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• US envoy Amos Hochstein is expected in Beirut today, according to two Lebanese official sources. His trip is seen as a sign of progress in ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah, but does not mean a deal is imminent. • In northern Gaza, an Israeli airstrike has killed over a dozen members of a single family. The 17 killed were family members of a cardiologist who was working at a hospital when the strike hit. Mike Huckabee, Trump’s pick for US ambassador to Israel, has voiced support for Israeli occupation in the Palestinian territory.

Persons: Amos Hochstein, •, Biden, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, Trump’s Organizations: West Bank, President Locations: Beirut, Israel, Israeli, •, Gaza, Palestinian

☆ Israel issues more than 1,000 arrest warrants for ultra-Orthodox draft avoiders
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-19 | by ( Tamar Michaelis | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Israel’s military has issued 1,126 arrest warrants for ultra-Orthodox conscripts who have not responded to drafting orders, in a move likely to fuel discontent over a controversial decision to remove their decades-long exemption from service. The move is likely to fuel the discontent that has roiled the country since a Supreme Court ruling in June that ultra-Orthodox Jews could not be exempt from military service, as they have been since the founding of Israel. ‘Death rather than draft’Anger had been simmering among the ultra-Orthodox community even before the news of the arrest warrants. For many Haredis, the idea that they would be pulled from studying scripture and drafted into Israel’s military is simply out of the question. However, the community has since grown exponentially, allowing tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox men to now avoid the draft.

Persons: Shay Tayeb, Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel Katz, Yoav Gallant, Tayib, ”, Yair Lapid, Katz, scuffles, Yona Kaye, “, ” Kaye Organizations: Defense, dodgers, Reuters Locations: Brig, Israel, Gaza, Lebanon, Gen, Bnei Brak, Tel Aviv

☆ At least 5 people wounded as rocket shrapnel falls on Israeli city
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Omer Bekin | Omer Bekin Is A Producer Based In Tel Aviv. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

TEL AVIV — At least five people were wounded by falling shrapnel Monday after a missile fired from Lebanon was intercepted by the Israeli military over a street in the city of Ramat Gan, officials said. Another patient listed in moderate condition and three mildly injured were taken to the Rabin Medical Center, the service said. Israel’s police service said it was “working to secure the impact sites and assist in evacuating the injured” in the city, which is within the Tel Aviv district. The Israeli military said in a statement that the country’s air force had “intercepted one projectile that was identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory. An Israeli airstrike killed five people and another 24 were injured by a strike on central Beirut's densely populated Zuqaq al-Blat neighborhood, Lebanon’s health ministry said Monday.

Persons: ”, Israel’s Magen David, Rami Swaid, “ Organizations: Rabin Medical Center, United Locations: TEL AVIV, Lebanon, Ramat Gan, Tel Aviv, Shfaram, Israel, Israeli

☆ Pope Francis suggests international study into possible genocide in Gaza
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Last December South Africa filed a case against Israel at the International Court of Justice for allegedly violating the Genocide Convention. The court has not yet ruled on the core of the case — whether genocide has occurred in Gaza. Israel says accusations of genocide in its Gaza campaign are baseless and that it is solely hunting down Hamas and other armed groups. Francis, leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church, is usually careful not to take sides in international conflicts, and to stress de-escalation. Francis has not previously described the situation in Gaza as a genocide in public.

Persons: Pope Francis, ”, Francis ’, Francis, Israel Organizations: La Stampa, Israel, International Court of Justice, Vatican, Catholic Church, Hamas Locations: Gaza, La, Africa, Israel, Lebanon

☆ Nearly a hundred aid trucks looted in Gaza, as UN warns of ‘collapse of law and order’
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Pauline Lockwood | Hira Humayun | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Nearly a hundred aid trucks were looted in southern Gaza on Saturday in what UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, has described as “one of the worst” incidents of its kind. Of the 109 trucks carrying food supplies for UNRWA and the World Food Programme from the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza, 97 trucks were “lost” in the looting, UNRWA told CNN in a statement Monday. Drivers were forced to unload trucks at gun point, aid workers were injured, and vehicles were damaged extensively, it said. In a report Monday that cited Gaza’s interior ministry, the Hamas-run Al-Aqsa TV channel claimed Gaza security forces had killed more than 20 people involved in looting aid trucks, though it did not specifically mention Saturday’s incident. Israel insists however that the number of aid trucks entering Gaza has risen and that it is “working tirelessly” to get aid into the enclave.

