Abu Marzouk notes that Trufanov is being held by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which has released two propaganda videos of him.

Abu Marzouk calls Trufanov an Israeli officer and Herkin a former soldier.

Trufanov, 30, is an engineer employed at Annapurna Labs, an Israeli microelectronics company purchased by Amazon.

He was kidnapped on October 7 from Kibbutz Nir Oz along with his mother, Yelena, grandmother, Irena Tati, and girlfriend, Sapir Cohen — all of whom were released in a hostage deal in late November.  His father, Vitaly Trufanov, was murdered on October 7 in the Hamas onslaught.

Herkin, 35, was kidnapped from the Supernova desert rave on October 7.

Abu Marzouk claims that Herkin’s family secured him a Russian passport after he was captured in a bid to push for his release.

At least two injured as barrage of 50 rockets fired at Nahariya area

An Israeli anti missile system intercept missiles fired from Lebanon as it seen from the northern Israeli city of Haifa, on October 23, 2024. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

At least two people are injured in a large rocket barrage from Lebanon that targeted the northern city of Nahariya and surrounding communities.

The Magen David Adom rescue service says that two people in their 20s were hit by shrapnel and taken to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya in moderate condition.

The IDF says that more than 50 rockets were fired, with several interceptions.

The IDF says several rockets impacted in Israel.

Hamas asks Russia to push PA toward unity government for post-war Gaza

Palestinian senior Hamas leader Moussa Abu Marzouk, front, attends the funeral of Saleh Arouri, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday, January 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Palestinian terror group Hamas wants Russia to push Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas to begin negotiations on a national unity government for post-war Gaza, a senior Hamas official tells the RIA state news agency after talks in Moscow.

Moussa Abu Marzouk, a Hamas politburo member, met Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov in Moscow.

“We discussed issues related to Palestinian national unity and the creation of a government that should govern the Gaza Strip after the war,” Marzouk is quoted as saying by RIA.

Marzouk says that Hamas had asked Russia to encourage Abbas, who is attending the BRICS summit in Kazan, to start negotiations about a unity government, RIA reported.

Abbas is head of the Palestinian Authority, which governs in the  West Bank.

The PA, controlled by Abbas’ Fatah political faction, has long had a strained relationship with Hamas, which ousted Fatah from Gaza in a bloody coup in 2007.

Two said arrested in Sri Lanka amid terror threats against Israelis

A police commando stands guard in front of a restaurant in Arugam Bay, Sri Lanka, Oct. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Wasantha Chandrapala)

Two people have been arrested in Sri Lanka amid terror threats against Israelis in Arugam Bay area and other beaches in the island’s south and west, local media report.

Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror, citing police sources, says that the Terrorism Investigation Division arrested two Sri Lankan nationals, including one who was based in Iraq.

It says details on the two had been supplied by the intelligence service in neighboring India.

Yesterday, Israel’s National Security Council called on Israelis to leave the popular surfing area, citing terrorism threats.

“Those leaving these areas are advised to leave the country or at least to the capital Colombo, where there is a high presence of local security forces,” said the NSC.

Israelis should postpone travel to the rest of the country, the warning continued. They were also urged to hide signs that indicate they are Israelis and avoid gathering in large numbers.

The US Embassy in Sri Lanka said earlier it had “received credible information warning of an attack targeting popular tourist locations” in eastern Arugam Bay, prompting the island nation’s police to pledge more security for tourists.

IDF says more than 200 terror suspects arrested in north Gaza

An IDF soldier operating in the Gaza Strip in an image released on October 24, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

The IDF says forces are pushing ahead with an offensive in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza with troops killing dozens of Hamas operatives and arresting more than 200 suspected terrorists.

The IDF accuses Hamas of continuing to block civilians trying to evacuate from the area.

The military says that troops also carried out a small raid yesterday into central Gaza to destroy Hamas infrastructure.

Lebanese army says Israeli strike kills three soldiers in southern Lebanon

Three Lebanese soldiers were killed, including an officer, in an Israeli strike, the Lebanese army says in a statement.

IT claims the soldiers were hit during the evacuation of wounded people on the outskirts of the village of Yater in southern Lebanon.

IDF says it hit more than 160 targets across Lebanon in past day

IDF troops operating in southern Lebanon in an image released on October 24, 2024 (Israel Defense Forces)

The Israel Defense Forces say that the warplanes attacked more than 160 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past day.

The IDF says that several of the strikes were coordinated by ground forces operating in southern Lebanon, killing dozens of terror operatives.

Among the targets hit in the strikes were rocket launchers and Hezbollah military buildings and infrastructure.

Troops on the ground also uncovered several large weapons caches, including anti-tank missiles, mortars and rifles.

