Sept. 20: ‘Our goals are clear, our actions speak for themselves,’ PM says after Beirut strike

Accused Hezbollah financier pleads guilty in US to evading sanctions

A former Lebanese diplomat accused of being a financier for the Iranian-backed Hezbollah pleads guilty to evading US financial sanctions against him and his terror organization.

Mohammad Ibrahim Bazzi, 60, who holds Lebanese, British and Belgian citizenship, pleads guilty in a federal court in New York to conspiracy to conduct unlawful transactions with an international terrorist, according to a statement from the US Department of Justice.

Bazzi had “accepted responsibility for his role in conspiring to secretly move hundreds of thousands of dollars from the United States to Lebanon in violation of sanctions placed on him for assisting the terrorist group Hezbollah,” US prosecutor Breon Peace says.

Bazzi faces up to 20 years imprisonment, as well as deportation and forfeiture of the $828,528 involved in illegal transactions.

No sentencing date has been set.

The State Department in May 2018 had declared Bazzi to be a “specially designated global terrorist” and offered a $10 million reward for information leading to his capture.

The Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control has said Bazzi “has provided millions of dollars to Hezbollah over the years, generated from his business activities in Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq and throughout West Africa.”

In February 2023, he was arrested in Romania and extradited to the US.

The US attorney’s statement says Bazzi had worked with an accomplice, Talal Chahine, who remains on the loose in Lebanon.

According to investigative journalism outlet ProPublica, Bazzi was appointed honorary consul in Lebanon by the government of Gambia in 2005. The volunteer diplomat role helped him access unique connections and benefits, which can be ripe for abuse.

Hezbollah confirms death of top commander Ibrahim Aqil after Israeli airstrike

Hezbollah official Ibrahim Aqil in an undated photo. (US Department of State)

The Hezbollah terror group releases a statement confirming the death of top commander Ibrahim Aqil.

Aqil was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut earlier today, alongside at least 10 other top commanders in the terror group.

According to the IDF, Aqil was the head of Hezbollah’s military operations, the acting commander of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force, and the head of a plan to invade the Galilee.

Since October, Hezbollah has named 484 members killed by Israel.

Lebanese media reports body of Ibrahim Aqil identified at site of Beirut strike

Lebanese media reports that the body of senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil has been identified following the IDF strike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb earlier today.

Harris spokesperson says Trump clinging to ‘fearmongering and intimidation’ after comments about Jewish Americans

A spokesperson for Vice President Kamala Harris denounces former president Donald Trump’s claim that Jewish Americans would be to blame if he loses the November elections.

“Donald Trump is resorting to the oldest antisemitic tropes in the book because he’s weak and can’t stand the fact that the majority of America is going to reject him in November,” the spokesperson says to the Times of Israel. “But we know that words like these can have serious consequences.”

“As Trump has proven, including over the past few weeks with his lies about Springfield, Ohio, he will cling to fearmongering and intimidation, no matter the cost,” says the spokesperson, referring to lies repeated by the former president about Haitian immigrants eating pets.

“When Donald Trump loses this election, it will be because Americans from all faiths, ethnicities, and backgrounds came together to turn the page on the divisiveness he demonstrates every day.”

UN human rights chief says Hezbollah pager blasts could constitute a war crime

The United Nations on Friday denounced the detonation of hand-held devices used by members of the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon earlier this week, saying the attack violated international law and could constitute a war crime.

“International humanitarian law prohibits the use of booby-trap devices in the form of apparently harmless portable objects,” the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, tells the Security Council, adding that it “is a war crime to commit violence intended to spread terror among civilians.”

In an apparently coordinated attack on Tuesday, the Gold Apollo branded pagers used by Hezbollah detonated across Lebanon, killing 12 and wounding close to 3,000 people. A day later, hand-held radios exploded, killing 25 people and injuring at least 650.

The detonations have been blamed on Israel by Hezbollah and its backer Iran, although the country has stayed silent on the matter.

The detonating devices hit workers in Hezbollah’s institutions including its healthcare and media operations, as well as its fighters. It was not clear how many civilians without links to Hezbollah were hurt.

Slamming Netanyahu, Lapid asks if he knows what the goals of the war are

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid leads a Yesh Atid faction meeting at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on September 4, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid criticizes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu after the premier said Israel’s “goals are clear, our actions speak for themselves” in remarks following the IDF’s killing of top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in an airstrike in Beirut.

“Netanyahu, what are the goals?” Lapid writes on X. “It’s already been eleven months of lawlessness in the south and the north. And the most important goal of all — bringing home the 101 hostages. What about that?”

“Only after operational successes do you run to the media,” Lapid charges. “You are responsible for the greatest disaster in the country’s history, this is your legacy.”

Iran condemns ‘brutal and vicious’ Beirut strike, claims it violated Lebanon’s sovereignty

Iran’s foreign ministry on Friday condemned an Israeli airstrike on south Beirut that killed a top Hezbollah commander along with several senior leaders of the terror group’s elite Radwan forces.

“The brutal and vicious airstrike of the Zionist regime on Beirut… is a gross violation of international law and regulations, as well as the violation of Lebanon’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and national security,” foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani says in a statement.

Poll finds just 14% of people believe Sa’ar would be suited for the job of defense minister

Just four percent of Israelis believe New Hope leader Gideon Sa’ar would be more suited for the job of defense minister than anyone else, a poll published by Channel 12 finds after reports earlier this week that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was eyeing him as a replacement for Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Asked who they believe is most suited for the job, 38% of respondents said they believed Gallant to be, 12% said Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter was most suited while Sa’ar, Defense Minister Israel Katz and Economy Minister Nir Barkat each received 4% of the vote. Another 21% of people said they didn’t know, and 18% said someone else was more suited.

Additionally, when asked whether Sa’ar was suited for the role, just 14% of respondents believe he is, while 69% responded in the negative. Inside Netanyahu’s voter base, 26% of people believe he is the right man for the job, while 50% say that he is not.

Regarding the reports that Netanyahu is planning to fire Gallant and replace him with Sa’ar, 63% of respondents said he was doing so for politically motivated reasons, while 24% believed it would be for the good of the country.

Seventy-two percent of respondents also said that if Sa’ar chooses to enter the government it will be for his personal benefit, compared to 12% who believe he would be doing so for the benefit of the country.

Austin stresses need for diplomatic solution to Hezbollah threat in call with Gallant

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant earlier today, according to a readout from the Pentagon.

Austin “reiterated his concern” over the escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, the readout states, and emphasized the US’s belief in the “importance of reaching a diplomatic resolution that enables residents to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border.”

He told Gallant that the US was continuing to push for a hostage release-ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, and reaffirmed the US’s commitment to Israel’s security, it adds.

White House says it backs restoring UNRWA funding ‘with appropriate safeguards’

Damaged headquarters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Gaza City on February 15, 2024, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. (AFP)

The White House says it supports resuming funding for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees if appropriate accountability measures are implemented after several members of the group were found to have participated in Hamas’s October 7 onslaught.

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby is asked during a press briefing whether the Biden administration supports new legislation being advanced by House progressives to restore funding to UNRWA. Congress passed legislation last year that bars US funding to the agency until March 2025.

Kirby doesn’t go as far as to explicitly back the legislation, but says the US still supports restoring funding in principle.

