War latest news. Israeli raid near a hospital south of Beirut, at least three dead and dozens injured

Shin Bet (internal security) chief Ronen Bar presented last night at the Israeli government's cabinet meeting a proposal received from Egypt's newly appointed intelligence chief Hassan Rashad to restart negotiations on the release of the hostages. The scheme was discussed in Cairo on Sunday. Rashad offered Bar a "small" initial deal under which some hostages would be released in exchange for a few days of ceasefire in Gaza. Then the actual negotiations would be restarted. Israeli media reported this.

The Israeli military announced it had hit a Hezbollah bunker containing tens of millions of dollars in cash and gold in the course of targeted attacks on the pro-Iranian Shia group's financial network. "The Israeli Air Force carried out a series of targeted attacks against these Hezbollah financial strongholds," said military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. "One of our main targets last night was an underground vault with millions of dollars in cash and gold. The money was being used to finance Hezbollah's attacks against Israel."

An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) spokesman told ANSA that he had no information or indication of the alleged death of a woman held hostage in Gaza. "We are not aware of it," the spokesman said when asked about a news report broadcast by Al Jazeera in Arabic, which, citing a source from the al Qassam brigades, had spoken of the recent killing of an Israeli captive in northern Gaza under circumstances yet to be clarified.

The State Department is investigating an Israeli forces defence unit tasked with monitoring Gaza detainees for alleged human rights violations. This is reported by Axios citing sources, according to which members of the 'Force 100' unit are in the crosshairs for allegedly sexually assaulting a Palestinian detainee in Sde Teiman, the detention camp dubbed the 'Israeli Guantanamo' by human rights organisations. The alleged violations could have implications for US assistance to Israel.

"We do not comment on diplomatic efforts at this sensitive stage, but Security Council Resolution 1701 remains in force and we want it to be implemented. If there is a need to change the resolution, that is a task for the members of the Security Council." This was said by UN spokesperson Farhan Haq, responding to a question on the news that Israel had handed over to the US a document for a diplomatic solution to end the war with Hezbollah, some points of which would contradict resolution 1701. The text, adopted in 2006, provides for the UN to assign a peacekeeping mission to help the Lebanese army keep its southern border area with Israel free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state.

The United States has begun some "initial conversations with Israel" on the possible resumption of ceasefire negotiations and the release of hostages in Gaza. This was reported by National Security Council spokesman John Kirby in a briefing with a small group of journalists. However, ceasefire negotiations in Gaza and the release of hostages have not yet resumed, despite the fact that many see the killing of Hamas military leader Yahya Sinwar as an opportunity to break the current stalemate. This was indicated by White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby at a press briefing. "I cannot sit here today and tell you that negotiations are going to restart in Doha or Cairo or anywhere else," Kirby explained, adding that on the possible resumption of negotiations there are "initial talks with our Israeli counterparts."

A very loud roar was heard in Tel Aviv at 6.33pm. This was ascertained by ANSA on the spot. According to the IDF, the roar was caused by a rocket launched from Lebanon that fell exploding in the centre of Israel, in an open area. Warning sirens were not activated as the trajectory was not towards populated areas, nor did the air defence system come into operation.

Hamas intends to initially keep secret, for "reasons of security", the name of its leader who will be designated to succeed Yahya Sinwar, who was killed by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip. This was said by a senior official quoted by the BBC anonymously. The appointment is expected in March and for the time being Hamas will be led by a five-member committee: Khalil al-Hayya, listed as the head of foreign affairs and policy for Gaza; former leader Khaled Meshaal; the head of the Shura Council, Muhammad Darwish; Zaher Jabarin; and a fifth (probably linked to the armed wing) whose identity has not been revealed.

Security precautions drove Hamas - the BBC recalls - to keep publicly confidential, at first, even the election and the names of the leaders who succeeded, respectively, the founder, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, and then the first successor of the latter, Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, both of whom were in turn assassinated by Israel. The Palestinian Islamist-radical organisation also tries to keep the identity of the leader of its military wing, the Ezzedin al Qassam Brigades, a secret: an identity usually referred to only by its battle name.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health announced in a note that four rescue workers died and five others were injured in Israeli raids over the past 24 hours, adding that three ambulances were damaged. This was reported by Orient Le Jour.

