We are now closing our LIVE coverage for the night. See you tomorrow morning with more news updates.
Israel dropped stun bomb in Ras Naqoura, Sour
An Israeli drone dropped a stun bomb near a fishing boat in Ras Naqoura (Sour district) without causing any casualties, according to our correspondent.
Israel strikes Alma al-Shaab valley in Sour
Israeli heavy artillery fired five shells at the Alma al-Shaab valley in the Sour district, reports our correspondent in the South.
Israeli army sweeping in the South
The Israeli army swept the area around the village of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya) with machine guns from the outpost Israel occupies at Roueissat a-Alam, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
A meeting on Lebanon scheduled in Paris next week
A meeting on Lebanon is scheduled for next week in Paris, attended by the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army and U.S. officials, at a time when Paris and Washington are pressing Beirut to speed up the process of disarming Hezbollah, according to four sources familiar with the matter, AFP reports.
"Rodolph Haykal is expected on Wednesday," one of the sources said. U.S. Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus is also expected to attend the meeting at the Elysée Palace. However, her attendance has "not yet been confirmed," the three other sources said.
In addition, the presence of a Saudi official in Paris next week "is being considered," said one of the sources close to the matter, all of whom requested anonymity.
This meeting is to take place ahead of another meeting scheduled for Dec. 19 in Beirut of the cease-fire monitoring committee with the aim of averting "the specter of a second war" in Lebanon led by Israel, according to statements by President Joseph Aoun.
This committee includes Lebanon and Israel, which have also been represented at the civilian level since early December, as well as the United States, France and the U.N.
Storm Byron in Gaza: Deaths and missing persons
The toll from Storm Byron in Gaza has risen to 12 dead or missing people due to drowning or collapsed buildings, according to the Gaza government press office as quoted by Al Jazeera.
According to the Gaza authorities, 1.5 million displaced people in Gaza are "directly exposed" to these dangers, with at least 13 buildings collapsed and 27,000 tents flooded or destroyed by the storms.
The press office once again accused Israel of continuing to block the entry into Gaza of construction materials, mobile homes, and 300,000 tents.
Unhindered humanitarian aid, including medical support and adequate shelter, is essential to help families in the Gaza Strip withstand the winter, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Thursday, as heavy rains worsen already dire living conditions driven by a two-year Israeli genocide.
Winter storms are flooding streets and soaking makeshift tents across the enclave, creating “new hardships” for displaced people living in overcrowded and unsanitary sites, the agency said through US social media company X.
“Flooded streets and soaked tents are making already dire living conditions even more dangerous,” the agency said, warning that cold, damp, and unhygienic environments significantly increase the risk of illness and infection.
The agency said the suffering is preventable, stressing that the ability to deliver assistance without obstruction would allow its teams to provide proper shelter and critical medical services.
“That would help families face winter in safety and dignity,” the agency said.
The Gaza government media office said Tuesday that Israel had only allowed in around 38% of the agreed-upon aid under the ceasefire deal, exacerbating the suffering of civilians.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across the enclave were flooded for the second consecutive day after heavy overnight rainfall linked to a new winter storm.
Gaza’s Civil Defense said in a statement Thursday that it evacuated dozens of tents in Rafah, in the south, after they were completely submerged.
The agency’s spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, warned Wednesday that more than 250,000 families in displacement camps across the enclave are vulnerable to cold weather and rainwater in their worn-out tents.
'We have no choice but to work to spare Lebanon any escalation of Israeli attacks,' says Moussa
"We have no choice but to work to spare Lebanon any escalation of Israeli aggression," said Egypt's ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, at a press conference in Baabda.
Following the visit of Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to Beirut at the end of November, President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi discussed the situation in Lebanon with "various parties in the region and beyond, and with the United States": "We have received some responses that seem encouraging, so we will work on them. The road ahead is still long, but there are good preliminary signs that we are trying to hold on to," the ambassador said.
"The coming period will bring positive developments; this is what Egypt is working on through its contacts," he said, stressing that there are "opportunities for dialogue and attempts to find common ground on which to build future steps" between Tel Aviv and Beirut.
