Live blog: UN Security Council condemns attacks on peacekeepers in Lebanon

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

1853 GMT — The United Nations Security Council has issued a statement that expressed concerns about recent attacks affecting UN peacekeepers stationed in Lebanon, as Israeli strikes have intensified.

"Against the backdrop of ongoing hostilities along the Blue Line, the members of the Security Council condemned the several incidents that impacted United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) positions and injured UNIFIL peacekeepers in the past weeks, including the ones on 29 October, 7 November and 8 November 2024," said a statement by Security Council members.

Urging "all parties to take all measures to respect the safety and security of UNIFIL personnel and premises," Council members "recalled that peacekeepers must never be the target of an attack."

"They reiterated their full support to UNIFIL, underscoring its role in supporting regional stability, and expressed their deep appreciation to UNIFIL's troop-contributing countries," it added.

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1828 GMT — Six Israeli soldiers killed in southern Lebanon

The Israeli forces have reported that six of its soldiers have been killed in southern Lebanon.

1821 GMT — Entire generation in Gaza would lose education if UNRWA collapses: UN

An entire generation of Palestinians in Gaza would "be denied the right to education" if the United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA collapses in the enclave under new Israeli legislation, the head of UNRWA warned.

Israel's parliament passed a law last month that will ban UNRWA from operating in the country when it takes effect in late January. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said its implementation "will have catastrophic consequences."

"In Gaza, dismantling UNRWA will collapse the United Nations humanitarian response, which relies heavily on the agency's infrastructure," he told a UN General Assembly committee. "Glaringly absent from discussions about Gaza without UNRWA, is education."

"In the absence of a capable public administration or state, only UNRWA can deliver education to more than 660,000 girls and boys across Gaza. In the absence of UNRWA, an entire generation will be denied the right to education," he said, warning that this would sow "the seeds for marginalization and extremism."

1757 GMT — Hamas targets Israeli forces in southern Gaza City

Hamas' military wing announced that fighters have targeted Israeli forces stationed in the Netzarim axis, south of Gaza City, referring to the area established by the Israeli army to separate the besieged enclave's northern and southern regions.

In a statement, it said that its fighters, in collaboration with the Jihad Jibril Brigades, the military wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, launched 107 rockets at "enemy forces stationed in the Netzarim area."

1756 GMT — No agreement with Lebanon unless Hezbollah disarms: Israeli military

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said that any agreement with Lebanon must include Hezbollah’s disarmament and withdrawal north of the Litani River.

Katz’s comments reflect his hardline stance, which contrasts with Foreign Minister Gideon Saar’s statement earlier this week suggesting “progress” in ceasefire talks.

“We struck Hezbollah hard; now we must continue with full force to achieve victory,” Katz said, according to Israeli Army Radio, during his first visit to the Israeli forces’ northern headquarters, accompanied by Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi and regional commander Maj. Gen. Uri Gordin.

He emphasised that Israel would not consider a ceasefire or halt military offensive unless its core objectives were met -- Hezbollah’s disarmament, the group’s retreat beyond the Litani River, and the safe return of northern Israelis to their homes.

1748 GMT — Syria state media reports Israeli raid near Lebanon border

Syrian regime media said that Israel had carried out an air raid in a region near the border with Lebanon which is a known stronghold of Hezbollah.

The Sana news agency said that "the Israeli aggression" on the Homs region had been met with a barrage of anti-aircraft fire.

1557 GMT — Heavy barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon at Israel

The Israeli military said that a heavy barrage of rockets was fired from Lebanon at Israel.

Following sirens that sounded in a number of areas in central Israel, approximately five projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon, the military said in a statement.

1553 GMT — Lebanon death toll from Israeli strikes rises to 3,365

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed at least 3,365 and wounded 14,344 since 0ct. 7 2023, the Lebanese health ministry said.

The Health Ministry also stated that 78 people have been killed and 122 wounded in the last 24 hours.

1551 GMT — Palestinian child injured by Israeli army fire in West Bank raid

A Palestinian child was injured by Israeli army fire in the occupied West Bank, the Red Crescent Society said.

The organisation said the 14-year-old boy was shot in both legs by Israeli forces during clashes in the town of Beit Furik near Nablus.

According to the official news agency Wafa, clashes erupted in the town after an Israeli military raid, with army forces using live fire and tear gas canisters against angry residents.