Near Selidovo in the Donetsk region, the Russian army shot dead two captured soldiers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. This was stated by the Donetsk regional prosecutor's office, which opened an investigation 'for violation of the laws and customs of war, combined with premeditated murder'. Ukrainka Pravda reports this. The Russians captured two Ukrainian servicemen during an attack on positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Pokrovsky district, laid the unarmed prisoners of war face down. After pressing them to the ground with their feet, they shot them at point-blank range with automatic weapons.

Syrian media report a car explosion in the Mazzeh area of Damascus. Syrian state media report that the explosion was caused by an Israeli bombardment with a guided missile. At least one person was killed 'in the guided missile attack' against a car, state media explain. This was reported by al Jazeera.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir calls for the restoration of settlements in the Gaza Strip and states that 'encouraging the emigration' of the Palestinian population from the territory is 'the most ethical solution' to the current conflict. The Times of Israel reports. "If we want we can renew the settlements in Gaza," the ultranationalist leader says at a conference on the Gaza border organised by the Nachala settlement organisation, which promotes the establishment of Jewish settlements in the territory. "We can (also) do something else: encourage emigration. The truth is that this is the most ethical and correct solution,' Ben Gvir added.

Israeli far-right minister Itamar Ben Gvir attends a gathering by right-wing activists near the border with Gaza on October 21, 2024, calling to establish a new Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, during the holiday of Sukkot, or the Feast of the Tabernacles, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. (Photo by Menahem KAHANA / AFP)

Six people, including a child, were killed today in an Israeli attack on the city of Baalbek, in the eastern Lebanese Bekaa Valley. This was reported by Middle East Eye online citing the Lebanese news agency Nna, which said the Israelis struck a building in a densely populated residential area. "The Israeli enemy attack... in Baalbek killed six people, including a child," the Lebanese health ministry said, adding that all six belonged to the same family. At the same time, an Israeli drone attack targeted an ambulance belonging to the Islamic Risala Scout Association near the entrance to the military base in Tyre, in the south of the country, killing one person and causing numerous injuries. This was reported by the Lebanese TV station Lbci on its website, adding that video footage of the scene shows the aftermath of the attack as emergency services rushed to the scene to help the wounded.

To Netanyahu and Katz "I told them our solution for Lebanon and I found attentive ears: strengthening the Lebanese army, which is already being trained by the Italian contingent in the port of Beirut, the election of the president of the Lebanese republic and the creation of a Unifil buffer with more men and more power and different rules of engagement between the border and the river, and further north regular Lebanese army troops and further Hezbollah". Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this in Jerusalem.

Tomorrow, at the G7 Development Summit in Pescara, 'we will announce further funding to help the Lebanese civilian population', said the foreign minister at the end of his visit to Israel.

"In my meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu I reiterated my firm condemnation of the attack on the Unifil mission. I assured Italy's support for Israel's right to defend itself. It is crucial to avoid further regional escalation and to work for a ceasefire". Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani wrote this on X at the end of his visit to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu will meet tomorrow with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a mission to Israel and the region. Haaretz reports.

The IDF states that helicopters and fighter planes intercepted and shot down five drones over the Mediterranean. According to the IDF, the drones were shot down before entering Israeli airspace. The army says there is no longer any security concern at Ben Gurion airport, the Times of Israel reports.

The meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and Antonio Tajani has just ended in Jerusalem. The deputy prime minister and foreign minister, according to Farnesina sources, received assurances on how the Israeli army will operate in southern Lebanon around Unifil installations. Tajani called for a ceasefire in both Gaza and Lebanon. Netanyahu confirmed for his part that for Israel the disappearance of Hamas leader Sinwar is an important achievement, but it is unclear when military operations can be stopped.

Il ministro degli Esteri Antonio Tajani, durante l'incontro con il Primo Ministro israeliano, Benjamin Netanyahu, Tel Aviv, 21 ottobre 2024. ANSA/ALESSANDRO DI MEO Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, during the meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Tel Aviv, 21 October 2024. ANSA/ALESSANDRO DI MEO

A female hostage 'was recently killed in the north of the Gaza Strip under mysterious circumstances in one of the combat zones'. This was reported by broadcaster Al Jazeera, citing a source in the Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas. "The circumstances of the incident," the source added, "are being investigated and we do not intend to publish the name of the dead prisoner for security reasons.

