UNIFIL accuses Israel of building walls on Lebanese territory; Israeli army denies allegations | LIVE

Woman injured in explosion in Damascus

A woman was injured in an explosion in Damascus' Mazzeh district, according to the official Syrian news agency SANA, which did not provide any further details.

It appears to have been an "attack carried out by unidentified individuals targeting a house in the Mazzeh district," according to the Syrian channel al-Ikhbariya, which added that "security forces are conducting investigations to determine the circumstances of the incident and prosecute those responsible."

Earlier, the channel had reported "the explosion of an engine in the Mazzeh district of Damascus, the nature of which is still being investigated."

Qatari channel al-Araby TV reported "three explosions in the Mazzeh district and the arrival of ambulances at the scene."

Witkoff has plans to meeting Hayya to discuss Gaza "cease-fire"

U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff is reportedly planning to meet with senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya in the near future to discuss the unfolding Gaza "cease-fire," the New York Times reported.

It would be Witkoff’s second meeting with Hayya after his meeting with senior members of Hamas’s cease-fire negotiating team, alongside fellow Trump adviser Jared Kushner, hours before an agreement was inked in Egypt on Oct. 9.

This next meeting's date has not yet been finalized, according to the report.

Israel declares Palestinian village in occupied West Bank a "closed military zone"

The Israeli army announced a new closed military zone around the Palestinian village of Burin in the Israeli-occupied West Bank earlier today, shortly before hundreds of activists and volunteers were due to arrive to protect Palestinians during their olive harvest, according to reports in Israeli media.

The activists were participating in a broad effort to help Palestinians safely harvest their olives against the backdrop of repeated violence against the harvesters at the hands of increasingly aggressive Israeli settlers.

Security forces have repeatedly failed to prevent violence against Palestinians and often protect the Israeli aggressors.

After being prevented from reaching their destination, the activists staged an impromptu protest, where they were joined by Knesset member Gilad Kariv of the left-wing Democrats alliance.

Trump told MBS he expects Saudi Arabia to normalize with Israel now that Gaza war is "over"

Trump told Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman in a phone call last month that, since he had brokered an ostensible cease-fire in Gaza, he expected MBS to move toward normalization with Israel, Axios reported earlier today, citing two U.S. officials.

While acknowledging gaps between the Saudi and Israeli demands, the U.S. officials say other American officials have made it clear to Saudia Arabia that they're hoping the Trump-MBS meeting in Washington next week will sow the seeds for normalization.

A U.S. official with direct knowledge of the call, which took place after the "Gaza Peace Summit" in Egypt, said MBS had responded to Trump's request saying he was willing to work on normalization alongside the president's administration.

Saudi Arabia is expected to get a security pledge from Trump during MBS' visit. While it would not necessarily be a full-fledged defense treaty, it could serve as the platform for one.

MBS is also expected to stick to demands for the establishment of a Palestinian state before normalizing with Israel. According to Axios, the White House believes the final two clauses of Trump's Gaza plan put Palestinian statehood on the table.

EU considers training 3,000 Palestinian police officers from Gaza

European Union foreign ministers will discuss next week a proposal for the bloc to take the lead in training 3,000 Palestinian police officers with the aim of later deploying them in Gaza, according to a document seen by Reuters today.

In the document, the European External Action Service outlined proposals to expand the bloc’s two civilian missions in the region, which focus on border assistance and supporting the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) policing and justice reforms.

The EU’s police support mission could “take leadership in training the Palestinian police force in Gaza by providing direct training and support to approx. 3,000 Palestinian police officers [on the PA pay-roll] from Gaza, with a view to training the full 13,000 Palestinian police force,” it said.

Read the full report here. 👈

Israeli army targets Kfar Shuba with gunfire

The Israeli army targeted the outskirts of the Hasbaya district village of Kfar Shuba using machine guns, our correspondent in the South reports. The soldiers fired from the illegal military outpost on Lebanese territory, known as Ruwaisat al-Alam.

UNIFIL accuses Israeli army of 'violating' Lebanon's sovereignty by building 'walls'

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has accused the Israeli army of "violating" Lebanon's sovereignty by building "walls" on Lebanese territory near the border between the two countries.

