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☆ UN inquiry accuses Israel of ‘crime of extermination’ through deliberate destruction of Gaza’s health care system
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-11 | by ( Niamh Kennedy | Muhammad Darwish | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A United Nations inquiry has accused Israel of carrying out a “concerted policy” of destroying the health care system in Gaza during its year-long conflict with Hamas in attacks it said amount to war crimes. Israel’s actions in the besieged Palestinian enclave “constitute the war crimes of willful killing and mistreatment and the crime against humanity of extermination,” the commission said in a statement Thursday. The Israeli foreign ministry rejected “accusations of widespread ill-treatment and torture of detainees,” saying Israel is “fully committed to international legal standards” on treatment of detainees. “Children in particular have borne the brunt of these attacks, suffering both directly and indirectly from the collapse of the health system,” she said. The commission previously alleged that both Israel and Hamas committed war crimes in the early stages of the Gaza war, and that Israel’s actions also amounted to crimes against humanity.

Persons: Israel, “, Pillay, Israel “, Hind Rajab Organizations: CNN, United, UN’s Independent International Commission of, Hamas, UN, Human Rights, Israeli Army’s 162nd, Assembly Locations: United Nations, Gaza, Palestinian, East Jerusalem, Israel, Jihad

☆ Israel targets Hezbollah intelligence headquarters in Lebanon; Iran says it will not back down
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-05 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Israel has been weighing options in its response to Iran's ballistic missile attack on Tuesday, which Iran had carried out in response to Israel's military action in Lebanon. Hashem Safieddine's fate was unclear and neither Israel nor Hezbollah have offered any comment. Israel says it targets military capabilities and takes steps to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. The Israeli military said some 70 projectiles were launched from Lebanon into Israeli territory on Friday evening and were either intercepted or fell in open land. Israel sent ground forces into Lebanon this week after the Iranian missiles attacks.

Persons: Israel, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hashem, Joe Biden, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Donald Trump, Kamala Harris, Stephane Dujarric, Kamel Ahmad Jawad, Matthew Miller, Israel's Organizations: Hezbollah, U.S, White House, Republican, Democratic, Lebanese, U.S . State Department, Washington, . State Department Locations: Iran, Israel, Jerusalem, Beirut, Lebanon, Gaza, Burj, Choueifat district, Haret Hreik, Lebanese, Odaisseh, American, Dearborn , Michigan, U.S, Palestinian

☆ Lebanon: Israeli bombardment the ‘most intense aerial campaign’ outside Gaza in last two decades
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-04 | by ( Kara Fox | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

The bombardment, which Israel says is targeting Hezbollah strongholds in the country, marks the world’s “most intense aerial campaign” outside of Gaza in the last two decades, according to the conflict monitoring group Airwars. “This isn’t normal,” Tripp said of both the scale and size of Israel’s strikes on Lebanon. CNN teams in Beirut this week found that many Israeli strikes happened without prior warning. Umm Mohammed and her five-year-old son who escaped the Israeli bombardment of southern Lebanon, are now sheltering under a tarpaulin on a seaside boardwalk in Beirut. More than 100 villages in southern Lebanon have now been issued the evacuation notices, stoking fears of an expanded ground invasion.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Emily Tripp, Raqqa, Israel, ” Tripp, Hassan Nasrallah, Umm Mohammed, Jomana Karadsheh, –, Michael Adams, , stoking Organizations: CNN, ISIS, Amnesty, CNN Hezbollah, CARE International, Residents Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, United States, Afghanistan, Beirut, Jomana, Iran, Gaza –, Dahiyeh, Beirut –

☆ Israel's clash with Hezbollah may be shaped by its past mistakes in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-02 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Israel launched a ground incursion that risks repeating its past mistakes in Lebanon. From 1985 to 2000, Israel occupied a 15-mile-wide "security zone" in southern Lebanon, ostensibly run by a Lebanese Christian faction backed by IDF troops. Israel returned in 2006, when 30,000 Israeli troops crossed the border in retaliation for a Hezbollah ambush of IDF troops in northern Israel. AdvertisementAs Israel's prime minister in 1998, Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to keep troops in southern Lebanon "whatever the cost." Currently two IDF divisions are operating in southern Lebanon, to dismantle Hezbollah infrastructure there.

