We are now closing our live coverage of regional events for the night. We will be back tomorrow with more news updates.
Saudi Arabia condemns Israeli plan to 'conquer' Gaza
Saudi Arabia has “categorically rejected” Israel's plan to “conquer” Gaza, the Gulf monarchy announced via its Foreign Ministry, calling for an end to Israel's violations of international law.
“Saudi Arabia categorically rejects the announcements made by the Israeli occupation authorities regarding the incursion into and takeover of the Gaza Strip,” the same source said, denouncing Israel's "ongoing violations of international law."
President Macron discusses Lebanon during his press conference with the Syrian President
“Following our exchange with [Lebanese President Joseph] Aoun, we discussed support for securing the border between Syria and Lebanon, and the mechanisms for security coordination between Beirut and Damascus,” said Macron. This coordination is essential to prevent Syria once again becoming a cordon between Iran and Hezbollah, and for the preservation of the cease-fire in Lebanon.”
Macron also indicated that his country is “ready to facilitate the launch of negotiations between Lebanon and Syria on the delineation of their common border, by making available its knowledge, its archives, its experience in the matter.”
“And I want to say here that an important part of our cooperation is to increase, intensify and systematize the fight against Hezbollah, to fight against the influence of Iran and all its proxies in the region and to help ensure the stability of Syria and Lebanon,” he concluded.
French President Emmanuel Macron has called on Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa to do his utmost to protect “all Syrians without exception.”
At a joint press conference at the Elysée Palace, following a meeting between the two presidents, Macron also called for a “gradual lifting of European sanctions,” if Sharaa stabilized his country and for “systematic” European sanctions against the perpetrators of massacres. Macron also warned of the threat posed by al-Qaeda. He also offered France's help in delineating the Lebanese-Syrian land border.
33 dead, over 80 injured in Israeli strike on Gaza
Palestinian Civil Defense has raised the death toll from an Israeli strike in Gaza City, now reporting at least 33 dead and more than 80 wounded, the majority of them children.
“At least 33 [dead] and more than 80 wounded, about half of them children as well as several women” were transported to Gaza City's al-Shifa and al-Ahli hospitals "following the Israeli air strike," Civil Defense spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told AFP. When contacted by AFP, the Israeli army did not comment.
Yemen
The U.N. has welcomed the cease-fire agreement negotiated by Oman, between Yemeni Houthi rebels and the United States, after weeks of U.S. air strikes in Yemen, a spokesperson for the secretary-general said.
“We welcome the announcement made by the Sultanate of Oman concerning the agreement between the United States and the Houthis in Yemen,” Stéphanie Tremblay told the press, once again calling for "restraint and de-escalation in and around Yemen," and for a halt to Houthi attacks on ships in the Red Sea.
'More destruction, more hatred, more dehumanization'
Israel's plan to “conquer” the Gaza Strip, whose total destruction one of Benjamin Netanyahu's ministers has predicted, is only intensifying the spiral of violence and hostility, denounced the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights in an interview with AFP.
“What we see is only more destruction, more hatred, more dehumanization,” said Volker Türk.
In Copenhagen for the United Nations Governing Council, which is meeting this year in the Danish capital, he also deplored “a very dangerous moment for civilians.”
For the High Commissioner, the blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip “must be lifted immediately.”
“Humanitarian assistance must arrive. It's an obligation, it's an obligation under international law,” said Türk. “I can only call on Israel to provide humanitarian assistance proportionate to the needs of a population in extreme suffering.”
“We must finally reach an area of reason and peace,” insisted Türk.
“The war must stop, there must be a cease-fire, there must be a political solution, all hostages must be released immediately and unconditionally,” he said.
Gaza
The head of European diplomacy, Kaja Kallas, has offered to help Israel deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza, where it has been blocked for over two months.
“I have also offered the European Union's help in distributing humanitarian aid if other actors on the ground are not trustworthy,” said Kallas on her arrival in Warsaw for an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers.
