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Israel-Gaza latest: Hezbollah and Israel exchange heavy fire as Cairo peace talks end without deal


Blasts and missiles rocket across sky in northern Israel after Hezbollah retaliates

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Louise Thomas

A round of high-level talks in Cairo meant to bring about a ceasefire and hostage deal to temporarily end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ended on Sunday without a final agreement, a US official said.

Talks will continue at lower levels in the coming days to bridge the remaining gaps.

The official, who spoke anonymously to discuss the talks, said lower level “working teams” will remain in Cairo to meet with mediators from the United States, Qatar, and Egypt in hopes of addressing remaining disagreements.

The end of the talks came as Israel and Hezbollah traded heavy fire early on Sunday.

Hezbollah claimed it had hit an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv as part of a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones, while Israel claimed its dozens of strikes had been pre-emptive to avert a larger attack. Neither offered evidence.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the latest exchange of strikes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon is “not the end of the story”.

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Iran says Hezbollah’s attack shows Israel losing its deterrent power

Israel has lost its deterrent power as it was unable to anticipate the time and place of Lebanese armed group Hezbollah’s “limited and managed attack”, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a post on X on Monday.

Alexander Butler26 August 2024 10:19

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Its economy and infrastructure battered, can Lebanon afford a war with Israel?

The ferocious exchange of fire by Hezbollah and the Israeli military is raising fears of a regional war beyond the tense border.

The risks for Lebanon are far greater than in 2006, when a month long war with Israel ended in a draw. Lebanon has struggled with years of political and economic crises that left it indebted, without a stable electricity supply, a proper banking system and with rampant poverty.

And with Hezbollah’s military power significantly greater, there are concerns that a new war would be far more destructive and prolonged.

Can Lebanon afford any of it?

Namita Singh26 August 2024 09:00

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ICYMI: Israel says polio vaccines have been delivered to Gaza

Polio vaccines for more than one million people have been delivered to Gaza, Israel’s military said on Sunday after the first confirmed case of the disease in the territory in a quarter of a century.

It was not immediately clear how, or how quickly, more than 25,000 vials of vaccine would be distributed in Gaza, where ongoing fighting and unrest have challenged humanitarian efforts during more than 10 months of war.

A Palestinian girl is examined by a doctor amid fears over the spread of polio after the first case was reported by the Ministry of Health
A Palestinian girl is examined by a doctor amid fears over the spread of polio after the first case was reported by the Ministry of Health (Reuters)

Other polio cases are suspected across the largely devastated territory after the virus was detected in wastewater in six different locations in July.

Aid groups plan to vaccinate more than 600,000 children under age 10 and have called for an urgent pause in the war to increase vaccinations.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations children’s agency have said that, at a minimum, a seven-day pause is needed.

The UN has aimed to bring 1.6 million doses of polio vaccine into Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians are crowded into tent camps lacking clean water or proper disposal of sewage and garbage. Families sometimes use wastewater to drink or clean dishes.

Namita Singh26 August 2024 08:30

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Iran doesn’t seek to increase regional tensions, foreign minister tells Italian counterpart

Iran does not seek to increase Middle East tensions, its foreign minister Abbas Araqchi told his Italian counterpart Antonio Tajani, adding that its retaliation for the killing of the Hamas chief in Tehran will be “definite and calculated”.

Namita Singh26 August 2024 07:36

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Greek-flagged ship Sounion on fire since 23 August after Houthi attack

The Greek-flagged ship Sounion has been on fire since August 23 after an attack by Yemen’s Houthis, EU Red Sea naval mission Aspides said in a post on X on Monday.

Aspides added that so far there are no obvious signs of an oil spill.

The EU mission published photos dated yesterday showing fire and smoke coming out of the vessel’s main deck.

This frame grab from video released by the Ansar Allah Media Office, the media arm of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, on Friday, 23 August 2024, shows what the Houthis describe as one of their attacks on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the the Red Sea
This frame grab from video released by the Ansar Allah Media Office, the media arm of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, on Friday, 23 August 2024, shows what the Houthis describe as one of their attacks on the Greek-flagged oil tanker Sounion in the the Red Sea (AP)

The vessel had been staffed by a crew of 25 Filipinos and Russians, as well as four private security personnel, when it was attacked in the Red Sea on Thursday. It was taken by a French destroyer to nearby Djibouti, the European Union’s Aspides naval mission.

The Sounion has 150,000 tons of crude oil aboard and represents a “navigational and environmental hazard,” the mission warned. “It is essential that everyone in the area exercises caution and refrains from any actions that could lead to a deterioration of the current situation.”

Late Friday night, the Houthis released footage of an explosion striking the Sounion, their fighters on the water in the distance chanting the group’s slogan: “God is the greatest; death to America; death to Israel; curse the Jews; victory to Islam.”