Persons: Israel, —, Benjamin Netanyahu, EFFI, Boots, 2S0qw1pBaJ — Emanuel, Mannie, Fabian, Hassan Nasrallah, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Lebanese Christian, IDF, Getty, Hezbollah, Hamas, Division, Egoz Commando, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Lebanon, Israel's, Lebanon's, Vietnam, Israel, Afghanistan, Soviet Union, —, Gaza, AFP, Forbes

☆ Israel faces a major issue in how deep it should go in Lebanon, security experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-01 | by ( Thibault Spirlet | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Israel launched ground incursions into Lebanon on Tuesday, opening up a new war front. AdvertisementIsrael faces a security dilemma in deciding how far it should go in its operations inside Lebanon, according to security experts. A more perilous terrain than GazaIsrael's ground operations inside Lebanon bear some resemblance to the ones it conducted in Gaza about a year ago. He mentioned Israel's own "costly" experiences of invasion in Lebanon, including the Second Israeli Invasion of Lebanon of 1982 and the Second Lebanon War in 2006. AdvertisementHowever, those sums, and Israel's overall military calculations, could quickly change if Iran gets involved on the side of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Persons: Israel, —, Hezbollah's, Hassan Nasrallah, Ameneh, MENAHEM KAHANA, ACLED, Israel isn't, Ramiz, Yannay Spitzer, Benjamin Netanyahu Organizations: IDF, Service, Israel Defense Forces, Global Governance Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute, Hezbollah, Getty, Middle East Security, Royal United Services Institute, Raleigh, Israel, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Media, UN, Israeli Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Raleigh, East, Gaza, Galilee, AFP, Lebanese, Hiyam, Nabatieh, Anadolu, Mehvar, Israeli, Tehran

☆ Why America is looking increasingly powerless as Israel’s war expands
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-30 | by ( Stephen Collinson | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +13 min

And the US has incessantly pushed for a Gaza ceasefire that neither Netanyahu nor Hamas seems to want. For instance, the US and its allies helped repel a massive Iranian missile and drone attack against Israel in April. It has also killed other senior members of the two groups in strikes in Syria, Lebanon, Iran and in Gaza. And pro-Trump Republicans are goading him to go further — at least partly to weaken Biden and his chosen successor, Harris. This is just one of many reasons why Netanyahu is incentivized to expand his war no matter how powerless it makes America look.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Joe Biden, “, Netanyahu, Kamala Harris, Hassan Nasrallah, Biden, Antony Blinken, Nasrallah, dissed, CNN’s MJ Lee, Kylie Atwood, Jennifer Hansler, Cedric Leighton, Leighton, Israel, it’s, Ismail Haniyeh, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, shuttler James Baker, —, Donald Trump, Harris, –, Trump Organizations: CNN, Monday, Israel Defense Forces, Democratic, Israel, Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, US, Washington, ”, Hamas, Republicans, Trump Republicans, Democratic Party, Arab American Locations: Lebanon, ”, Washington, East Israel, Israel, Gaza, Iranian, Damascus, United States, Hezbollah, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Jordan, Iran, Africa, Tehran . Israel, Israeli, China, Michigan

☆ Iran weighs its next move as its closest ally takes a hit in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-28 | by ( Abbas Al Lawati | Mostafa Salem | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +12 min

As Tehran watches its most prized non-state ally take a beating, questions are mounting about how it may respond. Israel then began an air assault that killed several Hezbollah commanders and led to the highest number of casualties in Lebanon in almost two decades. The Israeli military has claimed that Nasrallah has been killed, but Hezbollah is yet to comment on the matter. But it’s not an easy option as they will (become) targets, and they don’t understand Lebanon.”Under what circumstances would Iran intervene? This week however, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned that his country would not remain “indifferent” if a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in Lebanon.

