CONFLICTSMIDDLE EAST
Middle East: Fresh Israeli airstrikes reported in Beirut
Published 13 hours agoPublished 13 hours agolast updated 3 hours agolast updated 3 hours ago
Israel’s military urged evacuations in southern Beirut. Local sources reported airstrikes and smoke could be seen over the city. Meanwhile, the head of the UNRWA decried the ‘critical’ aid situation in Gaza. DW has more.
https://p.dw.com/p/4lypg
Smoke rising from a building in Beirut, Lebanon
Smoke could be seen over the Beirut skyline on SaturdayImage: Hussein Malla/AP/picture alliance
Skip next section What you need to know
What you need to know
Israel reportedly launches strikes on Beirut
UNRWA says fuel and medicine in short supply in Gaza as fighting continues
Drone aimed at Netanyahu’s home in northern Israel, spokesman says
Iran’s Khamenei says Hamas will survive after Sinwar death
Germany’s Scholz to discuss Gaza and wider Middle East conflict with Turkey’s Erdogan
Here are the latest developments from the Israel-Lebanon escalation, Gaza and the wider Middle East region on Saturday, October 19:
Skip next section Israel shares footage of Sinwar moments before October 7 attack
3 hours ago3 hours ago
Israel shares footage of Sinwar moments before October 7 attack
Yahya Sinwar in a Gaza tunnel ahead of the October 7 terror attacksYahya Sinwar in a Gaza tunnel ahead of the October 7 terror attacks
Sinwar is considered the architect of the October 7 terror attacks on Israel Image: @LTC_Shoshani/X.com
The Israeli army has released footage of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an underground tunnel hours before the beginning of the October 7 terror attack.
The video shows Sinwar moving about a tunnel along with his wife and children.
In the footage, Sinwar appears to be stocking up on supplies ahead of the attack, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a televised briefing.
In a post on social media, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani described a scene of Sinwar “taking down his TV into his tunnel, hiding underneath his civilians, and preparing to watch his terrorists murder, kidnap and rape.”
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Skip next section G7 defense ministers concerned by attacks on UN peacekeepers
3 hours ago3 hours ago
G7 defense ministers concerned by attacks on UN peacekeepers
G7 defense ministers in NaplesG7 defense ministers in Naples
Defense ministers from the Group of Seven developed economies met in Naples, ItalyImage: Ciro De Luca/REUTERS
Defense ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) developed economies have expressed their concern over the escalating conflict in the Middle East and called for peacekeepers to be protected.
At least five UN peacekeepers have been wounded amid fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in recent weeks.
“We are concerned by the latest events in Lebanon and the risk of further escalation. We express concern over all threats to UNIFIL’s security,” the ministers said in a join statement after they met in Naples, Italy, on Saturday.
They also called for a cease-fire between Israel and militant group Hamas, for the return of Israeli hostages, and for more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.
Italy holds the G7 chairmanship this year. Other members are the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, France and Germany.
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he would to see Israel “scale back” its airstrikes on the Lebanese capital of Beirut to minimize civilian casualties, which he said “have been far too high.”
The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who also attended the meeting, said the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon should be reviewed and potentially be strengthened.
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Skip next section Netanyahu says Iran launched drone towards his home
5 hours ago5 hours ago
Netanyahu says Iran launched drone towards his home
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Iran for a drone that was aimed at his holiday home in the coastal town of Caesarea on Saturday.
“The agents of Iran who tried to assassinate me and my wife today made a bitter mistake,” Netanyahu said on social media.
He said anyone who harms citizens of Israel will “pay a heavy price.”
Netanyanu’s office said earlier that nobody was injured. The prime minister and his wife were not at the home at the time of the incident.
https://p.dw.com/p/4lzP9
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Skip next section Israel says strikes on Beirut hit Hezbollah arms warehouse
5 hours ago5 hours ago
Israel says strikes on Beirut hit Hezbollah arms warehouse
Israel hit multiple Hezbollah facilities during its airstrikes on Beirut on Saturday, the Israeli military said.
The Israeli air force said on social media that it “conducted a strike on a number of Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a Hezbollah intelligence headquarters command center in Dahiyeh.”
The statement comes after reports that Israel conducted a number of strikes in the Lebanese capital and issued evacuation orders in the southern suburbs.
The Associated Press reported at least 10 Israeli airstrikes on southern Beirut on Saturday.
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Skip next section UNRWA chief reports shortage of fuel and medical supplies in Gaza
7 hours ago7 hours ago
UNRWA chief reports shortage of fuel and medical supplies in Gaza
Displaced Palestinians in Gaza remain without basic supplies as Israeli strikes continue, the head of the UN’s Palestinian aid agency said on Saturday.
“Our colleagues on the ground report that another 20,000 people were forced to flee Jabaliya camp yesterday seeking safety including in UNRWA shelters,” UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on social media.