Israel suspended all flights at Ben Gurion International Airport, only to resume them after a short stop.

Israeli authorities continue to prevent humanitarian missions from reaching areas in northern Gaza with essential supplies, including medicines and food, for people under siege, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees Unrwa Philippe Lazzarini told X. Hospitals have been hit and are without electricity, while the injured are left without treatment, Lazzarini said. "The remaining Unrwa shelters are so overcrowded that some displaced people are now forced to live in toilets. According to reports, people who try to flee are killed and their bodies abandoned on the road. Missions to rescue people from under the rubble are also denied,' he added.

Eliran Mizrahi, 40, a father of four, deployed to Gaza after 7 October, committed suicide after trying unsuccessfully to combat post-traumatic stress disorder. Cnn reported the story. The Israeli military reservist returned, but he was a different person, traumatised by what he had witnessed in the war against Hamas in the Strip, his family told the TV station. Six months after he was first sent to fight, he was struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder at home. Before being redeployed, he took his own life. "He came out of Gaza, but Gaza did not come out of him. And he died afterwards from the trauma,' said his mother, Jenny Mizrahi. The Israeli army said it provides care for thousands of soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress or mental illness caused by trauma during the war. It is unclear how many have taken their own lives, as the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) has not provided official figures.

Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin, during his visit to Kiev, announced the allocation of a new military aid package to Ukraine worth USD 400 million. Ukrinform reports. Austin made the announcement of the new aid package during a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. "Under the leadership of Joe Biden, the United States continues to increase support for Ukraine. Today I want to announce the allocation of a $400 million presidential aid package for ammunition, military equipment and weapons for Ukraine," Austin said.

At least 41 people have been killed in Israeli raids in the Gaza Strip since this morning, medical sources in Gaza told Al Jazira. Of the 41 people killed, 33 were in Jabalia, in the north of the Strip, where Israeli forces have been engaged in an intense military operation for 17 days and at least 640 Palestinians have been killed since then, Al Jazira added.

Soldati israeliani sbarcano da un carro armato mentre pattugliano la zona di confine tra Israele e Gaza il 21 ottobre 2024, nell’ambito della guerra in corso tra Israele e il gruppo militante di Hamas. (Foto di Jack GUEZ / AFP)

'Important and welcome'. This is how Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz comments in a post on X on the operation by the Israeli military that they claim to have targeted in recent hours in Lebanon branches of an institution that the US and Israel have linked to Hezbollah. Gantz claims that "in recent years Iran", Hezbollah's historic sponsor, has "financed" the group "with over half a billion dollars a year", an "astronomical sum in a country in economic crisis like Lebanon". And, he continues, 'the result is that while Lebanese Army soldiers suffer food shortages, a Radwan (Hezbollah force) terrorist receives a supply of hot meals for himself and his family'. Israel, he points out, wants to dismantle 'the Iranian system' and the 'message is clear, we will damage you everywhere, in every way'.

Seven Israeli citizens were arrested on charges of spying for Iran. The Times of Israel reports this, citing the prosecutors' charges. The suspects - it is explained - are all Jews living in Haifa and in the north of the country and among them are a soldier who deserted the army and two minors. They are accused of photographing and gathering information on IDF bases and facilities, including the Kirya defence headquarters in Tel Aviv and the Nevatim and Ramat David air bases, as well as the sites of the Iron Dome (video) batteries.

The Shin Bet and the Israeli police report that the 7 had been collecting intelligence information for over 2 years and that Iran allegedly paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars, often in cryptocurrency. No evidence of the alleged plot has been provided. Israeli authorities claim to have foiled several recent plots by Iran involving the recruitment of Israelis for espionage or murder. Israel has vowed to retaliate against the Iranian 1 October attack conducted with ballistic missiles: Israeli air defences shot down most of the missiles, but some hit Israeli military installations. Israel and Iran have waged a shadow war for years, which erupted into the open after the Hamas attack on 7 October 2023, which triggered the war in Gaza. Iran supports armed groups throughout the region, including Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Ukraine is developing a drone capable of intercepting Iranian-designed Russian Shahed kamikaze drones instead of the conventional air defence munitions currently used by Kiev forces, The Telegraph reports. The newspaper publishes an image of the new weapon, a four-rotor named 'Sting', from the Ukrainian manufacturer Wild Hornets. According to the company, the 'Sting' will be able to fly at a speed of over 160 km/h and at an altitude of around 3,000 metres. It is the first drone developed specifically to target the Russian arsenal in Shahed. 'Its average cost is tens of times less than that of the Shahed drone,' a Wild Hornet source told the Telegraph about the Sting drone. Lower production costs could allow Ukraine to conserve its air defence munitions in the coming months as Russia intensifies air strikes against Ukrainian cities and the national energy network.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyj stated on 20 October that Russia had launched a total of 6,230 Shahed-type drones against Ukraine since the beginning of the year.

