Israel launches massive strikes against Hezbollah in Beirut

Hezbollah said early Monday it had targeted an Israeli military base near the northern city of Haifa, the third attack on a military position in the area in one day.

Hezbollah fighters launched "a salvo of Fadi 1 rockets at the Carmel base south of Haifa," the Iran-backed group said in a statement.

Air raid sirens blared in Israel's north including the city of Haifa late Sunday night.

Earlier Sunday, the Lebanon-based militants said they carried out two attacks on another base also south of Haifa.

The group dedicated the attack to its slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut last month.

Israel launched fresh strikes in south Beirut on Sunday night, official Lebanese media reported.

The attacks took place shortly after calls by Israel's army for residents to evacuate the Hezbollah stronghold.

"Enemy warplanes launched two strikes on the southern suburbs, the first targeted the Saint Therese area, and the second targeted the Burj al-Barajneh area," Lebanon's National News Agency said.

The aerial bombardment came less than a day after Israel hit Beirut's southern suburbs with more than 30 airstrikes.

Gaza's civil defense agency said Israeli air strikes in the Jabaliya area of northern Gaza killed at least 17 people.

"There are 17 martyrs, including nine children, in Israeli airstrikes in Jabaliya," the Hamas-run civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said. 

The Israeli military said earlier in the day that its forces surrounded the city in response to indications that Hamas was regrouping despite nearly a year of strikes and fighting.

It cited intelligence suggesting the "presence of terrorists and terror infrastructure in the area of Jabaliya... as well as efforts by Hamas to rebuild its operational capabilities in the area."

Gaza's civil defense agency also said an Israeli airstrike on a mosque-turned-shelter on Sunday in central Deir al-Balah killed 26 people.

Israel's military said it had targeted Hamas militants who it said were "operating within a command and control center" at the mosque.

Israel's army chief said his country's forces had defeated the military wing of Hamas.

Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi made the remarks in a letter to troops ahead of the first anniversary of the October 7 attack on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group.

"A year has passed, and we have defeated the military wing of Hamas... We have dealt a severe blow to Hezbollah, which has lost all of its senior leadership. We are not stopping," Halevi wrote.

"This is a long war, measured not only by capabilities but also by the willpower and perseverance over time," he added.

"This is a war for our right to be a free people in our land," Halevi wrote.

Halevi also noted that "October 7th is not only a day of remembrance but also a call for deep introspection" and "a recognition of our failures and a commitment to learning from them."

Maya Roman, a relative of two people abducted by Hamas and held captive in Gaza, spoke to DW about why Israel needs to reach a cease-fire and hostage release deal with Hamas militants.

"When I am asking my government to be willing to give concessions over to Hamas, I'm asking my fellow citizens to give up on their sense of security, and that is a lot to ask," she acknowledged.

Watch the entire interview here:

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) complained on Sunday of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) activity in close proximity to one of its positions in southern Lebanon.

"UNIFIL is deeply concerned by recent activities by the IDF immediately adjacent to the Mission's position 6-52, southeast of Marun ar Ras, inside Lebanese territory," UNIFIL said in a statement, referring to an area near the UN Blue Line 2000 serving as the dividing line between Lebanon and Israel and the Golan Heights.

"The IDF has been repeatedly informed of this ongoing situation through regular channels," it said. 

Israel had issued a call for UNIFIL forces to vacate certain areas as it launched ground operations in southern Lebanon. The organization responded by saying it would stay in all its designated positions. 

"This is an extremely dangerous development," UNIFIL said. "It is unacceptable to compromise the safety of UN peacekeepers carrying out their Security Council-mandated tasks." 

Finally, it appealed to "all actors" to remember their "obligations to protect UN personnel and property."

UNIFIL was established in 1978 and is made up of around 10,000 troops from dozens of countries.

Iran's civil aviation authority said Sunday that it was closing its airspace overnight. 

Between 9 p.m. local time on Sunday and 6 a.m. on Monday, state media cited agency spokesman Jafar Yazarloo as saying that flights at some of the country's airports had been canceled.

He cited "operational restrictions" and said travelers should contact their airlines or the relevant airport for more information.

Iran closed its airspace for around two days after firing a barrage of missiles at Israel on October 1.

Even after the closure was lifted, there were still very few international flights into and out of Tehran, also partly because of airlines altering their plans or regulators stepping in. 

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency has advised European airlines to avoid Iranian airspace until October 31, with the situation under ongoing review.

United Nations refugee agency chief Filippo Grandi warned that Lebanon is seeing a "major displacement crisis" due to Israel's escalating military campaign in the country.

Grandi made the comments during a visit to Beirut, where the Lebanese government has estimated that 1.2 million people have been forced from their homes.

"We estimate, and probably our estimate is conservative, that 220,000 have crossed the Lebanese-Syrian border," Grandi said, adding that 70% were Syrians who had originally fled the war in their own country and the rest were Lebanese.

He said one of Israel's strikes had cut access to a major border crossing to Syria, which had made it more difficult for civilians to flee.

"The bombing of the road, which has de facto blocked many people from seeking safety in Syria, is another example" of the challenges that displaced people face, Grandi added.