Persons: Philippe Lazzarini, Stéphane Dujarric –, ”, Lazzarini, “, ” Lazzarini, Dr, Munir Al, Bursh, Hani Badran, Kamal Adwan, Badran, Hussam Abu Safiya, Safiya, ” Safiya Organizations: CNN, UNRWA, UN, Drivers, Monday, Islamic Forces, COGAT, US State Department, West Bank, Hamas, Israel, ” CNN Locations: Gaza, Geneva, Aqsa, Israel, East Jerusalem, Beit Lahiya

CNN —United States envoy Amos Hochstein is due to visit Beirut “imminently” after Lebanon responded “positively” to a US-backed proposal to stop the Israel-Hezbollah war, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Monday. US ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson relayed the proposal to the Lebanese government via Nabih Berri, the parliament speaker, on Thursday night, a Lebanese official told CNN earlier. According to the official, Hezbollah reviewed the proposal and submitted their response to Lebanese authorities on Sunday evening. The Israeli source added that Hochstein has not yet confirmed when he will arrive in the region. Another Lebanese source familiar with the ceasefire talks told CNN earlier that President-elect Trump has endorsed Hochstein’s ceasefire negotiations track, increasing the chances of its success.

Persons: Amos Hochstein, imminently, “, Najib Mikati, Al Araby, Mikati, Lebanon Lisa Johnson, Ed Ram, Netanyahu, Hochstein, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, Nabih Berri, Mohamed Azakir, Reuters Berri, Amal, Hassan Nasrallah, Donald Trump’s, Trump, Israel Organizations: CNN, United, Lebanese, UN, Getty, Reuters, Saudi, Al, Hezbollah, US Locations: Beirut, imminently ”, Lebanon, Israel, Lebanese, Nabih Berri, Lebanon’s, Israeli, Gaza, Al Awsat

☆ Pope Francis calls for investigation into Gaza genocide allegations
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-18 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Pope Francis has said that allegations of a genocide in Gaza should be “carefully investigated” marking some of his strongest criticism yet of Israel’s war in the territory. “According to some experts… what is happening in Gaza has the characteristics of a genocide,” Vatican News, the Holy See’s official news outlet, cited the pontiff as writing in a forthcoming book. Pope Francis rarely comments on politics, often limiting his remarks to calls for peace. He lamented that “unarmed civilians are targets for bombs and gunfire” in Gaza and invoking scripture on war. Israel’s war in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians, the ministry of health there says, and has flattened large swathes of the territory, triggering a humanitarian crisis.

Persons: Pope Francis, “, Hope, Yaron, ”, Omar Al, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Israel Organizations: CNN, Vatican, Vatican News, United Nations ’ International Court of Justice, Getty, ICJ, Hamas, UN, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Locations: Gaza, Israel, South Africa, Pretoria, Jabaliya, AFP, Parish

The Trump transition team did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Lebanon’s ancient heritage faces Israeli airstrikesRubble and destruction caused by an Israeli airstrike near the historic Roman temple in Baalbek, Lebanon, on Nov. 7. The war in Lebanon has killed more than 3,200 people and displaced more than a million others, according to Lebanese officials. The conflict has also taken a toll on the nation’s unique heritage at the crossroads of ancient Phoenician, Egyptian, Greek, Persian and Roman civilizations. The Israel Defense Forces’ latest attacks on northern Gaza’s besieged city of Beit Lahiya killed “about 100” people, Mahmoud Basal, a spokesperson for Gaza’s Civil Defense, told NBC News on Sunday.

