Shanquella Robinson’s family sues travel companions, federal prosecutors amid questions surrounding her 2022 death in Mexico
Obtained by ABC News
(CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO) — The family of Shanquella Robinson, the North Carolina woman who died while vacationing in Mexico in October 2022, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Robinson’s travel companions, who are referred to in the suit as “the Cabo Six,” alleging battery, negligence, conspiracy and emotional distress.
Robinson’s mother, Sallamondra Robinson, spoke out during a press conference on Tuesday, along with family attorney Sue-Ann Robinson, who has no relation to the Robinson family.
“I would like each and every one of you, if you can, anything you can do, step in and help us with justice,” Sallamondra Robinson said. “We need justice for Shanquella Robinson. It has been two years and there’s no reason that they have not been arrested yet.”
ABC News’ attempts to reach out directly to the individuals identified as the “Cabo Six” were unsuccessful. It is unclear if they have retained attorneys.
The lawsuit, which was filed in the Superior Court of Mecklenburg County on Monday, two years after Robinson’s death, was filed on behalf of Sallamondra Robinson, and also names the U.S. State Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation after federal prosecutors announced last year that they won’t be filing charges in this case, citing a lack of evidence.
“We are here today, not only to honor Shanquella Robinson and her family, but to call for action,” Sue-Ann Robinson said. “We demand, still again and until the end, that authorities take the necessary steps to investigate this case thoroughly and bring those responsible to justice … We will not rest until justice is served for Shanquella Robinson and her family..”
The complaint, a copy of which was obtained by ABC News, claims that Sallamondra Robinson “suffered damages, in excess of $25,000 as a result of the wrongful death” and accuses the FBI of withholding records related to the investigation that the family sought to obtain through FOIA requests. The lawsuit also accuses the State Department and the FBI of negligence.
“The FBI’s standard practice is to decline to comment on pending litigation,” an FBI spokesperson told ABC News on Tuesday.
ABC News reached out to the State Department, but a request for comment was not immediately returned.
Robinson, a 25-year-old Black woman from Charlotte, North Carolina, was found dead in the resort city of San Jose Del Cabo on the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, on Oct. 29 2022 where she and six acquaintances traveled for vacation. According to the lawsuit, the six individuals “were believed to be friends” of Robinson’s.
Shortly after Robinson’s death, a viral video emerged on social media that appeared to show a woman – later identified as one of the “Cabo Six” – beating a naked Robinson in a room, while two spectators recorded the incident.
Sallamondra Robinson previously told ABC News that after her daughter’s death, she got a frantic telephone call from her acquaintances on the trip, claiming that she had died from alcohol poisoning. However, the Mexican Secretariat of Health’s autopsy report and death certificate for Shanquella Robinson, obtained by ABC News, lists her cause of death as “severe spinal cord injury and atlas luxation,” with no mention of alcohol.
The report, which was dated Nov. 4, 2022, also states that the approximate time between injury and death was 15 minutes, while a box asking whether the death was “accidental or violent” was ticked “yes.”
Following Robinson’s death, the FBI opened a probe into the incident, but the bureau announced in April 2023 that federal prosecutors would not seek charges related to Robinson’s death due to a lack of evidence.
U.S. Attorneys Sandra J. Hairston and Dena J. King, who represent the Middle and Western Districts of North Carolina, wrote in a statement that in every case considered for federal prosecution, the government must prove “beyond a reasonable doubt, that a federal crime was committed.”
“Based on the results of the autopsy and after a careful deliberation and review of the investigative materials by both U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, federal prosecutors informed Ms. Robinson’s family today that the available evidence does not support a federal prosecution,” the statement said.
Meanwhile, Mexican authorities investigated the case as femicide, a form of gender-based violence and issued an arrest warrant on Nov. 22, 2023, in relation to Robinson’s death for an alleged perpetrator who was not named, a local prosecutor confirmed to ABC News.
Daniel de la Rosa Anaya, the local prosecutor for the state of Baja California Sur, told ABC News in November 2022, that the warrant was “issued for the crime of femicide,” adding that Mexico is “carrying out all the pertinent procedures such as the Interpol alert and the request for extradition to the United States of America.”
The Attorney General’s Office of Baja California Sur, whose office is investigating, confirmed to ABC News in a statement on Tuesday that the investigation is still open.
“We made the necessary procedures before the United States, it is the authority there that must proceed with the apprehension of the probable perpetrator or perpetrators and put them at the disposal of the Mexican authorities,” the statement said. “Until there is a final sentence, the investigation cannot be closed.”
ABC News’ Sabina Ghebremedhin, Anne Laurent and Alexander Mallin contributed to this report.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify the parties named in the lawsuit.
(MAIDUGURI, NIGERIA and LONDON) — About 105 people were killed and another 50 others were injured when a tanker exploded in Nigeria, a local police spokesperson said.
The petrol tanker exploded after the driver lost control in the town of Majiya, in northwestern Nigeria, late on Tuesday, Shi’isu Adam, a spokesperson for the Jigawa regional police, told reporters on Wednesday.
Distressing videos taken by eyewitnesses at the scene appeared to show large columns of smoke and flames spreading from the overturned vehicle. Eyewitnesses described the scene as that of chaos and despair, with many struggling to rescue the injured amidst the flames.
Jigawa state Gov. Umar Namadi was briefed on the latest death toll as he visited the scene of the accident in Majiya on Wednesday morning.
A local resident, Sani Umar, who narrowly escaped the inferno, recounted, “It was terrifying. People were running in all directions, screaming for help. The fire spread so quickly that many couldn’t escape.”
The patrol tanker had been heading to Nigeria’s Yobe state before it crashed at around 11:30 p.m. local time after the driver lost control of the vehicle, police said. Soon large crowds began to gather around the tanker at the scene of the accident, with some gathering leaking fuel from the truck when it exploded.
“We are worried that in spite of police warning people to stay clear from scenes of accidents involving fuel tankers, they still engage in such acts,” Adam told reporters on Wednesday. “People gathered around the accident scene; that is the reason for the mass casualties.”
At least 50 of those injured are continuing to receive medical treatment at the Ringim General Hospital for varying degrees of injuries, authorities said.
The area remained cordoned off on Wednesday as police continue investigations.
AT Abdullahi, the commissioner of police in Jigawa state, expressed on Wednesday his condolences to the families of the deceased and the entire people of Jigawa.
“This is a heartbreaking moment for us all,” Abdullahi said. “We share in the pain and sorrow of the families affected. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the bereaved
A mass burial for the victims is due to take place on Wednesday.
(LONDON) — The Israel Defense Forces continued intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The uptick in offensive operations came days after Israel marked the anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 assault and as Israeli leaders planned their response to last week’s Iranian ballistic missile attack.
Body of IRGC general killed in Israeli airstrike found in Beirut
The body of an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps general was discovered in the Dahieh area of Beirut, the IRGC announced on Iranian state TV Friday.
Brig. Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan, the deputy commander for operations of the IRGC, was killed on Sept. 27 in the same Israeli airstrike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nassrallah.
Nilforoushan was sanctioned by the U.S. for his role in suppressing protests in Iran.
A public funeral and burial will be held when Nilforoushan’s body is returned to Iran, the IRGC said.
-ABC News’ Hami Hamedi
Hezbollah commander killed in strike in southern Lebanon: IDF
The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it eliminated a Hezbollah commander in a strike in southern Lebanon.
The commander was “responsible for numerous anti-tank missile attacks on the area of Ramot Naftali in northern Israel,” the IDF said in a statement.
The IDF said it was continuing to target Hezbollah positions while issuing an evacuation warning for people in parts of southern Lebanon on Friday.
-ABC News’ Dorit Long
Austin addresses safety of UNIFIL forces in call with Gallant
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin “emphasized the importance of ensuring the safety” of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon during a call with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant, the Pentagon said Friday.
He also “urged coordinating efforts to pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible” during the call Thursday on Israel’s operations in Lebanon, according to a Pentagon readout.
The French Foreign Ministry and Italy’s defense minister on Thursday also expressed concern for the safety of UNIFIL troops after two peacekeepers were injured by Israeli fire on Thursday. Two more were wounded on Friday in explosions that occurred near its headquarters in Naqoura in southern Lebanon, according to UNIFIL.
The Israel Defense Forces said it is reviewing the incidents and “takes every precaution to minimize harm to civilians and peacekeepers alike.”
