Israel will reopen a new crossing into the besieged Gaza Strip, the U.S. State Department said, days before a U.S. ultimatum on increased humanitarian aid to the Palestinians expires next week.
"We have seen Israel take a number of important steps over the past few weeks ... and they plan to open an additional new crossing at Kissufim in the coming days,"
The airstrike that targeted Sohmor in western Bekaa left three dead and four injured, according to the state-run National News Agency.
Donald Trump's Lebanese-born adviser and son-in-law's father, Massaad Boulos, told LBC that he will soon be traveling to Beirut.
"God willing, my first trip will be to Beirut as soon as possible, in the next few days or two weeks," he said in an interview with LBC.
He also said that "Trump's policy in the Middle East is to achieve lasting peace and to achieve this, it must be fair and comprehensive, with the need for an economic plan to accompany any solution, because the economic recovery of the Palestinians is crucial for the sustainability of peace."
Boulos added that the president-elect "is against wars and the killing of civilians in general, but when it comes to the Middle East, his policy is to achieve lasting peace."
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the Israeli strike which targeted "a civilian car" at the entrance to Saida.
"This attack reflects Israel's persistence in targeting UNIFIL forces, Lebanese army soldiers and civilians, which constitutes war crimes and a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law," Lebanese diplomacy deplored.
The ministry also called on "the international community to condemn these attacks and hold Israel accountable," stressing "Lebanon's commitment to resolution 1701 and the need for its full implementation to ensure the protection of UNIFIL, the army and civilians and to achieve lasting security in the region."
Update on the situation in south Lebanon:
- One person was killed in the Israeli strike on Rihane (Jezzine).
- An Israeli strike targeted Tiri (Bint Jbeil).
- Israeli strikes hit Tebnine, Zebdine and Soultanieh.
Malaysia announced that six of its United Nations peacekeepers have been injured in an explosion in Lebanon.
The Malaysian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the explosion occurred Thursday near the Saida stadium, but did not give details on the cause of the blast.
The United Nations said five Malaysian peacekeepers were among those injured in an Israeli airstrike in south Lebanon on Thursday, in a raid that also killed three civilians.
The statement described the injuries as "minor," including that of a peacekeeper who suffered a broken left arm and was taken to hospital.
An Israeli airstrike targeted the west of Baalbeck, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken plans to continue working to end the wars in Gaza and Lebanon during his remaining term before the new U.S. administration takes office, the State Department said.
"We will continue to work for an end to the war in Gaza, an end to the war in Lebanon, increased humanitarian assistance (to Gaza), and it is our duty to continue those policies until noon on Jan. 20, when the president-elect takes office," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
The Israeli army carried out a strike on Marj Harouf (Nabatieh), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
Update on the situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border:
- Two people were killed and another injured in the Israeli strike on Ansar (Nabatieh), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
- Hezbollah targeted, at 6:20 p.m. the Yiftah barracks, opposite Houla (Marjayoun) with "a salvo of rockets." It also claimed to have ambushed an infantry force that was trying to advance toward Yaroun, "causing deaths and injuries."
- A house was hit in Rihane (Jezzine), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
- The strike on Ansar (Nabatieh) left several injured, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
- At 6:20 p.m., Hezbollah targeted the Baghdadi site (Mais al-Jabal) with a salvo of rockets.
An Israeli drone carried out a strike on a house on the outskirts of Ansar (Nabatieh), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
Initial reports indicate that five were injured, including one who is in critical condition, in the Israeli attack against Sohmor, Western Bekaa, L'Orient Today's correspondent.
Israeli attacks on Lebanon have left at least 53 dead and 161 injured in the past 24 hours, bringing the toll of Israeli aggression against the country to 3,103 dead and 13,856 injured since October 2023, according to the Ministry of Health.
(Photo provided by L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)
An Israeli strike targeted Deir Zahrani (Nabatieh), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
The roof of a residential building in Kiryat Motzkin was damaged by the latest rocket fire on the Haifa area, according to Israeli fire and rescue services cited by Haaretz.
The attack did not cause any casualties but caused a major gas leak, the Israeli media reported.
A UNESCO committee will meet on Nov. 18 to discuss "strengthened interim protection" for Lebanese historic sites threatened by the Israeli strike campaign against Hezbollah, the UN educational, scientific and cultural organization said.
