JERUSALEM: An Israeli volunteer rescue service on Sunday said more than 60 people were wounded south of Haifa, where Hezbollah earlier claimed a drone strike that targeted a military base.
“With the help of United Hatzalah ambulance teams, we provided assistance to over 60 wounded people with varying degrees of injuries — critical, serious, moderate and mild,” the rescue service United Hatzalah said in a statement posted on its Facebook page.
Earlier Sunday, Hezbollah, which is at war with Israel, said it launched “a squadron of attack drones” at a military training camp in Binyamina, south of Haifa, in response to Israeli air strikes on the country.
The incident comes two days after air raid sirens sounded in central Israel after two aerial drones entered the country from Lebanon, with at least one building damaged north of Tel Aviv during the incident.
Hezbollah has been regularly firing rockets and drones across the border into Israel for more than a year, but has reached further since late September when fighting escalated.
Israel’s sophisticated air defenses, including the Iron Dome system, has intercepted most of the projectiles, with few casualties caused by strikes or falling debris.
Israel rescuers say over 60 wounded in area Hezbollah claimed drone strike
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Israel rescuers say over 60 wounded in area Hezbollah claimed drone strike
- Hezbollah said it launched “a squadron of attack drones” at a military training camp in Binyamina, south of Haifa, in response to Israeli air strikes on Lebanon
Iran in diplomatic push to seek halt in violence
- At a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Araghchi said in Iraq that his country was “fully prepared for a war situation ... but we do not want war, we want peace”
TEHRAN: Iran held a series of diplomatic talks on Sunday, with President Masoud Pezeshkian seeking support from France’s Emmanuel Macron for a ceasefire in Lebanon, and the foreign minister visiting Iraq while on a regional tour.
According to a statement on Iran’s presidential website, Pezeshkian and Macron discussed ways to secure a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel as the Iranian leader condemned Israel’s “crimes” in Gaza and Lebanon.
Macron’s office said he called on Pezeshkian to support “a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilising actors that enjoy its support.”
Iran backs Hamas, which is battling Israel in Gaza, and Hezbollah, which is fighting Israel in Lebanon.
Israel has vowed to retaliate against an Iranian missile strike on October 1, raising fears of the wars in Gaza and Lebanon morphing into an all-out regional conflict.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was meanwhile in Iraq on Sunday, a neighbor and ally of his government, as part of a series of visits in the region for talks on the wars in Lebanon and Gaza.
Araghchi said there would be “no red lines” in defending the country’s people and interests, adding that efforts would continue to “contain an all-out war in our region.”
Iran has said its launch of 200 missiles on Israel earlier this month was retaliation for the killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders in the region and a general in its Revolutionary Guards.
At a joint news conference with his Iraqi counterpart, Araghchi said in Iraq that his country was “fully prepared for a war situation ... but we do not want war, we want peace.”
He also said Iran would continue consultations “to prevent the escalation of tension in the region and to work for peace” and a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
After his visit to Iraq, Araghchi headed to Oman, IRNA state news agency reported.
On Thursday, he had been in Qatar, where he met Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, whose government has been mediating talks aimed at securing a Gaza ceasefire and has also called for a truce in Lebanon.
On Wednesday, Araghchi met Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan, during his trip to the Kingdom.
Palestinian detainee dies in Israel custody
- Israel currently detains more than 9,600 Palestinians — including more than 5,000 who were arrested after Oct. 7, 2023, following the outbreak of war in Gaza
RAMALLAH: Two Palestinian organizations that monitor the conditions of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails announced on Sunday the death of a detainee in an Israeli hospital.
The Palestinian Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club reported that Israeli officials had informed Palestinian officials about the “martyrdom of prisoner Mohammed Munir Moussa from Bethlehem at Soroka Hospital in Israel.”
Moussa, 37, had been detained by Israel since April 2023 and had been suffering from diabetes before his arrest. Until now, there was no information available about the circumstances of his death, according to the two Palestinian organizations.
Israel currently detains more than 9,600 Palestinians — including more than 5,000 who were arrested after Oct. 7, 2023, following the outbreak of war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ attack on southern Israel — according to data provided by Palestinian officials.
