Israel escalates attacks as it promises to target new Hezbollah chief

Special Israel escalates attacks as it promises to target new Hezbollah chief
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Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike on Khiam in southern Lebanon on October 29, 2024. (AFP)
Special Israel escalates attacks as it promises to target new Hezbollah chief
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Smoke rises following an Israeli air strike on Khiam in southern Lebanon on October 29, 2024. (AFP)
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Updated 29 October 2024
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Israel escalates attacks as it promises to target new Hezbollah chief

Israel escalates attacks as it promises to target new Hezbollah chief
  • Israel intensified its reconnaissance aircraft operations in the airspace over Beirut and its southern suburbs at low altitude
  • Airstrikes devastate town of Jbaa, 12 residential buildings destroyed

BEIRUT: Iran-backed Hezbollah announced on Tuesday the election of Sheikh Naim Qassem as its new secretary-general. He succeeds Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes targeting his headquarters in Haret Hreik, a suburb of southern Beirut, on Sept. 27.

Confrontations between Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers have escalated along the border between Lebanon and Israel, particularly in the town of Khiam, with numerous casualties resulting from intensive raids across the south and Bekaa.

Following the announcement of Qassem’s election, Israel intensified its reconnaissance aircraft operations in the airspace over Beirut and its southern suburbs at low altitude.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant posted a picture of Qassem on his X account, and wrote: “The countdown to his appointment has begun.”

Israeli Minister of Energy Eli Cohen said: “Anyone who leads Hezbollah is a target for assassination.”

Israel targeted Nasrallah’s potential successor, Hashem Safieddine, in raids on the Al-Mareija area of the southern suburbs of Beirut on Oct. 4.

Qassem has been Hezbollah’s deputy secretary-general since 1991, and was born in 1953 in Beirut’s Basta Tahta district.

Qassem affirmed that “Lebanon cannot be separated from Palestine” following the assassination of Nasrallah.

He added: “We do not have any vacant positions within Hezbollah following the Israeli assassinations.”

Qassem also said that “the resistance will never be defeated because they’re the ones that own the land, and because they will fight and die in dignity.”

A political observer said that Qassem’s appointment had “significant connotations, especially in that Hezbollah was able to restore its structure and fill vacant positions following Israel’s painful strikes on its leadership.”

He added: “Qassem’s appointment is due to the fact that he has been present during Hezbollah’s key periods, from its inception until today.”

On behalf of the parliamentary bloc, Hezbollah deputy Ali Fayyad said: “Hezbollah is still fully able to confront Israeli aggression,” adding that “the militant party obliged the Israeli army to withdraw from some of the areas it invaded.”

In the south, fighting between Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers escalated around Khiam, which has been subjected to heavy artillery shelling.

Hezbollah said it had trapped Israeli soldiers during the confrontations, which also included heavy machine gun fire. Many Israeli drones were seen hovering over the area.

Israeli army vehicles, including two tanks and a bulldozer, reached the eastern edge of Khiam.

Israel also reportedly raided Chaqra, Majdal Selem, Yohmor, Chahabiya, Toulin, Baraachit, Archaf, Haddatha, the area between Majdal Zoun and Chihine, Kafra, and Deir Al-Zahrani.

The Israeli army issued new evacuation warnings to the residents of villages located south of the Litani River, instructing them to leave immediately and head north to the Awali River.

The town of Jbaa was targeted with nine raids which destroyed at least 12 residential buildings in less than an hour.

Residents said that “seismic missiles were used, turning neighborhoods and houses into rubble.”

The missiles destroyed the vicinity housing buildings responsible for General Security, Civil Status and the Lebanese Civil Defense, as well as the public square.

The Israeli army on Monday targeted more than 100 streets in Tyre. Entire neighborhoods were destroyed and seven people killed and 17 injured.

The following day an Israeli warplane attacked a location in Tyre where the funerals of paramedics from the Islamic Health Organization were taking place, resulting in further paramedics being wounded.