Lebanon condemns attacks on UNIFIL
The Lebanese Foreign Ministry condemned the “systematic and deliberate targeting of UNIFIL forces by the Israeli army,” in a statement on Friday.
“These attacks cannot be separated from the repeated and ongoing Israeli attempts to undermine the mission of UNIFIL,” the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said.
The Israel Defense Forces said two U.N. peacekeepers were “inadvertently hurt” during IDF combat with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon on Friday.
“The IDF expresses deep concern over incidents of this kind and is currently conducting a thorough review at the highest levels of command to determine the details,” IDF international spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Clark Bentson
UNIFIL says 2 peacekeepers injured in southern Lebanon explosions
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said two peacekeepers were injured in two explosions that occurred near its headquarters in southern Lebanon Friday morning local time.
This marked the second time its headquarters were affected by explosions in the last 48 hours, UNIFIL said.
UNIFIL also said an Israeli military bulldozer knocked over several protective walls at one of the U.N. posts along the southern Lebanese border on Friday.
“These incidents put again UN peacekeepers, who are serving in south Lebanon at the request of the Security Council under resolution 1701 (2006), at very serious risks,” UNIFIL said in a statement. “This is a serious development, and UNFIL reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times.”
The Israel Defense Forces has not commented on the incidents. Israel on Thursday recommended that UNIFIL relocate farther north to avoid danger as fighting intensifies, after the mission said two troops were injured by Israeli fire.
Israel recommends UNIFIL relocate to avoid danger ‘as fighting intensifies’
Israel recommended that the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon relocate farther north, after the mission said two troops were injured in the south of the country by Israeli fire.
“Our dialogue and coordination with UNIFIL will continue in southern Lebanon,” Israel’s ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, said in a statement Thursday. “Our recommendation is that UNIFIL relocate five kilometers north to avoid danger as fighting intensifies and while the situation along the Blue Line remains volatile as a result of Hezbollah’s aggression.
The Israel Defense Forces said earlier Thursday that Hezbollah operates near UNIFIL posts, and that they told U.N. forces in the area “to remain in protected spaces.” The IDF did not comment on the two UNIFIL peacekeepers being wounded.
22 killed in Beirut strikes: Health ministry
At least 22 people were killed and 117 injured after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut Thursday evening local time, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.
Israeli forces have since issued another evacuation warning to residents in Haret Hreik in the Dahieh area of Beirut.
Amnesty International on Thursday called Israel’s evacuation warnings “inadequate” and “in some cases also misleading.”
“Our analysis shows that not only did the warnings issued by the Israeli military include misleading maps, but they were also issued at short notice — in one instance less than 30 minutes before strikes began — in the middle of the night, via social media, when many people would be asleep, offline or not following media reports,” Agnès Callamard, Amnesty International’s secretary general, said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz
2nd round of Gaza polio vaccinations set to begin next week: UNICEF
A second round of polio vaccinations in Gaza is set to begin next week, according to UNICEF.
An agreement on humanitarian pauses has been reached to allow for the second dose on Oct. 14, targeting 590,000 children under the age of 10, UNICEF said Thursday.
The first round of vaccinations ended in mid-September, reaching 90% vaccination coverage, UNICEF said at the time.
Northern Gaza bombarded with airstrikes in past 2 days: UNRWA
Northern Gaza has been bombarded with airstrikes, with 118 attacks recorded in the past two days compared to 140 in September, according to a United Nations agency.
“Ongoing military operations and continuous airstrikes on northern Gaza are heavily affecting the population,” the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East said on X on Thursday.
The World Food Programme warned the situation in the north is “worsening again,” saying they are no longer able to distribute food in the region.
“Virtually the entire area is under evacuation orders, and thousands of families have been forced to flee amid intense airstrikes and military operations on the ground,” the organization said in a press release on Wednesday. “There is nowhere for these people to go and hardly any way for WFP to reach them.”
Dozens killed in airstrikes in Lebanon in past 24 hours
Dozens of people were killed in the past 24 hours in Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Twenty-eight people were killed and another 113 injured, bringing the total casualties since the increased fighting began in mid-September to 2,169 fatalities and 10,212 injuries, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
There were 61 airstrikes recorded in the past 24 hours in various parts of Lebanon, largely in the south, according to the Lebanese prime minister’s situation report on Thursday.
The Israeli Defense Forces issued a warning to sites “in and near southern villages” in Lebanon on Thursday as it continues its campaign against Hezbollah.
Israeli forces struck more than 110 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon over the past day, the IDF said in a statement on Thursday.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Dorit Long
Netanyahu to meet security cabinet Thursday
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with his security cabinet on Thursday evening local time.
Israeli media reported that Israel’s planned retaliation against Iran for its Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack is among the topics to be discussed.
Netanyahu and other officials have vowed a significant response to the barrage, which Tehran justified as a “legal, rational and legitimate response” to Israeli strikes and targeted killings in Iran and Lebanon.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight — and it will pay for it,” Netanyahu said shortly after Iran’s Oct. 1 attack.
This week, Netanyahu said Israel is the “one force in the world that stands in Iran’s way to conquest.” He added, “It’s not only our fight, it’s the free world’s fight.”
Netanyahu spoke with President Joe Biden on Wednesday. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that the conversation between the two leaders was “direct” and “productive.”
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
Israeli fire injures UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, mission says
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon said Thursday that Israeli forces fired on three peacekeeper bases in the south of the country, injuring two troops.
“UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters and nearby positions have been repeatedly hit” amid fighting between Israel Defense Forces and Hezbollah in the area, the mission said in a post to X.
Two peacekeepers were injured at the Naqoura position “after an IDF Merkava tank fired its weapon toward an observation tower,” the mission wrote, “directly hitting it and causing them to fall. The injuries are fortunately, this time, not serious, but they remain in hospital.”
Elsewhere, UNIFIL said IDF fire on its camp in Labbouneh hit the entrance to a bunker where peacekeepers were sheltering, damaging vehicles and a communications system.
The IDF also fired at and disabled the perimeter-monitoring cameras at Labbouneh, UNIFIL said. An IDF drone was observed above the position, the mission added.
“Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and of Security Council resolution 1701,” UNIFIL said, referring to the 2006 U.N. Security Council agreement that sought to end the last major cross-border war between Israel and Hezbollah.
“We are following up with the IDF on these matters,” it added.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz
28 killed in Israeli strike on Gaza school
At least 28 Palestinians were killed in a single attack on a school in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
Children are believed to be among the casualties in the attack on the Rufaydah school. The Israel Defense Forces said it was targeting a Hamas “command and control center” in what it called a “precise strike.”
The strike occurred in the central region of the devastated strip, where Palestinians from the north have been ordered to evacuate by the IDF.
In the north, Israel is continuing an intense military operation in the Jabalia refugee camp, which is now sealed off and under IDF siege. This is the fourth major IDF operation in Jabalia since the start of the war.
The IDF, meanwhile, said it downed a drone launched into Israel from Gaza, with no injuries reported.
-ABC News’ Samy Zyara, Diaa Ostaz, Zoe Magee, Jordana Miller, Victoria Beaule and Joe Simonetti.
Quarter of Lebanon under Israeli evacuation orders, UN says
Around 25% of Lebanese territory is now under Israel Defense Forces evacuation orders, the United Nations said.
New “displacement orders” are being “issued on a daily basis,” the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a situation update, noting that more than 100 villages and urban areas in southern Lebanon are affected.
A total of 1.2 million people across the country have been displaced by Israeli air and ground attacks, the report said, citing OHCHR figures.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
IDF issues evacuation order in Dahieh area of Beirut The Israel Defense Forces issued another evacuation order in an area of Dahieh in Beirut, Lebanon, right after midnight Thursday local time.
“You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the IDF will operate in the near future,” the order read.
“For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate this building and the surrounding buildings immediately and stay away from them for a distance of no less than 500 meters,” the IDF added.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Trump, Netanyahu spoke last week, Netanyahu’s office confirms
Former President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone “about a week ago,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office confirmed to ABC News.
Trump called Netanyahu “on his own initiative,” Netanyahu’s office said.
Trump “congratulated” Netanyahu on “the determined and powerful actions that Israel carried out against Hezbollah,” the prime minister’s office said.
