Hezbollah warns Israelis to stay away from army in residential areas

Hezbollah has warned Israelis to stay away from Israeli army sites in residential areas in the north of the country, accusing it of operating in civilian areas.

“The Israeli enemy army uses the homes of [Israeli] settlers in some settlements [towns and cities]” in north Israel and has military bases “inside settlement neighbourhoods in major occupied cities such as Haifa, Tiberias, Acre,” it said in a statement in Arabic and Hebrew.

“We warn the settlers from being near these military gatherings in order to preserve their lives.”

This is similar to the rhetoric used by Israel in the near-nightly evacuation orders it issues on areas of Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, in which it tells civilians that Hezbollah uses them as human shields.

Air raid sirens in Tel Aviv as drones from Lebanon spark alarm

Air raid sirens blared throughout the Tel Aviv area as drones launched from Lebanon made their way towards central Israel. That’s according to Israel’s army.

There were very dramatic videos that showed residents who were concerned as they saw these drones, one drone in particular, cross overhead, and there are questions still about what exactly hit a building in a suburb of Tel Aviv called Herzliya.

There is a video showing that the building was hit, but there were conflicting reports in various Israeli media outlets as to what exactly caused that damage.

Some suggested that perhaps it was one of the drones, others that it was fragments of those drones after being intercepted by Israel’s air defence systems. Other reports still wondered if perhaps that damage might have been caused by an Israeli interceptor missile that had tried to intercept that drone as it was over Herzliya.

This is something that’s going to be causing a lot of concern. The Israeli army has said that the incident is under investigation, so we expect to hear more from the Israeli army as to how exactly these drones got there at a time of heightened concern.

We’ve heard these past few days of more rockets being launched from Lebanon towards either central or northern Israel – something that’s going to make Israelis question just perhaps how vulnerable they are at this particular time.

History repeating, except the US doesn't want to stop it this time

Israel’s forgotten terror

https://www.aljazeera.com/opinions/2024/10/11/israels-forgotten-terror

The International Criminal Court’s (ICJ) January finding of a “plausible genocide” in Gaza and subsequent ruling that Israel is responsible for an apartheid system in the West Bank and East Jerusalem would not have surprised former Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Carter, or indeed Reagan, who famously denounced Israel’s 1982 levelling of West Beirut to Prime Minister Menachem Begin as a “holocaust”.

Israel is the only US ally that has been exercising such oppression and terror for a lifetime.

For many years, consecutive American administrations, both Democratic and Republican, condemned Israel’s recurring practice of terror.

Today, however, the Biden-Harris administration has been supporting these practices to the extreme.


_{An elderly Palestinian refugee wanders through the town of Sabra, in West Beirut, on August 2, 1982, amid extensive destruction caused by 14 hours of artillery bombardment by the Israeli forces the day before}

"The Dahiya Doctrine" — Israel's ILLEGAL Military Plan For Flattening Lebanon And Gaza

On this episode of ‘Mehdi Unfiltered,’ Mehdi explains the Israeli military policy driving its campaigns in Gaza and Lebanon, named after a suburb of Beirut.

“The Dahiya doctrine calls for the Israeli military to intentionally, deliberately, cynically, inflict long-lasting and disproportionate damage onto the enemy, no matter how bad the civilian consequences,” Mehdi says. “Exactly what we’re seeing in Lebanon now, and in Gaza for the past year.”

Mehdi does a deep dive into the history behind the policy, which mainstream US media has failed to bring attention to.

Nicaragua breaks diplomatic ties with ‘fascist’ Israel

The government of Nicaragua has broken diplomatic relations with Israel, with the Central American nation accusing the Israeli government of being “fascist” and “genocidal”.

Nicaragua’s government said the break was due to Israel’s attacks on Palestinian territories, adding the conflict now also “extends against Lebanon and gravely threatens Syria, Yemen and Iran”.

Earlier on Friday, Nicaragua’s congress passed a resolution calling on President Daniel Ortega’s administration, an ally of Iran, to break ties with Israel to coincide with the one-year anniversary of the Gaza war.

Nicaragua cutting ties with Israel latest expression of Palestinian solidarity: Analyst

Danny Shaw, professor of Latin American and Caribbean studies and international affairs analyst, said Nicaragua cutting off diplomatic ties with Israel was not its first show of support for the plight of Palestinians.

