At least 10 missiles fired at Froun in Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon: Day 336 of the Gaza war

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Israel has conducted at least 14 airstrikes on the outskirts of Froun (Bint Jbeil).

Screenshot of a video filmed by a resident and relayed by L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah

According to a security source, the Israeli army continues to bomb the outskirts of Froun (Bint Jbeil), more precisely at the level of a valley located between Froun, Ghandourieh and Srifa. At least ten missiles have been seen so far. Fire outbreaks have been observed in the affected wooded areas.

Israeli warplanes carried out a series of consecutive strikes, targeting for the first time the outskirts of the town of Froun (Bint Jbeil), according to reports from residents. The valley adjacent to the town, including Wadi al-Hujair and the Qaqa'iyat al-Jisr River, was hit.

A security source said more than nine missiles were fired at the area.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday condemned a "barbaric Israeli intervention" that killed a Turkish-American pro-Palestinian activist in the occupied West Bank.

"I condemn Israel's barbaric intervention against a demonstration against the occupation in the West Bank and I pray for God's mercy for our citizen Aysenur Ezgi Eygi, who lost her life in this attack," the Turkish president wrote on the social network X.

The mayors of two cities in the northern West Bank, Tulkarem and Qalquilia, visiting Paris on Friday, denounced the military offensive led by Israel which, according to them, aimed at the "massive destruction" of their infrastructure to force their populations to leave.

"We represent [here in Paris] three Palestinian cities located in the north of the West Bank, Jenin, Tulkarem, Qalquilia, targeted by an aggression that targeted humans, buildings, trees, animals ... It is a systematic destruction of infrastructure to push the population to leave," said the mayor of Tulkarem, Riyad Awad.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Friday deplored the "tragic" death of an American citizen in the Israeli-occupied West Bank and vowed to take necessary measures.

"We mourn this tragic loss," Blinken told reporters in the Dominican Republic, where he is visiting. " As we have more information, we will share it, make it available, and we will act accordingly," he said.

According to residents quoted by L'Orient Today's correspondent, Israeli artillery hit Jibbain (Sour) and Kfar Kila (Marjayoun).

The International Criminal Court (ICC) announced on Friday that it had ended the proceedings against Ismail Haniyeh, the former political leader of Hamas who was killed in Iran on July 31 in an attack blamed on Israel.

The court's prosecutor's office, which in May requested arrest warrants for Israeli officials – including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – and Hamas, withdrew its request " due to the change in circumstances caused by Haniyeh's death," according to an ICC document.

Israeli military strikes killed at least 27 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Friday, medics said, as health authorities resumed polio vaccinations for tens of thousands more children in the enclave, Reuters reported.

In Nousseirat, one of eight historic refugee camps in the territory, an Israeli airstrike killed two women and two children, while eight other people were killed in two separate airstrikes in Gaza City, medics said. The rest were killed in subsequent strikes in the enclave, they added.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces battled Hamas militants in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, where residents said tanks had been operating for more than a week, in the eastern neighborhoods of Khan Younis, and in Rafah, near the border with Egypt, where residents said Israeli forces had blown up several homes.

A 13-year-old girl was killed by Israeli gunfire in the village of Qaryut in Nablus governorate in the northern occupied West Bank, al-Jazeera reported, citing the Palestinian Health Ministry .

During a situation assessment session near Israel's northern border, Israeli army Chief of Staff Herzl Halevi said the military was "very focused" on fighting Hezbollah, according to Haaretz.

Herzl Halevi added that the Israeli army was preparing for "offensive movements."

Commenting on the death of American human rights activist Aysenur Eygi in the West Bank today, the Israeli military said it "responded with fire against a key instigator of violent activity who threw stones at the armed forces and posed a threat to them."

The military added that it was "investigating allegations that a foreign citizen was killed by gunfire."

Hamas condemned the killing of American-Turkish activist Aysenur Ezgi Eygi by the Israeli army in a statement on Friday. Eygi was shot in the head in the town of Beita, near Nablus in the West Bank, on Friday during the town's weekly anti-settlement march.

“This act is part of a pattern of violence against foreign supporters of the Palestinian cause, including the notable case of Rachel Corrie, who was crushed by an Israeli tank in 2003,” Hamas said in its statement.

