No infiltration by air from Lebanon, says Israeli army: Day 5 of the Hamas-Israel war

Thank you for following our LIVE coverage of day 5 of the Hamas vs Israel conflict.

We'll be back tomorrow with more news updates and analysis, right here at L'Orient Today.

"There's a long list of actors in the region who are hostile to Israel, including Hezbollah; we are concerned about that," said spokesperson for the National Security Council John Kirby.

"The United States, which has already sent a naval task force near Israel, is prepared to deploy a second one for deterrence purposes if necessary," a White House spokesperson stated on Wednesday.

Kirby said that it was planned for a long time, before the Hamas attacks, for another American aircraft carrier to head towards the Mediterranean. He added that this vessel could go to the Eastern Mediterranean to join the Gerald Ford (world's largest warship) if needed.

"There's a long list of actors in the region who are hostile to Israel, including Hezbollah; we are concerned about that," said spokesperson for the National Security Council John Kirby.

White House press says Washington is "working" with Israel and Egypt to facilitate the evacuation of civilians from Gaza, according to AFP.

Washington is ready to send a second aircraft carrier "if necessary", according to White House press.

The Israeli Army announced on Wednesday evening that there were no air infiltrations from Lebanon into northern Israel, where warning sirens sounded in several areas.

"What happened in northern Israel was a malfunction. There is no security incident," announced army spokesman General Daniel Hagari in a televised address. The Israeli Army previously announced that it suspected "air infiltration" from Lebanon.

Iraq's top Shi'ite cleric Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani calls on the world to stand up to the "terrible brutality" in Gaza and prevent Israeli plans to inflict more harm on Palestinian people, a statement citing him said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

The Israeli Army ruled out an "aerial infiltration" of the northern border, according to AFP.

Palestinians evacuating a neighborhood in Gaza on Oct. 11, 2023 as the enclave is relentlessly bombarded by Israeli army. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)

11 UN refugee agency staffers and five International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) members were killed in Gaza, according to Reuters

United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that a spillover of the conflict in Israel must be avoided and that he is concerned about reported attacks on Israel from southern Lebanon.

"I appeal to all parties, and those who have an influence over those parties, to avoid any further escalation and spillover," he told reporters via Reuters.

No rocket impacts from Lebanese territory were identified and a rocket launch from Gaza was detected by Israeli northern coastal region's alarm, according to the Israeli Army. 

"The US Embassy in Beirut has not evacuated and is open and operating normally. Reports saying otherwise are false," said the US embassy in a statement on Wednesday.

What does it mean to be under Israeli 'total siege'? We explain here. 

An NBC correspondent in Sour, South Lebanon posted a photo on X (formerly Twitter) purportedly showing "flares falling over the Israeli-Lebanese border," according to the post.

"These flares are typically used to illuminate some kind of action on the ground — so something distinct from the artillery, airstrikes and drones that have so far characterised most of the cross-border fighting between Israel and Lebanon for the past several days," he added.

Residents near Lebanese and Syrian borders must enter shelters and lock their doors and windows, according to Home Front Command of Israeli newspaper Haaretz.

The New York Times reported on Wednesday citing American officials that US intelligence showed that Iranian leaders were surprised by Hamas's unprecedented attacks on Israel, according to Reuters.

While they did not identify the Iranian officials who were surprised by the attack, the US officials said they were people who are typically aware of operations involving the Quds Force, Iran's paramilitary arm that supports proxy forces.

The United States sees no signs of additional countries or "actors" seeking to join the Hamas assault on Israel, stated Chief of Staff of the US Armed Forces Charles Brown in Brussels on Wednesday.

"I have seen no indications of additional actors that would be engaged at the expense of Israel," Brown said during a press conference, according to AFP.

Infographic: Gaza besieged (Credit: Guilhem Dorandeu/L'Orient Today)

Israeli military says it received reports of suspected infiltration from Lebanon into Israeli airspace, according to Reuters.

Israeli public broadcaster Kan reports that projectiles landed in northern Israel, according to Reuters.