Some 30 airstrikes on Monday and Tuesday hit civilian homes, leaving 63 dead and dozens injured. The attacks destroyed entire neighborhoods in Jbaa.

Further Israeli airstrikes on Bekaa targeted 14 towns on the eastern and western mountain ranges. Israel resumed its attacks on Tuesday, targeting towns in the central Bekaa.

A missile also targeted the headquarters of the UN Interim Force in Lebanon, resulting in injuries to peacekeeping soldiers from the Austrian contingent.

The Austrian Ministry of Defense said that “eight Austrian soldiers from the UNIFIL forces were injured in a missile attack on Naqoura, with no serious injuries reported.” It added that “the source of the attack is currently unclear.”

Despite coordination with UNIFIL, the Lebanese Red Cross said that the Israeli army had targeted its teams “while they were heading to rescue individuals injured in a morning shelling in one of the towns of the Tyre district, despite prior coordination.”


Iranian capital builds ‘defensive tunnel’ after Israeli strikes

Iranian capital builds ‘defensive tunnel’ after Israeli strikes
Updated 16 sec ago
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Iranian capital builds ‘defensive tunnel’ after Israeli strikes

Iranian capital builds ‘defensive tunnel’ after Israeli strikes

DUBAI: Iran is building a “defensive tunnel” in the capital Tehran, the semi-official Tasnim news agency reported on Tuesday, following strikes by Israel on targets in the country.
The tunnel, located near the city center, will link a station on the Tehran metro to the Imam Khomeini hospital, thus allowing direct underground access to the medical facility.
“For the first time in the country, a tunnel with defensive applications is being built in Tehran,” the head of transport for Tehran City Council told Tasnim.
Last month, Israel carried out its first officially-recognized strikes in Iran, hitting missile factories and other sites near Tehran and in the country’s west, as a response to Iran’s Oct.1 attack on Israeli territory.


Wave of Israeli strikes hit south Beirut after evacuation warning

Wave of Israeli strikes hit south Beirut after evacuation warning
Updated 12 November 2024
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Wave of Israeli strikes hit south Beirut after evacuation warning

Wave of Israeli strikes hit south Beirut after evacuation warning

BEIRUT: Israel launched at least 10 air strikes on south Beirut Tuesday morning, Lebanese state media said, shortly after Israel’s army urged residents of several neighborhoods to evacuate the Hezbollah bastion.
“Israeli warplanes launched a very violent tenth strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs,” the official National News Agency reported.
AFPTV footage showed grey smoke covering the area, with big plumes rising after each strike.
Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli army told residents of four south Beirut neighborhoods to leave immediately, warning it would strike Hezbollah targets there.
“You are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah, against which the Israel Defense Forces will act in the near future,” military spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a post on X.
The post included a map showing the buildings it would target in the Lebanese capital’s south.
Witnesses told AFP they heard gunfire in the area ahead of the strikes — warning shots by residents for people to leave following the evacuation call.
NNA also reported Israeli strikes across Lebanon’s south that destroyed a building in the main southern city of Nabatiyeh and also targeted the eastern city of Hermel.
Last month, Israeli strikes razed Nabatiyeh’s historic marketplace, with another wave of attacks also hitting its municipality building and killing several including the mayor.
Since September 23, Israel has intensified its air campaign, mainly targeting Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon’s east and south and in southern Beirut. A week later, it sent in ground troops.
It came after nearly a year of cross-border exchanges of fire, launched by Hezbollah in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas following their October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.
More than 3,240 people have been killed in Lebanon since the clashes began last year, according to the health ministry, the majority of them since late September.