“In light of the fact that there is still an ongoing crisis in Gaza and the essential role that UNRWA does play in the distribution of life-saving assistance, we continue to support funding for UNRWA, with appropriate safeguards, with transparency measures built in and with accountability also baked into that,” Kirby says.

“We believe that all of those efforts should include, a requirement that the executive branch certify to Congress that UNRWA has implemented the proper policies and procedures, including the vetting of their personnel and any plans that they have for investigating credible reports of violations of those policies and procedures,” he adds.

The White House spokesperson notes that the US supported such a provision when Congress crafted the March 2024 appropriations bill, but it was ultimately left out of the legislation, as Republicans along with some Democrats backed a ban on UNRWA funding entirely.

“We’re going to look forward to working with other partners — Japan, UK, Italy, Sweden, Germany, Canada and others to ensure that those appropriate safeguards are adequate to the task and to help secure appropriate funding levels for UNRWA’s humanitarian mission,” Kirby says.

White House slams ‘abhorrent’ Trump claim that Jews could be key reason he loses election

The White House lambasts former president Donald Trump after the Republican presidential nominee twice declared yesterday that Jewish Americans would be a leading cause of his electoral loss if more don’t vote for him in November.

“It is abhorrent to traffic in dangerous tropes or engage in scapegoating at any time – let alone now, when all leaders have an obligation to fight back against the tragic worldwide rise in antisemitism,” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates tells The Times of Israel.

“Tearing the country apart and pitting communities against one another – out of smallness, fear, and selfishness – is the opposite of what the American people deserve,” he adds.

“President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and the entire administration stand together in ensuring hate has no safe harbor, and are carrying out the first-ever national strategy to counter antisemitism.

Brother of slain hostage Carmel Gat shows UN chief video of Hamas tunnel in which she was murdered

Or Gat, brother of slain hostage Carmel Gat, shows UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres a video of the Hamas tunnel in which she was executed, in a meeting in New York between the UN chief and relatives of the hostages, September 20, 2024.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met with the relatives of Hamas hostages earlier today following a rally outside the UN headquarters in New York, the Hostages Families Forum says.

During the meeting, Or Gat, the brother of slain hostage Carmel Gat, showed Guterres the IDF video of the conditions in which his sister was held and executed along with five other hostages last month.

The forum says that Guterres assured the families that the plight of the hostages remains one of his top priorities, and pledged to mention them in his opening speech at the UN General Assembly next week, and in meetings with the world leaders who are in attendance.

Hagari says Israel ‘not aiming for broad escalation’ with Hezbollah

The IDF says it is “not aiming” to ramp up tensions in the region after it carried out an airstrike in Beirut that killed a top Hezbollah commander.

“We are not aiming for a broad escalation in the region. We are operating in line with the defined objectives (of the war) and will continue to do so,” IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says.

Those war objectives were updated by Israel’s security cabinet earlier this week to include the imperative to enable the secure return of displaced residents of northern Israel to their homes.

UN ‘very concerned’ after Beirut strike, urges ‘maximum restraint’

The United Nations says it is “very concerned” after an Israeli strike assassinated a top Hezbollah commander in the Lebanese capital Beirut, and urged all parties to exercise “maximum restraint.”

“We are, of course, very concerned about the heightened escalation… including the deadly strikes we saw in Beirut today. We urge all parties to de-escalate immediately. All must exercise maximum restraint,” says Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

The strike, described by the IDF as “targeted,” killed Ibrahim Aqil, the head of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan force, and at least 10 other Hezbollah commanders in the Dahiyeh suburb of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold.

‘Our goals are clear and our actions speak for themselves,’ PM says after Beirut strike

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issues a terse statement after Shabbat has already started regarding the strike in Beirut earlier today.

“Our goals are clear, and our actions speak for themselves,” he says.

Hamas condemns ‘escalation of Zionist aggression’ after top Hezbollah commander assassinated

Hamas says it condemns the “brutal” Israeli strike on Beirut earlier today in which the IDF assassinated top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil.

In a statement, the Gaza terror group says it “condemns the brutal and terrorist aggression launched by the Zionist enemy’s army aircraft on the southern suburb of Beirut,” and claims that the strike was “an escalation of Zionist aggression.”

After assessment with IDF chief, Gallant says Israel will continue to act until northern residents can return home

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant says he wrapped up an assessment with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and other senior military officers following the assassination of top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in Lebanon.

“Even in the Dahiyeh in Beirut, we will continue to pursue our enemy in order to protect our citizens,” Gallant says on X.

“The sequence of operations in the new phase [of the war] will continue until our goal is achieved: The safe return of the residents of the north to their homes,” he adds.

ADL blasts Trump over use of ‘antisemitic tropes’ after he says Jews to blame if he loses election

The CEO of the Anti-Defamation League Jonathan Greenblatt criticizes former US president Donald Trump after he said yesterday that Jewish Americans would be a leading cause of his electoral loss if they don’t vote for him in December.

“Here we go again,” writes Greenblatt in a statement posted on X, pointing out that Trump’s acknowledgment of a historic surge in antisemitism is “undermined by then employed numerous antisemitic tropes and anti-Jewish stereotypes — including rampant accusations of dual loyalty.”

“Preemptively blaming American Jews for your potential election loss does zero to help American Jews,” he continues. “It increases their sense of alienation in a moment of vulnerability when right-wing extremists and left-wing antizionists continually demonize and slander Jews. This is happening on college campuses, in public places, everywhere. There are threats on all sides.”

He warns that Trump’s comments “will likely spark more hostility and further inflame an already bad situation.”

pic.twitter.com/5ydRTKdBdF

— Jonathan Greenblatt (@JGreenblattADL) September 20, 2024

IDF chief vows military will reach anyone who threatens Israeli civilians

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi is seen during a meeting with top officers at the IDF HQ in Tel Aviv, during an airstrike on top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in Lebanon, September 20, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi following the assassination of top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in Lebanon vows that the military will reach anyone who threatens Israeli civilians.

“The Hezbollah commanders we eliminated today had been planning an ‘October 7’ on the northern border for years. We reached them and we will reach anyone who threatens the security of the citizens of the State of Israel,” Halevi says in remarks provided by the IDF.

Biden says US working to allow displaced residents of northern Israel to return home

US President Joe Biden says he is “working” on allowing people to return to their homes on the tense Israeli-Lebanon border, in his first comments on the situation since a wave of pager and radio blasts targeting the Hezbollah terror group.

Biden tells reporters at the start of a cabinet meeting that he wants to “make sure that the people in northern Israel as well as southern Lebanon are able to go back to their homes, to go back safely.”

“And the secretary of state, the secretary of defense, our whole team are working with the intelligence community to try to get that done. We’re going to keep at it until we get it done, but we’ve got a way to go,” Biden says.

Hagari: Aqil, top Hezbolah commanders were underground, below a residential building when hit

Hezbollah official Ibrahim Aqil in an undated photo. (US Department of State)

IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari says top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil and the top leadership of the terror group’s operations array and elite Radwan Force were gathered underground when they were targeted and killed in an Israeli airstrike a short while ago.

“They gathered underground, under a residential building, in the heart of the Dahiyeh, while using civilians as a human shield. They met to coordinate terror activities against Israeli civilians,” Hagari says in a press conference.

Hagari says that at least 10 Hezbollah commanders were killed in the airstrike in Beirut, alongside Aqil.

