This concludes our live coverage of the developments in the region for today.
Thank you for joining us. We will resume reporting in the morning.
Gaza
Israel has announced that it is investigating "the circumstances" of the death of a Bulgarian U.N. employee killed mid-day in the Gaza Strip by an explosion that Hamas claimed was due to an Israeli strike. The Israeli army denied that claim.
"We express our sadness at the death of a Bulgarian citizen, a U.N. employee, in the Gaza Strip. The circumstances of the incident are under investigation," wrote Oren Marmorstein, spokesman for the Israeli Foreign Ministry, in a message on X. "We stress that the preliminary examination has revealed no link with any activity" by the Israeli army in the area, he added.
In November 2024, the U.N. reported that 101 staff members had been killed in the war in Gaza. Speaking in Geneva, Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the U.N. Office in the Swiss city said the 101 deaths represented the highest number of aid workers killed in U.N. history in such a short time.
Gaza
Hamas reacted to the resumption of fighting in the Gaza Strip by declaring that "the ground invasion of the Netzarim corridor constitutes a dangerous violation of the cease-fire agreement," the statement said.
The Palestinian movement called on the agreement's mediators to "intervene to renew the cease-fire and impose on Israel full responsibility for all the consequences of a return to war," it stressed.
Hamas also denounced threats made by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz "about expelling the Palestinian people from their land." "These statements reveal the depth of the crisis within Netanyahu's government, but they will not weaken the Palestinians' commitment to their land and national rights," the statement quoted.
Occupied West Bank
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has raised the possibility of "more intense" military operations in the occupied West Bank as Israel resumes its war in Gaza.
"As we wage a fierce war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, we are aware of the possibility of a broader and stronger front emerging here [in the occupied West Bank]," Netanyahu said during a visit to the Israeli Border Police's infiltration unit in the occupied territory.
Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced its decision to demolish several dozen houses in the Jenin refugee camp, on the pretext that they were intended for "military purposes", as the Israeli military operation continues in the area. In addition, 80 families living in al-Ain refugee camp, near Nablus, were notified of the intention to demolish their homes in the refugee camp, according to Haaretz, which notes that this is the largest demolition order since the start of the Israeli assault on the occupied West Bank in mid-January.
Gaza
At least 14 people were killed following a new Israeli strike in Beit Lahia, in the north of the Gaza Strip, and around 30 others were injured, according to Gaza's Civil Defense, cited by al-Jazeera. The strike targeted a funeral tent that had been set up in the al-Saltin neighborhood, according to the Qatari media's local correspondents.
Gaza
The U.S. State Department said on Wednesday there was still a "bridge proposal that would extend the cease-fire" in Gaza but the opportunity for it was "closing fast."
A State Department spokesperson said the proposal would also "see the release of five live hostages, including American Edan Alexander. It would also see the release of a substantial number of Palestinians held in Israeli jails."
"The opportunity is still there, but it's closing fast."
Lebanon
The ministerial committee tasked with examining measures to control and monitor borders met under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, reported the Grand Serail's X account.
The committee commended "the role played by the Lebanese Army in protecting the security of citizens" and emphasized the need to "strengthen the army's capabilities in terms of equipment and personnel," while calling for "an intensified fight against trafficking."
It was also decided that Minister Michel Menassa would "pursue contacts with his Syrian counterpart to resolve the causes of the recent clashes and prevent their recurrence, by strengthening coordination and exchanges with the Syrian authorities."
Lebanon
The Civil Defense announced in a statement that "fire extinguishing operations in Hosh al-Sayyed Ali [Baalbeck-Hermel] are continuing despite the challenges encountered on the ground," including "intensifying winds."
"Civil Defense teams are continuing their efforts to bring under control the fires that have so far ravaged around 30 houses and stores in the village of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali," the statement said. "The teams are fully mobilized, with the participation of 20 centers in the Hermel and Baalbeck regions."
The Syrian forces had set houses on fire before withdrawing from Hosh al-Sayyed Ali.
Gaza
Hamas has accused Israel of attempting to "terrorize" Gaza's civilian population and aid workers following the death of a U.N. employee in an explosion, which the Palestinian Islamist movement blamed on an Israeli strike, which the Israeli army denied.
"This crime not only constitutes a flagrant violation of international humanitarian law, but is also part of the systematic policy of the occupation [Israel] to target civilians, humanitarian workers and relief workers, with the aim of terrorizing them and discouraging them from fulfilling their humanitarian duty to our people," Hamas said in a statement.
