• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned the Lebanese people they face falling “into the abyss of a long war,” as his country escalates its offensive against Hezbollah. Israeli forces have hoisted Israel’s flag on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese border village of Maroun Al-Ras, a video circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN shows.
• Hezbollah has publicly supported efforts by Lebanon’s parliament speaker to achieve a ceasefire with Israel for the first time since the war started. The militant group previously said it would only stop firing at Israel once a ceasefire is reached with Hamas in Gaza.
• Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant postponed his trip to the US on Netanyahu’s instructions, partially because the prime minister first wants the cabinet to vote on the nature of Israel’s response to Iran, an Israeli official told CNN.
• In Gaza, the Israeli military ordered Kamal Adwan Hospital, the only operating hospital in northern Gaza, to evacuate within 24 hours, its director said Tuesday.
Netanyahu warned Lebanon of destruction "similar to what we see in Gaza." Here’s what to know
From CNN staff
Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech at the Palmachim Airbase near the city of Rishon LeZion, Israel, on July 5, 2023.
Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Lebanese people they face falling “into the abyss of a long war” as his country escalates its offensive against Hezbollah.
“Christians, Druze, Muslims – Sunnis and Shiites alike – all of you are suffering because of Hezbollah’s futile war in Israel,” Netanyahu said in a video address to the Lebanese people on Tuesday. “You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will bring destruction and suffering similar to what we see in Gaza.”
Lebanon is already seeing “the same patterns” and “methods of warfare” as Israel has used in Gaza, officials from the United Nations said, warning of mass displacement from the ferocity of Israel’s attacks.
Israel’s military offensive has flattened most of Gaza to rubble, with at least 41,900 dead and up to 1.9 million people – about 90% of the enclave’s population – internally displaced.
Here are the latest developments in the region:
Hezbollah supports a ceasefire: Hezbollah supports efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Lebanon, deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem said on Tuesday, marking the first time the group has publicly endorsed a truce and not conditioned it on stopping the war in Gaza.
Postponed visit: Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant postponed his trip to the US on Netanyahu’s instructions, partially because the prime minister first wants the cabinet to vote on the nature of Israel’s response to Iran, an Israeli official told CNN. Gallant, whose relationship with Netanyahu is strained over Gaza policy, was scheduled to meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, an Israeli official told CNN.
Israeli flag hoisted in southern Lebanon: Israeli forces have raised Israel’s flag on the ruins of Iran Garden, a park near the Lebanese border village of Maroun Al-Ras, a video circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN shows. While it is unclear when Israeli forces planted the flag, satellite imagery appears to show the Israeli military vehicles behind berms that surround a base – less than half a mile from the park – belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
Strikes in Beirut suburb: Israeli strikes Tuesday night into Wednesday morning targeting the southern Beirut area of Dahiyeh have caused massive destruction, including the collapse of four adjacent residential buildings in the Burj Al-Barajneh area, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported Tuesday.
Hashem Safieddine: It’s unclear whether the successor to the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is dead or alive. Netanyahu said Tuesday Israel has “eliminated” the Hezbollah chief, his successor and “the successor of Nasrallah’s successor.” However, the Israeli military said it is still checking whether a strike on Hezbollah intelligence headquarters in Beirut killed Safieddine.
Evacuees shot at in northern Gaza: Palestinians fleeing sites of Israel’s renewed military operation in northern Gaza are being shot at as they evacuate, according to residents there and footage shared with CNN documenting their journey. The Israeli military ordered Kamal Adwan Hospital, the only operating hospital in northern Gaza, to evacuate within 24 hours, its director said Tuesday.
Strike in Syria: At least seven people were killed and 11 wounded by an Israeli attack on a residential building in Damascus, Syria, on Tuesday, according to Syrian state broadcaster SANA. CNN has geolocated the building and found it is near many diplomatic facilities. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to comment.
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Hezbollah claims to have wounded Israeli soldiers near border town
From CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali and Michael Rios
Hezbollah militants said they wounded Israeli soldiers after detonating an explosive device and clashing with them as they attempted to enter the Lebanese town of Blida near the border.
The Israel Defense Forces said they can’t confirm the claims.
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More strikes reported in Beirut’s southern suburbs
From CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi, Hamdi Alkhshali and Eyad Kourdi
Smoke rises from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, on Tuesday.
Hassan Ammar/AP
Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiyeh was being targeted by a series of strikes Tuesday night into Wednesday morning local time.
The strikes had caused massive destruction, including the collapse of four adjacent residential buildings in the Burj Al-Barajneh area, Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) reported Tuesday.