A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels sees explosions near ship in Red Sea

A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels sees explosions near ship in Red Sea
Updated 12 November 2024
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A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels sees explosions near ship in Red Sea

A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels sees explosions near ship in Red Sea
  • The attack comes as the rebels continue their monthslong assault targeting shipping
  • The Houthis have insisted that the attacks will continue as long as the wars go on

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels saw multiple explosions strike near a vessel traveling through the Red Sea on Tuesday, though no damage was immediately reported by the ship, authorities said.
The attack comes as the rebels continue their monthslong assault targeting shipping through a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion in goods pass through it a year over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip and Israel’s ground offensive in Lebanon.
The Houthis have insisted that the attacks will continue as long as the wars go on, and the assaults already have halved shipping through the region. Meanwhile, a UN panel of experts now allege that the Houthis may be shaking down some shippers for about $180 million a month for safe passage through the area.
A vessel in the southern reaches of the Red Sea, about 130 kilometers (80 miles) southwest of the rebel-held port city of Hodeida, reported the attack, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said.
No one was wounded on board in the blasts, and the ship was continuing on its journey, the UKMTO added.
The Houthis didn’t immediately claim the attack. However, it can take the rebels hours or even days before they acknowledge one of their assaults.
The Houthis have targeted more than 90 merchant vessels with missiles and drones since the war in Gaza started in October 2023. They seized one vessel and sank two in the campaign, which also killed four sailors. Other missiles and drones have either been intercepted by a US-led coalition in the Red Sea or failed to reach their targets, which have included Western military vessels as well.
The rebels maintain that they target ships linked to Israel, the US or the UK to force an end to Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza. However, many of the ships attacked have little or no connection to the conflict, including some bound for Iran.
The Houthis have shot down multiple American MQ-9 Reaper drones as well.
The last Houthi maritime attack came Oct. 28 and targeted the Liberian-flagged bulk tanker Motaro. Before that, an Oct. 10 attack targeted the Liberian-flagged chemical tanker Olympic Spirit.
It’s unclear why the Houthis’ attacks have dropped, though they have launched multiple missiles toward Israel as well. On Oct. 17, the US military unleashed B-2 stealth bombers to target underground bunkers used by the rebels. US airstrikes also have been targeting Houthi positions in recent days as well.
Meanwhile, a report by UN experts from October says “the Houthis allegedly collected illegal fees from a few shipping agencies to allow their ships to sail through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden without being attacked.” It put the money generated a month at around $180 million, though it stressed it hadn’t been able to corroborate the information provided by sources to the panel.
The Houthis haven’t directly responded to the allegation. However, the report did include two threatening emails the Houthis sent to shippers, with one of those vessels later coming under attack by the rebels.


No repeat of Jerusalem incident will be accepted, France says

No repeat of Jerusalem incident will be accepted, France says
Updated 12 November 2024
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No repeat of Jerusalem incident will be accepted, France says

No repeat of Jerusalem incident will be accepted, France says

PARIS: A repeat of an incident in Jerusalem that saw armed Israeli security forces entering a property administered by France must never happen again, France’s foreign minister said ahead of summoning Israel’s envoy on Tuesday.
Two French security officials with diplomatic status were briefly detained on Nov. 7 after Jean-Noel Barrot was due to visit the compound of The Church of the Pater Noster on the Mount of Olives.
The site, one of four administered by France in Jerusalem, is under Paris’ responsibility and it not the first time that problems have arisen over France’s historic holdings in the Holy City.
“It is an opportunity for France to reiterate that it will not tolerate Israeli armed forces entering these areas, for which it (France) is responsible, for which it ensures protection,” Barrot told France 24 television when asked what the ambassador would be told.
“And to strongly reaffirm that this incident must never happen again, meaning that Israeli forces enter armed and without authorization.”
Israel’s ambassador is due to meet Barrot’s chief of staff at the foreign ministry on Tuesday.
Israel’s foreign ministry has said that every visiting foreign leader is accompanied by its security personnel, a point that had been “clarified in advance in the preparatory dialogue with the French Embassy in Israel.”
Diplomatic relations between France and Israel have worsened since President Emmanuel Macron called for an end to the supply to Israel of offensive weapons used in Gaza.
The French government also attempted to ban Israeli weapons’ firms from exhibiting at a trade fair in Paris and has become increasingly uneasy over Israel’s conduct in the wars in Gaza and Lebanon.