Moussa finally welcomed the appointment of Simon Karam to the cease-fire "mechanism" and announced that "the Egyptian Prime Minister's visit to Beirut next week aims to continue the exchange of messages of support to Lebanon, in the hope that these efforts will lead to concrete results."
Two more children freeze to death in Gaza
Two more children have frozen to death in Gaza, after Storm Byron caused heavy flooding and temperatures to drop.
A medical source confirmed to Al Jazeera that a nine-year-old girl died of cold in a camp for displaced persons in Gaza City, while a baby died in the Shati camp, also in Gaza City.
The day before, an eight-month-old baby died from cold overnight while in a tent in Khan Yunis.
Israel has never been held accountable for the strike that killed Issam Abdallah, say four US members of congress
Four U.S. members of congress in Washington on Thursday lamented the fact that Israel has not been held accountable for the strike that killed a Reuters videographer and wounded several of his colleagues and fellow journalists on Oct. 15, 2023.
Senator Peter Welch, a member of the Democratic Party, accused the Trump administration of "obstructing" his requests for explanations regarding the deadly attack.
"We have been extremely patient and have tried everything reasonable to get answers and accountability. We are facing total obstruction at every turn," said Vermont senator, the home state of Dylan Collins, one of those injured in the attack.
Also present at the conference were Senators Chris Van Hollen and Bernie Sanders and Representative Becca Balint.
Southern Lebanon: Israeli army claims its strikes targeted Hezbollah 'training camp'
The Israeli army claimed responsibility for strikes carried out on several areas in southern Lebanon shortly after 10 a.m., saying it had struck a "training camp" and other Hezbollah targets.
In a statement published on X, it said it had targeted "a training complex used by the al-Radwan force," Hezbollah's elite unit.
"Other military infrastructure" belonging to Hezbollah was also targeted, the army said, without giving further details.
Southern Lebanon: 9 Israeli strikes reported so far
Nine Israeli air strikes have been reported so far this morning across southern Lebanon, according to our correspondent's sources:
- Three on the heights of Rihan and Jarmak (Jezzine);
- Three on Tibna, near Baissariyeh;
- One on Wadi Houmin (Nabatieh);
- And two on the area known as "Qalaat al-Mais," between Ansar and Zrarieh (Saida).
Israeli strikes on West Bekaa
Meanwhile, in the Bekaa Valley, strikes targeted the Hama Zallaya area in West Bekaa, according to our local correspondent.
Series of Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon this morning
Israeli strike between Al-Qaaqieh and Al-Baysariya, south of Saida
Following a relatively calm night and early morning, Israel took to its bombing campaign of the south at around 10 a.m., targeting various locations in the region, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
The strikes targeted the heights of Mahmoudiyeh, Jarmak, and Rihan in the Jezzine district, an area between Qaaqaaiyet and Baissariyeh south of Saida, as well as the outskirts of Ansar, also in the Saida region, Roumin, Houmin al-Tahta, and Tibna in the Nabatieh district.
The Israeli air force continues to violate Lebanese airspace by flying drones over the regions of Zahrani, Saida, Iqlim al-Touffah, and Rihan, according to our correspondent.
Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in Lebanon, Palestine, the region and beyond
In our live blog we will pay particular attention to the situation in Lebanon, where Israel continues to strike the south on a near-daily basis, including strikes in various parts of the south and the Bekaa this morning, as reported by our correspondents on the ground.
Gaza is also under repeated Israeli fire, with a death toll nearing 400 people since the U.S.-brokered 'cease-fire' deal between Hamas and Israel was reached over two months ago. The aftermath of the heavy rain, wind and cold temperatures brought by Storm Byron has left the more than one million forcibly displaced Palestinians in Gaza in evermore precarious conditions, and taken the lives of two infants who froze to death.
We will also cover developments in Syria, over a year after the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, which was overthrown on Dec. 8, 2024.
Read our Morning Brief to catch up on yesterday's news and know what to expect today 👈
We are now closing our LIVE coverage for the night. See you tomorrow morning with more news updates.