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., also participated in the call, Netanyahu’s office said.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Delegations from Hamas, Fatah meet in Cairo to discuss post-war Gaza plan
Delegations from Palestinian rivals Hamas and Fatah met in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss reconciliation and the administration of post-war Gaza, according to a source and Egyptian state media reports.
Egyptian state-affiliated Al-Qahera News quoted sources as saying the factions are working on a “mechanism to form a committee responsible for managing Gaza’s crossings and overseeing key issues related to health services, relief aid, shelter, social development, and education.”
Hamas’s delegation is led by Khalil Al-Hayya, while Fatah’s delegation is headed by deputy leader Mahmoud al-Aloul.
“The meeting will focus on establishing a technocratic government to administer post-war Gaza, the day-after plan, and supporting the unity of authority in Gaza and the West Bank,” a source told ABC News. It will also address the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip, the source added.
The discussions are expected to last for two days, the source said.
-ABC News’ Ayat Al-Tawy
Biden to speak with Netanyahu Wednesday, source says
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak Wednesday, a source familiar with the plans told ABC News.
The conversation will be the first publicly announced talks between the leaders in months.
Biden has told reporters for weeks that he would speak to the Israeli leader as escalation in the region intensified. The planned call was first reported by Axios.
-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart
Stabbing attack wounds several in Israel
Six people were injured — two seriously — in a stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Hadera on Wednesday, Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said.
Police described the incident as a terrorist attack and said one attacker was “neutralized” while trying to flee the scene. The suspect is 36 years old and is an Israeli national, police said.
Hadera is a coastal city located between Haifa and Tel Aviv.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti
Israel continues Beirut airstrikes
The Israel Defense Forces continued its bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight into Wednesday, with a focus on the Hezbollah-controlled Dahiya area.
Lebanon’s health ministry also said 36 people were killed and 150 wounded in Israeli attacks on Monday.
The total number of people killed by Israel in Lebanon rose to 2,119 and the number of wounded to 1,019, health officials said.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Joe Simonetti
Gaza death toll passes 42,000, health officials say
The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza announced Wednesday that the Palestinian death toll in the strip since Oct. 7, 2023 has now passed 42,000.
Health authorities reported 42,010 Palestinians killed and 97,720 wounded since the start of the war. Thousands more bodies are believed to still be under rubble in the devastated territory.
-ABC News’ Lama Hasan and Joe Simonetti
IDF claims strikes on 230 targets in 24 hours in Lebanon and Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday morning that it struck 185 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and 45 Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip over the previous 24 hours.
In southern Lebanon, the IDF said it “dismantled launch pads that posed a threat to communities in northern Israel, eliminated terrorists during close-quarter encounters and in aerial strikes, located and confiscated numerous weapons including anti-tank missiles.”
In Gaza, the IDF said its troops “eliminated dozens of terrorists in close-quarter encounters and in aerial strikes, located weapons, including grenades, AK-47 rifles, and more, and dismantled numerous terrorist infrastructure sites and rocket launchers that were ready to fire toward Israeli territory.”
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
‘Many’ refusing Israel’s north Gaza evacuation order, UNRWA head says
Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, said Wednesday that Israel’s latest evacuation order in north Gaza is deepening the misery of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
“No end to hell,” Lazzarini wrote in a post to X. “At least 400,000 people are trapped in the area.”
The Israel Defense Forces ordered residents of the northern part of Gaza to evacuate amid a renewed military operation there, currently centered on the Jabalia refugee camp. The area is “still considered a dangerous combat zone,” the IDF said this week.
“Many are refusing because they know too well that no place anywhere in Gaza is safe,” Lazzarini said of residents, many of whom have been displaced multiple times during a year of war.
UNRWA shelters and services are being forced to close, “some for the first time since the war began,” Lazzarini added. “With almost no basic supplies available, hunger is spreading & deepening again.”
The renewed fighting in the north also threatens the second phase of the U.N.-led polio vaccination campaign in Gaza. “Children are as ever, the first & most to suffer,” Lazzarini said.
Al Jazeera says cameraman critically wounded in Gaza hospital bombing
An Al Jazeera cameraman was critically wounded in the bombing of a central Gaza hospital, the publication said Tuesday.
Ali al-Attar, 27, suffered a skull fracture and internal bleeding in the brain after being struck by two pieces of shrapnel during the bombing of a police checkpoint inside Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah, according to Al Jazeera. Al-Attar was in the journalists’ tents located next to the checkpoint at the time, it said.
The strike occurred early Monday local time, according to Al-Jazeera Arabic.
At least 128 journalists have been killed and 35 reported injured in the Israel-Hamas war since Oct. 7, 2023, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
Northern Gaza ‘unlivable’: Doctors Without Borders
Doctors Without Borders said northern Gaza has become “unlivable” due to bombings and evacuations.
“These forced mass evacuations of homes and bombing of neighborhoods by the Israeli forces are turning the north of Gaza into an unlivable wasteland, effectively emptying out the whole north of the Strip of Palestinian life,” the organization said in a statement on Tuesday. “To make matters worse, no humanitarian supplies have been allowed to enter the area since 1 October.”
The Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation order for northern Gaza earlier this week, saying the area is “still considered a dangerous combat zone.”
Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan Medical Complex, which is within the evacuation zone, said they have 24 hours to completely evacuate patients and staff.
“This is a dangerous measure that threatens the collapse of the healthcare system in the northern Gaza Strip,” he said in a statement on Tuesday.
36 people killed in Lebanon Monday: Lebanese Ministry of Health
The Lebanese Ministry of Health provided an update on the death toll from the attacks by Israeli forces.
Thirty-six people were killed and 150 were wounded Monday, according to the agency.
Earlier in the day, the Israel Defense Forces claimed that it killed at least 50 Hezbollah members, including six senior commanders, in “significant airstrikes” on Monday.
Since the start of the conflict with Israel, 2,119 people have been killed and 1,019 have been wounded, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health.
-ABC News’ William Gretsky
Israeli defense minister postpones Washington trip
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has postponed Wednesday’s planned Pentagon meeting, the Pentagon confirmed.
Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh said at a briefing on Tuesday that the Israeli Ministry of Defense had “just informed” them that Gallant will be postponing his trip to Washington, D.C.
When asked why Gallant was postponing the trip, she said, “You’d have to speak to the Israelis on that one. I was just told that he postponed his trip.”
Gallant was to discuss “ongoing Middle East security developments” during the meeting, the Pentagon had said.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
6 Hezbollah senior commanders among dozens killed in strikes, IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces claims to have killed at least 50 Hezbollah members, including six senior commanders, in “significant airstrikes” on Monday.
The IDF said it conducted a series of strikes on underground Hezbollah command centers in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has not commented on the IDF’s strikes.
Israel claims it has killed Nasrallah’s replacement
Israeli officials claimed Tuesday that their forces have killed the replacement for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
“We damaged Hezbollah’s capabilities. We have eliminated thousands of terrorists, including Nasrallah himself, Nasrallah’s successor, and the successor of Nasrallah’s successor,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video address on Tuesday. “Today, Hezbollah is weaker than it has been in many years.”
Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant also said during a situation assessment on Tuesday that Nasrallah’s replacement was “probably also eliminated.”
“Hezbollah is an organization without a head,” Gallant said. “There is no one to make decisions, no one to act.”
Hashem Safieddine, a top Hezbollah official, was widely believed to succeed Nasrallah after the leader was killed in an Israeli airstrike last month.
Hezbollah has not commented yet on Israel’s claims. Deputy Secretary-General Naim Kassem said earlier Tuesday that Hezbollah’s “resources and capabilities remain in good shape.”
“Our resistance on the front is cohesive and the administration is cohesive,” he said in a video address delivered from an unknown location.
WHO reports 77 health workers killed by Israel in Lebanon
Hanan Balkhi, the regional director of the World Health Organization Eastern Mediterranean Regional Office, said Tuesday that 77 health workers have been killed and 74 others wounded by Israeli attacks since the beginning of October.
Health infrastructure has been “severely damaged,” the WHO wrote on X, with the organization verifying 36 attacks on health facilities so far in October.
Hezbollah in ‘good shape’ despite Israel strikes, leader says
Hezbollah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Kassem said Tuesday that the Iran-backed group will not be cowed by Israel’s ongoing air and ground campaign in Lebanon.