Gaza-Israel: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was set to visit Israel on Wednesday for a Middle East mission to prevent a wider war from erupting, according to Reuters.

In solidarity with Washington's closest Middle Eastern ally, Blinken was due to meet senior Israeli officials, possibly including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to discuss boosting military support.

Alerts for hostile aircraft sounded in northern Israel through Israeli Army Radio, according to Reuters.

Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs is unable to confirm that "40 babies [were] murdered" in the Hamas massacre at Kfar Aza, southern Israel, a spokesperson told AFP on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the official Israeli state X (formerly Twitter) account, @Israel, posted a video from the i24NEWS channel where one of their journalists described the situation at Kfar Aza during a press visit protected by Israeli military.

"40 babies murdered," the message stated above the video.

"No one [among the soldiers who entered Kfar Aza after its recapture by the Israeli army] could have expected [such a macabre sight]," the journalist said in another video published on the channel's website.

The reporter said "the horrors [she hears in the soldiers' accounts]... about 40 babies at least were buried."

Since Tuesday, posts about the "40 babies murdered" circulated on social media as an example of the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas's brutality in their offensive on Israel.

When asked by AFP about the number of babies killed in Kfar Aza, a spokesperson for Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (which oversees the @Israel account) said to AFP, "We cannot confirm any numbers at this stage."

According to retired Major General Itai Veruv, "70 armed and trained terrorists" attacked Kfar Aza on Saturday at around 6:30 a.m. to commit "a massacre, a disaster."

Approximately 400 people lived in Kfar Aza, an agricultural community located 2 km from the Gaza Strip border before the Hamas assault. Several Israeli soldiers deployed there, when interviewed by AFP, reported over 100 civilian casualties, sometimes up to 150, including an unspecified number of children.

One of them, who chose not to be named, said there were mutilations and decapitations, but declined to provide further details.

British King Charles is appalled by the "barbaric acts of terrorism" in Israel, a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said on Wednesday, according to Reuters.

French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said on Wednesday that several French children are missing and are likely among the hostages held in Gaza following Hamas's attack on Saturday, according to Reuters.

9 UN staffers working with Palestinian refugees killed by air strikes on Gaza, according to Reuters. 

Egypt alerted Israel to the potential risks of violence "three days" before the Hamas assault, said Chairman of American House Foreign Affairs Committee Michael McCaul.

"We know that Egypt warned the Israelis three days in advance that a similar event could occur," he said after a briefing in US Congress.

BREAKING NEWS: Israeli officials agree on 'emergency government' for the duration of the war.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his opposition rival Benny Gantz announced on Wednesday that they agreed to create an emergency government for the duration of the war. This comes four days after the major offensive launched by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

They stated in a joint statement that they "agreed to establish an emergency government and a war cabinet" following a meeting, according to AFP.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad announce rocket fire on Israel, according to AFP.

Dozens of people gathered at the Palestinian refugee camp in Burj al-Barajneh in the southern suburbs of Beirut in support of Gaza.

"In Jerusalem, we have thousands of martyrs," they sang, according to our reporter Emmanuel Haddad.

"I still can't believe what's happening. We are finally getting our rights after so many years of occupation," said 20-year-old Youssef, waving a Hamas flag. "We are not afraid of Israel's response," he added.

"Those who die will become martyrs ... We mourn for Gaza, but we also celebrate the Hamas military operation," said a young Palestinian woman at the demonstration.

Protestors hold up flags of Palestine and Palestinian factions in solidarity with Gaza in the southern suburbs of Beirut, on Oct. 11 2023. (Credit: Joao Sousa/L'Orient Today)

Youth hold up flags of Palestinian factions in Burj al-Barajneh, Beirut in solidarity with Gaza on Oct. 11 2023. (Credit: Joao Sousa/L'Orient Today)

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin released a statement affirming American support for Israel "as it defends itself and its citizens from this vile Hamas terrorist assault."

