Live: Thousands return home as Lebanon ceasefire takes hold
Live Updates
The Israeli army issued new bombing threats for buildings in Beirut's southern suburbs, particularly in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood.
The army also threatened the entire southern Lebanese town of Halta, telling residents to leave their homes immediately.
#عاجل إلى جميع السكان المتواجدين في منطقة الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا في المباني المحددة في الخرائط المرفقة والمباني المجاورة لها في حارة حريك
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) November 25, 2024
⭕️أنتم تتواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله حيث سيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع بقوة على المدى الزمني القريب
⭕️من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة… pic.twitter.com/4QQZGh2QhS
Israeli Army Radio reports that former Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, is set to travel to the US, less than a week after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and leading Hamas figure Mohammed Deif.
The ICC accuses Netanyahu and Gallant of using starvation as a method of warfare as well as crimes against humanity of murder, persecution and other inhumane acts.
US officials have mostly rejected the ruling, and the US is not a state party to the ICC, meaning it does not have to comply with the arrest warrant.
The Israeli army said that some 20 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards Israel's Upper Galilee and Western Galilee areas on Monday morning.
The military says it intercepted some rockets, but others have impacted inside Israel.
Medical services said one man was injured with shrapnel wounds in Nahariya.
Lebanon and Israel are on the verge of agreeing to a ceasefire deal, two senior Israeli officials and two US officials told Axios.
The US reportedly agreed to give Israel a letter of assurances that includes "support for Israeli military action against imminent threats from Lebanese territory, and for action to disrupt things like the re-establishment of a Hezbollah military presence near the border or the smuggling of heavy weapons".
Israel would take such actions after consultations with the US, and if the Lebanese army had not dealt with the issue first.
An issue may arise after the International Criminal Court's issuance of arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, as France, a country Lebanon wants involved in the ceasefire process, said that it would respect the court's decision.
Axios says that US President Joe Biden spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron to tell him Netanyahu was "right" to be angry about France's position on the ICC warrants.
Human Rights Watch released a report which says that Israel's 25 October strike which killed three journalists in Hasbaya, south Lebanon was an apparent war crime.
The Israeli army used an air-dropped bomb equipped with a US-produced Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) guidance kit, the report says.
"Israel’s use of US arms to unlawfully attack and kill journalists away from any military target is a terrible mark on the United States as well as Israel," said Richard Weir, senior crisis, conflict and arms researcher at Human Rights Watch. "The Israeli military’s previous deadly attacks on journalists without any consequences give little hope for accountability in this or future violations against the media."
HRW found no evidence of fighting, military forces, or military activity in the resort the journalists were sleeping in, and said the Israeli army "knew or should have known that journalists were staying in the area and in the targeted building".
New @HRW report finds that an Israeli strike that killed 3 journalists in Lebanon, using US weapons, is an apparent war crime
— Ramzi Kaiss / رمزي قيس (@kaiss_ramzi) November 25, 2024
The US should suspend arm sales to Israel because of its unlawful attacks, for which US officials may be complicit in war crimeshttps://t.co/192UkTN6ku pic.twitter.com/x8Megzka4F
Good morning Middle East Eye readers,
Here are the latest updates:
- Lebanon's education ministry has suspended in-person classes in Beirut's schools until January, citing safety concerns after a series of Israeli strikes over the past week
- Fierce clashes are being reported between Hezbollah and Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, as battles rage on around Khiam, on the eastern side of the border and the outskirts of al-Bayyada on the western side
- Three people were killed by an Israeli strike on Zebqine, in south Lebanon's Tyre district
- Cold and rainy weather is making it more difficult for displaced Palestinians in Gaza, as tents are getting damaged or flooded
- Israeli forces shot dead a 13-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man in the town of Yabad in the occupied West Bank
Our liveblog will shortly be closing until tomorrow morning.
Here are today's key developments:
-Hundreds of sirens sounded in Israel on Sunday after Hezbollah launched its largest air attack yet, with drones and rockets reaching into Tel Aviv. 11 Israeli soldiers and at least two civilians sustained injuries.
-This followed heavy Israeli air raids on Beirut's southern suburbs, which took place in two prolonged phases on Sunday. Israeli forces say they were targeting Hezbollah's weapons facilities.
-Hezbollah late on Sunday said it carried out 51 different operations both inside Israel - reaching a distance of 150 km - and inside Lebanon against Israeli forces. The most targeted areas were towns and settlements inside Israel, as well as gatherings of Israeli troops. The most commonly used weapon was a surface-to-surface rocket, the group said.