“The longer the war goes on, the deeper Israel will find itself in trouble,” Kassem said in a video address delivered from an unknown location. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “can say that he wants war, but he cannot achieve his goals from it,” he added.
More Israelis in the north of the country will be displaced as Hezbollah expands its operations, he said.
Hezbollah will continue cross-border attacks and “expanding the range of the missiles,” the leader said.
“This war has not affected our will and will not affect our determination to confront,” Kassem said. “Our resistance on the front is cohesive and the administration is cohesive.”
“Our resources and capabilities remain in good shape,” Kassem said, despite weeks of intense Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon. “Our command and control is solid. Look at how our operations have increased in the last few days.” Still, Kassem also said Hezbollah supports Lebanese government efforts to secure a cease-fire.
Kassem said the U.S. bears responsibility for the ongoing war. “Israel and America and the West are trying to put more pressure on us to make us afraid,” he continued.
“Without American support, the Israeli aggression would have stopped within a month,” Kassem said.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti and Somayeh Malekian
Hezbollah fires rocket salvo at Israel as leader speaks
Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into northern Israel on Tuesday as the group’s Deputy Secretary-General Naim Kassem issued a defiant address vowing to defeat Israel’s operations in Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces said 135 projectiles were fired into Israeli territory, some of which were intercepted and some of which landed.
The launches prompted sirens in the city of Haifa and elsewhere in the north of the country.
In his video address, Kassem — Hezbollah’s acting leader — said more Israelis will displaced in the north of the country as the militant group expands its rocket fire deeper into Israel.
Kassem said Hezbollah’s capabilities are still intact despite weeks of heavy Israeli airstrikes. He added that the group has replaced all commanders killed by Israeli attacks.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti
Israel should attack Iran’s nuclear program, ex-PM says
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett called for a major attack on Iran, saying in a video posted to social media on Tuesday: “The opportunity must not be missed.”
Israeli leaders say they are preparing a response to Iran’s Oct. 1 ballistic missile barrage.
“Attack the Iranian nuclear program and the regime centers now,” urged Bennett, who was prime minister from 2021 to 2022 and remains an influential voice in national politics.
An August poll by Israel’s Channel 12 news found 38% of respondents would support Bennett’s return as prime minister, versus 33% who wanted Netanyahu to remain in the post. Both men polled better than opposition leaders Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
4th Israeli division joins Lebanon incursion
The Israel Defense Forces announced that a fourth division joined its ground operation in southern Lebanon on Monday.
The 146th Division “began limited, localized, targeted operational activities against Hezbollah terror targets and infrastructure in southwestern Lebanon,” the IDF said. The 146th was previously deployed along Israel’s northwestern border with Lebanon in a defensive role, it said.
The IDF said the 146th Division is the first reserve division to be deployed into southern Lebanon. Its troops will be supported by the 213th Artillery Brigade and other units, the IDF said.
The 146th joins the 91st Galilee Division, 98th Paratroopers Division and 36th Division which are already in action in southern Lebanon.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
IDF says they hit at least 120 targets in southern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces said they struck more than 120 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon on Monday within an hour.
The airstrikes followed evacuation orders earlier Monday.
Over the past 48 hours, 190 airstrikes were recorded throughout Lebanon, primally in the south, according to the Lebanese Security Council. Forty-seven people were killed and another 207 injured, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Approximately 190 projectiles were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israeli territory on Monday, according to the IDF.
Harris, Emhoff mark Oct. 7 by planting pomegranate tree at VP residence
Vice President Kamala Harris and second gentleman Doug Emhoff marked the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack by planting a pomegranate tree — a symbol of hope and righteousness in Judaism — at the vice president’s residence.
Harris said the tree will “remind future vice presidents of the United States, their families and all who pass through these grounds, not only of the horror of Oct. 7, but the strength and the endurance of the Jewish people.”
The vice president underscored her pledge to make sure Israel has what it needs to defend itself.
Harris also said the world must “work to relieve the immense suffering of innocent Palestinians in Gaza who have experienced so much pain and loss over the year.”
Emhoff, the first Jewish spouse of a president or a vice president, also spoke about the “incredibly challenging day for Jews.”
“We are still hurting, and today feels just as raw as it did one year ago,” he said. “What happened on Oct. 7 is seared into our souls.”
-ABC News’ Molly Nagle
Israel’s incursions into Lebanon are limited: US State Department
Israeli incursions into Lebanon continue to be limited, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday, noting that this assessment does not “offer any kind of forecast about what’s going to happen.”
Miller asserted that U.S. officials were still engaged in talks about “what the path forward ought to look like” with a variety of partners in the Middle East.
“Just because we don’t make the details of those conversations public, which we are not at this point, doesn’t mean that we are not actively engaged in them,” he said.
Similarly, he said Israel’s campaign in Lebanon hadn’t impacted the administration’s drive to secure a cease-fire in Gaza and characterized Hamas as the main hurdle that has been “unwilling to engage in a meaningful way with the mediators.”
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
State Department organizes another flight out of Lebanon
The State Department said Monday it organized a flight to carry Americans out of Lebanon on Monday.
The flight carried approximately 150 American citizens, legal permanent residents and their family members from Beirut to Istanbul, the State Department said.
The department said earlier Monday that it had also organized two flights over the weekend carrying a combined 235 passengers from Beirut to Istanbul.
Monday’s flight brings the total number of U.S. charter flights from Lebanon over the past week to eight, with 900 combined passengers, according to the State Department.
The State Department said it has additionally blocked off 868 seats for Americans on commercial flights, with a significant share of them filled.
Officials from the U.S. Embassy in Beirut are now in contact with approximately 8,500 people inside Lebanon who have asked for more information about departing the country.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Monday that does not mean that all intend to leave, though the department has assessed that there is still significant demand for additional government charter flights among Americans in Lebanon.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
IDF warns they will soon operate in maritime area off southern Lebanon
In a warning to vacationers, beachgoers and boaters, the Israel Defense Forces said they will soon operate against “Hezbollah maritime targets” south of the Awali River line.
“For your safety, refrain from being in the sea or on the beach from now until further notice. Being on the beach and boat movements in the area of the Awali River line southward pose a danger to your life,” the IDF said.
State Department organized 2 more flights out of Lebanon
The State Department said Monday it organized two flights over the weekend to carry Americans out of Lebanon.
The flights departed Beirut to Istanbul on Saturday and Sunday carrying a combined 235 passengers, the State Department said.
A spokesperson said the State Department has now made over 2,900 seats available to U.S. citizens seeking to depart Lebanon on commercial flights and supplemental U.S.-organized flights.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
Bidens mark Oct. 7 with memorial candle lighting
President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden joined a memorial candle lighting held Monday in the Blue Room of the White House in remembrance of the victims of the Oct. 7 attack.
Rabbi Aaron Alexander recited in Hebrew “El Malei Rachamim” (“God Full of Mercy”), a traditional Jewish prayer for those who have died, then recited it in English.
Biden then lit the yahrzeit candle before observing a moment of silence. Biden made the sign of the cross after a few moments.
Alexander is a family friend of the Goldberg-Polin family. American-Israeli Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23, was taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7 at the Nova Music Festival. His body was recovered by Israeli forces in late August.
Biden also spoke with Israeli President Isaac Herzog earlier Monday to express his “deepest condolences” to Israelis and families of the Oct. 7 attack, the White House said.
-ABC News’ Justin Ryan Gomez
Israel intercepts missile fired from Yemen, IDF says
Air alert sirens sounded across central Israel on Monday due to a missile launch from Yemen, the Israel Defense Forces said.
“The air force successfully intercepted a surface-to-surface missile launched from Yemen,” the force wrote on X.
Iran-aligned Houthi rebels in Yemen have repeatedly targeted Israel using missiles and drones. Israel has launched airstrikes on Houthi military and infrastructure sites in response.
Airstrike hits close to Beirut airport
Two more powerful strikes hit Beirut on Monday morning as Israel’s air campaign continued, including one that impacted close to the city’s international airport.
The strikes sent towering pillars of smoke and dust rising above the capital and Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport.
The airport is located south of the city center close to the Dahiya suburb, which is known as a Hezbollah stronghold and has borne the brunt of Israel’s attacks on the city.
Beirut’s airport is still functioning despite nearby airstrikes, though major international carriers have frozen operations there due to the deteriorating security situation.
