Israel Iran War Live Updates: '1300 drones have been launched since start of war,' says IDF

He also addressed the relationship with Tehran, noting that Iran "supports us but doesn't want anything" in return, as quoted by AFP. New Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem vowed on Wednesday to continue the military approach of his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli operation in September. Qassem emphasized the organization's autonomy and their commitment to the war plan developed under Nasrallah, while acknowledging the losses and recovery efforts within Hezbollah.

In his inaugural address as Hezbollah's chief, Naim Qassem declared on Wednesday that he would maintain the military approach established by Hassan Nasrallah, who died in an Israeli strike following the outbreak of major hostilities last month.

"My work programme is a continuation of the work programme of our leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah," Qassem announced during his first speech as the organisation's leader. He committed to advancing "the war plan that he (Nasrallah) developed with the leadership" of the Iranian-supported organisation.

Israel's security cabinet is currently discussing the terms of a potential truce with Hezbollah, according to Energy Minister Eli Cohen. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held talks on the terms for a proposed 60-day ceasefire, which include a Hezbollah withdrawal north of the Litani River, the deployment of the Lebanese army along the border, an international mechanism to enforce the truce, and assurances of Israel's freedom to act in response to threats. U.S. officials, including President Biden's Middle East adviser, are expected to visit the region to discuss the ceasefire conditions. The conflict, which has resulted in significant casualties in Lebanon and Israel since September 23, escalated following the October 7 attack by Hamas. The Israeli military has reported the loss of 37 soldiers since beginning ground operations in Lebanon.

Israel's mission in Geneva accused UN rights expert Francesca Albanese of being a "political activist" who misuses her position to express hatred for Israel. Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, reiterated her claim that Israel is committing genocide against Palestinians, asserting that its recent military actions are part of a systematic campaign to displace them. In response, Israel condemned her remarks as hate-filled and distorted, alleging that she encourages terrorism and violates UN conduct rules.

Naim Qassem, who was recently appointed as Hezbollah's secretary general, will deliver his inaugural address on Wednesday, according to information from an insider given to AFP.

"A speech by the new secretary general of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, is scheduled for Wednesday," stated the anonymous source who shared this information with AFP.

According to state media reports on Wednesday, Defence Minister Aziz Nasirzadeh stated that Iran's missile manufacturing capabilities remain unaffected despite the Israeli airstrikes conducted against the country on October 26.

An Israeli strike targeted a Hezbollah van carrying munitions on the Kahhale road near Beirut, killing the driver, according to a Lebanese security official's statement to AFP. The strike blocked the road linking Beirut to Damascus, with an AFP correspondent confirming a vehicle fire. Lebanon’s National News Agency previously reported an Israeli strike in the same area last week, which killed two. This incident follows clashes in August 2023 that left two dead after a Hezbollah munitions truck overturned in the Christian town of Kahhale. The ongoing conflict has claimed at least 1,754 lives in Lebanon since late September, although actual numbers may be higher.

An Israeli military spokesperson quoted by AFP alerted inhabitants of Baalbek, a city in Lebanon's eastern region, to evacuate the area through a notice.

Human Rights Watch warned Wednesday that Syrians fleeing Israel's onslaught on Lebanon could face repression at home as more than 355,000 Syrians returned in more than a month of war.

"Syrians escaping Lebanon, particularly men, risk arbitrary detention and abuse by Syrian authorities," the group said in a statement.

"The deaths in custody of deportees under suspicious circumstances highlight the blatant risk of arbitrary detention, abuse and persecution for those fleeing back," said HRW's deputy Middle East director, Adam Coogle.

Since Israel launched its intensive air campaign on September 23, more than half a million people have fled from Lebanon to Syria, including more than 355,010 Syrians, according to Lebanese official figures.

More than a year into the Gaza war, the Israeli army's reservists are exhausted and it is struggling to recruit soldiers just as it opens a new front in Lebanon.
Some 300,000 reservists have been called up since the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023, according to the army, 18 percent of them men over 40 who should have been exempted.

Military service is mandatory from the age of 18 for Israeli men and women, though several exemptions apply.