Israel dropped stun bomb in Ras Naqoura, Sour
An Israeli drone dropped a stun bomb near a fishing boat in Ras Naqoura (Sour district) without causing any casualties, according to our correspondent.
Israel strikes Alma al-Shaab valley in Sour
Israeli heavy artillery fired five shells at the Alma al-Shaab valley in the Sour district, reports our correspondent in the South.
Israeli army sweeping in the South
The Israeli army swept the area around the village of Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya) with machine guns from the outpost Israel occupies at Roueissat a-Alam, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
A meeting on Lebanon scheduled in Paris next week
A meeting on Lebanon is scheduled for next week in Paris, attended by the commander-in-chief of the Lebanese army and U.S. officials, at a time when Paris and Washington are pressing Beirut to speed up the process of disarming Hezbollah, according to four sources familiar with the matter, AFP reports.
"Rodolph Haykal is expected on Wednesday," one of the sources said. U.S. Middle East envoy Morgan Ortagus is also expected to attend the meeting at the Elysée Palace. However, her attendance has "not yet been confirmed," the three other sources said.
In addition, the presence of a Saudi official in Paris next week "is being considered," said one of the sources close to the matter, all of whom requested anonymity.
This meeting is to take place ahead of another meeting scheduled for Dec. 19 in Beirut of the cease-fire monitoring committee with the aim of averting "the specter of a second war" in Lebanon led by Israel, according to statements by President Joseph Aoun.
This committee includes Lebanon and Israel, which have also been represented at the civilian level since early December, as well as the United States, France and the U.N.
Storm Byron in Gaza: Deaths and missing persons
The toll from Storm Byron in Gaza has risen to 12 dead or missing people due to drowning or collapsed buildings, according to the Gaza government press office as quoted by Al Jazeera.
According to the Gaza authorities, 1.5 million displaced people in Gaza are "directly exposed" to these dangers, with at least 13 buildings collapsed and 27,000 tents flooded or destroyed by the storms.
The press office once again accused Israel of continuing to block the entry into Gaza of construction materials, mobile homes, and 300,000 tents.
Unhindered humanitarian aid, including medical support and adequate shelter, is essential to help families in the Gaza Strip withstand the winter, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) said Thursday, as heavy rains worsen already dire living conditions driven by a two-year Israeli genocide.
Winter storms are flooding streets and soaking makeshift tents across the enclave, creating “new hardships” for displaced people living in overcrowded and unsanitary sites, the agency said through US social media company X.
“Flooded streets and soaked tents are making already dire living conditions even more dangerous,” the agency said, warning that cold, damp, and unhygienic environments significantly increase the risk of illness and infection.
The agency said the suffering is preventable, stressing that the ability to deliver assistance without obstruction would allow its teams to provide proper shelter and critical medical services.
“That would help families face winter in safety and dignity,” the agency said.
The Gaza government media office said Tuesday that Israel had only allowed in around 38% of the agreed-upon aid under the ceasefire deal, exacerbating the suffering of civilians.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of tents sheltering displaced Palestinians across the enclave were flooded for the second consecutive day after heavy overnight rainfall linked to a new winter storm.
Gaza’s Civil Defense said in a statement Thursday that it evacuated dozens of tents in Rafah, in the south, after they were completely submerged.
The agency’s spokesman, Mahmoud Basal, warned Wednesday that more than 250,000 families in displacement camps across the enclave are vulnerable to cold weather and rainwater in their worn-out tents.
'We have no choice but to work to spare Lebanon any escalation of Israeli attacks,' says Moussa
"We have no choice but to work to spare Lebanon any escalation of Israeli aggression," said Egypt's ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, at a press conference in Baabda.
Following the visit of Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty to Beirut at the end of November, President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi discussed the situation in Lebanon with "various parties in the region and beyond, and with the United States": "We have received some responses that seem encouraging, so we will work on them. The road ahead is still long, but there are good preliminary signs that we are trying to hold on to," the ambassador said.
"The coming period will bring positive developments; this is what Egypt is working on through its contacts," he said, stressing that there are "opportunities for dialogue and attempts to find common ground on which to build future steps" between Tel Aviv and Beirut.