Lebanon-based Middle East Airlines now accounts for most flights landing at and departing the airport, which was bombed by Israeli warplanes in 2006 during the last major cross-border conflict.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell and Morgan Winsor
World must condemn Iran on Oct. 7 anniversary, Blinken says
Secretary of State Antony Blinken marked the first anniversary of Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack by calling on the international community to “condemn Iran’s support for Hamas and other terrorist groups in the region that are responsible for so much death, destruction and instability.”
“Today, we mark a devastating and tragic anniversary,” Blinken said in a statement published by the State Department. “The depravity of Hamas’ crimes is almost unspeakable.”
The Oct. 7 attack “unleashed a year of conflict, with tragic consequences for the Palestinian people,” Blinken said.
“The United States mourns the death of every innocent who died on Oct. 7 and in the year since. It is time to reach a ceasefire agreement that brings the hostages home, alleviates the suffering of the Israeli and Palestinian people and ultimately brings an end to this war.”
Blinken called on other nations to “stand steadfast in the face of terrorism and violent extremism, including the sources of support for groups like Hamas,” specifically Iran.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to lasting peace and stability across the region and for a common future for Israelis and Palestinians with equal measures of security, dignity, opportunity and freedom,” Blinken added.
Netanyahu attends Oct. 7 Jerusalem memorial
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a ceremony at the “Iron Swords” monument in Jerusalem to commemorate Israelis killed since Oct. 7, 2023.
The monument was unveiled in September to remember those from Jerusalem killed during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel and in the subsequent fighting.
“On this day, in this place, and in many places in our country, we remember our fallen, our abductees — whom we are obliged to return — and our heroes who fell for the defense of the homeland and the country,” Netanyahu said.
“We went through a terrible massacre a year ago and we stood up as a people, as lions.”
“A nation of wolves will rise and a lion will soar,” Netanyahu said.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti
US will help deter Iran, Austin tells Gallant
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Sunday to reiterate U.S. support ahead of Monday’s Oct. 7 one-year anniversary.
Austin “reaffirmed U.S. support for Israel’s right to defend itself and noted that the United States maintains significant capability in the region to defend U.S. personnel and facilities, provide further support for Israel’s self-defense and deter further escalation,” a readout provided by Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said.
The two “reiterated their commitment to deterring Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies from taking advantage of the situation or expanding the conflict,” the readout added.
Austin also “expressed his condolences” for two Israeli soldiers killed in a drone attack launched by Iran-aligned Iraqi militants on Oct. 3.
U.S. and Israeli officials are in close contact as the latter consider how to respond to Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel last week.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Biden says US ‘fully committed’ to Israel one year after Oct. 7
The White House released a statement Monday to mark the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, with President Joe Biden condemning “the unspeakable brutality” of the 2023 Hamas attack on southern Israel.
“One year later, Vice President [Kamala] Harris and I remain fully committed to the safety of the Jewish people, the security of Israel and its right to exist,” Biden said.
“We support Israel’s right to defend itself against attacks from Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and Iran,” the president added, noting the U.S. role in responding to Iran’s most recent ballistic missile attack on Israel last week.
“We will never give up until we bring all of the remaining hostages home safely,” the president said of the 101 captives still in Gaza.
Biden condemned the “vicious surge in anti-semitism in America and around the world,” which he called “unacceptable.”
For Palestinians, too, Biden said Oct. 7 should be remembered “as a dark day.”
“Far too many civilians have suffered far too much during this year of conflict — and tens of thousands have been killed, a human toll made far worse by terrorists hiding and operating among innocent people,” he said.
“Israelis and Palestinians alike deserve to live in security, dignity, and peace. We also continue to believe that a diplomatic solution across the Israel-Lebanon border region is the only path to restore lasting calm and allow residents on both sides to return safely to their homes.”
-ABC News’ Lauren Minore
Hamas marks Oct. 7 anniversary with rocket attack
Hamas released a statement Sunday to mark the first anniversary of its Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel.
The statement attributed to leader Yahya Sinwar and deputy leader Khalil Al-Hayya described the attack as a “glorious” operation that “shattered the illusions the enemy had created for itself.”
The Hamas attack killed around 1,200 people in southern Israel and saw some 250 people taken to Gaza as hostages.
Monday’s statement said Hamas was ready “for an agreement that achieves the cessation of aggression, ends the siege and leads to a serious exchange deal,” accusing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of “procrastinating and obstructing” negotiations.
Hamas claimed responsibility for rocket fire that set off alarms in Tel Aviv and other parts of central Israel on Monday. One projectile landed south of Tel Aviv and wounded at least two people, emergency responders said.
The rockets were fired from the Khan Younis area of southern Gaza, the Israel Defense Forces said.
The Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza said 41,802 Palestinians have been killed in the strip since Oct. 7, 2023.
-ABC News’ Joe Simonetti, Matt Gutman and Sohel Uddin
Hezbollah vows to repel Israel despite ‘heavy’ losses
Hezbollah acknowledged “heavy” losses within its “leadership structure” and “military and material structure” during its ongoing conflict with Israel, in a statement issued Monday to mark the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack.
The group said it is “confident” in the “ability of our resistance to repel the aggression” in Lebanon in a message posted to one of its official Telegram channels.
One year of war, the group claimed, has shown Israel to be “a fragile entity that is unable to survive and continue without American support.”
The U.S. and its allies “bear full responsibility for the killing, criminality, injustice and shocking human tragedies” experienced by the Palestinian and Lebanese people, the statement added.
(LONDON) — The Israel Defense Forces conducted what it called “precise strikes on military targets” in Iran on Friday in response to the Iranian missile strikes earlier this month.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes and ground fighting continued in Gaza — particularly in the north of the strip — and in Lebanon, with renewed Israeli attacks on Beirut.
Polio vaccination campaign to resume in northern Gaza, UN says
The third phase of the polio vaccination campaign is set to begin in part of the northern Gaza Strip on Saturday. It had been postponed from Oct. 23 due to lack of humanitarian pauses and intense bombardment of the strip.
“These conditions made it impossible for families to safely bring their children for vaccination and for vaccination teams to perform their duties. The humanitarian pause necessary to conduct the campaign has been assured, however, the area of the pause has been substantially reduced compared to the first round of vaccination in northern Gaza, conducted in September 2024,” UNICEF and the World Health Organization said in a statement.
But, WHO and UNICEF warned that it will be difficult to interrupt poliovirus transmission because “at least 90% of all children in every community and neighborhood must be vaccinated, which will be challenging to achieve given the situation.”
“The campaign in northern Gaza follows the successful implementation of the first two phases of the second round in central and southern Gaza, which reached 451,216 children — 96% of the target in these areas. A total of 364,306 children aged between 2 and 10 years old have received vitamin A so far in this round,” the WHO and UNICEF said.
-ABC News’ Nadine Shubailat
IDF issues evacuation order for areas in southern Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces released an evacuation warning for areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon, early Friday morning local time.
The areas under the evacuation order include Haret Hreik and the pond enclosure, according to the IDF.
Israeli Forces said the areas are suspected of being “near Hezbollah facilities and interests” and that the IDF plans to “operate against them” in the near future.
“For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate these buildings and those adjacent to them immediately and stay away from them for a distance of no less than 500 meters,” the IDF said.
US defense secretary speaks to Israeli counterpart about regional de-escalation
U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on Thursday to discuss opportunities for regional de-escalation, according to a statement from the Pentagon.
In the call, Austin reaffirmed that the United States remains fully prepared to defend U.S. personnel, Israel and partners across the region against threats from Iran and Iran-backed proxy groups, the Pentagon confirmed.
Austin reiterated the commitment to a diplomatic arrangement in Lebanon that allows both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border, according to the statement.
He also reviewed steps Israel is taking — and should continue to advance — to improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, as well as prospects for a hostage release and cease-fire deal, the statement said.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Iranian general says Israel should expect an ‘unimaginable response’
Israel “made a mistake” in attacking Iran over the weekend and will now “taste the response, an unimaginable response,” Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Commander-in-Chief Gen. Hossein Salami said on Iranian state TV on Thursday.
“You think you can change the story of domination of a great power called Islam by firing a few missiles? In Operation True Promise 2, you saw how your sky was cracked open. You saw how your missile shield worked. Once again you made a mistake, you will taste the response, an unimaginable response,” Gen. Salami said.