Israel says it is pushing to get aid into Gaza before US deadline as fighting persists

Israel says it is pushing to get aid into Gaza before US deadline as fighting persists
Updated 37 min 16 sec ago
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Israel says it is pushing to get aid into Gaza before US deadline as fighting persists

Israel says it is pushing to get aid into Gaza before US deadline as fighting persists
  • US gave 30-day deadline to Israel to get aid in to Gaza
  • Aid groups say not enough has been done
  • Some 24 Palestinians, 4 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza

CAIRO/JERUSALEM: The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had delivered hundreds of packets of food to cut-off areas of northern Gaza as fighting raged ahead of a US deadline for Israel to get more aid into the Palestinian enclave or face cuts in military assistance.
Palestinian medics said at least 24 people had been killed in Israeli strikes in different parts of the Gaza Strip overnight and into Tuesday, including 10 people killed in a house in Beit Hanoun and two others in the nearby town of Beit Lahiya.
Four Israeli soldiers were killed in northern Gaza, the military said.
For more than a month, Israeli troops have been laying siege to the northern end of Gaza in a push the military says is aimed at squeezing out Hamas militants reforming in the area around the town of Jabalia.
The military says it has killed or captured hundreds of fighters but Israel has faced growing international pressure over the disastrous humanitarian situation facing civilians who have been largely cut off from aid for weeks.
“We are witnessing alarming cases of malnutrition among both children and adults. We are struggling to provide even one meal a day for our hospital workers amidst severe food and medical supply shortages,” said Hussam Abu Safiya, director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza.
“We are losing lives every day due to the lack of specialized care and resources,” he added.
This week, the outgoing US administration is expected to judge whether Israel has done enough to meet a demand issued last month to get more aid flowing into Gaza, now reduced to a wasteland after more than a year of war.
Last week, a committee of global food security experts warned of a strong likelihood that famine was imminent in certain areas of northern Gaza, a claim which Israel rejected.
As the 30-day deadline imposed by Washington has approached, Israeli authorities have been rushing to meet some of the US demands but it remains unclear whether enough has been done to satisfy US requirements.
On Tuesday, the military said it had opened a fifth crossing into Gaza, one of the US demands, which it said would help get food, water, medical supplies, and shelter equipment to central and southern Gaza.
It said hundreds of food packages and thousands of liters of water had been delivered a day earlier to distribution centers for civilians in the area of Beit Hanoun, on Gaza’s northern edge.
It said 741 trucks of aid had been delivered into northern Gaza through the Erez crossing since October, while 244 patients had been evacuated for treatment.
However international aid groups said the effort falls short of what would be needed while Israel’s military operation in northern Gaza had worsened the situation.

FIGHTING CONTINUES
Even as the military announced the deliveries, prospects of an agreement to halt the fighting appeared as distant as ever with the imminent return of Donald Trump as US President giving a lift to hard-liners in the Israeli government.
Outgoing President Joe Biden has offered heavy backing to Israel since Hamas-led gunmen attacked Israel last October, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages. But as the toll from Israel’s relentless campaign in Gaza has mounted, relations with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government have been increasingly fractious.
More than 43,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza over the past year and Gaza has been reduced to a wasteland of wrecked buildings and piles of rubble where more than 2 million Gazans seek shelter as best they can.
Israel’s campaign in the north of Gaza, and the evacuation of tens of thousands of Palestinians from the area, has fueled accusations from Palestinians and others that it is clearing the area for use as a buffer zone and potentially for a return of Jewish settlers to the area after the war.
On Tuesday, residents said Israeli tanks advanced deeper in Beit Hanoun and besieged four displaced families before ordering them to leave toward Gaza City.
The Israeli military has denied any such intention, and Netanyahu has said he does not want to reverse the 2005 withdrawal of settlers from Gaza. Hard-liners in his government have talked openly about going back.
On Monday, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said that, with the backing of the next Trump administration, he hoped Israel could annex parts of the occupied West Bank as early as next year, although no formal cabinet decision has been taken.
The call was nonetheless condemned by Qatar, which has said it will it halt its efforts to mediate a Gaza ceasefire and a hostage return until both sides show “willingness and seriousness.”