The head of the Palestinian Commission of Detainees, Qaddura Fares, accused Israel of taking “revenge” on Palestinian detainees after the Hamas attack.
His agency is part of the Palestinian Authority, which has partial administrative control in the West Bank.
With the death of Moussa, the number of Palestinian detainees who have died in Israeli custody has risen to 41 since October 7, 2023, according to Palestinian officials.
Of those, 24 were from Gaza.
Since Israel occupied the West Bank in 1967, 278 Palestinians are known to have died in Israeli prisons, according to these organizations.
The issue of detainees in Israel has become a central point in the war between Israel and Hamas, with the Palestinian movement demanding the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages taken captive during the attack that began the war.
Out of 251 people taken hostage by militants on Oct. 7 last year, 97 are still being held inside the Gaza Strip, including 34 who the Israeli military says are dead.
Macron calls on Iran’s president to back Mideast ‘de-escalation’
- Iranian presidential website said that in his conversation with Macron, Pezeshkian had called for an end to “crimes” in Lebanon and Gaza
TEHRAN: French President Emmanuel Macron called on Iran’s leader Masoud Pezeshkian to support a “general de-escalation” in the Gaza Strip and Lebanon in a telephone conversation Sunday, his office said.
Macron stressed “the responsibility of Iran to support a general de-escalation and to use its influence in this direction with the destabilising actors that enjoy its support.” Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters are fighting Israeli troops in Lebanon.
The Iranian presidential website said that in his conversation with Macron, Pezeshkian had called for an end to “crimes” in Lebanon and Gaza.
They discussed ways to secure a “ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel,” a statement on the website said.
Pezeshkian “asked the French president to work together with other European countries to force the Zionist regime to stop the genocide and crimes in Gaza and Lebanon,” the statement added.
Lebanon’s PM condemns Netanyahu’s demand for UNIFIL’s withdrawal
- Organization protests against ‘shocking violations’ by Israel
- Relief airlift from Kingdom to ‘support Lebanese people facing critical conditions’
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati has condemned his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu for appealing to UN chief Antonio Guterres to remove peacekeepers from the Lebanese side of the border, where clashes between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israeli troops have intensified.
Lebanon “condemns Netanyahu’s position and the Israeli aggression against UNIFIL (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) peacekeepers,” said Mikati.
He added: “The warning that Netanyahu addressed to … Guterres demanding the removal of the UNIFIL represents a new chapter in Israel’s approach of not complying with international norms.”
Mikati’s statement came as Saudi Arabia officially launched relief air support to Lebanon, and the first plane carrying humanitarian and medical aid reached Beirut.
Rafic Hariri International Airport on Sunday witnessed the arrival of the first aircraft from the Saudi relief airlift, accompanied by the Saudi Ambassador to Lebanon Walid Bukhari.
The Saudi aid agency KSrelief announced that the airlift was established “under the directives of the Kingdom’s leadership to provide medical and humanitarian assistance to the Lebanese people in support of their efforts to cope with critical circumstances.”
The first aircraft carried 46 containers of various aid supplies, including tents, in anticipation of the approaching winter season.
The Saudi Press Agency also reported that KSrelief had continued implementing the fourth phase of the Hope Bakery charitable project in the Akkar Governorate and Miniyeh district in northern Lebanon.
During the past week the project has distributed 175,000 bundles of bread to families in need, including Syrian and Palestinian families, and host communities in northern Lebanon, benefiting 12,000 households.
The Lebanese Caretaker Minister of Economy Amin Salam; Caretaker Minister of Environment Nasser Yassin; and the Secretary-General of the Lebanese High Relief Commission Maj. Gen. Mohammed Khair welcomed the support’s arrival at the airport.
Yassin thanked Saudi Arabia “for this assistance in these challenging times to secure urgent needs. The Kingdom has consistently supported Lebanon, and we appreciate this stance and commitment.”
Bukhari, who met Mikati, said: “The first wave of assistance has arrived, confirming Saudi Arabia’s commitment and support for the Lebanese people in facing difficult challenges.”