Persons: CNN —, Israel, Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, “, ”, Hanin Ghaddar, Amal Saad, Saad, … it’s, it’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Trita Parsi, Mohamed Azakir, Farzin, Nadimi, ” Saad, ” Parsi, Parsi, Masoud Pezeshkian, Javad Zarif, Donald Trump, Mike Segar, Pezeshkian, CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, Zarif, Ismail Haniyeh, Abbas Araghchi Organizations: CNN, Washington Institute, AFP, Cardiff University, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, ”, Washington DC, Quincy Institute, American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Islamic, United Nations, United Nations General Assembly, UN, Reuters, Israel, West, Assembly, UN Security Locations: Israel, Tehran, Gaza, Lebanon, Beirut, Wales, Tel Aviv, Lebanese, Iran, American University of Beirut, Damascus, United States, “, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Islamic Republic, New York

☆ What happened in Lebanon and why is Israel attacking Hezbollah?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Helen Regan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

On Monday, Israel intensified its air campaign on Hezbollah, launching “extensive strikes” targeting the Iran-backed militant group in Lebanon. It is unclear how many of the casualties were civilians or Hezbollah militants, but many of the locations described by Israel as Hezbollah targets are also residential neighborhoods and villages. The nearly 500 killed on Monday alone is roughly half the number of Lebanese killed throughout the entire 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. Why is Israel attacking Lebanon? The US believes that neither Israel nor Hezbollah are interested in a full-scale war, but a major concern is that Iran, a key backer of Hezbollah, will get involved, US officials told CNN.

Persons: CNN — Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Isarel, Daniel Hagari, Mahmoud Zayyat, Amos, Stringer, Mohamed Hamayda, Firass Abiad, ” Hagari, Netanyahu, Fadel Itani, ”, Halevi, Leon Panetta Organizations: CNN, Hezbollah, Getty, Ramat, United Nations General Assembly, Reuters, Agence France, Presse, Lebanon’s, Hamas, UN Security Council, Former US Defense, CIA, UN, Assembly, State Department Locations: Lebanon, Israel, Iran, Lebanon’s, Syria, Lebanese, Sidon, AFP, Tyre, Beirut, Meggido, Afula, Deir, Gaza, Palestinian, Tehran, Yemen, Iraq, Beirut's, ”, Qatar, France, New York, United States

☆ Photos show the chaos and devastation left in the wake of Israel's deadly blitz on Hezbollah's missiles
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-24 | by ( Lauren Frias | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Escalating threat of warA Lebanese army soldier sits behind a weapon atop an armored personnel carrier in Beirut's southern suburb. Bilal Hussein/APHezbollah and Israel have been trading fire across the southern Lebanese border for nearly a year amid the ongoing war in Gaza. Last Tuesday, Hezbollah pagers and handheld radios mysteriously exploded, killing more than three dozen people — two of whom were children — and injuring about 3,000 with ties to Hezbollah operations. The militant group accused Israel of the communication-devices-turned-bombs, but Israel denied any involvement. However, US officials told The New York Times that Israel hid explosive material within Taiwanese-made pagers imported into Lebanon, with a switch that could remotely detonate them.

Persons: Bilal Hussein, Israel Organizations: AP Hezbollah, New York Times Locations: Beirut's, Israel, Lebanese, Gaza, Lebanon

☆ Israel unleashes new strikes on Lebanon as Hezbollah vows revenge for device blasts
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-20 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

The Middle East was on edge Friday as Israel unleashed new strikes on Lebanon and Hezbollah's leader vowed revenge for attacks targeting its communication devices that killed dozens of people and left thousands injured across the country. The strikes on southern Lebanon continued early Friday, Lebanese state news agency and Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV channel said. Smoke and fire rise from the site of an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese border village of Mahmoudiyeh late Thursday. The attacks sowed fear and chaos across the nation, overwhelming hospitals and making people fearful of using any electronic devices. He accused Israel of an act of war against Lebanon, but stopped short of specifying how or when his group would retaliate.