Nicaragua’s Vice President Rosario Murillo called the Israeli government “fascist” and “genocidal” on Friday as her government said diplomatic relations were being cut due to Israel’s attacks on Palestinian territory.

“It is not the first time that they have made these international moves. They brought Germany and the other Western supporters of the Israeli genocide to the International Criminal Court a few months ago. In the 1980s, when Nicaragua was subjected to a ‘dirty war’ from the United States, they brought the US as well to the International Court of Justice,” Shaw told Al Jazeera.

“Nicaragua is not alone. We’ve seen the Colombians. The Venezuelans. The Bolivians. The Cubans and many other countries in the Americas break relations with the Israeli government. These are countries that know colonialism and neo-colonialism quite well and that’s why they are showing solidarity with the Palestinians,” Shaw said.

_{A pro-Palestinian activist wears a T-shirt with an image of Latin American revolutionary leader Che Guevara during a march towards the UN building in Managua, Nicaragua}

Until international law has ‘teeth’, Israel will continue to ‘mock’ courts: Analyst

More from Danny Shaw, professor of Latin American and Caribbean studies and international affairs analyst.

Noting that several other countries in the Americas had – like Nicaragua – broken diplomatic relations over Israel’s war on Gaza, Shaw also said that international condemnation without material sanction would not stop Israel’s aggression.

“Until human rights law and international law actually has teeth it means nothing,” Shaw told Al Jazeera.

“The Israelis and all of their Western backers – the Germans, the French, the English, and of course, the US government of Biden and Harris, which is the most guilty, because they continue to send tens of billions of dollars for ethnic cleansing, for apartheid, for this genocide; until there is actual material force. Until there is military force, the courts really mean nothing. Israelis mock them,” he said.

“But what is clear, is that in the court of international, global opinion, the world is quite aware that this is a genocide happening under our noses,” he added.

Nicaragua joins list of countries to break off diplomatic ties with Israel

Spanish PM says he won’t ‘sit idly by’ when faced with Middle East crisis

Pedro Sanchez said that not acting in the face of spiralling conflict in the Middle East would be “unforgivable, morally and politically”.

“It would call into question the essence of the European project and the principles of international law and international humanitarian law. And we are not willing to do that,” the Spanish prime minister wrote on X.

“We will continue to raise our voice in defence of peace and against those who seek to establish a new order based on force,” he added.

Previously, we reported that Sanchez, speaking at a summit of European and Mediterranean leaders in Cyprus on Friday, had called Israel’s attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon “totally unacceptable”

More than 100 states sign letter of support for UN chief after Israeli travel ban

UN member states have signed a letter condemning Israel’s recent declaration of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as “persona non grata”.

In a strong show of support for the UN’s chief, 105 states signed the letter that expresses “deep concern” and condemns the recent announcement by Israel’s foreign minister that Guterres was banned from entering Israel.

“Such actions undermine the United Nations’ ability to carry out its mandate, which includes mediating conflicts and providing humanitarian support,” the signatories said.

“We affirm our full support and confidence in the Secretary-General and his work … As member states of the United Nations, we call for respect for the UN’s leadership and its mission,” they said.

The joint statement, which was spearheaded by Chile, Brazil, Colombia, South Africa, Uganda, Indonesia, Spain, Guyana and Mexico, follows after the UN Security Council recently expressed backing for the secretary-general.

The 15-member council said in a statement that “any decision not to engage with the UN Secretary-General or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East”.

UN expert says ‘no one takes the Israeli government seriously’: Report

Speaking to Lebanese news outlet Al Mayadeen, Chris Sidoti was reported as saying that “no one takes the Israeli government or its delegation seriously on anything they say, as they lie and their comments on the report are lies”.

Sidoti, speaking ahead of a damning report set to be published by the UN’s Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, of which he is a member, also accused Israel of “targeting and destroying the healthcare sector and its workers in Gaza”.

Sidoti said the evidence “clearly indicates deliberate, targeted attacks” by Israel on Gaza’s healthcare system, saying this was aimed at “its destruction”. He said these actions amount to “a war crime and a crime against humanity”.

The Commission of Inquiry report will be presented to the UN General Assembly on October 30.

