War, breaking news. Putin, we will continue testing hypersonic Oreshnik missiles. Unifil base hit in Lebanon, 4 Italian soldiers wounded

A drone launched from Lebanon exploded a short while ago in the western Galilee. There are no injuries as a result of the impact. This was announced by the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). Alarm sirens continue to sound in the area.

The Lebanese Ministry of Health informed that an Israeli airstrike killed the director of the Dar al-Amal hospital, near Baalbek, and six of his colleagues. In a statement, the ministry announced the 'loss of Dr. Ali Rakan Allam, director of the Dar al-Amal University Hospital, and six colleagues in a cowardly Israeli attack that targeted his residence near the hospital'. Beirut also denounced 'continued Israeli aggression against medical staff and facilities'.

According to a poll by broadcaster Channel 12, 64% of Israelis do not trust how Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government is running the country, compared to 30% who are satisfied. Comparing Netanyahu with opposition leader Yair Lapid, 38% believe the former is better suited for the role of prime minister, compared to 28% who would prefer the latter. When asked about the imminent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah, 54% say they support the agreement, compared to 24% who oppose it.

"I have asked the Italian military representative at the UN to urge a thorough examination of the situation on the ground and the risks, followed by a clear stance by the UN that, taking into account the current developments, will strive to move the conflict away from the Unifil bases. Finally, I turned to the head of the Lebanese armed forces to ask him, too, to spend his leadership in the country to ensure the safety of our soldiers'. Thus the Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto, on X.

In the last 24 hours, 59 people have been killed and 112 wounded in Lebanon as a result of Israeli military activity, bringing the total toll to 3,642 dead and 15,356 wounded since the beginning of the war. This was announced by the Lebanese Ministry of Health quoted by the TV station Lbci on its website. During the same period of time, Israel carried out 134 air strikes in various regions of Lebanon, the source added, pointing out that according to the Coordinator of the Emergency Committee, Nasser Yassin, a total of 13,976 Israeli attacks have been recorded since the beginning of hostilities.

- "The government's position is clear, we have expressed it since yesterday. The line is the one indicated also this afternoon by the President of the Council. It is up to the President of the Council and the Foreign Minister to give the line of our international policy. That is what we have done, the others are opinions'. Thus Forza Italia secretary and foreign minister Antonio Tajani, on the International Criminal Court's arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Neranyahu and in reference to what was said by deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini. Tajani said this when he arrived at the first meeting of the FI Observatory on autonomy.

- North Korean armed forces technical advisers have arrived in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian port city of Mariupol in the south, a Kiev security source told CNN, while a military spokesman said that North Korean troops were also spotted in the eastern Kharkiv region. North Korean troops in Mariupol remain detached from the Russian units they are supporting, the source explained, adding that they are wearing Russian uniforms. Recent Ukrainian missile attacks inside Russia also reportedly targeted a high-ranking North Korean general.

"The achievements and speed of development of the Oreshnik hypersonic missiles arouse pride and admiration" and Russia will "continue to test them". This was stated by Russian President Vladimir Putin while meeting with the leadership of the Ministry of Defence in the Kremlin. Ria Novosti reports. "The Oreshnik missile system is not a weapon of mass destruction, it is a weapon of precision," the Russian leader added, and "if used massively against enemy targets, it will be comparable to a strategic weapon. At the moment there are no countermeasures'.

The Ukrainian army is determined to remain in the Russian Kursk region for as long as necessary. Or rather, "as long as it makes sense". Sources in the Ukrainian General Staff thus shift the focus of the military tug-of-war with Moscow, keeping the point on that battlefield that has become emblematic of the war that has been fought on the ground for months now, yielding and gaining a few metres a day, even under the threat now of Russian hypersonic missiles whose echoes alarm well beyond the Ukrainian borders. At the moment, the Ukrainian forces still control "about 800 square kilometres" in the Kursk region, the military specify: "The maximum territory we occupied in the region was 1,376 square kilometres, today it is about 800 square kilometres," they emphasise, as if to demonstrate resilience, on the ground precisely. Thus, while Moscow announces that it has conquered another village in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk - that of Novodmytryvka, in the area of the city of Khurakovo, which, according to Moscow, brings to five the number of settlements occupied by the Russians in the region in the last week - the Ukrainian military leaders attempt to downplay the situation, stating, for example, that in the Pokrovsk sector, the logistical centre of the same region, the situation "has practically not changed in the last two months".

In general, according to the Kiev General Staff, Russian troops are advancing "200-300 metres a day" near the industrial town of Kurakhovo, one of the hottest spots in the region. And even on the missile threat, Ukraine is trying to downplay the alarm: according to military sources, Russia only has a "limited number" of Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missiles, i.e., the one Moscow used yesterday in the attack against Dnipro and which caused talk of a "global war" risk. But Vladimir Putin narrowly responded, claiming that he had ordered their 'mass production'. 'No system in the world is capable of intercepting it,' the tsar assured. Today, the Ukrainian parliament closed due to fears of attacks in the heart of the capital. The Rada let it be known that it had 'cancelled' the session due to 'signs of an increasing risk of attacks against the government quarter in the coming days', several deputies explained to Afp. The district in the centre of Kiev, where the presidency, the seat of government and the Central Bank are also located, has so far been spared from shelling. But nothing is taken for granted anymore.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office accuses Russian forces of executing five prisoners of war. According to the Prosecutor's Office, on 2 October Kremlin troops allegedly shot and killed five unarmed Ukrainian soldiers after capturing them during an assault on the outskirts of Vuhledar in the east of the country. Chief Prosecutor Taras Semkiv told Ukrainian television that a war crimes investigation was underway. Russia has not commented on the accusations and has always denied committing war crimes.