1449 GMT — Israel rejects aid groups' Gaza report

Israel rejected accusations made by eight international aid groups, including Oxfam and Save the Children, that Israel had failed to meet US demands to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

COGAT, the branch of the Israeli military which coordinates humanitarian aid to Gaza, claimed humanitarian organisations had not coordinated with or sought information from, the military before filing their report and thus had produced a conclusion based on "partial information".

The military said the organisations had evaluated a joint task force of the military and international bodies for humanitarian aid "despite none of the organisations being partners in this room or aware of the processes occurring there".

1446 GMT — Israeli air strikes kill at least 9, including children, in Gaza's 'safe zone'

At least nine people, including children, were killed in two Israeli air strikes in a designated "safe zone" in southern Gaza, according to a medical source.

Israeli fighter jets hit a house in the al-Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis, leaving eight people dead, including children, the source said.

One person was also killed and several people were injured in another strike near a tent encampment in al-Mawasi, which was designated by the Israeli army as a “safe zone” for displaced civilians in Gaza, the source added.

1442 GMT — Hezbollah launches drone strike on Israeli army HQ in Tel Aviv

Hezbollah said it launched a drone attack targeting Israel's military headquarters and the Ministry of Defence in the city of Tel Aviv.

In a statement, the Lebanese group said it conducted an "aerial attack with a squadron of exploding drones" on the site housing Israel's main defence institutions in the commercial hub.

1430 GMT — British premier tells UK parliament there's no genocide in Gaza

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has told the parliament that Israel is not committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

During the Prime Minister’s Questions at the House of Commons, Independent lawmaker Ayoub Khan raised comments from Foreign Secretary David Lammy, who recently claimed that the term genocide referred to “when millions of people lost their lives in crises like Rwanda, the Second World War in the Holocaust” and that using it to describe Gaza “now undermines [its] seriousness”.

Khan then said Lammy’s words were not acceptable.

“Article two of the United Nations Genocide Convention makes it explicitly clear that genocide is not about numbers, it's about intent. The intent of the Israeli government and the IDF has been explicitly clear in words and in actions over the past 400 days, more than 45,000 innocent men, women and children killed.”

The lawmaker said the foreign minister explicitly denied that a genocide was even taking place and “suggested that the Israeli army had not yet killed enough Palestinians” to constitute a genocide.

1422 GMT — France condemns Israeli minister’s call for West Bank annexation

France condemned Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s call to annex the occupied West Bank.

"France condemns the recent remarks of Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich in favour of the annexation of the West Bank by Israel," the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

It recalled that those remarks were "against international law and the efforts that aim a de-escalation of the regional tensions."

1419 GMT — India calls for early ceasefire in Gaza

India called for an "early ceasefire" in Gaza, expressing concern over the continuing death of innocent civilians.

In a post on X, Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said he held “productive discussions” on the “multi-faceted bilateral ties" and the ongoing conflict in West Asia with his Saudi counterpart Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud in New Delhi.

“We also exchanged views on regional and international issues, especially the ongoing conflict in West Asia and our joint efforts in various multilateral fora,” Jaishankar added.

1411 GMT — Türkiye has given strongest response to Israel's atrocities: Erdogan

Without doubt, Türkiye gave the strongest response to Israel's atrocities in Palestine through such steps as halting trade, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Ankara suspended all trade with Israel in May, citing a worsening humanitarian tragedy in Gaza, where Israel has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians since last October.

"As long as arms shipments continue, Israel will be more aggressive, as every day that Israel is not stopped, the situation in Palestine and Lebanon worsens," Erdogan told reporters on his return flight from visits to Saudi Arabia and Azerbaijan.

One of the concrete steps that can be taken against Israel's attacks is to work for the recognition of the state of Palestine, he underscored, adding: "Without a two-state solution, peace and stability will not come to the region.”

1217 GMT — Gaza death toll tops 43,700 as Israeli attacks intensify

At least 47 more Palestinians have been killed in relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 43,712, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that 103,258 others were wounded in the ongoing assault.

"The Israeli occupation has committed seven massacres of families in the last 24 hours, resulting in 47 deaths and 182 injuries," the ministry said.

1059 GMT — Türkiye, Russia and China signs initiative at UN for arms embargo on Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Russia and China have signed a Turkish-led initiative at the United Nations, calling for an arms embargo on Israel, according to NTV reports.