By “Operation True Promise 2,” Gen. Salami is referring to Oct. 1, when Iran sent a barrage of about 200 missiles toward Israel.
“See the behavior of the Iranian nation in the war against its enemies,” he added.
-ABC News’ Hami Hamedi and Ellie Kaufman
Injured patients in Gaza hospital lack medicine, food and water: Officials
The director of nursing at Kamal Adwan Hospital in the northern Gaza Strip released a statement Thursday saying 120 patients and injured people are lacking medicine, food and water.
“We appeal to bring specialized medical delegations to restart the hospital and save people’s lives,” the nursing director said.
Doctors Without Borders received confirmation that one of their doctors has been detained by Israeli forces, along with “several other medical staff from Kamal Adwan hospital in north Gaza,” after an Israeli military operation at the hospital on Oct. 26, the organization said in a release Thursday.
“We are extremely alarmed by the detention of our colleague,” the release said.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
6 paramedics killed in Lebanon on Thursday
Six paramedics were killed in Lebanon on Thursday, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said in separate statements.
One paramedic was killed, and two were wounded in a strike on an ambulance in Zefta in southern Lebanon.
Additionally, one paramedic was killed and two were wounded in Deir al-Zahrani, and four paramedics were killed in Dardghaya, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.
“The Ministry of Public Health reiterates its condemnation of the occupation forces’ continued targeting of ambulance crews and reiterates its appeal to the international community to put an end to this series of ongoing war crimes,” the Lebanese Ministry of Health said.
On Wednesday, 45 people were killed, and 110 people were wounded from various Israeli attacks across the country, the Lebanese Ministry of Health said. Overall, 2,867 people have been killed, and 13,047 people have been injured since Israel’s increased attacks on Lebanon in mid-September.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Progress being made toward cease-fire in Lebanon, Israeli official says
Following several days of high-level meetings, there has been “significant progress” toward a cease-fire in Lebanon, a senior Israeli official with knowledge of the negotiations told ABC News.
Israeli “Prime Minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] made it clear that the main issue is not the paperwork of this or that agreement, but Israel’s ability and determination to enforce the agreement and thwart any threat to its security from Lebanon, in a way that will return our residents safely to their homes,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
19 killed, 3 injured in Israeli strikes in Baalbeck
At least 19 people were killed and three were injured in Israeli strikes on Salibi and Badnayel in Baalbek on Wednesday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
The Israel Defense Forces issued another evacuation order on Thursday telling residents in Baalbek, Ain Bourday and Douris to “evacuate your homes immediately and move out of these areas.”
Bombing continues at Kamal Adwan Hospital in north Gaza
Conditions are worsening for patients at the Kamal Adwan Hospital in north Gaza as Israeli bombing continued to target the hospital’s surroundings through the night, the hospital director said Thursday.
“We had to let sick and wounded die due to the cessation of surgical operations,” the hospital director told ABC News.
Three members of the hospital’s staff sustained burns due to bombing that targeted the third floor of the hospital, the director said.
“The bombing of the hospital caused fires in departments containing wounded people and medical supplies. We demanded that ambulances be brought to the hospital to transport the wounded, to no avail. The situation is catastrophic in the hospital, we live in a disaster area, and we provide minimal treatment,” the hospital director said.
-ABC News’ Samy Zyara
IDF issues further Baalbek airstrike warning in east Lebanon
For the second consecutive day, the Israel Defense Forces ordered residents of the city of Baalbek in eastern Lebanon to flee their homes ahead of imminent airstrikes.
“You are in a combat zone where the IDF intends to attack and target Hezbollah infrastructure, interests, installations and combat means and does not intend to harm you,” IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X.
“Staying in the red zone puts you and your family at risk,” he added, alongside a map on which most of the city was marked red.
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said at least eight people were killed by Israeli strikes in Baalbek on Thursday.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Joe Simonetti
Israeli bombs besiege Gaza hospital again
Israeli aircraft bombed the third floor of Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza Thursday morning, destroying the hospital’s remaining medicines as well as medical supplies brought by the World Health Organization a few days ago, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run Ministry of Health.
The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital said that continuous bombing had targeted the hospital’s surroundings throughout the night.
The hospital, which was the last functioning medical center capable of performing surgeries in northern Gaza, has 120 patients and has been targeted several times by Israeli forces in the past 13 months.
Palestinian media, citing medical sources, reported that surgical operations have completely stopped at Kamal Adwan Hospital due to the ongoing Israeli aggression.
-ABC News’ Diaa Ostaz, Samy Zyara and Joe Simonetti
CIA chief in Egypt for cease-fire push
CIA Director William Burns and Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi discussed efforts to push for progress on a Gaza cease-fire and hostage release deal during a meeting in Cairo, the Egyptian presidency said Thursday.
The talks focused on “joint efforts to calm the situation in the Gaza Strip, ways to advance negotiations to reach a cease-fire and the exchange of detainees, as well as immediate and full access to humanitarian aid” in the territory, El-Sisi’s office said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Ayat Al-Tawy and Joe Simonetti
Israeli troops launch new West Bank operation
The Israel Defense Forces said it launched a “counter-terrorism” operation in the West Bank alongside Israel Border Police and the Israel Security Agency.
The operation focused on the area of Nur Shams, east of the city of Tulkarm, which has been a focus of intense and deadly Israeli security forces raids in recent months.
During the operation, the Israeli air force “struck an armed terrorist cell that fired at the forces,” the IDF said.
The IDF said the operation was launched hours after counter-terror and intelligence personnel killed Hussam Mallah, who the force described as a “significant” member of Hamas’ network in the area, “who was involved in the planning of terrorist attacks within an immediate time frame.”
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Israel to deploy forces along eastern border with Jordan, IDF says
Israel will deploy forces along its eastern border with Jordan to “protect the eastern border” — a border that was quiet for decades — the Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday.
Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi approved the establishment of a regional division after they “examined the operational needs and defense capabilities in the region,” the IDF said in a statement.
“The division’s mission is to strengthen defense in the border area, Highway 90 and the settlements, and to respond to dealing with terrorist incidents and the smuggling of weapons, while maintaining a peaceful border and strengthening cooperation with the Jordanian army,” the IDF said in a statement.
UN reports over 30 ‘incidents’ from IDF against peacekeepers in Lebanon, some ‘deliberate’
The United Nations has documented over 30 incidents of attacks on U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon, some of which were deliberate.
“Since the 1st of October, UNIFIL has recorded over 30 incidents resulting in damage to U.N. property or premises or injury to peacekeepers. About 20 of those we could attribute to IDF fire or actions, with seven being clearly deliberate,” a spokesperson for UNIFIL said.
“In an incident yesterday, a rocket, likely fired by Hezbollah or affiliated group hit UNIFIL headquarters in Naqoura and setting a vehicle workshop on fire with some peacekeepers suffering a minor injuries,” a spokesperson for UNIFIL said.
UNIFIL also said there are thousands of people stuck in villages without having access to the most basic needs.
Israel gave residents 4 hours to get out of Baalbek before beginning strikes
Baalbek’s 80,000 residents were given just under four hours to leave the city before Israeli strikes on the region began.
Residents received a message in Arabic telling them to evacuate their homes and move outside the city and villages “immediately.”
The Israel Defense Forces said it struck a fuel depot in Baalbek “located inside military compounds” belonging to Hezbollah.
“These fuel depots supplied fuel for Hezbollah’s military vehicles and were critical to the operation of Hezbollah’s military infrastructure. The fuel at these sites was supplied by Iran as part of its military support for Hezbollah,” the IDF said in a statement.
WHO evacuates more patients from Kamal Adwan
The World Health Organization has continued to evacuate patients from the Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza, as the hospital continues to receive “a constant stream of trauma patients due to ongoing hostilities in the area,” said Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, Wednesday.
There are now only two surgeons left at the hospital. The WHO has transferred 23 critical patients to Al-Shifa Hospital and 16 patients from Al-Shifa to Nasser Medical Complex in a multiday mission to north Gaza in the past two days.
The Kamal Adwan Hospital building and equipment sustained damage during the most recent siege and its four ambulances were destroyed.
“We have provided medical supplies, food and water for patients at Kamal Adwan Hospital — but much more is needed. Additionally, this week we have also provided 40,000 liters of fuel and medical supplies for six hospitals in Gaza City,” the director-general said.
