The latest on Hamas leader’s death and war in the Middle East
CNN
Following Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death in Gaza, Israel has continued to barrage the strip as it also targets Hezbollah in Lebanon. Follow for live news updates.
• On the ground in Gaza: About a dozen people have been killed Saturday in three separate strikes and shelling across Gaza, according to local and hospital authorities. Israeli military operations have intensified in recent weeks, particularly in the northern part of the strip, where the United Nations said over 20,000 Palestinians in Jabalya were forced to flee on Friday. • Netanyahu vows to continue war: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that after the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, Israeli forces will “continue forward until the end.” Meanwhile, a drone was launched toward Netanyahu’s residence in central Israel from Lebanon on Saturday, his office said. He was not there and there were no casualties, according to a statement. • Israel and Hezbollah trade strikes: According to Lebanese state media, at least two airstrikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut on Saturday. Earlier, one Israeli was killed and others injured in a series of barrages from southern Lebanon, Israeli emergency services said. The Israeli military said its soldiers have advanced the furthest into southern Lebanon since a ground incursion targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah began last month. The United States would like Israel to “scale back on some of the strikes” in Beirut, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Saturday while in Italy for a G7 defense ministers meeting. The defense secretary added that he will “continue to make” that point during his conversations with Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. In a statement, the Pentagon said Austin and Gallant reviewed US troop presence in Israel in light of the recent deployment there of a THAAD missile defense system during their Saturday discussion.
It is almost impossible to remember life in Israel before Hamas launched its brutal October 7 attacks a year ago, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping more than 250 others, and there is little point, because that life is gone for good. And not just because more than 100 hostages are still captive.