US sends reinforcements to Middle East, Hezbollah targets Israeli positions
The United States on Friday said it was sending reinforcements to the Middle East amid growing fears that Iran could attack Israel in retaliation for what it claims was an Israeli strike last week on its consulate in Syria. A high-ranking officer of Iranβs Revolutionary Guards was killed in the attack.Β Lebanonβs Iran-backed Hezbollah group, meanwhile, said it had targeted Israeli artillery positions Friday in response to what it said was Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon.Β Read our liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
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This liveblog is no longer being updated. For all the latest on the Israel-Hamas war please clickΒ here.
Summary:Β
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Lebanonβs Iran-backed Hezbollah group on Friday said it had fired dozens of rockets at Israeli artillery positions in response to Israeli strikes in the south.
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The United States said Friday it was sending reinforcements to the Middle East amid growing fears that Iran will launch an attack on Israel in retaliation for what it claims was an IsraeliΒ air strike last week on Tehranβs consulate in Damascus.
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The EU on Friday sanctioned the military and special forces wings of Hamas and the armed wing of Palestinian Islamic Jihad for widespread sexual and gender-based violence in their October 7 attacks on Israel.
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Norway on Friday joined a growing list of countries, including Spain, Ireland, Malta and Slovenia, by saying it is βready to recognise the state of Palestineβ.
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France on Friday warned its citizens against travelling to Iran, Lebanon, Israel and the Palestinian territories due to heightened tensions following last weekβs attack on Iranβs diplomatic mission in Syria.
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At least 33,634 Palestinians have been killed and 76,214 injured in Israelβs military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory.Β Around 1,170 people were killedΒ in theΒ Hamas-led October 7 attacks and 250 people taken hostage, accordingΒ to Israeli figures,Β with 132 still missing.
Yesterday's key developments
- The US militaryΒ on Thursday said it had shot down 11 drones belonging to Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebelsΒ after the group claimed it had targeted Israeli and American ships off the Gulf of Aden.
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The US Middle East envoy Brett McGurkΒ called the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar and Iraq to ask them to deliver a message to Iran urging it to lower tensions with Israel following the suspected Israeli strike on Iran'sΒ consulate building in Syria, a source with knowledge of the situation said to Reuters.
Gazaβs health ministry collects data from the enclaveβs hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent.
The health ministry does not report how Palestinians were killed, whether from Israeli airstrikes and artillery barrages or errant Palestinian rocket fire. It describes all casualties as victims of βIsraeli aggressionβ.
The ministry also does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.Β
Throughout four wars and numerous skirmishes between Israel and Hamas, UN agencies have cited the Hamas-run health ministryβs death tolls in regular reports. The International Committee of the Red Cross and Palestinian Red Crescent also use the numbers.
In the aftermath of war, the UN humanitarian office has published final death tolls based on its own research into medical records. The UN's counts have largely been consistent with the Gaza health ministryβs, with small discrepancies.Β
For more on the Gaza health ministryβs tolls, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AP)Β
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP & Reuters)
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