Persons: Israel, Hezbollah's, Rabih Daher, Hassan Nasrallah, ” Nasrallah Organizations: Getty, Hezbollah Locations: Lebanon, Iran, Gaza, Lebanese, Mahmoudiyeh, AFP, Beirut

☆ Why did Israel blow up hundreds of Hezbollah pagers — and what might happen next?
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Yuliya-Talmazan-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Yuliya Talmazan | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +7 min

A region fearing all-out war may have been taken to the brink by a legion of pagers. Israel has not claimed responsibility for the operation, but Hezbollah laid the blame squarely on its adversary, and two U.S. officials told NBC News that Israel was behind the attack. It follows months of tensions between Hezbollah and Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks and Israel’s assault on the Gaza Strip. Israel announced a new war objective late Monday — the safe return of residents displaced from their homes by months of fighting with Hezbollah across the northern border with Lebanon. Israel could benefit on several different levels from such a massive and shocking operation, Horowitz said.

Persons: Israel, Yoav Gallant, ” Michael Horowitz, Horowitz, ”, —, ” Horowitz, Mohanad Hage Ali, Malcolm H, ” Hage Ali said, What’s, “, Masoud Pezeshkian, ” Hage Ali, Ori Gordin, Washington, Ben Rhodes, Barack Obama, ” Rhodes Organizations: Hezbollah, NBC News, NBC, Israeli, U.S, Le Beck, Kerr Carnegie Middle East Center, Kremlin, Israel Defense Forces ’ Northern Command, BBC Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, Israel, Russia, Jordan, Gaza, Iran, Israeli, U.S, doesn’t

☆ Hezbollah hand-held radios detonate across Lebanon, sources say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The hand-held radios were purchased by Hezbollah five months ago, around the same time that the pagers were bought, said a security source. The two sides have been engaged in cross-border warfare since the Gaza conflict erupted last October, fuelling fears of a wider Middle East conflict that could drag in the United States and Iran. But given the scale, the impact on families, on civilians, there will be pressure for a stronger response," said Mohanad Hage Ali of the Carnegie Middle East Center. One Hezbollah official said the detonation was the group's "biggest security breach" in its history. It followed a series of assassinations of Hezbollah and Hamas commanders and leaders blamed on Israel since the start of the Gaza war.

Persons: Tuesday's detonations, Firass Abiad, Tuesday's, Gold Apollo, Israel, Ayman Safadi, Mohanad Hage Ali Organizations: American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Hezbollah, Reuters, Lebanese Health, Israel, Jordan's, Carnegie Middle East Center Locations: American University of Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Lebanon's, Beirut's, Iran, Lebanese, Beirut, Hungary's, Budapest, Gaza, United States

☆ Hezbollah’s credibility depends on revenge against Israel. But its weakness has been exposed
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-18 | by ( Ben Wedeman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

In May 2000, the group managed to drive Israel out of southern Lebanon after a grueling guerilla conflict. On the evening of July 30, an Israeli drone fired two missiles into a residential building in southern Beirut, killing senior Hezbollah commander Fu’ad Shukr. Taken together, the missile attack and the exploding devices represent a dramatic infiltration by Israel of Hezbollah’s critical command and control networks. Israel denied any important targets were struck and no evidence has been made public to contradict that denial. Israel is no longer willing to tolerate the slow-burn war on its northern border and is resorting to ever more extreme and potentially escalatory measures.

Persons: Lebanon CNN —, Assad, Fu’ad Shukr, Shukr’s, Hassan Nasrallah, ” Organizations: Lebanon CNN, Hezbollah, CNN Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Iranian, Syria, Iran, Russia, Lebanese, Israeli, pagers, Gaza

United Nations leaders accused Israel of violating international humanitarian law on Thursday, saying that six of its workers were among 18 people reported killed by an airstrike on a school in central Gaza sheltering displaced Palestinians. “What’s happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said in a post on X hours after Wednesday's attack on Al-Jaouni school in the Nuseirat refugee camp. “These dramatic violations of international humanitarian law need to stop now,” he added. Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA, which has been operating the school as shelter for displaced Palestinians, said it had been sheltering more than 12,000 people. The manager of the shelter was among the six workers killed, it said, adding that it was the “highest death toll among our staff in a single incident.”