Grandi also said there had been "many instances of violations of international humanitarian law in the way the airstrikes have been conducted that have destroyed or damaged civilian infrastructure."

Grandi said 1,000 schools-turned-shelters in Lebanon were "full" of displaced families, while others have sought refuge with relatives or had to sleep in the open.

Israel said it is targeting Hezbollah figures and weapons in the airstrikes and ground incursions in Lebanon.

The UN has appealed for $425.7 million (€388 million) to respond to the humanitarian crisis. About 40% has been funded so far.

US Vice President and Democratic Party presidential candidate Kamala Harris said Washington would continue to pressure Israel and other leaders in the region to reach a cease-fire deal for Gaza and the return of the remaining hostages held by Hamas. 

"Now the work that we do diplomatically with the leadership of Israel is an ongoing pursuit around making clear our principles," Harris said in an interview with CBS, which will be aired in full on Monday. "We're not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region including Arab leaders."

Harris also reiterated Washington's position of supporting Israel's right to self defense against Iran and Iran-backed militant groups like Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon. 

She sidestepped a question on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu himself was a "real close ally." 

"I think, with all due respect, the better question is, do we have an important alliance between the American people and the Israeli people? And the answer to that question is yes," Harris said. 

The United States, along with other regional mediators like Egypt and Qatar, has been at the forefront of a push to try to reach a cease-fire deal in Gaza, although little progress has been visible for months. 

Critics argue that the Biden administration has not used all the potential tools in its arsenal to pressure Israel, for instance by threatening to temporarily halt or limit military exports to Israel, as French President Emmanuel Macron partially advocated over the weekend. 

Germany has also stopped short of calling for such a ban on weapons sales to Israel, although data suggests that whether by chance or in response to the conflicts in the Middle East, German arms exports to Israel have dipped markedly this year. 

Three vehicles carrying medical and relief supplies in the Syrian city of Homs were struck by Israeli missiles, Syrian sources said on Sunday.

Israel launched "airstrikes with three missiles targeting... three trucks loaded with food and medical supplies inside an Iranian car factory... in southern Homs," the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

It added that three aid workers had been wounded and that the trucks had "crossed over from Iraq to provide humanitarian aid to Lebanese people."

The Syrian state news agency also reported the attack, but it said no factories had been targeted inside the city.

Israel rarely acknowledges strikes against Syria, but has said before that it would not allow Iran, or Iran-backed groups, such as Hezbollah, to expand their presence in Syria.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) spoke of the suffering of the last year of conflict that erupted last October 7.

"People in the region continue to endure an unbearable toll of pain, suffering, and loss that transcends borders... Human suffering has no borders," the international aid agency said in Geneva.

"This is a year marked by heartbreak and unanswered questions. Families have been torn apart, with many loved ones still held against their will. Tens of thousands of people have been killed and millions have been displaced across the region," it stated. 

It called on all sides to respect international law.

The ICRC is responsible for preventing and alleviating the suffering of war under the Geneva Convention. As such, it remains neutral and does not name parties that violate international law.

A suspected shooting in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba killed at least one person and wounded at least eight others, Israeli media reported on Sunday.

The ambulance service earlier said that a woman was being treated at the scene for serious injuries.

Police said they were treating the incident as a terror attack and that the assailant had been killed.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, said on Sunday that some 20,000 Palestinians living in camps in Lebanon had been displaced by Israeli strikes.

Thousands of Palestinians fled or were forced to leave their homes in 1948 amid the creation of the state of Israel. Many settled in camps in Lebanon, as well as Jordan, the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

Israel, which has previously fought Palestinian groups in Lebanon, has been striking the refugee camps since it increased its bombardment of Lebanon, claiming militants hid themselves and weapons in the camps.

"UNRWA activated emergency shelters for over 4,300 displaced people, including Palestine Refugees, Lebanese and Syrians," the agency said on social media, adding that it "stands ready to open more shelters and address increasing humanitarian needs as the situation worsens."

The number of people killed in an Israeli strike on a mosque and school where people were sheltering in central Gaza has reached 26 according to a Health Ministry statement.

Reuters reported that another 93 people had been wounded.

Israel said the Ibn Rushd School and the Shuhada al-Aqsa Mosque were being used by Hamas as control centers.

Hamas has rejected the accusation that it uses mosques, schools or hospitals for military purposes. Neither claim could be independently verified.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz shared a video on his governmental website on Sunday ahead of the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks.

"Unfortunately, on this first anniversary of Hamas's terror attack on Israel, peace or even reconciliation in the Middle East seem more distant than ever," he said.

He reiterated his call for a cease-fire: "So that the civilian population in the Gaza Strip can be better protected and, of course, better cared for. And so that the Israeli hostages can finally be released."

He also spoke of the connection many people in Germany have with those caught up in the conflict on both sides, saying that debate is part of a democracy.

However, he added: "It must never be the case that Jewish citizens here in Germany have to live in fear and terror."

"We will never accept antisemitism and blind hatred of Israel. The Jewish people here in Germany have the full solidarity of our state," he added.