Israel bombs south Beirut, Hezbollah claims cross-border attacks

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The Times of Israel reports that the Israeli military has apologised for an attack in southern Lebanon that killed one Lebanese soldier and injured 18 others.

“The incident took place in an area where fighting is ongoing against Hezbollah,” the Israeli military said in a statement.

“The [military] regrets the incident and clarifies that it is fighting in a targeted manner against [Hezbollah], and not against the Lebanese Army,” the statement added.

The apology comes as Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned Israel's attack on the town of al-Amiriya, calling it a “brazen rejection” of the ceasefire proposal currently under discussion.

Although Lebanon’s military has remained neutral in the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, more than 40 Lebanese soldiers have been killed in Israeli attacks since the hostilities escalated into full-scale war in September.

The Wafa news agency reports that Israel's ongoing bombardment of the Gaza Strip has resulted in the deaths of over 1,000 doctors and nurses, citing local medical sources.

“Over 310 other medical personnel were arrested, tortured, and executed in prisons,” the sources stated. They also alleged that the Israeli military has deliberately targeted hospitals and “prevented the entry of medical supplies, health delegations, and hundreds of surgeons into Gaza."

The UN special envoy for Syria said on Sunday that it was "extremely critical" to end the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza to avoid the country being pulled into a regional war.

"We need now to make sure that we have immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, that we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, and that we avoid Syria being dragged even further into the conflict," said Geir Pedersen ahead of a meeting with the Syrian foreign minister in Damascus.

"We agree that it is extremely critical that we de-escalate so that Syria is not further dragged into this," he said.

Israeli forces have reportedly shot and killed a 13-year-old boy and a 20-year-old man in the town of Yabad in the occupied West Bank, according to the Wafa news agency.

The two Palestinians were shot at close range during a raid that sparked clashes in Yabad, near the city of Jenin, Wafa reported.

The agency, citing medical sources and eyewitnesses, added that soldiers blocked ambulances from accessing the scene until it was confirmed that both individuals had died.

The White House on Sunday slammed the killing of Israeli rabbi Tzvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates as a "horrific crime," urging that those responsible should be held accountable.

"This was a horrific crime against all those who stand for peace, tolerance, and coexistence. It was an assault as well on (the) UAE and its rejection of violent extremism across the board," National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said in a statement.

Iran rejects allegations that it was involved in the murder of Israeli rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates, Iran's embassy in Abu Dhabi said in a statement to Reuters on Sunday.

Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz has called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to target government facilities in Beirut, which have so far been spared from the ongoing strikes.

“The Lebanese government is allowing Hezbollah to operate freely. It’s time to take strong action against its infrastructure and assets,” Gantz stated on X.

Military analyst Avi Ashkenazi, writing for Maariv newspaper, proposed that the Lebanese parliament building could be a legitimate target for the Israeli military. “The parliament building is part of Hezbollah’s political infrastructure and could serve as a refuge for its members,” Ashkenazi argued.

1. He further recommended that the Israeli military demolish an additional 10 to 20 buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs to "ensure dominance in the area."

Lebanon has suspended in-person classes in the Beirut area for Monday, the education ministry announced on Sunday, citing safety concerns after a series of Israeli air strikes this week.

Education Minister Abbas Halabi announced in a statement "the suspension of in-person teaching" in schools, technical institutes and private higher education institutions in Beirut and parts of the neighbouring Metn, Baabda and Shouf districts on Monday "for the safety of students, educational institutions and parents, in light of the current dangerous conditions". Private education institutions must also provide online classes as an option until the end of December, it said.

Israel is moving towards a ceasefire agreement in Lebanon with the Hezbollah militant group, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted on X on Sunday, citing a senior Israeli official.

A separate report from Israel's public broadcaster Kan, citing an Israeli official, said there was no green light given on an agreement in Lebanon, with issues still yet to be resolved.

Lebanon's state media reported a slew of Israeli air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday, after the Israeli military posted evacuation calls online.

AFPTV footage showed smoke billowing above the area on Sunday evening, following earlier raids in the afternoon.

