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CNN —Hundreds of people were injured Tuesday in an attack targeting the pagers of Hezbollah members, a Lebanese security source told CNN, with state media reporting that dozens of members of the militant group were wounded. Iran’s Ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, was among those injured in Beirut, according to semi-official Iranian media outlet Mehr News. Iran's ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani, pictured in July, was among those injured, according to semi-official Iranian media outlet Mehr News. Mohamed Azakir/ReutersVideos circulating on social media and news agencies show explosions in various locations that appear to be powerful. Social media video from inside a Lebanese hospital meanwhile showed large numbers of injured people, including at least one child.

Persons: Mojtaba Amani, NNA, “, Ali Al, Mohamed Azakir, … Organizations: CNN, Mehr, Lebanon’s Ministry of Health, Internal Security Forces, Health, Lebanese Ministry of Health Locations: Lebanon, Beirut, Ali, Lebanon’s, Gaza

☆ We still don’t know how the Lebanon pager attack happened. Here’s what we do know about our own electronic devices
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —So far, the attacks that targeted Iran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah members through their pagers have had devastating consequences. Justin Cappos, a cybersecurity professor at NYU, said that it’s possible to cause damage to a variety of batteries – most commonly lithium batteries, which have caused dangerous fires. If correct, this would suggest a very high penetration of Hezbollah’s supply chain for those devices,” Horowitz said over email. When it comes to battery safety, the National Fire Protection Association has a set of safety guidelines for lithium batteries, such as properly disposing of them. A Lebanese security source told CNN that Hezbollah had recently purchased the devices.

Persons: Israel, they’ve, Justin Cappos, ” Cappos, Baptiste Robert, Michael Horowitz, “ We’ve, ” Horowitz, CNN’s Christian Edwards, Adrienne Vogt, Aditi Sangal Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, Israel Defense Forces, NYU, Predicta, Le Beck, Fire Protection, Samsung, Galaxy, US Consumer Product Safety, Hezbollah Locations: New York, Iran, Lebanese, Israel

The Iran-backed militant group said the wireless devices began to explode around 3:30 p.m. local time in a targeted Israeli attack on Hezbollah operatives. Experts say the explosions, unprecedented in their scale and nature, underscore Hezbollah’s vulnerability as its communication network was compromised to deadly effect. CNN could not geolocate the image, but has verified it was published Tuesday, the same day as the explosions. Hostilities are at an all-time high between Israel and Hezbollah following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke twice with his Israeli counterpart, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, according to two US defense officials.

Persons: Israel, ”, Hassan Nasrallah, “, Avi Melamed, ” Melamed, David Kennedy, I’ve, John Miller, Amos Yadlin, Nasrallah, Yahya, ” Yadlin, Kim Ghattas, Ahmad Kaddoura, Miller, Ismail Haniyeh, Mohamed Azakir, ’, Defense Lloyd Austin, Yoav Gallant Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Middle, GPS, New York Times, Times, US National Security Agency, Intelligence, Getty, American University of, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Reuters, Global, Defense, Israeli Locations: Lebanon, Iran, Gaza, East, Israel, Lebanese, Israeli, Sidon, Anadolu, United States, Iranian, Tehran, American University of Beirut

☆ Hezbollah decided months ago to switch from risky cellphones to pagers for security. The low-tech devices just blew up.
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Jake Epstein | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewHezbollah militants decided to switch from risky cellphones to old-fashioned pagers only months before the devices suddenly blew up across Lebanon on Tuesday, earlier reporting shows. Wireless pagers used by Iran-backed Hezbollah members mysteriously detonated around Lebanon, killing at least eight people and injuring nearly 3,000 more, including scores of militants, per local estimates. Hezbollah and Lebanon have both blamed Israel for the carnage, which has not claimed responsibility. Lebanese security services told Reuters on Tuesday that the pagers were new models acquired by Hezbollah in recent months. AdvertisementDespite long-standing concerns of escalation, Israel and Hezbollah have managed to avoid a wider confrontation.