Israel issues evacuation warning for entire city of Baalbek, in eastern Lebanon
The Israel Defense Forces issued an evacuation warning for residents in the entire eastern Lebanese city of Baalbeck and the surrounding areas and key routes into the Bekaa Valley. This includes the ancient Roman temple complex, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The deliberate targeting of a World Heritage Site is a war crime under international law.
Residents have been told to evacuate their homes “immediately” and move outside the city and villages, according to the evacuation warning.
There are nearly 80,000 residents in the city, adding to the hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon who are already displaced.
Israeli official explains deadly strike in north Gaza
An airstrike on a residential building that killed at least 110 people in Beit Lahia in north Gaza on Tuesday — per figures from the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health — was targeting a person acting suspiciously on its roof, an Israeli military official told ABC News.
The official said they did not know there were so many people in the building, as everyone in the area had already been told to leave.
The official added they were skeptical of the death toll provided by the Gaza Ministry of Health, a sentiment expressed by the Israel Defense Forces in a public statement regarding the incident.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday described the strike as a “horrifying incident with a horrifying result.”
Emergency responders said the airstrike hit a five-story building housing displaced people, with at least 25 children among the dead. Many more people are still missing, officials said.
-ABC News’ Britt Clennett
UNRWA not ‘darlings of Hamas,’ official says after Israel ban
Juliette Touma, UNRWA’s chief spokesperson, told ABC News the agency is “impossible to replace, especially in a place like Gaza,” following the Israeli parliament’s decision to ban the organization from operating in Israel.
UNRWA has warned that the move could severely curtail the aid agency’s ability to get desperately needed aid into Gaza. Israeli allies abroad — including in the U.S. — have also warned that the Israeli parliament’s move could exacerbate humanitarian concerns across Palestinian areas in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
“We have the logisticians, the humanitarian experts who know how to deliver humanitarian assistance and how to drive around and reach people in need. These are humanitarian experts who have been doing this for aid for many, many years,” Touma said.
Israel has alleged that UNRWA — which since 1950 has been responsible for supporting Palestinian refugees displaced during Israel’s independence war — is compromised by Palestinian militant groups.
A source from the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office told ABC News, “UNRWA is tainted with terror and perpetuates the Palestinian problem. That is why the ban is due.”
Touma disputed the assertion. “It is not as if we are the darlings of Hamas,” she said. “We have continued to have a very, very bad relationship with Hamas. On a number of occasions throughout the war we have called out publicly against Hamas.”
Touma said Israel is under legal obligation “to provide for the services and welfare for the community it’s occupying.”
Israeli authorities say they will do so without UNRWA help. But Touma said she was skeptical.
“I’m not entirely sure that they know what they’re doing, practically speaking, in terms of the ability to cater and to provide humanitarian assistance to 2 million people in Gaza,” she said.
The ban on UNRWA, Touma added, will not address the need for an agency serving its role.
“UNRWA exists because of the failure of the international community to reach a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” she said.
-ABC News’ Britt Clennett and Guy Davies
UN condemns deadly Israeli strike in Gaza’s Beit Lahia
The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Tor Wennesland called the Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza “another appalling incident” in a “deadly series of recent mass casualty incidents,” in a statement released by the U.N. Secretary-General spokesperson’s office Tuesday.
“I unequivocally condemn the widespread killing and injury of civilians in Gaza, and the endless displacement of the population in Gaza,” Wennesland said in the statement. “I call on all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian law.”
US says Israel’s implementation of UNRWA ban could have ‘consequences’
The Biden administration is “deeply troubled” by the Israeli parliament’s vote to sharply restrict the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Tuesday.
“It could shutter UNRWA operations in the West Bank, in Gaza, in East Jerusalem. It poses risks for millions of Palestinians who rely on UNRWA for essential services, including health care and primary and secondary education,” Miller said.
“Particularly in Gaza, they play a role right now that, at least today, cannot be filled by anyone else. They are a key partner in delivering food, water and other humanitarian assistance to civilians in Gaza that wouldn’t have anyone else to get it from if UNRWA were to go away,” Miller said.
Miller said that the U.S. had “made clear our opposition to this bill” to Israeli authorities and said there could be “consequences under U.S. law and U.S. policy for the implementation of this legislation.”
“We are going to engage with the government of Israel in the days ahead about how they plan to implement it. We’re going to watch and see if there are legal challenges to the law, and if there’s any impact by those legal challenges, and then we’ll make our decisions after looking to all those facts,” Miller said.
-ABC News’ Shannon K. Kingston
5 killed, 33 injured in Israeli strike on Lebanon
At least five people were killed and 33 others were wounded after an Israeli strike in the Saida neighborhood of Sidon, Lebanon, on Tuesday, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
At least 82 people were killed and 180 were wounded in Israeli attacks across Lebanon Monday, bringing the total number of people killed since Israel’s increased attacks on Lebanon to 2,792, and 12,772 people wounded, the ministry said.
At least 138 airstrikes were recorded in various areas of Lebanon on Tuesday, “mostly concentrated in the south, Nabatiyeh and Baalbek-Hermel,” a situation report from the Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office said Tuesday.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz
Second phase of polio vaccine campaign still unable to continue in North Gaza
The second phase of the polio vaccination campaign has been unable to take place in northern Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip, Director General of Field Hospitals in Gaza Marwan Al-Hams said Tuesday.
“About 110,000 children in northern Gaza need the second dose of the polio vaccine,” Al-Hams said.
-ABC News’ Sami Zyara
Israel will hit Iran harder if it launches more missiles, IDF chief says
Israel will hit Iran harder if it launches more missiles, Israel Defense Forces chief Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi warned Tuesday.
“If Iran makes the mistake of launching another missile barrage at Israel, we will once again know how to reach Iran, with capabilities that we did not even use this time,” Halevi said, speaking at the Ramon Airbase.
110 killed, dozens missing in Israeli strike in north Gaza, officials say
At least 110 people were killed with more still missing following Israeli strikes on a five-story building housing displaced families in north Gaza on Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
At least 25 children were among the dead and missing, health officials said.
Local journalists reported that the strike hit a residential building in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on Tuesday morning.
The only hospital still functioning in the area is Kamal Adwan Hospital, which in recent days has been the focus of Israeli strikes and raids.
Health officials said there are now no doctors capable of performing surgery left at the facility, dozens of medical staff having been detained by the Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF is yet to comment on Tuesday morning’s strike.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies and Joe Simonetti
90% of Gaza residents face food insecurity, WFP warns
The United Nations World Food Program issued a warning that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza could soon become a famine unless action is taken.
“Restrictions on humanitarian aid coming into Gaza are severe. During the month of October, only 5,000 metric tons of food have been delivered into Gaza, amounting to just 20 percent of basic food assistance for the 1.1 million people who depend on WFP’s lifesaving support,” the WFP said in a statement.
“Meanwhile, Gaza’s food systems have largely collapsed due to the destruction of factories, croplands and shops. Markets are nearly empty as most commercial channels are no longer functioning,” WFP said.
The WFP warned that a large group of Gazans could soon be in an “emergency phase” of need, while others would face “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity.
1 killed in Israel as 200 rockets fired from Lebanon
One person was killed by a rocket in the northern Israeli town of Maalot on Tuesday, Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency services said.
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that at least 200 projectiles were fired by Hezbollah from Lebanon into Israel since Monday night.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti
60 people killed in Israeli strikes in eastern Lebanon
Israeli warplanes killed at least 60 people and wounded 58 others in successive airstrikes on the Baalbek-Hermel governorate and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon on Monday night, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz and Joe Simonetti
110 killed, dozens missing in Israeli strike in north Gaza, officials say
At least 110 people were killed with more still missing following Israeli strikes on a five-story building housing displaced families in north Gaza on Tuesday, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
At least 25 children were among the dead and missing, health officials said.
Local journalists reported that the strike hit a residential building in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza on Tuesday morning.
The only hospital still functioning in the area is Kamal Adwan Hospital, which in recent days has been the focus of Israeli strikes and raids.
Health officials said there are now no doctors capable of performing surgery left at the facility, dozens of medical staff having been detained by the Israel Defense Forces.
The IDF is yet to comment on Tuesday morning’s strike.
-ABC News’ Guy Davies and Joe Simonetti
Hezbollah confirms new leader
Hezbollah said in a Tuesday morning statement posted to social media that Naim Qassem was elected as the group’s new secretary general in a vote by its decision-making Shura Council.