Since March 2, no humanitarian aid has been allowed into the territory where 2.4 million people live. Israel, which accuses Hamas of diverting it, has suggested distributing it in centers controlled by the army.
Several European ministers voiced their concern about the humanitarian situation in Gaza on Wednesday, calling on the EU to react.
France-Syria
Emmanuel Macron welcomed Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa to the Elysée Palace for his first controversial visit to the West since he came to power at the head of an Islamist coalition when Bashar al-Assad fell in December.
The French head of state greeted Syria's transitional leader with a handshake in the courtyard of honor of the presidential palace, in the presence of the Republican Guard, AFP journalists observed. The two men were due to hold a press conference at the end of their meeting.
Yemen
Saudi Arabia has welcomed the cease-fire agreement negotiated by Oman between Yemeni Houthi rebels and the U.S., after weeks of U.S. air strikes in Yemen, reports AFP.
In a statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry “welcomed the announcement by the Sultanate of Oman regarding the conclusion of a cease-fire in Yemen, with the aim of protecting international navigation and trade.”
Washington considers interim administration in Gaza after war
The U.S. and Israel have discussed the possibility of Washington leading a temporary administration of Gaza after the war, according to five sources close to the matter quoted by Reuters.
These “high-level” consultations focused on the establishment of a transitional government headed by a U.S. official, who would oversee Gaza until the territory is demilitarized and stabilized, and a viable Palestinian administration can emerge, the sources said.
According to these still preliminary discussions, there would be no fixed timetable for the duration of such a U.S.-led transitional regime; it would depend on developments on the ground, the five sources said.
The sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to comment publicly on the talks, compared the proposal to the Coalition Provisional Authority established by Washington in Iraq in 2003, after the U.S. invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein.
This authority had been perceived by many Iraqis as an occupying force and had transferred power to an interim Iraqi government in 2004, after failing to contain the nascent insurgency.
Other countries would be invited to participate in this U.S.-led administration in Gaza, the sources added, without specifying the list. The administration would rely on Palestinian technocrats, but would exclude the Islamist movement Hamas as well as the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited power in the occupied West Bank.
Iranian nuclear talks on 'right track,' says US vice-president
U.S. Vice President JD Vance said negotiations between the Americans and Iranians on nuclear issues were on the “right track,” and stressed that Tehran could have civilian nuclear power but not atomic weapons, reports AFP.
“We're on the right track,” Vance said of negotiations with Iran during a roundtable discussion with leaders at the Munich Security Conference in Washington. “We don't care if people want nuclear power. We agree with that, but you can't have the kind of enrichment program that gets you a nuclear weapon, and that's where we draw the line,” he said.
Witkoff to brief UN Security Council on Gaza aid plan, reports Axios
White House envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to brief the U.N. Security Council in a closed session on Wednesday on U.S. policy regarding the war in Gaza and nuclear negotiations with Iran, according to three directly informed sources who spoke to Axios.
According to one of the sources, Witkoff is expected to focus primarily on Gaza and a new aid mechanism proposed by Israel and the U.S., which they say would allow aid to resume without being controlled by Hamas.
The U.N. and all aid organizations operating in Gaza have rejected the plan, arguing that it “contravenes fundamental humanitarian principles.” The Trump administration is nevertheless pressuring countries to donate money to the mechanism and the U.N. to cooperate with it.
States must act "now" to avoid the "annihilation" of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, more than 30 independent United Nations experts warned on Wednesday.
"States must act swiftly to end the ongoing genocide, dismantle apartheid, and ensure a future in which Palestinians and Israelis coexist in freedom and dignity," the experts said in a statement, calling on countries not to remain "passive."
Iran, the primary backer of the Houthi rebels in Yemen, welcomed the "halt of American aggression" after the announcement of a cease-fire agreement between the group and the United States, obtained through mediation by the Sultanate of Oman, reports AFP.
Tehran "welcomes ... the development of the situation in the Republic of Yemen and the cessation of American aggression against the country," Iran's Foreign Ministry said in a statement, stressing "the legendary resistance of the Yemeni people in the face of foreign aggression."