A Qatari aircraft transporting tonnes of medical supplies also arrived at the airport, while an Omani aircraft, loaded with 40 tonnes of medicine and humanitarian assistance, is scheduled to arrive on Monday.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continued to target the Lebanese army.
A drone targeted a Lebanese army vehicle with a missile on Sunday as it passed through the town of Burj Al-Muluk, injuring three soldiers.
An airstrike on the town of Srebbine in the district of Bint Jbeil wounded four paramedics.
Meanwhile, UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Sunday asked for an explanation from the Israeli army over what they said were “shocking violations” against their force, including forcing entry into one of their positions.
UNIFIL said in a statement: “We have requested an explanation from the Israeli army for these shocking violations.”
The organization also accused Israel’s military of halting a logistics convoy.
The UN peacekeepers said Israeli tanks broke through a gate to enter a Blue Helmet position in Lebanon on Sunday, after blocking their movement the previous day.
The peacekeeping mission said: “At around 4:30 a.m., while peacekeepers were in shelters, two Israeli military Merkava tanks destroyed the position’s main gate and forcibly entered the position in the Ramia area of southern Lebanon.
“They requested multiple times that the base turn out its lights. The tanks left about 45 minutes after UNIFIL protested through our liaison mechanism.”
A little over two hours later, peacekeepers reported “the firing of several rounds 100 meters north, which emitted smoke.”
They added: “Despite putting on protective masks, 15 peacekeepers suffered effects, including skin irritation and gastrointestinal reactions, after the smoke entered the camp.”
Israeli soldiers on Saturday had “stopped a critical UNIFIL logistical movement near Mais Al-Jabal, denying its passage,” the force said, referring to an area in south Lebanon.
“For the fourth time in as many days, we remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel.”
The UN force added: “Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and Resolution 1701.”
It added that UNIFIL’s mandate provided freedom of movement in its area of operations.
The number of peacekeeping soldiers in UNIFIL stands at 10,500, representing over 40 countries worldwide. They are deployed in fixed and mobile sites in the border area to monitor the implementation of Resolution 1701 in coordination with the Lebanese army.
Mikati on Sunday reaffirmed Lebanon’s commitment to Resolution 1701.
He said that Netanyahu “is not content with the aggression he is waging on Lebanon, claiming martyrs and victims and causing indescribable destruction.”
Mikati added that Netanyahu’s “warning to Guterres represents a new chapter in the approach of non-compliance with international legitimacy and its related resolutions.”
He added: “This statement is for the international community and the UN, and it should be a new incentive to take the appropriate stance after Netanyahu turned against the French-American call, supported by foreign and Arab countries, for a ceasefire.”
The southern front on Sunday witnessed new Israeli incursion attempts, especially in Maroun Al-Ras where Hezbollah announced its targeting of a gathering of Israeli soldiers inside the town.
The group also announced it had targeted an Israeli tank south of the Lebanese town of Qouzah with a guided missile.
A violent confrontation also took place at the entrance to the town of Ramyah, and machine-gun clashes were heard in an area between Aita Al-Shaab and Ramyah.
Israel’s Maariv newspaper reported that the Israeli army had captured a Hezbollah member in southern Lebanon and found an underground tunnel within a building that led to an area where other members of the group were present. Hezbollah-affiliated activists denied Israel’s claim.
UN says Israeli tanks burst into peacekeeper base, Israel gives different account
- Netanyahu called on the UN to evacuate the troops of the UNIFIL peacekeeping force from combat areas in Lebanon
- Hours later, the force reported what it described as additional Israeli violations, including tanks forcibly entering through the gates of a base
JERUSALEM/NEW YORK: The United Nations said on Sunday Israeli tanks had burst through the gates of a base of its peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, the latest accusation of Israeli violations and attacks denounced by its own allies.
The UNIFIL peacekeeping force said two Israeli Merkava tanks destroyed the main gate of a base and forcibly entered before dawn on Sunday morning. After the tanks left, shells exploded 100 meters (yards) away, releasing smoke which blew across the base and sickened UN personnel, it said in a statement.
