Live blog: Dozens of Israelis wounded in Hezbollah drone strike on Haifa

Sunday, October 13, 2024

1900 GMT — At least 67 Israelis were injured, including four critically, in a Hezbollah drone attack on the city of Haifa in northern Israel, according to the Israeli Army Radio.

The daily Israel Hayom also reported that a large number of Israelis were wounded due to the drone explosion in the town of Binyamina in Haifa.

In a statement, the Lebanese Hezbollah group confirmed that it launched a swarm of attack drones on a training camp for the Golani Brigade in Binyamina, south of Haifa.

The Israeli Army Radio said that the army has opened an investigation into the failure to activate the sirens when the drone entered northern Israel.

According to the daily Israel Hayom, residents of Haifa and surrounding areas, including the Kiryat settlements, heard explosions without the activation of sirens.

It is the highest number of casualties among Israelis in a single event since October 7 last year, according to Israeli media.

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1701 GMT — Israeli attack on UN peacekeepers 'unacceptable,’ Italian premier tells Netanyahu

Tel Aviv's attack on UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops was "unacceptable,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni told her Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call.

"Prime Minister Meloni reiterated that it is unacceptable for UNIFIL to have been attacked by the Israeli armed forces," the Italian premier’s office said in a statement.

Meloni emphasised that "the mission operates under the authority of the UN Security Council (UNSC) to contribute to regional stability," and "stressed the absolute necessity of ensuring the safety of UNIFIL personnel at all times."

1515 GMT — Israeli bombing claims lives of five children playing in Gaza

Five children were killed and 12 people, including women, were injured in an Israeli bombardment of Gaza City, according to a medical source.

The fatalities occurred when Israeli forces shelled a group of civilians near a cafe in the Shati refugee camp west of the city, the source said.

The children were playing when they were killed by a drone strike, according to WAFA, which cited local sources.

The Israeli military did not comment on the report.

1603 GMT — Pentagon: US will send THAAD missile defence system to Israel

The Pentagon said it will deploy a high-altitude anti-missile system and its US military crew to Israel to help the ally protect itself from potential Iranian missile attacks.

At the direction of US President Joe Biden, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin "authorized the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery and associated crew of US military personnel to Israel to help bolster Israel's air defenses following Iran's unprecedented attacks against Israel on April 13 and again on October 1," Pentagon press secretary Pat Ryder said in a statement.

1537 GMT — 3 Lebanese soldiers injured in Israeli strike in southern Lebanon

Three Lebanese soldiers were injured in an Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon, the state news agency NNA reported.

The attack targeted a military vehicle on a road leading to the border town of Burj al Muluk, the broadcaster said.

1314 GMT — Palestine hails Spain's call to halt arms exports to Israel

Palestine welcomed a call by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to halt weapons exports to Israel amid its attacks in Gaza and Lebanon.

In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said Sanchez’s call "is entirely consistent with international law and international legitimacy resolutions and supports the two-state solution and principles of human rights.”

The ministry held "countries that provide arms and military equipment to Israel responsible for encouraging it to continue its crimes and violations against the Palestinian people."

It called on signatories of the Arms Trade Treaty “to act decisively to end Israel's use of arms and military equipment to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law, human rights, and against Palestinian civilians."

1250 GMT — 17 Israeli soldiers injured in Lebanon clashes

At least 17 Israeli soldiers were injured in clashes in southern Lebanon, according to Israeli media.

Israel Hayom newspaper said the soldiers were admitted to the Galilee Medical Center in northern Israel on Sunday morning.

It said four of the soldiers were in moderate condition, while the rest sustained minor injuries.

1215 GMT — More than 300 killed in northern Gaza over past week amid Israeli offensive: local authorities

More than 300 people have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive in northern Gaza since last week, local authorities said.

“We have documented 300 deaths in nine consecutive days of genocide amid systematic killings and a complete siege against civilians,” Ismail al Thawabteh, who heads Palestinian media office in Gaza, told a press conference.

“This is deliberately and intentionalloy being done under full cover from the US administration, which supports and works to engineer genocide and fully cover up the massacres of the occupation,” he added.

1144 GMT — At least 8 killed in Israeli artillery shelling in central Gaza

At least eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli artillery shelling in central Gaza , a medical source said.

Several people were also injured, including three critically, in the attack that targeted the northern part of the Bureij refugee camp, the source added.

1130 GMT — Israel raises approval level for use of heavy weapon amid ammunition shortage

The Israeli army has raised the command level required to authorise the use of heavy weapons, according to local media.