AFP journalists in the city and its outskirts heard loud explosions, with car alarms going off throughout one Beirut street.

"A series of violent strikes are targeting Haret Hreik, Bir al-Abed and Ghobeiri in the southern suburbs of Beirut," the official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Earlier in the day, it had reported two Israeli strikes on south Beirut, about an hour after the Israeli military issued warnings online.

There were no immediate reports of casualties in Sunday's strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, which have been largely emptied of their residents during the fighting.

The Israeli military said on Sunday militant group Hezbollah launched 250 projectiles into Israeli territory from Lebanon throughout the day, with air raid sirens sounding in the country's north and centre.

"There were 250 launches from Lebanon today," the military said in a statement to AFP. It said the highest number of projectiles, 350, was recorded on September 24, 2024, a few days before Israel launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon, and the day after Israel escalated air strikes against Hezbollah targets.

The United Arab Emirates has arrested three suspects in the killing of an Israeli-Moldovan rabbi, the Gulf state's news agency said on Sunday.

Hezbollah said it destroyed six Israeli Merkava tanks in Lebanon's south on Sunday afternoon, five of them in the strategic coastal area of Bayada.

Hezbollah fighters "destroyed" five Israeli tanks "on the eastern outskirts of the town of Bayada" including one that had "attempted to advance to withdraw one of the destroyed tanks", also knocking out a sixth Merkava tank in the Deir Mimas area close to the border, the group said in separate statements.

Israeli attacks killed 84 in Lebanon on Saturday, taking the death toll to 3,754 and 15,626 injured since October 2023, the Lebanese health ministry reported on Sunday.

Lebanon's health ministry said on Sunday that the Israeli strike on central Beirut's working-class Basta district a day earlier killed at least 29 people, updating an earlier toll.

"The Israeli enemy strike on Basta al-Fawqa in Beirut killed, in an updated but still not final toll, 29 people and wounded 67 others," the ministry said in a statement. "Rubble is still being removed" from the strike site, it added.

Iran is preparing to "respond" to Israel, Ali Larijani, a senior adviser to the country's supreme leader, said in an interview published by Iran's Tasnim news agency on Sunday.

On October 26, Israeli fighter jets carried out three waves of attacks on Iranian military targets, a few weeks after Iran fired a barrage of about 200 ballistic missiles against Israel. Iran has previously vowed to respond to Israel's attacks.

Lebanese state media reported two Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs on Sunday, about an hour after the Israeli army posted evacuation calls online for parts of the Hezbollah bastion.

"Israeli warplanes launched two violent strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs in the Kafaat area," the official National News Agency said. AFPTV footage showed grey smoke billowing over south Beirut.

The Israeli government said Sunday it had approved the nomination of Yechiel Leiter, an ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as the country's ambassador to the United States.

The announcement comes after US President-elect Donald Trump named hard-line conservative Mike Huckabee as his choice for US ambassador to Israel under his incoming administration.

"The government has unanimously approved the appointment of Dr Yechiel Leiter as ambassador to the United States," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

A former adviser to Netanyahu, Leiter, 65, is originally from the United States and currently lives in a settlement in the occupied West Bank.

Close to the US Republican Party, Leiter used to be one of the leaders of the Yesha Council, an umbrella group representing Israeli settlers in the West Bank in the 1990s.

He is also a member of Netanyahu's Likud party and currently works as a strategic adviser to Israeli think tanks.

Israeli strikes have killed two people in Lebanon's Baalbek region, after it targeted the Boudai road, the Health Ministry’s Emergency Operations Center said, as cited by L'Orient Today.

Artillery fire earlier targeted homes in Ibl al-Saqi, killing one person, identified as Mohammad Jamil Dargham, in southern Lebanon.

Israel's military said around 160 projectiles had been fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into northern and central Israel Sunday, some of which were intercepted.

"As of 15:00 (1300 GMT), approximately 160 projectiles that were fired by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation have crossed from Lebanon into Israel today," the army said. Medical agencies reported that several people had been injured, including a man in a "moderate to serious" condition.

