Lebanese Civil Defense says five members killed in an Israeli strike
Five members of the Lebanese Civil Defense were killed Wednesday night, the agency said.
The members of the country's emergency medical service were killed in the town of Dardaghya town in southern Lebanon, the service said in a statement posted on X on Wednesday night.
Analysis: Why an Israeli hit on Iranian oil may hurt Biden, Harris
BEIRUT — According to officials, the Biden administration is worried about how Israel will to respond to last week’s missile attack by Iran and not just because of the soured relations between President Biden and Benjamin Netanyahu.
One domestic fear is that if Israel hits Iranian oil fields or nuclear sites, it could draw the U.S. into the conflict, either by forcing it to maneuver troops or defend against attacks on its bases just before American voters decide the next president in early November.
That could possibly spur support for former President Donald Trump, who has repeatedly criticized the Biden administration over its handling of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
An Israeli strike on Iranian oil facilities would prompt a sharp rise in the price of oil, analysts say, feeding through into higher gas prices. That, in turn, would allow Trump to complain about the cost of living. Beyond the big regional calculations, America might feel the effects back home too.
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Iran says diplomatic channels with the U.S. remain open through other countries
Iran's Foreign Minister says his country's diplomatic channels with the U.S. remain open through other countries, according to Al Jazeera.
Abbas Araghchi also told Al Jazeera that Iran is prepared for an Israeli response to the missile attack that Tehran launched last week. "We will assess how the attack unfolds, and based on that, we will carefully determine the nature of our response."
Israel launches two strikes on Syria
The Israeli military launched aerial strikes on western Syria early Thursday, the Syrian defense ministry said. The ministry added that the strikes hit a military site in Hama and a car assembly plant in Hassia.
Syrian state television also reported that the strikes hit vehicles loaded with medical and relief supplies and ignited a large fire in the area.
Iraqi paramilitary forces demonstrate in support of Hezbollah
In Basra on Wednesday night, members of the Iraqi paramilitary force known as the Popular Mobilization Forces displayed posters of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed last month by an Israeli strike. They also carried flags and placards to protest against ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon.
U.N. says a quarter of Lebanon under Israeli ‘military displacement orders’
At least a quarter of Lebanese territory is now under Israeli “military displacement orders,” according to the United Nations.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in an update earlier this week that displacement orders had been issued for more than 100 villages and urban neighborhoods across southern Lebanon.
The report cites data from the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights showing that more than 1.2 million people have been forced to flee their homes.
Some of those people have been displaced more than once since Israel ramped up its offensive in the country, with a growing number of people sleeping on the streets, in car parks and in playgrounds as shelters continue to fill up.
U.S. ambassador to U.N. urges Israel to address Gaza’s ‘catastrophic conditions’
Israel should take urgent steps to address conditions in Gaza and allow “desperately needed” humanitarian aid to reach civilians, the U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. told the organization's Security Council on Wednesday.
“Conditions are catastrophic and will further deteriorate if additional steps are not taken,” Linda Thomas-Greenfield said.
“We are particularly concerned that Palestinian civilians have nowhere safe to go,” she added. “That must change, and now.”
“The U.S. expects Palestinian civilians to be permitted to return home,” Thomas-Greenfield said. “There must be no demographic or territorial change in the Gaza Strip.”
Israeli military says 40 rockets launched from Lebanon
The Israeli military said Thursday that nearly 40 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Israel. The Israeli Defense Forces said that some of the rockets were intercepted, while others fell in the area.
The IDF said it continued targeting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, with a number of close-quarters encounters and aerial strikes occurring in the past the day. The Israeli military said it struck more than 110 targets in Lebanon.
Lebanese Civil Defense vehicles hit by Israeli strike
A photograph taken shows debris covering wrecked Civil Defense vehicles, after an overnight Israeli airstrike in the early hours of Thursday morning hit its emergency center in the southern village of Derdghaiya.
IDF says it killed two Hezbollah commanders
The Israeli military said Thursday that it killed Moustafa al-Haj Ali, a commander of the Houla Front in Hezbollah in strikes. Ali was responsible for hundreds of missile attacks towards northern Israel, the Israeli Defense Forces added.
The IDF also killed Mohammad Ali Hamdan, a Hezbollah anti-tank unit commander, adding that its air force had also struck ammunition depots in the Dahiyeh suburb of the capital Beirut and weapons storage depots and other military infrastructure in souther Lebanon on Wednesday.