Elaborating on an IDF statement issued a few minutes earlier, Hagari says, “Aqil and the Radwan Force commanders who we attacked are the commanders who drew up and led the Hezbollah terror group’s plan, to be carried out on the day the order was given, to attack into the northern territory of the State of Israel — what they called ‘The plan to conquer the Galilee’.”

In this planned invasion, says Hagari, “Hezbollah intended to raid Israeli territory, occupy the communities of the Galilee, and murder and kidnap Israeli citizens — similar to what Hamas did on October 7.”

He says that “the commanders who we eliminated today” had been overseeing attacks on Israeli citizens since October 8, and planned to carry out more such attacks.

IDF spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari delivers an English-language address, June 16, 2024. (Screenshot)

In addition to his overseeing attacks on Israel and plans to invade Israel, Aqil was responsible for Hezbollah’s attacks overseas, Hagari says, calling him “a terrorist with a great deal of blood on his hands, responsible for the deaths of many civilians and innocents.” He repeats that Aqil was wanted by the US with a multi-million-dollar bounty on his head.

Hagari says the IDF is maintaining a high offensive and defensive readiness, but that there is no change to home front regulations at present.

Iranian media denies reports that IRGC Quds Force deputy commander was killed in Beirut

Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency denies reports that the deputy commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quds Force was killed in the strike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh earlier today.

It says that the reports of his death, which were published without sources by Sky News Arabia, were a “complete lie.”

IDF confirms it killed top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in Beirut; says Aqil was planning invasion of Galilee

Hezbollah official Ibrahim Aqil in an undated photo. (US Department of State)

The IDF confirms the killing of senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in an airstrike in Lebanon’s capital Beirut earlier this afternoon.

In a statement, the IDF says Aqil was the head of Hezbollah’s military operations, the acting commander of the terror group’s elite Radwan Force, and the head of a plan to invade the Galilee.

Alongside Aqil, the top brass of Hezbollah’s operations array and the leadership of the Radwan Force were killed in the strike, according to the military.

“Aqil and the commanders who were eliminated were among the architects of the ‘plan for the occupation of the Galilee,’ in which Hezbollah planned to raid Israeli territory, occupy the communities of the Galilee, murder and kill innocents, similar to what the Hamas terror organization carried out in the murderous massacre on October 7,” the IDF says in the statement.

Aqil joined Hezbollah in the 1980s, and was responsible for the terror group’s attacks outside of Lebanon, according to the IDF. The military says he participated in many attacks in other countries, including targeting civilians.

Since 2004, Aqil has been serving as the head of Hezbollah’s operations array, responsible for the terror group’s bombing and anti-tank attacks, air defenses, and other aspects of the organization.

Additionally, Aqil has been serving as the commander of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force, which according to Israel is tasked with potentially invading Israel. The IDF says Aqil was involved in an anti-tank guided missile attack against an army post near Avivim in 2019, a bombing attack at the Megiddo Junction last year, and several attempts by Hezbollah operatives to infiltrate into Israel amid the war.

Aqil had also been wanted by the United States for his role in the 1983 bombing of a US Marines barracks in Beirut, as well as directing the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s. The US had placed a $7 million bounty on him.

Thousands attend hostage deal rally outside UN headquarters in New York

Families of hostages and released hostages attend a rally outside the United Nations headquarters in New York calling for a hostage release-ceasefire deal, September 20, 2024. (Daniel Tenenbaum, Benjamin Azoulay, Britt Shacham, Tamar Shemesh/Hostages Families Forum)

Thousands of people attended a rally in front of the United Nations headquarters in New York earlier today to call for a hostage release-ceasefire deal, the Hostages Families Forum says.

The rally, which coincided with the start of the 79th UN General Assembly this week, called for world leaders to pay attention to the plight of the hostages in Gaza and featured speeches from released hostages and relatives of those still in captivity.

“Despite the hostages’ nearly year-long captivity—in violation of international law and without access to Red Cross visits or essential medical care—their plight remains conspicuously absent from the Assembly’s agenda,” the forum says, adding that it was demanding a deal “that will put an end to the ongoing suffering and pain in the region.”

Aviva Siegel, who was released from Hamas captivity in November and whose husband Keith is still hostage, says that she was held with girls who were being abused by their terrorist captors.

“I was with the girls who were touched, who were beaten. I saw them torture Keith,” she says. “I wanted to scream for them while I wasn’t allowed to feel, cry, move, or even talk.”

She says that the issue of the hostages is not just about herself and her husband “or the other 100 hostages who are still there,” but that it’s about “good overcoming evil, bringing justice to the world, and setting innocent people free.”

Or Gat, whose sister Carmel Gat was executed by Hamas in a tunnel under Rafah late last month, addresses her from the stage, apologizing for how “those who should have seen you didn’t” even while she “cared about everyone” she was kept in captivity with.

Yamit Ashkenazi, sister of hostage Doron Steinbacher, warns that “time is running out” for her sister and the other hostages. “The shocking murder of six hostages earlier this month has made this painfully clear. We must do everything possible to save my little sister and all the hostages.”

Daniel Lifshitz, whose grandfather Oded Lifshitz is one of the oldest hostages held by Hamas, asks for forgiveness from “all of my family and the residents of Kibbutz Nir Oz who were in the kibbutz during the greatest tragedy in our country.”

“I apologize that we were unable to save you from the horrors that our beloved community experienced on that cursed day. I am sorry that we have abandoned so many of you in the aftermath,” he says.

The rally also featured speeches by New York Attorney General Letitia James and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, and was attended by “hundreds of organizations and synagogues” the Hostages Families Forum says.

During the rally, an interfaith prayer for the safe return of the hostages was held by New York priests and rabbis.

IDF soldier seriously wounded during fighting in southern Gaza earlier on Friday

A soldier with the Nahal Brigade’s 50th Battalion was seriously wounded during fighting in the southern Gaza Strip earlier today, the IDF says.

He was taken to a hospital for treatment.

Kirby: US still believes war ‘not inevitable’ between Israel and Hezbollah

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby says the US still believes “there is time and space for a diplomatic solution” to the escalating tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah terror group.

“We think that this is the best way forward,” he says. “War is not inevitable up there at the Blue Line, and we’re going to continue to do everything we can to try to prevent it.

Speaking to reporters, he adds that the US is strongly urging its citizens not to travel to Lebanon, or to leave if they are already there.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit killed in strike that targeted Aqil, security sources say

Members of Hezbollah’s elite Radwan unit were killed alongside top Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil in the Israeli strike in Beirut as they were holding a meeting, two security sources tell Reuters.

Hezbollah confirms deaths of two operatives killed by IDF while trying to plant bomb on border

Hezbollah confirms the deaths of two operatives who were killed by IDF troops while attempting to carry out a bombing attack on the Israeli border on Monday.

They are named by the terror group as Hussein Faqih and Ali Mansour. Their bodies are reportedly being held by Israel.

Since October, Hezbollah has named 482 members killed by Israel amid the ongoing fighting.

US ‘deeply disturbed’ by video of IDF troops pushing bodies of gunmen off a rooftop

White House national security spokesman John Kirby says that the videos of IDF troops pushing the bodies of three Palestinian gunmen off a rooftop earlier this week is “deeply disturbing,” and says the US is waiting for the results of an IDF investigation into the incident.

The video, filmed following an exchange of fire in the West Bank city of Qabatiya on Thursday, would “depict an egregious behavior by professional soldiers,” if found to be authentic, Kirby says.

