Israeli military says it will strike Beirut's southern suburbs
CAIRO (Reuters) -The Israeli military on Thursday told residents of four neighborhoods in Beirut's southern suburbs to evacuate ahead of strikes on what it said were underground Hezbollah drone-manufacturing sites, and thousands fled.
The evacuation warning, published on X, was the first such warning in over a month for the suburbs, which were hit hard in the year-long war that ended in a ceasefire in November.
Residents rushed to leave the area, causing traffic gridlock.
"Despite the understandings between Israel and Lebanon, the IDF has identified that the Hezbollah aerial unit is operating to produce thousands of UAVs, with the direction and funding of Iranian terrorists," the army added in a statement, using acronyms for the Israel Defense Forces and drones.
There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah.
A U.S.-brokered truce in November halted the fighting between the Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel. Each side accuses the other of not entirely living up to its terms, and the ceasefire has looked shaky in recent months.
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Chicago Tribune
2 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Israeli military kills at least 95 people in Gaza as the body of a Thai hostage is recovered
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israel said Saturday it retrieved the body of a Thai hostage abducted into the Gaza Strip during the Hamas-led attack that sparked the war, as Israel's military continued its offensive, killing at least 95 people in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza's health ministry. Nattapong Pinta had come to Israel to work in agriculture. Israel's government said he was seized from Kibbutz Nir Oz and killed early in the war, which began on Oct. 7, 2023. Thailand's foreign ministry said the bodies of two other citizens were yet to be retrieved. Thais were the largest group of foreigners held captive. Many lived on the outskirts of southern Israeli kibbutzim and towns, the first places overrun in the attack. Forty-six Thais have been killed during the war, according to the foreign ministry. Israel's defense minister said Pinta's body was retrieved from the Rafah area in southern Gaza. The army said he was seized by the Mujahideen Brigades, the small armed group that also took two Israeli-American hostages, Judih Weinstein and Gad Haggai, whose bodies were retrievedon Thursday. Israel's military later said it killed the head of the Mujahideen Brigades, As'ad Aby Sharaiya, in Gaza City on Saturday. Fifty-five hostages remain in Gaza. Israel says more than half are dead. Families rallied again Saturday evening in Israel, calling for a ceasefire deal to bring everyone home. Hamas issued an unusual warning about another hostage, Matan Zangauker, saying Israel's military had surrounded the area where he's held and that any harm that came to him during a rescue attempt would be Israel's responsibility. Israel's military didn't immediately comment. 'The decision to expand the (military) ground maneuver is at the cost of Matan's life and the lives of all the hostages,' Zangauker's mother, Einav, told the rally in Tel Aviv. A strike in Gaza City killed six members of a family, including two children, according to the Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals. Israel's military said the strike targeted the Mujahideen Brigades leader. 'This is the real destruction,' a man said as he carried the body of a small boy from the scene. Four Israeli strikes hit the Muwasi area in southern Gaza between Rafah and Khan Younis. In northern Gaza, a strike hit an apartment, killing seven people including a mother and five children. Their bodies were taken to Shifa hospital. 'Stand up, my love,' one weeping woman said, touching the shrouded bodies. Israel said it was responding to Hamas' 'barbaric attacks' and dismantling its capabilities. It said it takes all feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm. Staff at Nasser hospital, which received the bodies of six people over the past 24 hours, said they were killed while on their way to get food aid. Much of Gaza's population of over 2 million relies on aid after widespread destruction of agriculture as well as a recent Israeli blockade. Experts have warned of famine. Israel's army has warned that the aid distribution area is an active combat zone during nighttime hours. It said several suspects attempted to approach troops operating in the Tel al-Sultan area overnight 'in a manner that posed a threat.' The army said troops called out, then fired warning shots as the suspects advanced. An army official who couldn't be named in line with military procedures said the shots were fired about a half-mile from the distribution site. Over the past two weeks, shootings have occurred frequently near the new hubs where thousands of desperate Palestinians are being directed to collect food. Witnesses say nearby Israeli troops have opened fire, and more than 80 people have been killed, according to Gaza hospital officials. Israel's military has said it fired warning shots or, in some instances, at individuals approaching. The hubs are run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a new group of mainly American contractors. Israel wants it to replace a system coordinated by the United Nations and aid groups. A GHF spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with the group's rules, said it didn't feed Gaza residents on Saturday and blamed Hamas threats. There was no immediate Hamas response. Israel accuses Hamas of siphoning off aid under the U.N.