1059 GMT — Erdogan hopes for new US approach after 'concerning' Trump messages on Mideast

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he hoped that United States President-elect Donald Trump would take a different approach to the Middle East during his term, but that some of the messages coming from his side were concerning, broadcaster NTV reported.

"It seems too early to me to make observations about this," Erdogan told reporters on a return flight from Baku. "Our hope is that Trump takes very different steps toward the region this term because the messages being given from time to time concern us," he was cited as saying.

Asked about Türkiye's decision to halt all trade with Israel in May, Erdogan said Ankara had no trade ties with Israel at the moment and no desire to develop them.

"A Republic of Türkiye that is headed by Tayyip Erdogan can't continue to develop its relationship with Israel. We have no such intention," he was cited as saying. "We have cut trade and ties with Israel, period."

1019 GMT — Blinken calls on Israel for 'extended pauses' in Gaza

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel to implement "real and extended pauses" in its war on Gaza to allow for the delivery of aid.

"We need to see real and extended pauses in large areas of Gaza, pauses in any fighting, any combat, so that the assistance can effectively get to people who need it," Blinken told reporters during a visit to Brussels.

He added that Israel was taking steps to address the dire humanitarian situation in the besieged Palestinian territory.

1007 GMT — Islamic Jihad releases video of Israeli hostage in Gaza

The Palestinian Islamic Jihad group, an ally of Hamas, released a video of a man identifying himself as an Israeli hostage held in Gaza since the October 7 attack on Israel.

In the video, the hostage identifying himself as Sasha Trupanov spoke about Israeli military raids in Lebanon, and called on Israelis to increase pressure on the government to secure the release of hostages.

0815 GMT — 'People are hungry, they're cold," INARA founder tells TRT World

In an interview with TRT World, Arwa Damon, founder of the humanitarian organisation INARA, described the desperate conditions in Gaza, where aid delivery falls drastically short of meeting basic needs.

According to Damon, while at least 350 trucks of aid are needed daily, an average of just 30 trucks arrived in October, leaving people without essentials like food, clean water, medical care, and winter clothing. "People are hungry, they're cold," she said.

Damon recalled a harrowing moment at Al Aqsa Hospital, where doctors managed to save a two-year-old boy — rescued twice from rubble — using a pediatric tracheostomy tube she had previously arranged for the hospital. "I asked the doctor, what is that? He said it's his brain," she recounted, describing the child's skull exposed by an injury.

Damon added that Palestinians feel "despondent, heartbroken, gutted and angry," noting the painful awareness many have that they are often seen as less than human, especially by Western nations.

0744 GMT — Israeli warplanes strike several areas in Beirut's southern suburb

Israeli warplanes carried out a series airstrikes on areas in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon's state news agency NNA reported.

Air strikes targeted the areas of Haret Hreik, Bir al-Abed, Laylaki and Ghobeiry, Lebanese media reported, adding that the Dar El-Hawraa Medical Center in Haret Hreik was also struck.

The southern suburb, especially the Haret Hreik neighbourhood, has come under regular Israeli attacks since October.

0714 GMT — Israeli air strike on south Beirut residential building kills 8

Israeli air strike on a residential building has killed at least eight people in south Lebanon's Dawhet Aramoun area, Lebanese state news agency reports.

Several other people were injured in the attack that targeted the Dawhet Aramoun area, the state news agency NNA reported.

Damage was reported to several buildings in the area.

0655 GMT –– Israeli forces hit Lebanon's residential area in dawn attack

Israeli forces targeted a residential apartment in Dawhet Aramoun, south of Beirut, according to Lebanese state media.

The official National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes carried out a dawn strike on a building in the area, resulting in several injuries.

0059 GMT –– UN expresses concern over Israel's military tactics in Gaza

The UN expressed deep concern Tuesday over Israel's military tactics in Gaza, warning that the ongoing attacks may represent "systematic violations" of international humanitarian law.

"The pattern of strikes indicate that the Israeli Defence Forces have systematically violated fundamental principles of international humanitarian law, distinction, proportionality and precaution in attack," Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights Ilze Brands Kehris told a UN Security Council session on Palestine.

Citing the latest report from the UN's Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) in which it indicated that famine is likely imminent, she stressed that "this horrific possibility cannot be separated from the unrelenting attacks on the human rights of civilians there".

