Israeli jets struck southern #Lebanon overnight as diplomats worked frantically to prevent a #RegionalWar after a rocket strike that killed 12 young people in the occupied #GolanHeights.

The Golan Heights was taken from #Syria by #Israel in the 1967 #MiddleEastWar and annexed in 1981 in a move not recognised by most countries.

Israel strikes Lebanon as diplomats try to prevent regional war
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/28/israel-strikes-lebanon-diplomats-prevent-regional-war-golan-heights-hezbollah

#Airlines suspended routes and canceled flights to #Beirut on Monday amid fears of a full-blown war between #Israel and Lebanese militant group #Hezbollah.

#Germany's national airline #Lufthansa said it had suspended five routes to and from the Lebanese capital until August 5 out of “an abundance of caution,” with its subsidiaries #SwissInternationalAir Lines and #Eurowings following suit.

Airlines suspend #Lebanon flights as fears of Israel-Hezbollah war grow
https://www.politico.eu/article/airline-suspend-lebanon-flight-israel-hezbollah-war-lufthansa-aegean-ethiopian-air/?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication&utm_source=press.coop

The governments of the #UnitedStates, #UnitedKingdom, and #Germany have advised their citizens to leave #Lebanon, amid growing concerns that the Israeli assault on the beseiged #GazaStrip could trigger a wider conflict in the region. #Israel

#US, #UK, and Germany advise citizens to leave Lebanon following days of protests and cross-border exchanges.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/10/19/us-uk-germany-tell-citizens-to-leave-lebanon-as-regional-tensions-rise

Opposition Leader #YairLapid said the riots on Monday showed that #Netanyahu is “weak” and has lost control over his government, urging him to fire ministers involved in the break-ins.

“We are not on the brink of the abyss, we are in the abyss,” Lapid warned in a statement. “All the red lines were crossed today.” #Israel #PrisonerAbuse #Gaza

Bordering on anarchy’: #IDF chief sounds alarm after #RightWing mob breaks into 2nd base
https://www.timesofisrael.com/bordering-on-anarchy-idf-chief-sounds-alarm-after-right-wing-mob-overruns-2nd-base/

#IsmailHaniyeh, the political leader of #Hamas, has been killed by a strike in #Tehran in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the group said, only hours after #Israel claimed it had killed a top #Hezbollah commander in #Beirut.

Hamas blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s death, which one official described as a “grave escalation”. #Gaza

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh killed in Iran, says Palestinian group
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/31/hamas-leader-ismail-haniyeh-death-raid-iran-home-israel-gaza-war

"My message to Australian citizens and residents in Lebanon is: now is the time to leave. If you are in #Australia and thinking of travelling to Lebanon, do not.

There is a real risk that the conflict in the region escalates seriously. The security situation could deteriorate quickly, with little or no notice" - Penny Wong

#Israel #Gaza

Now is the time to leave': Australian foreign minister urges #Australians to leave #Lebanon
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/jul/31/middle-east-crisis-live-updates-hamas-leader-ismail-haniyeh-killed-iran-israel-gaza-war?page=with:block-66aa458d8f089067a355e8eb#block-66aa458d8f089067a355e8eb

#Deif is believed to have been one of the masterminds of #Hamas’ 7 October attack on southern #Israel, which triggered the #Gaza war, now in its 300th day.

One of Hamas’ most dominant figures, Deif rose through the group’s ranks over 30 years, developing its network of tunnels and its bomb-making expertise.

Death of Hamas military leader Deif in July confirmed, Israel says
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/aug/01/middle-east-crisis-live-irans-supreme-leader-to-lead-prayers-at-hamas-leader-funeral-as-region-braces-for-fresh-unrest?page=with:block-66ab4dcc8f0814429273fec4#block-66ab4dcc8f0814429273fec4

The timing and location of the dual attacks, targeting very high-profile commanders in densely populated capital cities, made them particularly humiliating for #Iran and #Hezbollah, raising the risk of a slide towards full-blown #RegionalWar as #Tehran seeks to re-establish a military deterrent.

#Israel #Gaza

Fears of escalation mount after Israeli killings of #Hamas and Hezbollah leaders
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/jul/31/israel-iran-hamas-hezbollah-lebanon-assassinations-middle-east

Haniyeh's former boss & mentor.
---
#Hamas sources said Meshaal is expected to be chosen as the paramount leader of the group to replace #IsmailHaniyeh, who was assassinated in #Iran in the early hours of Wednesday, with #Tehran and Hamas vowing retribution against #Israel.

#KhaledMeshaal, who survived #Mossad assassination attempt, tipped to lead Hamas

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/khaled-meshaal-who-survived-mossad-assassination-attempt-tipped-to-lead-hamas/ar-BB1r0KAj?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&PC=EMMX01

#Turkey had vetoed all #Nato engagement with #Israel since October, including joint meetings and exercises, viewing Israel’s “massacre” of #Palestinians in #Gaza as a violation of Nato’s founding principles.

Turkey has blocked cooperation between Nato and Israel since October because of the war in Gaza
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/aug/01/middle-east-crisis-live-irans-supreme-leader-to-lead-prayers-at-hamas-leader-funeral-as-region-braces-for-fresh-unrest?page=with:block-66ab873c8f08a0af63bb3c69#block-66ab873c8f08a0af63bb3c69

Bad, a very bad sign.
---
#Lufthansa Group has cancelled all its #passenger and #cargo flights to and from #TelAviv with immediate effect until 8 August, a spokesperson for the German airline said on Thursday.

“The reason for this is the current development in the region,” the spokesperson added.

#Israel #Gaza #Iran

source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/aug/01/middle-east-crisis-live-irans-supreme-leader-to-lead-prayers-at-hamas-leader-funeral-as-region-braces-for-fresh-unrest?page=with:block-66ab87788f08cbd70fcde7b4#block-66ab87788f08cbd70fcde7b4

The leader of #Hezbollah has said that the Lebanese group’s conflict with #Israel has entered “a new phase” after the back-to-back assassinations of a senior commander and #Hamas’s political chief that risk plunging the #MiddleEast into a regional war. #Gaza

Hezbollah chief says conflict with Israel is in ‘new phase’ after assassinations
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/01/funeral-for-hamas-political-leader-haniyeh-held-in-tehran-amid-security-fears

#KamalaHarris was at that meeting.
---
US President #JoeBiden told #israel's Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu to agree to a #ceasefire with #Hamas as the #WhiteHouse’s frustrations over the continuation of the war in #Gaza grow.

"We have the basis for a ceasefire,” Mr Biden told reporters. “He should move on it and they should move on it now.”

#Biden tells Netanyahu to accept ceasefire in ‘very direct’ call
https://www.straitstimes.com/world/middle-east/biden-tells-netanyahu-to-accept-ceasefire-in-very-direct-call

The #UnitedStates is sending a #CarrierStrikeGroup, a #FighterSquadron and additional #warships to the #MiddleEast as the region braces for possible Iranian retaliation to the killing of a senior #Hamas leader in #Tehran earlier this week.

#Israel #Iran #Gaza

#US sending warships and fighter squadron to Middle East as region braces for Iranian retaliation
https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-hamas-haniyeh-iran-tensions-08-02-24#h_e64606e098e04eb3d92ff39ac55f8104

Two Israeli officials confirmed the details of the Israeli channel 12 report and said the director of #ShinBet confronted #Netanyahu and told him that if he wants to back away from the Israeli proposal for a #HostageRelease and #CeasefireDeal, he should just say it.

#Israel

Israeli negotiators travel to #Cairo amid Netanyahu's new conditions for a #Gaza hostage deal

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/israeli-negotiators-travel-to-cairo-amid-netanyahu-s-new-conditions-for-a-gaza-hostage-deal/ar-AA1ob2vA?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&cvid=998e5eb189684e398be358d7345a9339&ei=24&PC=EMMX01

The #US told it's citizens there the same thing.
---
The British government on Saturday urged #UK nationals in #Lebanon to leave the country immediately amid growing fears of a regional war after the killing of #Hamas and #Hezbollah leaders this week, attributed to #Israel.

Leave now,’ UK tells British nationals in Lebanon
https://www.politico.eu/article/uk-us-to-nationals-in-lebanon-leave-now/?utm_medium=RSS&utm_campaign=RSS_Syndication&utm_source=press.coop

#AntiGovernment rallies erupted in several cities across #Israel this weekend, as tens of thousands of Israelis demanded that Prime Minister Benjamin #Netanyahu find a path to a deal with terror group #Hamas, in order to free more than 100 #hostages still held in #Gaza.

Anti-Netanyahu protests erupt in Israel over delayed hostage deal
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/03/middleeast/israel-hostage-deal-protest-int-latam/index.html

The authorities in #Tehran issued a #NOTAM dispatch to pilots, instructing airplanes to avoid the airspace over the center, west, and northwest of the country.

Some pilots have already changed their routes. On flight-tracking maps, there's increasing traffic over #Iraq and a noticeable "emptiness" over #Iran

#Israel #Gaza

Iran's warning to aircraft sparks fear of imminent attacks
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/iran-s-warning-to-aircraft-sparks-fear-of-imminent-attacks/ar-AA1ohIng

Exporters seeking #ArmsSales licences are reportedly receiving messages from the Department for Business and Trade saying that applications are suspended pending the review.

#Whitehall sources insisted this did not represent a change in policy and might be administrative procedures.