"The full horror of the attacks by Hamas continues to become more clear … and more appalling ... We will stay in close contact with our Israeli partners … and ensure that they have what they need to protect their country," said Austin.

"As President Biden has made clear, no other party hostile to Israel should try to exploit these despicable attacks. Like any other country, Israel has a bedrock right to defend itself from terrorism and aggression. Our support for Israel's security will remain ironclad … especially in this hour of atrocity and challenge."

Hezbollah said in a statement that they are “not surprised by the political positions and actions taken by the US administration, especially the open support for Zionist aggression against Palestinian people.”

Hezbollah added that “this reflects the true essence of the US policy in its continuous support for terrorism since the establishment of the occupying entity.”

Hezbollah said it holds the US and Israel responsible for the “killings, crimes, siege and the horrific massacres against innocent civilians, including children, women and elderly.”

“We call on the Arab and Islamic nations that are aware of the harsh reality of America, and its interventions in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan, to condemn the US intervention and expose it at all political, popular, media and legal levels,” said the statement.

“Sending aircraft carriers to the region, intended to boost the morale of the enemy, reveals the weakness of the Zionist military machine despite its crimes and atrocities,” Hezbollah concluded.

Israelis hide in a bomb shelter after rockets from Gaza were launched onto Ashkelon, southern Israel, Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Amir Cohen/Reuters)

Firefighter points to a damaged building after a rocket launched from the Gaza Strip landed in Ashkelon, southern Israel, Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Amir Cohen/Reuters)

The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) announced in a statement that they postponed planned activities, including their leader Gebran Bassil's Europe trip from Oct. 16-22.

"This decision is made in solidarity with the Palestinian people during the ongoing war in Gaza. The tour included a conference on refugees at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, meetings with European parliamentary leaders, a visit to the European Commission in Brussels, meetings with officials and discussions with Belgian officials," said the statement.

"[There is] no valid evidence of Iran's direct involvement in Hamas's attack on Israel," said the German government spokesperson.

Political analysts have discussed Iran's possible involvement since the beginning of Operation Aqsa Flood.

In an exclusive article published by L'Orient-Le Jour, Mounir Rabih reveals content from meetings to plan this operation between Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran in Beirut over several months.

Irani Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei denied his country's involvement in the attack. On Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated that the United States does not have evidence of Iran's association with the offensive.

According to Reuters, Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Wednesday that Israel's blockade and bombing of Gaza was a "massacre" and a disproportionate response to Hamas's attack.

Israeli army soldiers deploy at a position near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP)

Rocket sirens are sounding in the Tel Aviv area in central Israel, Haaretz reports.

Drilling is ongoing in Lebanon's offshore Block 9 despite tensions: Minister

Lebanon's energy minister told Reuters today that exploratory drilling in the country's maritime Block 9 "did not stop" despite several days of clashes along the land border between Lebanon and Israel.

"It's in everyone's interest to continue as long as there are signs of stability," said Walid Fayad.

PARAMEDICS KILLED: The Palestinian Red Crescent has confirmed the killing of four paramedics in Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip today.

Three of them died when a strike "directly targeted an ambulance" of the Red Crescent north of Gaza, and the fourth in a separate strike in the east of the enclave, the aid group said.

An Israeli army self-propelled howitzer fires rounds near the border with Gaza in southern Israel on October 11, 2023. (Credit: Jack Guez/AFP)

Image: Members of the Lebanese army walk near a damaged building after Israeli shelling in the village of Dhayra, near the border with Israel, in southern Lebanon, on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

Electricity in Gaza has gone out after the sole power station in the blockaded Palestinian enclave stopped working, Reuters reports citing Hamas media.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency is reporting that three civilians were injured and 10 homes were damaged by Israeli strikes on south Lebanon.

