Live blog: A barrage of rockets from Lebanon hits parts of Israel

Monday, November 18, 2024

1921 GMT –– A barrage of rockets fired from Lebanon has struck multiple locations in Israel, causing injuries and damage, according to media reports.

According to reports from Yedioth Ahronoth, several Israelis were injured by interceptor missile shrapnel in Bnei Brak, located east of Tel Aviv. The same source also reported a rocket hitting an Israeli bus in the city.

In northern Israel, an Israeli woman was killed, and 10 others were injured when a rocket from Lebanon hit a building in the city of Shefa-Amr, as confirmed by the Ambulance Service.

In central Israel, a rocket landed near a shopping centre in Ramat Gan, in the Tel Aviv area, sparking a fire, according to Israel Hayom.

The Israeli army claimed the interception of a rocket fired from Lebanon toward the Greater Tel Aviv area.

Additionally, Yedioth Ahronoth reported that takeoffs and landings at Ben Gurion Airport were halted due to the ongoing rocket fire.

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1902 GMT –– US Senate to consider measures blocking some weapons sales to Israel

The US Senate could vote as soon as Wednesday on legislation that would block arms sales to Israel, backed by lawmakers who say Israel is obstructing aid shipments desperately needed by Palestinian civilians in Gaza.

The "resolutions of disapproval" were filed by Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats.

Strong bipartisan support for Israel means the resolutions are not expected to pass, but backers hope they will encourage Israel's government and President Joe Biden's administration to do more.

1838 GMT –– Lebanon submits written response to US truce proposal, Lebanese official and local media say

Lebanon has submitted a written response to a United States truce proposal, a Lebanese official source and Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed have said.

There was no immediate response from the US Embassy in Beirut.

1759 GMT –– Even with Lebanon truce deal, Israel will operate against Hezbollah: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Israel will continue to operate militarily against Hezbollah even if a ceasefire deal is reached in Lebanon.

"The most important thing is not (the deal that) will be laid on paper... We will be forced to ensure our security in the north (of Israel) and to systematically carry out operations against Hezbollah's attacks... even after a ceasefire", to keep the group from rebuilding its forces, Netanyahu told the Israeli parliament.

1749 GMT –– Young Palestinian killed by Israeli army fire in occupied West Bank

A Palestinian youth was shot dead by Israeli army forces in the occupied West Bank, the Health Ministry has said.

A ministry statement said an 18-year-old man sustained critical injuries after being shot in the chest during a military raid in Nablus and later succumbed to his wounds.

1743 GMT –– Members of UN Security Council call for surge in assistance to Gaza

Members of the United Nations Security Council have called for a surge in assistance to reach people in need in Gaza, warning that the situation in the Palestinian enclave was getting worse.

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said there needs to be a "huge, huge rise in aid" to Gaza, where most of the population of 2.3 million people has been displaced and the enclave's health officials say more than 43,922 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's offensive.

"The situation is devastating, and frankly, beyond comprehension, and it's getting worse, not better. Winter's here. Famine is imminent, and 400 days into this war, it is totally unacceptable that it's harder than ever to get aid into Gaza," Lammy said.

1735 GMT –– Lebanon says at least five killed in Israeli strike on central Beirut

Lebanon's health ministry has said an Israeli air strike on a densely-populated central district of Beirut killed at least five people.

The air strikes landed in the heart of Lebanon's capital, slamming into an area near the Parliament, several embassies and the UN headquarters, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency.

1733 GMT –– Death toll in Lebanon from Israeli attacks rises to 3,516

At least 35 more people have been killed in Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Sunday, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 3,516, the Lebanese Health Ministry has said.

In a statement, the ministry added that 143 others were also wounded over the past day, bringing the total number of people who are wounded to 14,929 since October 2023.

1730 GMT –– Woman killed in rocket attack on northern Israeli town: firefighters

Israeli firefighters have said a rocket strike on a building in the northern Israeli town of Shfaram killed a woman, while first responders reported 10 mildly injured people.

"Five firefighting teams were deployed to the scene and rescued a woman who was found deceased from a building that suffered a direct hit", local fire and rescue authority spokesman Uri Cohen said in a statement.

1730 GMT –– EU will not suspend dialogue with Israel, Poland's Sikorski says

European Union foreign ministers did not agree to suspend political dialogue with Israel, Poland has said, following a proposal to do so from the bloc's foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell.

