By James Mackenzie, Nidal al-Mughrabi and Samia Nakhoul JERUSALEM/CAIRO (Reuters) – Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group said on Friday it was moving to a new and escalating phase in its war against Israel while Iran said “the spirit of resistance will be strengthened” after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. Sinwar, a mastermind of the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the Gaza war, was killed during an operation by Israeli soldiers in the Palestinian […]
Tag: Palestinians
Israel says it has secured $8.7 billion U.S. aid package
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Israel said on Thursday it had secured an $8.7 billion aid package from the United States to support its ongoing military efforts and to maintain a qualitative military edge in the region. The package includes $3.5 billion for essential wartime procurement, which has already been received and earmarked for critical military purchases, and $5.2 billion designated for air defense systems including the Iron Dome anti-missile system, David’s Sling and an advanced laser […]
Israel rejects US-backed Lebanon ceasefire plan, hits Beirut again
By Timour Azhari and James Mackenzie BEIRUT/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel rejected global calls on Thursday for a ceasefire with the Hezbollah movement, defying its biggest ally in Washington and pressing ahead with strikes that have killed hundreds in Lebanon and heightened fears of an all-out regional war. Despite Israel’s stance, the U.S. and France sought to keep prospects alive for an immediate 21-day truce they proposed on Wednesday, and said negotiations continued, including on the sidelines […]
Blinken says US, partners working tirelessly to avoid full-blown war in Lebanon
By Humeyra Pamuk NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Wednesday the risk of escalation in the Middle East was “acute” and that Washington and its allies were working tirelessly to avoid a full-blown war between Israel and Iran-aligned Lebanese armed group Hezbollah. “With regard to Lebanon, we’ve been working tirelessly with partners to avoid a full-blown war and to move to a diplomatic process that would allow Israelis and […]
Israeli security services arrest Israeli man over alleged Iranian-backed assassination plot
By James Mackenzie JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli security services said on Thursday they had arrested an Israeli citizen on suspicion of involvement in an Iranian-backed assassination plot targeting prominent people including the prime minister. A statement said the person was a businessman with connections in Turkey who had attended at least two meetings in Iran to discuss the possibility of assassinating Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant or the head of the Shin Bet […]
Hezbollah devices explode again in Lebanon, raising fears of wider Israel conflict
By Laila Bassam and Maya Gebeily BEIRUT (Reuters) -Hand-held radios used by Lebanese armed group Hezbollah detonated on Wednesday across Lebanon’s south, further stoking tensions with Israel a day after similar explosions hit the group’s pagers. Lebanon’s health ministry said 14 people were killed and about 450 injured on Wednesday in Beirut’s suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, while the death toll from Tuesday’s explosions rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured. Israeli […]
Israel shares video of cramped, bloody tunnel where hostages were held and killed
By Maayan Lubell JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Blood on the ground of a dark, cramped tunnel sealed by an iron door, bullets and a chess set are seen in a video released by the Israeli military of the passageway deep underground where it said six slain hostages were held and killed by Hamas. The video was filmed by the military last Friday, its spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said, as a forensic team investigated the hostage […]
Massive protests hit Israel after six hostages killed in Gaza
By Emily Rose and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Massive protests swept Israel on Sunday following the death of six hostages in Gaza as frustration mounted over the failure of the country’s leadership to secure a ceasefire deal that would free Israeli captives. Crowds estimated by Israeli media to number up to 500,000 strong demonstrated in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities, demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu do more to bring home the remaining […]
Israel recovers six hostage bodies in Gaza as polio vaccinations start
By Ari Rabinovitch and Nidal al-Mughrabi JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in southern Gaza where they were apparently killed not long before Israeli troops reached them, the military said on Sunday. The Israeli military announced the recovery of the bodies from underground in the southern city of Rafah as a polio vaccination campaign began in the war-shattered territory and violence flared in the occupied West Bank. The bodies […]
Israel recovers bodies of six hostages in Gaza, including Goldberg-Polin
By Ari Rabinovitch and Stephanie Kelly JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel recovered the bodies of six hostages from a tunnel in southern Gaza where they were apparently killed not long before Israeli troops reached them, the military said on Sunday. “According to our initial estimation, they were brutally murdered by Hamas terrorists a short time before we reached them,” military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari told reporters in a briefing. The bodies of Carmel Gat, Hersh Goldberg-Polin, […]
UN food agency suspends staff movement in Gaza after vehicle fired on
By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) -The United Nations World Food Programme temporarily suspended movement of its employees across the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, saying at least 10 bullets struck one of its clearly marked vehicles as it approached an Israeli military checkpoint. WFP said in a statement that a convoy of two armoured vehicles received “multiple clearances by Israeli authorities to approach” the Wadi Gaza bridge checkpoint on Tuesday evening. Bullets hit one of […]
Israeli military rescues hostage from Gaza tunnel
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli special forces have recovered an Israeli hostage from a tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip in “a complex rescue operation”, the military said on Tuesday, more than 10 months after he was abducted by Hamas-led gunmen on Oct. 7. It said 52 year-old Qaid Farhan Alkadi, a member of the Bedouin community in southern Israel, had been transferred to hospital and his condition was stable. Military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said […]