“We reached out immediately to our Israeli counterparts about it, and we pressed them for more details. They have assured us that they’re going to investigate this and that there will be proper accountability if it’s warranted,” he adds. “We’re going to be very eager to see what the IDF investigation finds. As always, we expect that an investigation will be conducted thoroughly and transparently.”

Some 20 rockets fired from Lebanon at northern Israel, at least half intercepted

A barrage of some 20 rockets was launched from Lebanon at northern Israel a short while ago.

According to the IDF, at least half of the rockets were shot down by air defenses.

So far, Hezbollah has launched some 170 rockets at northern Israel today.

Kirby: Sinwar continues to be main obstacle to reaching a hostage release-ceasefire deal

Asked about a report earlier this week which alleged that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has consistently sabotaged efforts to reach a hostage release-ceasefire deal, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby says that Hamas is the primary reason that a deal remains elusive.

He says that he hasn’t seen the report, published by Israel’s Channel 12 television network, and therefore cannot comment on it, but that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “remains the main obstacle to pushing this forward.”

Responding to a Wall Street Journal report which alleged that a hostage-ceasefire deal was unlikely before the end of US President Joe Biden’s term in January, Kirby acknowledges that mediators are “no closer to achieving that than we were even a week or so ago” but vows that “ain’t nobody giving up.”

“We’re still going to keep the shoulders to the wheel,” he says. “We’re still going to keep trying on this. The president has directed his team to continue to try to find a way to see if we can get a proposal that both sides will agree to.”

Lebanon’s PM says Beirut strike on senior Hezbollah operative shows Israel gives no weight to ‘legal, moral considerations’

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati accuses Israel of giving “no weight to any humanitarian, legal or moral considerations,” after senior Hezbollah operative Ibrahim Aqil was said to have been killed in a Beirut strike described by the IDF as “targeted.”

Aqil had a a $7 million bounty placed on him by the US, for his role in the 1983 bombing of a US Marines barracks in Beirut, as well as directing the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s.

Kirby: White House not informed of IDF Beirut strike ahead of time

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby says the US was not informed of Israel’s plan to strike a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut ahead of time.

“I’m not aware of any prenotification of those strikes,” he says, “that is not atypical.”

Rocket sirens sound across northern Israel after IDF strike in Beirut

After the IDF strike in Beirut, rocket sirens are sounding across northern Israel.

The alerts are activated in Safed, Rosh Pina, and numerous nearby communities in the Galilee.

Senior Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Aqil said killed in Beirut strike

Hezbollah official Ibrahim Aqil in an undated photo. (US Department of State)

A source close to Lebanon’s Hezbollah says the Israeli strike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood killed Ibrahim Aqil, the commander of the terror group’s elite Radwan unit.

“The Israeli air strike killed Radwan Force commander Ibrahim Aqil, its armed force’s second-in-command after Fuad Shukr,” who was killed by an Israeli strike in July, also in Hezbollah’s southern Beirut stronghold, says the source who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

IDF says Halevi met with Northern Command head amid rising tensions with Hezbollah

As tensions escalate with Hezbollah today, the military says that IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi met this morning with the chief of the Northern Command and the commanders of the divisions under the command.

No further details are given on the visit.

Hezbollah Jihad Council member Ibrahim Aqil was target of Beirut strike, sources say

The target of the Israeli airstrike in Lebanon’s capital Beirut a short while ago was Ibrahim Aqil, security sources tell Israeli media.

Aqil sits on the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s top military body.

He has also been wanted by the United States for his role in the 1983 bombing of a US Marines barracks in Beirut, as well as directing the taking of American and German hostages in Lebanon in the 1980s.

The US had placed a $7 million bounty on Aqil.

IDF strike in Dahiyeh targeted senior Hezbollah figure, two security sources say

The Israeli strike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb targeted a senior Hezbollah figure, two security sources say.

The sources could not immediately say who was targeted or if they had been killed.

PM shortens upcoming US trip due to security situation in northern Israel

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will shorten his upcoming trip to the US by one day in light of the ongoing security situation in northern Israel, the Prime Minister’s Office says.

His visit will now last four days, instead of the expected five, departing from Israel on Wednesday, September 25.

He will deliver his address to the United Nations General Assembly on Friday morning, September 27, the PMO says.

Footage purports to show strike on Dahiyeh, Lebanese media reports F-35 carried out attack

Footage purports to show the scene of the Israeli airstrike in Beirut a short while ago.

Lebanese media reports claim that an Israeli F-35 carried out the attack, with two missiles.

The strike targeted a building in Beirut’s Dahiyeh suburb, a known Hezbollah stronghold.

The IDF describes the strike as “targeted.”

غارة إسرائيلية على #الضاحية_الجنوبية لبيروت pic.twitter.com/xRlqmO2GxO

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) September 20, 2024

غارة بصاروخين عبر طائرة حربية F35 تستهدف مبنى في منطقة الجاموس في #الضاحية_الجنوبية لبيروت وفرق الاسعاف تهرع لمكان الاستهداف pic.twitter.com/f5QY9TYurf

— هنا لبنان (@thisislebnews) September 20, 2024

It marks only the third time that the IDF has carried out airstrikes in Beirut since the beginning of the war.

In July, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr, and before that in January, Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an IAF strike in the Lebanese capital.

IDF says it carried out airstrike in Beirut’s Dahiyeh neighborhood

The IDF says it carried out an airstrike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut a short while ago.

According to media reports in Lebanon, the strike took place in the Dahiyeh suburb, a known Hezbollah stronghold.

The military says there are no changes to guidelines for civilians at this stage, and it will provide further details on the “targeted strike” soon.

It marks only the third time that the IDF has carried out airstrikes in Beirut since the beginning of the war.

In July, an Israeli airstrike in Beirut killed Hezbollah’s military chief Fuad Shukr, and before that in January, Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri was killed in an IAF strike in the Lebanese capital.

Iranian proxy announces death of member in alleged Israeli strike near Damascus

Kata’ib Hezbollah, an Iranian proxy operating in Iraq and Syria, announces the death of a member in an alleged Israeli airstrike near Damascus this morning.

The terror group in a statement says Abu Haidar al-Khafaji served as a security advisor in the Damascus area.

كتائب حزب الله تزف الشهيد المجاهد ابو حيدر الخفاجي
اثر عدوان صهيوني في دمشق
فجر اليوم ..

الشهيد هو احد المستشاريين الامنيين في سوريا وشارك في التصدي للجماعات التكفيرية

وتؤكد الكتائب على الاستمرار بدعم الشعب الفلسطيني المظلوم في غزة والضفة pic.twitter.com/HJLtBiIg99

— Hussam (@Husam13318285) September 20, 2024

Army strikes Hezbollah operative in southern Lebanon

A Hezbollah operative spotted entering a building in southern Lebanon’s Kafr Kila was targeted in a drone strike earlier today, the IDF says.

Israeli fighter jets, meanwhile, struck several more buildings used by the terror group in Aitaroun, Kafr Kila, Mays al-Jabal, Taybeh, Odaisseh, and Yaroun, the military says.

The IDF releases footage of the strikes.