Namita Singh26 August 2024 06:08

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Biden ‘closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon’

President Joe Biden was “closely monitoring events in Israel and Lebanon“, Sean Savett, a spokesperson for the National Security Council, said.

The Pentagon said Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, and ordered both US carrier strike groups in the region to stay. The US military has been building up its forces across the region in recent weeks.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General CQ Brown, arrived in Israel late Sunday for meetings on what the Israeli military called “joint preparations in the region as part of the response to threats in the Middle East”.

All-out war apparently averted for now.

Danny Citrinowicz, an expert at Israel’s Institute for National Security Studies, said Hezbollah might be trying to “balance the equation without escalating into war”. Each side hopes their narrative will be sufficient for them to declare victory and avoid a wider confrontation, he said.

Namita Singh26 August 2024 05:15

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This is not the end of the story, warns Netanyahu

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the military eliminated thousands of rockets that were aimed at northern Israel and shot down drones heading for the centre of the country.

“I repeat – this is not the end of the story,” he added.

Flights diverted as air raid sirens wailAir raid sirens were reported throughout northern Israel, and Israel’s international airport closed and diverted flights for about an hour.

This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel on 25 August 2024
This photo taken from a position in northern Israel shows a Hezbollah UAV intercepted by Israeli air forces over north Israel on 25 August 2024 (AFP via Getty Images)

Israel’s military spokesperson, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said about 100 Israeli planes struck 270 targets, 90 per cent of them rocket launchers aimed at northern Israel. He said they were investigating the percentage of incoming rockets and drones intercepted but said the “vast majority” were thwarted.

The Israeli military announced early 25 August 2024 that it was conducting pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for ‘large-scale’ attacks by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah
The Israeli military announced early 25 August 2024 that it was conducting pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon after detecting preparations for ‘large-scale’ attacks by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah (AFP via Getty Images)

Hezbollah said its attack involved more than 320 Katyusha rockets aimed at multiple sites in Israel and a “large number” of drones.

Some Israelis were shaken.

In the northern city of Acre, retired teacher Saadia Even Tsur, 76, said he was at the synagogue and arrived home five minutes after his bedroom was damaged. “I went up and saw the size of the miracle that happened to me,” he said. A window was broken and debris was on the bed.

Namita Singh26 August 2024 05:00

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Israel and Hezbollah trade fire over weekend

Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah traded heavy fire early Sunday but backed off from sparking a widely feared all-out war, as both sides signalled their most intense exchange in months was over.

Hezbollah claimed to hit an Israeli military intelligence site near Tel Aviv as part of a barrage of hundreds of rockets and drones, and Israel claimed its dozens of strikes had been preemptive to avert a larger attack. Neither offered evidence.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the attack, which was a response to Israel’s killing of a top militant commander in Beirut last month, had been delayed to give the Gaza cease-fire talks a chance, and so fellow Iran-backed groups could discuss with Iran whether to attack Israel all at once. Israeli and US military deployment also played a role.

Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 25 August 2024
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 25 August 2024 (EPA)

“We will now reserve the right to respond at a later time” if the results of Sunday’s attack aren’t sufficient, Nasrallah said, adding that allied Houthi rebels in Yemen – and Iran itself – had yet to respond. But he told the Lebanese people: “At this current stage, the country can take a breath and relax.”

Israel and Hezbollah said they aimed only at military targets. Israel said no military target was hit by Hezbollah but that one soldier with its navy was killed and two others were wounded either by an interceptor for incoming fire, or by shrapnel from one. Two Hezbollah fighters and a militant from an allied group were killed, the groups said.

Namita Singh26 August 2024 04:45

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In pictures: Families flee during an Israeli military operation in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip

(EPA)
(EPA)
(EPA)
(EPA)

Barney Davis26 August 2024 04:34

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Israel-Hamas war ceasefire, hostage talks will continue after weekend meetings didn’t resolve gaps

A round of high-level talks in Cairo meant to bring about a cease-fire and hostage deal to at least temporarily end the 10-month Israel-Hamas war in Gaza ended on Sunday without a final agreement, a US official said.

But talks will continue at lower levels in the coming days in an effort to bridge remaining gaps.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the talks, said lower level “working teams” will remain in Cairo to meet with mediators the United States, Qatar, and Egypt in hopes to addressing remaining disagreements.

Internally displaced Palestinians, including women and children, flee during an Israeli military operation in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 25 August 2024
Internally displaced Palestinians, including women and children, flee during an Israeli military operation in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip, 25 August 2024 (EPA)

The official called the recent conversations, which began on Thursday in Cairo and continued through Sunday, as “constructive” and said all parties were working to “reach a final and implementable agreement”.

The talks included CIA director William Burns and David Barnea, the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency. A Hamas delegation was briefed by Egyptian and Qatari mediators but did not directly take part in negotiations.

Namita Singh26 August 2024 04:07



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