Under the new order, the use of heavy weapons such as shells must be approved by a brigadier commander, Haaretz reported.

It also came amid an ammunition shortage in the Israeli army against the backdrop of bans imposed by some Western countries on weapons exports to Tel Aviv over its ongoing war on Gaza.

The Israeli army is now employing a "strict economy in armament," Haaretz said, citing unnamed sources.

0959 GMT — Israel kills 52 more Palestinians as Gaza death toll tops 42,200

At least 52 more Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza, pushing up the overall death toll since last year to 42,227, the Health Ministry in the besieged enclave has said.

A ministry statement added that some 98,464 others have been wounded in the ongoing assault.

“Israeli forces killed 52 people and injured 128 others in four massacres of families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

1108 GMT — Expansion of Lebanon war delays cease-fire, UNRWA chief warns

An expansion of the war in Lebanon hinders efforts to reach a ceasefire, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned.

“I’m just back from Lebanon where people live in fear and anxiety,” UNRWA Commission-General Philippe Lazzarini said on X.

“Hundreds of thousands of people, the vast majority of them women and children, have been forced to flee in search of safety.”

“The expansion of the war into Lebanon is taking us away from reaching a ceasefire needed for a respite of civilians across the region,” he warned.

1044 GMT — Israeli foreign minister reiterates UN Chief Guterres is persona non grata over Iran stance

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz has reiterated that the country considers UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres persona non grata due to his failure to condemn Iran's missile attack and what Katz described as antisemitic and anti-Israel conduct.

Katz had said on Oct. 2 that he was barring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not "unequivocally" condemned the missile attack.

1040 GMT — Israeli PM Netanyahu urges UN to evacuate peacekeepers from combat areas in Lebanon

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has urged the United Nations to evacuate troops in its UNIFIL peacekeeping force from combat areas in Lebanon.

Netanyahu said the military had asked the UN to evacuate the soldiers repeatedly, adding that their presence in the area made them hostages of Hezbollah.

1037 GMT — French president calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon amid rising tensions

French President Emmanuel Macron has discussed the regional situation in the Middle East with the Iraqi premier and Lebanese parliament speaker.

In a phone call, Macron and Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani expressed serious concerns about escalating tensions in the Middle East, according to a statement from the Elysee Palace.

They reaffirmed their shared commitment to preventing further regional conflict.

1031 GMT — Iran FM says 'no red lines in defending our people and interests'

Iran's top diplomat has vowed there would be "no red lines" for the country in defending its people and interests, ahead of Israel's expected retaliation for Iran's recent missile attack.

"While we have made tremendous efforts in recent days to contain an all-out war in our region, I say it clearly that we have no red lines in defending our people and interests," Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi wrote in a post on X.

0934 GMT — Hezbollah says fighting with Israeli troops at 'point-blank range' in Lebanon village

The Iran-backed Hezbollah group has said it clashed at "point-blank range" with troops at a Lebanon border village after earlier saying they launched a rocket salvo at a base in southern Haifa.

Hezbollah fighters launched a rocket salvo on a "base in southern Haifa", the group said in a statement, later reporting they clashed with Israeli troops at the border village of Blida "with machine guns at point-blank range".

0902 GMT — Israel envoy criticises Japan atomic survivor's Gaza comparison

Israel's ambassador to Japan has criticised a leader of Nihon Hidankyo, the atomic bomb survivors' group awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, for comparing their experiences to the children of Gaza.

Gilad Cohen congratulated Nihon Hidankyo for winning this year's prize but said in a post on social media platform X on Sunday the comparison drawn by the group's co-chair Toshiyuki Mimaki "is outrageous and baseless".

0851 GMT — Israeli strike injures Red Cross volunteers in Lebanon

Four Lebanese Red Cross volunteers have been injured during an Israeli air strike while responding to casualties from an earlier attack on a home in Srobbine, a village in Lebanon’s Nabatiyeh governorate, according to the Red Cross.

In a statement, the Red Cross reported that emergency teams were dispatched to the site of the first Israeli air strike in Srobbine around 8.00 am (0500GMT), in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).

As the volunteers searched for victims, the house was struck again, injuring four Red Cross responders and damaging two ambulances. The injured were transported to a hospital with minor injuries and are reported to be in stable condition.

0845 GMT — Israel prepares for potential strike on Iran in coordination with US, deploys missile defence system

The Israeli army is reportedly preparing for possible action against Iran in coordination with the United States following a retaliatory missile attack by Iran on Israel earlier this month, Israeli media has reported.

Israel has "already decided on the type of response to Iran," though the exact timing remains undecided, according to Channel 12.