Earlier, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) had told people to evacuate areas around specific buildings in the Haret Hreik and Hadath areas of Dahiyeh, saying it would soon target those sites.
On Monday, 36 people were killed and 150 wounded in strikes on parts of southern Lebanon, the health ministry said.
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Lebanon is seeing "the same patterns" and "methods of warfare" as Gaza, UN official says
From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls
A plume of smoke billows following an Israeli air strike on the village of Khiam in southern Lebanon on Monday.
AFP/Getty Images
Officials from the United Nations say they fear Lebanon could suffer the same fate as Gaza.
“As a result, we’re seeing civilians pay the ultimate price, whether it be the hospitals being closed, a million people displaced, civilians killed, schools impacted. The devastation is beyond belief for all people in Lebanon as it is in Gaza. We can’t let this happen again,” Laurence continued.
James Elder, spokesperson for the United Nations’ Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said the commonalities between Lebanon and Gaza were “everywhere.”
“If we look at the ferocity of the early attacks, if we look at the language being used … Look at the mass displacement. Look at the sheer number of people being forced to move,” Elder said. “The commonalities are unfortunately absolutely there to be seen.”
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Hezbollah fired approximately 180 projectiles into Israeli territory Tuesday, IDF says
From CNN’s Lauren Izso
Hezbollah fired approximately 180 projectiles from Lebanon into Israel on Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
“The IDF will continue to operate against the threat of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in defense of the state of Israel and its residents,” it added.
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Israel orders hospital in northern Gaza to evacuate within 24 hours, director says
From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Abeer Salman
The Israeli military has ordered the only operating hospital in northern Gaza to evacuate within 24 hours, its director Hussam Abu Safiya said Tuesday.
Kamal Adwan Hospital is between Beit Lahiya and Jabalya, two northern Gaza areas that Israel has told residents to evacuate ahead of air and ground operations.
“What is happening is arbitrary and clear displacement of the residents from northern Gaza,” Safiya told CNN.
The staff at Kamal Adwan had already transferred some patients to other hospitals and would try to evacuate more due to a lack of fuel, Safiya said.
However, he said the hospital would continue to provide medical services, as so many people were still in need.
“Kamal Adwan Hospital is still the only hospital operating in the north, so putting the hospital out of service would be a big disaster for the people who need (it),” he said.
“There are still many patients in the hospital and there are many babies and children in the neonatal unit, so it is difficult to evacuate,” he said, adding that patients were still arriving.
The Gaza health ministry criticized Israel for the evacuation order and called for all medical institutions to be protected.
CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.
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Israel has "eliminated" Nasrallah’s successor, Netanyahu says. But the IDF says it is still checking
From CNN’s Lauren Izso, Niamh Kennedy and Catherine Nicholls
Israel has “eliminated” the successor to the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday. However, the Israeli military said it is still checking whether a strike on Hezbollah intelligence headquarters in Beirut killed Hashem Safieddine.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant also appeared less certain, telling troops at a command post that Safieddine had “probably” been eliminated.
Remember: On Saturday, a Lebanese security source told CNN that Hezbollah had lost contact with Safieddineafter the Israeli strike. Safieddine was believed to be a possible successor to the Hezbollah leader.
Netanyahu addressed the people of Lebanon directly in the statement Tuesday, urging them to stand up to Hezbollah and “take back your country.”
“Christians, Druze, Muslims – Sunnis and Shiites alike – all of you are suffering because of Hezbollah’s futile war in Israel,” Netanyahu said. “You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will bring destruction and suffering similar to what we see in Gaza,” he continued.
Israel’s war on Hezbollah has killed more than 1,400 people in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese health ministry. More than 1.2 million people have been displaced since fighting escalated last month, Lebanese authorities have said.
This post has been updated with additional information.
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At least 7 killed in Israeli attack on residential building in Damascus, Syrian state broadcaster says
From CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali, Avery Schmitz and Catherine Nicholls
A residential building is seen damaged by an Israeli air strike in the Mazzeh suburb of Syria's capital Damascus on Tuesday.
Louai Beshara/AFP/Getty Images
At least seven people were killed and 11 wounded by an Israeli attack on a residential building in Damascus, Syria, on Tuesday, according to Syrian state broadcaster SANA.
Three Israeli missiles were fired at a building in the densely populated Mazzeh neighborhood of Syria’s capital around 8:15 p.m. local time, SANA said, citing a military source.
Women and children are among those killed, according to SANA. Rescuers are still trying to pull people from under the rubble, it added.
The building has been badly damaged, images and footage from the scene showed. Private property surrounding the targeted building has also been significantly damaged, SANA said.