According to the NNA, the strikes hit the villages of Marwaheen and Dhayra, and damaged agricultural land in the area as well as the main water tank that serves the village of Yareen.\

Image: Damage inside a house after Israeli shelling in the village of Dhayra, near the border with Israel, in southern Lebanon, on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

Voices from Gaza: Shifa Hospital has become 'vast refugee camp'

"The grounds of Shifa Hospital, the busiest in Gaza City, have transformed into a vast refugee camp. Thousands of families have retreated there. The hospital is operating at full capacity, even though the entire building shakes every two minutes [due to Israeli bombings],” Ghassan Abu Sitta, a doctor, tells L’Orient-Le Jour.

After the first Israeli strikes, he left London, where he lives with his family, to provide aid to Gaza.

“Today there are a lot of patients who need surgery, but we are obliged to give priority to the most critical cases and make others wait,” he adds.

"The people who are taking refuge in the hospital have nothing at all. There are only mattresses on the ground placed within the premises of the establishment. They use hospital bed sheets to try to have a little privacy. For my part, I sleep on the sofa in my colleague's office," he continues.

"It is far too dangerous to try to leave. The Israelis bombed the Rafah crossing with Egypt. There is no way out. The strikes are targeting the entire Gaza Strip. All the world is now concerned that the Israelis have been given carte blanche to do whatever they want in Gaza. What's more, they have declared that there will be no red line in what they plan to do. My colleagues keep calling to find out where their families have gone …”.

(Image: Rescuers drop off children injured by Israeli bombardment at Shifa hospital in the Gaza Strip. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)

BREAKING: Three Palestinian doctors were killed in an Israeli air raid, according to the Red Crescent and two witnesses, cited by al-Jazeera.

Reuters reports Germany's foreign minister as saying Qatar needs to play a crucial role in freeing hostages held by Hamas in Gaza.

Hamas is reported to be holding at least 150 hostages — most of them Israelis but some foreign and dual nationals.

Separately, Reuters cites a government spokesperson as saying Germany has no evidence of Iran's direct involvement in the Hamas attack on Israel.

Britain's foreign minister, James Cleverly, is visiting Israel today; his American counterpart, Antony Blinken, will arrive tomorrow.

Aleppo University students wave Syrian and Palestinian flags during a rally in support of Gaza in the northern Syrian city on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: AFP)

Hamas refutes 'accusations of child murder, beheadings and the targeting of civilians'

In a statement released today, Hamas refutes "accusations of child murder, beheadings and the targeting of civilians."

"We categorically reaffirm the false and fabricated nature of the "allegations of certain Western media that relay Zionist narratives," the Islamist movement says. Hamas's military wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades "only targeted the military and security apparatus," the statement adds.

"We call on everyone to take responsibility, to prevent the entity [Israel] from targeting civilians, and to stand by our people who are trying to free themselves from the world's worst occupation, rather than adopting the false narratives of the occupation," the text concludes.

The Israeli army claimed on X this morning that Hamas had attacked the Kfar Aza kibbutz on Saturday morning, "going into homes, slaughtering babies, mothers and fathers in their rooms." Hamas will pay for its crimes," the army warned.

Reuters reported yesterday that the bodies of Hamas fighters had been found in the kibbutz in question, along with those of Israeli residents.

Since yesterday evening, accusations of Hamas beheading children have been circulating on social networks.

Image: Mourners carry the bodies of the funeral of Ahmad, 25, and Mahmud Sbaana, 21, in the village of Qabatiyah, in the occupied West Bank. The two men were killed during clashes with Israeli forces at the al-Jalamah checkpoint overnight. (Credit: Zain Jaffar/AFP)

Alarms continue to sound in the southern Israeli cities of Ashkelon, Be'er Ganim and Zikim, Haaretz reports.

International community should maintain aid to Palestinians, Norway says

The international community should continue to provide financial aid to the Palestinian people and institutions, Norway's Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt told Reuters on Wednesday.

"As chair of the international donor group (to the Palestinians) AHLC, Norway encourages the international community to continue its financial assistance to the Palestinian people," Huitfeldt said in a statement.

Several countries, including Sweden and Denmark, have said they will halt, or are considering whether to halt, aid to Palestinian territories following the surprise attack by Hamas militants on Israel over the weekend.

