Israel has condemned UN chief António Guterres for “not welcoming” the Yahya Sinwar killing.
The country’s foreign minister accused the secretary general of “leading an extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda”.
“Guterres did not welcome the elimination of arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar, just as he refused to declare Hamas a terrorist organisation after the October 7th massacre,” Israel Katz wrote on X.
Mr Katz added that Israel would continue to “designate him as persona non grata and bar his entry to Israel”.
Earlier this month, Mr Katz said he was banning Mr Guterres from entering the country because he had not “unequivocally” condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel the day before.
Tensions have simmered between Mr Guterres and the Israeli government since the war broke out.
A United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) resolution announced in September set a deadline of no longer than 12 months for Israel to end its “illegal occupation of Palestinian territory”
Biden gives a statement after Scholz meeting
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, met with President Joe Biden earlier today.
Mr Biden gave a brief statement after Mr Scholz, hailing Germany’s decision to spend two per cent of annual GDP on defence. “Please keep it up because it matters,” he said.
On the Middle East, he added: “The death of the leader of Hamas [Yahya Sinwar] represents a moment of justice, he has the blood of Americans, Israelis, Palestinians and Germans and so many others on his hands.
“Let’s make this moment an opportunity to seek a path to peace, a better future in Gaza without Hamas.”
He also thanked Mr Scholz for his friendship, both personally and as a means of maintaining stability in Europe with a close US-German relationship.
Hamas leader’s death creates chance for ceasefire, US Defense Secretary says
The United States called on Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah to seize opportunities for change following the killing of Hamas’ leader Yahya Sinwar, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Friday.
“We’ll see how things evolve,” Mr Austin said, when asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vow to keep fighting.
“But clearly there are opportunities for a change in direction, and we would hope that, you know, parties would would take advantage of that, both in Lebanon, in Gaza and in Lebanon.”
Mr Austin also said that US Forces in the Middle East stood ready to support Israel’s defence.
IDF to add another brigade to fight against Hezbollah
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) will send another brigade of troops to its northern border to aid in the fight against Hezbollah, it announced on Friday.
It did not say if the troops would be deployed across the border in Lebanon, but that it would “enable the continuation of combat efforts against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation”.
The IDF currently has four divisions deployed in Lebanon: the 36th, the 91st, the 98th and the 146th.
A brigade is a smaller formation than a division and is usually made up of 600 to a few thousand troops. A division is made up of several brigades.
Scholz delivers press statement
Olaf Scholz, the German chancellor, has delivered a brief press statement after his meeting with President Joe Biden.
“Your leadership is to be credited with Putin’s plan failing, that the Ukrainans were not overrun in a few days,” Mr Scholz told Mr Biden.
He said Germany would support Ukraine as strongly as possible, but not to the extent that Germany becomes a “kriegspartei,” or party to the war, a long-running red line for Mr Scholz.
On the Middle East crisis, he also stressed that Israelis in the north of the country deserve to live in peace, and that Israel had the right to defend itself.
Pictured: IDF continues raids in southern Lebanon
Israeli troops have been photographed continuing raids in southern Lebanon.
UN denounces Israel’s use of ‘war-like’ tactics in West Bank
The United Nations humanitarian office on Friday denounced Israel’s use of what it described as “war-like” tactics against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank, saying nine Palestinians had been killed there in a week.
OCHA also voiced concern about Israeli settler attacks against Palestinians and olive trees during the annual October-November harvest, saying it was affecting the economic lifeline of tens of thousands of Palestinian families.
“Israeli forces have been using lethal, war-like tactics in the West Bank, raising serious concerns over excessive use of force and deepening people’s humanitarian needs,” OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke told reporters at a Geneva press briefing.
Mr Laerke added that Israeli forces had accused most of those killed of being involved in attacking Israelis.
He also said there had been dozens of Israeli settler attacks on Palestinians during the olive harvest this month. OCHA has received reports that a Palestinian woman was killed while harvesting olives in Jenin, he added.
Lebanon issues rare rebuke to Iran over ‘interference’
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, delivered a rare rebuke to Iran on Friday, requesting Tehran’s envoy be summoned over remarks by a senior Iranian official indicating Iran’s readiness to “negotiate” the implementation of a UN resolution related to Lebanon.
Criticism of Iran by top Lebanese leaders is uncommon, especially given Tehran’s backing of Hezbollah, which is engaged in clashes with Israeli forces along the southern border.
In an interview with France’s Le Figaro published on Thursday, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Ghalibaf was quoted as saying Iran would be ready to “negotiate” with France to implement UN Resolution 1701.
That resolution, which ended the 2006 conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, calls for southern Lebanon to remain free of any forces or weapons outside the control of the Lebanese state.