During the invasion of Russia, Ukraine and Russia invested heavily in drone technology, revolutionising modern warfare. Numerous videos showed how Ukrainian FPV drones hit Russian reconnaissance drones and other expensive equipment on the battlefield. In September, Ukraine established the Unmanned Systems Forces, a separate branch of the Ukrainian armed forces dedicated to drone warfare. Kiev has stated that it aims to produce 1 million drones this year, in addition to the thousands promised by foreign partners.

Just last night, the Ukrainian Defence Forces destroyed the Russian Buk-M3 air defence system: this was announced by the General Staff of the Kiev Armed Forces, as reported by Rbc-Ukraine. "On the night of 21 October, units of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, in cooperation with other components of the Defence Forces hit the Buk-M3 anti-aircraft missile system," a statement read. The system was located about 60 kilometres from the front line, the General Staff specified. Depending on its configuration, the cost of the Buk-M3 can range from USD 40 to 50 million.

Lebanon's interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati said there is no alternative to UN Resolution 1701, but added that "new arrangements" could be reached to implement it, he said in a statement released by his office on Monday as Haaretz reports. Security Council Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, stipulates that the UN mandates a peacekeeping mission to help the Lebanese army keep its southern border area with Israel free of weapons or armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state. The Lebanese premier's statement followed Israel's offer of conditions for a diplomatic way out of the crisis that would exceed 1701. The US special envoy Amos Hochstein, in Beirut today, said that the mere commitment of Lebanon and Israel to comply with UN Resolution 1701 is not enough and that the US is working to work out a formula to end the conflict once and for all. This was reported in the international media.

Il primo ministro libanese Najib Mikati (Photo by Anwar AMRO / AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will leave for the Middle East on Monday, the State Department said, as Washington is pushing to start ceasefire negotiations to end the Gaza war following the death of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar.

The latest trip of the top US diplomat to the region, his eleventh since the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas that triggered the Gaza war, comes just as Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon against Hezbollah.

Blinken will discuss with regional leaders the importance of ending the Gaza war, how to map out a post-conflict plan for the Palestinian enclave, and how to reach a diplomatic solution to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the State Department said in a note. The trip of the top diplomat will begin with Israel, the State Department said, but gave no other exact destinations.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (Tang Chhin Sothy/Pool Photo via AP)

- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has asked for the Pope's help to release thousands of citizens detained in Russia. "Torture, humiliation and hunger are the conditions for our Ukrainian people in Russian prisons and camps. We managed to bring home 3,767 Ukrainians. Almost all of them needed long-term care and rehabilitation,' Zelensky writes on Telegram. Moscow is 'illegally detaining thousands more of our citizens and continues to forcibly relocate the children.... we must do everything possible to free each and every one of them. We count on the help of the Vatican and all our partners!"

A fortnight ago, the Ukrainian defence ministry, as reported by Politico, estimated that at least 177 Ukrainian prisoners have died 'in captivity' since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. "The more time they spend in Russian prisons, the closer they get to death," said Viktoriia Tsymbaliuk, a representative of the Coordination Centre for the Treatment of Prisoners of War, an arm of the Ukrainian Defence Ministry. Tsymbaliuk said that due to the lack of international oversight, the actual number of deaths in Russian custody is probably much higher. "This is the number we have," he said. "But obviously not all the bodies are returned and many are not even confirmed by Russia as prisoners." Regular prisoner exchanges between Moscow and Kiev have seen the return of some 3,600 deported prisoners of war and Ukrainian citizens. But thousands are still believed to be in Russian hands.