She further noted that international law strictly prohibits the use of starvation as a method of warfare and emphasized the urgent need to safeguard civilian lives in Gaza.

0354 GMT –– US strikes Iranian-backed groups in Syria: CENTCOM

The US carried out airstrikes in Syria on Tuesday in response to recent attacks on American forces by Iranian-backed groups, said the United States Central Command (CENTCOM).

"These strikes were in response to a rocket attack on US personnel at Patrol Base Shaddadi. There was no damage to US facilities and no injuries to US or partner forces during the attack," CENTCOM said in a statement.

It added that the strikes are meant to "degrade the Iranian-backed groups' ability to plan and launch future attacks".

0230 GMT –– Arab Americans who voted for Trump urge him to demand ceasefire in Palestine, Lebanon

Arab Americans who voted for Donald Trump in the Muslim-majority US city of Dearborn, Michigan have urged the president-elect to demand an immediate ceasefire in Palestine and Lebanon.

In a letter posted on Instagram, the MENA American Chamber of Commerce, on behalf of Lebanese Americans, congratulated Trump on his return to the White House and said Dearborn "turned red in this presidential election", referring to the colour designation used by media outlets for Republicans.

"In response to your renowned letter addressed to Lebanese Americans dated October 26th, 2024, and due to the escalation of Israeli attacks subsequent to the US election, we are urging your administration and transition team to apply your political influence in demanding an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Palestine," said the letter.

"This aligns to the commitment toward lasting peace which you made in the letter and in person while signing the Peace Plaques," it added.

"The over 3.5 million MENA Americans, some of whom reside in the swing states, are proud to have contributed to your margins of victory, particularly in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Georgia. Your success is a testament to your resonance with the values and concerns of MENA Americans," the letter said.

2327 GMT — Israeli strikes kill 7 Palestinians in southern Gaza

Israel has killed at least seven Palestinians and wounded several others in air strikes in besieged Gaza.

The Israeli army targeted a roadside stall selling goods in the Qizan Abu Rashwan area south of Khan Younis, killing two Palestinians and wounding several others, eyewitnesses told Anadolu.

In another Israeli attack, a medical source told Anadolu that three Palestinians were killed and ten others wounded, most of them children, in an air strike on a home in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

According to the source, one of the casualties arrived at Al-Awda Hospital in Nuseirat as "remains" while ten others were treated for injuries.

Two other victims' "body parts" were transported to al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, according to eyewitness accounts.

2315 GMT — Israel has killed over 2,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza in 38 days

Israel has killed more than 2,000 Palestinians in northern Gaza in 38 days, the enclave's media office said.

Ismail al-Thawabta, the office's director, told Anadolu that the attacks have disproportionately affected women, children and the elderly.

Al-Thawabta called on the international community to intervene immediately, condemning the Israeli actions as a campaign of mass extermination against Palestinians in Gaza, particularly in the north.

He attributed responsibility for the humanitarian crisis to the US, UK and European nations, accusing them of complicity in policies of "starvation and mass killing."

2220 GMT — Acts in Gaza 'reminiscent of the gravest international crimes': UN official

The UN highlighted the worsening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, describing it as "a wasteland of rubble" where there are "acts reminiscent of the gravest international crimes".

"Since the escalation of this conflict in October 2023, we have briefed this Council on no fewer than 16 occasions," Joyce Msuya, Acting Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Acting Emergency Relief Coordinator told a UN Security Council session on Palestine.

Condemning the toll of the recent escalations, Msuya said civilians have been "driven from their homes, stripped of their sense of place and dignity" and often forced to witness the deaths of their family members.

2151 GMT — Israeli snipers targeted children with 'single shot to the head' in Gaza: UK surgeon

A British surgeon who worked for a month in Gaza said that he saw a number of children with bullet wounds to the head after they were "deliberately targeted" by Israeli snipers.

"It doesn't matter who you are in Gaza. If you're Palestinian, you're a target," Nizam Mamode said during a session of the International Development Committee in Britain's House of Commons on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Asked about his experience with injured women and children, he cited the head wounds from snipers.

"We saw a number of children with sniper injuries to the head, a single shot to the head. No other injuries. So clearly, they were deliberately targeted by Israeli snipers, and yeah, that was day after day," he noted.

For our live updates from Tuesday, November 12, 2024, click here.