Mikati expressed his surprise at Ghalibaf’s comments, calling them “a blatant interference in Lebanese affairs and an attempt to impose an unacceptable guardianship over Lebanon”.
Analysis: Biden to meet Western leaders
President Joe Biden is in Germany today for a meeting with Olaf Scholz, Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French leader Emmanuel Macron.
Mr Biden is meeting with German president Frank-Walter Steinmeier this morning. He will then hold a European Quad meeting with Mr Scholz, Mr Macron and Mr Starmer.
The main topics of that meeting are understood to be the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Last week, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky undertook a European tour, where he presented his “victory plan” in London, Rome and Paris.
Mr Biden had been due to take part in a larger scale state visit to Germany, followed by a meeting at the Ramstein air base to discuss Ukraine with European leaders.
That visit was postponed as the President had to remain in the United States last week to tackle a major hurricane in Florida.
Watch: Israelis rejoice with flags
Israeli have rejoiced with flags and danced in the street after Yahya Sinwar’s killing.
Israel identified ‘number of terrorists’ crossing from Jordan
The Israeli military identified what it called “a number of terrorists” crossing from Jordan into the south of the Dead Sea region and neutralized two of them after they opened fire on Israeli forces, it said in a statement on Friday.
Additional forces have been dispatched to reinforce the area and were conducting searches on the ground and air for an additional suspect who likely fled the scene, the military added.
Foreign minister hits out at UN
The Israeli foreign minister has hit out at the UN for not welcoming the killing of Yahya Sinwar.
Israel Katz wrote on X that UN chief António Guterres was “leading an extreme anti-Israel and anti-Jewish agenda”.
“Guterres did not welcome the elimination of arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar, just as he refused to declare Hamas a terrorist organisation after the October 7th massacre,” he said.
“We will continue to designate him as persona non grata and bar his entry to Israel.”
Earlier this month, Mr Katz said that he barred Guterres from entering Israel after ongoing tensions over the UN’s position on Israel’s actions in Gaza.
150 attacks launched by Israel
An estimated 150 attacks were launched by Israel into Gaza and Lebanon on Thursday, according to the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF).
The strikes hit munitions warehouses, rocket launch sites and sniper and observation posts.
A siege continued against Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp in the north of the territory, with “the combat team” of Israel’s Givati Brigade joined forces with Division 162.
The IDF added that attacks by the air force in the area had “eliminated dozens of terrorists”.
Pictured: Israel celebrates Sinwar killing
Celebrations erupted across Israel overnight following the killing of Yahya Sinwar.
Netanyahu to convene special security meeting
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a special security meeting at the Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv today, alongside government ministers and security officials, according to reports.
The meeting will focus on potential progress in negotiations for a hostage deal in light of Yahya Sinwar’s death, the reports indicate, according to Hebrew media.
Sinwar ‘threw stick’ at Israeli drone moments before being killed
Yahya Sinwar threw a stick at an Israeli drone in an apparent act of desperation moments before he was killed.
The Hamas leader was tracked by an Israeli mini drone as he lay dying in the ruins of a building in southern Gaza.
He was filmed covered in dust as slumped in a chair, according to footage released by Israel.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=q1NvH0Hyp1Q%3Fmodestbranding%3D1%26embed_config%3D%257B%2522adsConfig%2522%253A%257B%2522disableAds%2522%253Atrue%257D%252C%2522enableIma%2522%253Atrue%257D%26enablejsapi%3D1%26origin%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.telegraph.co.uk%26widgetid%3D1
According to the Jerusalem Post, Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari told reporters: “Sinwar fled alone into one of the buildings. Our forces used a drone to scan the area, which you can see here in the footage I’m presenting.”
“Sinwar, who was injured in his hand by gunfire, can be seen here with his face covered, in his final moments, throwing a wooden plank at the drone,” he added.
“He tried to escape and our forces eliminated him.”
Iran says ‘spirit of resistance will be strengthened’ after Sinwar killing
Iran’s mission to the United Nations said Thursday the killing of Yahya Sinwar would lead to the strengthening of “resistance” in the region, hours after Israel said it had killed the Hamas chief.
“The spirit of resistance will be strengthened. He will become a model for the youth and children who will carry forward his path toward the liberation of Palestine,” the mission said in a post on X.
“As long as occupation and aggression exist, resistance will endure, for the martyr remains alive and a source of inspiration.”
Biden and allies to renew Gaza truce call after Sinwar killed
US President Joe Biden and European leaders meeting during his farewell visit to Germany on Friday were expected to renew calls for a Gaza ceasefire after Israel said it killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.
While still on Air Force One, Mr Biden hailed the death of the man Israel blames for the October 7 attack as a “good day”, saying it removed a key obstacle to a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal.
Mr Biden and the German, British and French leaders were also set to pledge their sustained military support for Ukraine as it fights off Russia’s invasion.
