Live blog: Israeli strike on Lebanon's Ain Yaaqoub kills at least 14

Monday, November 11, 2024

1743 GMT — At least 14 people have been killed and 15 others wounded in an Israeli air strike on the northern Lebanese town of Ain Yaaqoub, according to the town's mayor.

The strike, which marks the northernmost point in Lebanon hit by Israeli forces since hostilities began in October 2023, hit a building where 30 people were residing including Syrian refugees, Mayor Majed Drbes told Reuters.

He said some people were still trapped under the rubble.

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1808 GMT — 'There will be no ceasefire' in Lebanon: Israeli defence minister

Israel's defense minister Israel Katz stated that "there will be no ceasefire" in Lebanon.

He also hinted at a possible military strike against Iran, stating that Iran's nuclear facilities are now more vulnerable than ever, according to the daily Yedioth Ahronoth.

1744 GMT — Israeli fire kills 30 Palestinians as tanks roll into central Gaza camp

Israeli forces sent tanks into the western side of Gaza's Nuseirat camp in a new incursion into the enclave's central area, and Palestinian medics said Israeli military strikes had killed at least 30 people since Sunday night.

Residents said Israeli tanks opened fire as they rolled into that sector of the camp, one of Gaza's eight historic refugee sites, causing panic among the population and displaced families.

One resident, Zaik Mohammad, said the tanks' advance was a complete surprise.

1647 GMT — Arab-Islamic summit calls on UN to pass binding resolution on Gaza truce, aid

The Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh has urged the United Nations Security Council to pass a binding resolution for a ceasefire and to allow immediate humanitarian aid access into Gaza.

1647 GMT — Pakistan, Maldives demand immediate end to 'systematic genocide' in Gaza

Leaders of Pakistan and the Maldives demanded an immediate end to “systematic genocide” in Gaza and “decades of terror” against Palestinians, at the Extraordinary Islamic Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the Saudi capital of Riyadh.

In his address, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif observed that the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza is "beyond imagination."

Describing Israel’s brutalities against Palestinians as tantamount to “systematic genocide,” he noted that the world is watching in “criminal silence.”

Maldives’ President Mohamed Muizzu, in his remarks, urged the Muslim world to act "decisively" on Gaza. "If we, as an Ummah, don’t act decisively now, history will judge us harshly," he warned, calling for the summit to be a turning point for unity and meaningful change.

1636 GMT — Norway urges Israel to follow international legal obligations

Norway urged Israel to abide by its international legal obligations to allow the delivery of sufficient humanitarian aid during its continuing offensive in Gaza.

In a statement, International Development Minister Anne Beathe Tvinnereim said her country asked the UN General Assembly to request an advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Israel's obligations to facilitate humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian population in Gaza.

"With this resolution, Norway aims to affirm that no country is exempt from its international legal obligations," she said.

Underlining that Gaza is on the verge of a famine, she said: "Regardless of the ongoing conflict between the parties, Israel has an obligation to enable food and medicine to reach the civilian population in Gaza."

1602 GMT — Iran says 'world waiting' for Trump government to stop Gaza, Lebanon wars

"The world is waiting" for Donald Trump's incoming US government to "immediately" end Israel's wars with Hamas and Hezbollah, Iran's First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref told a summit of Arab and Islamic countries.

"The American government is the main supporter of the actions of the Zionist regime (Israel), and the world is waiting for the promise of the new government of this country to immediately stop the war against the innocent people of Gaza and Lebanon," Aref told the joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit.

1600 GMT — Death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon rises to 3,243

Israeli attacks on Lebanon have killed 3,243 people and injured 14,134 since Oct. 7, 2023, the Lebanese Health Ministry has said.

The ministry stated that 54 people had been killed and 56 others wounded on Sunday.

1455 GMT — Trump taps pro-Israel stalwart to be next US envoy to UN

President-elect Donald Trump announced that he has selected staunchly pro-Israel Representative Elise Stefanik to be the US's next envoy to the UN.

