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☆ On Israel-Lebanon Border, Families Flee on Both Sides as as Violence Flares
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

Israel on Friday ordered the evacuation of more than 20,000 residents from Kiryat Shmona, one of the biggest towns on its northern border following a heavy cross-border exchange of fire in the area the day before. Survival was uppermost in the minds of Lebanese civilians from the Lebanese village of Dhayra, west of Israel's Kiryat Shmona. Nissim Tsabaria, an elderly Israeli who walks with a stick, waved goodbye to neighbours as he clambered into his car. Local authorities on both sides of the border are hastily seeking accommodation for the growing numbers of refugees, who leave their homes in cars crammed with suitcases. Israel is putting its swelling ranks of evacuees in guest houses and hotels if they don't have families to stay with.

Persons: Avi Ohayon, Sebastian Rocandio KIRYAT, Edo Goldstein, Goldstein, Dhayra, Zahira Omar Swaid, Israel, Daniel Hagari, Nissim Tsabaria, Mortada Mhanna, Crispian Balmer, Edmund Blair Organizations: Reuters, Hezbollah, Hamas, Friday, Locals, Israel Defense Forces, Local Locations: Sebastian Rocandio KIRYAT SHMONA, Israel, TYRE, Lebanon, Lebanese, Gaza, Israel's, Kiryat Shmona, Dhayra, Israel's Kiryat Shmona, Tyre, Iran

[1/3] A man assists his elderly father to get into a car so that he can be evacuated from Kiryat Shmona, near Israel's border with Lebanon, in northern Israel, October 20, 2023. Israel on Friday ordered the evacuation of more than 20,000 residents from Kiryat Shmona, one of the biggest towns on its northern border following a heavy cross-border exchange of fire in the area the day before. Survival was uppermost in the minds of Lebanese civilians from the Lebanese village of Dhayra, west of Israel's Kiryat Shmona. Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), said the mass evacuations along Israel's northern border, allowed the army "to expand its operational freedom to act against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation." Israel is putting its swelling ranks of evacuees in guest houses and hotels if they don't have families to stay with.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, KIRYAT, Edo Goldstein, Goldstein, Dhayra, Zahira Omar Swaid, Israel, Daniel Hagari, Nissim Tsabaria, Mortada Mhanna, Crispian Balmer, Edmund Blair Organizations: REUTERS, Hezbollah, Hamas, Friday, Reuters, Locals, Israel Defense Forces, Local, Thomson Locations: Kiryat Shmona, Israel's, Lebanon, Israel, KIRYAT SHMONA, TYRE, Lebanese, Gaza, Dhayra, Israel's Kiryat Shmona, Tyre, Iran

☆ Israel announces evacuation plan for Kiryat Shmona city near Lebanese border - defense ministry
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

A tank is driven on a tank transporter on a road in Kiryat Shmona, northern Israel, October 11, 2023. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsJERUSALEM, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Israel has ordered the evacuation of residents of Kiryat Shmona, a northern town close to the Lebanese border, the defence ministry said on Friday. Kiryat Shmona has a population of more that 20,000 and is some 2 km (1 mile) from the border fence. Reporting by Dan Williams; Editing by Christopher CushingOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Lisi Niesner, Kiryat Shmona, Dan Williams, Christopher Cushing Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Thomson Locations: Kiryat Shmona, Israel, Lebanese

El Al Israel Airlines planes are seen on the tarmac at Ben Gurion International airport in Lod, near Tel Aviv, Israel March 10, 2020. Insurers for Israeli flag carrier El Al Airlines (ELAL.TA), Israir (ISRG.TA) and Arkia have previously said they can issue such notices due to the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. Israeli airlines have now received the notices, two sources told Reuters, without naming the airlines. Israeli's parliamentary finance committee last week approved a plan to provide a state guarantee of $6 billion to cover insurance against war risks to Israeli airlines. Airlines normally take out two types of policy - an "all risks" policy which covers both regular damage to the hull and passenger liability, and a "war" policy to cover war or terror-related losses to the aircraft.