-led system. The U.N. and aid groups deny there's significant diversion of aid to fighters and say the new system — which they have rejected — allows Israel to use food as a weapon, violates humanitarian principles and won't be effective. The U.N says it has been unable to distribute much aid under its system because of Israeli military restrictions on movements and insecurity. Separately, Palestinians lined up at a soup kitchen in Gaza City for handouts on the second day of Eid al-Adha. 'I have been standing here for more than an hour and a half. I feel I have a sunstroke, and I am in need,' said Farida al-Sayed, who said she had six people to feed. 'I only had lentils, and I ran out of them.' Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7 attack and abducted 251 hostages. Most were released in ceasefire agreements or other deals. Israeli forces have rescued eight living hostages and recovered dozens of bodies. Israel's military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's health ministry, which doesn't distinguish between civilians and combatants. The offensive has destroyed large parts of Hamas-run Gaza and displaced around 90% of its population of roughly 2 million Palestinians.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Iran pushes Islamic unity through high-level regional calls during Eid al-Adha
Iran uses Eid al-Adha diplomacy to strengthen regional ties, project unity, and influence nuclear talks with the US, while tensions with Israel persist. Iran has embarked on a series of high-level phone calls with regional countries during the Eid al-Adha Islamic holiday. The goal is to push for Islamic unity. Iran also wants to use this against Israel. Iran knows that its proxies have been weakened, as evidenced by a recent Israeli airstrike in Beirut targeting a Hezbollah site. Iran is also involved in high-stakes nuclear talks with the US. Iranian state media said on June 7 that Iran's foreign minister reached out to Egypt. This comes just a week after he visited Egypt. 'Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and his Egyptian counterpart, Badr Abdelatt, held a telephone conversation in which they discussed bilateral ties and regional developments, particularly the situation in Gaza,' Iran's state media IRNA said. 'The two foreign ministers also exchanged Eid al-Adha greetings. Araqchi visited Egypt earlier this week on Monday, where he met with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, his counterpart, and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Grossi.' The Iranian diplomat also spoke with his Pakistani counterpart, Muhammad Ishaq Dar. They 'discussed bilateral ties, as well as the latest regional and international developments,' IRNA noted. They also spoke about Eid al-Adha. 'During the call, the top Iranian and Pakistani diplomats exchanged views on the continued Israeli aggression against Lebanon and Syria, stressing the need for unity and solidarity among the Islamic Ummah worldwide,' Iran's state media added. 'They also reviewed the latest state of bilateral relations, emphasizing the importance of maintaining high-level consultations to strengthen cooperation between the two neighboring Muslim countries.' Meanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian reached out to United Arab Emirates leader Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. 'President Masoud Pezeshkian and President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan have congratulated each other on Eid al-Adha (Feast of Sacrifice) in a telephone conversation on Friday,' IRNA noted. These calls are important. Iran's leadership didn't need to make all these calls for the holiday. Iranian state media is highlighting this to show how Iran has strong diplomatic connections. 'President Pezeshkian expressed his hope that the blessings of Eid al-Adha will pave the way for the spread of peace and ward off war from the region,' in his talks with the UAE. The UAE is a member of the Abraham Accords and a close partner of the US and the West. Iran wants to make sure that Gulf states will stand by it in nuclear talks. This is part of Iran's desire to use its more positive ties with Saudi Arabia to convince the US to do a deal. Gulf countries want a deal; they don't want conflict that could undermine their economies or threaten their place as hubs of travel in the region. Iran spoke to the UAE about the importance of the holiday and Muslim unity. 'Pointing to the need to strengthen unity and convergence among Islamic countries, Pezeshkian prayed to God Almighty for happiness, health, and increasing success for the Muslim people of the United Arab Emirates and the entire Islamic nation,' IRNA added. 'UAE President Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, for his part, congratulated the government and noble nation of Iran on the arrival of Eid al-Adha and wished success for the two nations on this auspicious occasion.'