In November 2024, the U.N. reported that 101 staff members had been killed in the war in Gaza. Speaking in Geneva, Tatiana Valovaya, Director-General of the U.N. Office in the Swiss city said the 101 deaths represented the highest number of aid workers killed in U.N. history in such a short time.
Gaza
Gaza Civil Defense reported that Israeli strikes killed at least 436 people in the Palestinian territory since Israel resumed its attacks on a massive scale on Monday night.
"Civil Defense has transported at least 436 dead since the [Israeli] occupation resumed its aggression and war," Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for this first aid organization, told AFP. Zaher al-Wahidi, head of the information department at the Gaza Health Ministry, confirmed this figure to AFP.
Gaza
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, "deeply saddened and shocked" by the death of a U.N. employee following Israeli strikes on U.N. buildings in Gaza, has called for a "full investigation," a spokesperson said.
"The location of all U.N. premises is known to all parties to the conflict, who are obligated under international law to protect them and ensure their inviolability," said Farhan Haq.
He added that five U.N. staff members were injured after a strike hit two U.N. guest houses in Deir al-Balah.
"He underscores that all conflicts must be conducted in a way that ensures civilians are respected and protected," Haq added.
Earlier today, the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry released a statement announcing that a citizen, who's a U.N. employee, has been killed in Gaza.
Yemen
The Houthis — who claimed responsibility for a fourth attack in a few days on a U.S. aircraft carrier in response to strikes targeting them — "will be completely annihilated," President Donald Trump threatened, also calling on Iran to "immediately" stop sending them supplies.
"Tremendous damage has been inflicted upon the Houthi barbarians, and watch how it will get progressively worse — It’s not even a fair fight, and never will be. They will be completely annihilated!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
Yemen
Al-Massirah, a Houthi-aligned media, reported U.S. strikes areas of Yemen under Houthi control.
"American aggression targeted the capital Sanaa ... the outskirts of the northern city of Saada" and the al-Sawadiya district in the central province of al-Bayda, the channel said.
Gaza:
A Bulgarian U.N. employee was killed in Gaza, Reuters reported citing the Bulgarian Foreign Ministry.
The ministry said further information will be made public after Bulgaria had been informed about the outcome of an investigation being carried out by the competent authorities into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Lebanon
"The U.N. calls for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanese territories," the UN spokesman said, according to remarks reported by Reuters.
The cease-fire between Lebanon and Israel, which concluded on Nov. 27, stipulated the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Lebanese territory by Jan. 26. The deadline was then extended to Feb. 18. However, the Israeli army still occupies several locations, it deems "strategic."
Gaza
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz issued a "final warning" to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, demanding the release of Israeli hostages and the removal of Hamas, according to a statement from his office.
"If all Israeli hostages are not released and Hamas is not completely removed from Gaza, Israel will take measures on a scale never seen before," Katz said in a video released by his office. "We advise you to follow the U.S. president's advice: release the hostages and get rid of Hamas."
Gaza
The Israeli army announced it had launched "targeted ground operations" in the central and southern Gaza Strip, a day after violent airstrikes on Palestinian territory.
The military said it "took control and extended it to the center" of the Netzarim corridor, with the goal of "expanding the security zone and creating a partial separation between the north and south" of Gaza, according to a statement.
Gaza
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned that doctors are struggling to manage the sharp rise in casualties over the past 36 hours due to Israel's resumption of operations in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported.
"Due to the recent suspension of humanitarian aid in Gaza, medical supplies have dwindled significantly, and hospital staff are struggling to cope with the sudden surge in casualties," the ICRC said in a statement.
Lebanon
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Defense Minister Michel Menassa met with Army Commander-in-Chief General Rodolphe Haykal to discuss developments northeast of the border with Syria.
The army chief briefed them on "measures taken by the army to restore calm and stability in the region" and emphasized "the need to stabilize the cease-fire, end attacks, and secure the borders in adjacent villages," the state-run National News Agency reports.
Lebanese residents of Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, a border town in northern Bekaa, returned to their village after the Lebanese army inspected their homes, L'Orient Today's correspondent reported. Earlier in the day, the army deployed to the area following meetings between the Lebanese and Syrian armies that began the day before to determine the border's course based on maps.
A U.N. agency confirmed the death of one of its employees in Gaza, who it said was killed by an "explosive device" that was "dropped or fired" at one of its buildings, AFP reports.
"An explosive device was dropped or fired at [the building] and detonated inside," the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS) wrote in a statement on the death of "a colleague killed at a UNOPS facility in Gaza."
