Four Lebanese soldiers injured in Israeli bombing on south Lebanon: Day 395 of the Gaza and Lebanon wars

This concludes our live coverage of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon for today. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the latest updates.

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Israel has taken some steps to increase aid access to Gaza but has so far failed to "significantly" improve the humanitarian situation in the enclave, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, as a U.S. deadline to improve the situation approaches, Reuters reports.

The Biden administration told Israel in an Oct. 13 letter that it has 30 days to take specific steps to address the dire humanitarian crisis in the strip, which has been battered for more than a year by Israeli ground and air operations that Israel says it is waging to root out Hamas militants.

Aid workers and U.N. officials say humanitarian conditions in Gaza remain dire. "To date, the situation has not improved significantly. We have seen an increase in some measures. We have seen an increase in the number of crossings that are open. But if you look at the recommendations that are in the letter, they have not been met," Miller said.

He said the results so far were "not enough," but stressed that the 30-day period had not passed. He declined to elaborate on what consequences Israel might face if it did not implement the recommendations. "What I can tell you is that we will abide by the law," he said.

An Israeli airstrike targeted Tireh (Bint Jbeil) and hit four soldiers of the Lebanese army, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported. The condition of these soldiers is not yet known.

Hezbollah announced that it had fired a salvo of rockets at 9:30 p.m. on the northern part of the city of Safed, located about 12 kilometers from the border in Israel.

The Israeli military said it had approved new conscription orders for 7,000 members of the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. The calls for the 32-month mandatory military service for men, which will be sent out "in the coming days," are aimed at "achieving recruitment targets," it added.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack carried out at 9:40 p.m. against "an [Israeli] troop movement" north of the town of Maroun al-Ras in southern Lebanon, using a salvo of missiles.

An Israeli airstrike targeted the town of Baflieh (Sour), reported L'Orient Today's correspondent.

Latest developments in south Lebanon:

- Israeli air force carried out a strike on Khiam (Marjayoun).

- An Israeli drone targeted a motorcycle in Haris (Bint Jbeil), killing one person. Another strike hit the village mosque.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the head of the World Health Organization, denounced Israel's ban on the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), adding that it "will not make Israel safer" while increasing suffering in Gaza.

The United States and Saudi Arabia are discussing a potential security deal that "would not require a broader agreement with Israel," Axios reported, citing three unidentified sources.

The deal under discussion "is not a full defense treaty," Axios said. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and the White House want to conclude the deal before President Joe Biden leaves office in January, Axios reported.

Around 70 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards Israel during the day, the Israeli army said, quoted by Haaretz.

An Israeli attack targeted an area between Roumine and Deir Zahrani (Zahrani) in south Lebanon, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported.

Hamas said it met in Cairo with rival Palestinian movement Fatah to discuss the Gaza war and efforts to reach a national consensus, AFP reported.

"A meeting was held with the Fatah movement brothers at the invitation of Egypt to discuss various national issues including the war in Gaza," senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan said in a video message.

An Israeli attack targeted Deir Kifa (Sour), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack carried out at 7 p.m. against the Meron air surveillance base, for the third time today, with a salvo of missiles.

The United States is "deeply concerned" by reports of increasing violence by extremist Israeli settlers against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, after Jewish settlers set cars on fire on the outskirts of Ramallah, Reuters reports.

Miller said the United States "clearly expressed these concerns" to the Israeli government and that it was incumbent on the authorities to do everything possible to de-escalate the situation and hold all those responsible to account.

Hezbollah claimed responsibility for an attack carried out at 7 p.m. on Kidmat Tzvi, a town in the occupied Golan, with salvos of missiles. The party said that this attack came "in the context of the warning launched by the resistance to several settlements in the north" of Israel.

The party claimed another attack carried out at the same time against Eilit Hacha'her, by a salvo of missiles.

"Fighter jets targeted infrastructure and facilities in Damascus associated with Hezbollah's intelligence sector," said Avichay Adraee, an Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army. According to him, "Hezbollah, with the support of the Syrian regime, is compromising the security of Syrian citizens by establishing command posts in civilian areas." Adraee stressed that the Israeli army "dealt a significant blow to Hezbollah's intelligence sector."

He also noted that the Israeli army killed Ali Hussein Hazimeh, head of intelligence for the party, as well as Mahmoud Mohammad Shahine, head of intelligence for Syria, during the same operation which also killed Hashem Safieddine, president of the Executive Council of Hezbollah, on Oct. 3.

The latest developments in south Lebanon and the Bekaa:

-Two Israeli airstrikes targeted Toul (Nabatieh).

-A strike targeted an area between Adsheet and Qsaybeh (Nabatieh).

-In the Bekaa, so far spared from strikes during the day, an Israeli drone strike reportedly targeted Saadnayel (Zahleh). Ambulances were on their way to the scene.

Israel claimed to have struck Hezbollah "intelligence infrastructure" near Damascus, targeting "key infrastructure," Reuters reports.

The Israeli army discovered "a pit containing more than half a ton of explosives" in Yarine (Bint Jbeil) its Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, claimed on his X account.

"These explosives had been placed there for a long time, before the war and before the residents were evacuated from their homes," he said. According to him, the village "has been transformed into a real arsenal of explosives."

"Hezbollah's actions expose citizens to real danger because the group uses residential areas as cover for its activities and endangers them as human shields," he stated. According to him, "this danger was eliminated thanks to the intervention" of the Israeli army and this "allowed the village to be saved from an imminent catastrophe."

Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed at least 3,002 people and injured 13,492 others since Oct. 8, 2023, the Health Ministry said.

At least two Hezbollah members were killed in the Israeli strike on a neighborhood south of Damascus, where the party has a significant presence, AFP reported, citing the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

According to the SOHR, the strike targeted " a house in a farm in the Sayyeda Zeinab area used by members of Hezbollah and Iranian Revolutionary Guards." Two members from the party, which has been at open war with Israel since Sept. 23, were killed and five others wounded, according to the observatory, which is based in the United Kingdom and has a vast network of sources in Syria.

According to the SOHR, pro-Iranian groups are strongly established in the region of Sayyeda Zeinab, an important Shiite pilgrimage site.

"The engineering forces of Brigade 188 continue to uncover and destroy Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure," said the Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, Avichay Adraee, on his X account, attaching photos and videos to his text.

According to him, the Israeli army "continues its work in difficult areas and forests adjacent to the border area in south Lebanon, where Hezbollah has established a terrorist infrastructure including military buildings, combat equipment and areas dedicated to infiltration into Israel ."

He claimed that "the forces of Brigade 188 discovered a rocket warehouse also containing ammunition and weapons hidden in difficult areas and in an underground infrastructure."

"These operations are part of the ongoing efforts to dismantle Hezbollah's capabilities and prevent it from carrying out terrorist operations," he added.

(Photo provided by the press office of the Ministry of Health)

Caretaker Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad announced the opening of new departments at the Turkish hospital in Saida, as continued Israeli attacks have rendered eight hospitals in Lebanon inoperable.

At a press conference at the hospital, Abiad said the new departments will begin operating on Tuesday, focusing on two key programs: "treating burns caused by war-related injuries and providing follow-up care for the restoration and rehabilitation of patients after their initial treatment."

Clearing operations continue after an Israeli strike on Maaroub (Sour) in south Lebanon, L'Orient Today's correspondent reports. One body has been pulled out and one person is still trapped under the rubble.

The president of the Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun) municipality, Abdelmenhem Shouqair, launched an urgent appeal via L'Orient-Le Jour to ask for clarification of the fate of four elderly people who have been missing in his village for almost a month, while the Israeli army intensifies its military offensive in south Lebanon.

Speaking to L'Orient Today's correspondent, Shouqair said that on Sunday, "an Israeli force destroyed an entire neighborhood covering an area of ​​10,000 square meters around the government hospital in the village."

Read the full appeal here.

Three people were slightly injured in an Israeli airstrike on the village of Harouf (Nabatieh district) at around 3:30 p.m.

The Syrian Defense Ministry said that "an Israeli airstrike targeted civilian sites south of Damascus, causing material damage," reports Reuters. SANA agency had previously reported that an Israeli strike had targeted the Sayyidah Zaynab neighborhood, home to an important Shiite shrine.

The Israeli strike on Ebba (Nabatieh district) in southern Lebanon killed one person and wounded another, reported our correspondent in the region.

