Israeli defence minister says ‘there will be no ceasefire’ in Lebanon
Israel’s newly appointed defence minister, Israel Katz, says “there will be no ceasefire and there will be no break in the strikes against Hezbollah” in Lebanon.
But Katz told a forum of top military generals: “If the possibility arises and a good proposal is put forward that would allow us to claim victory, … we will certainly consider it very seriously.”
Earlier, Israel’s new foreign minister said there has been “certain progress” in efforts to end the fighting with Hezbollah. But a spokesman for the armed group said it hadn’t received any official proposal and is prepared to wage a long war if needed.
Israeli forces have killed at least 3,243 people and wounded 14,134 since the hostilities between Hezbollah and the Israeli army started on October 8, 2023.
Israeli air strike on Lebanon’s Saksakieh kills seven
An Israeli air raid on the town of Saksakiyeh, in southern Lebanon, has killed at least seven people and injured seven others, the Health Ministry said in a statement.
Israeli strike on village in Lebanon’s far north kills or injures 28
Lebanese state-run media says Israel struck a house in the northern Akkar region, one of the farthest attacks from the border in its war on the country, causing casualties among 28 people.
“An enemy strike targeted a house in the village of Ain Yaacoub,” some 150km (93 miles) from Israel, said Lebanon’s official National News Agency.
Local officials said displaced people, Syrian nationals, and local citizens lived there and it was the northernmost Israeli attack since Israel launched a full-blown war in September.
Mayor Majed Drbes says at least 14 people were killed and 15 others wounded. The strike on Ain Yaaqoub hit a building where 30 people were residing. Some people are still trapped under the rubble, said Drbes.
Earlier, an Israeli bombing of Saksakiyeh, in Sidon district, killed at least seven and injured seven more, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.
Israel’s military builds along UN-patrolled demilitarised zone in Syria
Israel has begun a construction project along the so-called Alpha Line that separates the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights from Syria, apparently laying asphalt for a road right along the border, satellite photos analysed by The Associated Press show.
Israeli troops entered the demilitarised zone during the work, the United Nations confirmed, a violation of ceasefire rules governing the area.
The work, which earlier satellite photos show began in late September, follows the completion by the Israeli military of new roadways and what appears to be a buffer zone along the Gaza Strip’s frontier with Israel.
The Israeli military also began demolishing villages in Lebanon where United Nations peacekeepers have come under fire.
So far, there has been no major violence along the Alpha Line, which delineates the demilitarised zone between Syria and Israeli-occupied territory that United Nations peacekeepers have patrolled since 1974.
This satellite image shows Israeli forces’ work digging along the Alpha Line
