Israel
Israel says top Hezbollah official was killed in Beirut airstrike earlier this month
The Israeli military said Tuesday that a top Hezbollah official who had been widely expected to be the group’s next leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike in southern Beirut in early October. There was no immediate confirmation from the militant group about the fate of Hashem Safieddine, a powerful cleric who was expected to succeed Hassan Nasrallah, one of the group’s founders. Safieddine was killed in an Israeli airstrike in early October in a strike that also killed 25 other Hezbollah leaders, according to Israel, whose airstrikes in southern Lebanon in recentRead more
Israel offers Hamas ceasefire proposal that could end war in Gaza, Biden says
Israel has presented Hamas with a truce proposal that could immediately lead to a six-week ceasefire in Gaza, after the United States said the deal could pave the way to ending the war after nearly eight months. The first of the deal’s three phases would see Israeli forces fully withdraw from all “populated areas” of Gaza and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners — including women, children and the elderly — released from captivity. Palestinian families would be able to return to their homes, if they still stand, and aid deliveries to the devastated enclave would “surge” to 600Read more
Hamas agreement, public protests put pressure on Israel to reach ceasefire deal
After 24 hours of fast-breaking and often contradictory actions by both Hamas and Israel’s government, a ceasefire in their catastrophic seven-month war still feels distant. Yet a flurry of diplomatic activity could put the two sides closer to a deal than they’ve been in months. When the news broke Monday afternoon that Hamas’s leadership in Qatar had agreed to the terms of an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire, Israel’s government appeared caught off-guard. The immediate reaction from Israeli media commentators was that it was a “trap” — not a sincere gesture, but ratherRead more
Columbia University starts suspending Israel-Hamas war protesters who won’t leave encampment
Protesters and police clashed Monday at the University of Texas in a confrontation that resulted in dozens of arrests, and Columbia University began issuing suspensions as colleges around the U.S. begged pro-Palestinian demonstrators to clear out tent encampments as commencement ceremonies approach. From coast to coast, demonstrators are sparring over the Israel-Hamas war and its mounting death toll, and the number of arrests at campuses nationwide is approaching 1,000 as the final days of class wrap up. The outcry is forcing colleges to reckon with their financial ties to Israel,Read more
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claim deadly attack they say targeted Israeli installation in Iraq
Civilians were killed in attack condemned by U.S., France but not yet acknowledged by Israel Iran fired missiles late Monday at what it claimed were Israeli “spy headquarters” near the U.S. Consulate in the northern Iraqi city of Erbil, and at targets linked to the extremist group Islamic State in northern Syria. Four civilians were killed and six injured after missiles hit an upscale area near the consulate in Erbil, the seat of Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdish region, according to the security council of the Kurdish regional government. Iran’s Revolutionary GuardsRead more