“People lost everything. They need everything including food, water, blankets and mattresses: The basic of the basic.”
Lazzarini pointed to fuel and medical supplies specifically, but also noted food shortages.
“Critical shortage of fuel and medical supplies are reported in the last remaining hospitals. Fuel shortages also affect access to water,” he said. “A dozen trucks of flour were allowed to cross into Gaza City this week, by far not enough. Few bakeries in Gaza City could increase bread production for distribution to people in UNRWA shelters.”
Lazzarini called for an end to the war and for leaders “to invest in peace.”
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Skip next section Israeli military issues new evacuation call for southern Beirut
8 hours ago8 hours ago
Israeli military issues new evacuation call for southern Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a fresh evacuation call for residents of southern Beirut on Saturday.
“Urgent warning to residents of the southern suburb (of Dahiyeh), specifically those in …Haret Hreik neighborhood: You are located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, against which the IDF will be operating in the near future,” Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on social media.
Such warnings are usually followed by strikes in the same area.
A smoke cloud in Beirut, LebanonA smoke cloud in Beirut, Lebanon
Lebanese sources reported at least two Israeli airstrikes in BeirutImage: ANWAR AMRO/AFP
A Lebanese security source told the AFP news agency that at least two Israeli airstrikes had hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Saturday. Smoke clouds could be seen over the city skyline.
Lebanese news agency NNA also reported at least two Israeli airstrikes.
https://p.dw.com/p/4lzC1
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Skip next section Gaza death toll rises to over 42,000 — Health Ministry
11 hours ago11 hours ago
Gaza death toll rises to over 42,000 — Health Ministry
The death toll in Gaza has risen to 42,519 people have been killed in the war between Israel and Palestinian militants since October 7 last year, the health ministry of the Hamas-run enclave said.
The ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, said 99,637 people had been wounded in the same time period.
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Skip next section Hezbollah fires rocket salvo at northern Israel
11 hours ago11 hours ago
Hezbollah fires rocket salvo at northern Israel
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says more than 50 projectiles were fired from Lebanon on Saturday morning.
The projectiles were fired mainly into northern Israel and some were intercepted.
Separately, Hezbollah militants said they fired a “large salvo” of rockets, including at a military base near the northern Israeli city of Haifa.
At least five people were injured in Kiryat Ata, in the Haifa district, mostly from shrapnel injuries, said a spokesperson for emergency service provider Magen David Adom.
Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab countries, while the EU lists its armed wing as a terrorist group.
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Skip next section Scholz to discuss Middle East with Erdogan in Istanbul
11 hours ago11 hours ago
Scholz to discuss Middle East with Erdogan in Istanbul
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday to discuss the escalating crisis in the Middle East and other issues.
Erdogan is a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and has frequently condemned Western support for Israel, labeling it a “terror state.”
Meanwhile, Scholz remains a staunch supporter of Israel and has consistently defended its right to self-defense.
You can read more about the tricky agenda issues by clicking here.
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Skip next section Drone launched toward Israeli prime minister’s house
13 hours ago13 hours ago
Drone launched toward Israeli prime minister’s house
A drone was launched towards Benjamin Netanyahu’s home in the northern Israel town of Caesarea on Saturday, his spokesman said.
The Israeli Prime Minister was not home, and there were no casualties.
Drone targets Netanyahu’s private residence
01:29
Earlier, the Israeli military said a drone spotted crossing into the country from Lebanon struck Caesarea, while two others were intercepted.
The strikes into Israel come as its war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah has intensified in recent weeks.
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Skip next section Israeli strike in central Gaza kills at least 11 people medical officials say
13 hours ago13 hours ago
Israeli strike in central Gaza kills at least 11 people medical officials say
Palestinian medical officials say a new Israeli strike on a home in central Gaza’s Maghazi refugee camp has killed at least 11 people, including three children.
The dead are all from the same family and were killed in the Maghazi refugee camp, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where they were taken.
The Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported there were still missing people under the rubble.
There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
https://p.dw.com/p/4lyrk
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Skip next section Iran’s supreme leader says Sinwar’s death will not halt ‘Axis of Resistance’
13 hours ago13 hours ago
Iran’s supreme leader says Sinwar’s death will not halt ‘Axis of Resistance’
Iran’s supreme leader , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Hamas was alive and would survive despite the death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar.
Israeli soldiers killed Sinwar during an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.
Hamas is part of Iran-backed groups in the Middle East dubbed the “Axis of Resistance.” It is deemed a terrorist organization not only by Israel, but also the US, Germany and several other countries.
“His loss is undoubtedly painful for the Axis of Resistance, but this front did not cease advancing with the martyrdom of prominent figures,” Khamenei said in a statement.
Sinwar’s death ‘a symbolic and moral blow’
04:40
lo/jcg (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)