In a statement, the peacekeepers said that Israel had erected separation walls in the Yaroun area (Bint Jbeil), "making more than 4,000 square meters of Lebanese territory inaccessible" to residents.

Despite a cease-fire that ended a war with Hezbollah nearly a year ago, the Israeli Army continues to occupy at least five points in southern Lebanon.

Israeli army denies building walls on Lebanese territory

The Israeli army denied building any wall on Lebanese territory, as accused by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), while acknowledging that it was erecting a reinforced barrier along the demarcation line between Israel and Lebanon.

This "wall is part of a larger plan by the army, construction of which began in 2022," an Israeli military spokesman told AFP after UNIFIL accused Israel of violating Lebanon's sovereignty by building walls on its soil.

EU to lead training of Palestinian police officers

EU foreign ministers will discuss next week a proposal to take the lead in training 3,000 Palestinian police officers with a view to deploying them later in Gaza, according to a document seen by Reuters.

Israeli army acknowledges killing 1 'in southern Gaza Strip'

The Israeli army said in a statement that it opened fire on a person who allegedly "approached forces operating in the southern Gaza Strip" after "crossing the Yellow Line," without specifying the location of the incident.

The statement does not appear to refer to the Israeli drone strike that killed a Palestinian woman near Beit Lahia, in the north of the enclave, earlier on Friday.

Earlier, al-Jazeera's local correspondents reported that the Israeli army had carried out operations to demolish residential buildings in the northwest of the city of Rafah, in the south of the besieged Palestinian territory.

Indonesian soldiers deployed to Gaza will focus on 'health and infrastructure' missions

Indonesia has trained up to 20,000 soldiers to carry out health and construction tasks as part of a planned peacekeeping operation in Gaza, Indonesia's defense minister has announced. "The missions will focus on health and construction," Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told reporters. "We are awaiting further decisions regarding the peace effort in Gaza."

Indonesia is one of the countries with which the United States has discussed plans for a multinational stabilization force in Gaza, which also include Azerbaijan, Egypt and Qatar.

Indonesia said no decision had yet been made on the date of deployment or the mandate of the troops, highlighting the uncertainty surrounding the establishment of an international presence in Gaza.

Relative calm in southern Lebanon

So far, our correspondent in the region has reported no Israeli fire or strikes in southern Lebanon, though Israel has stepped up its attacks on Lebanon in recent weeks.

A hospital in Gaza says it has been handed over the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners

Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza announced that it had received the bodies of 15 Palestinian prisoners as part of the cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Israel, according to AFP.

The bodies arrived at the hospital "as part of the 13th series of body exchanges, bringing the total number of bodies received to 330."

Israel is stipulated to return 15 Palestinian bodies for each Israeli hostage body handed over. On Thursday evening, Israel confirmed that it had received the remains of Israeli hostage Meny Godard.

Israel kills Palestinian woman in targeted drone strike in northern Gaza

A Palestinian woman was killed by an Israeli drone strike targeting the Atatra neighborhood near Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, according to a medical source at al-Shifa Hospital quoted by al-Jazeera.

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the news in Lebanon, Gaza and the region

In this live broadcast, we will be following the situation in Lebanon, where Israel continues its near-daily violations of the cease-fire agreement reached Hezbollah at the end of November 2024.

We will also be covering developments in Gaza and the occupied West Bank, Syria, and the broader region.

New Israeli strikes against the Gaza Strip

According to al-Jazeera's local correspondent, Israel air force carried out new air strikes overnight on eastern Khan Yunis, in the south of the Gaza Strip.

Artillery fire was also reported east of Beit Lahia, in the north of the enclave. Al-Jazeera specified that these attacks were carried out in areas located within the "Yellow Line," which marks the territory controlled by Israel within the besieged territory.

Despite a cease-fire lasting more than a month, the Israeli army continues to carry out almost daily attacks on Gaza, killing at least 260 Palestinians and wounding 630, according to the latest estimates from the enclave's Ministry of Health on Thursday.