_{Members of the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, left to right: Chris Sidoti, Navanethem Pillay and Miloon Kothari attend a news briefing at UN headquarters in New York in 2022}

US envoy says Israel’s bombing campaign in Beirut ‘needs to stop’

Amos Hochstein told Lebanese television channel LBC from Washington that the US is working “nonstop” towards a ceasefire in the country. “We want the whole conflict to end,” said the US diplomat, who has been tasked with de-escalating tensions along the Israel-Lebanon border.

Hochstein also said Israeli strikes on central Beirut on Thursday, which killed 22 people, were “totally unacceptable”.

“We have a continued [Israeli] campaign of bombing in Beirut. It needs to stop,” Hochstein said. “We’re trying to bring this bombing to a close. We don’t like this campaign of bombings in densely populated Beirut.”

Then stop giving Israel the green light to continue... Actions speak louder than words.

Iraqi armed group claims drone attack on northern Israel

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said it launched a drone attack on a “vital target” in the occupied Golan Heights in northern Israel, without offering further details. “We, the Islamic Resistance, confirm that operations to destroy enemy strongholds will continue at an increasing pace,” the coalition of Iran-aligned militias in Iraq said.

It is not known if there were any casualties or damage from the reported drone raid. Israel is yet to acknowledge the attack.

Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims second drone attack on Israel

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq says it used a drone to attack a “vital target” in the occupied Golan Heights. The umbrella group of Iran-aligned forces also released a video of launching a drone earlier this morning. There have been no reports about potential impact so far.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry says 60 people killed in 24-hours of attacks up to Friday

Lebanon’s Health Ministry said on Friday that 60 people had been killed and 168 wounded in Israeli attacks over the previous 24 hours, The Associated Press reports. Those deaths bring the overall toll in Lebanon for people killed in the past year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah to 2,229 killed and 10,380 wounded, the ministry said.

Lebanon’s crisis response unit also recorded 57 air strikes and incidents of shelling in the same 24-hour period, mostly concentrated in southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and the Bekaa Valley.

Some 1,032 centres – including educational complexes, vocational institutes, universities and other institutions – are now sheltering 187,000 people, including 39,000 families, displaced by the Israeli ground offensive in the south, the response unit reports. Among the shelters, 837 have now reached full capacity.

Iran parliament speaker visits Israeli attack site in central Beirut: Report

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has visited the site accompanied by two Hezbollah legislators, according to the AFP news agency.

The Israeli air raid on Thursday night in the densely populated Basta area killed at least 22 people. It had targeted the Lebanese group’s security chief Wafiq Safa, but his fate remains unknown, according to multiple reports quoting Hezbollah sources.

Iran says it will send aid to Lebanon if Beirut air corridor can be opened

Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf has reiterated his promise that Tehran stands by the people, government and resistance forces of Lebanon amid Israeli attacks.

“Iran is ready to help the war-stricken, displaced and wounded people under the supervision of the Lebanese government and send assistance if an air corridor can be opened by the government for Beirut,” he said following a meeting with Lebanese Parliament Speaker and Amal Movement leader Nabih Berri.

“Iran will certainly continue to support all decisions taken by the people, government and resistance in this period.”

In a symbolic move, the former air force commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) personally piloted the plane that got him to the Rafic Hariri International Airport as fires and smoke resulting from the latest Israeli attacks could be seen.

_{Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, centre, visits the site of Thursday’s deadly Israeli air attack in Beirut, Lebanon, October 12}

Hezbollah launches dozens of rockets on Israel: Army

The Israeli military says its air defences took down about 32 rockets that crossed into the country from Lebanon. The army, reporting the incidents in the Haifa area and other parts of northern Israel in two separate statements, said aerial warning sirens were activated during the attacks.

Some of the rockets were intercepted, and others fell in open areas, the army added. No casualties were reported.

‘Hezbollah attacks military targets deeper in Israel'

There has been a shift in the way Hezbollah is attacking targets inside Israel. We saw that warnings were issued by Hezbollah to residents inside Israel, saying if people live near military installations or their buildings are used by the army, they will be targeted.

Throughout the day today, we have seen statements from the Israeli army on sirens going off in various parts of the country. The attacks are not just directed at border towns but deeper into Israel, aiming at specific military targets.

These areas were not particularly targeted before Israel started its offensive against Lebanon.