Syrian defense ministry says soldier killed, 7 wounded in separate Israeli strikes

Israeli strikes on the Syrian capital Damascus and a military site near the western city of Homs early on Thursday killed one soldier and injured seven, the Syrian defense ministry says.

The attacks targeted the central Damascus neighborhood of Kafr Sousa and a military site in the Homs countryside, the ministry says in a statement, adding the strikes caused “material damage” without elaborating.

Earlier, Syrian state media said explosions were heard in Damascus after Israel struck a residential building in Kafr Sousa.

Kamala Harris says ‘increasingly unstable’ Trump ‘is a fascist’

Democratic presidential nominee and US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a CNN town hall in Aston, Pennsylvania, October 23, 2024, as moderator Anderson Cooper listens. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Kamala Harris says Donald Trump is a fascist and calls her US election rival “increasingly unstable” as she addresses his reported praise for Adolf Hitler at a town hall event.

The Democrat’s fierce criticism comes as she faces voters’ questions on Trump’s suitability for office at the CNN-hosted event in must-win Pennsylvania.

Asked by CNN host Anderson Cooper if she thinks Trump is a “fascist,” Harris quickly responds: “Yes, I do. And I also believe that the people who know him best on this subject should be trusted.”

Syrian state media reports Israeli strikes after explosions heard over Damascus

Explosions were heard over Syria’s Damascus early on Thursday after Israel launched strikes on the city, Syrian state media says.

No further details are immediately available. Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iranian-linked targets in Syria for years, but has ramped up such raids since last year’s October 7 attack by Palestinian terror group Hamas.

GOP senator says he believes Israel-Saudi deal possible before end of the year

US Senator Lindsey Graham (L) meets Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the latter's office in Jerusalem on January 4, 2024. (Amos Ben Gershom/GPO)

MELVINDALE, Michigan — US Republican Senator Lindsey Graham says he spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and believes that an agreement to normalize relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia can be reached before the end of the year.

Graham, who is in Michigan campaigning for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, tells Reuters that Netanyahu supports work on a deal with Saudi Arabia, adding that the next US administration is unlikely to be able to secure enough votes in Congress after President Joe Biden leaves office on January 20.

“I think the time to do this is on Biden’s watch,” says Graham, who had also met with Netanyahu earlier this month. He says Vice President Kamala Harris is “far more beholden to the left” and hasn’t shown interest in working for such an agreement, but Biden is keen to see a deal get done and will be able to mobilize the needed Democratic votes.

Morgan Finkelstein, National Security Spokeswoman for the Harris campaign says: “Vice President Harris has consistently supported efforts to ensure Israel is more deeply integrated in the Middle East region, including a potential historic normalization agreement with Saudi Arabia. She believes such integration is critical to counter the threats posed by Iran.”

Democrats would be reluctant to support Trump if he won the election and the initiative slipped into next year, Graham says.

US says Austin expressed concern to Gallant over reported strikes against Lebanese army

WASHINGTON –US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told his Israeli counterpart that Washington had deep concerns about reports of strikes against the Lebanese armed forces, the Pentagon says in a statement.

Austin urged Defense Minister Yoav Gallant to make sure Israel takes steps to ensure the safety and security of the Lebanese armed forces and the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, the Pentagon says after their call.

The US readout says Austin also “welcomed the movement of humanitarian assistance through the Erez Crossing” with northern Gaza and called on Israel “to take all necessary steps to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, and to work to seize opportunities for the release of hostages and a ceasefire presented by the death of Yahya Sinwar.”

Lebanon reports 1 killed in Israeli strike targeting office of Hezbollah-linked broadcaster

Flames and smoke rises from buildings hit by Israeli airstrikes on the southern suburb of Beirut, October 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

BEIRUT — An Israeli airstrike targeting an office belonging to a Beirut-based TV station killed one person, Lebanon’s Health Ministry says.

The ministry says five other people, including a child, were wounded in Wednesday’s strike. The child was seriously injured and admitted to the hospital.

Pan-Arab TV channel Al-Mayadeen, which is politically allied with the Lebanese terror group Hezbollah, said its office in the area between Jnah and Ouzai on the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburbs was targeted.

“Al-Mayadeen holds the Israeli occupation accountable for the attack on a known media office for a known media outlet,” Al-Mayadeen TV said.

The name of the person killed is unknown.

Al Mayadeen said that the office had been evacuated. The Israeli army did not issue a warning before the strike.

Turkey strikes PKK targets in Iraq and Syria after deadly Ankara attack

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s defense ministry says its forces struck sites linked to the Kurdish militant group PKK in Iraq and Syria, after blaming it for an attack near Ankara that killed five people.

“An air operation was carried out against terrorist targets in the north of Iraq and Syria… and a total of 32 targets belonging to the terrorists were successfully destroyed,” the ministry says in a statement, adding that operations are continuing.