Israel

Israeli Tank Fire 'Likely' Killed Reuters Journalist - Report

An Israeli tank crew who killed one journalist and wounded six others in Lebanon in October "likely" opened fire on them with a machine gun, an expert report said Thursday. The strike in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border on October 13 instantly killed Issam Abdallah, a 37-year-old journalist for the Reuters news agency. Six others—two ...

Biden Directs the US Military to Set Up a Port in Gaza

President Joe Biden will tell Congress on Thursday that he has ordered the US military to set up a port in Gaza to get more humanitarian aid into the beleaguered territory by sea, senior US officials said. The major announcement will not involve any US boots on the ground in the Palestinian enclave, as military personnel will stay offshore while ...

The Israeli Army to Investigate the Mistakes Made on October 7

According to Israeli media, the Israeli Army issued protocols to commanders on Thursday regarding how their units should conduct internal investigations into the failures preceding the October 7 massacre. These inquiries aim to derive operational conclusions and will not scrutinize political leaders' policies to avoid conflicts with the ...

War Diary: Day 153

This is Beirut brings you a daily recap of the situation in Gaza and southern Lebanon. Here are the main highlights for March 7th, 2024.

Israel-Hezbollah: A High Risk Balancing Act

Israeli media, and subsequently European media, has recently reviewed Tel Aviv's ultimatum regarding a diplomatic resolution to the escalating tensions on Lebanon’s southern front. This ultimatum is set to expire on March 14, fueling speculation that Israel is prepared to implement its own solution, which involves pushing Hezbollah further away ...

Biden Hardens His Stance Against Israel

US President Joe Biden took a tougher stance on Israel during his annual State of the Union address on March 7, 2024. The address was an opportunity to announce that the US military would open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza. US President Joe Biden warned Israel on Thursday that it cannot use aid as a "bargaining chip" in its fight against Hamas ...

South Lebanon: Two Injured in Israeli Strike on Baraachit

Israeli bombardments continued intermittently on Friday in the border regions of southern Lebanon. An early-morning Israeli raid targeted a house in the locality of Baraachit (Bint Jbeil caza), wounding two people. Another raid hit the area between Mansouri and Majdel Zoun. Israeli artillery bombardments also targeted Tallet el-Moutran near ...

UN Rights Office Says Expanding Israeli Settlements a ‘War Crime'

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has denounced the creation and expansion of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories as a "war crime," according to a report published on March 8, 2023. Expanding Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories constitutes "a war crime" and risks eliminating ...

The Armed Wing of Hamas Declares 'No Compromise' on the Truce

Hamas's armed wing said Friday there would be no compromise on the movement's demand that Israel withdraw from Gaza to secure the release of hostages seized in the October 7 attack. "Our top priority to reach a prisoner exchange deal is the complete commitment for the halt of aggression and an enemy withdrawal. There is no compromise on this," ...

Blinken Says 'Ball in Court' of Hamas on Ceasefire

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that it remained up to Hamas to accept a ceasefire with Israel, as hopes dimmed for a new truce in the five-month-old war. "The issue is Hamas," Blinken said, a day after President Joe Biden called in his State of the Union address for an "immediate" six-week truce that would allow humanitarian aid ...

Building an Aid Port Off Gaza is "Cynical", Criticized a UN expert

A UN expert described US President Joe Biden's statement on the construction of a port in Gaza to facilitate food aid, as "cynical". The announcement was made during his annual State of the Union address on Thursday. US President pleaded with Israel to let more aid into the blockaded territory. "A temporary pier will enable a massive increase in ...

Gaza: Mossad Chief Meets CIA Counterpart for Hostage Release

Israel said on Saturday its spy chief had met with his US counterpart as part of efforts to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza. "The head of the Mossad, David Barnea, met yesterday (Friday) with the head of the CIA, Bill Burns, as part of the ceaseless efforts to advance another hostage release deal," Prime Minister Benjamin ...