The day after a Hezbollah drone penetrated Israel's air defences and exploded near Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private home, Netanyahu himself held a series of meetings with top security officials to discuss the upcoming attack on Iran. Bloomberg reports. Planning for such an attack has been underway for three weeks, since Iran launched some 200 ballistic missiles against Israel following the Israeli murders of Iranian-sponsored militia leaders.

Saturday's drone attack on Netanyahu's coastal home north of Tel Aviv stunned many Israelis. Although neither Netanyahu nor his wife were home and no one was injured, he and his ministers said this was another reason why retaliation was justified.

"There is no doubt that another red line has been crossed here," Foreign Minister Israel Katz told Israel's Channel 14 on Saturday night. "We must defeat Iran's ability to pose a threat."

Just as Israel was considering its next move against Iran, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar travelled to Egypt to discuss the prospects of renewing ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, according to an Israeli official.

It was the first meeting between the security chiefs since the elimination of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar by the Israeli army last Thursday. No further information was given on the outcome of the meeting.

US President Joe Biden and his administration have said in recent days that the killing of Sinwar should serve to speed up the talks and that internal pressure on Netanyahu has also increased, although hardliners aligned with Netanyahu oppose concessions.

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was offered immediately after 7/10 the opportunity to leave the Gaza Strip in exchange for allowing Egypt to negotiate a hostage deal on behalf of the terrorist group, the Wall Street Journal reported. According to the report, as the war progressed, Sinwar accepted the idea that he would probably be killed and, according to the mediators, suggested that the terrorist group choose a governing council to govern and manage the transition after his death. "I am not under siege, I am on Palestinian soil," Sinwar allegedly told Arab mediators in response to the suggestion, soon after the start of the war triggered by the 7 October massacre.

One thousand women and children in need of medical care will soon be evacuated from Gaza to Europe, the head of the European section of the World Health Organisation said. Israel "has pledged to carry out another 1,000 medical evacuations in the coming months to the European Union," Hans Kluge said in an interview with AFP, adding that the evacuations will be facilitated by the WHO and the European countries involved.

Parenti a un funerale di un palestinese ucciso in un raid israeliano REUTERS/Hussam Al-Masri

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin said that the Thaad missile defence battery, recently sent by the US to protect Israel, is now 'in position'. This was reported by the Times of Israel. Speaking in Kiev, Austin refused to say whether Thaad is operational. But he adds: 'We have the capability to get it up and running very quickly and we are on pace to meet our expectations'. The high-altitude air defence system was sent in case Iran responded to an expected Israeli retaliatory strike.

For more: Thaad, how the US anti-missile system that will protect Israel from air strikes works

South Korea summoned the Russian ambassador to Seoul, Georgy Zinoviev, to criticise Pyongyang's decision to send thousands of soldiers to support Moscow's war against Ukraine, demanding "explanations and their immediate withdrawal". This was reported by the same ministry in confirmation of advance reports on the matter by the Yonhap news agency. About 1,500 North Korean special forces soldiers, part of a contingent of about 12,000 men, are already in Russia for the training phase, Seoul intelligence reported on Friday, with the prospect of gaining the front line of the fighting.

The even military alliance between Moscow and Pyongyang "is not directed" against South Korea. This is the response of the Russian embassy in Seoul after its top diplomat Georgy Zinoviev was summoned by South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Hong-kyun to criticise Pyongyang's move to send thousands of soldiers to support Moscow's war on Ukraine. Zinoviev, during the meeting, emphasised that "cooperation between Russia and North Korea takes place within the framework of international law and is not directed against the security interests of the Republic of Korea," the Russian embassy said in a note.

Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte wrote on X: "I spoke with South Korea's President" Yoon Suk-yeol "about Nato's close partnership with Seoul on defence industrial cooperation and the interconnected security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific area. North Korea sending troops to fight alongside Russia in Ukraine would mark a significant escalation'.