Moussa finally welcomed the appointment of Simon Karam to the cease-fire "mechanism" and announced that "the Egyptian Prime Minister's visit to Beirut next week aims to continue the exchange of messages of support to Lebanon, in the hope that these efforts will lead to concrete results."
Two more children freeze to death in Gaza
Two more children have frozen to death in Gaza, after Storm Byron caused heavy flooding and temperatures to drop.
A medical source confirmed to Al Jazeera that a nine-year-old girl died of cold in a camp for displaced persons in Gaza City, while a baby died in the Shati camp, also in Gaza City.
The day before, an eight-month-old baby died from cold overnight while in a tent in Khan Yunis.
Israel has never been held accountable for the strike that killed Issam Abdallah, say four US members of congress
Four U.S. members of congress in Washington on Thursday lamented the fact that Israel has not been held accountable for the strike that killed a Reuters videographer and wounded several of his colleagues and fellow journalists on Oct. 15, 2023.
Senator Peter Welch, a member of the Democratic Party, accused the Trump administration of "obstructing" his requests for explanations regarding the deadly attack.
"We have been extremely patient and have tried everything reasonable to get answers and accountability. We are facing total obstruction at every turn," said Vermont senator, the home state of Dylan Collins, one of those injured in the attack.
Also present at the conference were Senators Chris Van Hollen and Bernie Sanders and Representative Becca Balint.
Southern Lebanon: Israeli army claims its strikes targeted Hezbollah 'training camp'
The Israeli army claimed responsibility for strikes carried out on several areas in southern Lebanon shortly after 10 a.m., saying it had struck a "training camp" and other Hezbollah targets.
In a statement published on X, it said it had targeted "a training complex used by the al-Radwan force," Hezbollah's elite unit.
"Other military infrastructure" belonging to Hezbollah was also targeted, the army said, without giving further details.
Southern Lebanon: 9 Israeli strikes reported so far
Nine Israeli air strikes have been reported so far this morning across southern Lebanon, according to our correspondent's sources:
- Three on the heights of Rihan and Jarmak (Jezzine);
- Three on Tibna, near Baissariyeh;
- One on Wadi Houmin (Nabatieh);
- And two on the area known as "Qalaat al-Mais," between Ansar and Zrarieh (Saida).
Israeli strikes on West Bekaa
Meanwhile, in the Bekaa Valley, strikes targeted the Hama Zallaya area in West Bekaa, according to our local correspondent.
Series of Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon this morning
Israeli strike between Al-Qaaqieh and Al-Baysariya, south of Saida
Following a relatively calm night and early morning, Israel took to its bombing campaign of the south at around 10 a.m., targeting various locations in the region, according to our correspondent in southern Lebanon.
The strikes targeted the heights of Mahmoudiyeh, Jarmak, and Rihan in the Jezzine district, an area between Qaaqaaiyet and Baissariyeh south of Saida, as well as the outskirts of Ansar, also in the Saida region, Roumin, Houmin al-Tahta, and Tibna in the Nabatieh district.
The Israeli air force continues to violate Lebanese airspace by flying drones over the regions of Zahrani, Saida, Iqlim al-Touffah, and Rihan, according to our correspondent.
Good morning and welcome to today's live coverage of events in Lebanon, Palestine, the region and beyond
In our live blog we will pay particular attention to the situation in Lebanon, where Israel continues to strike the south on a near-daily basis, including strikes in various parts of the south and the Bekaa this morning, as reported by our correspondents on the ground.
Gaza is also under repeated Israeli fire, with a death toll nearing 400 people since the U.S.-brokered 'cease-fire' deal between Hamas and Israel was reached over two months ago. The aftermath of the heavy rain, wind and cold temperatures brought by Storm Byron has left the more than one million forcibly displaced Palestinians in Gaza in evermore precarious conditions, and taken the lives of two infants who froze to death.
We will also cover developments in Syria, over a year after the first anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime, which was overthrown on Dec. 8, 2024.
Read our Morning Brief to catch up on yesterday's news and know what to expect today 👈
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