An Israeli drone targeted the village of Majdel Zoun (Sour), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent, who reported minor injuries, according to preliminary reports. The strike targeted a house that was destroyed during the war.
Six European countries, including Spain, Ireland and Norway, condemned Israel's new plan to conquer Gaza, saying they "firmly reject any demographic or territorial change" in the Palestinian territory, which they say constitutes "a violation of international law," AFP reports.
"A further military escalation in Gaza will only worsen an already catastrophic situation for the Palestinian civilian population and endanger the lives of the hostages who remain captive," stated the foreign ministers of Slovenia, Iceland, and Luxembourg in a joint statement also signed by them.
Emmanuel Macron said the situation in Gaza was currently "the most critical we have ever experienced," and that Israel's planned forced displacement of Palestinian populations was "an unacceptable response," AFP reported.
"Never, never for so long have populations been far from medical care, unable to get the wounded out, far from food, medicine and water," said the French president, once again calling on Israel to reopen the passage of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
The U.N. human rights chief said Israel's new plan to conquer Gaza "heightens concerns" about the ability of Palestinians to continue living in the Palestinian territory "as a group."
Volker Türk particularly highlights the forced transfer of the population to the south of the Palestinian territory or the threats to expel Palestinians from Gaza expressed by Israeli officials.
Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa arrived in Paris to meet with Emmanuel Macron, AFP reported.
Read Amélie Zaccour's analysis of Macron's invitation to al-Sharaa here.
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa urged the world to put an end to the "deliberate humanitarian crime" of what he calls the "famine" underway in Gaza, where the population is starving after more than two months of total blockade by Israel.
"This famine is not a natural disaster, it is a deliberate humanitarian crime, and silence is complicity," he stated at a press conference in Ramallah, appealing "to the conscience of humanity."
Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa urged the world to end the "deliberate humanitarian crime" that he called the ongoing "famine" in Gaza, where the population is bled dry after more than two months of a total Israeli blockade.
"This famine is not a natural disaster, it is a deliberate humanitarian crime, and silence is complicit," he said at a press conference in Ramallah, calling "for the conscience of humanity."
A U.S. military aircraft crashed into the Red Sea yesterday while landing on an aircraft carrier, leaving two pilots slightly injured, according to several U.S. media outlets. This is the second such accident in about 10 days. The aircraft, an F/A-18F, could not be slowed down upon landing aboard the Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier and plummeted into the sea, according to CNN, The Washington Post, and several other U.S. media outlets. Contacted by AFP for confirmation, the Pentagon did not immediately respond.
The fighter jet's landing hook failed to engage the arresting line, causing the aircraft to fall into the sea, according to an online report in the U.S. Naval Institute Journal, citing a U.S. defense official. Both pilots ejected and suffered "minor injuries," the source said.
The Harry S. Truman is one of two American aircraft carriers operating in the Middle East.
More than 60 service members were injured in former President Joe Biden's aid float to Gaza, a Pentagon inspector general's report released Tuesday, Reuters reported yesterday.
Bad weather and distribution problems inside Gaza limited the effectiveness of what the U.S. military calls the largest aid delivery effort ever in the Middle East. The pier was operational for only about 20 days and cost about $230 million. While there were no known fatalities or direct attacks on the pier, the Pentagon said three U.S. soldiers suffered non-combat injuries during the pier support operation in May, with one being medically evacuated in critical condition.
But the new report from the Pentagon inspector general indicates that this number was actually 62, Reuters continues. "Based on the information provided, we were unable to determine which of these 62 injuries occurred in the line of duty or resulted from pre-existing medical conditions," the report said.
For the first time, a foreign airline landed at Aleppo Airport yesterday, the state-run SANA news agency reported. "The first passenger plane of Royal Jordanian Airlines arrived at Aleppo International Airport after a 14-year hiatus," the agency said.