Persons: —, Israel, Washington, It's, Marwan Naamani, Benjamin Netanyahu's Organizations: Service, Wireless, Business, US State Department, American University, Getty Images, Reuters, Hezbollah Locations: Lebanon, Iran, Beirut, Ukraine, Lebanese, Israel

☆ Dozens wounded after pagers detonate in Lebanon, media and security officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Dozens of people were wounded in Beirut's suburbs and other parts of Lebanon after their handheld pagers exploded Tuesday, Lebanese state media and security officials said. Photos and videos from Beirut's southern suburbs circulating on social media and in local media showed people lying on the pavement with wounds on their hands or near their pants pockets. The news agency reported that in Beirut's southern suburbs and other areas "the handheld pagers system was detonated using advanced technology, and dozens of injuries were reported." A Hezbollah official said that at least 150 people, including members of the group, were wounded in different parts of Lebanon when the pagers they were carrying exploded. He added that the new pagers that Hezbollah members were carrying had lithium batteries that apparently exploded.

Persons: pagers, Hassan Nasrallah, —, Israel Organizations: Hezbollah, Associated Press, Lebanon's Health, National News Agency Locations: Beirut, Lebanon, Israel, Beirut's, Lebanese, Israeli, Bekaa, —, Gaza

☆ Israel expands war objectives, eyeing northern front as tensions with Hezbollah continue unabated
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Tamar Michaelis | Benjamin Brown | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —Israel has added another objective to its ongoing conflict with Hamas and Hezbollah: ensuring the safe return of residents from communities along its border with Lebanon to their homes. He added that Israel will “do what is necessary” to safeguard the region’s security and return the residents to their homes. Hezbollah has said that it will end its attacks on Israel when Israel ends its war in Gaza. Gallant’s fateThe addition to Israel’s war aims comes amid reports in Israel that Netanyahu plans to replace Gallant with a former rival politician, Gideon Sa’ar. Unlike Gallant, who served for decades in the Israel Defense Forces, Sa’ar is a near lifelong politician.

Persons: CNN —, Benjamin Netanyahu’s, Netanyahu, Amos Hochstein, Yoav Gallant, Hochstein, ” Hochstein, Axios, Israel, Gallant, Gideon Sa’ar, Benny Gantz, ” Organizations: CNN, Hamas, Hezbollah, Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, Israel Defense Forces Locations: CNN — Israel, Lebanon, Israel, Israel’s, Tel Aviv, ”, Gaza, Sa’ar’s

☆ Analysis: Lebanon’s pager explosions send message to Hezbollah
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-17 | by ( Nick Paton Walsh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

London CNN —Is it a prelude to a wider attack or the totality of the message to Hezbollah? The risk of widespread war with Israel again has become a pressing reality since the October 7 attacks. It places Hezbollah, however, in another unenviable moment of frailty – plunged into chaos, with great pressure upon them to project strength again. Hezbollah will still be able to inflict significant damage upon Israel if a full-scale battle erupts. But Israel may have decided too cleanly that Hezbollah seeks to avoid war, and therefore can be goaded repeatedly.

Persons: Yoav Gallant, Amos Hochstein, Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, Ismail Haniyeh, –, Fu’ad Shukr, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel Organizations: London CNN, Getty Locations: Lebanese, Lebanon, Israel, “, Tehran, Beirut, AFP

☆ Blinken heads to Egypt but not Israel with prospects for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal bleak
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-16 | by ( Kylie Atwood | Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

This is the first time since the October 7 attacks that Blinken has visited the Middle East without visiting Israel. The top US diplomat typically uses the visits to Israel to press the Israeli government on the critical issues surrounding the war, including the hostage and ceasefire deal. However, Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has frequently rebuffed the administration in the hours and days following those meetings. The last time Blinken visited Israel, he said that Netanyahu had agreed to the “bridging proposal” meant to close to close the remaining gaps with Hamas. Blinken said earlier this month that “it’s incumbent on both parties” – Israel and Hamas – “to get to yes” on the “remaining issues” related to a ceasefire and hostage deal.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Joe Biden, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Badr Abdelatty, Netanyahu, Yahya Sinwar, United Nations Linda Thomas, Greenfield, ” Thomas, ”, Bill Burns, – Netanyahu, ” –, – “, Sinwar, Hassan Nasrallah, Biden, we’ll, John Kirby Organizations: CNN, Israel, State Department, Egyptian Foreign, United Nations, Hamas, Biden, Egyptian, Qatari, Security Locations: Egypt, Israel, Gaza, U.S, Qatar, Washington, ” – Israel, Lebanese

☆ Israeli military says it has hit Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in several areas of Lebanon
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-14 | by ( Mohammed Tawfeeq | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —The Israeli military says it targeted Hezbollah “weapons storage facilities” in multiple airstrikes across Lebanon on Saturday. Another of the strikes hit “empty shops” in the town of Sareen in Baalbek, reported the state-run Lebanese news agency NNA. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed carrying out strikes in the Beqaa and Baalbek areas, saying it had targeted Hezbollah weapons storage facilities. It said it had also struck Hezbollah weapons storage facilities in seven other areas of Lebanon, in the south. The strikes follow what the IDF described as a barrage of 55 projectiles being fired from Lebanese to Israeli territory earlier on Saturday morning.