Images and footage from the scene showed a fire near a damaged apartment building, with people walking around, looking at the extent of the destruction. Emergency vehicles were at the scene.
CNN has geolocated the building and found it is near many diplomatic facilities in western Damascus. Those include the Iranian embassy (0.4 miles away), which also blamed Israel, condemned the “terrorist attack” and said no Iranian people were killed or injured.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) declined to comment.
An Israeli missile strike targeted the same neighborhood back in January, Iran’s semi-official Tasnim news agency claimed at the time, reportedly killing five Iranian military advisers and a number of Syrian forces.
This post has been updated with additional information.
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Netanyahu tells his defense minister not to depart for the US, source says
From CNN’s Lauren Izso
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant are seen during a press conference at the Kirya military base in Tel Aviv on October 28, 2023.
Abir Sultan/Reuters
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant is “postponing his trip” to Washington, DC, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh said Tuesday.
This comes after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had instructed Gallant not to depart tonight for the United States, where he was scheduled to meet with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Wednesday, an Israeli official has told CNN.
There were two reasons for Netanyahu’s instructions to Gallant, an Israeli official said. Firstly, Netanyahu wants a phone call with US President Joe Biden before Gallant’s trip, the official said. Also, the prime minister wants the cabinet to vote on the nature of Israel’s response to Iran’s attack before Gallant’s trip, according to the official.
CNN has reached out to the Israeli defense ministry for comment.
Some context: CNN earlier reported that senior US officials have acknowledged that the US has limited leverage over what Israel decides to do against Iran following Tehran’s missile attack last week. “The only leverage that the Americans have right now is summoning the defense minister to Washington and buying time,” Alon Pinkas, a former Israeli diplomat, told CNN. With Gallant in Washington, Pinkas says, the US likely believes Israel will wait to attack.
This post has been updated with additional information.
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Israeli forces hoist flag on the outskirts of Lebanese border village, video shows
From CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi and Allegra Goodwin
Obtained by CNN
Israeli forces have hoisted Israel’s flag on the ruins of Iran Garden park on the southern outskirts of the Lebanese border village of Maroun Al-Ras, a video circulating on social media and geolocated by CNN shows.
Earlier Tuesday, the Israeli military said it had taken control of a Hezbollah combat compound in the Maroun Al-Ras area.
It’s unclear if the Israeli military is still present in the area. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.
Satellite imagery from October 5 appears to show nearly 30 Israeli military vehicles near the Lebanese border village of Maroun Al-Ras, where Israeli soldiers have been filmed hoisting a flag.
While it is unclear when Israeli forces planted the flag, the satellite imagery shared by Planet Labs appears to show the Israeli military vehicles behind berms that surround a base belonging to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL).
The base is less than half a mile southeast of Iran Garden park, where the Israeli flag was hoisted.
On Tuesday, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that the “Israeli tanks and other armed elements” had since left the area surrounding the UNIFIL base.
“I strongly appeal — strongly appeal — to both parties to fully respect the safety and security of UNIFIL,” Guterres said.
CNN analysis of the same imagery indicates that Iran Garden was heavily damaged on October 5.
This post has been updated with additional information.
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State Department: More than 1,000 Americans and family members have departed Lebanon on US government flights
From CNN's From Jennifer Hansler
More than 1,000 American citizens, legal permanent residents, and family members have departed from Lebanon on US-government organized flights, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Tuesday.
The US government has organized 10 flights from the nation that has faced mounting Israeli military operations, Miller said. Those flights each had the capacity for 300 passengers. None have been at capacity so far.
The US government has also been working with Middle East Airlines to block off more than 900 seats on their flights for Americans looking to leave, Miller said.
Miller indicated that the US would continue to organize the flights as long as there was demand from American citizens and not enough capacity on commercial flights.
He said 8,800 people are in contact with the US State Department looking for information about leaving Lebanon, but not all of those people have requested assistance to depart.
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Iranian president claims Israel is ignoring rules of war and accuses US and Europe of double standards
From CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali and Mitra Mobasherat
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks during a press conference in Doha on Wednesday, October 2.
Karim Jaafar/AFP/Getty Images
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has accused Israel of indiscriminate attacks on women, children and the elderly in its military operations, and criticized the United States and Europe for supporting what he called a “barbaric government.”
Speaking in Tehran on Tuesday, Pezeshkian claimed Israel was refusing to follow the rules of war and accused its allies of double standards, noting that Iran was often criticized over its human rights record.