On Saturday evening, the Israeli army announced the deployment of the US-made THAAD missile defence system in Israel to counter potential long-range ballistic missile threats from Iran.

0837 GMT — Israeli air strikes across Gaza kill at least nine Palestinians

At least nine Palestinians have been killed this morning as Israel continues to bomb various locations across Gaza, the Palestinian news agency WAFA has reported.

Local reports indicate that Israeli warplanes targeted a group of individuals east of Deir al Balah, killing one person and wounding several others.

In a separate incident, Israeli artillery shelling in Block 1 of the Bureij refugee camp killed three local Palestinians and left additional injuries.

In a further escalation, Israeli air strikes on the Al Ettesalat area, located west of the Jabalia refugee camp, killed five more Palestinians, with additional injuries reported.

These military actions coincide with reports of explosions from the Israeli army demolishing dozens of homes in Jabalia and surrounding areas, particularly in the al-Safatay and al-Tuwam neighbourhoods.

0823 GMT — Palestinian detainee dies in Israeli hospital: Palestinian authority

A Palestinian prisoner receiving treatment in an Israeli hospital has died, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs has announced.

According to the commission, Muhammad Munir Musa, a 37-year-old resident of Bethlehem in the southern occupied West Bank, died at Soroka Hospital in Beersheba, southern Israel.

The authority stated that Musa had been detained by Israeli authorities since April 20, 2023.

0810 GMT — Israeli tanks deepen their push into northern Gaza

Israeli forces widened their raid into northern Gaza, and tanks reached the north edge of Gaza City, pounding some districts of the Sheikh Radwan neighbourhood, residents have said, forcing many families to leave their homes.

Residents said Israeli forces have effectively isolated Beit Hanoun, Jabalia, and Beit Lahiya in the far north of the enclave from Gaza City, blocking access between the two areas except upon their permission for families willing to leave the three towns, heeding evacuation orders.

0624 GMT — Australian foreign minister lashes out at opposition for not supporting Gaza ceasefire

Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong has lashed out at the opposition for not supporting the growing calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

Wong said that the opposition leader, Peter Dutton, is 'extreme' for not supporting Middle East ceasefire calls, local broadcaster SBS News reported.

Wong's comments came after Liberal senator James Paterson said the opposition wants an end to lingering conflict in the Middle East, but refused to back a ceasefire.

0610 GMT — Israel bombs a historic mosque in southern Lebanon

In a series of pre-dawn air strikes, Israeli warplanes targeted multiple locations in southern Lebanon, causing significant destruction, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

At approximately 3:45 a.m., an air strike levelled the historic old mosque in the centre of the town of Kfar Tibnit, completely destroying the structure, the agency reported.

Earlier, at around 12:15 a.m., another air strike targeted a three-storey building next to Ghabris station on the Zefta-Nabatieh highway, also destroying it, it added.

The strike caused the closure of the road as debris from the building blocked access. The same building had been previously struck in an air raid a week earlier, partially damaging it.

A third air strike was carried out at approximately 1:30 a.m., this time targeting the town of Aita al-Shaab. No further details on casualties or additional damage were immediately available.

0535 GMT — Hezbollah says clashes after Israeli troop infiltration attempts

Lebanon's Hezbollah group has said it clashed twice with Israeli troops who attempted to infiltrate near a Lebanese border village and claimed several other attacks overnight.

Hezbollah fighters detonated explosive devices at Israeli soldiers and "clashed with them as they attempted to infiltrate" twice near the Lebanese village of Ramia, the group said, reporting fighting that lasted about an hour.

The group also claimed attacks on Israeli troops in Lebanon and on the Israeli side of the border.

0419 GMT — Venezuela sends 14 tons of humanitarian aid to Syria for Lebanese refugees

Venezuela has announced the delivery of 14 tons of humanitarian aid to Lebanese refugees who fled to Syria because of Israeli attacks.

Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said the donation was provided by the people of Venezuela, and the aid would be delivered to those in need as soon as possible.

A ceremony took at the Simon Bolivar International Airport in the city of Maiquetia in La Guaira state and was attended by Tatiana Pugh, deputy minister for Asia, the Middle East and Oceania, along with Lebanese and Syrian ambassadors Elias Lebbos and Kenan Zaher Al Deen, respectively.

0036 GMT — US expresses concern over Israeli attacks on UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin voiced concern about Israel's attacks on UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) positions in southern Lebanon during a telephone call with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

Austin "expressed his deep concern about reports that Israeli forces fired on UN peacekeeping positions in Lebanon as well as by the reported death of two Lebanese soldiers," Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said in a statement.

