Live blog: Israel lists ten Lebanese villages as no-go zones for returnees

Thursday, November 28, 2024

0445 GMT — Israel has issued a new warning to residents of southern Lebanon, urging them to avoid returning to specific villages near the border.

Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee, in a social media post, listed 10 villages that are prohibited from return.

“Until further notice, you are prohibited from moving south to the line of these villages and their surroundings,” Adraee stated.

The designated villages are Shebaa, al-Habbariyeh, Marjayoun, Arnoun, Yahmor, Qantara, Chaqra, Barashit, Yatar, and al-Mansouri.

He stressed that entering these areas would put individuals in immediate danger.

0514 GMT — Israel kills at least six Palestinians in intense air strikes across Gaza

Several Palestinians were killed early Thursday as Israeli forces launched air strikes across multiple areas in Gaza, Palestine's official news agency WAFA reported.

A child was killed in the Zeitoun neighbourhood, southeast of Gaza City, when the bombing struck his family’s home.

In Jabalia refugee camp, located in northern Gaza, another civilian was reported dead amidst ongoing Israeli bombardments.

Four additional citizens lost their lives when air strikes targeted homes belonging to the Zaqout and Sahweil families in Beit Lahia.

2200 GMT — Israel, Hezbollah claim victory as Gaza genocide continues

Israel's army and Hezbollah's leaders have both claimed success on the battlefield after the sides entered into a ceasefire.

Israel said it degraded Hezbollah's capabilities and decapitated its senior leadership, while the Lebanese group said it put up a stiff defence to Israel's ground invasion "in support of the steadfast Palestinian people."

Hezbollah claimed "victory" over Israeli forces and said its fighters were "fully prepared" to counter any future Israeli actions.

"Their hands will remain on the trigger, in defence of Lebanon's sovereignty," the statement from Hezbollah's operations centre said, its first public comments since the ceasefire took effect.

Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the army had weakened Hezbollah's ability to launch rockets and drones into Israel, and targeted its ability to resupply and manufacture weapons.

"We are also preparing for the possibility of returning to intense combat," Hagari said in a video statement.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that the ceasefire deal amounts to a victory over Hezbollah. But polls in the country suggest that citizens are divided about the agreement.

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2100 GMT — Palestine's Abbas lays ground for succession

Palestine's President Mahmud Abbas has announced who would replace him in an interim period when the post becomes vacant, effectively removing Hamas from any involvement in a future transition.

Abbas, 89, still rules despite his term as head of the Palestinian President ending in 2009, and has resisted pressure to appoint a successor or a vice president.

Under current Palestinian law, the speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) takes over the Palestinian Authority in the event of a power vacuum.

But the PLC, where Hamas had a majority, no longer exists since Abbas officially dissolved it in 2018 after more than a decade of tensions between his Fatah party and Hamas.

In a decree, Abbas said the Palestinian National Council chairman, Rawhi Fattuh, would be his temporary replacement should the position should become vacant.

"If the position of the president of the national authority becomes vacant in the absence of the legislative council, the Palestinian National Council president shall assume the duties... temporarily," it said.

2048 GMT — China calls for two-state solution

Implementing the two-state solution, which includes establishing an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty based on the 1967 borders and occupied East Jerusalem as its capital "fundamental" for peace in Palestine, Chinese President Xi Jinping has said.

Xi underlined the urgency of ending the war and easing regional tensions by fully implementing relevant UN Security Council resolutions, according to a statement by the Chinese State Council.

The Chinese leader reaffirmed China's support for the Palestinian people's "legitimate" rights, including their right to statehood, existence, and return.

He also called for Palestine's full UN membership and the convening of an inclusive and effective international peace conference.

2000 GMT — Israel kills more Palestinians in Gaza

Israel has killed at least nine Palestinians in the north of the Gaza as Israel kept up its bombardment on the day a ceasefire took hold in Lebanon.

Gaza's Health Ministry said the Israeli strike hit a shelter for displaced people in Al-Tabi'een School in Gaza City's Daraj district.

Hamas condemned the "criminal military operation in northern Gaza".