Borrell had written to EU foreign ministers ahead of Monday's meeting in Brussels, citing "serious concerns about possible breaches of international humanitarian law in Gaza".

Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski told reporters in Brussels that he and counterparts from other EU states had not agreed to this proposal.

1651 GMT –– Two medics killed in Israeli air strike in southern Lebanon

Two more medics have been killed in an Israeli air strike in the town of Qana in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Ministry has said.

A ministry statement accused the Israeli army of violating international laws and humanitarian norms by attacking a centre of the Islamic Health Association in Qana.

The Lebanese state news agency also reported Israeli air strikes in the town of Maarakeh in the Tyre district, without providing details about injuries or damage.

1618 GMT –– Israeli finance minister calls for full occupation of northern Gaza

Far-right Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called for the complete occupation of northern Gaza.

“To bring the hostages home, we must occupy northern Gaza entirely and tell Hamas that if they don’t return them, we will stay there forever, costing Gaza a third of its territory,” Smotrich told a meeting of his Religious Zionism Party.

1454 GMT –– Austria condemns attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

Austria has said that every attack on United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon is an attack on peace that must be condemned.

Addressing a military ceremony in the Gotzendorf barracks, Austrian Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner said: “Despite the tense situation in Lebanon, the Austrian Armed Forces are making their contribution to peacekeeping."

1431 GMT –– Reporters Without Borders slams Israel for labelling Gaza journalists as 'terrorists'

Thibaut Bruttin, director general of Reporters Without Borders (RSF), has expressed deep concern over Israel's attempts to portray journalists in Gaza as "terrorists."

"We're seeing Israeli defence forces trying to portray Palestinian journalists as terrorists. So we're very worried about that trend too," Bruttin said.

During a visit to Geneva, Bruttin condemned the killing of journalists in Gaza, which has been under intense Israeli attacks since Oct. 7, 2023.

1328 GMT –– Five more Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza, army says

Five more Israeli soldiers were injured in clashes in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the army has said.

According to military figures released by the army, some 798 soldiers have been killed and 5,370 others injured since the start of the war on Oct. 7, 2023.

1312 GMT –– No alternative to UNRWA in Gaza besides Israel, agency chief says

The only alternative to the United Nations Palestinian agency's work in Gaza is to allow Israel to run services there, its chief told reporters, repeating calls for countries to resist an Israeli ban on the organisation.

Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, is in Geneva for a strategy meeting with donors after it was banned by Israel from operating there last month in what he said is one of the darkest moments in the agency's history.

"I have drawn the attention of the member states that now the clock is ticking .. . We have to stop or prevent the implementation of this bill," he told reporters, saying there is no alternative to the agency's services in Gaza besides allowing Israel to take them over.

1311 GMT –– Germany warns Israel against questioning Palestinian right to exist in Gaza

Germany has warned Israel against questioning the right of Palestinians to exist in Gaza.

“We have said clearly that there must be no (Israeli) settlement of Gaza and no expulsion from Gaza, and that still applies,” Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock told journalists on the sidelines of the EU Foreign Affairs Ministers’ meeting in Brussels.

“And if, with regard to Gaza, the Palestinians' right to exist or international law is called into question, then this of course also has a consequence with regard to the European positioning,” she pointed out.

1308 GMT –– Fresh Israeli strike kills 17 more Palestinians in northern Gaza

At least 17 people have been killed in a new Israeli air strike in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahia, according to a medical source.

Israeli warplanes hit and flattened a residential building near Kamal Adwan Hospital in the area, the source said.

Eyewitnesses said dozens of people and displaced civilians were inside the building at the time of the attack.

Efforts are still underway to search for survivors under the rubble.

1230 GMT –– Israel kills at least 43,922 in Gaza as its brutality continues

At least 76 more Palestinians have been killed in relentless Israeli attacks in Gaza, bringing the overall death toll since last year to 43,922, the Health Ministry in the enclave has said.

A ministry statement added that some 103,898 others have been wounded in the ongoing assault.

“The Israeli occupation has committed four massacres of families in the last 24 hours, resulting in 76 deaths and 158 injuries,” the ministry said.