"I am honoured to nominate Chairwoman Elise Stefanik to serve in my Cabinet as US Ambassador to the United Nations. Elise is an incredibly strong, tough, and smart America First fighter," Trump said in a statement, according to multiple reports.

1419 GMT — Far-right minister calls for Israeli sovereignty in West Bank in 2025

Israel's far-right finance minister said that he hopes Israel will extend sovereignty into the occupied West Bank in 2025.

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also wields a defence ministry supervisory role for settlers as part of his coalition deal with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said he hopes the incoming Trump administration in Washington will recognise an Israeli sovereignty push, according to a statement from Smotrich's office.

Smotrich has for years called for Israeli sovereignty in the West Bank, land the Palestinians want for a future state.

1405 GMT — Saudi crown prince demands Gaza, Lebanon ceasefires at Arab summit

Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler called for immediate ceasefires in Gaza and Lebanon at a joint Arab League and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation summit that will renew calls for a Palestinian state on Monday.

Arab and Muslim leaders gathered in Riyadh, more than a year into the Israel-Hamas war and regional escalation, in what is seen as a chance to send a message to US President-elect Donald Trump.

Opening the summit, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the international community must "immediately halt the Israeli actions against our brothers in Palestine and Lebanon", condemning Israel's campaign in Gaza as "genocide".

Saudi Arabia "affirms its support for the brothers in Palestine and Lebanon to overcome the disastrous humanitarian consequences of the ongoing Israeli aggression," he said.

A draft resolution for the summit stresses "firm support" for "national rights" for the Palestinian people, "foremost among which is their right to freedom and to an independent, sovereign state".

1338 GMT — Malaysian PM urges end to Israel's 'genocidal acts' in Gaza

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has called for the urgency to "effectively and permanently" end Israel’s genocidal acts against the Palestinians in Gaza.

Addressing the Extraordinary Islamic Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation in the Saudi capital Riyadh, Anwar said that a “crisis of humanity” has been unfolding in Gaza.

He urged the OIC member states and the international community to address the “plight and sufferings” of the Palestinians.

1313 GMT — Israeli PM opposes efforts by attorney general to sack Ben-Gvir

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sees efforts by Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara to sack far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir will lead to a "constitutional crisis" in Israel, according to local media.

"I don’t see a faster way to create a constitutional crisis than trying to remove a minister without an indictment," Israeli Channel 13 quoted Netanyahu as saying during a Cabinet meeting on Sunday evening.

Media reports emerged that Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara will approach Netanyahu to sack Ben-Gvir for repeatedly violating the law while in office unless he changes his conduct. This comes in response to petitions demanding the far-right minister’s sacking at the High Court. Ben-Gvir, for his part, accused the attorney general of seeking to topple the government.

1309 GMT — EU may launch new sanctions against Israeli settlers 'soon': France

France's foreign minister said that the European Union could soon launch a new round of sanctions against Israeli settlers accused of fuelling violence in Palestinian territories.

France had already imposed sanctions against "28 violent settlers" and been instrumental in deciding sanctions at the European Union level, Jean-Noel Barrot told the Paris Peace Forum, an annual gathering dedicated to international dialogue.

The EU's sanctions regime had already been activated twice, and "might be activated a third time soon", he said.

"We are deeply attached to the security of Israel," Barrot said, but "in the interest of Israel, of Israeli security, international law needs to be respected and justice needs to be reached".

1218 GMT — Arms embargoes should be imposed on Israel: Erdogan

Arms embargoes should be imposed on Israel and commercial ties should be cut off with Tel Aviv over its brutal over on Gaza, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said.

President Erdogan spoke about the developments in Gaza and Lebanon, at the Extraordinary Joint Summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and the Arab League in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Türkiye has sent over 84,000 tonnes of aid to Gaza and is ready to send much more when restrictions are lifted, Erdogan said.

He has also noted that Israel cannot even tolerate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and has been keeping aid supplies waiting in Egypt for months.