Persons: Ronen, Bruce Carman, Arkia, Israir, Garrett Hanrahan, Hanrahan, Carolyn Cohn, Sinead Cruise, David Evans Organizations: El Al Israel Airlines, Ben, REUTERS, Aviation, El Al Airlines, Palestinian, Hamas, Hive Underwriters, El Al, Lebanese, East Airlines, Airlines, Marsh's Global Aviation, Reuters, Hezbollah, Norwegian Air, Thomson Locations: Ben Gurion, Lod, Tel Aviv, Israel, Lebanon, Europe, United States, London, Turkey, Beirut, Eilat

☆ What to know about Hezbollah, the powerful Iran-backed group on Israel’s border
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Cnn Staff | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

CNN —Hezbollah is an Iran-backed Islamist movement with one of the most powerful paramilitary forces in the Middle East. The origins of the groupHezbollah emerged from the rubble of Israel’s 1982 invasion of Lebanon, when Israeli forces took almost half of Lebanon’s territory. This included Beirut, where Israeli forces, along with right-wing Israel-allied Christian Lebanese militias, laid siege to the western part of the capital to drive out Palestinian militants. A terror designationIn Lebanon, Hezbollah is officially considered a “resistance” group tasked with confronting Israel, which Beirut classifies as an enemy state. Hezbollah is a group from the Shia branch of Islam, while Hamas is Sunni.

Persons: Israel –, –, Sabra, Shatila, Hassan Nasrallah, Marwan Naamani, Israel, Mustafa Badreddine, Hamas haven’t, Bashar al, Assad, Nasrallah, Francesca Volpi, ’ Organizations: CNN, Commission, Christian Lebanese, Embassy, Hezbollah, Hamas, Gaza, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Israel’s Locations: Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Hamas, Gaza, Beirut, Lebanese, Palestinian, Islamic Republic, Tehran, Argentina, Buenos Aires, East, Syria, Iraq, Islam, Baalbek, Lebanon's Bekaa, Israel’s, Golan

☆ German defence minister visits troops at UN force in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius looks on during a press statement on a visit the German Airforce Base Holzdorf to get informed about the projects of heavy transport helicopters and the anti-ballistic missiles ARROW in Holzdorf, Germany October 16, 2023. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsBERLIN, Oct 19 (Reuters) - German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius travelled to Lebanon on Thursday to visit German soldiers serving in a U.N. peacekeeping force in the region in the wake of a major escalation between neighbouring Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. Berlin has deployed some 140 soldiers on a corvette off the Lebanese coast and at the headquarters of the UNIFIL mission in southern Lebanon that was hit by a rocket on Sunday without causing casualties. UNIFIL has operated in Lebanon since 1978 to maintain peace along the border with Israel and was expanded by the U.N. resolution that halted the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in southern Lebanon. Reporting by Sabine Siebold and Friederike Heine, Editing by Rachel MoreOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Boris Pistorius, German Airforce Base Holzdorf, Annegret, Sabine Siebold, Friederike Heine, Rachel More Organizations: German, German Airforce Base, REUTERS, Rights, Hamas, UNIFIL, Twitter, Thomson Locations: Holzdorf, Germany, Lebanon, Israel, Palestinian, Berlin, Gaza

Israel still occupies the West Bank, captured with Gaza in a 1967 Middle East war. More than 70 Palestinians have been killed in West Bank violence since Oct. 7 and Israel has arrested more than 800 people. Hamas cited attacks on West Bank Palestinians and arrests this year as part of its reason for attacking on Oct. 7. But the arrests have also limited West Bank violence, said Mustafa al-Khawaja, a 52-year-old anti-settlement activist. WEST BANK A COMPLEX PATCHWORKWhile Hamas tightly controls besieged Gaza, the West Bank is a complex patchwork of hillside cities, Israeli settlements and army checkpoints that split Palestinian communities.