"At the request of the Lebanese authorities, an extraordinary session of the Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict will be organized on Nov. 18" at UNESCO's Paris headquarters, the organization told AFP, adding that 34 cultural sites would be examined during this meeting. More than 100 Lebanese MPs called on Thursday to protect the country's historical sites, including the ancient cities of Baalbeck and Tyre.
Hezbollah targeted the Eliakim Israeli base, which hosts training camps belonging to the Israeli military's northern command, south of the city of Haifa, with a qualitative salvo of rockets at 3:20 p.m.
An airstrike targeted the town of Sohmor in Western Bekaa, hitting a house in the town square with two missiles — one of which exploded, while the other did not, our correspondent in the Bekaa reported.
Israel targeted the entrance of Nemairieh (Nabatieh district), local residents reported. (Photo sent by local residents to L'Orient Today)
Here’s an update on the Hezbollah attacks against Israeli positions:
*Hezbollah said it targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers at Dovev, in the Upper Galilee, at 3 p.m.
*The party also targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers at the Ramim barracks, facing Markaba (Marjayoun) at 3 p.m.
*Hezbollah said it targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers at Shomera, facing Odaisseh (Marjayoun) at 4:30 p.m.
Hezbollah targeted Yiftah, facing Houla (Marjayoun) with a salvo of rockets at 3 p.m.
Hezbollah also targeted a gathering of Israeli soldiers on the eastern side of Maroun al-Ras (Bint Jbeil) with a salvo of rockets at 3 p.m.
The Israeli army claimed that dozens of rockets were launched from Lebanon in the latest barrage on the Haifa region, according to Haaretz.
Several vehicles were hit and caught fire in Kiryat Yam.
At 4:25 p.m., Hezbollah targeted the Stella Maris naval base (a strategic surveillance and naval control base on the northern coast) northwest of Haifa with a "salvo of rockets."
The latest situation on the Lebanese-Israeli border:
A man, Khalil Ismail Zahri, was killed in an airstrike that targeted Kfar Roummane in the Nabatieh district, according to our correspondent.
Hezbollah reported targeting Israeli soldiers gathered near the Fatima Gate, a former border crossing near Kfar Kila, with a "salvo of rockets" at 3:15 p.m.
Five Israeli soldiers were killed and 16 others injured in fighting in southern Lebanon in recent weeks, the Israeli army said in a statement relayed by Haaretz.
Five Israeli soldiers have been killed and 16 others wounded in fighting in south Lebanon in recent weeks, the Israeli army said in a statement carried by Haaretz.
More than 100 Lebanese MPs have called on UNESCO to protect the country's historic sites, which are subject to a campaign of Israeli strikes that has particularly affected the ancient cities of Baalbeck and Sour.
"During the devastating war against Lebanon, Israel has committed serious human rights violations and atrocities," the MPs wrote in a letter to UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. "We draw your attention to an urgent need: the protection of Lebanon's history, in Baalbeck, Sour, Saida and other priceless sites currently under threat," they stressed.
Update on the situation in south Lebanon:
- An airstrike targeted the entrance to the village of Samaiyeh (Sour), according to residents.
- An airstrike hit the area around the villages of Habbouche and Kfarjoz at the northern entrance to Nabatieh, residents reported.
- Israeli aircraft carried out airstrikes on the villages of Kounine, Khirbet Selm, Tebnine and Shaqra (Bint Jbeil), according to residents.
In picture: Portrait of Hassan Nasrallah in front of buildings destroyed by Israeli strikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Nov. 7, 2024.
Photo Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today
The Israeli army called on residents of several areas in the northern Gaza Strip to evacuate "combat" zones after rocket fire towards Israel, AFP reports.
The call concerns four neighborhoods in the north of the Palestinian territory described as "dangerous combat zones," the army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, said on the social network X.
The leader of Yemen's Houthi rebels says Trump will "fail" again in his efforts to resolve the Palestinian issue, AFP reports.
This afternoon, a UNIFIL convoy carrying newly arrived peacekeepers in South Lebanon was passing through Saida when an Israeli drone struck nearby.
"Five peacekeepers were lightly injured and treated by the Lebanese Red Cross on the spot. They will continue to occupy their posts," UNIFIL said in a statement. The Lebanese army also confirmed that three of its soldiers stationed at a nearby checkpoint were injured.
“We remind all actors of their obligation to avoid actions that endanger peacekeepers or civilians. Disputes must be resolved at the negotiating table, not through violence,” UNIFIL added.