מוקדם יותר היום, כוח מיחידה 869 זיהו מחבל של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה שנכנס למבנה צבאי של הארגון במרחב כפר כילא שבדרום לבנון, בסגירת מעגל מהירה, כלי טיס של חיל האוויר תקף את המבנה בו פעל המחבל>> pic.twitter.com/4Vu8cK4laI

— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) September 20, 2024

Hezbollah handed out pagers hours before blasts — even after checks

People gather outside the American University hospital after the arrival of several men who were wounded by exploded handheld pagers, in Beirut, Lebanon, Sept. 17, 2024, after an attack, blamed on Israel, targeting Hezbollah fighters. (AP Photo/Bassam Masri)

Lebanon’s Hezbollah was still handing its members new Gold Apollo branded pagers hours before thousands blew up this week, two Lebanese security sources say, indicating the group was confident the devices were safe despite an ongoing sweep of electronic kit to identify threats.

One member of the Iranian-backed group received a new pager on Monday that exploded the next day while it was still in its box, says one of the sources. A pager given to a senior member just days earlier injured a subordinate when it detonated, the second source says.

Up to three grams of explosives hidden in the pagers had gone undetected for months by Hezbollah, Reuters reported earlier this week.

One of the security sources says it was very hard to detect the explosives “with any device or scanner.” The source did not specify what type of scanners Hezbollah had run the pagers through.

Rather than a specific suspicion of the pagers, the checks had been part of a routine “sweep” of its equipment, including communications devices, to find any indications that they were laced with explosives or surveillance mechanisms, one of the security sources says.

Lebanese source: Batteries of Hezbollah walkie-talkies were laced with explosive compound

A man holds a walkie-talkie device after he removed the battery during the funeral of persons killed when hundreds of paging devices exploded in an alleged Israeli attack on Hezbollah across Lebanon the previous day, in Beirut's southern suburbs on September 18, 2024. (Anwar Amro/AFP)

The batteries of the walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah that blew up this week were laced with a highly explosive compound known as PETN, a Lebanese source familiar with the device’s components tells Reuters.

The way the explosive material was integrated into the battery pack made it extremely difficult to detect, the source says.

Hundreds of walkie-talkies used by the group exploded on Wednesday, a day after thousands of Hezbollah’s pagers detonated across the group’s strongholds in Lebanon.

Pictures of the walkie-talkies that had exploded showed labels reading “ICOM” and “made in Japan”. Icom 6820.T has said it halted production a decade ago of the radio models identified in the attack, and that most of those still on sale were counterfeit.

Another 20 rockets launched at Mount Meron

Another 20 rockets were launched from Lebanon at the Mount Meron area in northern Israel a short while ago, according to the IDF.

So far, more than 150 rockets have been launched by Hezbollah at northern Israel today.

Israel tells ICC request for arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant is illegitimate

International Criminal Court Prosecutor Karim Khan at the Cour d'Honneur of the Palais Royal in Paris on February 7, 2024. (Dimitar Dilkoff/AFP)

The Foreign Ministry says Israel has filed an official petition with the International Criminal Court challenging potential arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan has called on the court to issue arrest warrants he requested in May for Netanyahu, Gallant and Hamas leaders, accusing them all of possible war crimes.

The ministry says it is both questioning the court’s jurisdiction in the matter, as well as asserting that Khan contravened the rules of the court and failed to offer Israel the opportunity to investigate the claims itself.

“There is no other democracy with an independent and well-regarded justice system such as Israel that has faced such discriminatory treatment by the prosecutor,” ministry spokesman Oren Marmorstein says.

“Israel remains committed to the rule of law and to justice, and will continue to defend its citizens from the ongoing attacks and atrocities of Hamas as well as Iran’s other terrorist arms, in accordance with international law.”

Another 70 rockets fired at Israel for a total of 130

Another 70 rockets were fired at northern Israel from Lebanon a short while ago, according to the IDF.

Several rockets were intercepted.

In all, some 130 rockets were launched by Hezbollah at northern Israel in the past hour.

Some 60 rockets launched from Lebanon at northern Israel

Some 60 rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel a short while ago, setting off sirens in Safed and numerous other communities in the Galilee.

The IDF says that some of the rockets were intercepted.

There are no reports of injuries.

Meanwhile, a fresh barrage was fired from Lebanon, setting off sirens in the northern Golan Heights.

IAF chopper crash probe finds bad visibility conditions led to accident

The site of an IDF helicopter crash in the southern Gaza Strip, September 11, 2024. (Courtesy)

An Israeli Air Force investigation into a helicopter crash in the southern Gaza Strip earlier this month that killed two soldiers and wounded seven others has found that bad visibility conditions led to the accident.

The investigation, led by a colonel in reserves, was presented to IAF chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar and the families of the soldiers today.

In the early morning hours of September 11, a UH-60 Black Hawk from the 123rd Squadron had flown to Rafah with a Unit 669 medical team to evacuate a seriously wounded combat engineer during fighting in the area. During the final landing stage inside an IDF encampment in Rafah, the Black Hawk impacted the ground instead of touching down correctly. The crash killed Sgt. Maj. (res.) Daniel Alloush, 37, and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Tom Ish-Shalom, 38, who both served in the IAF’s elite search and rescue Unit 669, and injured seven other troops from Unit 669 and the 123rd Squadron.

The investigation found that the helicopter attempted to land at a “complex” helipad in a combat zone to evacuate the wounded soldier, while there were “challenging visibility conditions” due to the landing taking place at night and heavy dust kicked up by the chopper.

“These conditions most likely led the helicopter crew to wrong spatial orientation in the final process of landing, resulting in the helicopter hitting the ground,” the military says. The investigation found that “the challenging conditions of a dark night combined with dust, led to a loss of eye contact with the ground, which resulted in a high probability of incorrect spatial orientation.”

According to the probe, the incident was not caused by enemy fire. It also found that there were no technical failures, and members of the crew were all fit for the task.

The wounded soldiers were rescued from the crashed chopper by ground forces, led by the commander of the Givati Brigade, and were extracted from Gaza and taken to Soroka Hospital in Beersheba by another helicopter. “The ground forces prevented more severe results in the incident,” the IDF says.

IAF chief Bar says that “the Air Force will draw lessons [from the incident] quickly, and will continue to act with determination.”

Rocket interceptions seen over the city of Safed

Rocket interceptions are seen over the city of Safed amid a Hezbollah rocket attack on northern Israel

עשרות יירוטים בשמי העיר צפת במטח האחרון | צפו בתיעוד
צילום: אליאס פארס/TPS pic.twitter.com/4PaZH39gTz

— החדשות – N12 (@N12News) September 20, 2024

עשרות יירוטים כעת בשמי העיר צפת
קרדיט: חני אסולין pic.twitter.com/YoE5Ntv7e9

— ישראל היום (@IsraelHayomHeb) September 20, 2024

Sirens warning of rocket fire from Lebanon sound in northern towns

After the IDF called on civilians in many communities in northern Israel to remain close to bomb shelters, sirens warning of rocket fire from Lebanon are sounding.

The alerts are activated in the city of Safed, many nearby towns in the Galilee, and in Ortal in the northern Golan Heights.

Locals report numerous Iron Dome interceptions, amid what appears to be a major Hezbollah rocket attack.

IDF renews call for many northern residents to stay close to bomb shelters

Illustrative: Israelis run to take cover as a siren sounds a warning of incoming rockets fired from Lebanon, in Nahariya, northern Israel, Sept. 19, 2024. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)

The IDF again calls on civilians in numerous communities and cities in northern Israel to remain close to bomb shelters until further notice.

