MIDDLE EAST
AN HOUR AGO
Live blog: Israeli forces bomb towns, villages in Lebanon
Israel’s war on Gaza, now in its 296th day, has killed at least 39,324 Palestinians — the majority of them women and children –– and wounded 90,830 others, with 10,000+ estimated to be buried under the debris.

Smoke rises above Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from northern Israel, July 25, 2024. / Photo: Reuters
REUTERS
Smoke rises above Lebanon, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from northern Israel, July 25, 2024. / Photo: Reuters

Sunday, July 28, 2024

0801 GMT — Israel’s military has bombed villages and towns in Lebanon, a day after accusing Hezbollah of an attack in Majdal Shams, occupied Golan Heights, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Warplanes launched successive attacks on the outskirts of the towns of Aabbassiyeh, Tayr Debba and Toura in the Tyre district.

Fighter jets also targeted Burj al Shemali and Tayr Harfa, leading to casualties and damage to property and infrastructure.

An Israeli drone launched two missiles at the town of Kfar Kila in the Marjayoun district while warplanes struck the town of Khiam after midnight.

Israeli authorities say at least 12 people were killed and 35 injured in a missile attack on the town of Druze in Majdal Shams in the northern part of occupied Golan Heights.

The Israeli army accused Hezbollah of the attack, but the Lebanese group denied responsibility.

More updates

0857 GMT — Gaza death toll surpasses 39,300

The Israeli army killed 66 more Palestinians in attacks across Gaza, taking the overall death toll to 39,324 since October 7 last year, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 90,830 other people have been injured in the assault.

“Israeli forces killed 66 people and injured 241 others in three ‘massacres’ against families in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said. “Many people are still trapped under rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

0839 GMT — Germany calls for ‘cool heads’ after occupied Golan Heights attack
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock condemned what she said was the “deplorable” rocket attack on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, which killed 12 people, and called for “cool heads” in response.

“The perfidious attacks must stop immediately. It is important to act with cool heads. Far too many people have died already in this conflict,” Baerbock wrote on X in reference to Israel’s war on Gaza, which risks spreading to Lebanon.

0804 GMT — UN warns of ‘wider conflagration’ between Israel and Hezbollah

The UN mission in Lebanon has warned of a “wider conflagration” between Israel and Hezbollah following a deadly attack on the town of Majdal Shams in occupied Golan Heights.

In a joint statement, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and head of UN Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) General Aroldo Lazaro Saenz, condemned “the death of civilians — young children and teenagers — in Majdal Shams.”

They urged “the parties to exercise maximum restraint and to put a stop to the ongoing intensified exchanges of fire.”

“It could ignite a wider conflagration that would engulf the entire region in a catastrophe beyond belief,” they added.

0750 GMT — Israeli defence minister says will ensure Hezbollah ‘pays a price’

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said authorities will ensure Hezbollah “pays a price”, a day after accusing it of an attack in Majdal Shams, occupied Golan Heights.

0038 GMT — Israel intensifies its deadly raids in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army stormed the Balata refugee camp in eastern Nablus in the northern part of the occupied West Bank late Saturday for the fourth time in 24 hours.

The Palestinian news agency, Wafa, reported that military forces stormed the camp amid heavy gunfire, the deployment of snipers and the arrival of reinforcements, accompanied by a bulldozer.

Activists on social media shared videos allegedly showing military reinforcements heading toward the camp, and videos that had the sounds of gunfire, which they claimed were from clashes between Palestinian groups and the Israeli army.

For our live updates from Saturday, July 27, 2024, click here.

SOURCE: TRTWORLD AND AGENCIES