Persons: Mohammed Torokman, Israel, Jonathan Conricus, Salah, Mowafaq Sehweel, Nizar Mughrabi, Netanyahu, Haniyeh, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ismail Haniyeh, Mustafa al, Khawaja, Mughrabi, Mahmoud Abbas's PA, Abbas, Israel's, Fatah, Hadi al, Masri, Lior Akerman, Shin, Akerman, Ali Sawafta, John Davison, Howard Goller Organizations: West Bank, REUTERS, Gaza, Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Reuters, Fatah, Bank, Palestinian, UN, Thomson Locations: Ramallah, RAMALLAH, JERUSALEM, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, West Bank, Lebanese, Jerusalem

☆ Lebanese army says journalist killed by Israeli gunfire in southern Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM/BEIRUT, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The Lebanese army said a journalist was killed by Israeli gunfire on Thursday in a southern Lebanon border area where Israel's forces and Lebanese group Hezbollah had a heavy exchange of fire. The Lebanese army described the seven people as media personnel, saying Israeli forces targeted them with machine guns, killing one and wounding another. The incident came nearly a week after a Reuters journalist was killed and other journalists injured in southern Lebanon. Cross-border exchanges have flared since Oct. 7, when Palestinian group Hamas attacked southern Israel and Israeli forces launched a counteroffensive on Gaza. The Israeli military said fighters in Lebanon had fired at least two anti-armour missiles into Israel, striking the village of Manara without causing casualties.

Persons: Israel, Sheikh Abad's, Andrea Tenenti, Tenenti, Dan Williams, Tom Perry, Rami Ayyub, Edmund Blair, Alex Richardson, Grant McCool, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Lebanese, Hezbollah, Lebanese Armed Forces, UNIFIL, Reuters, Thomson Locations: JERUSALEM, BEIRUT, Lebanon, Lebanese, Israel, Iran, Manara, Gaza

☆ A Florida dentist fired for tearing down posters of Israeli hostages had the 'best of intentions' but is now getting death threats, his lawyer says
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Natalie Musumeci | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

A Florida dentist was fired for tearing down posters of Israeli hostages who were taken by Hamas in Israel. Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa is now getting death threats, but he had the "best of intentions," his lawyer told Insider. ElKoussa's lawyer says he pulled down the posters because he was worried they'd spark more conflict. Dr. Ahmed ElKoussa is now getting death threats for his actions, his lawyer told Insider on Thursday. According to Shibly, ElKoussa decided to tear down the hostage posters because he was "horrified" by the recent killing of a 6-year-old Palestinian-American boy.

Persons: Dr, Ahmed ElKoussa, —, Hassan Shibly, Shibly, ElKoussa, StopAntisemitism.org, it's, Juan Izquierdo, Izquierdo Organizations: Service, Muslim, Twitter, Police, Hamas Locations: Florida, Israel, Miami, Brickell, Illinois, Gaza

☆ How Hezbollah could draw US troops into a wider war in the Middle East
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

The Israel-Hamas war could spark a wider regional conflict in the Middle East. AdvertisementAdvertisementPresident Joe Biden this week touched down in Israel as the Middle East was engulfed in new turmoil. AdvertisementAdvertisementThey'd threatened to attack Israel in support of Hamas before the hospital attack, with clashes in recent days between Hezbollah and Israeli forces on Israel's northern border intensifying. AdvertisementAdvertisementIn Hezbollah, Israel faces an opponent that is better armed and trained than the Gaza-based Hamas militia. "They want to pressure Israel via Hezbollah when Israel is already stretched and distracted," said Burrows.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Biden, Michael DiMino, Benjamin Netanyahu, BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI, Ebrahim Raisi, Israel, JOSEPH EID, Mat Burrows, Burrows, Robert Dover, Stimson Center's Burrows, Iran's, Clive Jones, DiMino Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, CIA, Israel, Tel Aviv's, Getty, Al, UN, West Bank, Embassy, Washington, Stimson Center, Missile, AFP, Kremlin, University of Hull, Institute for, Durham University Locations: Israel, East, Iran, Gaza, Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion, AFP, Ahli, Gaza City, — Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, DC, Russia, China, Ukraine, Taiwan, Syrian, Iraq, Yemen, United States