Persons: “, Joe Biden, Matt Gaetz, Gaetz, Pete Hegseth, Timothy Parlatore, ” Parlatore, Hegseth, Marwan Naamani, amphitheaters, ’ citadels, Beit Lahiya, Mahmoud, Press Sen, Markwayne Mullin, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, I’ve, ” Mullin, Kristen Welker, Kennedy, Mullin, ”, Leila, aren’t, Mike Peditto, Martin Mejia Organizations: Trump, U.S, Trump Cabinet, Republicans, NBC, Justice Department, Republican, ZUMA, NBC News, United Nations, Israel Defense Forces ’, Civil Defense, Press, Department of Health, Human Services, “, Intelligence, American Society of Tropical Medicine, Hygiene Locations: Afghanistan, California, Baalbek, Lebanon, Mhaibib, Nabatiyeh, Gaza’s, Beit, Talara, Peru, Americas

☆ Scores killed by Israeli strikes on Gaza; suspects arrested for firing flares at Netanyahu's house
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Freddie Clayton | Freddie Clayton Is A Freelance Journalist Based In London. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

Israeli air strikes overnight and into Sunday have killed scores in Gaza, according to local health officials, as police in Israel arrested three suspects after flares were fired at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's home in the city of Caesarea. Basal said 60 people were killed after the IDF bombed houses in the city Sunday morning, and that "dozens are under the rubble." Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the incident crossed “all red lines” in a post on X early on Sunday. According to Lebanon’s health ministry, Israeli attacks have killed at least 3,400 people in the country. Hezbollah attacks have killed about 100 civilians and soldiers in northern Israel, the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights and southern Lebanon over the last year, according to Israel.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, mull, Beit Lahiya, Mahmoud, Hanoun, Abu, Balah, BASHAR TALEB, Abdel Kareem Hana, Netanyahu, Israel Katz, ”, Shimon the Prophet, Israel, Beirut's, Nabih Berri, Ali Hamdan, Biden, Donald Trump Organizations: Israel Defense Forces, Civil Defense, NBC, NBC News, United Nations, Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, Getty, Israel, Hamas, Israeli Defense, IBRAHIM AMRO, Reuters, Security, Bank Locations: Gaza, Caesarea, Lebanon, U.S, Gaza's, Beit, Jabalia, Aqsa, Deir Al, Deir al, Israel, Iran, Jerusalem, Chamaa, Hreik, Lebanon’s, Beirut's, AFP, Lebanese, Lebanon’s Litani, Golan

BYBLOS, Lebanon — The anguish in Lebanese archaeologist Nader Siklaoui’s voice is clear as he films Israeli missiles slamming down near ancient Roman columns he has spent much of his life protecting. But the conflict is also taking a devastating toll on Lebanon’s unique and ancient heritage, with airstrikes wiping out centuries-old villages and endangering fragile, millenia-old archaeological sites, like the celebrated Roman ruins of Baalbek, a United Nations world heritage site. First responders evacuate an injured person following an Israeli airstrike near Tyre, Lebanon, on Oct. 30. What can we do?” said Siklaoui, who oversees heritage sites in southern Lebanon, speaking to NBC News at the national museum in the capital Beirut. Israel’s military says it only targets Hezbollah, but accuses the group of embedding itself in and near civilian infrastructure, including heritage sites.

Persons: Nader Siklaoui’s, ”, Kawnat Haju, Umm Kulthumm, Nina Simone, Placido Domingo, Mo Abbas, Najat Saliba, Israel ’, Carthage, King Hiram of Tyre, “, Siklaoui, Nader Siqlaoui, Troy, Achilles, Tania Zaven, it’s, Zaven Organizations: Lebanese, Hezbollah, United, NBC News, United Nations, Getty, NBC, Islamic, Islamic State Locations: BYBLOS, Lebanon, Tyre, Israel, Baalbek, United Nations, Mhaibib, Nabatiyah, Ottoman, AFP, Beirut, Cadiz, Spain, Tunisia, Temple, Jerusalem, Lebanese, Iraq, Syria, Mosul, Byblos

CNN —The spokesperson of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Mohammed Afif, was reportedly killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut on Sunday. The attack was just the fourth Israeli strike inside Beirut’s city limits since 2006, when a 34-day armed conflict between Israel and Hezbollah took place. Dozens of Palestinians displaced by the ongoing Israeli operation in the nearby Jabalya area were sheltering in two of the houses hit, a local journalist said. People check the rubble of a building hit in an overnight Israeli strike in Beit Lahya in the northern Gaza Strip on November 17, 2024. Israeli forces withdrew after clashing with Hezbollah, Lebanese state media said.