Almost half of all primary healthcare centres in Lebanon conflict areas closed: WHO

Of 207 primary healthcare centres in conflict areas in Lebanon, 100 are now closed due to Israeli military attacks, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Five hospitals have been shut as a result of structural damage following Israeli attacks, the organisation said, calling for attacks on health workers and facilities that have killed almost 100 people to stop.

“The number of people injured is increasing. The health system is struggling to cope due to limited human and resource capacity,” the WHO said.

‘Alarming’ Israeli attacks in north Lebanon

In the last 15 or so minutes, we heard about an air strike in the north of Lebanon, far from where I’m standing, far from the southern suburbs. And it’s only the second time that Israel has struck in the north.

This air strike took place in Deir Billa, which is in the Batroun district. This is going to be very alarming to Lebanese people who already think that … this isn’t a war against Hezbollah, but this is a war against Lebanon. There was a strike last week in the north, in the Bedouin Palestinian refugee camp. That’s slightly north of the main town there of Tripoli.

Here in the south, we’ve seen 10 Israeli air strikes across the western part of southern Lebanon, including the town of Khiam, which has been hit multiple times.

But now, what people are going to be very worried about is the geographical reach of the Israeli fighter jets. They’re now striking targets in the north, and that is going to be very alarming, not just for Lebanese people, but for the Lebanese government and the Lebanese army.

UNIFIL says fifth peacekeeper wounded in Lebanon

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) says unknown gunfire a day earlier hit a peacekeeper, the fifth wounded in southern Lebanon near the Israeli border in just two days.

“Last night, a peacekeeper at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura was hit by gunfire due to ongoing military activity nearby,” a statement on X said, adding that the peacekeeper was “stable” after having a surgery.

“We do not yet know the origin of the fire,” it added.

Statement:
 
Last night, a peacekeeper at UNIFIL’s headquarters in Naqoura was hit by gunfire due to ongoing military activity nearby. He underwent surgery at our Naqoura hospital to remove the bullet and is currently stable. We do not yet know the origin of the fire.

— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) October 12, 2024

Israel will ‘drag region deeper into the abyss of an all-out war’

Israel needs to be stopped by the UN Security Council to prevent it from dragging the region into an all-out war, Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi says.

He said Chapter VII of the UN Charter must be invoked to “force Israel to comply with international law and immediately end all its illegal wars” in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and Lebanon, referencing a framework that allows the UN Security Council to impose sanctions or in extreme cases even military force to guard against threats to peace.

Safadi wrote in a post on X that Netanyahu and his far-right ministers must be held accountable to end Israeli impunity, and called on all nations to stop sending arms to Israel that are now being used against civilians, UN peacekeepers, journalists and medics across the Middle East.

“Otherwise, this radical Israeli government will further undermine the credibility of international law and institutions, and drag the region deeper into the abyss of an all out regional war, whose consequences will reverberate far beyond the borders of the region.”

Iran bans pagers, walkie-talkies on flights after Lebanon attacks

Iran has banned pagers and walkie-talkies on all flights, according to local media reports, weeks after deadly sabotage attacks in Lebanon that were blamed on Israel.

“The entry of any electronic communication device, except mobile phones, in flight cabins or … in non-accompanied cargo, has been banned,” semi-official ISNA news agency reported, citing the spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, Jafar Yazerlo.

The decision came three weeks after the sabotage attacks targeting members of the Iran-allied Hezbollah group in Lebanon that saw pagers and walkie-talkies explode, killing at least 39 people.

Nearly 3,000 others were wounded in the attack, which Iran and Hezbollah blamed on Israel, including Tehran’s ambassador to Lebanon Mojtaba Amani. Earlier this month, Dubai-based airline Emirates banned pagers and walkie-talkies on board its planes.

Norway slams Israel’s ‘brutal warfare’ in Gaza

Norway has slammed Israel’s “brutal warfare” in Gaza, accusing it of violating the rules of war.

“Israel’s brutal warfare in Gaza includes indiscriminate and disproportionate attacks, as well as measures that prevent the population from receiving humanitarian aid. This is in violation of the rules of war,” Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide said in a statement.

“Civilians, the sick and wounded must receive protection, food and essential medical assistance.”

Emphasising that a ceasefire, release of the captives and enough emergency aid for the people of Gaza are important first steps, adding that “only a two-state solution and respect for international law can provide lasting stability and security in the Middle East”.