Lebanon's Hezbollah group said it launched missiles at an Israeli army intelligence base in the Tel Aviv suburbs in the second such attack on and near the city on Sunday.

Hezbollah fighters launched "a volley of qualitative missiles" at the "Glilot base (the headquarters of the 8200 Military Intelligence Unit)... in the Tel Aviv suburbs," the group said in a statement.

Air raid sirens were activated in several areas of central and northern Israel on Sunday, the army said, after projectiles were fired from Lebanon.

The sirens sounded in "a number of areas in central Israel" and in different parts of the country's north, the military said.

It added in separate statements that 18 projectiles crossed from Lebanon towards central Israel, while around 30 projectiles were "identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory" in the north.

Some of the projectiles were intercepted, the army added.

Israel's emergency medical service Magen David Adom said it had provided treatment to two people including a 70-year-old woman who was slightly injured.

The EU's foreign policy chief warned on Sunday that Lebanon was "on the brink of collapse" after Israel launched an intense air campaign two months ago following nearly a year of clashes with Hezbollah.

"Back in September I came and was still hoping we could prevent a full-fledged war of Israel attacking Lebanon. Two months later Lebanon is on the brink of collapse," Josep Borrell told reporters in Beirut.

At least 44,211 Palestinians have been killed and 104,567 wounded in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 7, 2023, Gaza's health ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borell called for an "immediate ceasefire" in the Israel-Hezbollah war, while on a visit to the Lebanese capital for talks.

"We see only one possible way ahead: an immediate ceasefire and the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701," Borell said after meeting Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who has led mediation efforts on behalf of his allies in Hezbollah.

The UN special envoy for Syria on Sunday said it was "extremely critical" to end the wars in Lebanon and Gaza to avoid the country being pulled into a regional war.

"We need now to make sure that we have immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, that we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, and that we avoid Syria being dragged even further into the conflict," said Geir Otto Pedersen ahead of a meeting with the Syrian foreign minister in Damascus.

Hezbollah fires missiles at Israeli navy base and military target, the group said.

The Lebanese army said an Israeli strike on a post in southern Lebanon on Sunday killed a soldier and wounded 18 others.

"One soldier was martyred, and 18 others were injured, including some with severe wounds, as a result of an Israeli attack targeting a Lebanese army centre in Amriyeh," the army said in a statement.

 A Palestinian teenager was injured early on Sunday morning after Israeli forces raided the Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus, local sources said as cited by Wafa.

The Palestinian Red Crescent confirmed that a 17-year-old young man was shot in the thigh with live bullets during the Israeli raid. Medical teams responded promptly to treat the injury, and the young man was transferred to a nearby hospital for further treatment. 

Heavy rains have been pouring in Gaza City since early on Sunday, raising fears of water overflows threatening residents due to extensive damage to sewage and stormwater networks, Asem Alnabih, a spokesperson for Gaza City Municipality said on X.

"Since the onset of the aggression, the occupation has destroyed more than 175,000 meters of sewage pipelines, 15,000 meters of stormwater drainage systems, and 105,000 meters of water supply networks."

The head of the Burj al-Barajneh municipality in Beirut has urged residents to "avoid areas that might be targeted" by Israeli forces, L'Orient Today said on Sunday.

Atef Mansour, noted that recent gatherings in the "Roueis" area of the neighbourhood, shortly before an airstrike, had "resulted in injuries and cases of poisoning, forcing several residents to be hospitalised".

A man was killed after opening fire on and wounding three members of the security forces near the Israeli embassy in the Jordanian capital Amman on Sunday, state media said.

Government spokesman Mohamed Momani described the incident as a "terrorist attack" and said the assailant was a criminal with a history of drug-related offences.

Investigations were underway to uncover the circumstances and motives behind the attack, which occurred at dawn, he told the official Petra news agency.

The Public Security Directorate, Jordan's law enforcement agency, earlier reported an exchange of fire in the Amman district of Rabieh, where the Israeli embassy is located.

The man "started firing gunshots at the security force, which in turn applied the rules of engagement, which resulted in the killing of the perpetrator", the agency added.

It said three public security personnel were injured during the incident and were receiving treatment.