"We do not know at this stage" whether it was "an air-dropped weapon, an artillery strike, or a rocket," the statement added.
Lebanon
As residents were entering their homes in Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, gunfire from Syrian territory was heard, causing the population to flee, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
South Lebanon
One person was injured in Tel Nahas (Marjeyoun), shot by the Israeli army, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry. The victim is now hospitalized.
Gaza
Two U.N. employees have been killed in an airstrike in Gaza, confirmed a U.N. source cited by AFP.
Gaza's Health Ministry had reported that one foreign U.N. worker was killed, and five others seriously injured in the central part of the territory, while the Israeli military denied having struck a U.N. complex in Deir el-Balah.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he was "deeply concerned" by the resumption of Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, calling the death toll "truly shocking."
"I am deeply concerned by the resumption of Israeli military action in Gaza," the Prime Minister told MPs. "The images of parents carrying their children to hospital ... are truly shocking, as is the number of people who have been killed."
According to the Gazan health ministry, the strikes killed 970 people in 48 hours.
Gaza
At least one foreign U.N. staff member has been killed and five others seriously injured in an Israeli attack on the U.N. headquarters in central Gaza, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. The casualties were taken to Deir el-Balah's al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where one of the victims later died from their injuries.
Gaza
A new report from the Gaza Ministry of Health states that 970 people have been killed in the Israeli airstrikes over the past 48 hours.
The resumption of Israeli attacks on Gaza constitutes "an extremely dangerous step" that adds "further desolation to an already disastrous humanitarian situation," King Abdullah II of Jordan said upon his arrival at the Elysée Palace for a meeting with Emmanuel Macron.
The king called on the international community to act "immediately" for "a return to the cease-fire" and a resumption of international aid, denouncing "the blockage" by Israel of the supply of water and electricity which "endangers the lives of an extremely vulnerable population."
The Israeli military denied a Hamas health ministry report that a U.N. foreign worker was killed and five others wounded in an airstrike in the Gaza Strip.
"Contrary to these reports, the Israeli army did not strike a U.N. compound in Deir al-Balah," the army said in a statement. A military spokesperson told AFP that there had been "no operational activity" by the army in the area.
A new report from the Health Ministry in Gaza said that 970 people were killed in Israeli strikes over the past 48 hours.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun is following developments on the Lebanese-Syrian border in the northeast of the country, following clashes between Lebanese clans and Syrian security forces regarding developments on the Lebanese-Syrian border in the northeast of the country following clashes between the Lebanese clans and Syrian security forces, according to the presidency's X account.
Aoun contacted the commander of the army, Rodolphe Haykal, who kept him informed of the measures taken "to restore calm and stability in the area." The president insisted on the importance of the cease-fire, agreed Monday evening with Damascus, holding.
A peacekeeper with the U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was injured during an "operational activity" in southern Lebanon, Andrea Tenenti, spokesperson for the U.N. force, told L'Orient Today. Tenenti added that the peacekeeping force was currently investigating the incident.
Local sources had previously informed L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south that a landmine explosion in a valley between Yater (Bint Jbeil) and Zebqine (Sour) had seriously injured a Finnish peacekeeper.
The resumption of Israeli strikes in Gaza is “a dramatic step backward,” said French President Emmanuel Macron, according to AFP. He warned that “there will be no Israeli military solution in Gaza.”
Gaza authorities, quoted by AFP, reported that six foreign members of the U.N. were "seriously injured" by an Israeli strike.
The Lebanese army deployed to Hosh al-Sayyed Ali, within the Lebanese administrative borders of the town, following meetings held since yesterday between the Lebanese and Syrian armies to determine the border line in the village, based on maps. Residents will be able to return to their homes in the Lebanese part of the village after the army has finalized its deployment, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent's sources.
Gaza
Israel's Foreign Ministry has accused U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres of "moral bankruptcy" after he expressed outrage over renewed Israeli airstrikes in Gaza. Ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein criticized Guterres for not mentioning U.S. proposals to extend the cease-fire's first phase, which Hamas did not accept, insisting on implementing the entire deal.
Israel
Thousands of protesters gathered in Jerusalem, chanting against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, accusing him of anti-democratic actions and continuing the war against Hamas without regard for the 58 hostages still held in Gaza.
This rally, the largest in the capital in months, was organized by opposition groups to Netanyahu's policies, protesting his announced decision to dismiss the head of the Shin Bet security services, Ronen Bar.