Israeli strikes targeted Kamal Adwan Hospital, the only remaining facility in northern Gaza, reported the enclave's health ministry cited by AFP. 

The army "continues to violently bombard and destroy the hospital, targeting all parts" of the facility located in Beit Lahia, the ministry said, stressing that there were "many wounded medical staff and patients." The Israeli army, contacted by AFP, said it was "verifying" this information.

⚡ An Israeli strike targeted the Sayiddah Zaynab neighborhood, home to an important Shiite shrine, south of Damascus where fighters from pro-Iranian groups including Hezbollah are based, the official Syrian news agency SANA reported, quoted by AFP.

"According to initial reports, an Israeli attack targeted the area around Sayyeda Zeinab," the agency said, without providing further details.

The latest developments in south Lebanon:

- The Israeli attack on Habboush (Nabatieh) killed two people and injured five others.

- Another attack targeted Meshref (Sour).

Iran International, a media outlet run by Iranian expatriates, reported that security for the commander of Israel's Nevatim airbase was recently tightened following an "Iranian plan" to assassinate him that was foiled after its members were arrested last month, Haaretz reported.

The media outlet also reported that in the past month, seven Israelis of Azeri origin who had worked for Iran for two years were arrested.

Defense officials – who Iran International said spoke anonymously – said that “this is not normal security, but security that is provided only to people under threat, such as the [Israeli military] chief of staff and the head of the air force,” Haarez reported. “The security of the commander and his family has been increased because his identity has been revealed.”

Hezbollah claimed a new series of operations against northern Israel:

At 7:30 a.m., Hezbollah says it struck Israeli soldiers in Yiftah, opposite Blida (Bint Jbeil), with "explosive drones." An hour later, a similar drone attack was carried out on soldiers in Menara, across from Houla (Marjayoun).

The group also claimed two drone attacks last night on Netu'a (opposite Rmeish), Zar'it (opposite Ramieh), and Even Menahem (also opposite Ramieh).

At 11 a.m. today, Hezbollah reported targeting the village of Yassud HaMaala, about 10 kilometers from the Blue Line and near the occupied Syrian Golan, with rockets.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli airstrikes hit Habboush, near the vehicle registration center in Nabatieh district, and Maaroub (Sour).

A drone strike and aerial bombardment targeted the Rammal supermarket in Marj Harouf in the same area, while artillery strikes hit Khiam (Marjayoun), Braasheet, and Haddatha (Bint Jbeil). According to our correspondent, an earlier strike on Ebba caused casualties.

Hezbollah also claimed responsibility for a drone attack on Israeli soldiers "east of Maroun al-Ras" in Bint Jbeil district.

Sources close to field developments confirmed to our correspondent that images circulating on social media showing an explosion across a long stretch of built-up land depict the Israeli army’s detonation of a 500-meter area south of Mais al-Jabal, Marjayoun district.

The Israeli army claimed responsibility for killing another Hezbollah commander in Sultanieh, southern Lebanon: Riad Rida Ghazzaoui, head of the anti-armor unit within Hezbollah's al-Radwan Force.

According to a post by Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee on X, Ghazzaoui "planned and conducted attacks, including anti-tank fire against Israel." He was killed in airstrikes, with the most recent strike on Sultanieh on Oct. 27, according to our correspondent.

The Israeli army also announced the elimination of another Hezbollah commander in Safad al-Battikh, responsible "for transferring arms to Hezbollah cells" in the region and overseeing "recruitment efforts." The army did not disclose the commander’s name. Several strikes targeted Safad al-Battikh yesterday.

Updates from southern Lebanon:

Airstrikes targeted Samaaieh, Wadi Jeelo, Yanouh, and Mahrouneh in the Sour district. The strike on Yanouh caused casualties, according to our correspondent.

A morning strike on Ghassanieh killed a member of the al-Rissala Scouts affiliated with the Amal Movement. The association announced the death of the rescuer, Mohammad Ali Kobeissi.

Gaza’s Health Ministry reported a new death toll of 43,374 killed since the war with Israel began over a year ago. At least 33 were killed in the past 24 hours, bringing the number of wounded to 102,261.