Former Information Minister Mohammad al-Omar commented on the launch of al-Ikhbariya TV in Syria. "The launch of the Syrian al-Ikhbariya TV is a turning point in the progress of the national media and a step towards a free and responsible press that reflects the aspirations of the people," he said on X, according to the state-run SANA news agency.
The Israeli army claimed to have attacked the Saida region in southern Lebanon and eliminated Khaled Ahmad al-Ahmad, noting that he was "responsible for Hamas operations in the western sector of Lebanon" and that he had led "terrorist attacks" against Israel.
The victim "carried out numerous terrorist plots against IDF soldiers and Israeli citizens. He also transferred weapons and carried out sabotage attacks," wrote Arabic-language army spokesperson Avichay Adraee on X.
Israeli hostage mediator Gal Hirsch said that the number of living people still held captive in Gaza remains unchanged, denying statements made by Donald Trump.
"Currently, 59 hostages are being held by the Hamas terrorist organization. Twenty-four of them are on the list of living hostages. Thirty-five are on the list of hostages officially confirmed dead," he wrote on X.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump reported three more deaths among the hostages still held in Gaza and indicated that only 21 were still alive. "We want to try to save as many hostages as possible," he stated, calling the situation "terrible".
Read more here.
Israeli hostage mediator Gal Hirsch said the number of people still alive in Gaza after being abducted during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, remains unchanged, denying claims by Donald Trump.
"Currently, 59 hostages are being held by the Hamas terrorist organization. 24 of them are on the list of living hostages. 35 of them are on the list of hostages whose deaths have been officially confirmed," he wrote on X.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump reported three more deaths among the hostages still held in Gaza and indicated that only 21 were still alive. "We want to try to save as many hostages as possible," he continued, describing the situation as "terrible."
Hamas announced the death of al-Qassam Brigades commander Khaled Ahmad al-Ahmad, killed at dawn in an Israeli strike "while he was on his way to dawn prayers in Saida," in southern Lebanon.
The group also pledged "to continue the path of resistance."
An Israeli drone struck the al-Nouriyeh neighborhood of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun), targeting a civilian's car, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon.
President Donald Trump's administration said yesterday that the United States would end an independent Office of Palestinian Affairs in Jerusalem, a largely symbolic move but one supported by Israel.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio "has decided to fully merge the responsibilities of the Office of Palestinian Affairs with other sections of the United States Embassy," State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters.
An Israeli drone dropped a bomb on the al-Nourieh neighborhood of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun), targeting a civilian's car, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon.
The Syrian president's controversial visit to France on Wednesday, his first to the West, will be an opportunity to discuss with him the need to bring to justice the perpetrators of recent atrocities and the continuation of the fight against terrorism, the French foreign minister argued on TF1.
French President Emmanuel Macron has been heavily criticized by the French right and far right for inviting Ahmad al-Sharaa, a man with a jihadist past, to the Élysée Palace this afternoon before a rare joint press conference.
"If we are bringing him here, it is precisely to ask him to go further ... in the fight against impunity," said French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, calling for those responsible for "the massacre on the western coast of Syria against the Alawite communities, like those responsible for the massacres against the Druze a few days ago, to be brought to justice."
On the fight against terrorism, "if we are engaging in this demanding dialogue with the Syrian Transitional Authority, it is because if Syria were to collapse today, if it were to fragment, well, it would be a red carpet for Daesh," the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State, he said.
Israeli strikes on Sanaa airport in Yemen destroyed terminals and caused damage estimated at $500 million, its director told a Houthi rebel media outlet on Wednesday.
"The Israeli aggression against Sanaa Airport caused losses of approximately $500 million," its director general, Khaled al-Shayef, told al-Massirah TV, adding that "the enemy destroyed the terminals of Sanaa Airport, including all equipment and devices."
Eight members of the same family, including children, were killed Wednesday in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, the local Civil Defense said, adding that three others were killed in a strike elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.
"Eleven [dead], including at least one child, and more than 20 injured, mainly women and children, were taken to the hospital after the bombardment of the Gaza Strip by Israeli occupation forces," Civil Defense spokesman Mahmoud Bassal told AFP.