“It’s very interesting, they talk about human rights and tell us, ‘why do you execute a murderer?’ But no one asks these unmanly people ‘why do you kill innocent women and children?’” he continued.
Pezeshkian’s remarks came during a ceremony celebrating the return of ancient Persian clay tablets from the United States.
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Palestinians evacuating northern Gaza say they are being shot at by Israel's military
From CNN's Abeer Salman, Kareem Khadder and Nadeen Ebrahim
A still from footage by Mohammad Sultan, who said he was fired at while retrieving food, water and blankets.
Mohammad Sultan
Palestinians fleeing sites of Israel’s renewed military operation in northern Gaza are being shot at as they evacuate, according to residents there and footage shared with CNN documenting their journey.
Mohammad Sultan, 28, said he and his family fled their house in Jabalya in northern Gaza “due to the intense and continuous bombardments in the area.” When he went back to retrieve food, water and blankets, he and other civilians were fired at, he said.
The shooting took place at Abu Sharkh roundabout in Jabalya, according to Sultan. CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for comment.
Footage taken by Sultan during his journey shows residents walking along a sandy road, surrounded by rubble and half-destroyed buildings. Some, including children, are on foot, struggling to walk with heavy bags. Others are on bicycles or tuk-tuks.
Drones can be heard buzzing in the background as the bullwhip-like sound of bullets piercing the air trigger screams and attempts to shelter.
Schools in some Haifa suburbs in northern Israel to close after rocket attack
From CNN’s Lauren Izso
Israel’s Home Front Command has ordered schools in some suburbs of the northern city of Haifa to close after the area was targeted by a rocket barrage from Hezbollah.
The restrictions will affect several communities of Haifa Bay, including Kiryat Yam and Kiryat Motzkin, where at least two buildings were directly hit by rockets on Tuesday, according to the military.
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How war in the Middle East is threatening a 21-mile-wide channel that's key to cheap gas
From CNN's Anna Cooban
Global oil prices have spiked in recent days as the conflict in the Middle East has reached fever pitch. They could rise yet further if Israel’s widening war embroils the vital Strait of Hormuz off Iran’s southern coast.
The slim waterway — just 21 miles (34 kilometers) wide at its narrowest point — is “the world’s most important oil transit chokepoint,” according to the US Energy Information Administration.
About one-fifth of the world’s global oil trade passes through the strait every day, notesSimone Tagliapietra, a senior fellow at Brussels-based think tank Bruegel. It also accounts for about a quarter of the world’s daily trade in liquefied natural gas.
As the conflict in the Middle East escalates, so does the risk of disruption to the flow of oil through the strait — or even a complete stoppage.
Last week, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s killing of Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, an Iran-backed militant group based in Lebanon, as well asothers. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told CNN Sunday that the country was preparing to strike back at Iran and that “everything is on the table.”
Tagliapietra described the febrile situation as “very serious,” adding that any rise in tensions involving the Strait of Hormuz might have consequences resembling the oil shock of the 1970s, when the price of oil went “through the roof.”
Harris says Iran is top US foe but sidesteps question about strikes on its nuclear sites
From CNN's Kevin Liptak
Vice President Kamala Harris appears in an interview on “60 Minutes” that aired Monday, October 7.
From CBS
Vice President Kamala Harris identified Iran as the United States’ greatest adversary, in a portion of her “60 Minutes” interview that did not air on the full broadcast Monday.
Asked by interviewer Bill Whitaker to name the top US foe, Harris said: “I think there’s an obvious one in mind, which is Iran.”
She would not specify whether she would order preemptive action to take out an Iranian nuclear site if presented proof Tehran was building a nuclear weapon.
“I’m not going to talk about hypotheticals at this moment,” she said.
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Palestinian father in Jabalya describes “death trap” as Israeli forces encroach on northern Gaza
From CNN’s Abeer Salman and Sana Noor Haq
The view from the window of Mohammad Ibrahim, 36, as Israeli forces increase ground and aerial attacks in Jabalya, Gaza, on October 8.
Mohammad Ibrahim
Israeli bombs swirled over Jabalya overnight, and houses trembled from explosions, according to a father staying in the besieged refugee camp in northern Gaza.
Entire streets have been deserted, and bodies are scattered on the ground, the father-of-two recalled, after the Israeli military said it launched aerial and ground assaults on the neighborhood targeting renewed Hamas presence. Hamas militants reported heavy fighting in the area.
Ibrahim, 36, told CNN he had been terrorized by the “deafening” sound of aircraft – describing a key roundabout in the area as a “death trap.”
“I woke up in my room to the sound of gunfire, fearing for my safety,” he said. “The sound of the explosion shook my body… As if my blood wanted to escape from the pressure.