#Gaza

#UK reportedly suspends arms export licence applications for #Israel ‘pending review’
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/06/uk-arms-export-licence-applications-israel-review

#VladimirPutin has reportedly told #Iran to avoid #CivilianCasualties in any retaliatory attack on #Israel for the assassination of the #Hamas political leader #ismailhaniyeh an underlining of the constraints it faces as it frames its response.

#Gaza

Putin reportedly calls for Iran to limit damage in any retaliation against Israel
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/06/putin-reportedly-calls-for-iran-to-limit-damage-in-any-retaliation-against-israel

Several hundred ultra-#OrthodoxJews (#Haredim) clashed with Israeli police at the entrance to the army base in #TelHashomer. This is where the first draftees from this community were supposed to report on Monday. Previously, they had been exempt from service for years; now, they are speaking of a "#Holocaust of #UltraOrthodoxJews."

#Gaza

Ultra-Orthodox Jews clash with police over military draft in #Israel
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ultra-orthodox-jews-clash-with-police-over-military-draft-in-israel/ar-AA1okkJ8?ocid=emmx-mmx-feeds&PC=EMMX01

#US intelligence suggests
the goal for #Hamas is to survive — that would be victory for the group. #Sinwar likely believes Hamas can hold out while #Israel’s global standing deteriorates as the war in #Gaza, which has killed thousands of civilians, continues.

A senior Biden administration official put it bluntly: “He believes he’s winning.

Sinwar believes Hamas has upper hand in negotiations with Israel, officials say
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/11/politics/us-intelligence-sinwar-gaza/index.html

The statement said the three nations had forged a "framework agreement" that had "only the details of implementation left to conclude”.

#Israel said it would send negotiators to the proposed talks, which are pencilled in for 15 August in #Doha or #Cairo. Hamas did not immediately respond.

#GazaCeasefire #Gaza

#US, #Egypt and #Qatar call on Israel and Hamas to resume talks
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c07e99ver7ro

Why it matters: The results of the coming week will indicate whether the region is going to sink even deeper into crisis and a widening perpetual war, — or if, for the first time since Oct. 7, there will be a significant change of course. The outcome could shape President #Biden's legacy.

#Israel #Egypt #Qatar #GazaCeaseFire

#US prepares for crucial week as #Gaza deal faces "now-or-never" moment
https://www.axios.com/2024/08/10/gaza-israel-hamas-hostage-deal-regional-war

“I would imagine that he is going to devote a lot of time and energy to the situation in the #MiddleEast. He surely doesn’t want history to record that the final months of his tenure witnessed the outbreak of the first comprehensive Middle East war in decades, a war that he, like others, has been struggling to avoid." - Bill Galston, a former Clinton policy adviser

#Israel #Biden #Harris

Not done yet: still-smarting #JoeBiden to focus on his legacy in final months
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/article/2024/aug/10/joe-biden-final-months-legacy

His statement said: “This unimaginable situation is overwhelmingly due to recurring failures by the Israeli Defense Forces to comply with the rules of war."

#Israel

The #UN’s #HumanRights chief, #VolkerTürk has said that today marks “a grim milestone” with the news that the death toll from #Gaza has surpassed 40,000
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/aug/15/israel-gaza-war-live-ceasefire-talks-qatar-hamas-iran?page=with:block-66be096f8f08dd7a533a3629#block-66be096f8f08dd7a533a3629

Not going to happen.
---
Israeli Foreign Minister #IsraelKatz raised eyebrows on Friday when he said #Israel would expect international partners such as the #UK and #France to join Israel in responding to a potential strike from #iran “not only in defense, but also in attacking significant targets in Iran.”

Both France and the UK, however, have downplayed such a prospect.

#Gaza

Muted response from UK and France after Israeli FM calls for retaliation to any Iran strike
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/08/16/europe/israel-uk-france-iran-retaliation-intl-latam/index.html

"This is a decisive moment – probably the best, maybe the last, opportunity to get the #hostages home, to get a #ceasefire and to put everyone on a better path to enduring peace and security,” #Blinken said on his ninth trip to the region since #Israel’s war on #Gaza began in October. #GazaCeasefire

Blinken says current talks ‘maybe last’ chance to free captives from Gaza
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/8/19/blinken-says-current-talks-may-be-last-push-to-end-israels-war-on-gaza

#HusseinHaridi, former Egyptian assistant foreign minister and former ambassador, says that “in principle,” all parties are in agreement on the ceasefire deal, but “differences in opinion remain”.

#Egypt #Israel #GazaCeasefire

Next ’48 hours’ important for #ceasefire deal, says former Egyptian official
https://aje.io/vzysu0?update=3135006

In #Jerusalem’s Old City, nearly all souvenir shops are closed. In #Haifa’s flea market, forlorn merchants polish their wares on empty streets. Airlines are canceling flights, businesses are failing and luxury hotels are half empty.

Nearly 11 months into the war with #Hamas, #israels economy is struggling.