Gaza
The European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, deemed the massive bombings carried out by Israel on the Gaza Strip "unacceptable," breaking the cease-fire agreed upon in January, in a conversation with Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
"I conveyed the message that this was unacceptable," Kallas reported in an interview with several journalists in Brussels, as quoted by AFP. During her exchange with Saar on Tuesday, she expressed concern over the numerous civilian casualties in Gaza and said she was "very worried" about Israel's "politicization" of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
Lebanese - Syrian Border
Units of the Lebanese Army and military engineers have deployed in Hoch el-Sayyed Ali, in the northern Bekaa, on the border with Syria, following the Syrian army's withdrawal from the area, reports our correspondent. Local sources had indicated yesterday that the Syrian army had "occupied" the Lebanese part of this border village, after clashes in recent days between members of Lebanese Shiite 'groups' living in the area and forces of the new Syrian regime.
60 vehicles entered the Lebanese part of the village and strengthened their presence at military checkpoints.
Lebanese - Syrian Border
Units of the Lebanese Army and military engineers are preparing to enter Hoch el-Sayyed Ali, in the northern Bekaa, on the border with Syria, following the Syrian army's withdrawal from the area. Local sources had reported yesterday that the Syrian army "occupied" the Lebanese part of this village.
According to sources contacted by our correspondent in the area, Syrian soldiers are setting houses on fire during their withdrawal.
Gaza
The resumption of Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip since Tuesday "shatters hopes" for peace in the region, condemned the German Foreign Minister as she departed for a diplomatic tour in the Middle East.
"The end of the cease-fire in Gaza, caused by violent Israeli strikes, shatters a concrete hope for so many Israelis and Palestinians: the hope that the suffering on all sides might finally come to an end," said Annalena Baerbock in a statement.
Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned last night that these airstrikes were "just the beginning," stating that military pressure was essential to ensure the release of hostages still held by Hamas or allied armed groups.
Gaza
Hamas called last night for 'pressure' to be applied on the United States, Israel's primary ally, to stop its airstrikes on the Gaza Strip.
"We call on the friendly countries supporting the just Palestinian cause to pressure the U.S. government to end this aggression and genocidal war against defenseless civilians," wrote Hamas in a statement. More than 20 hours after the first deadly Israeli airstrikes, Hamas refrained from any military retaliation.
Yemen
Houthi rebels in Yemen claimed to have carried out a fourth attack in 72 hours on the U.S. aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman in the Red Sea, in response to American airstrikes on their soil.
The Houthis "detected hostile military movements in the Red Sea in preparation for a large-scale aerial attack against our country," their spokesperson wrote on Telegram. In response, he added, the rebels fired cruise missiles and drones at the aircraft carrier and other ships, "which helped thwart and foil this attack." The U.S. military did not immediately respond to this claim.
Yemen
Houthi media and witnesses reported late yesterday new American airstrikes in Yemen, in the governorate of Saada (north), a stronghold for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
"A strike from the American aggression" targeted "the governorate of Saada," said the Houthi news agency Saba and the pro-rebel Al-Massira TV, while witnesses told AFP of "three strikes" in Saada.
Lebanese Syrian Border
Clashes erupted again overnight in the northern Bekaa Valley, along the border between Lebanon and Syria, on the Hosh al-Sayyed Ali axis, between members of Lebanese Shiite clans in the area and the forces of the new Syrian regime, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa. A shell fell near a Lebanese Army checkpoint at the entrance to the village, according to local sources. Since then, the situation appears to have calmed down.
Gaza
The Israeli army has issued a new call for the population of Gaza to evacuate "dangerous combat zones" in the north and south of the Palestinian territory, following intense airstrikes.
This evacuation order applies to the areas of Beit Hanoun (north), Khirbet Khuza’a, Abasan al-Kabira, and Abasan al-Jadida (south), where the army "has begun its operations against terrorist groups," said Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, on X, urging residents to "move to shelters in the west of Gaza City and in the city of Khan Younis."
Gaza
The Civil Defense of the Gaza Strip announced this morning that new Israeli airstrikes on the territory have killed 13 people since midnight.
"Israel carried out several airstrikes [...] which killed 13 people and left dozens injured, including women and children, in Khan Younis and Gaza City," said Mahmoud Bassal, spokesperson for this emergency service, to AFP.
Good morning! Thank you for joining us this Wednesday, for our live coverage of today's events. Be sure to read our Morning Brief, so you're all up to date on yesterday's events and know what to look out for today.
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