☆ Lebanese Iran-aligned Al-Mayadeen reports attacks on two U.S. bases in Syria
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

Oct 19 (Reuters) - Two U.S. military bases in Syria have come under attack, Lebanon's Iran-aligned Al Mayadeen TV reported on Thursday. There was no official confirmation of the attacks. Al Mayadeen reported a drone attack on the Al-Tanf base near Syria's borders with Iraq and Jordan, and a missile attack on the Conoco base in the countryside of the northern Deir al-Zor region. It gave no further information. Reporting by Tala Ramadan Editing by Gareth JonesOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mayadeen, Al Mayadeen, Gareth Jones Organizations: Tala, Thomson Locations: Syria, Iran, Syria's, Iraq, Jordan, Deir, Zor

☆ West Bank a Possible 'Third Front' for Israel
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-19 | by ( Oct. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +7 min

Persons: Ali Sawafta, John Davison, Israel, Jonathan Conricus, Salah, Mowafaq Sehweel, Nizar Mughrabi, Netanyahu, Haniyeh, Benjamin Netanyahu, Ismail Haniyeh, Mustafa al, Khawaja, Mughrabi, Mahmoud Abbas's PA, Abbas, Israel's, Fatah, Hadi al, Masri, Lior Akerman, Shin, Akerman, Howard Goller Organizations: West Bank, Gaza, Hamas, Palestinian Authority, Reuters, Fatah, Bank, Palestinian, UN Locations: John Davison RAMALLAH, JERUSALEM, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Iran, West Bank, Lebanese, Ramallah, Jerusalem

☆ Biden's wartime visit to Israel got more complicated in 2 key ways before he even landed
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

President Joe Biden landed in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, amid the Israel-Hamas war. He'll have to address a hospital blast in Gaza that's sparked global outrage and cancelled his summit with Arab leaders. AdvertisementAdvertisementAs President Joe Biden landed on Wednesday morning in Tel Aviv, Israel, he found himself having to contend with two critical developments threatening to undermine his wartime visit. Injured Palestinians taken to Al-Shifa Hospital following Israeli airstrike on Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, Gaza on October 17, 2023. All eyes are on Biden to address Gaza hospital blastThen there's the hospital explosion that Biden will most definitely be pressed to address.

Persons: Joe Biden, it's, —, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu —, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Abbas, Sisi, Ali Jadallah, John Kirby, Carl Skadian, Mr Biden, Netanyahu, Stringer, Getty Images Biden, Israel —, Slim Organizations: Service, Palestinian Authority, Associated Press, White, Shifa, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Getty, National Security, Israel Defense Forces, Middle East Institute, National University of Singapore, Air Force, Embassy, Getty Images, Hamas, Bloomberg Locations: Tel Aviv, Israel, Gaza, Jordan, Egypt, Al, Ahli, Gaza City, Anadolu, Turkey, Lebanon, Lebanese, Washington

☆ Lebanon's Hezbollah says it is stronger than before as border clashes rage
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

[1/4] Smoke rises from Dhayra village after Israeli shelling as pictured from the Lebanese town of Marwahin, near the border with Israel, southern Lebanon, October 11, 2023. Hezbollah said two of its fighters were killed in south Lebanon on Wednesday and a third was in a serious condition. The fighting has been the deadliest at the border since Hezbollah and Israel went to war in 2006. Hezbollah announced on Wednesday a fighter had died of wounds sustained on Tuesday, increasing to six the number of its fighters killed in Tuesday's violence. Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said on Oct. 13 the group would act when the time comes.