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

1125 GMT –– EU top diplomat has 'no more words' on Mideast suffering

The European Union's outgoing top diplomat Josep Borrell has said that he had "no more words" to describe the situation in the Middle East, before chairing his last planned meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers.

"I exhausted the words to explain what's happening in the Middle East," Borrell told reporters, barely concealing his frustration at the EU's failure to weigh on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict during his five-year mandate.

"There is no more words," he said. "It's about 44,000 people killed in Gaza, the whole area is being destroyed, and 70 percent of the people being killed are women or children."

"The most frequent ages of casualties are children below nine years old," said the 77-year-old foreign policy chief.

1044 GMT –– Israelis protest outside Netanyahu’s home to demand swap deal with Palestinians

Families of Israeli hostages have demonstrated outside the residence of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem to demand a prisoner swap deal with Palestinian groups in Gaza.

“End war. Hostage deal immediately,” and “Hostages won’t survive another winter" were among the banners waved by protesters.

In a statement, organisers of the protest warned that the hostages “won't survive the freezing cold in the tunnels of Gaza."

1014 GMT –– Israeli army demolishes two Palestinian buildings near occupied East Jerusalem

Israeli army forces demolished two Palestinian facilities northwest of occupied East Jerusalem, a local official said.

“Israeli forces razed two facilities that contained a pool and gymnasium in the town of Rafat for lack of a building permit,” municipal chief Sadeq Jaber told Anadolu.

He said the two structures had been built a couple of years ago.

“Israeli authorities refused to grant them the needed permits on the ground that they were built in Area C,” Jaber said, adding that some 25 structures face demolition orders in the village.

“Israeli authorities refused to grant them the needed permits on the ground that they were built in Area C,” Jaber said, adding that some 25 structures face demolition orders in the village.

"Almost 80 percent of the village's lands are classified in Area C, where the occupation bans construction, forcing residents to build in the remaining area,” he said. of the village's lands are classified in Area C, where the occupation bans construction, forcing residents to build in the remaining area,” he said.

1007 GMT –– Israeli strikes kill 14 Palestinians in Gaza, some in attacks on tents, say medics

Israeli military strikes across Gaza killed 14 Palestinians, including six people who were killed in attacks on tents housing displaced families, medics said.

Four people, two of them children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on a tent encampment in the coastal area of Al Mawasi, designated as a humanitarian zone, while two others were killed in temporary shelters in the southern city of Rafah and another in drone fire, health officials said.

In Beit Lahia town in northern Gaza, medics said an Israeli missile struck a house, killing at least two people and wounding several others.

0927 GMT –– Schools closed in Beirut after deadly Israeli strike

Schools in Beirut were closed after Israeli strikes on the Lebanese capital killed six people including Hezbollah's spokesperson.

Sunday's strikes hit densely populated districts of central Beirut that had so far been spared the violence engulfing other areas of Lebanon.

Six people were killed in the strikes, according to Lebanese health ministry figures, including Hezbollah media relations chief Mohammed Afif, the group and Israel's military said.

The strikes prompted the education ministry to shut schools and higher education institutions in the Beirut area for two days.

0912 GMT –– EU must put pressure on Israel over Gaza war, Borrell says

The European Union's top diplomat confirmed he would suggest to members of the bloc that the EU pauses its political dialogue with Israel, citing the country's conduct of the war in Gaza.

"Many people tried to stop the war in Gaza... this has not happened yet. And I don't see a hope for this to happen. That's why we have to put pressure on the Israeli government, and also, obviously on the Hamas side," Josep Borrell told journalists ahead of an EU meeting.

The European Un ion's foreign policy chief last week proposed that the bloc suspend its political dialogue with Israel, citing possible human rights violations in the war in Gaza, according to four diplomats and a letter seen by Reuters.

In a sign his proposal won't be welcomed by all EU members, Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp said the EU needed to uphold its dialogue with Israel.

0858 GMT –– There is no excuse for humanitarian aid not reaching Gaza: German FM

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that there is no excuse for humanitarian aid not reaching Gaza, ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, Belgium.

0842 GMT –– Fresh Israeli strikes kill 26 people in southern Lebanon

At least 26 people were killed and dozens wounded as Israel launched fresh air strikes in southern Lebanon, local media said.

Israeli fighter jets conducted 10 airstrikes in the city of Nabatieh, leaving eight people dead and injuring several others, the state news agency NNA reported.