Persons: Mohammed Afif, Afif, Ras, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, Afif’s, Beit, “, panicking, Mahmoud Azaiza, Ali Jadallah Organizations: CNN, Reuters, Israel Defense Forces, Hezbollah, Getty, Al Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, IDF Locations: Lebanese, Beirut, Sunday, Beirut’s, Israel, Lebanon, Beit Lahiya, Gaza, Beit Lahya, AFP, Jabalya, Al Aqsa, Deir al, Anadolu, Chama, Haret

☆ How different a commander in chief will Trump be?
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-17 | by ( Peter Bergen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +27 min

On the face of it, there are sizable differences in foreign policy between Trump and President Joe Biden. In October, the Biden administration again helped to intercept a barrage of around 200 Iranian ballistic missiles, which also caused minimal damage to targets in Israel. Bringing US troops homeIn 2020, the Trump administration signed a US withdrawal agreement from Afghanistan with the Taliban. But after McMaster was pushed out of office in 2018, the Trump administration negotiated with the Taliban the withdrawal agreement of all US forces from Afghanistan. Nonetheless, the incoming Trump administration seems intent on resurrecting Schedule F, an executive order issued in the last months of the first Trump term.

Persons: sneezes, Trump, Donald Trump’s, Joe Biden, —, Biden, Trump’s, shored, Donald Trump, Xi Jinping, Andrew Harnik, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ahmad Gharabli, Israel, Jared Kushner, Qasem Soleimani, Mike Huckabee, Israel — Huckabee, David Friedman, Reagan, JD Vance —, H.R, McMaster, Nikki Haley, Mike Pompeo, Haley, Pompeo, Elise Stefanik, Mike Waltz, Florida, George W, Bush, Pete Hegseth —, Lloyd Austin, Jim Mattis, Robert Gates, John Ratcliffe of, Tulsi Gabbard, Vladimir Putin, Basher al, Assad, Putin, Diego Fedele, Ukraine doesn’t, John Bolton, Mark Rutte, Tom Homan, Homan, ” Trump, CNN’s Priscilla Alvarez, “ It’s, Maura Healey, Stephen Miller, CBS’s, Camp David, It’s, Kim Jong Un Organizations: CNN, Trump, NATO, Ukraine, White, of, Biden, CIA, Liberation Army, Center for Strategic, International Studies, Obama, Getty, West Bank, Abraham Accords, Arkansas Gov, US Defense Intelligence Agency, ISIS, McMaster, UN, GOP, Republican, Special, House Armed Services Committee, Pentagon, Fox News, Senate, Republicans, US Civil, Policy, State Department, Department of Homeland Security, Policy Institute, Rep, House Intelligence, NATO Trump, US Congressional Research Service, Joint Assault Brigade, National Police, of Homeland, American Immigration Council, NBC News, US Bureau of Prisons, Massachusetts Gov, National Guard, Congress, Washington Post, H.R, North, America Locations: Paris, Russia, China, Beijing, South China, United Kingdom, Australia, Taiwan, Washington, United States, Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Iranian, Syria, Israel, Yemen, Jerusalem, AFP, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, John Ratcliffe of Texas, Hawaii, Ukraine, Dnipro, Soviet, Toretsk, Crimea, Japan, NATO, “ Russia, Baltic, Western Europe, ”, Korean, North Korean

☆ Pro-Palestinian activists’ anger at Democrats hasn’t been dampened by Trump’s election
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-16 | by ( Gregory Krieg | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