In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes targeted Yater (Bint Jbeil), for the second time since the start of the day, Qana and Reshknanay, and, also in the Sour district, the villages of Zebqine, Halloussieh, Batoulieh and Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ain.

While the Israeli army had reported several dozen rocket attacks from Lebanon since the morning, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for three strikes carried out between 9 and 11:45 a.m.

- At the Meron air surveillance base, which had already been targeted shortly after midnight, at 9 a.m.;

- on Krayot, north of Haifa, 30 kilometers from the border, at 10:55 a.m.;

- Nahariya, on Israel's northern coast, less than 10 kilometers from the border, at 11:45 a.m.

The Forum for Families, the main association representing relatives of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, has called for complete transparency regarding a document leak scandal involving the Israeli prime minister, which may have jeopardized a potential agreement for the hostages’ release.

The Forum comprises the majority of families of the 97 hostages still held captive in Gaza.

The Iranian Foreign Ministry condemned the United States’ "destabilizing presence" in the Middle East following Washington’s announcement of deploying B-52 strategic bombers to the region to defend Israel, the Islamic Republic's archenemy.

"We have always believed that the American presence in the region is destabilizing," said Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmail Baghaei during his weekly briefing.

Situation in southern Lebanon, according to local sources from our correspondent:

Israeli strikes targeted Zawtar Sharqieh, Ebba/Jibsheet (Nabatieh), Qana, Rashknanay, Siddiqine, Qlayleh (Sour), and a house in Ghassanieh (Saida).

Artillery shelling hit Kounin, Ainata, Tiri, and Hanin in the Bint Jbeil district.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) says its ban in Israel could lead to the “collapse” of the aid system in Gaza, reports AFP.

In southern Lebanon, several Israeli air strikes have been reported since the morning, according to our correspondent:

These included an area between Yarin and Jibbayn (Sour), a house on the outskirts of Burj Rahhal (northeast of Sour) and the outskirts of Zebqine (Sour).

Israeli artillery fire also targeted Bint Jbeil, Maroun al-Ras and Aitaroun (in the Bint Jbeil district).

At 9:30 a.m., Hezbollah announced that it had fired a “large volley of rockets” at the town of Safed, a dozen kilometers from the border. According to Haaretz, warning sirens sounded in the area at around 9:30 a.m., but no reports of casualties or damage have yet been received.

The Ministry of Health announced that four people were killed yesterday in one of the strikes on Mashghara, in the western Bekaa. Three others were injured.

Air France has suspended flights over the Red Sea region "until further notice" as a precaution after a crew reported a "luminous object" sighted above Sudan, the airline announced.

Air France is the only airline to have taken this precautionary measure, according to an aviation sector source cited by AFP, noting that the airspace above the region remains open.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for two attacks on Israeli villages in the border area "as part of its warning" issued on Oct. 26 to residents of 24 localities. Rockets targeted Ayelet Hashahar at 12:05 a.m. and the villages of Sha’al, Hazor and Dalton two minutes later, according to two statements.

Hezbollah also claimed a rocket attack on Israel’s Meron air surveillance base shortly after midnight.

Overnight, multiple Israeli airstrikes were reported in southern Lebanon, specifically on a house in Mahrouneh (Sour district), in an area between Roumin and Aazzeh (Nabatieh).

In Arab Salim (Nabatieh), a strike on a home killed at least three people: Abdullah Moukalled, Ahmad Hammoun, and Mustafa Kabalan.

In Teffahta (Saida), three men were also killed in a strike on a building: Ali el-Zein, Ali Zbib and Bader Abu Ria.

Artillery shelling targeted Khiam and Burj al-Moulouk (Marjayoun).

The Israeli military announced on X that it had killed a Hezbollah commander overseeing the Braasheet region in southern Lebanon, identified as Abu Ali Rasha. According to the Israeli army, Rasha was "responsible for rocket and anti-tank missile attacks against Israeli forces" in the area. The army did not specify where the commander was killed. Since late September, and except for high-ranking officials, Hezbollah has not commented on the deaths of its commanders.

This morning, Israel officially informed the U.N. of its cancellation of the agreement with the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), as voted by the Israeli parliament, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"Following instructions from Foreign Minister Israel Katz, the Foreign Ministry has notified the U.N. of the cancellation of the agreement between the State of Israel and UNRWA," the statement added.

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