Persons: CNN’s Benjamin Brown, Eyad Kourdi Organizations: CNN, Israel Defense Forces, IDF Locations: Lebanon, Al, Baalbek, Hermel, Sareen, Lebanese, Galilee, Iran, Yiftach Eliklit, Lake Tiberias, “, Israel, Gaza

☆ Hamas leader sends letters from hiding after almost a year of silence
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-13 | by ( Abbas Al Lawati | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

One of Israel’s most wanted men, Sinwar hasn’t been seen since the war. On Tuesday, he issued his first statement since the war, congratulating Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune for his election victory, according to Hamas’ Telegram channel. The next day, his office said he wrote letters thanking those who offered condolences for Haniyeh’s death. CNN cannot verify if Sinwar is indeed the author of the letters. Sinwar was named political leader of Hamas after Haniyeh was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran in July.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, Hassan Nasrallah, Israel, ” Sinwar, Nasrallah, Ismail Haniyeh, Sinwar hasn’t, hadn’t, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Sinwar, Haniyeh, ” Organizations: CNN, Zionist, Hezbollah’s Telegram, Israel, Hamas, ’ Telegram Locations: Lebanese, Iran, Gaza, Israel, Tehran, Al Aqsa, Jerusalem

☆ How Saudi Arabia's ruler used chaos in the Middle East to get what he wants from the US
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-10 | by ( Tom Porter | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Read previewPresident Joe Biden came to power having pledged to make Saudi Arabia's maverick new ruler, Mohammed bin Salman, a global pariah. Analysts say that MBS has navigated increasing regional and global chaos to emphasize Saudi Arabia's importance to Washington. Related storiesUS President Joe Biden gives a fist bump to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2022. AdvertisementSaudi Arabia's importanceBut global instability, economic change, and the war in Gaza have made clear to the White House Saudi Arabia's indispensability. Crown Prince Mohammed has condemned Israel's attack on Gaza but has not ruled out a normalization deal with Israel.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Mohammed bin Salman, Biden, Kamala Harris, Prince Mohammed, Crown Prince, Jamal Khashoggi, Giorgio Cafiero, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Mohammed bin Salman's, Saad Hariri, Khashoggi, He's, Mohammed Hamoud, Trump, Abraham, Israel, Jon Alterman Organizations: Service, Business, Crown, Democratic, MBS, Saudi, Gulf, Analytics, Saudi Arabia's, Royal, Anadolu Agency, White, White House Saudi, Abraham Accords, Israel, Center for Strategic, International Studies Locations: Saudi, November's, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Istanbul, Washington, Gaza, Israel, Iran, West, Riyadh, Lebanese, Russia, China, Beijing, Ukraine, UAE, Bahrain, Palestinian, United States, Red, Jeddah

☆ Iran wants Israelis to worry that Hezbollah has a rare and powerful EMP weapon
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-08 | by ( Michael Peck | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Nuclear EMP pulses can travel hundreds of miles depending on their altitude of detonation, while NNEMP devices only have ranges of about 5 miles. AP Photo/Mohammed ZaatariIran does have a nuclear program, and probably could build a nuclear EMP weapon if it wanted to. But a non-nuclear EMP weapon might enable Iran to sidestep any red lines. But this raises another question: would Iran give EMP weapons to Hezbollah, its most important proxy? Giving EMP weapons to Hezbollah would risk the possibility that Israel and other nations would hold Iran responsible.