CNN —For Democratic pro-Palestinian activists, Donald Trump’s reelection delivered a bitter vindication. Led by the Uncommitted National Movement, they spent months pushing and pleading with the Biden administration to scale back its support for Israel’s war in Gaza. “I don’t have any regrets,” Uncommitted spokesman and strategist Waleed Shahid told CNN. After weeks of back-and-forth, on the final night of the confab, party officials inside the United Center told Uncommitted leaders it was a no-go. “The thing I’ve been saying and I will always say is that these uncommitted voters are our voters, they’re our family,” Barnes told CNN at the time.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Biden, Joe Biden’s, “, ”, James Zogby, Kamala Harris, ” Uncommitted, Lexis Zeidan, Trump “, ” Lexi Zeidan, Trump, Jill Stein, Harris, Harris ’, wasn’t, ” Zeidan, ’, Wa’el Alzayat, Emgage, Alzayat, Wa'el Alzayat, Jose Luis Magana, Mike Huckabee, Tulsi Gabbard, Matt Gaetz, Waleed Shahid, Lavora Barnes, –, ” Barnes, Shawn Fain, Ruwa, Romman, ” Romman, Trump’s, Dalal Baydoun, Stein, Israel, ” Harris, Bill Clinton, ” Clinton, ” Clinton’s, capper, Liz Cheney, Dick Cheney, Donald Trump, ” Shahid, “ it’s, ” Zogby, Zogby, “ There’s, we’re, he’s, CNN’s Danny Freeman, Yon Pomeranz Organizations: CNN —, Democratic, Movement, Black, Arab American Institute and, Democratic National Committee, Trump, CNN, Green Party, Democrat, Democrats, Muslim, Latina, Democratic National Convention, United Center, Michigan Democrats, United Auto Workers, statehouse, West Bank, United Nations, UN Human Rights, State, Defense, Michigan State University Locations: Gaza, Michigan, Dearborn, CNN Dearborn , Michigan, American, Chase , Maryland, Israel, Chicago, Palestinian, Georgia, ”, Arab, Lebanon, East Lansing, Palestine, Iraq

☆ Israel’s attorney general tells Netanyahu to reexamine ultranationalist police minister’s role
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +1 min

Israel’s Attorney General on Thursday told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reevaluate the tenure of his far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, citing his alleged interference in police matters. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara sent a letter to Netanyahu in which she described instances when Ben-Gvir, who is tasked with setting general policy, apparently gave operational instructions that threaten the police’s apolitical status. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu’s office. Ben-Gvir, who heads a small ultra-nationalist party in Netanyahu’s coalition, wrote on social media: “The attempted coup by (the Attorney General) has begun. The only dismissal that needs to happen is that of the Attorney General.”

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu, reevaluate, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Gali, Miara, Netanyahu, ” Organizations: Thursday, National Locations: Gali Baharav, Netanyahu’s

☆ American fighter pilots explain how they fought an overwhelming Iranian drone swarm in total darkness
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Natasha Bertrand | Haley Britzky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“You feel the terrain rush, you feel yourself getting closer and closer to the ground,” Coffey told CNN. Obtained by CNNThe fighter pilots had not had much time before then to practice, said F-15 pilot Lt. Col. Timothy “Diesel” Causey. Air defense systems at an undisclosed US military base in the Middle East intercept Iranian drones and missiles. “Missiles and drones are flying over base, and they’re being intercepted over base, so the alarm red goes off,” Causey said. CNNMany of the F-15 pilots, air and ground crews who took part in the operation that night received awards this week for bravery.

Persons: Benjamin “, ” Coffey, Coffey, Lacie, ” Hester, Hester, ”, Timothy “ Diesel ”, ” Causey, hadn’t, ’ ” Coffey, “, Curtis “, ” Culver, Hester’s, Timothy “ Diesel ” Causey, Clayton “, ” Wicks, Wicks, Culver, Robin Olds Organizations: CNN, Israel, US Air Force’s, Air Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Air, Royal Air Force, Patriot, Missiles, ” Troops, Silver Star, Culver, “, MiG Locations: Iran, Iranian, Syria, Suffolk, England, Vietnam

☆ Amsterdam soccer riots: How a toxic mix of antisemitism, racism and xenophobia culminated in violence
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Lauren Kent | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Last week, Israeli soccer fans were attacked in the streets, Palestinian flags ripped off walls and antisemitic slurs yelled during riots. But the timeline of how tensions ignited in Amsterdam is different depending on which community you ask. “It’s really so, so manipulative… It only makes everything worse,” Jaïr Stranders, a local theater director and a board member of the Liberal Jewish Community of Amsterdam told CNN. But in Amsterdam, many local Jewish officials as well as the mayor have urged against using that description. “They are Dutch youth,” he noted, adding that Amsterdam is a city of many nationalities and many values that can peacefully coexist.