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1153 GMT — Israel must respect Iran's sovereignty: Saudi crown prince

The Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has stated that Israel must respect Iran's sovereignty and refrain from attacking its territory.

1136 GMT — Israel cites 'progress' on Lebanon ceasefire

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said there had been progress toward a ceasefire in Lebanon, where war has raged for more than six weeks as Israel targets Hezbollah.

"There is certain progress," Saar said in response to a question about a possible ceasefire. "We are working with the Americans on the issue," he told reporters in Jerusalem.

Israel escalated air strikes in late September targeting Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon and sent in ground troops a week later, on September 30.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the operation aims to push Hezbollah north of the Litani River, which flows across southern Lebanon. Another goal is to stop any attempt by Hezbollah to rearm.

1135 GMT — Palestinian state not 'realistic': Israel's top diplomat

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state as a "realistic" goal, amid the ongoing war in Gaza.

"I don't think this position is realistic today and we must be realistic," the newly appointed minister said in response to a question over the creation of a Palestinian state in exchange for a normalisation of ties between Israel and Arab countries.

A Palestinian state would be "a Hamas state", Saar added, referring to the Palestinian resistance group in Gaza with which Israel has been at war for more than a year.

1019 GMT — Netanyahu approved pager attacks against Hezbollah: spokesperson

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved pager attacks that dealt a deadly blow to the Iran-backed Lebanese armed group Hezbollah in September, Omer Dostri, spokesperson for his office, said.

On Sept. 17, thousands of pagers simultaneously exploded in the southern suburbs of Beirut and other Hezbollah strongholds, in most cases after the devices beeped, indicating an incoming message.

A Hezbollah official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the incident was the "biggest security breach" for the group in nearly a year of conflict with Israel.

In total, the pager attack, and a second on the following day that activated weaponised walkie-talkies, killed 39 people and wounded more than 3,400.

Israeli media reported that Netanyahu claimed responsibility for the attack during a cabinet meeting, telling ministers that senior defence officials and political figures were opposed to the detonation of the pagers but that he went ahead with the operation.

0925 GMT — Israeli army unable to occupy any Lebanese villages: Hezbollah

The Israeli military has been unable to occupy even a single village in Lebanon since launching cross-border ground operations in September, the Lebanese group Hezbollah said.

"After 45 days of bloody fighting, the enemy is still unable to occupy a single Lebanese village," Hezbollah spokesperson Mohammad Afif told a news conference in south Beirut, which Israel has pounded with air strikes.

0854 GMT — Israeli army says intercepted 4 drones from Iraq as regional tensions escalate

The Israeli army said it had intercepted four drones fired from Iraq amid rising regional tensions.

A military statement said the drones were launched from the east, a term used by the Israeli army to describe attacks from Iraq.

Two of the drones were shot down before entering Israeli airspace, the army said, without providing any details about the other two.

0814 GMT — Israeli strike kills 3 people in central Gaza, Palestinian officials say

The death toll from an Israeli strike that hit a tent sheltering a displaced family in central Gaza has risen to at least three people, including the parents of twins, the Palestinian medical officials said.

The strike late Sunday in the urban Nuseirat refugee camp wounded the two children, aged 10, who were being treated for serious injuries at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the nearby city of Deir al Balah.

The details of the casualties were listed in hospital records and an Associated Press reporter saw two of the bodies.

0759 GMT — Overnight Israeli strikes kill 18 people in eastern Lebanon

At least 18 people were killed and eight others injured in overnight Israeli air strikes in Baalbek in eastern Lebanon, Lebanese media said.

The state news agency NNA said nine people lost their lives in two air strikes in the eastern towns of Zighrin and Qasr.

Israeli warplanes also bombed Bednayel town, killing four people and injuring three others, NNA said. Another strike targeting a building in the same town killed a father, wife and two daughters.

One more person was killed when Israeli warplanes hit a building in the town of Saraaine el-Tahta, the same broadcaster said.

