Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar killed in Gaza by Israeli forces, officials say
(LONDON) — Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, Israel Foreign Minister Israel Katz said.
He has been credited as the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel that led to the deaths of 1,200 people, the worst terrorist attack in Israel’s history.
“The master murderer Yahya Sinwar, who is responsible for the massacre and atrocities of October 7, was killed today by IDF soldiers,” Katz said in a statement. “This is a great military and moral achievement for Israel and a victory for the entire free world against the evil axis of extreme Islam led by Iran.”
Sinwar, 62, had served as Hamas’ leader in Gaza since 2017 and assumed leadership of the group’s political bureau after the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Iran this July.
Israeli authorities said they had been pursuing Sinwar for a year and that he had been hiding “behind the civilian population of Gaza, both above and below ground in Hamas tunnels in the Gaza Strip.” The Israel Defense Forces and Israel Security Agency said their operations in recent weeks in southern Gaza restricted his movement and “led to his elimination.”
“Sinwar died while beaten, persecuted and on the run — he didn’t die as a commander, but as someone who only cared for himself,” Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant said in a statement. “This is a clear message to all of our enemies – the IDF will reach anyone who attempts to harm the citizens of Israel or our security forces, and we will bring you to justice.”
The IDF initially said they were “checking the possibility” that the Hamas leader was among three militants killed in an operation in Gaza and were working to confirm identification through dental images and DNA testing.
Israeli police said there is a “definitive identification” of Sinwar’s assassination based on a comparison of dental records and fingerprint matching.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heralded his death as “an important landmark in the decline of the evil rule of Hamas” in a video address.
Katz said Sinwar’s death “creates a possibility for the immediate release of the abductees and to bring about a change that will lead to a new reality in Gaza — without Hamas and without Iranian control.”
Israeli President Isaac Herzog also said in a statement that Israel “must act in every way possible to bring back the 101 hostages” still in Gaza.
Netanyahu said that to those who peacefully return the hostages, “we will allow him to go out and live.”
“The return of our hostages is an opportunity to achieve all our goals and it brings the end of the war closer,” he said.
President Joe Biden had been briefed on Israel’s investigation into whether Israel killed Sinwar, according to a senior administration official.
The Israelis also notified U.S. Department of Defense officials, including Secretary Lloyd Austin, about Sinwar’s potential death, a U.S. defense official said earlier Thursday per a pool report.
In 1989, an Israeli court sentenced Sinwar to four life sentences for his role in killing suspected Palestinian informers and plotting to murder two Israeli soldiers.
Sinwar spent the following 22 years in prison before becoming one of more than 1,000 Palestinian detainees released in 2011 in exchange for Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who had been held hostage by Hamas for five years.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
ABC News’ Guy Davies and Jordana Miller contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — Russia and Ukraine each launched more than 100 attack drones, most of which were intercepted, overnight into Thursday, military officials said.
Ukraine’s air defenses shot down at least 78 of the 105 Russian Shahed drones launched overnight at several regions, including Kyiv, the country’s air force said in an update. Fifteen regions were targeted, Ukraine said.
“The air attack was repulsed by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare units and mobile fire groups of the Air Force and the Defense Forces of Ukraine,” the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said in a statement early Thursday.
It was unclear if there were injuries in Kyiv, Serhiy Popko, head of the city’s administration, said on the messaging app Telegram.
Russia’s air-defense systems shot down some 113 Ukrainian drones in four regions, including the Kursk region, the Russian Ministry of Defense said. The Ukrainian attack had been “thwarted” the military said.
At least 73 Ukrainian drones were destroyed over the Belgorod region, which borders Kharkiv, Ukraine, Moscow said.
Ukrainian officials also said missiles had been fired late Wednesday toward residential areas in Kharkiv, where they struck at least one apartment building.
At least eight people were wounded in that strike, officials said. A 3-year-old child was among the injured, Ihor Terekhov, Kharkiv’s mayor, said on Telegram.
(LONDON) — Turkey‘s interior minister reported deaths and injuries after a “terrorist attack” at Turkish Aerospace Industries facilities near the capital Ankara on Wednesday.
Three people were killed and 14 injured in the attack, Ali Yerlikaya wrote on X. Two attackers were “neutralized,” he added.
“I condemn this heinous attack,” Yerlikaya wrote. “Our struggle will continue with determination and resolve until the last terrorist is neutralized.”
The Turkish Aerospace Industries site is some 25 miles outside Ankara.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian contributed to this report.
(LONDON) — After nearly a year of bloodshed and upheaval, the return of some 70,000 displaced Israeli residents from the regions along the country’s border with Lebanon became one of the most politically pressing issues facing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government, even as they wage a simultaneous war against Hamas in Gaza.
As of Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces claimed to have launched “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” in the south of the country in pursuit of this goal. Two divisions — the 98th Paratroopers Division and the 36th Division — are currently involved in the operation, supported by a variety of armored, artillery, commando and infantry brigades, as well as the Israeli air force, the IDF said.