“Even the beginning of the war was not characterized by such franticness and killing.”
Several Jabalya residents previously told CNN they could not be uprooted from their homes in Jabalya again, after Israeli forces issued fresh evacuation orders telling people to move south.
“There is no one in the streets; the city is a ghost town,” the history teacher said. “We do not know where the soldiers are or where the ground invasion points are… We cannot leave the house.”
“The loss of communications and networks also makes it difficult,” he said. “No one knows who survived and who was martyred.”
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More than 100 rockets fired at Israel in one hour as Haifa attacked
From CNN’s Benjamin Brown and Eyad Kourdi
Around 105 rockets were fired at the northern Israeli city of Haifa and the Galilee area in one hour, the Israeli military said Tuesday.
The rockets were fired from Lebanon in two separate barrages, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
While numerous rockets were intercepted or fell in open areas, according to the military, at least two buildings in Kiryat Yam and Kiryat Motzkin were directly hit. Israeli emergency services said that a 71-year-old woman was taken to hospital with a shrapnel injury to her hand while others were treated for injuries sustained while making their way to safety.
Prior to the barrages on Haifa, 25 rockets were fired from Lebanon at the Lower Galilee region, according to the IDF.
Hezbollah announced on Tuesday it had “launched a large rocket barrage at the cities of Haifa and Kiryat.”
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Putin will meet with Iran's president for first time to discuss situation in Middle East
From CNN's Darya Tarasova and Lauren Kent
Russia's President Vladimir Putin delivers a video address to congratulate teachers on Teacher's Day in Moscow, Russia, on October 4.
Mikhail Metzel/Sputnik/AFP/Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin is set to meet his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian for the first time on Friday to discuss the situation in the Middle East, according to Russian state media TASS.
The announcement of their meeting comes as the region is bracing for Israel’s response to Iran’s largest-ever missile attack last week.
Putin’s meeting with Pezeshkian, a reformist who won Iran’s election in July following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash, will take place in the Central Asian country of Turkmenistan, on the sidelines of a forum of regional leaders.
Putin may also hold other bilateral meetings on his trip to the capital Ashgabat.
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Parents recall children dying in their arms and strewn remains, after Israeli strike kills 30 in central Gaza
From CNN’s Mohammad Al Sawalhi, Abeer Salman and Sana Noor Haq
Mohammad Mayyat, a father shown outside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, in Deir al-Balah, said his only son was killed in an Israeli strike in central Gaza on Monday, October 8.
CNN
Mohammad Mayyat recalled the moment Israeli rockets blasted through Al Bureij – catapulting body parts into the air and killing his only son.
“The rockets fell, and I saw people torn apart. I didn’t know what to do. My only son, after 20 years, is so precious to me,” he told CNN. “We were sitting in front of the house when suddenly we all flew away… We couldn’t run or do anything.”
An Israeli strike on a home in central Gaza killed at least 30 Palestinians on Monday, according to officials at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. CNN footage early Tuesday shows the lifeless bodies of boys, girls and men filling every inch of the morgue floor. The sun glazed over tens of mourners in the courtyard. In one scene, a woman can be seen holding the face of a man in shrouds – her eyes sore with grief.
Rows of men and boys perform Janazah, Islamic funeral prayers, for Palestinians killed by an Israeli attack in central Gaza, on October 8.
CNN
Israeli attacks in Gaza have killed least 16,927 children, Gaza’s Government Media Office reported on October 6. CNN cannot independently verify the figures.
One mother, Rihab, told CNN she had waited 14 years to conceive her teenage son, who was killed on Monday. “My son was in my arms when a shrapnel hit his heart. He died immediately.”
Another survivor recalled watching the news with her family, when suddenly a rocket hurtled toward the house. “It broke us all into pieces,” said Ruwaida Abdul Hadi. “My daughter and her husband, my sons, my grandchildren, my husband — they are all gone, and I’m left alone.”
The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it was “dismantling terrorist infrastructure sites and eliminating terrorists” in Al Bureij. CNN cannot independently verify the statement.
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Hezbollah’s top official endorses Lebanon ceasefire effort for the first time
From CNN's Abbas Al Lawati and Eyad Kourdi
Hezbollah supports efforts by Lebanon’s parliament speaker at achieving a ceasefire with Israel, the group’s Deputy Secretary General said Tuesday, the first time the group has publicly endorsed the negotiations since the war started.
Berri is the leader of the predominantly Shiite Amal party allied to Hezbollah, and has been a key figure in negotiations for a ceasefire.