The guidelines apply to people in the Merom HaGalil Regional Council, Upper Galilee Regional Council, Mevo’ot HaHermon Regional Council, Metula, Kiryat Shmona, Yesud HaMa’ala, Hatzor, Rosh Pina, Safed, Metula, and towns in the Golan Heights from Katzrin and northward.

The IDF calls on civilians in those areas to reduce movement outside of homes, avoid large gatherings, and remain close to shelters.

Last night, the IDF issued similar instructions before lifting them in the early morning hours.

Lebanese media report new Israeli airstrikes in south Lebanon

Lebanese media report a new wave of Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.

The strikes are reported in Mays al-Jabal, Aitaroun, and Kafr Kila.

غارات على بلدة عيترون وكفركلا وميس الجبل جنوب لبنان pic.twitter.com/JjSN0BJWMF

— Ali Bk (@Bk_Hanas) September 20, 2024

IDF says commander of West Bank terror network among 7 gunmen killed Thursday

The commander of a local terror network in the West Bank city of Qabatiya was among seven Palestinian gunmen killed by the IDF troops yesterday, the military says.

During the raid in Qabatiya, near Jenin, troops of the Duvdevan commando unit killed four gunmen in an exchange of fire. Three assault rifles and other weapons were seized from their bodies, the IDF says.

Several hours later, another group of gunmen opened fire at troops operating in the city. The IDF says it carried out a drone strike against the gunmen who were in a car, killing three of them.

It releases footage of the strike.

“The terrorists’ vehicle had weapons and explosives that caused a secondary explosion,” the military says.

Among those killed in the drone strike was Shadi Zakarneh, who the IDF and Shin Bet identify as the head of a terror network in Qabatiya, responsible for directing numerous attacks in the northern West Bank.

Seven wanted Palestinians were also detained in the raid, the military says.

83-year-old launches hunger strike outside Knesset to demand hostages’ return

A woman who lost her soldier son during 1982’s First Lebanon War has launched a hunger strike outside the Knesset to demand a return of the hostages held in Gaza.

“I decided there is nothing more for me to do,” Orna Shimoni, 83, tells Ynet. “I took part in all the marches and declarations. I went to hundreds of shivas. My kids tell me I’m killing them, but it’s the only thing I can do.”

She adds: “I call on everyone to come here. Six million people need to come out and show the legislators that the people want the hostages back, and that this will be the victory picture.”

אורנה שמעוני בת ה-83 אם שכולה ופעילה למען החזרת החטופים הגיעה הבוקר באוטובוס מביתה בצפון הארץ לכיכר שמחוץ למשכן הכנסת בירושלים ופתחה בשביתת רעב למען החטופים.

אורנה, שהיתה בעברה פעילה בארגון ארבע אמהות ופעילה למען החזרתם של אורון והדר אומרת ל @ynetalerts "החלטתי לפני כמה שבועות > pic.twitter.com/jDz96vg7ib

— גלעד כהן | Gilad Cohen (@GiladCohenJR) September 19, 2024

Relatives of American hostages speak of frustrations over failure to return them

Relatives of American hostages speak to CNN about their frustrations over the failure to return their loved ones after nearly a year of war in Gaza.

“I would call on President Biden to have a tight conversation with Israeli prime minister, telling him, ‘Do not delay any longer the deal. Stop moving the goal posts and stop [undercutting] your own negotiating team,'” says Adi Alexander.

Ruby Chen, father of soldier Itay Chen who was declared in March to have been killed on October 7, and whose body is held in Gaza, says: “My expectations are low. I think we all need to look at one another and say, ‘We’ve been doing this for one year and we have not been successful’… I think we need to challenge ourselves and say, ‘Let’s look at the fundamental assumptions’ and say, ‘Okay, we need to do something else.'”

U.S. hostage families warn against Middle East escalation
Watch the full video here: https://t.co/YSz0sAvKfo pic.twitter.com/EIjqMdzoad

— The Lead CNN (@TheLeadCNN) September 19, 2024

Lebanese envoy warns of ‘doomsday’ Israel-Lebanon war

Lebanese Ambassador to the UK Rami Mortada in a September 2024 interview (Sky News video screenshot)

Lebanon’s Ambassador to the UK has warned that an Israeli ground incursion will lead to a “doomsday” regional war.

Rami Mortada tells The Times that Lebanon’s armed forces, which have stood by as Hezbollah has attacked Israel for 11 months, will not do so if Israel launches a major assault on the ground or from the air.

“We are facing all the risks of an all-out regional conflict and that’s what we have been tirelessly trying to avoid,” he says, calling the terror group a “formidable fighting force” and warning Jerusalem to learn from “humiliating” defeats of the past.

A war would “definitely [be] a doomsday for Lebanon but Lebanon will not hurt alone in this war. That’s what recent history taught us. So all efforts should be focused on avoiding such an outcome.”

Report: Growing concern in US that Israel could soon send troops into Lebanon

US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin gestures as he speaks to Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (unseen) during a meeting at the Malacanang presidential palace in Manila in Manila, Philippines on Tuesday, July 30, 2024. U.S. Secretary of Sate Antony Blinken is at right. (AP Photo/Basilio Sepe, Pool)

Pentagon officials are increasingly concerned that Israel may launch a ground war in southern Lebanon in the near future, The Wall Street Journal reports.

The paper says US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made comments to that effect in discussions earlier this week, and that the attacks on Hezbollah communications devices, widely attributed to Israel, had elevated such apprehensions.

Israel has warned over 11 months of Hezbollah cross-border attacks that full-scale war is increasingly possible if the terror group does not end its assaults on the north and withdraw from the border region.

The report says Austin and the State Department have continued to urge Israel to give more time for diplomacy. But the US fears things could soon spiral out of control.

UCLA board approves more non-lethal weapons for police after Gaza war protests

File: Police stage on the UCLA campus after nighttime clashes between pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian groups, Wednesday, May 1, 2024, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

The University of California board of regents has approved additional non-lethal weapons requested by UCLA police, which handled some of the nation’s largest student protests against the Israel-Hamas war.

Clashes between protesters and counter-protesters earlier this year on the campus led to more than a dozen injuries, and more than 200 people were arrested at a demonstration.

The equipment UCLA police requested and the board approved yesterday includes pepper balls and sponge rounds, projectile launchers and new drones. The board also signed off on equipment purchase requests for the nine other police departments on UC campuses.

Student protesters at the regents meeting were cleared from the room after yelling broke out when the agenda item was presented.

Faculty and students have criticized UCLA police for their use of non-lethal weapons in campus demonstrations, during which some protesters suffered injuries.

During public comment, UCLA student association representative Tommy Contreras said the equipment was used against peaceful protesters and demonstrators.

“I am outraged that the University of California is prioritizing funding for military equipment while slashing resources for education,” Contreras said. “Students, staff and faculty have been hurt by this very equipment used not for safety but to suppress voices.”

Intel official to ABC News: Device blasts op was likely in the works for 15 years

A photo taken on September 18, 2024, in Beirut's southern suburbs shows the remains of exploded pagers on display at an undisclosed location. The pagers were used by Hezbollah and the attack has been blamed on Israel. (AFP)

A US intelligence official tells ABC News Israel likely planned the exploding Hezbollah devices operation for some 15 years.

