An Israeli drone strike hit a car Tuesday morning in southern Lebanon, killing three people inside it, security officials in the area and the state news agency said. The strike on Ghandouriyeh, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Israel, came a day after a similar attack killed a commander with the militant Hezbollah group.
On an urgent mission aimed primarily at preventing the Israel-Hamas conflict from spreading into a regional war, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey would consider participating in post-conflict reconstruction and governance of Gaza, which has been decimated by three months of Israeli bombardment.
The United Nations humanitarian office says the intensifying Israeli offensive in central and southern Gaza has had “devastating consequences,” driving up civilian casualties, severely curtailing aid operations in the central region and risking the closure of three major hospitals.
Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack from Gaza into southern Israel triggered the war and killed around 1,200 people, and militants took some 250 others hostage. Israel’s air, ground and sea assault in Gaza has killed more than 22,400 people, two-thirds of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory. The count does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Currently:
— Israeli strike kills an elite Hezbollah commander in the latest escalation linked to the war in Gaza.
— The U.S. secretary of state rallies Mideast leaders to prepare for Gaza’s post-war future.
— Gaza cease-fire protests block New York City bridges. Over 300 people are arrested.
— San Francisco supervisors will take up resolution calling for a cease-fire in Gaza.
— Find more of AP’s coverage at: https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war.
Here’s what’s happening in the war:
A PROJECTILE FALLS AT AN ARMY BASE IN NORTHERN ISRAEL, MILITARY SAYS
TEL AVIV, Israel — The Israeli military says a projectile fell at an army base in northern Israel after Hezbollah said it launched an exploding drone toward the area.
The military said its air defense system was activated to try to intercept a “hostile aircraft,” and that the aircraft fell at the base.
The military said no damage was caused to the base Tuesday. It did not specify where exactly the base was located but Hezbollah said it targeted Safed, a city farther away from where the daily Israel-Hezbollah skirmishes have been taking place.
AN ISRAELI DRONE STRIKE HITS A CAR IN LEBANON, KILLING 3, OFFICIALS SAY
BEIRUT — An Israeli drone strike hit a car Tuesday morning in southern Lebanon, killing three people inside it, security officials in the area and the state news agency said.
There was no immediate word on the identities of the three. The strike on the village of Ghandouriyeh came a day after a similar attack killed a commander with the militant Hezbollah group. Ghandouriyeh is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the border with Israel.
Two security officials said Israeli drones carried out three strikes in the area including one that hit the car killing the three instantly. They spoke on condition of anonymity due to briefing regulations.
The state-run National News Agency said the strike in Ghandouriyeh inflicted casualties without giving further details. Hezbollah officials did not immediately respond to calls for comment.
Tuesday’s strike is the latest along the Lebanon-Israel border since Hezbollah started attacking Israeli military posts following the deadly Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel by Hamas. Since then, Hezbollah has lost 150 fighters in the near-daily exchanges of fire.
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Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue contributed.
ISRAELI ACTOR REPORTEDLY SERIOUSLY WOUNDED IN GAZA
TEL AVIV, Israel — Israeli media reported Tuesday that an actor on the hit Netflix show “Fauda” has been seriously wounded in the Gaza Strip.
Idan Amedi, 35, was sedated and intubated at an Israeli hospital and covered in shrapnel wounds, the Israeli news site Ynet said. He was in stable condition. Ynet said Amedi has been on reserve duty since Hamas launched its attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7 and was wounded Monday.
“Fauda” follows a team of undercover agents from Israel’s domestic security agency Shin Bet in their operations against Palestinians. While the show is critically acclaimed, some Palestinians say it trivializes their experience under Israel’s open-ended military occupation of the West Bank. Amedi played Sagi Tzur, a rookie undercover agent, during the series’ second to fourth seasons, and is also a successful singer-songwriter in Israel.
Israel has enlisted roughly 360,000 reserve soldiers from all walks of life in its war against Hamas.
GROUP WARNS THAT HOSTAGES HELD BY HAMAS FACE HEALTH RISKS
TEL AVIV — A group representing people held hostage by Hamas and other militants in the Gaza Strip warned Tuesday of the detrimental health risks to many of those held captive.
In a report released Tuesday, the medical team of The Hostages and Missing — Families Forum said at least one-third of the roughly 108 hostages said to be alive in captivity suffer from chronic illnesses or conditions like diabetes, cancer or heart disease that require medical care or medication. It said 10% of hostages were over 65 and were vulnerable without nursing assistance. The report also expressed concern for the hostages’ mental health and for those who had been wounded during Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack against Israel.
“If no medical care is provided urgently for all hostages, the result could be irreversible health problems at best and death at worst,” the group said.
Hamas and other militants took some 250 people hostage in their October attack, according to Israeli authorities. Roughly 105 people were freed in a cease-fire deal at the end of November, while around 24 have been killed in captivity.
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