Persons: Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps —, Mohammed Zaatari, Trump, Israel, Joseph Votel, Votel, Israel —, It's, Michael Peck Organizations: Service, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Quds Force, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Kuwaiti, Al, Force, National and Homeland Security, AP, Iranian, American, US Central Command, Middle East Institute, Defense, Foreign Policy, Rutgers Univ, Twitter, LinkedIn Locations: Israel, Lebanon, Iran, The, Tehran, Russia, Europe, Mohammed Zaatari Iran, Iranian, Jerusalem, China, North Korea, Washington, New Jersey, Northern Israel, Beirut, Forbes

☆ Three killed in Israeli airstrike were emergency workers, Lebanon says. Israel says it targeted terrorists
▼ + stars: | 2024-09-07 | by ( Hamdi Alkhshali | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Three people were killed and two wounded in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon, authorities in the country said Saturday. However, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said the strike had “eliminated terrorists” from the Amal movement, a Hezbollah-allied Shia group. The IDF said early Sunday that about 50 “projectiles” were launched from southern Lebanon toward Kiryat Shmona in upper Galilee, Israel’s northernmost territory. It also said it struck and “eliminated terrorists” from the Amal movement in the area of Froun. He also wished a “speedy recovery” to one of the injured men, whom the Civil Defense identified as Mohammad Amasha.

Persons: Amal, “, El, Najib Mikati, General Raymond Khattar, Mohammad Amasha Organizations: CNN, Lebanese Ministry of Public Health, Israel Defense Forces, IDF, Amal, Civil, Civil Defense, Tebnin Governmental Hospital Locations: Lebanon, Froun, Nabatieh, Kiryat Shmona, Galilee, Israel’s, Aitaroun, Beirut, ”, Israel, Iran, Gaza

☆ In a Grim Palestinian Refugee Community, People See Hope in Hamas
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-24 | by ( Maria Abi-Habib | Hwaida Saad | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Ein al-Hilweh, Lebanon’s largest community of Palestinian refugees and their descendants, has long been a downtrodden place, impoverished and racked by factional violence. Its residents usually have a grim view of their future. Recruitment for Hamas and its armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, is way up across Lebanon’s 12 Palestinian refugee communities, according to Hamas and Lebanese officials. They say that hundreds of new recruits have joined the militants’ ranks in recent months, exhilarated by Hamas’s ongoing war with Israel. But elsewhere, Hamas’s willingness to combat Israel has won new adherents.

Persons: Ein, Abu Ubaida, Israel Organizations: Hamas, Qassam, ’, The New York Times Locations: Lebanon’s, Israel, balaclava, Gaza

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

Nearly two weeks have passed and no large-scale response has materialized, leaving Israel and the wider Middle East on edge. But Mr. Haniyeh’s killing was seen as the greater blow to Tehran because it took place on Iranian soil. “Israel has checkmated Iran in this situation because Iran is left with no good options,” said Mr. Vaez. What could an Iranian response look like? U.S. and Israeli diplomats and security officials had some advanced knowledge of its scope and intensity of Iran’s attack in April, which facilitated defensive preparations.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Masoud, Israel, Fuad Shukr, Haniyeh’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, analystsexperts, Nasser Kanaan, Sanam Vakil, Pezeshkian, Vakil, Ms, Ali Vaez, Vaez, “ Israel, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Keir Starmer, Nasser Kanani, Jordan, Mr, Haniyeh, Lloyd J, Austin III, Biden Organizations: Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Chatham House, Crisis, Diplomats, of Islamic Cooperation, United, Hamas Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, Masoud Pezeshkian, Beirut, Lebanon, Golan, East, London, Yemen, Western, Iranian, United States, Gaza, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Saudi Arabia

The U.S. is sending a guided missile submarine to the Middle East and speeding the arrival of an aircraft carrier strike group, as Israel braces for retaliatory attacks from Iran and its proxies after the assassination of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah. He further ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, which is equipped with F-35C fighter jets, to accelerate its ongoing transit to the area. The guided-missile submarine USS Georgia at sea in 2020. Both Iran and Hamas blamed Israel for the killing, and while Israel has remained quiet on the matter it is widely believed to have carried out the assassination. Iranians hold portraits of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh during his funeral procession, in Tehran, on August 1, 2024.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Abraham Lincoln, Austin, Washington's, Yoav Gallant, Gallant, Ismail Haniyeh, Masoud Pezeshkian, Israel, Iran’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Yahya Sinwar, Fuad Shukr Organizations: Pentagon, Sunday, USS, Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike, U.S . Navy, country's Revolutionary Guard, AFP, Getty, Hamas, Israel Defense Forces, NBC Locations: Israel, Iran, USS Georgia, Georgia, Tehran, Lebanese, Beirut, U.S, Gaza, Gaza City