Persons: Amsterdam CNN —, “ It’s, it’s, It’s, Sheher Khan, ” Khan, “, Itay Garmy, ” Garmy, Amsterdam Mayor Femke, they’re, David, Benjamin Netanyahu, Geert Wilders, Halsema, Mouneb, Khan, Wilders, Jaïr, Stranders, Netanyahu, ” Stranders, ”, Israel, Said Alawi, “ I’m, Abdelaziz Chandoudi, ” Chandoudi, Mohammed Rasool Organizations: Amsterdam CNN, CNN, Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer, Maccabi, Police, Amsterdam Mayor, Getty, Freedom Party, Union, Maccabi fans, Liberal Jewish, Amsterdam, Senior, Moroccan Locations: Amsterdam, Dutch, Gaza, Netherlands, Europe, Israel, Palestine, ”, Anadolu, Amsterdam’s, Morocco, Noord, Holland

CNN —Israel’s war conduct in Gaza “is consistent with the characteristics of genocide,” including mass civilian casualties and using starvation as a weapon, according to a new United Nations Special Committee report released Thursday. The UN committee added that Israeli officials have publicly supported policies to destroy “vital water, sanitation and food systems” in Gaza as well as prevent access to fuel. The UN Special Committee is composed of three UN member states, including Malaysia, Senegal and Sri Lanka. But the US view is a stark contrast with the bleak picture on the ground, where much of the aid that reaches Gaza is not being distributed. “We have not seen any aid, and no one has sent us food,” 63-year-old Palestinian Umm Muhammad Al-At’out told CNN this week.

Persons: CNN —, “, Biden, Muhammad Al, At’out, ” CNN’s Jane Nix, Mick Krever Organizations: CNN, United Nations, International Court of Justice, Security Council, UN, Court of Justice, Hamas, Human Rights Watch, The State Department Locations: Gaza, Israel, South Africa, UN’s, Malaysia, Senegal, Sri Lanka

☆ Jared Kushner expected to be pivotal to Trump admin’s Middle East efforts without taking a formal job
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-15 | by ( Kylie Atwood | Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

CNN —President-elect Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner is seen as being pivotal to the incoming administration’s Middle East efforts, even though he is not likely to take a formal job within it, regional diplomats and Trump allies told CNN. Trump’s Middle East team has been taking shape this week after he selected a former Republican governor and a close friend and real-estate developer to take on key roles. Since Trump left office in 2021, Kushner and his wife, Ivanka Trump, have moved to Miami and largely exited politics. Kushner has also maintained relationships with key players in the Middle East, including Israeli officials and leaders in the Arab Gulf. That is the key question,” explained Aaron David Miller, a former Middle East negotiator at the State Department, referring to Trump’s longtime friend and real estate developer who will serve as his special envoy to the Middle East.

Persons: Donald Trump’s, Jared Kushner, Kushner, Trump, Jared, ”, –, ” Kushner, Abraham, Ivanka Trump, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Trump’s, bin Salman, Israel, “, Kusher, Ghaith Al, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Ron Dermer, Brian Hook, ” Hook, “ Kushner, Mike Huckabee, Steve Witkoff, Kushner –, Aaron David Miller, Rubio, ” Witkoff, Witkoff Organizations: CNN, Trump, Trump’s, Republican, White, Abraham Accords, United, United Arab Emirates, Affinity Partners, Washington, Saudi Crown, MBS, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, Harvard, Washington Institute, Israel, State Department, CNN International, Former Arkansas Gov Locations: Israeli, Israel, Isreal, United Arab, Gaza, Lebanon, Miami, Arab, Saudi, Saudi Arabia, New Jersey

Thousands of police officers were deployed across Paris, seeking to avoid a repeat of last week's violence in Amsterdam involving locals and Israeli fans. Outside Stade de France, soccer fans filed into the stadium amid a heavy police presence. Theo Petit, 23, who came out to support France, said he was invited to the game by a friend. “We are a little stressed about coming here but it’s a game, a football game,” said Petit, who is studying to become a dietician. The ramped-up security presence comes after the violence surrounding the soccer match between Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv and Ajax of Amsterdam put authorities across Europe on high alert.