In its version of events, the Israeli military said militants of the Iran-backed group Hezbollah had fired anti-tank missiles at Israeli troops, wounding 25 of them. The attack was very close to a UNIFIL post and a tank helping evacuate the casualties under fire then backed into the UNIFIL post, it said.
HIGHLIGHTS
• UN says any attacks on peacekeepers 'may constitute a war crime'
• Hezbollah claims attack on Israeli military camp in northern Israel with 'swarm of drones'
• At least 67 people wounded, says Israel's N12 News television
“It is not storming a base. It is not trying to enter a base. It was a tank under heavy fire, mass casualty event, backing up to get out of harm’s way,” the military’s international spokesperson Nadav Shoshani told reporters.
In a statement, the military said it used a smoke screen to provide cover for the evacuation of the wounded soldiers but its actions posed no danger to the UN peacekeeping force.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement addressed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres: “The time has come for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones.”
“The IDF has requested this repeatedly and has met with repeated refusal, which has the effect of providing Hezbollah terrorists with human shields.”
Guterres paid tribute to UNIFIL’s peacekeepers, who “remain in all positions,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement issued later on Sunday, adding that “the UN flag continues to fly.”
The Secretary-General reiterated a warning that peacekeepers must not be targeted, he said.
“Attacks against peacekeepers are in breach of international law, including international humanitarian law. They may constitute a war crime,” Dujarric said.
UNIFIL has said previous Israeli attacks on a watchtower, cameras, communications equipment and lighting had limited its monitoring abilities. UN sources say they fear any violations of international law in the conflict will be impossible to monitor.
CONFLICT FLARING FOR A YEAR
Hezbollah, which Israel has been battling on the ground in southern Lebanon since it launched an incursion at the start of this month, denies Israel’s accusation that it uses the proximity of peacekeepers for protection.
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah resumed a year ago when the Iranian-backed group began firing rockets at Israeli positions in support of Hamas at the start of the Gaza war and has sharply escalated in recent weeks.
On Sunday, Hezbollah said it attacked a camp of the Israeli military’s Golani Brigade camp in Binyamina in northern Israel with a “swarm of drones.” Israel’s N12 News television said at least 67 people were wounded and the head of the ambulance service told N12 that four people were in critical condition.
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, typically one of Israel’s most vocal supporters among Western European leaders, spoke to Netanyahu by phone on Sunday and denounced the “unacceptable” Israeli attacks, her government said.
Italy has more than a thousand troops in the 10,000-strong UNIFIL force, making it one of the biggest contributors of personnel. France and Spain, which each have nearly 700 soldiers in the force, have also condemned the Israeli attacks.
The presence of UNIFIL puts peacekeepers from 50 separate countries in harm’s way, in a force initially set up in southern Lebanon in 1978.
The area has seen decades of conflict, with Israel invading in 1982, occupying southern Lebanon until 2000 and again fighting a major five-week war against Hezbollah in 2006, which ended with a ceasefire monitored by UNIFIL.
Israel’s assault against Hezbollah over the past three weeks has uprooted 1.2 million Lebanese and inflicted an unprecedented blow on the group by killing most of its senior leadership.
Lebanon’s government says more than 2,100 people have been killed and 10,000 wounded in over a year of fighting, mainly over the past few weeks. The toll does not distinguish between civilians and combatants but includes scores of women and children.
REGION ON TENTERHOOKS
Israeli officials say UNIFIL has failed in its mission of upholding UN Resolution 1701, passed after the 2006 war, which calls for the border area of southern Lebanon to be free of weapons or troops other than those of the Lebanese state.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in a call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday, expressed “deep concern” about reports Israeli forces had fired on peacekeeper positions. He urged Israel to ensure their safety and that of the Lebanese military, which is not party to Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah.
The Middle East meanwhile remains on high alert for Israel to retaliate against Iran for an Oct. 1 barrage of long range missiles launched in response to Israel’s assaults on Lebanon.
Iran said on Sunday it has “no red lines” in defending itself. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi’s comments appeared intended to counter suggestions that Iran would absorb an Israeli strike without a response, as it did earlier this year when Israel last struck Iran after a volley of Iranian missiles.