-The United Arab Emirates on Sunday arrested three suspects in the killing of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, its state news agency said. Rabbi Zvi Kogan had recited the remembrance prayer at the UAE's first ever Holocaust commemoration in 2021. His body was found earlier on Sunday. No motive has yet been disclosed, but condemnations have rolled in from Tel Aviv and Washington, where both governments are lending their expertise to the investigation.
-The Lebanese health ministry says its death toll from Israeli attacks thus far is 3,754 since 8 October 2023. Another 15,626 people have been wounded during this period.
- The Gaza health ministry says 44,211 have been killed by Israel since 7 October 2023. Additionally, 104,567 people have been wounded.
A statement released late on Sunday by the White House National Security Council condemns "in the strongest terms" the murder of an Israeli rabbi in the UAE, and calls the act "an assault on UAE and its rejection of violent extremism."
"The United States is working in close coordination with Israeli and UAE authorities, and we have offered all appropriate forms of support," the statement says. "We commend the rapid efforts of UAE authorities who now have suspects in custody. Those who carried out this crime, and anyone supporting them, must be held fully accountable."
No motive has yet been disclosed for the 28-year-old's murder.
Hezbollah has released an infographic detailing its military operations against Israel on Sunday.
The group said it carried out 51 different operations both inside Israel - reaching a distance of 150 km - and inside Lebanon against Israeli forces.
The most targeted areas were towns and settlements inside Israel, as well as gatherings of Israeli troops.
The most commonly used weapon was a surface-to-surface rocket.
Al-Araby TV's correspondent in Baabda, in western Lebanon, reports that a heavy Israeli air raid on Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday targeted 12 facilities in the area that Israeli forces say belong to Hezbollah.
The air strikes, which took place in two phases on Sunday, ended just before midnight local time in Lebanon.
سلاح الجو الإسرائيلي يشن موجة جديدة من الغارات على ضاحية #بيروت الجنوبية.. ماذا في التفاصيل؟@ahmedalhussien pic.twitter.com/tlRAcQ3qaV
— التلفزيون العربي (@AlarabyTV) November 24, 2024
A group of Turkish activists has been staging a sit-in for over 75 days outside Istanbul's Port of Haydarpasa to protest against the government’s decision to block an aid vessel from departing for Gaza.
Organised by the Mavi Marmara Freedom and Solidarity Association, the demonstrations began after the Turkish port authorities barred the association from entering the harbour and accessing their aid boat, dubbed the Conscience.
“This decision is a disgrace in the country’s maritime history,” said the association’s chairman, Behesti Ismail Songur.
“Entry to the ship is being blocked arbitrarily, and even the crew is being prevented from boarding. No accusations, court decisions, or legal proceedings justify this. The fact that this obstruction comes from Turkey’s ministry of transport is a political disgrace.”
Read more: There is growing public pressure against the government of Recep Tayyip Erdogan to take further action against Israel over its assault on the Gaza Strip
500 air raid sirens sounded across northern and central Israel on Sunday, sending up to four million Israelis to underground bunkers, Aljazeera reported on Sunday, citing announcements from Israeli forces.
This follows Hezbollah's largest attack yet on Sunday, reaching the capital Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah is believed to have launched more than 400 rockets and drones, leading to the injury of 11 Israeli forces and some civilians.
An Israeli official told the Reuters news agency on Sunday that the killing of a Moldovan-Israeli rabbi in the UAE was "targeted" and "antisemitic" because he was a prominent Jew.
The official said that Zvi Kogan was last seen at a kosher supermarker in Dubai on 21 November. His body was discovered on Sunday, and Emirati authorities have arrested three suspects.
The Israeli official told Reuters that Israel does not yet know their identities, but that Israeli intelligence and several agencies are working on the case.
Kogan's body is expected to be flown to Israel on Monday. He was 28 years old, and had previously been in the Israeli forces within the Givati infantry brigade.
The Lebanese broadcaster Al-Jadeed is reporting that immediate expulsion orders have been issued by Israel for the following areas in Lebanon's south: Ghobeiry, Burj al-Barajneh, Haret Hreik, and Hadath.
This follows a barrage of rockets and drones fired by Hezbollah toward Tel Aviv earlier on Sunday, wounding some Israelis.
تهديد إسرائيلي جديد إلى سكان الضاحية الجنوبية تحديداً في الغبيري برج البراجنة حارة حريك والحدث لضرورة الإخلاء فوراً
— Al Jadeed News (@ALJADEEDNEWS) November 24, 2024
The United Arab Emirates on Sunday arrested three suspects in the killing of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, its state news agency said.
Rabbi Zvi Kogan had recited the remembrance prayer at the UAE's first ever Holocaust commemoration in 2021. His body was found earlier on Sunday.
"Full details about the incident will be provided when the investigations are completed,” Emirati authorities said.