Persons: Theo Petit, “, ”, Petit, Ian Langsdon, Denis, Laurent Nunez, David, Irene Karalis, there's, ” Karalis, I'm, instrumentalization, Franck Fife, Nunez, Emmanuel Macron, Francois Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy, Urgence, Israel, Bezalel Smotrich, ” Smotrich, Dimitar Dilkoff, Omar, Lazare Organizations: Stade de France, Gaza, Getty Images Paris, NBC, RTL, Reuters, Ligue des, Human Rights League, NBC News, Zionist, Guard, Police, National Gendarmerie, Nations League, Urgence Palestine, Israel’s Maccabi Tel, Ajax, Israel, Getty, Paris ’ Saint Locations: PARIS, Israel, France, Paris, Europe, Lebanon, Amsterdam, Aubervilliers, AFP, Saint, “, Betar, Beirut, Gaza, Palestine, Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv, Netherlands

☆ Syria: Fifteen killed in Israeli strikes on Damascus, state media say
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Mostafa Salem | Eyad Kourdi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Fifteen people were killed and 16 others injured in Israeli strikes on Damascus in Syria, state media SANA said, citing a military source and marking one of the deadliest strikes in months to hit the Syrian capital. The strikes targeted several residential buildings in the upscale Mezzah neighborhood in the capital and the Qudsaya area in the Damascus countryside, Syrian state media reported. Among those killed were women and children, Syrian state media added. The strikes targeted a residential building in the Sayyidah Zaynab area of the Damascus countryside, with women and children among those killed, SANA said. On November 4, SANA reported Israeli strikes in Sayyidah Zaynab the same day the IDF said Israeli Air Force fighter jets struck Hezbollah intelligence infrastructure in the Damascus area.

Persons: SANA, Jihad, “, ” SANA Organizations: CNN, Israeli Air Force Locations: Damascus, Syria, Jihad, Gaza, Syrian, Israeli, Mezzah, Riyadh, Israel, Sayyidah, Lebanon, Qusayr, Homs

☆ Antisemitic violence rocked Amsterdam, Paris doesn’t want more of the same
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Joseph Ataman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

Last year’s French soccer cup final saw some 3,000 police and 1,400 staff deployed, reports CNN affiliate BFMTV. This Thursday’s UEFA Nations League match between France and Israel will take place in the Stade de France, the centerpiece of Paris’ 2024 Olympic Games. The minister set an aggressive tone in his first months in office and his response to the Amsterdam attacks was no different. Just this week, the Israeli ambassador in Paris was summoned to the French foreign ministry after two French policemen were briefly detained in Israeli-occupied East Jerusalem. Yet, in the light of recent events in Amsterdam, it is keen to show its commitment to protecting French Jews: Thursday’s match offers the perfect opportunity.

Persons: Laurent Nunez, ”, Bruno Retailleau, he’s, Retailleau, Emmanuel Macron, “, Francois Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy, Denis, Franck Fife, Germain, Marie Mesmeur, Macron, North America – Organizations: Paris CNN —, Israel, Maccabi, Tel, CNN, BFMTV, Maccabi Tel Aviv’s, Ajax, ” Maccabi, Palestinian, UEFA Nations League, Stade de France, French, Amsterdam’s Maccabi, –, Palace, Stade, UEFA Nations League football, Getty, Paris Saint, Champions League, North America Locations: Paris, France, Amsterdam, Tel Aviv, French, Netherlands, Israel, Gaza, Saint, AFP, “, Europe, North, Lebanon, East Jerusalem

☆ Human Rights Watch accuses Israel of mass displacement in Gaza amounting to a war crime
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-14 | by ( Mick Krever | Irene Nasser | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Israel has overseen the forced mass displacement of Palestinians in Gaza in a deliberate and systematic campaign that amounts to a war crime and a crime against humanity, according to a new Human Rights Watch report. Several Israeli ministers, however, have said they would like to see Palestinians leave Gaza and reestablish Israeli settlements there. And far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who also holds a position in the Defense Ministry, has said Israel “will rule (in Gaza). Human Rights Watch said the Israeli campaign in northern Gaza would likely lead to the displacement of hundreds of thousands more civilians. It also called on the International Criminal Court to investigate the alleged forced displacement of Palestinians as a crime against humanity.