Six medics were also killed in an air strike on a centre of the Islamic Health Authority in the town of Arab Salim.

One more person was killed in another attack in the Bent Jbeil district, the NNA said.

Israeli warplanes also launched air strikes in several areas near Tyre, killing 11 people and wounding 48 others, the news agency said.

0828 GMT –– US envoy expected in Beirut on Tuesday for ceasefire talks

The US official overseeing contacts to secure a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon is due to visit Beirut on Tuesday, sources in Lebanon said, with Beirut expected give its response to a US truce proposal.

The new US truce proposal was delivered last week to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been endorsed by Hezbollah to negotiate.

White House envoy Amos Hochstein was expected in Beirut on Tuesday for talks on the ceasefire, a Lebanese political source told Reuters. Lebanese media outlet Voice of Lebanon also reported the visit, citing Lebanese lawmaker Kassem Hashem, who is part of Berri's parliamentary bloc.

0822 GMT –– Hezbollah shells Israeli troops in northern Israel

The Lebanese group Hezbollah claimed a rocket attack on an Israeli troop deployment in northern Israel.

In a brief statement, the group said it fired a barrage of rockets at Israeli soldiers in the Kiryat Shmona settlement in northern Israel.

The attack came a day after the group carried out 17 rocket attacks against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and northern Israel on Sunday.

It also came after the assassination of Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif in an Israeli air strike on the Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood in the head of the capital Beirut.

UN chief urges G20 nations to lead global efforts for peace, climate action

0705 GMT –– UN chief urges G20 nations to lead global efforts for peace, climate action

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the G20 group of developed economies to lead global efforts to promote peace, advance climate action, and ensure equitable access to emerging technologies among other challenges.

“I have come to Rio with a simple message: G20 leaders must lead. G20 countries – by definition – have tremendous economic clout.


"They wield massive diplomatic leverage. They must use it to tackle key global problems," Guterres said Sunday in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro ahead of the G20 Leaders' Summit, according to UN News.

Stressing the urgency for nations to accelerate efforts in addressing critical shared challenges, he called for intensified efforts to achieve peace in Gaza, Lebanon, Ukraine, and Sudan.

“Everywhere, peace requires actions grounded in the values of the UN Charter, the rule of law, and the principles of sovereignty, political independence and the territorial integrity of States,” Guterres said.

0633 GMT –– 'Flying object' falls in southern Jordan without causing casualties: Jordanian army

The Jordanian army said a "flying object" fell in a border area of the Aqaba Governorate, near southern Israel.

A statement quoted a military source that said no casualties or material damage were reported.

It added that the relevant security forces, including sappers, arrived at the scene.

The statement, however, did not specify from where the object was fired, or if it was downed by an interceptor. The city of Aqaba is adjacent to Israel's southern city of Eilat.

0549 GMT –– Israel's dawn strikes at Gaza's Mawasi kill four from same family

Palestine's WAFA news agency reports a number of citizens, including children, were killed at dawn, as a result of the occupying forces bombing a tent in south Gaza.

Medical sources noted four people from the same family –– that is a citizen, his wife and two children were killed. A daughter survived, with serious injuries, from the Israeli bombing a tent sheltering displaced people in the Al Mawasi area, west of Khan Younis.

The attack underscores the continued violence in Gaza despite Israel's declaration of Al Mawasi as a "humanitarian safe zone." Local residents have reported that the area has endured numerous deadly air strikes amid the ongoing Israeli military onslaught.

0536 GMT –– Israel presses upcoming G20 summit on deadly Gaza war

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called a draft declaration of the Group of 20 meeting of top economies on its deadly war on Gaza “unbalanced and biased.”

In a statement on his X account, Saar said the final statement of the G20 summit must recognize what he called "Israel’s right to defend itself" and condemn Palestinian resistance movement Hamas and Lebanese group Hezbollah.

Saar said he talked with his counterparts from the G20 countries to include in the final statement what he called “recognition of Israel’s right to defend itself,” demand the release of Israeli captives in Gaza, and condemn both Hamas and Hezbollah.

0346 GMT — At least 111 people killed across Gaza since Sunday morning: WAFA

More than 111 Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in relentless air strikes since dawn on Sunday, according to the Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Medical sources reported that the attacks targeted various areas, with the northern parts of the enclave bearing the brunt of the violence.

