Israel strikes Gaza and Lebanon as ceasefire talks are expected to restart
CNN
Israeli airstrikes hit a school in Gaza and Beirut’s southern suburbs, while a source tells CNN a meeting this weekend is expected to restart ceasefire and hostage release talks. Follow for live news updates.
• A meeting this weekend in Qatar is expected to restart the talks over a possible hostage and ceasefire deal in Gaza, a source told CNN. While in Qatar earlier Thursday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken stressed that Israel should seize the “pivotal moment” following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar. • The Israeli military has forced Palestinians to enter potentially booby-trapped houses and tunnels in Gaza to avoid putting its troops in harm’s way, according to an Israeli soldier and five former detainees who said they were victims of the practice. • Hospital officials said 17 people were killed in an airstrike on a school in central Gaza, where the Israeli military said it was targeting Hamas. Further north in the strip, health authorities said medicine and food are in short supply as Israeli bombardment has intensified, putting the area at a “breaking point.” • A series of Israeli airstrikes were the “most violent” to hit Beirut’s southern suburbs since the war began, destroying six buildings and causing widespread fires, according to Lebanon’s state news agency. The commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) issued a warning to Israel on Thursday, cautioning against overconfidence in the anti-missile defense system sent by the United States to Israel. According to Iranian state media, IRGC Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami argued that THAAD, which stands for Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, is a limited defense and that Israel’s reliance on it would not secure victory against potential “reprisal attacks from the resistance front.”
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Israel is at a “high level of readiness” for a response from Iran, an Israeli military source told CNN, as US officials visited the Middle East for a renewed push to resolve the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Follow live updates.