This week’s incursions followed a months-long campaign of targeted killings — “eliminations” in Israeli military and intelligence parlance — and airstrikes that Israel said were intended to degrade Hezbollah’s command hierarchy and infrastructure.
Now, Israeli forces — according to an Israeli security official — have three goals: the removal of the threat of cross-border fire, the targeting of senior militant leaders and the return of displaced Israelis to their homes.
The IDF revealed this week that special forces troops have been operating just inside southern Lebanon for almost a year, destroying fortified Hezbollah positions, weapons caches and tunnels — some of which stretched all the way to the Israeli border.
Hezbollah rockets and drones have posed a constant threat to border regions since Oct. 8, when the Iranian-backed terror group began its cross-border attacks on Israel’s northern communities and nearby military positions.
Hezbollah began its operations the day after Hamas’ Oct. 7 raid on Israel’s south, which left around 1,200 people dead and 250 taken to Gaza as hostages. Hezbollah said the attacks were in solidarity with Hamas and vowed to continue attacks until Israel agreed to a cease-fire in Gaza.
Israel’s subsequent war on Gaza has killed more than 46,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. Israeli military action in Lebanon has killed more than 1,900 people since Oct. 8, according to Lebanese authorities. The United Nations said around 630 Palestinians have also been killed by Israeli settlers and security forces in the West Bank over the past year, with 15 Israelis also killed.
Last month, Netanyahu officially included the return of displaced northern residents in the country’s list of wartime goals.
“I’ve already said, we will return residents of the north safely to their homes,” Netanyahu said. “And that is exactly what we will do.”
The return of these residents remains the prime public justification for Israel’s evolving military operations in Lebanon.
Israel’s grievances date back to the last cross-border war in 2006. After around a month of fierce fighting, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved Resolution 1701 in a bid to end the conflict.
That resolution stipulated that Israeli forces would leave Lebanon while all Hezbollah forces would withdraw north of the Litani River, some 18 miles from the Israeli border. The Lebanese military would take over control of the vacated area. Ultimately, though, Hezbollah did not withdraw.
Israel has long been pressing Hezbollah to adhere to Resolution 1701. Leaders in Beirut — where Hezbollah wields major political influence through its parliamentary arm — said they still support enforcing the resolution. But Israeli patience for a diplomatic solution appears to be exhausted.
An Israeli security official said during a Tuesday briefing that the nascent ground operation is occurring “right by the border” with no intention of pushing towards the capital Beirut.
“We’re talking about limited, localized, targeted rates based on precise intelligence in areas near the border,” the official said when asked about the limits of the operation.
Meanwhile, repeated IDF airstrikes on the capital Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon continue. The IDF said it is targeting Hezbollah weapon storage sites, arms manufacturing facilities and leading militants.
Many residents of the southern suburbs have been displaced by bombing and IDF evacuation orders, some spending nights sleeping on the capital’s streets and beaches.
Several security sources told ABC News that the ground operation is expected to last no longer than a few weeks.
A key goal is the seizure of a ridge some 3 miles north of the Israeli border. From there, Hezbollah units have a line of sight into Israel to fire weapons including anti-tank missiles.
Planners also want to destroy any Hezbollah military infrastructure that could be used to infiltrate into Israel or attack northern communities.
IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari claimed on Tuesday that Hezbollah was planning an Oct. 7-style “invasion” of northern communities.
Officials said that infrastructure includes tunnels, fortified positions and weapons caches close to the border, storing arms like rocket-propelled grenades, small arms, bulletproof vests, motorcycles and anti-tank missiles.
Hezbollah tunnels are not the same as Hamas tunnels, officials said. The former are built into the rocky terrain of southern Lebanon, as opposed to the soft clay sand of Gaza. This means they are shorter, not networked and mostly used for rocket batteries, weapons caches and trenches.
Some tanks and D-9 armored bulldozers are expected to be used in Lebanese villages close to the border, suggesting the IDF intends to level homes and buildings. Most of the operation will be conducted by infantry forces, the officials said.
The IDF has ordered the residents of around 50 Lebanese villages to evacuate north of the Awali River, around 37 miles from Israel’s border. The IDF also warned civilians not to use vehicles to travel south of the Litani River, which is 18 miles from the Israeli border.
Israeli leaders have not set out a timeline for the ground incursion, nor specified whether Israel intends to retain control over any Lebanese territory.
Israel sought to deter Iran from coming to the aid of its Lebanese allies.
“There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach,” Netanyahu said in a statement addressed to the Iranian people on Monday.
One day later, Tehran launched a massive ballistic missile barrage towards Israel in its second direct attack since Oct. 7.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders vowed a punishing response. Iran, the prime minister said, “made a big mistake” and “will pay for it.”
Hezbollah — though ravaged by Israeli assassinations and airstrikes in recent weeks — vowed to resist. The group is still firing rockets toward residential areas in Israel, including Tel Aviv.
“The resistance fighters are ready for a direct confrontation with the enemy forces that dare or attempt to enter Lebanese territory and inflict the greatest losses on them,” the group said in a statement.
Eight IDF troops were killed in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, marking the first known Israeli losses of the war on Lebanese territory.