In Gaza City's Al Shati refugee camp and Beit Lahia, 72 people were killed in 10 devastating air strikes. The raids deployed tonnes of explosives, levelling residential buildings, schools and shelters where displaced families had sought refuge.

In Rafah, located in southern Gaza, the Israeli forces destroyed several residential buildings in the city's western neighbourhoods, further exacerbating the humanitarian crisis.

0129 GMT — Israeli strike kills 34 Palestinians in Gaza's Beit Lahia

An Israeli strike on a five-storey residential building has killed at least 34 people in northern Gaza's Beit Lahia, the civil defence agency in the enclave said.

"The chances of rescuing more wounded are decreasing because of the continuous shooting and artillery shelling," civil defence spokesperson Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Hosam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan hospital in Beit Lahia, said dozens were wounded in the Israeli strike and other people likely were under the rubble.

Fleeing residents told AP that houses were hit. An Israeli military statement earlier said it conducted several strike in Beit Lahia, and that efforts to evacuate civilians continued.

Israeli forces have again been on the offensive in northern Gaza.

"Tonight we did not sleep at all," said one fleeing Beit Lahiya resident, Dalal al Bakri. "They destroyed all the houses around us... There are many martyrs."

A woman, Umm Hamza, said the bombing escalated overnight. "It's cold and we don't know where to go," she said.

2328 GMT — Hezbollah, Hamas mourn media relations chief killed in Israeli air strike

Hezbollah and Hamas issued statements mourning the death of the Lebanese group's media relations chief, Mohammed Afif, who was killed Sunday in an Israeli air strike on the Ras al-Nabaa area in the heart of Lebanon's capital Beirut.

"We mourn Mohammad Afif al-Nabulsi, the media relations officer of Hezbollah, who departed this world alongside the best of his fellow fighters in a criminal, aggressive Zionist (Israeli) air strike, after an honorable journey in the fields of jihad and resistant media work," Hezbollah said in a statement.

The Palestinian resistance group Hamas, meanwhile, said: "The assassination of a political media figure will not silence the voice of resistance but will instead expose the deep moral chasm in which the occupation lies."

2227 GMT — 2 killed, 22 injured in Israeli air strike on Beirut electronics store

At least two people were killed and 22 injured in an Israeli air strike targeting an electronics store in the Mar Elias area of the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Two of the injured are in critical condition, said the Lebanese Health Ministry. Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the air strike targeted a shop selling electronics and computers on Mar Elias Street, a densely populated area in the heart of Beirut.

Firefighting teams were attempting to contain the fires, while the sounds of exploding batteries and electronic devices could be heard, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

2210 GMT — Israel army confirms strike killed Hezbollah spokesperson

Israel's army confirmed a strike Sunday had killed Hezbollah spokesperson Mohammed Afif in the Beirut area.

The army "conducted a precise, intelligence-based strike in the area of Beirut" and killed Mohammed Afif, it said.

Earlier, Hezbollah had also announced the death of Afif, who according to one security source was among four people killed in an Israeli strike on central Beirut.

2208 GMT — Lebanon suspends classes in capital, surrounding regions after Israeli air strikes

Lebanon has suspended in-person classes at schools in Beirut and surrounding areas after Israeli air strikes hit the centre of the capital, Minister of Education Abbas Halabi announced.

Schools and higher educational institutions will be closed Monday and Tuesday in Beirut and Chouf, northern Metn, Baabda and Aley and online learning adopted.

The decision came following two Israeli air strikes targeting buildings in the capital — one in the Ras al Nabaa area and the other in the Mar Elias area.

2029 GMT — Israel reports rocket, drone attacks from Lebanon and Iraq

Israel reported the launch of rockets from Lebanon and a drone from Iraq as regional tensions continue to escalate over Tel Aviv's ongoing war in Gaza.

A military statement said 15 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israeli settlements in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel. The army said some of the rockets were intercepted, while the rest hit open areas.

Israeli Army Radio said one person was slightly injured from the rocket fire in Upper Galilee. The Israeli army said its forces also intercepted a drone fired from the east, a term used by the military to describe attacks from Iraq. Israeli media earlier reported that the drone had fallen in the city of Yavne, south of Tel Aviv.

There was no claim of responsibility for the attack.

For our live updates from Sunday, November 17, 2024, click here.