But the situation in the area will only deteriorate if aid is suspended, the Norwegian foreign minister said.

"Humanitarian assistance to the people of Gaza should be a key priority," she added.

Several EU countries have also come out in favor of maintaining aid to the Palestinians, forcing the EU to backtrack on an announcement to suspend aid earlier this week.

Image: Residents of the Gaza neighborhood of al-Karama leave their homes amid Israel's bombardment on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Mahmud Hams/AFP)

US support for Ukraine and Israel remain Washington's "absolute priorities," US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has assured at a press conference in Marrakech, on the sidelines of the annual meetings of the IMF and the World Bank, AFP reports.

“Funding Ukraine, both military and in support of the economy, as well as resources for Israel, are the Biden administration’s top priorities,” she said.

BREAKING: Rockets launched from Gaza have hit buildings in Ashkelon, in southern Israel, wounding several, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.

Image: An Israeli armoured personnel carrier (APC) is seen at Israel's border with Lebanon as tension mounts between the countries, in northern Israel, on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Lisi Niesner/Reuters)

A man holds the wrapped body of a child about to be buried at a cemetery in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 11, 2023, after a family was killed in an Israeli airstrike. (Credit: Said Khatib/AFP)

Voices from Gaza: 'We all take refuge in the kitchen, which we feel is the safest room'

Ayman, 38, is a father of two and lives in northwestern Gaza. "I don't have the words to describe the situation. There are more than 20 of us in the apartment since I took in my parents, my sister, her family and my father-in-law's family. The adults understand the situation, but the little ones are scared. The screaming doesn't stop. When the bombing intensifies, especially at night, we all take refuge in the kitchen, which we feel is the safest room because it's in the middle of the apartment."

"We have no possibility of moving; we have no electricity or water," continues Ayman. "No one dares to stand at the window to try and see where the bombing fell. There are a lot of civilian casualties. Schools are being targeted, and many of our friends' homes have been hit. Buildings have collapsed, the main roads have been targeted, and even the seafront has been bombed. Cars can no longer circulate, and we have no way out. We spend our time in the kitchen, praying to God that this war will end."

BREAKING: Jordan's King Abdullah says there will be "no security or stability" in the Middle East region until Palestinians achieve a "sovereign" state alongside Israel.

Image: Israel's bombardment of Gaza continues on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Mohammed Abed/AFP)

Image: A man walks in an almost empty street in Old Jerusalem, on the fifth day of the war between Israel and Hamas, on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP)

Turkey's President Recep Tayib Erdogan says Israel is not behaving "like a state" in Gaza conflict.

Image: Turkish President and AK Party Chairman Recep Tayyip Erdogan holds a sign showing the evolution of the lands of Israel and Palestine on maps at his party's group meeting in the Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Adem Altan/AFP)

The Mateh Asher Regional Council, located in northern Israel, has asked its residents to stay away from its coastal area, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.

Voices from Gaza: 'It's too risky to move'

"For now I haven't left my house yet, but my family and I are prepared. Our evacuation bags are ready," Maha Hussaini, a human rights activist and journalist in Gaza, tells L'Orient-Le Jour.

"We were supposed to leave last night, but we couldn't. Many residential buildings and facilities in my neighborhood are under threat of being bombed at any moment. But there's no way to escape; there's no shelter and the roads are constantly bombed. It's far too risky to move from one place to another. I'm also facing enormous difficulties staying connected and online and responding to our teams of journalists on the ground. We are facing a shortage of electricity. We only receive three hours of electricity a day, and these limited hours will become even rarer in the coming days due to the fuel shortage."

BREAKING: 1,055 Palestinians have been killed and 5,184 have been wounded in Israel's bombardment of the Gaza Strip since Saturday, the enclave's Health Ministry says.