Two people were killed and two others injured in the Israeli strike that targeted Jibsheet (Nabatieh) earlier this morning, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
At least 12 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a school converted into a shelter housing displaced families near Gaza City in the north of the Palestinian territory, the Civil Defense announced.
The strike, which targeted an elementary school in the al-Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, also caused many injuries, the Civil Defense said in a statement.
The organization's spokesperson, Mahmoud Bassal, had previously said that Israeli strikes had left at least 27 dead across the territory since dawn.
An Israeli strike targeted Sour, according to residents.
The situation in southern Lebanon
- Air strikes targeted Khirbet Silm, in Bint Jbeil, and Kfar Roummane, in the Nabatieh district, according to residents quoted by our correspondent.
- The strike reported earlier in Tibnin targeted the “Berri” neighborhood, and completely destroyed the homes of the sister and cousins of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. Berri is also leader of the Amal movement, a Hezbollah ally.
- The remains of two people, who were not immediately identified, were found east of Burj al-Moulouk (Nabatieh) and taken away by the Lebanese Red Cross.
The drone strike on an army roadblock in Saida killed three people and injured three, according to a report by the Lebanese Health Ministry.
According to a relative contacted by our correspondent, the three civilians — two sisters, Malak and Alaa Choumar, and their brother Hussein — were on their way home from university in Beirut, where they had taken an exam.
While some 40 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israeli positions, according to Haaretz, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for its first five attacks of the day at 1 p.m.
It claimed to have struck Israeli soldiers at positions in Harmon, Limane on the coast opposite Ras Naqoura (Sour), Hanita (opposite Labbouneh, also in Sour, and Sa'ar, north of Nahariya, on the Israeli coast.
The party also claimed responsibility for a strike on Krayot, north of Haifa.
The strike on Marwanieh, in the district of Saida. (Credit: Our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah from local residents)
The situation in southern Lebanon
- An air strike targeted the area around the Tibnin government hospital in Bint Jbeil, according to local residents quoted by our correspondent.
- The Boustan area in Marwanieh (Saida) was bombed.
🔴 An Israeli air strike targeted a car near a Lebanese Army checkpoint at the northern entrance to Saida, our correspondent reports. The army deployed troops to the spot and barred access. One person was killed and removed from the car.
According to our information, four peacekeepers from the Malaysian contingent of United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) were injured in the Israeli strike on Saida, as they passed near the scene of the attack.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said in Jerusalem that he sees a “prospect” for ending the wars in Gaza and Lebanon following Donald Trump's victory in the U.S. presidential election, reports AFP.
“I believe that a perspective has opened up to put an end to the tragedy into which Israelis, Palestinians and the entire region have been plunged since Oct. 7,” he said after his meeting with outgoing Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, citing ‘"the very significant tactical successes achieved by Israel’ including the assassination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, and the election of a "new American president" who has the "will to put an end to the endless wars in the Middle East."
The Palestinian Islamic Jihad has announced the death of one of its fighters, Ala' Khalil Abdallah, aged 33, who died “on the borders of occupied Palestine while taking part in countering the aggression on Lebanon,” the party said in a statement. The text does not mention the place or date of his death. Our correspondent reports that he was killed in southern Lebanon, without further details.
This is not the first time that a fighter from this movement, allied with Hezbollah, has been killed in clashes with Israel.
(Credit: Photo sent by local residents to our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah)
Latest developments in southern Lebanon
The Israeli air force has struck a target in Deir Kifa (Sour), reports our correspondent.
The remains of victims killed the day before yesterday in the Israeli strike on Barja, in the Chouf, have arrived in their home town of Ain Baal (Sour) for burial.
The head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noël Barrot, met in Jerusalem with Israel Katz, the outgoing Foreign Affairs Minister, who will succeed Yoav Gallant as Defense Minister.
Barrot said on his X account that he was coming to Israel “to pursue a demanding dialogue on Lebanon and Gaza,” where the army is fighting Hezbollah and Hamas. He had already visited Israel less than a month ago, to mark the first anniversary of the Hamas attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
The situation in southern Lebanon
- The Israeli air force recently carried out a strike on Jibsheet (Nabatieh), reports our correspondent.
- An Israeli air raid targeted Tibnin in Bint Jbeil.