#Gaza

Israel's economy is struggling. Economists say ending the war would help
https://www.msn.com/en-us/money/markets/israels-economy-is-struggling-economists-say-ending-the-war-would-help/ar-AA1pqDWs

No #GazaCeasefire, no de-escalation.

---
The prime minister was widely blamed on Monday, from both the centre and right of the political spectrum, for the limited goal of Sunday’s air raids, which disrupted #Hezbollah’s planned aerial assault, but had done nothing, the critics said, to allow up to 80,000 residents of northern border towns to return home. #Israel

#Netanyahu faces Israeli calls for broader strikes against Hezbollah
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/26/netanyahu-israeli-calls-broader-strikes-hezbollah-gantz-ben-gvir

The #vaccinations, due to begin this weekend, will be accompanied by three-day pauses in the fighting in several areas of the territory to allow the inoculation of more than 640,000 children. #Polio #Israel

#WHO delivers 1.2m #Polio Vaccine doses to #Gaza as pauses in fighting agreed
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/aug/30/who-delivers-polio-vaccine-doses-gaza-israel-agrees-humanitarian-pauses-fighting

The discovery of the hostages’ bodies in #Gaza over the weekend threatened to bring deep divisions over the war to breaking point. An estimated 100,000 protested in #TelAviv, while others demonstrated in #Jerusalem as pressure on the prime minister, Benjamin #Netanyahu, to reach a #ceasefire deal to bring the remaining hostages home reached a new peak.

#GazaCeasefire

Protests in #Israel and strike called amid eruption of outrage over #GazaWar
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/01/protests-israel-strike-eruption-outrage-gaza-war

The #US could walk away from leading the #GazaCeasefire negotiations if the two sides fail to accept a final “take it or leave it” deal that it plans to present to #Israel and #Hamas in the coming weeks, the Washington Post has reported citing a senior Biden administration official.

“You can’t keep negotiating this. This process has to be called at some point,” the official said according to the Post.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/sep/02/israel-gaza-war-live-israel-faces-nationwide-general-strike-amid-public-anger-over-hostage-deaths-and-failed-ceasefire-talks?page=with:block-66d51af08f08e2612479606e#block-66d51af08f08e2612479606e

The #OversightBoard reviewed three cases involving #Facebook posts that featured “#FromTheRiverToTheSea” and found they did not break #Meta’s rules involving restrictions on hate speech and incitement, while an outright ban on the phrase would interfere with political speech in “unacceptable ways”. #Israel #Gaza

Meta’s moderation board backs decision to allow ‘from the river to the sea’ in posts
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/article/2024/sep/04/metas-moderation-board-backs-decision-to-allow-from-the-river-to-the-sea-in-posts

The #UnitedNations children’s agency has said that a #PolioVaccination campaign to inoculate more than 640,000 children in #Gaza is surpassing expectations at the end of the first phase of the programme.

#Unicef said that 189,000 children had been reached so far as more than 500 teams were deployed across central Gaza this week. #Israel #Hamas

UN’s Gaza polio vaccination campaign reaches 189,000 children in first phase
https://www.theguardian.com/world/article/2024/sep/04/uns-gaza-polio-campaign-inoculates-189000-children-in-first-phase

The new protest came a week after one of the largest demonstrations of the war after the discovery of another six dead hostages in #Gaza, and after prime minister Benjamin #Netanyahu pushed back against pressure for a ceasefire deal and declared that “no one will preach to me”. #GazaCeasefire #Gaza

Thousands rally across #Israel in new wave of protest
https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2024/sep/08/middle-east-crisis-live-israelis-surge-to-the-streets-in-new-wave-of-protest-as-heavy-air-raids-hit-gaza?page=with:block-66dd099e8f080b4351298b1b#block-66dd099e8f080b4351298b1b

The Israel Defense Forces (#IDF) said Brigadier General #YossiSariel, who led its 8200 intelligence unit, has informed them he will “conclude his role in the near future.”

“On October 7th at 06:29 I did not fulfill the task as I expected of myself, those at my command and commanders expected me and the citizens of the state I love so much,” the letter said. #Israel #Netanyahu

Israeli intelligence commander to resign after being accused of failing to prevent October 7
https://edition.cnn.com/2024/09/12/americas/israeli-commander-resigns-october-7-intl-latam/index.html

Potentially thousands of #pagers were remotely and simultaneously detonated across #Lebanon, killing at least nine people and wounding almost 3,000 on Tuesday.

The pagers exploded in southern #Lebanon, the southern suburbs of #Beirut known as #Dahiyeh and the eastern #BekaaValley – all #Hezbollah strongholds. #Israel

Pagers in deadly attack on Hezbollah ‘made in Europe’, as #MiddleEast braces for reprisals
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/sep/18/hezbollah-pager-explosion-lebanon-israel-gold-apollo