0657 GMT — Israeli interceptor missile launched to down missile from Yemen triggers fire near Jerusalem

Fires erupted in areas near Jerusalem as a result of the debris of an Israeli interceptor missile that was fired to down a missile launched from Yemen.

The Israeli public broadcaster KAN said fires erupted near Beit Shemesh, western Jerusalem, as a result of an interceptor missile's debris.

The Israeli army claimed in a statement that it intercepted a missile fired from Yemen before entering Israeli airspace. Rocket alarms were sounded in Beit Shemesh and other areas near Jerusalem.

0418 GMT — Türkiye denies claims of oil shipments to Israel

Türkiye's Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources refuted claims of oil shipments from the Ceyhan terminal to Israel, calling them "baseless".

The ministry said in a statement that operations of the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline in Türkiye are managed by BOTAS International under an international agreement with Azerbaijan and Georgia.

BOTAS has "no authority or involvement in the purchase or sale of oil", the ministry stressed.

"Companies transporting oil through the BTC pipeline for export to global markets from the Haydar Aliyev Terminal have respected Türkiye's recent decision not to engage in trade with Israel," it noted. "No deliveries with Israel as the delivery destination have taken place," the ministry added.

0058 GMT — Egypt, Malaysia agree to work towards ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el Sisi announced that he and Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim share a commitment to working towards achieving a ceasefire in Palestine's Gaza and Lebanon.

The discussions covered regional and international issues, with both leaders emphasising the need to pursue efforts to halt the violence in Gaza and Lebanon and to enable the entry of humanitarian aid into besieged Gaza.

0044 GMT — Euro-Med monitor urges UN to declare famine in northern Gaza

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor has urged international and UN organisations to officially declare a famine in northern Gaza, where aid and goods have been blocked from reaching hundreds of thousands of residents for more than 50 days.

"Given that Israel has blocked the entry of goods and aid to the hundreds of thousands of besieged residents in the northern Gaza Strip for more than 50 days now, the relevant international and UN organisations must formally declare a famine in the region," the independent organisation said in a statement from its Geneva headquarters.

"Israel's use of starvation as a weapon is one component of its ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip, which also includes mass killings and forced displacement," it added.

0026 GMT — Israeli air strike on tent in Gaza kills two members of family

Israel has killed a man and his wife and wounded two children in its air strike in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

"The bodies of two martyrs — a man and his wife — were received as a result of the Israeli bombing of a tent camp housing displaced people," said a medical source at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.

Al-Awda Hospital reported receiving the two wounded children.

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the Israeli bombing targeted a tent in the Sawarha area of the camp, destroying it along with several nearby tents.

2339 GMT — Death toll from Israeli onslaught on Lebanon nears 3,200

Israeli air strikes on Lebanon killed at least 53 people and wounded 99 others over the weekend, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

The fatalities on Saturday raised the total number of people killed in Israeli attacks in the country since October 2023 to 3,189, with 14,078 wounded, the ministry said in a statement.

2248 GMT — Lebanese Civil Defence recovers 43 bodies from rubble in various parts of Lebanon

The Lebanese Civil Defence said it recovered 43 bodies and several wounded people from under the rubble following Israeli attacks in southern and eastern Lebanon.

In the Byblos district of Mount Lebanon governorate, Civil Defence teams retrieved 24 bodies and pulled eight wounded people from debris, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

In the village of Deir Qanoun Ras Al-Ain in the governorate, Civil Defence teams recovered the bodies of five victims and rescued two wounded people.

In the same governorate, the remains of three people were retrieved in the village of Aadloun, and the bodies of two others were recovered from under the rubble in the town of Hanniyeh, according to the agency.

2036 GMT — Iran calls to expel Israel from UN after Syria strike

Iran's Foreign Ministry called for an arms embargo on Israel and its expulsion from the United Nations, following a deadly strike on Syria.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said Tehran "strongly condemned the aggressive attack carried out today by the Zionist regime against a residential building" in the Damascus area.

For our live updates from Sunday, November 10, 2024, click here.