Tuesday, November 26, 2024
11:35 GMT –– Israel hits south Beirut hours before truce deal announcement
Strikes hit south Beirut following calls by the Israeli military to leave the area, as Israel prepares to decide whether to accept a proposed ceasefire in its war with the Lebanese group.
A rocket fired from Lebanon caused heavy damage in an Israeli settlement in northern Israel, local media reported.
Israeli Channel 12 said five rockets were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Upper Galilee in northern Israel.
11:00 GMT — Israel will show zero tolerance to any infraction of Lebanon ceasefire, defence minister says
Israel demands effective UN enforcement of an eventual ceasefire deal with Lebanon and will show "zero tolerance" toward any infraction, Defence Minister Israel Katz has said.
"Any house in southern Lebanon that is rebuilt and established as a terrorist base will be destroyed, every armament and terrorist regrouping will be struck, every attempt to smuggle weapons will be thwarted and any threat to our forces or to Israeli citizens will be destroyed immediately," Katz told the UN's special coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.
10:28 GMT — UN demands 'permanent ceasefire' in Lebanon, Gaza, Israel
The UN rights chief is gravely concerned over the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon and wants a "permanent ceasefire" there and in war-ravaged Gaza, his spokesman said Tuesday.
"The high commissioner reiterates his call for an immediate ceasefire to put an end to the killings and the destruction," Jeremy Laurence, a spokesman for Volker Turk, told reporters in Geneva.
His comment came as Israel's security cabinet was due to meet to vote on a proposed ceasefire with Hezbollah in its war in Lebanon, with the White House voicing optimism that a deal was close.
09:49 GMT — Gaza death toll rises to 44,249 in Israel's war
More than 44,249 Palestinians have been killed and 104,746 injured in Israel's invasion on Gaza since Oct. 7, 2023, Palestine's health ministry in the enclave has said in a statement.
It also added that the number of wounded has risen to 104,746 while thousands of victims are still under the rubble.
09:14 GMT — Lebanese FM hopes for ceasefire with Israel by Tuesday night
Lebanon's foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib said he hoped a ceasefire to end fighting between Israel and Lebanese group Hezbollah would be agreed later on Tuesday.
He said the Lebanese army would be ready to have at least 5,000 troops deployed in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw, and that the United States could play a role in rebuilding infrastructure destroyed by Israeli strikes.
08:45 GMT — Strikes hit south Beirut after Israel evacuation call: report
Strikes hit south Beirut following calls by the Israeli military to evacuate the Hezbollah bastion, as Israel prepares to decide whether to accept a proposed ceasefire in its war with the Lebanese group.
AFPTV footage showed multiple plumes of smoke rising above Beirut's southern suburbs.
08:23 GMT — Israeli Cabinet set to vote on Lebanon ceasefire deal
The Israeli Cabinet is set to convene to vote on a US-backed ceasefire proposal with Lebanon, Israeli media has said.
The Israeli public broadcaster KAN said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu intends to approve the ceasefire deal with Lebanon through the Security Cabinet, not the government.
KAN said that approving the deal does not require the consent of the Knesset (Israel's parliament).
08:06 GMT — EU states must comply with ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu: Borrell
EU member states should fulfil their obligations on international law by complying with the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu, the EU foreign policy chief has said.
Drawing attention to the fact that all EU members are parties to the Rome Convention, which founded the International Criminal Court (ICC), Josep Borrell said: “You cannot pick and choose. You cannot uphold when the court goes against Putin and remain silent when the court goes against Netanyahu.”
07:28 GMT — EU's Borrell urges Israel to accept Lebanon ceasefire 'today'
The European Union's foreign policy chief has urged the Israeli government to back a proposed ceasefire deal in Lebanon which he said has all the necessary security guarantees for Israel.
Speaking at a G7 Foreign Ministers meeting in Italy, Josep Borrell said there was no excuse for not implementing the deal with Iran-backed Hezbollah, adding pressure should be exerted on Israel to approve it immediately.
"Let's hope that today (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu will approve the ceasefire agreement proposed by the US and France. No more excuses. No more additional requests," Borrell said, criticising hard-line Israeli ministers who have spoken against the deal.
07:00 GMT — Israeli forces raid Birzeit University in West Bank, arrest 2 Palestinian students
Israeli army forces raided the Birzeit University in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah and detained at least two students, a local source has said.
The source added that Israeli forces vandalised the student union offices on campus and destroyed the university’s western gate.
06:22 GMT — Overnight Israeli air strike kills 11 Palestinians in Gaza City
Eleven Palestinians have been killed and others injured in overnight Israeli air strikes and artillery shelling in Gaza Governorate.
WAFA's correspondent reported that six people, including women and children, were killed and others injured in an air strike targeting the Jadba family's home near Al Rahma Mosque in the Zarka area of Al Tuffah neighbourhood, northeast Gaza City.
Earlier, two Palestinians were killed and others injured in artillery shelling on Kashku Street in the Abrar area, east of the Al Zaytoun neighbourhood, southeast Gaza City.
05:33 GMT — Lebanon lawmaker says ceasefire deal with Israel close
A ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and Israel is nearing completion and could be declared within the next 36 hours if negotiations proceed smoothly, a Lebanese parliamentarian has said.
"The atmosphere is positive, and ceasefire discussions have reached an advanced stage. It’s only a matter of hours before an agreement is finalised and announced if progress continues as expected," Qassem Hashem told Anadolu Agency.
The development coincides with reports that Israel's security cabinet will convene on Tuesday to approve a ceasefire deal with Hezbollah.
05:00 GMT — US rejects parity between ICC warrants for Russian, Israeli officials
The US has defended its differing stances on the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Russian and Israeli officials, asserting that the two cases are fundamentally distinct.
"I don't think there is any equivalence between the case that the ICC has brought against Russia and the case that it has brought against Israel," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters when asked about the difference in the US approach to the ICC's arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin and its arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.
He highlighted significant differences between the two countries, saying that "Russia is not a democracy, does not have a functioning, independent legal system, and is not investigating violations of international humanitarian law by its soldiers."
For our live updates from Monday, November 25, 2024, click here.