Persons: Mohamed Azakir, Hashem Safieddine, Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel, Kibbutz Manara, Naim Qassem, Tom Perry, Laila Bassam, Henriette Chacar, Edmund Blair, Diane Craft Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, United, Palestinian, Hamas, Israeli, Kibbutz, Thomson Locations: Dhayra, Marwahin, Israel, Lebanon, Rights BEIRUT, United States, Iran, Gaza, Zar'it, Lebanon's Ras Naqoura, Rosh HaNikra, Beirut, Jerusalem

Abed Khaled/AP Bodies of Palestinians killed in the blast at the Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital lie in front of the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City on October 17. Yousef Masoud/The New York Times A morgue worker arranges body bags at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City on October 12. Tamir Kalifa/The New York Times/Redux Palestinians walk amid the rubble following Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 10. Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters Palestinian citizens inspect damage to their homes caused by Israeli airstrikes in Gaza City on October 8. It was at the time… when there were reports of an explosion at the hospital in Gaza City,” he said.

Persons: Joe Biden, Daniel Hagari, Jihad –, Gaza –, Israel misfired, Ashraf Al, ” Al, Qudra, Abed Khaled, Ariel Schalit, Mohammed Abed, Kfar Aza, Ilia Yefimovich, Khan, Mustafa Hassona, Mahmoud Khaled, Samar Abu, Fatima Shbair, Dor Reder, Violeta Santos Moura, Shir Torem, Wahaj Bani Moufleh, Antonio Macías, Macías, Francisco Seco, Mohammed Saber, Eli Albag, Liri, Mohammed Talatene, Sergey Ponomarev, Hatem Ali, Dor Kedmi, Mahmud Hams, Saher, Hatem Moussa, Abraham Cohen, Valentin Ghnassia, Ghnassia, Alexi J . Rosenfeld, Yuri Cortez, Yousef Masoud, Ibrahim Hams, Bashar Taleb, Baz Ratner, Jack Guez, Abed Rahim Khatib, Yahya Hassouna, Mapal Adam, Abed Zagout, Tamir Kalifa, Agha, Ibraheem Abu Mustafa, Reuters Itzik, Miriam Shafir, Dor Shafir, Savion Kiper, Maya Alleruzzo, Mohammed Salem, CNN Sergey Ponomarev, Eden Guez, Atef Safadi, Ohad, Mohammed Soboh, Said, Noam Elimeleh Rothenberg, Belal Khaled, Amir Cohen, Ilai Bar Sade, Erik Marmor, Ali Jadallah, Oren Ziv, Ronen Zvulun, Majdi, Ramez Mahmoud, Roi Levy, Alleruzzo, Tali Touito, Jalaa Marey, Oded, Khan Younis, Ahmad Hasballah, Mohammed Fayq Abu Mostafa, Tsafrir, Ahmad Gharabli, Ilan Rosenberg, Eyad Baba, Itai Ron, Hadas Parush, Volker Turk, – horrifically, ” Turk, Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu, Jordan, Mahmoud Abbas, ”, Ayman Safadi, Al, Stringer, Hagari, ” Hagari, UN Riyad Mansour, Antony Blinken, Israel “, Sameh Shoukry Organizations: Jerusalem CNN, Al, Ahli Baptist Hospital, Palestinian Health Ministry, CNN, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, Israel, Palestinian Ministry of Health, “ Ambulance, Shifa, Getty, Palestinian, AP, New York Times, Reuters, West Bank, Aris Messinis, Haim, Mount, Mount Herzl Military, Nova, Anadolu Agency, Nova Festival, Ben Gurion, Rockets, Israel's, United Nations, Reuters Police, Reuters Rockets, UN Human, Biden, Palestinian Authority, White, West, Embassy, UN, IDF, Islamic Jihad, Islamic, Jihad, UN Security, “ Locations: Gaza, Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Ahli, Gaza City, Jihad, Al, Sderot, Israel, Rafah, AFP, Gan, Kfar, Khan Younis, Anadolu, North Sinai, Egypt, Samar, Samar Abu Elouf, Beit Kama, Haifa, Cyprus, Nablus, West, Lebanon, Kfar Saba, Israeli, Be'eri, Rehovot, Mount Herzl, Kibbutz Be'eri, Modiin Maccabim, Kfar Aza, Ashkelon, Mount Herzel, Yassin, Palestinian, Beitar Ilit, Ramat Gan, Kiryat Shmona, Itai, Beit Hanun, Rishon Lezion, Jordan, Amman, Al Jazeera, East, North Africa, Iraq, Iran, Tunisia, West Bank, Ramallah, Jordanian, Lebanese, Beirut, Pakistan, ”