Such an operation would necessitate a lengthy process of setting up shell companies, with multiple layers of subterfuge in order for agents to insert themselves into the supply chain, the source told the network.

Some of those involved would not be aware they were serving Israeli intelligence, the official added.

The source also noted that the CIA had avoided using such an attack in the past due to what was considered a high risk to civilians.

Number of West Nile virus cases since June at 913, with 70 deaths

The Health Ministry says that the number of patients diagnosed with the West Nile virus rose to 913.

A total of 70 people who were diagnosed with the virus have died since the outbreak began in June.

Infected mosquitoes transmit the West Nile virus to humans. The virus does not spread from person to person.

About 80 percent of people infected with West Nile virus show no symptoms. About 20% may experience varying symptoms, including fever, headaches, and body aches. Less than 1% of those infected will have possible rare complications such as acute inflammation of the brain or meningitis.

The risk of significant illness is higher among the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

Taiwan questions two in probe into Hezbollah pagers

An undated file catalog image of an Apollo pager, similar to the ones that exploded on September 17, 2024, in various cities of Lebanon and Syria, in an unprecedented attack on Hezbollah personnel. (Balkis Press / ABACAPRESS.COM / Reuters)

Two people from Taiwanese companies have been questioned as part of a probe into pagers that exploded while being used by Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon, investigators say Friday, as top officials insist the devices were not from the island.

Questions and speculation have swirled over where the devices came from and how they were supplied to the group after hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies detonated across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 37 people and wounding nearly 3,000.

The New York Times reported this week that Israel had inserted explosive material into a shipment of pagers from Taiwan’s Gold Apollo, citing American and other anonymous officials.

But Gold Apollo head Hsu Ching-kuang denied producing the devices, pointing the finger instead at Hungary-based partner BAC Consulting KFT, which Gold Apollo had allowed to use its trademark.

Local media reported that the second person questioned was Wu Yu-jen, a representative connected to BAC Consulting KFT, who had set up a company based in Taipei called “Apollo Systems.”

“Our country takes the case very seriously,” says the prosecutors’ office in Taipei’s Shilin district in a statement.

The two witnesses were allowed to leave after multiple rounds of questioning.

“We will clarify the facts as soon as possible such as whether Taiwanese companies are involved or not,” the office says.

Rockets hit open area near Metula, causing no injuries

Rocket sirens sound in the northern town of Metula near the Lebanon border.

Media reports indicate two rockets exploded in an open area, causing no injuries.

IDF removes movement restrictions in northern areas where residents told to stay near shelters

After wrapping up a security assessment, the IDF announces that it’s removing restrictions on movement in numerous cities and communities in the north, after instructing residents there to remain near bomb shelters overnight following intensive airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.

Trump suggests he could lose election if more US Jews don’t back him

Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump gestures as he walks off stage after speaking at the Israeli American Council national summit in Washington, on September 19, 2024. (PMandel Ngan/AFP)

Former US president Donald Trump suggests that if he doesn’t win the election in November, it could be because not enough Jewish voters support him.

Speaking at a Washington event organized by the Israeli American Council, Trump cites unspecified polling that has his support at 40 percent among Jewish voters.

“Do they know what the hell’s happening if I don’t win this election? The Jewish people would really have a lot to do with that if that happens, because… 60% of the people [are] voting for the enemy,” he says.

After declaring earlier this month that Israel would be annihilated if Vice President Kamala Harris wins in November, he further ups the stakes by telling the IAC crowd that Israel would be destroyed within two years if he loses.

He claims that Iran will quickly obtain a nuclear weapon and “terrorist death squads will conduct constant raids into Israeli territory from all sides, going door to door and torturing, raping, kidnapping and massacring innocent civilians… Tel Aviv and Jerusalem will become unlivable war zones, as suicide attacks grind life to a halt.”

“I said to [IAC funder] Miriam [Adelson] today, ‘They have to go through a little tough love here today because we have to tell them the fact that Israel will not exist within two years if [Harris] becomes president,'” Trump declares.

Taiwanese minister says beepers that detonated weren’t made in Taiwan

Components used in thousands of pagers that detonated on Tuesday in Lebanon were not made in Taiwan, Taiwan’s economy minister says.

Taiwan-based Gold Apollo said this week it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack, and that they were made by a Budapest-based company BAC which has a license to use its brand.

Trump invites rescued hostage, father of soldier killed during Oct. 7 fighting, on stage

Former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump (L) speaks alongside Andrey Kozlov (R), a Hamas hostage who was rescued from Gaza by Israeli forces, at the Israeli American Council national summit in Washington, September 19, 2024. (Mandel Ngan/AFP)

After discussing US presidential polling figures, Trump turns to “the sacred bond between the United States and Israel, and it’s a bond that’s in serious trouble.”

“Tonight we honor the memory of all those who lost their lives in the October 7 attacks and we pray to God that Israel will redeem those deaths with ultimate victory over those who wish to destroy it,” he says.

Trump then briefly invites Andrey Kozlov onto the stage, along with retired IDF general Didi Simchi, whose son was killed battling Hamas terrorists on October 7.

Trump addresses IAC after vowing to be ‘best friend Jewish Americans ever had’ at donor event

Republican presidential candidate and former US president Donald Trump speaks at the Israeli American Council national summit on September 19, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)

Former US president and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is now addressing the Israeli American Council. He is introduced by Miriam Adelson, a co-owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and widow of billionaire casino magnate Sheldon Adelson.

“My promise to Jewish Americans is this: With your vote, I will be your defender, your protector, and I will be the best friend Jewish Americans have ever had in the White House,” Trump says during an earlier donor event in Washington, titled “Fighting Anti-Semitism in America.”

“But in all fairness, I already am,” Trump added.

Trump also has been criticized for his association with extremists who spew antisemitic rhetoric such as far-right activist Nick Fuentes and rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West. And when former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke endorsed Trump in 2016, Trump responded in a CNN interview that he knew “nothing about David Duke, I know nothing about white supremacists.”

But during his four years in office Trump approved a series of policy changes long sought by many advocates of Israel, such as moving the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights.

In his remarks, Trump criticized Harris over the Biden administration’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war and for what he calls antisemitic protests on college campuses and elsewhere.

“Kamala Harris has done absolutely nothing. She has not lifted a single finger to protect you or to protect your children,” Trump said. He also repeats a talking point that Jewish voters who vote for Democrats “should have their head examined.”

Trump’s comments denouncing antisemitism come hours after an explosive CNN report detailed how one of his allies running for North Carolina governor made a series of racial and sexual comments on a website where he also referred to himself as a “black NAZI.”

Freed hostage recounts being kidnapped on Oct. 7, rescue op in speech to Israeli American Council

Freed Hamas hostage Andrey Kozlov addresses the Israeli American Council in Washington on September 19, 2024. (YouTube, used in accordance with Clause 27a of the Copyright Law)

Freed hostage Andrey Kozlov addresses the conference of the Israeli American Council in Washington, recalling his rescue from Hamas captivity during a counter-terror operation.

“I’m so happy to be here, really,” he says, speaking in English. “I’m here tonight free and speaking with you for one reason: I was rescued by IDF soldiers and elite counter-terrorism operatives.

“One of those brave men was named Arnon Zmora,” Kozlov continues, referring to the Israeli commando killed during the operation, who he asks the crowd to rise for to honor with a moment of silence.

