WAs Israel’s army leadership continues to strengthen combat units in the south of the Gaza Strip, it has put its soldiers on the border with Lebanon on “very high” alert because of threateningly increasing attacks by Hezbollah. In the south of Gaza, the fight against the Islamist Hamas is now “in several key areas” and the operation has been expanded in the city of Khan Yunis, army spokesman Daniel Hagari said on Wednesday evening. “We have deployed another brigade to this area today and continue to operate there using new methods of warfare above and below ground,” he said, referring to Hamas’ tunnel network.
Meanwhile, growing tensions between Israel and the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon are raising concerns about further escalation in the Middle East. In view of the significantly increasing attacks by the Shiite militia from Lebanon, the army is now at a “very high level of readiness,” Israel’s Chief of General Staff Herzi Halevi said on Wednesday, according to an official statement, during a visit to the army command in northern Israel. “Today we approved a number of plans for various contingencies and we must be prepared to strike if necessary,” Halevi said.
According to information from the Axios news portal, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will be traveling to the region again at the end of next week. It was said that he was visiting Israel for the fifth time since the beginning of the Gaza war. There was initially no official confirmation of this.
Hezbollah, which is allied with Iran, claimed new rocket attacks on Israel on Wednesday. According to The Times of Israel newspaper, it was the heaviest shelling of northern Israeli cities since the start of the Gaza war. Israeli police said several buildings were damaged in the border town of Kiriat Shmona. People were therefore not injured. On the same day, three people died in Israeli attacks on Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, including a Hezbollah fighter, reported the Lebanese news agency NNA. It is the worst escalation since the second Lebanon war in 2006.
“So far the campaign here has been carried out correctly and carefully, and it must continue to be so,” Israel’s chief of staff said. “Our first task is to restore the security and sense of security of the residents in the north, and that will take time,” said army spokesman Hagari. At the beginning of the Gaza war, the Israeli authorities brought tens of thousands of residents in the north into the interior for security reasons. Hezbollah is considered to be far more armed than Hamas in Gaza.
Israeli ground operation in the Gaza Strip
Source: OpenStreetMap; Infographic WORLD
All developments in the live ticker:
7:15 a.m. – Israel’s foreign minister threatens Hezbollah leader Nasrallah
Israel’s Foreign Minister Eli Cohen has directly threatened Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah amid clashes between the Shiite militia and Israeli troops on the northern border with Lebanon. Nasrallah “has to understand that he is next,” Cohen said on Wednesday during a visit to the border area. The day before, eleven people were reported injured in a Hezbollah attack in northern Israel.
Hezbollah must adhere to a ceasefire brokered by the UN in 2006, which obliges the militia to withdraw from the border area, warned Cohen. Israel will endeavor to exhaust the diplomatic option. “If that doesn’t work, all options are on the table,” added the Foreign Minister.
05:11 a.m. – Israel’s ambassador emphasizes the importance of the military mission in the Red Sea
Israel’s ambassador Ron Prosor emphasized that protecting the important trade route through the Red Sea is also of great importance for Germany. “What the Houthis are doing in the Red Sea is not only directed against Israel, but against the entire international community,” Prosor told the German Press Agency, referring to the Houthi rebels’ attacks on merchant ships. “As an export nation, it is in Germany’s interest that sea routes are free.”
The Israeli ambassador did not want to make a recommendation to the federal government regarding German participation in the military operation. But he said: “Germany stands on the side of the good, democratic and responsible states. I am sure a right decision will be made.”
According to the USA, more than 20 countries are already taking part in the military alliance in the Red Sea. The federal government is still considering sending German ships.
1:55 a.m. – Over 60 arrests in pro-Palestinian protests at US airports
According to police, more than 60 people were arrested during pro-Palestinian demonstrations at the airports in Los Angeles and New York. In Los Angeles alone, where police say the demonstrators rioted, 36 people were arrested. “The demonstrators threw a police officer to the ground, blocked a road to the airport with construction rubble, street signs, branches and concrete blocks, and attacked innocent passers-by in their vehicles,” police said.
In New York, police said 26 people were taken into custody for disorderly conduct and obstructing traffic at JFK Airport in Queens. According to local media reports, the demonstrators carried banners with slogans such as “Freedom for Palestine,” opposing Israeli military actions in the Gaza Strip.
1:01 a.m. – Israel’s ambassador warns of Hamas attacks in Germany
The Israeli ambassador in Berlin, Ron Prosor, has warned of attacks by the terrorist organization Hamas in Germany. Hamas’ henchmen had long since arrived in Germany, Prosor told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Thursday). “Germany must remain vigilant: international terrorism is constantly arming itself – even during the holidays,” warned the ambassador.
The ban on the activity of the radical Islamic Hamas and pro-Palestinian network Samidoun in Germany is right, but it is not enough, complained Prosor. Financial flows would have to be better monitored. “Not a cent of German tax money may be used for tunnels, weapons or terror,” the ambassador emphasized.
At the same time, the Israeli ambassador praised Germany’s solidarity with Israel after the Hamas terrorist attack on October 7th. The bilateral relationship between Germany and Israel has recently become “stronger, deeper and more diverse”. Prosor welcomed the fact that Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD), Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and all democratic parties had said that Germany’s place at this moment was on Israel’s side. “Hamas’ ideology is a danger not only to Israel, but to all democratic states,” said Prosor. He criticized the incitement of Hamas and other Palestinian organizations for having been trivialized for too long.
11:46 p.m. – Macron to Netanyahu – “Permanent ceasefire” necessary
French President Emmanuel Macron stressed the need for a “permanent ceasefire” in a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This should be achieved “with the help of all regional and international partners,” said Macron’s office. France will also work with Jordan on humanitarian relief operations in the Gaza Strip in the coming days.
8:26 p.m. – WHO chief sees Gaza population in “serious danger”
Amid hunger and ongoing fighting, the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a “serious threat” to the people of the Gaza Strip. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on the international community to alleviate this threat, which is also restricting the work of humanitarian workers in the coastal area. “What we urgently need now is a ceasefire to protect the civilian population from further violence and to begin the long road to reconstruction and peace,” emphasized Ghebreyesus.