Persons: CNN —, “, ”, Nadia Hardman, “ Israel, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Gideon Sa’ar, Itamar Ben, Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, Israel “ Organizations: CNN, Rights Watch, United Nations, HRW, UN, Hamas, National, Defense Ministry, US State Department, Court Locations: CNN — Israel, Gaza, Israel, ”, States

☆ LA Times owner says Harris’ stance on Gaza war contributed to non-endorsement, plans editorial board revamp
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Liam Reilly | Hadas Gold | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Three members of the paper’s editorial board resigned, scores of staffers openly protested, and thousands of readers cancelled their subscriptions as the Times was thrust into an uncomfortable spotlight. A new Editorial Board. After news of the Times’ non-endorsement broke last month, Soon-Shiong’s 31-year-olddaughter, Nika, told The New York Times that “our family made the joint decision” over Harris’ stance on the war in Gaza. As with the Times, the decision was handed down by the publication’s billionaire owner, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, igniting a firestorm of controversy. Asked about whether the backlash over his decision not to endorse had been a “disaster” for the paper, Soon-Shiong pushed back.

Persons: Patrick Soon, Shiong, Kamala Harris, Harris, ”, “, Nika, ’, “ Somebody, ‘, Jeff Bezos Organizations: New, New York CNN, Los Angeles Times, Times, CNN, Editorial Board, Trust, New York Times, Washington Post, Amazon Locations: New York, Gaza

☆ Israel says it has expanded its military ground operation in Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Israel’s military ground operation in southern Lebanon has been expanded, the country’s defense minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday. Israel launched what it described as a “limited ground operation” to expel Hezbollah from southern Lebanon early last month. Despite the Israeli ground operation into southern Lebanon, Hezbollah has maintained a daily barrage of rockets against parts of northern Israel and continues to launch drones against Israeli cities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said around 50 projectiles were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel on Wednesday. Katz’s announcement about expanding Israel’s ground operation also comes as the military confirmed the death of six Israeli soldiers in southern Lebanon on Wednesday.

Persons: CNN —, Israel Katz, Katz, Israel, ” Katz, ”, General Naim Qassem, Qassem, Hassan Nasrallah, James Elder Organizations: CNN, Northern Command, Israel Defense Forces, Wednesday, Hezbollah, UNICEF, Golani Locations: Lebanon, Dahiyeh, Beirut, Israel, Israel’s, Gaza, Joun, Baalchmay, Dawhet, Aalmat

☆ UN sounds alarm at Israel’s ‘severe violations’ at key buffer zone with Syria
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-13 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The United Nations has accused Israel of “severe violations” of a 50-year-old agreement with Syria, saying it has engaged in “engineering groundwork activities” that encroach on a key buffer zone in the Golan Heights. The Israeli military said the strikes were part of a larger effort to target the capabilities of a Hezbollah unit responsible for weapons smuggling. Saban said that Hezbollah is unlikely to try and trigger an Israeli military offensive from the Golan, however. In July, the IDF said it struck Syrian military infrastructure in retaliation for alleged breaches. “The IDF holds the Syrian military responsible for all activities occurring within its territory and will not allow any attempts to violate Israeli sovereignty,” the Israeli military said.

Persons: Israel, UNDOF, ”, Yasushi Kaneko, Navvar Saban, Golan, ” Saban, Majdal Shams, Saban Organizations: CNN, United Nations, UN, Observer Force, Planet Labs, European Space Agency, Israel Defense Forces, Labs, Alpha, IDF, Israel, Yomiuri Shimbun, AP, Harmoon, for Contemporary Studies, Lebanese, Syrian Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry Locations: Syria, Golan, Israel, Jubata Al Khashab, Majdal Shams, Jordan, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Syria Israel, Tehran, Damascus, Majdal, Qusayr, Homs

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