Politics Netanyahu swears Israelis in for more fighting
One year after the massacre on October 7, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was confident of victory. "Together we will continue to fight, and together - with God's grace - we will win," he said in a video message. At the same time, according to the Israeli armed forces, the Shiite militia Hezbollah fired around 190 shells at Israel from Lebanon on the anniversary of the attack by the Islamist Hamas and other extremists. For its part, the Israeli air force said it flew dozens of attacks on targets in Lebanon.
"We have set the war objectives and we will achieve them," promised Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. These are: To break the rule of Hamas, to bring all hostages home, to make any future threat from Gaza impossible and to enable the safe return of residents of the south and north to their homes.
However, after a year of war with almost 42,000 dead in the Gaza Strip and growing international criticism of Israel's harsh actions in the coastal strip - and now also in Lebanon - none of Netanyahu's war aims have yet been fully achieved.
Sadness and anger at commemoration of massacre in Israel
People in Tel Aviv commemorated the victims at events on the first anniversary of the worst massacre in the history of the state of Israel. Many people wept at a gathering of relatives in Jarkon Park, held each other in their arms and carried photos of those killed and abducted. Balloons were released for the 100 or so Israelis still held hostage in the Gaza Strip. Thousands repeatedly shouted the word "achschaw", which means "now" in Hebrew and stands for the demand for the immediate release of the abductees. However, there were also repeated calls for an investigation into how the security forces could have been taken by surprise. Prime Minister Netanyahu was accused of having prevented a ceasefire in the Gaza war and thus the release of the hostages.
Israel imposes blockade on southern coast of Lebanon
Prior to the planned naval operation, the Israeli armed forces imposed a blockade on the southern Mediterranean coast of Lebanon. In a notice published in Arabic, the civilian population is warned not to stay on beaches or go out to sea on boats, as the Israeli navy is planning combat operations there. Staying on the beach or at sea is "life-threatening" until further notice, the military stated on Platform X. The warning applies to the entire coast south of the mouth of the Awali River near Sidon. This section up to the de facto border with Israel is around 60 kilometers long.
Media: Hezbollah fires rockets at military base near Mossad headquarters
According to media reports, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for a rocket attack on a military base near the headquarters of the Israeli foreign intelligence service Mossad. The attack was aimed at the base of the telecommunications reconnaissance unit Unit 8200 near Tel Aviv, reported the newspaper "The Times of Israel". The base is located next to the Mossad headquarters. According to the Israeli armed forces, five rockets were fired during the attack. Some were intercepted, while others fell in open areas.
Harris gives evasive answer to question about Netanyahu
Democratic US presidential candidate Kamala Harris evaded a clear answer when asked about the reliability of Israel's head of government Netanyahu. "I think, with all due respect, the better question is: Is there an important alliance between the American people and the Israelis? And the answer to that question is yes," Harris said on the politics program "60 Minutes" in response to the question, "Do we have a really close ally in Prime Minister Netanyahu?" Harris went on to say that the US administration's work with Israel's leadership at the diplomatic level is a "constant effort to clarify our principles." She added that Israel has the right to defend itself. However, it depends on how Israel does this. "Far too many innocent Palestinians have already been killed. This war must end."
SDA