Hezbollah previously said it would only stop firing at Israel once a ceasefire is reached with Hamas in Gaza. Israel, however, insisted that Hezbollah separate its conflict with Israel from the ongoing war with Hamas.
Much of Qassem’s speech on the anniversary of Hezbollah’s escalated conflict with Israel carried a defiant tone, emphasizing Hezbollah’s readiness and capability to continue its fight against Israel.
Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib told CNN last week that slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah had agreed to a temporary ceasefire before he was assassinated by Israel. Tzipi Hotovely, the Israeli ambassador to the UK, called Bou Habib’s claim “ridiculous” in an interview with Sky News on Sunday.
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Hezbollah’s top official speaks on anniversary of war with Israel
From CNN's Eyad Kourdi
Lebanon's Hezbollah deputy leader Sheikh Naim Qassem delivers a speech as hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel increase, from an unknown location, on October 8.
Al Manar TV/Reuters
Hezbollah’s top official said Hamas’ attacks on Israel a year ago sparked “the beginning of a transformation” in the Middle East, as Israel expands its war on multiple fronts in an increasingly frayed region.
“To all those who doubt Iran’s contributions and support: Iran decides how and when to provide its support. It has been giving it for many years,” he added. “The enemy’s military losses in northern (of Israel) are significant, but they are not being announced.”
Anniversary of war: Qassem delivered his speech on October 8 — one year since the Lebanese militant group started trading strikes with Israel.
Those tensions exploded in mid-September, when Israel detonated a series of attacks targeting Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. Many of those killed were civilian bystanders, including children. Later that month, Israel assassinated Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Israel has since unleashed a sustained aerial campaign in south and east Lebanon – and a ground incursion. Hezbollah has launched rocket barrages on Israel response. More than 1,400 people in Lebanon have been killed, according to authorities there.
Hezbollah said it started firing on Israel in solidarity with Hamas, and Palestinians trying to survive Israeli attacks in Gaza, which have killed 41,909 people, according to the Ministry of Health there.
About 60,000 Israeli civilians have been forced from their homes by Hezbollah’s rocket attacks.
CNN’s Sana Noor Haq contributed reporting.
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Israel says it is expanding its offensive into southwestern Lebanon
From CNN’s Benjamin Brown and Pauline Lockwood
A plume of smoke billows following an Israeli air strike on the village of Khiam, southern Lebanon, near the border with Israel, on October 7.
Israel’s 146th Division targeted operational activities against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in southwestern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced Tuesday.
The division will be working alongside the 213th Artillery Brigade.
The Israeli military’s ground incursion in southern Lebanon, which began a week ago, had been focused on the eastern part of the border area.
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Israeli military says it killed commander of Hezbollah’s headquarters
From CNN's Irene Nasser
The Israeli military has claimed that it killed the commander of Hezbollah’s headquarters, Suhail Hussein Husseini, in “the area of Beirut.”
CNN is unable to independently verify the claim, how senior in Hezbollah Husseini is, and what role he played. Hezbollah has yet to confirm whether Husseini has been killed.
Husseini, according to the Israeli military, played a role in “weapon transfers between Iran and Hezbollah and was responsible for distributing the advanced weaponry among Hezbollah’s units,” and he also was a “member of the Jihad council, Hezbollah’s senior military leadership council.”
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Death toll in Israeli strike on Gaza refugee camp rises to 30, hospital says
From CNN's Abeer Salman
People carry salvaged items amid the rubble of buildings damaged during an Israeli air strike the previous night at the Bureij refugee camp, Gaza, on October 8.
The Israeli military has intensified aerial bombardment on central Gaza in recent days – saying on Tuesday that it was “dismantling terrorist infrastructure sites and eliminating terrorists” in the neighborhood. CNN cannot independent verify the statement.
CNN’s Benjamin Brown contributed reporting.
This post has been updated with additional information.
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It’s morning in the Middle East and war is raging on multiple fronts. Here’s what to know
From CNN staff
As the Israeli military battles Iran-backed militant groups on multiple fronts, the Middle East faces its greatest upheaval in a half-century.
Israel intercepted dozens of strikes from multiple directions on the anniversary, including projectiles launched from northern Gaza and Lebanon, and a surface-to-surface missile fired from Yemen.
Israel has launched a new offensive in northern Gaza, where it has failed to defeat Hamas, and it continues to mull an anticipated retaliation against Iran for last week’s barrage of missiles.
Here are the latest developments in the region:
Israel marked October 7: Israel marked the anniversary of the Hamas attacks with tears and anger on Monday. Commemorations were held across the country, including at the site of the Nova music festival and kibbutz Nir Oz.