Qassem, 71, was born in the Lebanese capital Beirut. He was previously Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general, serving in the role since 1991. Qassem has long been a prominent spokesperson for the Iran-backed militant organization.
His election followed Israel’s assassination of former Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah in September and his presumed successor Hashem Safieddine in October.
Following Nasrallah’s killing in Beirut, Qassem gave a video address in which he vowed that Hezbollah would continue its fight against Israel despite its significant military setbacks.
-ABC News’ Ghazi Balkiz
IDF claims strikes on 150 targets in Lebanon, Gaza in 24 hours
The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday it attacked more than 110 targets in Lebanon and 40 targets in the Gaza Strip in the previous 24 hours.
Hezbollah targets in Lebanon included “launchers aimed at the rear of the state of Israel and weapons depots,” the force wrote in a post to X.
In Gaza, the IDF said it attacked “terrorist cells, military buildings and other terrorist infrastructures.”
UN Secretary-General ‘deeply concerned’ by Israel’s laws banning UN organization
UN Secretary-General António Guterres is “deeply concerned” by the two laws passed by the Israeli parliament Monday concerning the U.N. organization, UNRWA, he said in a statement Monday.
“UNRWA is the principal means by which essential assistance is supplied to Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. There is no alternative to UNRWA,” the UN Secretary-General said in the statement.
“The implementation of the laws could have devastating consequences for Palestine refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, which is unacceptable,” he added.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Netanyahu addresses humanitarian aid in Gaza after UNRWA ban
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement on X Monday after legislation banning the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), a main provider of aid to Gaza, passed the Israeli parliament.
Israel is “ready to work with our international partners to ensure Israel continues to facilitate humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza in a way that does not threaten Israel’s security,” Netanyahu said.
“UNRWA workers involved in terrorist activities against Israel must be held accountable. Since avoiding a humanitarian crisis is also essential, sustained humanitarian aid must remain available in Gaza now and in the future,” the Prime Minister added.
The Israeli government has accused multiple UNRWA members of participating in Hamas’ Oct. 7 terrorist attacks and having ties to Hamas. The UN conducted an investigation into the matter after the Israeli government’s initial allegations, and fired multiple UNRWA staffers after the probe, according to the Associated Press.
UNRWA initially fired 12 staffers and put seven on administrative leave without pay over the claims. The UN then fired an additional nine staffers, according to AP.
The laws passed by the Israeli parliament Monday will take effect in 90 days and will likely be challenged by Israel’s High Court.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Netanyahu says Israel would accept 48-hour cease-fire, hostage exchange proposal
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that he would accept a 48-hour cease-fire agreement proposed by the president of Egypt for the release of four hostages, but said he has not received the offer yet.
“If such a proposal were made, the Prime Minister would accept it on the spot,” the Israeli Prime Minister’s office said in a statement Monday.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Israeli parliament passes bills banning UN relief agency in Gaza
Israel’s legislative body, the Knesset, passed two bills ending the Israeli government’s ties to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East on Monday, effectively banning the organization from working inside of Israel or with any Israeli authorities.
The first bill bans UNRWA from operating in Israel, including in east Jerusalem. The bill passed with 92 members of the Knesset voting in favor and 10 voting against. This will also force UNRWA to close its bureau in Jerusalem.
The second bill prohibits any Israeli state or government agency from working with or “liaising” with UNRWA or anyone on its behalf. This applies to any Israeli agency working with UNRWA in Gaza and the West Bank. The bill passed with 87 members of the Knesset voting in favor, and nine voting against.
UNRWA is the main U.N. relief agency operating inside of Gaza. This second bill would ban COGAT, the Israeli agency that manages coordination with Gaza and the West Bank, from working with UNRWA to coordinate the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. Israel has accused many of the members of UNRWA on the ground as having ties to Hamas.
Both bills have a three-month waiting period before they take effect. It is expected that the bills will be challenged Israel’s high court.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini called the two bills “unprecedented” and said they set a “dangerous precedent” in a post on X after they were both passed.
“These bills will only deepen the suffering of Palestinians, especially in Gaza where people have been going through more than a year of sheer hell,” Lazzarini said. “These bills increase the suffering of the Palestinians & are nothing less than collective punishment.”
-ABC News’ Dana Savir and Jordana Miller
Iran promises ‘bitter and unimaginable consequences’ for Israel retaliation
Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said Israel’s strike on Iran will lead to “bitter and unimaginable consequences,” in comments Monday, according to Tasnim News Agency, an Iranian news agency close to the IRGC.
The IRGC chief also said the “illegitimate and unlawful” attack by Israel revealed Israel’s “miscalculation and its frustration in the battlefield in the war against the combatants of the great front of Islamic resistance, especially in Gaza and Lebanon.”
He also offered his condolences to the four Iranian service members killed in the attack.
Esmail Baghaei, spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Minister’s Office, said Iran “reserves the right to respond to Israeli aggression in accordance with international law,” IRNA, Iranian state media, reported.
-ABC News’ Somayeh Malekian
7 killed, 17 wounded in strikes on Tyre
At least seven people were killed and 17 wounded after Israeli strikes in Tyre, Lebanon, on Monday, the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health said.
The Israeli air force struck “Hezbollah weapons and anti-tank missile storage facilities, terrorist infrastructure and observation posts in the area of Tyre in southern Lebanon,” the Israel Defense Forces said in a release.
The IDF’s spokesman to Arab media issued a warning on X for residents in the Tyre area, “specifically to those in the buildings between the streets: Dr. Ali Al-Khalil, Hiram, Muhammad Al-Zayat, Nabih Berri,” to evacuate.
There have been 179 airstrikes and shellings recorded in various areas of Lebanon over the past 48 hours, mostly in “the South and Nabatiyeh,” the Lebanese Prime Minister’s Office said Monday.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Ghazi Balkiz
Israeli lawmakers look to stop UNRWA operations
Israeli lawmakers are set to discuss two bills intended to end all Israeli cooperation with UNRWA — the United Nations agency that provides assistance to Palestinian refugees.
If the bills pass, UNRWA could be evicted from premises it has held for over 70 years and have its immunities revoked, majorly restricting its ability to deliver health care, education and other resources to Palestinians.
An Oct. 13 letter from Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to Israeli ministers warned that the proposed UNRWA legislation could exacerbate the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and restrict aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.
Israel alleges that UNRWA is compromised by militants, with Israeli intelligence claiming that around 10% of UNRWA’s Gaza workforce — some 1,200 employees — are Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti
Israeli operation in Kamal Adwan Hospital concludes, IDF says
The Israel Defense Forces said Monday it completed its raid on the Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Lahia, in the northern Gaza Strip where IDF troops have been waging a major campaign.
The IDF claimed that “a number of terrorists — including Hamas terrorists who took part in the Oct. 7 massacre — had barricaded themselves inside the hospital.”
The IDF said its troops arrested around 100 fighters from within the hospital compound, “including terrorists who attempted to escape during the evacuation of civilians.”
The IDF said it found “weapons, terror funds and intelligence documents” in the hospital and in the surrounding area.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller
Iran will not back off in the face of Israeli aggression, Iranian president says
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday his country would stand firm following Israel’s attack on Iran.
“Definitely the free people will not back off in the face of this criminal, blood-thirsty regime. We have always defended the rights of our people and will continue to do so,” Pezeshkian told cabinet members, according to The Associated Press.
Earlier, Iranian state TV reported that Pezeshkian said Iran would respond to Israel “appropriately.”
Israel attacked military targets in Iran on Saturday in retaliation for the barrage of ballistic missiles Iran fired on Israel earlier this month, marking the first time the IDF has openly attacked Iran.
Pezeshkian also warned tensions will escalate if Israel’s aggressions and crimes continue.
-ABC News’ Ellie Kaufman
Iran calls for UN Security Council meeting after Israel’s retaliatory attack
The U.N. Security Council will meet Monday at Iran’s request after Israel’s retaliatory attack against the country, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. confirmed to ABC News.
The Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Israel’s retaliatory attack a “serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Islamic Republic of Iran and a flagrant breach of international law,” in a letter requesting the U.N. Security Council meeting.
The letter from Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs was sent to the UNSC’s current president and U.N. Secretary General António Guterres.