Persons: Israel, António Guterres, ” Organizations: Nations, ” United Nations, Civil Defense, Works Agency Locations: Gaza, Israel's

☆ Land Forces, Melbourne: Protesters clash with police at Australia defense show
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-11 | by ( Lex Harvey | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Police officers struggled to control the crowd of around 1,200 people who tried to block attendees from entering the Land Forces international exposition in downtown Melbourne. Some of the protesters threw horse manure, rocks, and fruit at police, according to Victoria Police and media reports. Fire burns ahead of a Victoria Police riot squad line during a rally against the Land Forces International Land Defense Exposition in Melbourne, Australia September 11, 2024. Protesters confront police outside the Land Forces 2024 arms fair in Melbourne on September 11, 2024. They’ve got a job to do and our police officers should be respected at all times,” Albanese told CNN affiliate Channel 7.

Persons: Joel Carrett, Natalie Farah, Israel, ” Jacinta Allan, “ They’re, ” Allan, “, William West, Anthony Albanese, you’re, They’ve, ” Albanese, Bec Shrimpton, ” Shrimpton, Gabrielle de Vietri, ” de Vietri Organizations: CNN, Police, Land Forces, Victoria Police, Land Forces International Land Defense, Reuters, International Court of Justice, ABC, Protesters, Forces, Getty Images, ABC Radio National, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Victorian Greens Locations: Australia, Melbourne, Israel, Gaza, Palestine, South Africa, Victoria, AFP

☆ Sinwar: Israeli official floats safe passage offer for October 7 architect Yahya Sinwar in return for hostages
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Hira Humayun | Tara John | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —An Israeli official has floated the possibility of offering Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar safe passage out of Gaza, once all remaining hostages held in the Palestinian territory are released. On Tuesday, Hirsch elaborated on the idea in an interview with Bloomberg, saying Israel has already proposed safe passage to Sinwar. “I’m ready to provide safe passage to Sinwar, his family, whoever wants to join him,” he told Bloomberg. We want demilitarization, de-radicalization of course — a new system that will manage Gaza.”He told Bloomberg that the offer of safe passage was put on the table a day and a half ago, but did not say what the response was. Israel would be open to releasing prisoners it holds as part of any deal, he told Bloomberg.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Gal Hirsch, CNN’s Jessica Dean, “, Hitler, Sinwar, ” Hirsch, ”, Hirsch, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, CNN Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh Organizations: CNN, Bloomberg, Israeli, Sunday Locations: Gaza, Israel, Tehran

☆ Netanyahu added conditions that complicated Gaza negotiations, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-14 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Abigail-Williams-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Abigail Williams | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu introduced new conditions that complicated negotiations aimed at freeing hostages and suspending fighting in the Gaza Strip in May, according to U.S. and foreign officials. The cease-fire talks, with Israel represented by the head of its intelligence service and other officials, had advanced close to an agreement. The war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas was sparked by Hamas’ terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, which killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians. About 40,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza since Israel launched its retaliatory military operation in the enclave, according to local health officials. In a statement Sunday, Hamas said Israel had added new conditions to an earlier proposal that revealed its intention to continue its “aggression” in Gaza and sabotage a possible cease-fire agreement.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, “ Netanyahu, Israel, ”, Iran’s, Ismail Haniyeh, Fazil Abd Erahim, “ It’s, there’s, Haniyeh Organizations: The New York Times, NBC News, Sky News, State Department, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Israel Defense Forces, Biden Locations: Gaza, Israel, U.S, Qatar, Egypt, Jerusalem, Lebanon, British, Tehran, Algiers, Algeria, Iran

Top NewsPresident Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey has called Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel a “bloodsucking vampire” because of his approach to the war in Gaza. Mr. Erdogan knew Mr. Haniyeh personally. He didn’t name them, but the United States is by far the biggest supplier of weapons to Israel. United States officials have suggested that the authority — a fierce rival of Hamas — could help govern Gaza after the war, an idea Mr. Netanyahu has rejected. Mr. Flake said that despite Mr. Haniyeh’s death, Turkey and the United States still shared the same goal.

Persons: Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Ismail Haniyeh, Mahmoud Abbas, Erdogan, Erdogan’s, Mr, Haniyeh, Hakan Fidan, Jeffry, Fidan, “, ”, Abbas, —, Netanyahu, Haniyeh’s, Flake, Turkey’s Organizations: Palestinian Authority, Hamas, Development Party, West Bank, Israel Locations: Turkey, Gaza, ”, Israel, Ankara, United States, Montenegro, reining, Qatar, Egypt

Iran has rejected calls to refrain from retaliatory attacks against Israel over the assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, as the United States and its allies seek to avert a wider conflict in the Middle East. The U.S. has dispatched a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and sought to expedite the arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group as part of Washington’s commitment to help defend Israel from possible retaliation. Both Iran and Hamas have blamed Israel for the killing. Israel Defense Forces spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said on Monday night that Israel was "following Hezbollah and Iran and ready." Meanwhile, a growing number of countries have asked airlines to avoid airspace in the region, while some have also urged their citizens to leave parts of the Middle East.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Nasser Kanaani, Israel, Haniyeh, Kanaani, Italy —, John Kirby, Masoud Pezeshkian, Fuad Shukr, Daniel Hagari Organizations: Security, Israel Defense Forces Locations: Iran, Israel, United States, Islamic Republic, Tehran, U.S, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, The U.S, Lebanese, Beirut, Gaza

International mediators were heading to the Middle East for a high-stakes round of negotiations scheduled for Thursday as they raced to lock down an elusive cease-fire in the Gaza Strip that could defuse tensions ahead of an anticipated attack on Israel by Iran and Hezbollah. The cease-fire talks, which are set to take place in Doha, Qatar, or Cairo, were expected to include top intelligence officials from Egypt, Israel and the United States, as well as the Qatari prime minister. But as of Tuesday, Hamas representatives were not planning to take part. Ahmad Abdul-Hadi, a Hamas representative in Lebanon, said in an interview that doing so would mean going “backward to square one,” and accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel of dragging out the negotiations. “Netanyahu is not interested in reaching an agreement that ends the aggression completely, but rather he is deceiving and evading and wants to prolong the war, and even expand it at the regional level,” Mr. Abdul-Hadi said.

Persons: Ahmad Abdul, Hadi, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, “ Netanyahu, Mr, Abdul Locations: Gaza, Israel, Iran, Doha, Qatar, Cairo, Egypt, United States, Lebanon

☆ China supports Iran in defending security, says foreign minister
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

China supports Iran in defending its “sovereignty, security and national dignity,” Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi told Iran’s acting foreign minister in a phone call on Sunday, according to a statement by China’s foreign ministry. Iran and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas have accused Israel of carrying out strike that killed Haniyeh. Wang told Ali Bagheri Kani, Iran’s Acting Foreign Minister, that the killing of Haniyeh had “directly undermined the Gaza ceasefire negotiation process and undermined regional peace and stability,” China’s foreign ministry said. “China supports Iran in defending its sovereignty, security and national dignity in accordance with the law, and in its efforts to maintain regional peace and stability, and stands ready to maintain close communication with Iran,” Wang was quoted as saying. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Sunday nominated Abbas Araqchi as the country’s foreign minister.