☆ Israel-Hamas War and Gaza Cease-Fire Proposal: Latest Updates
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Isabel Kershner | Eric Schmitt | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +5 min

Image Smoke billowing after an Israeli airstrike on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Sunday. In a statement on Sunday, the group said it objected to “more rounds of negotiations” and the introduction of any new proposals or conditions. Officials in Gaza said over the weekend that dozens of people had been killed in Israel’s strike on the school compound. The authorities in Gaza do not distinguish between combatants and civilians in reporting death tolls. Israel’s political and military leaders have argued that it is essential to keep up the military pressure on Hamas, to force it to come to terms on a cease-fire deal.

Persons: Biden, Khan Younis, Bashar Taleb, Abdel Fattah el, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, Tisha B’Av Organizations: Lebanese Hezbollah, ., Agence France, Getty Locations: Beirut, Tehran, Israel, Iran, Gaza, Egypt, Qatar, Thani, Cairo, Doha, Jerusalem, Aqsa

Nearly two weeks have passed and no large-scale response has materialized, leaving Israel and the wider Middle East on edge. Iran, which backs Hamas, blamed Israel for the assassination, but Israeli leaders have not said their forces were responsible. What could an Iranian response look like? U.S. and Israeli diplomats and security officials had some advanced knowledge of its scope and intensity of Iran’s attack in April, which facilitated defensive preparations. The foreign minister of Jordan, an ally of the United States, has traveled to Tehran in recent days for meetings.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Masoud, Israel, Fuad Shukr, Haniyeh’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Nasser Kanaan, Sanam Vakil, Pezeshkian, Vakil, Ms, Ali Vaez, Vaez, “ Israel, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, “, Jordan, Mr, Haniyeh, Lloyd J, Austin III, Biden Organizations: Iran’s Foreign Ministry, Chatham House, Crisis, Diplomats, of Islamic Cooperation, United, Hamas Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, Masoud Pezeshkian, Beirut, Lebanon, Golan, East, London, Yemen, Iranian, United States, Gaza, Saudi Arabia

☆ Why Iran Has Waited to Retaliate Against Israel for Hamas Leader’s Killing
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Matthew Mpoke Bigg | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Iran vowed revenge at the end of last month after a top Hamas leader was killed in Tehran, leading many in Israel to fear an imminent attack. Nearly two weeks have passed and no large-scale response has materialized, leaving Israel and the wider Middle East on edge. Here’s a look at the crisis and the factors that could determine what happens next:Why has Iran vowed revenge? Iran and Hamas officials have promised to avenge the death of Ismail Haniyeh, a senior Hamas leader, who was killed in Tehran on July 31 after he attended the inauguration of Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian. Iran, which backs Hamas, blamed Israel for the assassination.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Masoud, Israel, Fuad Shukr Locations: Iran, Tehran, Israel, Masoud Pezeshkian, Beirut, Lebanon, Golan

☆ Israel’s credit rating cut as conflicts drag on
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —Israel’s credit rating was downgraded by Fitch Ratings on Monday, after the agency cited concerns around the ongoing war with Hamas and geopolitical risks. Analysts from Fitch said the “the conflict in Gaza could last well into 2025,” and there are risks of the conflict spreading. The agency predicts Israel’s budget deficit to reach 7.8% of its GDP in 2024, compared to 4.1% in 2023. Fitch also expects Israel’s debt-to-GDP to remain above 70% into 2025, whereas the median A rating ratio is 55%. Moody’s Investor Service downgraded Israel’s credit rating from A1 to A2 in February.

Persons: Fitch, ” Fitch, Fitch, Moody’s, ”, Samantha Delouya Organizations: CNN, Fitch, Lebanese, Moody’s Investor, Hamas Locations: Gaza, ”, Israel

☆ Israel and US brace for Iranian attack as diplomats push hard for Gaza ceasefire
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-12 | by ( Christian Edwards | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Israel and the United States are preparing for a potential Iranian attack on Israel as efforts to secure a ceasefire in Gaza intensify, with talks set to resume this week amid intense diplomacy to avert a wider regional war. A major Iranian attack reprisal against Israel could risk derailing the ceasefire talks that US officials have said were at an advanced stage prior to the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, which Iran blamed on Israel. But the country’s mission to the United Nations said on Saturday that Tehran’s retaliation to Israel’s suspected killing of Haniyeh is “totally unrelated to the Gaza ceasefire,” adding that it has a right to self-defense. Palestinians pray next to the bodies of those killed in an Israeli strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City on Saturday. Egyptian and Qatari mediators have told Israel that Sinwar wants a deal, an Israeli source familiar with the matter told CNN.