After the overnight strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, the Israeli army claimed this morning, via a posting on X by its Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee, to have “attacked military HQs and infrastructure” of Hezbollah.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said one person was killed in an Israeli strike on the occupied West Bank town of Tulkarem, shortly after the Israeli army said it had hit the town, AFP reports.
“A martyr shot by [Israeli] forces arrived at the Tulkarem government hospital from the Tulkarem camp” in the northern West Bank, the Ministry said in a statement.
A few hours earlier, the Israeli army had announced in a statement that “an air force plane had targeted a group of armed terrorists in Tulkarem.”
Shortly before noon, the Israeli air force carried out three consecutive raids on the localities of Deir Aames, Maaroub and on the outskirts of Mahroune (Sour), reports our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
The situation in southern Lebanon at around 10:30 this morning, according to our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah:
- An Israeli strike targeted a house between the locality of Rmeish and the woods of Yaroun in Bint Jbeil.
- Israeli aircraft raided the locality of Jbah in Iqlim al-Tuffah (Nabatieh), wounding two people.
- Shortly before 11 a.m., Israeli aircraft bombed the town of Bint Jbeil (Bint Jbeil district).
No information is yet available on the fate of the person in the car targeted by the Israeli drone on the Jamhour highway.
🔴 A drone strike targeted a car on the highway linking Beirut to the Bekaa, at Jamhour-Louaizeh, according to local media.
The Traffic Management Center (TMC) subsequently announced that the road was blocked on this major route, between Araya and Jamhour, due to a "security incident."
According to our correspondent, a convoy of rescuers from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the U.N. Interim Force in South Lebanon (UNIFIL) is due to travel to Wata al-Khiam, the scene of heavy fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli army last week, to extract the bodies of four people from the rubble of buildings.
At least 21 people who had remained in Khiam were killed in last week's fighting. Their remains remained under the rubble until clearing operations began on Sunday, following the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
At dawn, an air strike targeted Yohmor al-Shakif (Nabatieh), while artillery fire hit olive groves near this village.
Gunfire was also heard on the outskirts of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil) where, according to security sources, clashes are taking place between Hezbollah and Israeli soldiers attempting to infiltrate the village. Clashes were also heard in Yaroun (Bint Jbeil).
In southern Lebanon, the night was marked by several Israeli bombardments, notably on Kafra, Safad al-Batikh, Aita al-Jabal, Braasheet, Tibnin, Deir Antar, in the district Bint Jbeil, as well as between Roumin and Aazze, in Iqlim al-Tuffah, Bazourieh, in the district of Sour, and Ansar, in Saida.
Artillery fire also targeted Khiam, according to our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah.
In the Bekaa, our correspondent Sarah Abdallah reports that Harfoush, in the north, was shelled overnight, killing one woman.
The Israeli Prime Minister and U.S. President-elect Donald Trump discussed the “Iranian threat” on the phone yesterday, in the wake of the Republican candidate's victory, which Benjamin Netanyahu referred to as a “powerful recommitment to the great alliance” between the two countries.
The conversation between Trump and Netanyahu was “friendly and cordial,” with the two leaders “agreeing to cooperate for Israel's security” and “discussing the threat from Iran,” which also supports Hamas, according to Netanyahu's office.
Netanyahu had earlier hailed “the historic return to the White House” of Donald Trump, who had multiplied his gestures in favor of Israel, and was the favorite among Israelis, according to the polls.
These strikes were carried out by the Israeli air force after a series of attacks by Hezbollah against northern Israel, including a close one carried out with a missile unveiled yesterday by the party, Fateh 110, which hit the area around Tel Aviv's Ben Gourion airport.
These strikes took place on the same day as a speech by Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem, who declared his determination to continue the fight against Israel and to strike at it on its own soil.
At least four strikes, including a very powerful one near Rafic Hariri International Airport, were reported yesterday evening.
At around 11:40 p.m., the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesman, Avichai Adraee, announced this new sequence of strikes, calling on residents of Ouzai, Haret Hreik, Hadath and Tahouitet al-Ghadir neighborhoods to evacuate. The strike in the latter neighborhood caused a fire at a gas station, according to local media. In the time between the publication of the warnings and the first strike, many Ouzai residents were filmed by the media fleeing their homes.
Lebanon's outgoing Public Works Minister, Ali Hamiyeh, claimed this morning that Beirut airport was operating normally, after Israeli strikes hit the outskirts of the Rafic Hariri International Airport overnight.
“Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport is operating normally,” the minister wrote on platform X.
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