The United States said it was "urgently" seeking more information about the death of an American pro-Palestinian activist who arrived at a hospital in the Israeli-occupied West Bank with a gunshot wound to the head, according to the hospital's director.

"We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of her death," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller, describing the young woman's death as "tragic" without immediately attributing responsibility.

Turkey condemned the "murder" in the West Bank of an American pro-Palestinian activist who also has Turkish nationality, saying she was killed by "Israeli occupation soldiers."

"We learned with deep sadness that our citizen named Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was killed by the Israeli occupation soldiers in the city of Nablus ... We condemn this murder committed by the Netanyahu government," the Turkish Foreign Ministry wrote in a statement.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew said in a message on X that the United States was aware of "the tragic death of an American citizen, Aysenur Eygi, today in the occupied West Bank."

Haaretz reported earlier, citing Palestinian reports, that the 26-year-old, described as a human rights activist, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers while taking part in a protest in Beita, near Nablus in the West Bank.

"We extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones," the U.S. ambassador said, adding: "We are urgently gathering more information about the circumstances of his death and will provide more information as soon as we know more. We have no higher priority than the safety of American citizens."

Here is an update on the situation in southern Lebanon:

- According to local residents, heavy artillery shelling targeted the town of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun), as well as Aitaroun and Kounin (Bint Jbeil).

- Hezbollah stated that “in retaliation for the assassination carried out in the town of Kafra,” it launched an “aerial attack with swarms of precision drones” on Israeli positions in Abirim, located in the Upper Galilee. 

- Hezbollah also reported that it targeted a building used by Israeli soldiers in the Israeli town of Manara, opposite the Lebanese village of Houla (Marjayoun) at 3:55 PM.

Funerals have taken place in Jenin and Tulkarem since the Israeli army has lifted its siege of the occupied West Bank cities, allowing for the burials to take place, the Palestinian-state news agency Wafa reported.

Mohammad Abdullah Mohammad Kanaan, 15, who was killed on Tuesday morning by Israeli snipers during a three-day siege of the Tulkarem refugee camp, was buried after Friday prayers, Wafa news reported.

The bodies of two men from the same area were being held by the Israeli army, it added.

Ten people were buried in Jenin after a 10-day siege – eight in the refugee camp and two in the city. According to Wafa, the Israeli army killed 21 Palestinians in the Jenin governorate during its incursion.

The director of Rafidia Hospital in Nablus announced Friday afternoon to AFP the death of an American pro-Palestinian activist who arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head.

"An American activist in solidarity with the Palestinians arrived at the hospital with a gunshot wound to the head, and we pronounced her dead around 2:30 p.m." (11:30 GMT), Dr. Fouad Nafaa told AFP by phone from Jerusalem. According to the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, the young woman was killed by a shot fired by an Israeli soldier. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was "aware of the information" but was unable to comment or respond immediately.

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to extend the current military objectives to include the West Bank.

"We must not repeat mistakes; the war against Hamas and terrorist organizations must also be waged in Judea and Samaria," Ben Gvir stated on X, using the Israeli term for the occupied West Bank.

Ben Gvir's message included a copy of an official letter and an appeal to the Israeli government not to repeat the "mistakes made on Oct. 7."

This statement from the far-right Israeli minister comes as the Israeli military is withdrawing from the cities of Jenin and Tulkarem, where a series of military operations have reportedly resulted in at least 36 Palestinian deaths since the beginning of the week, according to Palestinian authorities.

Hezbollah announced that it conducted three new attacks:

- At 12.15pm, the party carried out two simultaneous strikes on Metula in northern Israel, opposite Khiam. The first targeted spy equipment, and the second buildings used by soldiers.

- It also launched missiles at the Israeli Rowaissat al-Alam site, in the disputed Shebaa Farms, at 12.25pm.

Here are the latest updates from South Lebanon:

- Israeli artillery shelled Rashaya al-Foukhar and Hebbarieh (Hasbaya), according to residents.

- Israel white phosphorous artillery shells caused fires break out in southern Khiam (Marjayoun), residents told our correspondent. 

Here are the lates updated along the Blue Line on the Lebanese-Israel border:

- An Israeli airstrike targeted Dhaira, in the Sour district.

- Israeli artillery fire shelled Kfar Kila (Marjeyoun).

- Hezbollah announced that it launched missiles at the Israeli Zebdine barracks in the disputed Shebaa Farms at 12.25pm.