Persons: CNN —, –, Ismail Haniyeh, Israel hasn’t, Israel, hasn’t, Iran’s, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, “, ”, Haniyeh, Lloyd Austin, Israel “, William Gore, Lebanon –, Fu’ad Shukr, Abed Sabah, Yahya Sinwar –, Israel –, Joe Biden, Sinwar, Benjamin Netanyahu, Bibi, Netanyahu Organizations: CNN, Qatari, Doha, United, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, United Nations, US, USS, Pentagon, Congress, UN, Spc, US Navy, Reuters, –, US National Security Council, Israel Defense Forces Locations: CNN — Israel, United States, Israel, Gaza, Iran, Cairo, Egypt, Qatar, Tehran, France, Germany, United Kingdom, USS Georgia, Manama, Bahrain, Lebanon, Beirut, Gaza City

☆ Hamas leader Sinwar wants a ceasefire deal, mediators say, but Netanyahu’s stance unclear
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Jeremy Diamond | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

“Nobody knows what Bibi wants,” one Israeli source said, referring to Netanyahu by his nickname. The Hostage and Missing Families Forum, a powerful voice in Israel, has also called on Israel and Hamas to finalize a hostage and ceasefire deal. At the same time, Netanyahu’s coalition partners have made it clear they do not want Israel to strike a deal with Hamas. Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich called the proposed ceasefire deal a “surrender deal” on Friday. But negotiations are already underway with technical delegations working “around the clock” through key details ahead of Thursday’s meeting, the Israeli source said.

Persons: Yahya Sinwar, “, Bibi, Netanyahu, Bezalel Smotrich, ”, John Kirby, Smotrich’s, Itamar Ben Gvir, Fu’ad Shukr, Ismail Haniyeh, Sinwar, Haniyeh, Israel, Kamala Harris Organizations: CNN, Israeli, House, Smotrich, National Security, Hamas, Iranian Revolutionary Guards, Democratic Locations: United States, Israel, Cairo, Doha, Lebanon, Iran, Lebanese, Tehran, Gaza

☆ USS Georgia: Lloyd Austin orders submarine to Middle East, accelerates arrival of strike group ahead of anticipated Iran attack
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-11 | by ( Oren Liebermann | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Austin ordered the submarine into the waters of the Middle East, the Pentagon said. The Israel Defense Forces reported Sunday evening that around 30 rockets were launched from Lebanon, though some fell into open areas and no injuries were reported. Austin also ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group to accelerate its transit to the Middle East, the Pentagon said. The Lincoln strike group consists of the carrier, which operates with stealth F-35C fighter jets, as well as several destroyers. The USS Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group has been operating in the waters of the Middle East for several weeks, giving the US a formidable presence in the region.

Persons: Lloyd Austin, Austin, Yoav Gallant, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt Organizations: CNN, US, Pentagon, USS, Navy, Israel Defense Forces, Lincoln, USS Wasp Locations: Israel, USS Georgia, Italy, Iran, Lebanon, Tehran, Gaza, Lebanese, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands

☆ Israel airstrike on Gaza school kills more than 100, Hamas-run media office says
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-10 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

More than 100 Palestinians were killed and dozens wounded in an Israeli strike on a Gaza school sheltering displaced people, the Hamas-run Gaza government said on Saturday, an airstrike the Israeli military said had targeted a Hamas command centre. The strikes hit when people sheltering at the school were performing dawn prayers, leading to many casualties, the Hamas media office said in a statement. The Israeli military said in a statement that its air force targeted a command and control centre where Hamas commanders and operatives were hiding. Since then, nearly 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, according to the Palestinian health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. Israel, which has lost 329 in Gaza, says at least a third of the Palestinian fatalities are fighters.

Organizations: Hamas, Health Locations: Gaza City, Israel, Gaza, United States, Egypt, Qatar, Iran, Tehran

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