In video clips verified by The New York Times, scores of Palestinian bodies were filmed strewn across the courtyard of the Ahli Arab Hospital, some bloodied, charred, mangled or in pieces. The explosion at the hospital came a day after Iran warned that “other multiple fronts will open” if Israeli attacks continued to kill civilians in Gaza. Hundreds of families had fled to the hospital in search of refuge after 11 days of Israeli strikes elsewhere in Gaza. Image Two Palestinian children injured in the explosion at Ahli Arab Hospital were taken to another hospital in Gaza, Al-Shifa, for treatment. The Health Ministry in Gaza said that Ahli Arab Hospital was also struck on Sunday.

Persons: ”, Ali Jadallah, Israel, Biden’s, King Abdullah II of Jordan, Mahmoud Abbas, Abbas, Jordan, Biden, Jadallah, Mr, Ghassan Abu, Dr, Abu, Sitta, Abed Khaled, Ahmed Hijazi, “ I’ve, Hijazi, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Abu Bakr Bashir, Haley Willis, Euan Ward, Yousur, Abu Hweila Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, The New York Times, Ahli Arab Hospital, Anadolu Agency, Shifa, Lebanese, Palestinian, Islamic, Palestinian Authority, Israel, ”, West Bank, West Bank . Video, The Times, Arab Hospital, Episcopal, Health Ministry, World Health Organization, Twitter Locations: Gaza City, Palestinian, Ahli, Al, Israel, Lebanon, Iran, Gaza, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Saudi, Egypt, Zeitoun, Jerusalem, ”, Canterbury, London, Berkeley, Calif, Beirut, Cairo

☆ Israel Military Steps up Denial It Hit Gaza Hospital, Says Building Undamaged
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +3 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel's military published on Wednesday what it described as evidence that a misfired Palestinian rocket, rather than one of its own munitions, caused an overnight explosion at a Gaza hospital in which hundreds of people died. Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, has blamed the blast on Israel. Israel says it was a result of a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group in the enclave. Hagari said some 450 rockets fired from Gaza had fallen short and landed inside the Strip within the last 11 days. The Israeli military then published what it said was an audio recording of such a conversation, with English captions.

Persons: Joe Biden, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Dan Williams, John Davison, Alex Richardson, Gareth Jones Organizations: Palestinian, IDF, Israel Defence Forces, West Bank, United Locations: JERUSALEM, Palestinian, Gaza, Israel, Al, Ahli, Jordan, Turkey, Israel's, United States, Iran, Lebanese, Lebanon

☆ Israel military steps up denial it hit Gaza hospital, says building undamaged
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that controls Gaza, has blamed the blast on Israel. Israel says it was a result of a failed rocket launch by Palestinian Islamic Jihad, another militant group in the enclave. He said there was no structural damage to buildings around the Al-Ahli al-Arabi hospital and no craters consistent with an air strike. Hagari said some 450 rockets fired from Gaza had fallen short and landed inside the Strip within the last 11 days. The Israeli military then published what it said was an audio recording of such a conversation, with English captions.