"We must be optimistic and determined to work for peace. And now that with the death of Yahya Sinwar the military wing of Hamas has been defeated and Israel has won, it is in everyone's interest to reason about the ceasefire that must be in place, of course with the release of the hostages. We will reiterate this to everyone'. Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said this to Corriere della Sera on the eve of his trip to the Middle East, announcing that "I will be in Ramallah, Tel Aviv and Jerusalem and will meet the leaders of the Palestinian national authority and Israel. We will reiterate the Italian position that has always been very sensitive to the civilian populations on whom the impact of the war is now intolerable. With Food for Gaza, supported by both Israel and the PNA, we have already sent many tons of food aid.

The Israeli army (IDF) detected around 25 rockets fired from Lebanon in the country's airspace this morning after sirens sounded in the Upper Galilee, Western Galilee and Central Galilee areas, the IDF announced in a statement posted on Telegram. Some rockets were intercepted and no injuries were reported, the statement added.

US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin arrived in Kiev this morning 'with a message of strong US commitment to Ukraine's war effort, but without new military assistance or permission for its forces to use long-range missiles inside Russia', the Wall Street Journal (Wsj) reports.

The Israeli Army (IDF) has confirmed that it has conducted a series of "targeted attacks... on dozens of facilities and sites used by the Hezbollah terrorist organisation to finance its terrorist activities against the State of Israel," the IDF announced in a statement posted on Telegram. "The attacks were conducted in the areas of Beirut, southern Lebanon and deep inside Lebanese territory," the note further read. Yesterday, the Lebanese state news agency had reported attacks by the Idf against the group's financial facilities.

Israel handed the US a document last week with its conditions for a diplomatic solution to end the war in Lebanon and allow displaced civilians on both sides of the border to return to their homes. Two US and two Israeli officials told Axios. The Israeli prime minister's office delivered the document to the White House ahead of the visit of President Biden's envoy Amos Hochstein to Beirut on Monday to discuss a diplomatic solution to the conflict, the Israeli officials said. US and Israeli officials told Axios that Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, who is a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sent the document to Hochstein on Thursday.

Israeli officials said the document grew out of discussions Dermer had with the Israeli Ministry of Defence and the Israel Defence Forces on the principles Israel demands be part of any diplomatic solution to end the war with Hezbollah. One Israeli demand is that the IDF be allowed to engage in "active exercises" to ensure that Hezbollah does not rearm and rebuild its military infrastructure in areas of southern Lebanon close to the border, an Israeli official said.

The official added that Israel also demands that its air force have freedom to operate in Lebanese airspace.

These two demands contradict UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which states that the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) and the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) impose a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

Hochstein is expected in Beirut to meet with interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and other Lebanese officials to discuss Israeli demands.

A Russian attack in Kharkiv on the evening of 20 October injured 12 civilians. This was reported by the Ukrainian national police in the Kharkiv oblast. According to the regional authorities, among the injured were seven women aged between 22 and 83 and five men aged between 21 and 38. According to police reports, Russia targeted three districts of the city of Kharkiv with KAB-250 guided aerial bombs around 10pm local time. Some areas of the city were left without electricity due to the attack. Volodymyr Tymoshko, head of the regional police, said the attack was aimed at terrorising the civilian population of Kharkiv. "Russian tactical aviation came to strike from the direction of Belgorod," he said. "The KAB were 'scattered' around the city in a chaotic manner, which indicates not a targeted attack on military facilities, but a terrorist act against the local population." The attack also damaged apartment blocks, houses, garages, petrol stations and cars. Rescuers were sent to all the sites of the attack. Attacks on densely populated areas of the city have intensified in recent months. Ukrainian officials have also warned that Moscow is again preparing to launch attacks against Ukraine's energy infrastructure ahead of the winter months, causing blackouts and disruptions to essential services.

The Lebanese channel Al Mayadeen reported that Israel attacked a branch of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a Hezbollah-run financial institution, in Baalbek, deep in Lebanon. According to Al Jazeera, Israel also attacked the villages of Nabatieh, Kafra and Yater in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army announced on Sunday that it would attack Hezbollah's important economic resources in Lebanon and ordered Lebanese residents to stay away from Al-Qard Al-Hassan branches. The financial institution was founded in 1983 as a charitable organisation offering social micro-credits to the Shia in Beirut. Over the years it has grown into a large institution with branches in the Dahiyeh area in southern Beirut. Other pictures and videos show burning buildings and severe damage following attacks, reported in Dahiyeh and the Beqaa valley in north-east Lebanon, and in parts of south Lebanon, all Hezbollah strongholds. Rocket-propelled sirens resounded in communities close to the Lebanese border. Sirens were heard in Malkieh, Avivim and Yaron, three eastern Galilee communities adjacent to the northern border. There is no immediate comment from the authorities on possible casualties or damage. There is also no immediate claim of responsibility.