"The Secretary strongly emphasised the importance of ensuring the safety and security of UNIFIL forces and Lebanese Armed Forces and reinforced the need to pivot from military operations in Lebanon to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible," it said.

2241 GMT — Iran's parliament speaker reiterates support for Lebanon amid Israeli aggression

Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said that Tehran "supports all decisions issued by the government and the resistance in Lebanon" with the Israeli onslaught against that country.

"I bring with me a message from the Iranian leadership that it will remain by Lebanon's side during these difficult times," Qalibaf said at a news conference alongside his Lebanese counterpart, Nabih Berri, after a meeting in the Ain El Tineh area in western Beirut.

The Iranian speaker said that "the Iranian government and nation are ready to help the displaced and war-stricken people in Lebanon by widespread dispatch of supplies through an air corridor."

2227 GMT — Gaza authorities say Israeli genocide part of displacement plan

The Gaza Media Office said that the Israeli army is intensifying genocide in northern Gaza, including the Jabalia refugee camp, with "massacres and deliberate killings" since its ground encroachment on October 6.

"The occupation army is preventing rescue teams and civil defence from retrieving more than 75 martyrs out of 285 who have been killed during its ground assault," it said in a statement.

It "is committing crimes against humanity and engaging in premeditated killing by bombing displacement and shelter centres, carrying out horrific massacres against civilians through targeted shelling of gatherings of children and women," it said.

2213 GMT — Israel kills 15 people, wounds scores in northern and central Lebanon

Israel has killed at least 15 people in its strikes in northern and central Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The first strike targeted an apartment in a residential building in the town of Barja in Mount Lebanon in the central area of the country, killing four people and wounding 14 others, it said.

The air strike marked the first attack on the town since the onset of the onslaught, according to local media.

The second strike hit a home in the town of Maaysrah in Mount Lebanon, killing nine and wounding 15, said the ministry.

It reported separately that two people were killed and four injured in an Israeli airstrike on the town of Deir Billah in northern Lebanon.

2203 GMT — Israel kills six Palestinians in central besieged Gaza

Israel has killed six Palestinians in its strikes targeting a house in Nuseirat camp that belonged to the Abu Dalal family in central Gaza, a medical source told Anadolu Agency.

Israel has continued its carnage on besieged Gaza since October 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire.

2102 GMT — Israeli strikes wound patients at hospital in eastern Lebanon

A government hospital in the Baalbek region of eastern Lebanon said that several patients were wounded, and it sustained severe damage from Israeli air strikes near the hospital.

The Tamnin General Hospital said that "for the third consecutive time today, the aggressive Israeli enemy has targeted the area surrounding the hospital."

The strikes "resulted in significant and severe damage to the hospital, in addition to injuring many patients present in the hospital due to flying glass and shrapnel."

"While we condemn this aggression against healthcare institutions, we assure the enemy that its brutality will not deter us from continuing our path," it added.

1951 GMT — Protests against Israeli aggression in Gaza, Lebanon erupt across Europe

Protests against Israel's aggression on Gaza and Lebanon were held in several European cities, with hundreds rallying in Stockholm, Paris, and Berlin calling for an immediate ceasefire.

In Stockholm, demonstrators gathered at Odenplan, marching toward the Swedish parliament while chanting slogans such as "Killer Israel, get out of Palestine" and "Immediate and unconditional ceasefire."

In Paris, supporters of Palestine and Lebanon convened near the Fontaine des Innocents, demanding an end to Israeli attacks and urging the French government to withdraw its support for Tel Aviv.

In Berlin, around 2,000 participants marched from Innsbruck Square to Steglitz metro station, denouncing the attacks with slogans like "Stop funding genocide" and "Freedom for Palestine."

1935 GMT — Lives of children in Palestine, Lebanon 'torn apart in unimaginable ways': UNICEF chief

The lives of children in Palestine and Lebanon are "torn apart in unimaginable ways," the executive director of UNICEF said.

"Tens of thousands of children have died. Thousands more are in captivity, displaced, orphaned, out of school, and suffer trauma from violence and war," Catherine Russell said in a statement.

She said that all parties are obligated to protect civilians, including children, humanitarian workers and civilian infrastructure, including schools and health facilities.

"Parties must allow unfettered access to life-saving aid. These obligations are flagrantly disregarded," Russell added.

Calling the deaths and suffering of children "shameful," she said: "The daily bloodshed and horror for children are an affront to the most fundamental values of humanity. The violence against children, the most vulnerable among us, must end."

For our live updates from Saturday, October 12, 2024, click here.