Image: Smoke rises on a hill shelled by Israeli forces on the outskirts of the southern Lebanese border village of Dhayra on Oct. 11, 2023. Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel exchanged fire today, with Hezbollah launching missile strikes it said were retaliation for the killing of three of its members. (Credit: Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP)

EU chief says Hamas attack reflects 'ancient evil', supports review of EU aid to Palestinians

EU chief Ursula von der Leyen said today that the Palestinian militant group Hamas's killing of Israeli civilians was a cold-blooded act of war and reflected an "ancient evil."

"We have to be clear in defining this kind of horror," she said. "And there can only be one response to it. Europe stands with Israel. And we fully support Israel's right to defend itself," she said.

Addressing the start of a meeting of European commissioners, von der Leyen also supported a full review of the EU's multimillion-euro financial support for Palestinian projects.

In a meeting with military correspondents today, Israeli Air Force Brig. Gen. Omer Tishler said the Hamas invasion that surprised Israel will be investigated, stressing that the Israeli army is “responsible” for not being able to prevent it.

"As an army, we're all responsible for not preventing this criminality. We are all responsible and I'm responsible," he is quoted as saying by the Israeli daily Haaretz.

Around 15 people gathered this morning for a demonstration in Hamra in support of the Palestinians, reports our journalist Emmanuel Haddad. The gathering, which was announced yesterday, took place in front of the Red Cross headquarters in Beirut.

“We organized this protest because Western public opinion has taken up the cause of Israel,” said Lebanon's director of the Palestinian Association for Human Rights, Shahed Mahmoud el-Hanafi, who was at the demonstration.

Elderly people and children from different refugee camps in Lebanon participated in the mobilization. "All Palestinians are behind Hamas. We demand that Hezbollah open a new front and that the Syrian regime do the same from the Golan Heights," one demonstrator told our reporter.

Image: Children lying on the ground with Palestinian flags during the demonstration in Beirut on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Emmanuel Haddad)

At least 169 Israeli soldiers have so far been killed in fighting with Hamas, the Israeli army says.

"As of this morning, we've informed the families of 169 fallen IDF [army] soldiers," military spokesman Daniel Hagari told reporters.

He added that the families of 60 people abducted and taken to Gaza have also been contacted.

Image: Volunteers of the Zaka Israeli ultra-Orthodox Jewish emergency response team remove bodies of killed Palestinian Hamas militants from outside the police station in Sderot on Oct. 11, 2023 after it was heavily damaged during battles to dislodge the militants stationed there. (Credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP)

Hezbollah statement: Hezbollah this morning attacked with "targeted rockets" an Israeli position next to the area of Dhayra in response to the killing of three of its members on Monday, the party says in a statement. The statement also claims the attacks inflicted a "large number" of casualties among the Israeli army, including deaths.  "The Islamic resistance [Hezbollah] affirms that it will be assertive in its response to the Israeli attacks that target our country and the security of our people, especially when these attacks lead to the loss of martyrs," the statement adds.

Israel's Defense Minister Yoav Gallant will hold video talks tomorrow with his NATO counterparts, after the surprise Hamas attack on his country, alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said.

"Tomorrow, we will also be briefed by the Israeli Defense Minister Gallant on the situation in Israel," Stoltenberg told journalists today at a two-day meeting of ministers in Brussels.

"Allies condemned the horrific terrorist attacks on innocent civilians in Israel over the weekend, and we are looking forward to the briefing from the defense minister," he added.

Relatives gather next to the bodies of Palestinians killed in Israeli strikes, at a hospital in Gaza City, on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Mohammed Salem/Reuters)

Pope Francis has called for the “immediate” release of Israeli hostages in the hands of Hamas, while saying he is “very concerned” about the siege of the Gaza Strip.

“I demand that the hostages be released immediately … Those who are attacked have the right to defend themselves, but I am very concerned about the total siege in which Palestinians live in Gaza, where there are also many innocent victims,” the pope said after his weekly general audience at the Vatican.

BREAKING: Israel is now striking southern border villages using "rockets or mortar shells," UNIFIL spokesperson in Lebanon Andrea Tenenti tells L'Orient Today, without specifying which villages are under attack.