Persons: Joe Biden, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Dan Williams, John Davison, Alex Richardson, Gareth Jones Organizations: Palestinian, IDF, Israel Defence Forces, West Bank, United, Thomson Locations: Palestinian, Gaza, Israel, Al, Ahli, Gaza City, Jordan, Turkey, Israel's, United States, Iran, Lebanese, Lebanon

☆ Protesters in Mideast vent fury at Gaza blast as Europe ups security
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Israel said the blast was caused by a failed rocket launch by the Palestinian Islamic Jihad militant group, which denied blame. In Tunis, protesters burned Israeli and American flags and demanded the expulsion of the U.S. and French ambassadors for what they termed their unconditional support for Israel. In Amman, deployed riot police pushed back thousands of Jordanian protesters planning to march on the heavily fortified Israeli embassy. 'REVENGE, REVENGE'The protesters voiced slogans backing Hamas, including "Revenge ... revenge ... O Hamas, bomb Tel Aviv." In Lebanon, security forces fired tear gas and water canon at protesters who were throwing projectiles as a protest near the U.S. embassy north of Beirut turned violent, footage broadcast by footage broadcast by Lebanese broadcaster al-Jadeed.

Persons: Jihed, Israel, “, ”, Ines Laswed, Nadia Sweilam, It's, Hesham Safieddine, Matteo Piantedosi, Tarek Amara, Suleiman al, Tom Perry, Benoit Van Overstraeten, William Maclean, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: REUTERS, Wednesday, Islamic Jihad, Israel, West Bank, Hamas, Hezbollah, French Foreign, Islamic State, Thomson Locations: Al, Ahli, Gaza, Tunis, Tunisia, Israel France, Lebanon, Europe, France, Israel, Jordan, Iran, Turkey, Amman, Rabia, Jordanian, Tel Aviv, U.S, Beirut, Lebanese, Palestinian, America, Hamas's, Versailles, Italy, Italian, Milan, Khalidi, Paris

☆ Factbox-Iran's Middle East Allies Primed as Israel-Hamas War Rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( Oct. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

Since the war erupted on Oct. 7, the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has already mounted operations against Israel, while others have threatened U.S. interests. Hezbollah has trained paramilitary groups in Syria and Iraq and inspired other forces such as Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis. Other Iran-backed Shi'ite groups backed by Tehran have played a vital combat role in Syria, including groups from Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran-backed forces have deployed across much of government-held Syria during the war, including at the Iraqi border and near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel has mounted airstrikes targeting Iranian and Iran-backed forces.

Persons: Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, YEMEN Yemen's, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Party, Iran's, Guards, United, . Marine, U.S, Popular, Forces, Reuters, SYRIA Iran's Revolutionary Guards, The U.S . Fifth Fleet, Revolutionary Guards, U.S . Navy Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Tehran, Iran, Lebanese, LEBANON, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, . Washington, United States, Beirut, IRAQ, U.S, State, SYRIA, Afghanistan, Golan Heights, YEMEN, Gaza, Saudi, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, The, Bahrain, Gulf of Oman

☆ Iran's Middle East allies primed as Israel-Hamas war rages
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Iran's Revolutionary Guards warned on Oct. 17 of further action by Tehran's allies against Israel if it did not cease its attacks. Since the war erupted on Oct. 7, the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah has already mounted operations against Israel, while others have threatened U.S. interests. Hezbollah has trained paramilitary groups in Syria and Iraq and inspired other forces such as Yemen's Iran-allied Houthis. Other Iran-backed Shi'ite groups backed by Tehran have played a vital combat role in Syria, including groups from Afghanistan and Iraq. Iran-backed forces have deployed across much of government-held Syria during the war, including at the Iraqi border and near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Persons: Israel, Bashar al, Assad, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, YEMEN Yemen's, Tom Perry, Edmund Blair Organizations: Palestinian, Hamas, Hezbollah, Israel, Party, Iran's, Guards, United, . Marine, U.S, Popular, Forces, Reuters, SYRIA Iran's Revolutionary Guards, The U.S . Fifth Fleet, Revolutionary Guards, U.S . Navy, Thomson Locations: BEIRUT, Israel, Tehran, Iran, Lebanese, LEBANON, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, . Washington, United States, Beirut, IRAQ, U.S, State, SYRIA, Afghanistan, Golan Heights, YEMEN, Gaza, Saudi, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, The, Bahrain, Gulf of Oman

☆ U.S. Allows Some Embassy Staff, Families to Leave Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-18 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

The State Department also updated its travel advisory to Lebanon to a Level 4, urging U.S. citizens not to travel to the country. A statement on the embassy’s website said commercial options to depart Lebanon remain available, adding that U.S. citizens who are in the country and choose not to depart should prepare contingency plans for emergency situations. Israel has evacuated areas close to its northern border with Lebanon in wake of attacks from Lebanese militant group Hezbollah in recent days. Demonstrations by Hezbollah are planned in Lebanon, including close to the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday, the country's national news agency said.