Israel is waging a multi-front war against Hamas in Gaza and Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Since the military launched its ground offensive in Gaza on October 27 last year, it has lost 367 soldiers in the campaign, while 37 have died in Lebanon since Israel began ground operations there on September 30.

Israel Defense Forces said that it hit over 100 Lebanon targets yesterday, including rocket launcher used in deadly barrage as per Times of Israel.

After central and northern Israel was raided by sirens, IDF announced that a surface-to-surface missile crossed from Lebanon into Israel territory, and fell apart in mid-air, as per The Jerusalem Post. No injuries have been reported, and no changes were made to the Homefront Command's defensive guidelines.

Israel has issued a stark warning to Iran, saying that should Tehran launch further ballistic missile attacks, Israel will respond with "capabilities that we did not use this time." Israel also indicated that the recent conflict remains active, suggesting potential future engagements.

“If Iran makes the mistake and launches another barrage of missiles at Israel, we will know how to reach Iran and hit very, very hard both the capabilities and places that we spared this time,” Times of Israel reported quoting Israel's chief of staff, Lt Gen Herzi Halevi.

US President Joe Biden's senior advisers Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk will arrive in Israel on Thursday to try to close a deal that would end the war in Lebanon, Axios reported on Tuesday, citing three unidentified sources.

A deal that would end the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could be achieved within a few weeks, Israeli and U.S. officials said, according to Axios.

Hochstein and McGurk are expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer, as per a report by Axios.

Shiite cleric Naim Qassem was appointed as the new Hezbollah leader on Tuesday, nearly a month after his predecessor, Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike dealing a heavy blow to the Iran-backed group, CNN reported.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant reacted to the announcement on social media platform X, and said that it was only a "Temporary appointment. Not for long."

The group's Senior Council elected Qassem, emphasising his commitment to "Mohammed's authentic Islam" and the organisation's core principles. Qassem had served as Nasrallah's deputy and is one of the few leaders to survive the recent Israeli onslaught, which targeted many key figures within Hezbollah, as reported by CNN.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres sent a letter Tuesday to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu protesting a new law that could effectively cripple the UN agency responsible for aiding Palestinian refugees (UNRWA).

The regulations approved by the Israeli parliament ban the UN agency from operating in Israel and occupied east Jerusalem, and prevent it from communicating and coordinating with Israeli authorities, which could essentially end its work in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

Israel has long been at odds with UNRWA and has alleged that some of its employees were involved in the October 7 Hamas attacks that triggered the war in Gaza.

The ban is due to start in three months.

The United Nations stressed Tuesday that if Israel puts in place new laws cutting ties with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, the Israeli government will have to meet their needs under international law.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says there is no other UN alternative to the agency, known as UNRWA. It has been a lifeline during the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and the Israeli legislation “will have a devastating impact on the humanitarian situation” in the Palestinian territories, U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

The UN agencies for children, health and migration also stressed that UNRWA is the “backbone” of the world body’s operations in Gaza, where people rely on emergency food aid during the more than yearlong war , which has killed tens of thousands and left much of the enclave in ruins.

wo Israeli airstrikes in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday killed at least 88 people, including dozens of women and children, health officials said, and the director of a hospital said life-threatening injuries were going untreated because a weekend raid by Israeli forces led to the detention of dozens of medics.
Israel has escalated airstrikes and waged a bigger ground operation in northern Gaza in recent weeks, saying it is focused on rooting out Hamas militants who have regrouped after more than a year of war. The intense fighting is raising alarm about the worsening humanitarian conditions for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians still in northern Gaza.

Hamas has expressed its openness to any agreements or ideas for establishing a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, said in a televised speech on Tuesday that the movement is open to any agreements or ideas that would end the suffering of the people in Gaza and establish a permanent ceasefire, Xinhua news agency reported.

Abu Zuhri added that the agreements or ideas should include the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the entire Gaza Strip, the lifting of the blockade, and the provision of relief, support, and shelter for the population, as well as reconstruction and a serious prisoner swap deal.

At least 10 people were killed in an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Sarafand, most of whom were women and children, the town's mayor told Reuters late on Tuesday.