Strikes on Lebanon:Explosions tore through the skies in Beirut on Monday night as Israel targeted Hezbollah. Nightly strikes by Israel have targeted the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital since September 27.
Hospitals under threat: At least seven hospitals are in the no-go zones imposed by the Israeli military in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, a CNN analysis found.
Nowhere to go: The Israeli military has issued fresh evacuation orders to residents in northern and southern Gaza, as it ramped up its military operation in both parts of the pummeled enclave. Palestinian residents who spoke with CNN said they fear there is no place safe to take shelter.
Ceasefire at a standstill: Two weeks after Israel upended a US-led ceasefire proposal with Hezbollah, the US is not actively trying to revive the deal and has resigned itself to trying to shape and limit Israeli operations in Lebanon and against Iran rather than halting hostilities, US officials told CNN.
What next? CIA director William Burns said that the risk of an unintended escalation in the Middle East looms as “a very real danger,” even though the US maintains its assessment that neither Iran nor Israel “is looking for an all-out conflict.” Israel needs to “turn tactical wins in battle into a strategy that secures Israel’s people and its future,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said. The US State Department said there must be a path forward on “governance in Gaza by someone other than Hamas.”
This post has been updated with additional information.
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1 year on, Israel's relentless attacks in Gaza are compounding a humanitarian catastrophe
From CNN's Kathleen Magramo and Irene Nasser
Displaced Palestinians flee following an Israeli evacuation order in Jabalia, Gaza, on October 6.
Hussam Al-Zaanin/Reuters
On the anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attacks, Gaza’s north was hit with more Israeli strikes, with no end in sight to the war devastating the enclave. Israel’s objective of defeating Hamas still seems far from reach as its military offensives in Gaza continue to ramp up.
Israel launched a new ground operation in northern Gaza on Sunday and encircled the Jabalya refugee camp, where it says it saw signs of Hamas regrouping. Hamas’s military wing said its fighters clashed with “enemy forces” in Jabalya, an indication the group has been able to maintain a presence there. Earlier this year, Israel’s military said it had defeated Hamas in northern Gaza, only to announce new offensives there in May.
An Israeli airstrike killed at least 10 people in the Jabalya camp on Monday. The camp was targeted early on in Israel’s response to Hamas’ attacks one year ago and has been struck several times during the war.
The Israeli military also issued fresh evacuation orders to residents in northern and southern Gaza on Monday, as it ramped up its attacks in both parts of the pummeled enclave.
The war has displaced 1.9 million people, according to the United Nations. Residents who spoke to CNN said they feel there is no safe place to go.
A worker for the non-profit organization Mercy Corps that CNN spoke to said she has been displaced more than a dozen times since last year. She now lives in a shelter in central Gaza. CNN is not using her real name due to concerns for her safety.
The war has killed more than 41,000 people, more than a third of whom are children. Almost 100,000 are wounded, and an unknown number of people — possibly in the thousands — remain under rubble across Gaza, according to the UN.
Hundreds of aid workers have been killed, including more than 220 team members of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), which chief Philippe Lazzarini said was the highest death toll in the history of the United Nations.
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US is not currently pushing to revive Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire deal, officials say
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand, Kayla Tausche and Oren Liebermann
Two weeks after Israel upended a US-led ceasefire proposal with Hezbollah, the US is not actively trying to revive the deal and has resigned itself to trying to shape and limit Israeli operations in Lebanon and against Iran rather than halting hostilities, US officials told CNN.
The US’ inability to halt Israel’s intense bombing campaign and ground invasion of Lebanon, which has killed over 1,400 people in less than three weeks and displaced over 1 million more, has raised questions about whether Benjamin Netanyahu’s government is disregarding the Biden administration’s calls for more restraint like it did in Gaza, leaving the White House again looking feckless.
Concerns within the Biden administration are running high, officials say, that what Israel has promised would be a limited operation will soon grow into a larger-scale and prolonged conflict. US-led efforts to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have also floundered.
As with Gaza, US officials say Israel was initially planning for a much larger ground incursion into Lebanon before the US convinced it to scale back. But they also acknowledge what they have learned over the last year, which is that the US’ influence is limited when it comes to Israel’s military operations.
Explosion tears through Beirut skies after Israeli evacuation order
From CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi, Eyad Kourdi and Catherine Nicholls
An explosion on Monday, October 7, lights up the sky over Beirut's southern suburbs.
CNN
An explosion tore through the skies of Beirut on Monday evening (local time). Nightly strikes have targeted the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital city since September 27.