Kozlov recalls coming to Israel from Russia in 2022 weeks before he was mobilized to the military, before moving to his kidnapping by Hamas on October 7 — “the day my life and the world totally changed.”

“I was in the country for a little bit more than one year. I came from one war to another,” he said. “Because I’m here now, you know every step I took was somehow the right one to survive.”

“Every day in Gaza was terrible,” Kozlov went on, recalling the fear of being held in Gaza amid Israel’s bombing campaign against Hamas.

Kozlov says he was “one of the very, very few lucky hostages who were rescued,” adding that it was only after he left Gaza on a helicopter that he felt “finally free.”

He ends his speech by saying “I’m still that regular guy I was before,” but notes that he now has influence.

“We have to remember that 101 hostages are still in Gaza… When will they come back? Will they even come back? Will they die today or not?… I am appealing to all leaders: Please, please bring all them all home, we must find a way to bring them all home free before their time runs out.”

Senior US officials think Gaza ceasefire unlikely by end of Biden’s term — report

IDF troops with the 162nd Division are seen operating in the Tel Sultan neighborhood of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip in this handout photo published on September 19, 2024. (Israel Defense Forces)

Multiple senior US officials have reportedly acknowledged that a ceasefire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas is unlikely before the end of President Joe Biden’s term in office.

“No deal is imminent. I’m not sure it ever gets done,” says one of the US officials, speaking to the Wall Street Journal on condition of anonymity.

White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby acknowledged Wednesday that there has not been progress made in hostage talks over the past week. Nonetheless, Biden officials continue to stress in public and private that they will continue working to secure a deal.

The officials speaking to the Wall Street Journal say that one of the biggest obstacles has been the ratio of Palestinian security prisoners Israel must release in exchange for each hostage. The US has said publicly that Hamas has raised the number of prisoners it had originally asked for, even after executing six hostages earlier this month.

More broadly, WSJ reports that Hamas has made demands and then refuses to say “yes” to a deal after Israel accepts them.

The second major obstacle to a hostage deal cited by the US officials is the tensions between Israel and Hezbollah, which appear to be reaching a boiling point this week with the back-to-back mass detonations of Hezbollah’s communication devices, which have injured thousands of terror operatives. Those blasts were followed of airstrikes carried out by the IDF on Thursday against over 100 Hezbollah rocket projectile launchers in Lebanon that the army said were primed for a retaliatory strike.

The US officials from the White House, State Department and Pentagon tell the Journal that the possibility of a full-blown war between Israel and Hezbollah complicates diplomacy between Israel and Hamas.

Washington has long argued that the surest way to restore calm along the Blue Line is by securing a ceasefire in Gaza, and Hezbollah has asserted that it would halt its near-daily attacks against Israel if the fighting in the coastal enclave ends.

Keffiyeh-clad protester outside synagogue charged with violating NY county’s mask ban

EAST MEADOW, New York — A pro-Palestinian protestor wearing a keffiyeh scarf has been charged with violating a suburban New York City county’s new law banning face masks in public, reviving fears from opponents that the statute is being used to diminish free speech rights.

Police say the 26-year-old North Bellmore resident was arrested Sunday afternoon during a protest in front of Young Israel of Lawrence-Cedarhurst, an Orthodox synagogue near the New York City borough of Queens.

Nassau County Police Department spokesperson Scott Skrynecki says that officers questioned the man because he had been concealing his face with a keffiyeh, which has become a symbol of support for Palestinian people.

Police on the scene asked him if he was wearing the garment for medical or religious purposes, which are the two major exceptions to the new ban, according to Skrynecki. When the man confirmed he was wearing it in solidarity with Palestinians and not for either of those reasons, he was placed under arrest, Skrynecki says. He was eventually released with a notice to appear in court on October 2.

Videos showing some of the arrest have been shared on social media. They show the man wearing the keffiyeh around his neck as he’s led away by officers in handcuffs and continues to lead others in pro-Palestinian chants.

The man didn’t respond to calls and social media messages seeking comment Thursday.

Rachel Hu, a spokesperson for ANSWER Coalition, which organized a rally this week against the arrest, says the man is currently seeking legal counsel and won’t be commenting on the case until then.

“We feel that this arrest (and this ban overall) was aimed at intimidating known activists to discourage us from using our first amendment right to protest,” Hu writes in an email.

Sunday’s arrest is the third under the Mask Transparency Act approved by Nassau County’s Republican-controlled legislature and signed into law by Executive Bruce Blakeman last month, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s office.

GOP candidate in North Carolina called himself a ‘black NAZI’ on porn message board — report

Lieutenant Governor of North Carolina Mark Robinson speaks during the first day of the 2024 Republican National Convention at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 15, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)

WASHINGTON — The Republican candidate for governor of North Carolina rebuffed calls to drop out of the race following a report that he called himself a “black NAZI” and made other incendiary comments on a porn website message board.

A number of Republican officials in North Carolina are reportedly pressuring Mark Robinson to drop out, fearing his candidacy could impact the US presidential contest between the party’s nominee Donald Trump and Democrat Kamala Harris.

The battleground state of North Carolina, where Robinson is currently serving as lieutenant governor, is expected to play a pivotal role in the November White House election.

Robinson denounces the report by the CNN cable television network as “salacious tabloid lies.”

“We are staying in this race,” Robinson says in a videotaped message. “We are in it to win it.”

Asked about the CNN report about Robinson, Karoline Leavitt, a Trump campaign spokeswoman, says “President Trump’s campaign is focused on winning the White House and saving this country.

“North Carolina is a vital part of that plan,” Leavitt says.

Robinson, who has been endorsed by Trump, is currently trailing his Democratic opponent Josh Stein in the polls and his campaign has been dogged by some of his controversial past comments such as calling the Holocaust “hogwash.”

According to CNN, Robinson was active more than a decade ago on the message board of a porn site called “Nude Africa,” calling himself a “perv” and a “black NAZI” and making lewd and sexually graphic comments.

IDF investigating after soldiers filmed shoving gunmen’s bodies off West Bank roof

The IDF says it is investigating after soldiers were filmed shoving the bodies of Palestinian gunmen off a rooftop following an exchange of fire in the West Bank city of Qabatiya, near Jenin, earlier today.

“This is a serious incident that is not in line with IDF values ​​and what is expected of IDF soldiers,” the military says, adding that the incident is being investigated.

IDF troops killed four gunmen during clashes in Qabatiya earlier today, and carried out another drone strike against several more gunmen in a car in the evening hours, the military said.

Warning: Graphic footage

هدول برأيك أبرياء يا #ملكة_الأردن ؟!!
هدول برأيك أبرياء يا #وزيرة_الإمارات ؟!!

كل حدا وصف الصهاينة بالأبرياء هو إرهابي خنزير مثلهم.

■ فيديو آخر يظهر #وحشية_الاحتلال_الصهيوني بإلقاء جثامين الشهداء من سطح المنزل المحاصر في #قباطية جنوب #جنين في #الضفة_الغربية مساء الخميس. pic.twitter.com/MxKn5DxFjK

— Talal Ibrahim (@Talalibrahim81) September 19, 2024

تغطية صحفية: مشهد وحشي جديد.. جنود الاحتلال يلقون جثامين الشبان الذين ارتقوا من سطح المنزل المحاصر في بلدة قباطية جنوب جنين. pic.twitter.com/vlQ6kFUKUK

— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) September 19, 2024