Good morning!
Thank you for joining us for our live coverage today. Be sure to read the Morning Brief so you can catch up on what happened yesterday.
An Israeli drone targeted a vehicle in the Villas neighborhood of Saida at 4:20 a.m. Wednesday, L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon reported. The explosion caused the car to immediately catch fire. According to witnesses, rescuers extracted the body of a deceased person from the burning vehicle.
The victim was affiliated with Hamas.
On Tuesday, an Israeli drone targeted a car in the al-Jamaat neighborhood of the village of Kfar Ramman (Nabatieh). The strike killed one Hezbollah fighter, identified by Israel as a "logistics official" for the party, who was driving the vehicle, and injured a Syrian man who was passing by.
These attacks came as the commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), Major General Aroldo Lázaro, yesterday urged the Israeli army to "withdraw completely from Lebanese territory and not target prefabricated buildings in border villages."
Despite the cease-fire that came into effect on Nov. 27 after two months of intense Israeli bombardment and a ground invasion into Lebanese territory, the Israeli army regularly carries out attacks on Lebanon, claiming to target Hezbollah fighters and infrastructure, which was severely weakened by the war and which claims to respect the cease-fire.
Sanaa International Airport suspended all flights until further notice due to "significant damage" caused by Israeli strikes the day before, its director said.
"Following the Zionist (Israeli) aggression against Sanaa International Airport, which caused significant damage, it was decided to suspend all flights to and from the airport until further notice," said the airport's director general, Khaled al-Shayef.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry issued a joint statement from Qatar and Egypt, stating that "attempts to divide Arab countries will not succeed" and that the two countries are "united in their efforts to end the crisis in Gaza."
The two countries said that they "will not be drawn into partisan considerations or interests that do not serve the Palestinian people," adding that they were working with the United States to formulate a cease-fire agreement.
The Palestinian Civil Defense reported yesterday that 22 people were killed after an Israeli airstrike on a school housing displaced people in the central Gaza Strip.
"The death toll has risen to 22 and dozens more are injured in the Israeli strike on a school housing displaced people in the Bureij camp," Ahmad Radwan, an official with the rescue organization, told AFP. The Israeli army said it had targeted a Hamas "command and control center."
Houthi rebels and the United States agreed to a cease-fire, Omani Foreign Minister Badr al-Busaidi said yesterday, shortly after Donald Trump announced the end of U.S. strikes against the group.
The Omani minister said that "in the future, neither side will target the other, including U.S. ships, in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandeb Strait ."
Claiming to be acting in solidarity with the Palestinians, the Houthis have claimed responsibility for dozens of missile and drone attacks against Israel since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza. They have also attacked ships they believe to be linked to Israel off the coast of Yemen, on a vital shipping route for global trade. In retaliation, the United States, under President Joe Biden, launched strikes against rebel positions in Yemen starting in January 2024. These strikes have intensified since March 15, during the Trump administration.
He announced earlier Tuesday that the Houthis had "capitulated" and promised that U.S. bombing in Yemen would cease with "immediate effect."
U.S. President Donald Trump said yesterday that three of the hostages still being held in Gaza, kidnapped during the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, were dead, and 21 were alive.
According to the Israeli military's previous report, of the 251 people kidnapped that day, 58 of whom are still being held in Gaza, 34 had previously been declared dead. Hamas is also holding the remains of an Israeli soldier killed in a previous war in Gaza in 2014.
"Of those 59 people, 21 are alive now, three are dead," Donald Trump said on the sidelines of an event at the White House. "We want to try to rescue as many hostages as possible," he continued. "It's a terrible situation."
Donald Trump is expected to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates from May 13 to 16. The U.S. president promised a "very, very big announcement" before his visit on Tuesday, without giving any hints about its nature.
Already have an account? Login here
You have reached your article limit
The Israel-Iran war takes a new turn...
Stay informed for $0.5/month. Applicable for the first 3 months.
This article is only available to L’Orient Today subscribers.
Already have an account? Login here