BREAKING: A spokesperson for Hezbollah confirms to L'Orient Today that the party attacked an Israeli tank today, but provides no further details.

A correspondent with Hezbollah's al-Manar channel reports that Israel "was targeted by missiles." The missiles targeted the Israeli area located opposite the Lebanese town of Dhayra.

Following an anti-tank missile attack in northern Israel, residents of Avivim are called on to go to shelters, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reports.

BREAKING: The Israeli military says one of its northern positions was attacked with anti-tank fire from Lebanon this morning, but has not immediately provided details on any casualties or who might have been responsible.

The attack took place near the Israeli town of Arab al-Aramshe, opposite the Lebanese village of Dhayra, the statement said.

An Israeli army soldier stands atop the turret of a Merkava battle tank as a column of tanks is amassed in the upper Galilee in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Jalaa Marey/AFP)

Sweden is reportedly set to join the list of countries offering citizens evacuation in light of the Hamas-Israel war. The Swedish government will offer to evacuate Swedes from Israel and Palestinian territories, news agency TT reported today, citing Swedish Foreign Minister Tobias Billstrom. 

The Israeli minister for police has predicted possible friction between the country's Arab minority and majority Jews in connection with the Gaza war and said he is stepping up the issuing of firearms to licensed citizens, Reuters reports.

"I instructed the chief of police to prepare for a 'Guardian of the Walls 2' scenario, which I think is looming," Reuters cites National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir as telling reporters.

Operation Guardian of the Walls was Israel's name for a 2021 Gaza war, which set off sometimes violent pro-Palestinian protests among Arab citizens.

Hamas diaspora chief calls for neighbors to join war against Israel

Former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal has called for protests across the Muslim world on Friday in support of the Palestinians and for the people of neighboring countries to join the fight against Israel.

"[We must] head to the squares and streets of the Arab and Islamic world on Friday," Meshaal, who currently heads Hamas's diaspora office, said in a recorded statement sent to Reuters.

Meshaal, who is based in Qatar, said the governments and peoples of Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt have a bigger duty to support the Palestinians.

"Tribes of Jordan, sons of Jordan, brothers and sisters of Jordan ... This is a moment of truth and the borders are close to you, you all know your responsibility," Meshaal said.

Meanwhile, countries continue to evacuate their citizens from Israel. 

Here's an overview of some ongoing evacuation efforts.

Countries evacuate citizens as Israel-Hamas war rages

Some of Lebanon's political figures spoke out in the media about the Hamas-Israel conflict yesterday evening. Here's what they had to say:

The head of the Lebanese Forces, Samir Geagea, told MTV that Hezbollah will completely alienate southern Lebanon from the rest of the world if it decides to open a new front against Israel. “If a window is broken in south Lebanon, no foreign state will want to repair it,” he said, calling for a “two-state” solution to end the conflict between Hamas and Israel. He also once again emphasized Iran's responsibility for destabilizing the region.

The leader of the Free Patriotic Movement, Gebran Bassil, reflected on the history of Lebanon in the 1970s, during which time Palestinian factions attacked Israel from territories they controlled here.

Finally, former leader of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Joumblatt told LBCI that he wants Hezbollah “not to join the war” but that he will support “anything that resists Israel.”

Najib Mikati's caretaker government plans to meet tomorrow afternoon to examine developments in the conflict.

Breaking: The only power plant in the Gaza Strip has enough fuel oil to last 10 to 12 hours maximum, a Palestinian official told Reuters.

Image: The aftermath of Israeli strikes in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

Image: Palestinians gather on rubble in the aftermath of Israeli strikes, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit: Ibraheem Abu Mustafa/Reuters)

Israeli fighter jets have struck the Islamic University in Gaza City, an AFP correspondent and an official with the Hamas-linked institution report.

"The intense airstrikes destroyed completely some buildings of the Islamic University," Ahmed Orabi of the university management told AFP.