Persons: Wang Yi, Iran’s, Wang, Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, “, ” Israel, Ali Bagheri Kani, ” Wang, Masoud Pezeshkian, Abbas Araqchi, Araqchi Locations: China, Iran, Tehran, Palestinian, Israel, Gaza

☆ Israeli minister says it may be ‘moral’ to starve 2 million Gazans, but ‘no one in the world would let us’
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Dana Karni | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

It’s his (Hamas’) money, it’s his fuel, it’s his civilian control of the Gaza Strip. Israel has control over aid that enters Gaza and aid groups are in charge of distributing it. While there have been some anecdotal reports from Gazans of Hamas stealing aid, it’s unclear how rampant it is. The conflict began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli authorities. No need to unclog sewers, no need for education, no need for welfare.

Persons: Bezalel Smotrich, Yad Binyamin, ”, Israel, David Satterfield, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, ” Israel, Smotrich Organizations: Jerusalem CNN — Israeli, Katif Conference, National, Israeli Locations: Jerusalem, Gaza, Yad, Israel, Gazans

Bell has consistently maintained that Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas and said he would be supportive of the U.S. ally if elected. Bush accused Israel of an “ethnic cleansing campaign” as the country retaliated. A group of 30 rabbis from the area endorsed Bell in the spring and accused Bush of antisemitism. Bush confirmed the federal investigation but referred to the complaints as “baseless.”Both Bush and Bell argued that the race is about more than just the Middle East. On Friday, Rep. Katherine Clark, a member of House Democratic leadership, traveled to Missouri to stump for Bush.

Persons: LOUIS —, Cori Bush, Bush, —, “ I’m, ”, Wesley Bell, Bell, Louis County’s, Israel —, Jamaal Bowman, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, she’s, ” Bush, I’ve, “, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, ” Bell, Louis . Bell, Republican Sen, Josh Hawley, Jeff Roberson, Mike Brown, Michael Brown Sr, Katherine Clark, Bowman Organizations: LOUIS, LOUIS — Democratic, NBC News, Israel, Justice Department, Democratic, “, St, Israeli, Jewish Federation of St, Republican, NBC, Senate, Sunday, House Democratic Locations: Ferguson, Washington, Israel, U.S, York, Gaza, ”, Missouri, Louis, Biden’s State, Palestine, St, Clayton , Missouri, Bush, Ferguson , Missouri, New York

☆ UN probe finds 9 UNRWA employees ‘may have’ been involved in Oct. 7 attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-05 | by ( Richard Roth | Mick Krever | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The investigation was launched in January after Israel accused some UNRWA employees of participating in the attack that left 1,200 people in Israel dead. “The evidence obtained by OIOS indicated that the UNRWA staff members may have been involved in the armed attacks of 7 October 2023,” OIOS said in a statement. Nonetheless, UNWRA in January said that it had terminated the accused employees’ contracts. They also reviewed UNRWA employees’ communications and media reports. “Because of safety concerns,” they did not meet with the accused UNRWA staff or corroborating witnesses.

Persons: Israel, Juliette Touma, OIOS, ” OIOS, Nadav Shoshani, ”, Philippe Lazzarini, –, Aharon Haliva, “ Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UNRWA, UN, UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, Israel Defense Forces, Palestine Refugees, Israel Defense Forces ’ Military Intelligence Directorate, United Locations: Gaza, Israel, East, New York, Geneva, Brussels, UNWRA, United States

The Israeli military said its air force had struck what it described as Hezbollah targets in Kfar Kila and killed a Hezbollah leader in Deir Siriane. Hezbollah has fired thousands of rockets and drones at Israel, saying it was acting in solidarity with Hamas, which is also backed by Iran. Hamas and Iran have accused Israel of assassinating Mr. Haniyeh, but Israel has not publicly taken responsibility for that killing. Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas have vowed to retaliate against Israel. For now, the developments appear to have derailed any prospect, however remote, of a cease-fire between Hamas and Israel.

Persons: Beit Hillel, Deir, Fuad Shukr, Ismail Haniyeh, Shukr, Israel, Mr, Haniyeh Organizations: Hezbollah, Hamas, Sunday Locations: Israel, Iran, Lebanon, Beit, Kfar Kila, Deir Siriane, Beirut, Tehran, Golan

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