An American with autism whose execution was stayed at the last minute is to testify today before elected officials in Texas about his controversial conviction in the death of a shaken child. Robert Roberson, 57, has so far escaped the lethal injection scheduled for 17 October but the Supreme Court has only granted him an extension for now. Roberson was sentenced to death for the death of his two-year-old daughter in 2002, which was attributed to shaken baby syndrome, a diagnosis that has since been widely disputed.

China's central bank (BoCB) is again intervening to support the economy and, for the third time in 2024, is cutting by 25 basis points (more than the 20 expected), to 3.10 per cent, the October fixing of the one-year prime rate (Lpr), among the preferential rates offered by commercial lenders to their best customers and a benchmark for those applied to other loans. The move, a note said, includes a similar limiting of the prime rate on five-year loans to 3.60 per cent, the benchmark for real estate mortgages, which are widely followed in the midst of the severe crisis in the sector weighing on the economy.

Little October surprise to Donald Trump's detriment. A biography to be published a week before the election reveals that Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell - set to be replaced after the election - supported special prosecutor Jack Smith's investigation of the tycoon for the Capitol assault and said he hopes the former president will 'pay a price' for his role on 6 January. Axios writes that. "If he hasn't committed impeachable offences, I don't know what is," McConnell told journalist Michael Tackett for his own biography 'The Price of Power'.

The remarks by McConnell - a critic of the tycoon - were made weeks after Smith made some of the most serious federal charges against Trump in the August 2023 attack on Congress. "From the outset, McConnell thought the charges brought by federal prosecutors against Trump had merit," Tackett writes. McConnell told him, "There is no doubt who he inspired, and I only hope he will have to pay a price," referring to 6 January. Tackett's book also reveals how seriously McConnell considered voting for Trump's impeachment over the same matter. In the end he voted for acquittal, arguing that Trump was not convicted because he was no longer in office. But shortly afterwards he added: 'we have a criminal justice system in this country. We have a civil justice system. And former presidents are not immune from being held accountable in either one'.

Donald Trump 'belittles' the president's office with his use of foul language: this was said by Kamala Harris commenting in an interview on Msnbc on the tycoon's offensive words used against her at a rally, where he called her 'a shitty vice-president', amidst roars of approval from her supporters.

Moldova's pro-EU President Maia Sandu spoke of an "unprecedented attack on our country's freedom and democracy", after partial data showed that a majority of Moldovans chose "no" in the referendum for EU membership, amid fears of Russian interference in the vote. "Moldova has faced an unprecedented attack on our country's freedom and democracy, both today and in recent months," Sandu told supporters in Chisinau, adding that "criminal groups" had tried to "weaken a democratic process".

The Lebanese army says that in southern Lebanon three soldiers in their vehicles were killed in an Israeli attack.There was no immediate comment from the Israeli army. Israel's army announced tonight that it would target Hezbollah's financial arm based in Lebanon and attack a "large number of targets" in Beirut and elsewhere. The explosions began in the southern suburbs of Beirut about an hour later.

Lebanon's official National News Agency (NNA) reported 11 attacks this evening on the southern suburbs of Beirut, many of which targeted branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, a Hezbollah-linked financial group. The agency said an attack fell near Beirut airport, the main entry point for humanitarian assistance into the country and an important evacuation hub for those fleeing the conflict. Commercial aircraft were seen flying past clouds of smoke over the bombed southern suburbs, reported an Afp correspondent who saw them land at Beirut airport, located near the targeted areas. Some videos circulating on social networks show an entire building collapsing in the Hezbollah stronghold area. The NNA also reported attacks on Al-Qard Al-Hassan in Hermel, Riyaq and Baalbek, in the Bekaa Valley region in eastern Lebanon. The attack in Baalbek hit a commercial market that housed a building previously used by Al-Qard Al-Hassan, the NNA said. An Afp correspondent said residents quickly left the area after the Israeli army issued an evacuation order.