Organizations: State Department, U.S, Embassy Locations: Lebanon, Israel

Israel and the U.S. said the cause was a failed rocket launch by anti-Israeli Palestinian militants in Gaza who denied responsibility. Amid fears the conflict could spread beyond Gaza, Biden had planned to meet Arab leaders. But Jordan called off his planned summit there with Egypt and the Palestinian Authority after the hospital blast. During Biden's visit, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said Israel would let food, water and medicines reach southern Gaza via Egypt. En route to Washington, Biden told reporters he was blunt with Israel about the need to facilitate aid to Gaza.

Persons: Dilara, Lior Haiat, Joe Biden, Abdel Fattah El, Biden, Sisi, John Kirby, Jordan, Martin Griffiths, Rishi Sunak, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Israel, West Bank . Mark Negev, Netanyahu, that's, Nidal, Steve Holland, Cynthia Osterman, Howard Goller Organizations: Consulate, Hamas, REUTERS, Biden, Gaza UN, TEL, U.S ., Palestinian, Israel's Foreign Ministry, Palestinian West Bank, West Bank, Wednesday, Palestinian Authority, Security, House, British, United Nations, West Bank . Mark, CNN, Aboard Air Force, Thomson Locations: Israel, Istanbul, Turkey, Egypt, Gaza, TEL AVIV, GAZA, U.S, Ahli, Arabi, Israeli, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Tunisia, Ukraine, Rafah, Washington, United States, Tel Aviv, Jerusalem

☆ Lebanon's Hezbollah denounces Gaza hospital strike, protests in Beirut
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-17 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

An injured person is assisted at Shifa Hospital after an Israeli air strike hit the nearby Al-Ahli Hospital, according to Gaza Health Ministry in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, October 17, 2023. REUTERS/Mohammed Al-Masri Acquire Licensing RightsOct 17 (Reuters) - Lebanon's Hezbollah denounced what the group said was Israel's deadly attack on a Gaza hospital and called for "a day of unprecedented anger" on Wednesday, as protests erupted outside the U.S. embassy in Beirut just hours after the incident. Israel's military denied responsibility for the bombing, saying military intelligence suggested the hospital was hit by a failed rocket launch by the enclave's Palestinian Islamic Jihad military group. Others gathered outside the French embassy in Beirut. Reporting by Moaz Abd-Alaziz in Cairo and Beirut bureau; Editing by Edmund Blair and Sandra MalerOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Mohammed Al, Masri, Moaz Abd, Edmund Blair, Sandra Maler Organizations: Shifa Hospital, Gaza Health Ministry, REUTERS, U.S, Jihad, Islamic Jihad, Thomson Locations: Al, Ahli, Gaza, Gaza City, Beirut, Iran, Israel, U.S, Lebanon, United States, Cairo

Armed groups in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen that once largely fought separately now see themselves as being on the same team. Its members played a key role in helping Syria turn the tide against anti-government rebels during the country’s civil war, which began in 2011. And its operatives have increased the fighting abilities of pro-Iranian militias in Iraq and the Houthi rebels in Yemen. Israel, the United States and other countries have designated Hezbollah and some of its regional partners, including Hamas in Gaza, as terrorist organizations. Israel has viewed Hezbollah as its most formidable foe since they fought to a standstill in a monthlong war in 2006 that killed more than 1,000 Lebanese and 165 Israelis.

Organizations: Biden Locations: Israel, United States, That’s, Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Islamic Republic

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