What we know
- U.S. officials told NBC News that Israel has narrowed down potential targets in their response to Iran’s attack, which these officials describe as Iranian military and energy infrastructure.
- Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a round of high-level diplomatic talks, which has included urging Arab nations not to allow Israel to use their airspace, saying countries that do so could potentially become part of a war.
- President Joe Biden said that he is "absolutely, positively" asking the Israeli military to stop hitting U.N. peacekeepers, as international outrage grows over the attacks, which the Lebanese prime minister has called a potential war crime.
- The Israel Defense Forces has issued new evacuation warnings as it intensifies a renewed offensive on northern Gaza. Aid workers said Israeli bombings are "turning north Gaza into uninhabitable ruins."
Nicaragua cuts diplomatic ties with Israel
Nicaragua released a statement severing diplomatic ties with Israel for what it calls its "genocide" of the Palestinian people for the past year.
"This systematic destruction that began seventy-six years ago has claimed the lives, since October 2023, of more than forty-two thousand people, mainly women, children and the elderly; every day the figures continue to increase and their criminal actions have spread to other peoples in the region such as Lebanon, Syria, Yemen and Iran," the Nicaragua National Assembly said in the statement.
The national assembly called Israel's ongoing campaign in Gaza "the most detestable atrocity of the 21st century," adding that hospitals, schools and homes have been mercilessly bombed in the process.
The assembly reiterated its support for the creation of a free Palestinian state.
U.S. conducts strikes on Islamic State group in Syria
The U.S. military conducted airstrikes against multiple Islamic State group camps in Syria yesterday morning, according to a statement released today.
Central Command said the strikes will "disrupt the ability of ISIS to plan, organize and conduct attacks."
It said that battle damage assessments are underway and "do not indicate civilian casualties."
Patients evacuated from hospital in northern Gaza in 12 hour mission
The Palestine Red Crescent Society said it evacuated patients from Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza in a "complex mission" that lasted 12 hours.
The hospital has been under siege by Israel for days. Israeli forces ordered staff and patients to evacuate the hospital, threatening them with arrest if they do not comply, according to the enclave's health ministry.
Sixteen patients and 14 of their friends or family members were successfully evacuated, according to the PRCS.
The organization shared video that showed patients with various injuries being taken off of ambulances following their evacuation.
IDF declares closed military zone in northern Israel
The IDF declared a closed military zone in northern Israel a short while ago.
"Following a situational assessment, the areas of Zar’it, Shomera, Shtula, Netu’a, and Even Menachem in northern Israel will be declared a closed military zone as of 20:00 today (Saturday)," the IDF said in a statement. "Entry to this area is prohibited."
The IDF did not elaborate on the reasons for today's action near the country's border with Lebanon, where tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have been escalating.
Almost half of health care centers in Lebanon closed due to 'escalation of violence,' WHO says
Around 100 out of 207 health care centers in Lebanon are now closed due to the "escalation of violence," according to World Health Organization Director General Tedros Ghebreyesus.
"The attacks on health workers and facilities, which have caused almost 100 deaths, must stop," Ghebreyesus wrote on X. "The number of people injured is increasing. The health system is struggling to cope due to limited human and resource capacity."
Five hospitals have shut down due to structural damage following airstrikes, he said.
"We call for the urgent protection of patients and health workers. We call for peace," Ghebreyesus wrote.
Hezbollah fired more than 300 projectiles into Israel over Yom Kippur, IDF says
The IDF said Hezbollah launched more than 300 projectiles into Israel this weekend.
"Over a million Israelis ran to shelter during their fast this weekend, the holiest weekend of the year for Jews, as 320 projectiles were launched at them by Hezbollah," an army spokesperson said on X.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad claims credit for two projectiles launched from Gaza into southern Israel
Two projectiles were launched from northern Gaza into Ashkelon, a city in southern Israel, according to the IDF.
Sirens sounded in the coastal city tonight as the two projectiles were identified and fell into an open area, the IDF said, adding that no injuries were reported.
Palestinian Islamic Jihad later took credit for the attack, saying it bombed Ashkelon "and the settlements surrounding Gaza with a number of rockets."
Norwegian Foreign Minister says humanitarian situation in Gaza 'deteriorating dramatically'
Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide issued a dire warning in a statement about the humanitarian situation in Gaza, which he says is "deteriorating dramatically."
"For more than a year, the people of Gaza have lived in fear of death and destruction," Eide said. "While much attention is focused on Lebanon and a possible escalation in the region, the war in Gaza continues."
Eide said his administration has criticized Israel and Hamas "for violating the rules of war," adding that "Israel’s brutal warfare in Gaza includes indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, as well as measures that prevent the population from receiving humanitarian aid."
Norway has been actively engaged in Gaza through humanitarian and diplomatic efforts.
"The Israeli authorities are still largely preventing access to food and necessary emergency aid," in Gaza, Eide said.
A cease-fire, the release of hostages and humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza are needed, Eide said, but the only path to stability in the region is a two state solution.
"I call on all parties to de-escalate and to replace force of arms with diplomacy and negotiations," he said.
Fifth U.N. peacekeeper wounded in Lebanon
A peacekeeper at the U.N. Interim Forces in Lebanon was injured at the organization's headquarters in Naqoura last night after he was hit by gunfire, the organization's fifth casualty in two days.
A statement released by UNIFIL today said that the victim underwent surgery to remove the bullet "and is currently stable."
It said that it did not yet know the origin of the fire.
Four U.N. peacekeepers were injured last week due to Israeli attacks on UNIFIL positions in southern Lebanon. The IDF says it is in "constant communication" with UNIFIL.
IDF issues evacuation orders for 20 villages in southern Lebanon
The IDF ordered residents of 22 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate north of the Awali River today as it continued its ground invasion across the country.
“The IDF does not want to harm you,” spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a statement on X, adding that anyone near Hezbollah facilities is "putting his life at risk.
The IDF has issued similar evacuation orders for dozens of other villages in the south.