German Foreign Minister said today in Tel Aviv that "a purely military approach is no solution to the situation in Gaza."

She also called for a "cease-fire now," during her meeting with her Israeli counterpart, Israel Katz. "Military pressure (...) is endangering the lives of the hostages", while "nothing is as urgent as the fate of the remaining hostages," she added.

Additionally, she commented on the escalation of violence in the occupied West Bank, stating, ""When members of the Israeli government themselves call for the same approach in the West Bank as in Gaza, that is precisely what acutely endangers Israel's security," Baerbock said, referencing far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. 

To read more, press here. 

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) announced that more than 160,000 children were vaccinated yesterday in southern Gaza, where a new phase of the polio vaccination campaign was launched.

"Today, we will continue to vaccinate as many children as possible," said UNRWA on X.

For its part, the health ministry in Gaza reported yesterday that the Israeli army was refusing to coordinate the entry of medical teams affiliated with the vaccination campaign into certain areas in the south of the strip.

Here are the latest updates from the Lebanon-Israel border: 

- At 9.30 am, Hezbollah announced a drone strike on the Israeli site of Ma'ayan Baruch, facing the Lebanese village of Khiam in the Marjayoun district.

- Israeli artillery fire targeted Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun), according to residents.

- An Israeli airstrike hit a house in Dhaira (Sour).

This morning in South Lebanon, an Israeli airstrike targeted a home in Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil) at around 8:30 a.m. Ambulances were dispatched to the scene of the strike, according to residents.

In southern Lebanon, the Israeli army carried out two strikes yesterday evening, according to security sources contacted by our correspondent in the region:

- At around 9.30pm, Israeli aircraft struck the outskirts of the villages of Marwahin and Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district).

- After 10pm, another air strike targeted Blida (Marjayoun).

* Cited by Haaretz, the Israeli army claimed that its fighter jets attacked Hezbollah "weapons depots" and "military structures" in southern Lebanon during the night.

Due to the "humanitarian pauses" in certain sectors, the World Health Organization (WHO) was also able to administer a first dose of polio vaccine to almost 200,000 children in central Gaza, according to AFP.

It was due to start its vaccination campaign in the South yesterday, before moving on to the North on Sept. 9.

"There is not a deal in the making" Netanyahu told Fox News. "Unfortunately, it's not close"

Netanyahu insists that Israel must retain control over the Philadelphi Corridor along the Egypt-Gaza border to prevent weapons smuggling to Hamas.

Press here to find out more.

Israel and Hamas continue to accuse each other of blocking negotiations, as the Israeli army continues its deadly retaliatory offensive in the Gaza Strip.

"If the U.S. administration and its President [Joe] Biden really want to reach a cease-fire and complete a prisoner exchange deal, they must abandon their blind bias towards the Zionist occupation," Hamas's Qatar-based lead negotiator Khalil al-Hayya said, calling on the U.S. to "exert real pressure on Netanyahu and his government."

Press here to read more. 

During a visit to Haiti, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirmed that 90% of an agreement was complete, according to U.S. assessments. "It's really up to both sides to reach agreement on the remaining issues," he said at a press conference.

"While I think we're close to a cease-fire agreement, every day that goes by without it being finalized or the parties saying 'yes, period' is a day where something else happens ... that risks derailing a very fragile deal," Blinken warned.

The United States yesterday urged Israel and Palestinian Hamas to finalize a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, after both sides traded accusations of obstructing negotiations.

Along with Qatar and Egypt, the United States, Israel's main ally, has been deploying mediation efforts for months to convince both sides to reach an agreement, almost 11 months into the Gaza war, triggered by an unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. To no avail.

Press here to find out more. 

The Israeli army withdrew from Jenin and Tulkarem in the occupied West Bank after conducting violent raids since Aug. 28, Reuters reported citing the Palestinian news agency Wafa.

At least 36 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the operation, according to Palestinian authorities. The Palestinian Red Crescent reported that five people were killed yesterday in Tubas, in the north. The Israeli army said one of the dead was “a major terrorist.”

Read the Morning Brief to catch up on yesterday's key events and to know what to expect today. 

Good morning! 

Thank you for joining our live coverage of the Gaza war and its implications on the region, particularly Lebanon. 

This is day 336 of the Gaza war, and day 335 of the start of the attrition hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel.