Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened tonight with "intense war" in case of violation of the ceasefire with Hezbollah, which has been in force since Wednesday after two months of open war between Israel and the Lebanese and pro-Iranian movement in Lebanon.
"If necessary, I have given instructions" to the Israeli army to "launch an intense war in the event of a ceasefire violation," Netanyahu said in an interview with Israel's Channel 14.
The Israeli army announced today that it had bombed Hezbollah facilities in southern Lebanon, even though the cease-fire came into effect a day earlier.
The military said it had identified terrorist activity at a facility used by Hezbollah to store medium-range rockets in southern Lebanon.
(BETA)
The Swiss government today opposed the ban on the activities of Hezbollah and expressions of support in Switzerland for the Lebanese pro-Iranian movement, but advocated banning the activities and expressions of support for the Palestinian movement Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip.
Committees of the Swiss Parliament asked to ban Hezbollah, but the Government replied that one of the conditions of Article 74 of the Law on Intelligence Services from 2015 was not met, because that Lebanese movement was not banned or sanctioned in the UN, which excludes the judicial way to ban Hezbollah in Switzerland .
The government believes that, although there is another way to achieve this, "it is not appropriate to ban Hezbollah by creating a new special law."
By drafting the law on banning Hamas, the Government "targeted a response to the terrorist attacks committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023", she reminded, adding that this is in line with the practice of banning organizations on a case-by-case basis when there is "extremely important reason".
The House of Commons Security Policy Committee emphasized that "Hezbollah, like Hamas, is a radical Islamist terrorist organization responsible for many acts of violence and human rights violations."
"The ideological and financial support provided by the Iranian regime clearly shows that it is not directed only against the State of Israel, but represents a threat to the stability of the entire region," the Committee added, calling for "consistent" measures.
Next month, the Parliament will consider the Government's position and vote on the bill banning Hamas for five years.
(BETA)
Lebanon's health ministry announced Thursday that 3.961 people have been killed and 16.520 wounded during more than a year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, including two months of all-out war.
The Israeli army announced the introduction of a nighttime curfew in southern Lebanon, a day after the ceasefire with Hezbollah came into force, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).
"There is a strict ban on movement or travel south of the Litani River beginning at 17:00 PM (15:00 GMT) until 7:00 AM tomorrow (Friday). Those south of the Litani River must remain where they are," he wrote army spokesman Avihai Adrae in a post on the X platform.
The Ministry of Health in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip announced today that 44.330 people have died in the Palestinian territory since the war with Israel began more than a year ago.
At least 48 people were killed in the past 24 hours, according to the statement.
It added that 104.933 people have been injured in the Gaza Strip since the beginning of the war, triggered by the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
The Israeli army announced today that it carried out an airstrike on a Hezbollah facility in southern Lebanon, a day after the ceasefire came into effect.
The military said it had identified terrorist activity at a facility used by the Lebanese movement Hezbollah to store medium-range rockets in southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military added that it had "prevented the threat" to the military plane, without giving other details.
(BETA)
At least 21 Palestinians were killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip today, health officials said.
The bombardment of the central areas was intensified and tanks entered deeper into the north and south of that territory.
The escalation came a day after a cease-fire began between Lebanon's Hezbollah and Israel, ending more than a year of hostilities and fueling hopes among many Palestinians in Gaza that a similar deal could be reached with Hamas.
Announcing a ceasefire in Lebanon on Tuesday, US President Joseph Biden said he would now renew efforts to reach a cease-fire agreement in Gaza, urging Israel and Hamas to seize the moment, news agencies reported.
Months of efforts to agree a ceasefire have not borne fruit and negotiations are still at a standstill.
(BETA)
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sar said that the International Criminal Court (ICC) has "no justification" for issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders, during a joint press conference with Czech Foreign Minister Jan Lipavski.
Saar told Reuters that Israel has appealed the decision and that it sets a dangerous precedent.
The foreign minister also said Israel would end the war in Gaza when it "achieves its goals," including returning hostages held by Hamas and ensuring the group no longer controls the Gaza Strip.
According to Reuters, Saar said that Israel does not intend to control civilian life in Gaza and believes that peace is "inevitable" but cannot be based on "illusions".
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said Israel violated the ceasefire agreement by opening fire on civilians returning to their villages along Lebanon's southern border with Israel, Reuters reports.
"The Israeli enemy attacks those who return to the border villages. Today there are violations by Israel, even in this form," Fadlallah told reporters after the parliament session.
EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borelj, today called on all member countries of the bloc to respect the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC), including the arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
"We cannot undermine the International Criminal Court. It is the only way to achieve global justice," said Borelj, whose mandate expires at the end of this month, in Brussels.
He said about the ICC that it was founded by respected people, the best judges.
The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant and Hamas military wing leader Muhammad Deif, whom the Israeli military says it killed this summer, all three for war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza war.
And although all EU member states are signatories to the founding statute of the ICC, France announced yesterday that it believes that Netanyahu has immunity in relation to the actions of the court, since he is not a signatory to those documents, Israeli media reports.
Italy has said that it is not feasible to arrest Netanyahu while he is the head of the Government of Israel.
(Beta)
Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, has named an interim successor to take over if he dies or leaves office.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, Abbas said the chairman of the Palestinian National Council should serve as interim president for no longer than 90 days, during which presidential elections should be held.
The current chairman of the Palestinian Authority's top decision-making body is Ravi Fatuh, 75, who also briefly served as president after Yasser Arafat's death in 2004.
Abbas has no deputy, and a source told Reuters earlier this month that Saudi Arabia had pressured him to appoint one.
Abbas, 89, has been Palestinian president since 2005 and has suffered health problems in recent years, reigniting speculation about who might replace him when he finally steps down.
He was elected for a four-year term in 2005, but no presidential elections have been held since then.
The Palestinian Authority was established in the mid-1990s as an interim government pending Palestinian independence after the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) signed the Oslo Accords with Israel. The headquarters of the Palestinian Authority is in the city of Ramallah in the occupied West Bank and exercises nominal self-government in parts of the territory.
The government, dominated by the Fatah political party, held administrative control in the Gaza Strip until 2007 after Hamas, which is listed as a terrorist organization by the EU and the US, won elections in the occupied territories and drove them out.
Israel has rejected the possibility of the Palestinian Authority returning to the Gaza Strip after the war and establishing a Palestinian state in those territories.
The United States supports the idea of a Palestinian Authority in power in both territories, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which would be part of a future independent state.
(RSE)
Reuters reports that the Israeli military said it had noticed the arrival of suspicious persons at several locations in southern Lebanon, which it considers a violation of the ceasefire with Hezbollah.
Israeli tank fire hit six areas in southern Lebanon today.
A truce between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday, under a deal brokered by the US and France, aimed at allowing people to return to border areas in both countries.
The Israeli army had previously called on residents of towns in the border zone not to return yet for their own safety.
Israeli tank fire hit six areas within that border zone this morning, state media and Lebanese security sources said. Shells hit Markaba, Wazani, Kfarchubua, Qiyam, Tayba and the agricultural plains around Marjayoun, all within two kilometers of the blue line marking the border between Lebanon and Israel. A security source stated that two people were wounded in Markaba.
Reuters reports that Lebanese families displaced from their homes near the southern border have tried to return to check on their properties. However, Israeli troops remain stationed on Lebanese territory in towns along the border, and Reuters reporters heard surveillance drones flying over parts of southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah and Israel did not immediately comment on the tank fire, reports Reuters.
Hezbollah said its fighters were "fully equipped to face the aspirations and attacks of the Israeli enemy". Their forces will oversee the withdrawal of the Israelis from Lebanon "with their finger on the trigger," reports Reuters.
Israeli tank fire hit three towns along Lebanon's southeastern border with Israel today, Lebanese security sources and state media reported, a day after a ceasefire banning "offensive military operations" took effect.
Reuters reports that tank fire hit Markaba, Wazani and Kfarchuba, all within two kilometers of the blue line marking the border between Lebanon and Israel. According to a security source, two people were wounded in Markaba.
A truce between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah took effect yesterday (Wednesday) brokered by the US and France, aimed at allowing people from both countries to return to their homes in border areas devastated by 14 months of conflict.
However, managing the return proved complicated, Reuters reports. Israeli troops are still stationed inside Lebanese territory in towns along the border, and the Israeli army on Thursday morning called residents of those towns to be inside the strip this morning.
Reuters adds that there was no immediate comment on the tank fire from Hezbollah or Israel.
Under the terms of the ceasefire, Israeli forces are allowed up to 60 days to withdraw from southern Lebanon. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he had ordered the army to prevent residents from returning to villages near the border.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, Lebanon's chief negotiator in the deal, said on Wednesday that residents could return home.
An Egyptian security delegation is reportedly expected to arrive in Israel to try to reach an agreement on the release of hostages in Gaza and a ceasefire, the Times of Israel reports today.
Citing a media outlet close to Hezbollah, Al Akbar, The Times of Israel reports that Cairo officials will present a "comprehensive vision" for the deal during a visit to Tel Aviv.
It added that the Al Akbar report detailed plans that included calls for a truce that would initially last a month or two and allow for the gradual release of hostages, with priority given to elderly prisoners or those who are ill.
It is also planned to quickly restore the Rafah crossing on the border between Egypt and Gaza to function (under the control of the Palestinian Authority and with Egyptian supervision), and to increase humanitarian aid and medicine for Gaza.
"The report also says that Israel will initially be allowed to maintain its military positions inside Gaza, but without conducting operations. Although not mentioned in the report, it is assumed that the potential agreement includes the release of Palestinian prisoners," reports the Times of Israel.
The United Nations (UN) announced that Israel prevented the delivery of humanitarian aid to northern Gaza, which has been under siege for more than 50 days and is home to about 75 Palestinians.
In a statement released by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), 82 out of 91 attempts by the UN to deliver humanitarian aid to northern Gaza between October 6 and November 25 were rejected.
As Anatolia reports, the chances of survival of around 75 Palestinians living in the cities of Beit Lahia, Beit Hanoun and Jabaliya, which Israel has been under siege since October 5, are at risk.
The report notes that violent attacks continue in the region.
It is said that heavy rain and a drop in temperature in the last three days have negatively affected the living conditions of the local population.
"Thousands of families who have fled besieged areas are in the cold and rain without blankets, beds or waterproof tents," UNRWA said in a statement.
It added that the situation in northern Gaza is "extremely bad".
(MINE)
Bonus video:
