Israel Hezbollah War Highlights: Israel apologizes for strike that killed 3 Lebanese soldiers

Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: The Israeli military apologized Monday for a strike that killed three Lebanese soldiers in southern Lebanon the previous day, saying it is not battling the country's military and its soldiers believed they were targeting a vehicle belonging to the Hezbollah militant group.

Last week, Hezbollah said it is entering a new phase in its fight against invading Israeli troops, as the region reckoned with the killing of top Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in a battle with Israeli forces in Gaza. Sinwar was a chief architect of the attack on southern Israel that precipitated the latest escalating conflicts in the Middle East.

Israel’s allies, war-weary residents of Gaza and others have expressed hope that Sinwar’s death would pave the way for an end to the war, but both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas have vowed to keep fighting until they achieve their goals.

Netanyahu has pledged to annihilate Hamas and recover dozens of hostages held by the group. Hamas says it will only release the captives in return for a lasting cease-fire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of Palestinian prisoners.

On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led militants blew holes in Israel’s security fence and stormed in, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting another 250. Israel’s offensive in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, who do not distinguish combatants from civilians. The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90% of its population of 2.3 million people. Follow for more live updates

05:40 (IST) Oct 20

Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Iraq moves to revoke Saudi broadcaster's license after report angered militia supporters

Iraq’s commission governing media announced Saturday that it would take steps to revoke the license of a Saudi television station to operate in the country.
That came hours after dozens of supporters of Iraqi militias stormed and looted the office of the broadcaster, MBC, in Baghdad in protest over a report that described a number of Iranian-linked militant figures — including a prominent Iraqi militia leader — as “terrorists.”

The report on “terrorists” who had been killed this century mentioned former al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden alongside a roster of Iran-backed figures.

They included Hamas leaders Ismail Haniyeh and Yahya Sinwar, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani and Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, a veteran Iraqi militant who was the deputy commander of the Popular Mobilization Forces, an umbrella group of mostly Shiite paramilitaries and founder of the Kataeb Hezbollah, or Hezbollah Brigades.

05:40 (IST) Oct 20

US defense secretary speaks with Israeli defense minister, reviews US Force posture, Pentagon says

US defense secretary Lloyd Austin spoke to Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant on Saturday, reviewing posture adjustments of United States forces, including the recent deployment of an anti-missile system to reinforce Israel’s defenses against regional threats, the Pentagon said in a statement.

Austin also told his Israeli counterpart that he was relieved that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was safe after a drone attack reportedly targeted his holiday home in Caesarea, the Pentagon said.

05:39 (IST) Oct 20

Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel reveals news footage of Sinwar hiding in tunnel

It also revealed footages of supplies "meant for long stay in Sinwar's underground hideout."

05:39 (IST) Oct 20

Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: IDF reveals new footage of Yahya Sinwar moments before being killed in ground ops

Yahya Sinwar spent years planning the Oct 7 attack, said the IDF official. Each step was planned to maximise harm to Israeli and Gazan civilian, he added.

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict continues to escalate, with violent clashes reported in southern Lebanon and airstrikes on Hezbollah targets. The US urged Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, resulting in limited aid entering the region. Meanwhile, Qatar confirmed no ceasefire talks have taken place in recent weeks. Hezbollah militants clashed with Israeli troops, and Israeli airstrikes targeted Syria’s Latakia. Despite international pressure, Israel intensifies its military response.

According to Israel's PMO, Netanyahu’s Caesarea home was targeted in a drone attack. Two other drones fired from Lebanon were downed by Israeli air defences, triggering sirens in the Tel Aviv area.

"A UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was launched toward the prime minister's residence in Caesarea. The prime minister and his wife were not at the location, and there were no injuries in the incident," the Israeli PMO said in a statement.