Breaking: The death toll in Gaza and the occupied West Bank since Saturday has reached 974, and more than 5,000 Palestinians have been injured, according to figures provided by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

The British Embassy in Beirut has announced updated travel advice for Lebanon.

The UK's Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office now advises against non-essential travel to Lebanon and against all travel to some areas in the south of the country.

"This means that British nationals should only travel to Lebanon if their travel is essential. We now advise against all travel to the area south of the Litani river which includes the main Naqoura-Tyre-Saida-Beirut highway and areas to the west of it. In addition, we continue to advise against all travel to the Hermel area, including the towns of Arsal, Ras Baalbek, Qaa, Laboué and Nahlé, Palestinian refugee camps or within 5km of the border with Syria," the British Embassy said in a statement sent to L'Orient Today.

For French speakers: Today at 11 a.m. Beirut time, L'Orient-Le Jour's co-editor-in-chief, Anthony Samrani, will answer readers' questions live online.

You can send your questions to the following address: livechatolj@lorientlejour.com. Note that this is a French-language Q&A.

Tune in here at 11 a.m. to follow the discussion.

Guerre Israël/Hamas : Anthony Samrani a répondu à vos questions

Twenty Thai nationals have been killed in the conflict between Israel and militant group Hamas, the kingdom's government said today, upping the previous toll of 18.

The foreign ministry said the number of Thais held hostage had increased by three to 14, based on unofficial reports from Thai citizens in Israel.

"The death toll of Thai nationals has risen to 20," ministry spokeswoman Kanchana Patarachoke told reporters in Bangkok, adding that the number of wounded had increased to 13.

The first repatriation flight with wounded Thais is expected to land in the capital on Thursday.

More than 5,000 Thai citizens have requested repatriation to the kingdom, Kanchana said.

A march in support of Palestinians in Gaza is due to take place in Beirut at 11 a.m., near the Red Cross headquarters in the Hamra neighborhood, a Hamas movement official told L'Orient-Le Jour yesterday. 

Image: A view of Gaza City as the day begins. Smoke billows following Israeli strikes. (Credit: Saleh Salem/Reuters)

Image: Women flee fighting with their children in a street in Gaza City on Oct. 11, 2023. (Credit Mohammed Abed/AFP)

In case you missed it: Yesterday, our reporter Ghadir Hamadi spoke to political analysts about the likelihood of Hezbollah becoming involved in a conflict with Israel in the coming days. 

Click here to read what they had to say.

Will Lebanon get involved in a conflict with Israel in the coming days?

A thousand people gathered in New York, the city with the largest number of Jews in the world outside of Israel, to show their support for Israel, AFP reports.

President Biden also had a telephone conversation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

NBC news, citing two Biden administration officials and a former official, reported that during the call, Joe Biden urged Netanyahu to "minimize civilian casualties in the Gaza Strip," as the possibility of a ground offensive in the Gaza Strip mounts. 

CNN, citing an American official who was briefed on the content of the telephone conversation, reported that when Netanyahu raised the possibility of entering the Gaza Strip, President Biden did not warn him against such an option.

As a reminder: Unreservedly endorsing his country's role as Israel's primary supporter, US President Joe Biden hammered home yesterday in a vigorous speech that he would help the Israeli state defend itself against "pure evil." Hamas denounced "inflammatory" remarks, saying the US president was trying to "cover up Israel's crimes." US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected in Israel on Thursday.

The Israeli Air Force said Wednesday that "dozens of warplanes" overnight "attacked more than 200 targets in the Al Furkan neighborhood" of Gaza City.

At least 30 dead as Israel pounds Gaza overnight according to the Hamas government.

More than 1,200 Israelis have been killed in the Israel-Hamas conflict, an Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson said Wednesday, up from 1,000 previously reported.

"The death toll is a staggering 1,200 dead Israelis," IDF spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Conricus said in a video message, adding that "the overwhelming majority of them" were civilians.

Hello,

On day five of the conflict, we're reopening our live coverage of developments in the war between Hamas and Israel.