Israel-Gaza-Lebanon live updates: Drones, rockets fired at Israel from two directions

(LONDON) — A local guard force member who worked at the U.S. Embassy in Sudan died while in the custody of the Rapid Support Forces paramilitary group, the U.S. Bureau of African Affairs said.

Tarig Hassan Ahmed, the guard, who worked at the embassy in Khartoum, was described as a “dedicated” and “respected” colleague and friend to many in embassy community. The U.S. said it was “deeply saddened and disturbed” by Ahmed’s killing.

“We have asked the RSF to provide full details of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Hassan Ahmed’s detention and death and to ensure those responsible are held accountable,” the bureau said in a statement.

ABC News has asked the RSF for comment on the incident.

The death came just a few weeks after the RSF agreed to a code of conduct at U.S.-mediated talks in Geneva, with the paramilitary group committing to enforcing new conduct for its fighters that includes a command directive for its fighters to comply with Jeddah Declaration commitments and international humanitarian law as well as refrain from violence against women.

“These new commitments must be reflected in the actions of RSF troops on the ground, who have committed ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity since the outbreak of war against Sudanese civilians,” said U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

A new report released by the United Nation’s Independent International Fact-Finding Mission for Sudan found that warring parties have “committed an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes,” including many that may amount to war crimes or crimes against humanity.

It is the first report by the independent fact-finding mission, Mohamed Chande Othman, the mission’s chair, said the “gravity” of its findings “underscores the urgent and immediate” action needed to protect civilians.

New visual evidence obtained by Lighthouse Reports has also found RSF and allied militias implicated in extrajudicial killings of unarmed civilians, including ethnic massacres that took place in the Western region of Sudan’s Darfur.

Meanwhile the war in Sudan continues, with fighting now ongoing in over 70% of the Northeast African nation’s states. At least 38 people were killed and 116 injured following what local groups say were “indiscriminate artillery and air strikes” by the RSF in Sudan’s Sennar state, Emergency Lawyers, a monitor for civilian casualties and humanitarian violations said in a statement.

The conflict has killed at least 20,000 people as it enters its seventh month, U.N. officials say. Local groups however warn the true toll is likely much higher.

“Much more needs to be done, of course; we’re mindful of that,” said White House national security adviser John Kirby at a White House press briefing last week. “The RSF and the SAF need to uphold their commitments.”

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(NEW YORK) — A 21-day cease-fire proposal aimed at pausing the conflict in Lebanon has become the latest flashpoint in the strained relationship between the Biden administration and Israel after the country’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, roundly rejected the terms of the proposal on Thursday.

As the prime minister flew to New York ahead of his Friday address to the annual high-level gathering of the United Nations, his office issued a statement saying he “did not even respond” to the proposal put forth by the U.S. and France, and that he had instructed the Israeli military to continue fighting against the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah “with full force.”

Netanyahu’s rejection came just hours after White House officials lauded a joint statement issued by the U.S., the European Union and six other countries endorsing the plan for a 21-day truce, a step heralded as an “important breakthrough.”

Washington said Israel had been consulted before the joint statement was released, but struggled to explain the apparent disconnect.

“We wouldn’t have worked on that statement the way we did. We wouldn’t have issued it when and how we did if it wasn’t supported by the conversations that we were having with top Israeli officials yesterday,” National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said on Thursday.

But behind the scenes, several U.S. officials familiar with the negotiations told ABC News they have consistently seen getting Israel to sign off on a truce as an uphill battle.

Israel views a pause as beneficial to Hezbollah because it could allow it to regroup and strike back at Israel following attacks on the militant group’s communication system last week widely attributed to Israel, according to the officials.

They say that the Israeli government also views a truce of any length as running counter to its main aim of allowing people displaced from areas near its northern border to return to their homes as soon as possible.

Israel’s permanent representative to the U.N., Danny Danon, told reporters on Wednesday that Israel would prefer to end its conflict with Hezbollah via diplomacy, but that “if it fails to return our residents to the homes, then we will use all means at our disposal.”

“We are very honest about it,” Danon said, adding that he believed the mediators “know exactly what we want.”

The latest disconnect between the U.S. and Israel appears poised to add additional strain to what was already expected to be a contentious address to the U.N. by Netanyahu on Friday.

U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned the body’s Security Council on Wednesday that “hell is breaking loose in Lebanon.”

The U.N. Refugee Agency added on Thursday that in just 72 hours, more than 90,000 people had been displaced in Lebanon.

Shortly after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Hezbollah — a U.S.-designated terrorist organization — began firing rockets across the Lebanese border with Israel. The low-level conflict continued for nearly a year, repeatedly threatening to escalate before Israel stepped up its military campaign earlier this month.

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(NEW YORK) — Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believes the war with Russia is “closer to an end” than many believe and called on allies to strengthen Ukraine’s army.

“The plan of victory is strengthening of Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said during a sit-down interview with ABC News’ Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts. “That’s why we’re asking our friends, our allies, to strengthen us. It’s very important.”

Watch “Good Morning America” Tuesday at 7 a.m. ET to see more of Robin Roberts’ exclusive interview with Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and first lady Olena Zelenska.

“I think that we are closer to the peace than we think,” he continued. “We are closer to the end of the war. We just have to be very strong, very strong.”

Zelenskyy spoke with Roberts as he visited New York Monday for the United Nations General Assembly this week as part of a trip to the U.S. where he has promised to present what he calls his “Victory Plan” to President Joe Biden as well as other key American political leaders.

Zelenskyy has repeatedly appealed to the United States and United Kingdom to drop their restrictions on the long-range missiles they have provided to Ukraine to strike targets deep inside Russia. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has warned that the use of Western weapons to strike Russian targets would be seen as a serious escalation in the war and a direct challenge by NATO nations.

Zelenskyy’s request comes amid heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine, as well as weeks into Ukraine’s incursion into Russia’s Kursk region. Ukraine said it seized hundreds of square miles and dozens of villages inside the Kursk region in the early days of its surprise offensive.

Zelenskyy told Roberts that Putin is “afraid” of the Kursk operation.

“It’s true. He’s afraid very much,” he said. “Why? Because his people saw that he can’t defend — that he can’t defend all his territory.”

The Ukrainian leader said that only from a “strong position” can Ukraine “push Putin to stop the war.”

Zelenskyy was joined by his wife, first lady Olena Zelenska, for the interview. Later this week, Zelenskyy is expected to travel to Washington to meet with Biden as well as presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Donald Trump.

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