New York Post
4 hours ago
- New York Post
IDF airstrike kills head of Palestinian jihadist group that helped Hamas kidnap, murder on Oct. 7
The leader of a brutal Palestinian jihadist group responsible for the kidnappings and cold-blooded murders of the Bibas family and an Israeli-American couple was killed in an airstrike, the Israel Defense Forces announced Saturday. Asaad Abu Sharia, head of the Mujahideen Brigades, was killed in a joint operation carried out in Gaza City on Saturday by the IDF and the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, the groups announced in a joint statement posted on Telegram. 6 The IDF and the Shin Bet announced Saturday that they killed Mujahideen Brigades leader Asaad Abu Sharia. IDF/Telegram 6 Another high-ranking leader of the group, Mahmoud Kaheel, was killed in a separate airstrike. IDF/Telegram 'During the war, the organization he led was involved in instigating terrorist attacks against Israel and fighting against IDF forces operating in the Gaza Strip,' the statement read. Another high-ranking leader of the group, Mahmoud Kaheel, was killed in a separate attack, officials confirmed. 'The terrorists of the [Mujahideen] organization took a significant part in the murderous massacre on October 7, and were complicit in the kidnapping and murder,' they added. During the deadly 2023 attack on Israel, the group aided Hamas by raiding the Nir Oz kibbutz, which was home to Shiri Bibas and her two sons, Ariel and Kfir, American-Israeli couple Gadi Hagai and Judy Lynn Weinstein, and Thai national Nattapong Pinta. 6 Shiri, Ariel and Kfir Bibas were kidnapped from their home during the Oct. 7 terrorist attack. Yifat Zailer / Facebook The Bibas' remains were handed over to Israel in February and Hagai's and Weinstein's bodies were recovered just this week by the IDF and Shin Bet. The remains of Pinta, 36, who had arrived to work on the kibbutz a year and a half prior to the attack, were recovered from Mujahideen Saturday in the area of Rafah in southern Gaza, also as part of the special joint operation, Defense Minister Israel Katz said. Pinta, like the other Nir Oz victims, is believed to have been killed in the early days of the war. 6 Nattapong Pinta was working on a kibbutz during the Oct. 7 attacks, sending money home to his family in Thailand. AP In total, 47 people were killed on the kibbutz during the onslaught and 76 were abducted — only four of whom are presumed alive. The bodies of seven captives from Nir Oz remain in the Strip, according to reports. Pinta, who had been working on avocado and pomegranate farms before being take captive, had been sending his earnings to his wife and young son back in Thailand in the hopes of helping her open a coffee shop, the Times of Israel reported. The father was one of 46 Thais who were killed while working in Israel. 6 Israeli soldiers deployed during an army operation in the West Bank city of Nablus in late May. ALAA BADARNEH/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock Fifty-five hostages remain in capticity in Gaza, but only 20 are believed to be alive. The IDF and the Shin Bet vowed Saturday to 'to locate and thwart all terrorists … who took part in the murderous massacre on October 7 and in holding Israeli hostages captive.' In recent weeks, Israel has expanded its offensive across the Gaza Strip and announced Saturday that it had uncovered an underground tunnel route, including a command and control center run by Hamas under a European Hospital compound. 6 The IDF retrieved the body of a Thai hostage who had been held in Gaza since Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Saturday. AFP via Getty Images And with a concerns growing in the region over a humanitarian crisis, the US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation was forced to suspend operations on Saturday due to 'direct threats against GHF operations' by Hamas, according to reports. 'Hamas is the reason hundreds of thousands of hungry Gazans were not fed today,' the GHF said in a statement. With Post wires