A CNN camera captured the explosion, which flashed in the skies for less than a second but cast an orange light from the area that was targeted.
CNN staff also heard several strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs during the day.
About half an hour before the explosion was captured by CNN, Avichay Adraee, the Arabic spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), warned residents that the IDF was going to target two areas in the southern suburbs, Burj Al-Barajneh and Hadath, which he said were located near Hezbollah facilities and interests.
Hospitals in the unsafe zones: At least seven hospitals are in the no-go zones imposed by the Israeli military in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, including Al Rassoul Al Azam Hospital and St. Therese Hospital, CNN analysis of Israeli military evacuation orders found.
In a later statement, the IDF said the Israeli Air Force had conducted strikes on “terror targets belonging to Hezbollah’s Intelligence Headquarters” on Monday night.
The IDF said it had also struck alleged Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa area on Monday morning, including “weapons storage facilities, terror infrastructure sites, and a launcher.”
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Unsafe zones in Beirut’s southern suburbs include at least 7 hospitals, CNN analysis finds
From CNN's Allegra Goodwin in London
At least seven hospitals are in the no-go zones imposed by the Israeli military in the southern suburbs of Lebanon’s capital, including Al Rassoul Al Azam Hospital and St. Therese Hospital, CNN analysis of Israeli military evacuation orders found.
The unsafe zones in Beirut’s southern suburbs, a group of residential neighborhoods that also house Hezbollah’s seat of power, encompass nearly 9 square kilometers (3.4 square miles).
CNN analyzed a total of 39 evacuation orders up to and including the night of October 6, which have been issued almost daily since September 27 by Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee in posts on X.
Typically, the posts warn residents to “immediately” evacuate specific buildings slated for targeting and flee to areas beyond a 500-meter radius of the target. Satellite images embedded in the posts show the target buildings highlighted in red.
Over the past 10 days, such warnings have preceded airstrikes, sometimes by no more than a few minutes. In other cases, notably two strikes that hit within Beirut’s city limits for the first time since the 2006 war, no such warnings were issued. CNN asked the Israeli military for comment on this at the time and did not receive a response.
CNN verified the locations of 39 buildings identified as being near Hezbollah targets by the Israeli military up to the night of October 6, and measured a 500-meter radius around each one to calculate the total area from whichcivilians were ordered to evacuate. It adds up to 8.9 square kilometers (3.4 square miles) of the city’s southern suburbs, known as Dahiyeh.
The east of Dahiyehhas been the epicenter of announced airstrikes so far, with some hitting very close to Lebanon’s only public airport.
The Israeli military has not yet given residents guidance on when they can return to the affected areas.
CNN also found that infographics shared early on by the Israeli military alongside its evacuation orders were inaccurate in some cases. The graphics appear to illustrate the 500-meter zone around target buildings from which residents must evacuate for their safety – showing a red circle around the highlighted building, and a dotted line annotated with “500 meters” in Arabic. In actuality, the radiuses of the highlighted buffer zones in those cases only measured around 100 meters. This was the case for six separate evacuation orders before the IDF stopped including illustrations of the no-go-zones in their graphics. CNN has contacted the IDF for comment.
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US CIA director says Israel is still "weighing very carefully" its response to Iran
From Katie Bo Lillis in Sea Island, Georgia
William Burns listens during a hearing in Washington, DC. on March 12.
Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images
Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns said Monday that the risk of an unintended escalation in the Middle East looms as “a very real danger,” even though the US maintains its assessment that neither Iran nor Israel “is looking for an all-out conflict.”
Israel is “weighing very carefully how it’s going to respond to the most recent Iranian ballistic missile attack,” Burns said at a national security conference in Sea Island, Georgia, declining to speculate on what form that retaliation might take.
“I think all of us are acutely aware of the consequences of different forms of strikes and consequences for the global energy market and the global economy,” he said.
US President Joe Biden said last week that he would not support Israel striking Iranian nuclear facilities, but it is not clear whether the US has successfully persuaded Israel to take that option off the table; markets have also been on edge due to the possibility that Israel could choose to strike oil facilities in Iran.
The greatest risk of escalation, Burns said, comes from “misjudgments,” what he termed “the ‘stuff happens’ category.”
On Iran, he said, the supreme leader continues to be the “ultimate decision-maker,”and said his agency has not detected “any kind of dramatic change of tone there.”
Burns also said he continues to hold out some hope that a successful deal can be reached between Israel and Hamas that could result in the release of the remaining living hostages. But those negotiations, he said, have “been pushing a very big rock up a very steep hill.”
“We’ve come close at least a couple of times, but it’s been very elusive,” he said.