Oreshnik missiles can reach targets all over Europe. This was said by the commander of the Russian missile troops in the ongoing meeting with President Vladimir Putin, according to the Tass news agency.

"This missile system with hypersonic blocks can hit any target, from isolated ones to an entire area, even highly protected and with high efficiency. Depending on the tasks and the range, this weapon can hit targets in ;;all of Europe, which distinguishes it from other long-range high-precision weapons," Sergey Karakayev told Vladimir Putin at the meeting with top Russian defence officials, defence company executives and weapons developers, Tass reported.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the 'mass production' of hypersonic Oreshnik missiles like the one tested yesterday in Ukraine. "No system in the world is capable of intercepting it," Putin stated.

NATO countries are already fully engaged in the Ukrainian conflict, as they mark targets and control their own missiles, said the deputy chairman of the Russian National Security Council, Dmitry Medvedev.

"If the conflict develops following an escalation scenario, nothing can be ruled out. Since the NATO member states are, in fact, fully involved in this conflict,' stressed Medvedev, interviewed by the al-Arabiya satellite network.

Hezbollah today claimed eight attacks against Israeli military bases in the Galilee, including one near Haifa and one near Safed in northern Israel, about 20 km from the border. Other attacks claimed by Hezbollah took place against Israeli military positions along the demarcation line with Lebanon and in the disputed Golan Heights.

For the first time, Israeli troops today entered the village of Deir Mimas, about 2.5 kilometres from the Lebanese border and near Kfar Kila. "Enemy reconnaissance drones" flew over the largely deserted Deir Mimas, warning people "not to leave their homes", Lebanon's National Information Agency reported.

The Israeli army attempted to advance at several points along the border, particularly in the town of Khiam, where Hezbollah claimed several attacks today. The latter also claimed to have targeted Israeli troops near Kfar Kila with rockets and artillery.

Israeli forces shelled southern Lebanon and the outskirts of the capital Beirut killing at least five medics, and ground troops clashed with Hezbollah fighters in the south. Israel continued its intense military campaign against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah armed group, dampening hopes that the efforts of a US envoy could lead to an imminent ceasefire.

US mediator Amos Hochstein said this week in Beirut that a truce is 'within our grasp'. The mediator then met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz before returning to Washington, the Axios news agency reported. His trip was aimed at ending more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah along Lebanon's southern border, which escalated when Israel stepped up its attacks in late September and sent ground troops into Lebanon on 1 October.

Israeli troops have been fighting Hezbollah in a strip of towns along the border and this week pushed to the edge of Khiyam, a town about six kilometres from the border. Hezbollah claimed to have fired rockets at Israeli troops east of Khiyam at least four times on Friday. Lebanese security sources told Reuters that Israeli troops also advanced into a number of villages to the west. They said Israel was probably trying to isolate Khiyam before attacking the town.

'The war in the east is entering a decisive phase: we believe that the unknown is approaching,' said Polish PM Donald Tusk after Russia launched a medium-range ballistic missile yesterday. There is a real risk of the outbreak of a global conflict. 'The conflict has assumed dramatic proportions. The last 12 hours have shown that the threat is serious and real when it comes to a real conflict'.

Intensive fighting continues around Khiam, a locality in south Lebanon close to the demarcation line between the two countries and located on a strategic hill overlooking the Litani river valley, in the eastern district of Marjuyoun. Local sources and the Hezbollah intelligence service itself report violent armed clashes and artillery shelling throughout the area, particularly between the localities of Kafr Kila, Deir Mimas and Burj al Muluk, south-west of Khiam.

"The war in the east is entering a decisive phase and is reaching dramatic proportions. The last hours show that the threat of a global conflict is serious and real'. This was said by Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk in the aftermath of the warning issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"I will delve in these days into the motivations that led to the International Criminal Court's ruling. Motivations that should always be objective and not political in nature. The Italian Presidency of the G7 intends to put the issue on the agenda of the next Foreign Ministerial in Fiuggi from 25 to 26 November. One point remains firm for this government: there can be no equivalence between the responsibilities of the State of Israel and the terrorist organisation Hamas'. This was stated by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

- The German government does not guarantee Benjamin Netanyahu's arrest if the Israeli PM arrives in Germany after the International Criminal Court, of which Germany is a member, issued an arrest warrant against him yesterday. The government is carefully examining 'the internal steps' that will be taken following the court's application, said the spokesman, Steffen Hebestreit. A decision will be made if Netanyahu, or former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, are scheduled to visit Germany. Hebestreit, however, pointed out that Germany is one of the biggest supporters of the ICC, but admitted that Berlin shares "unique relations and a great responsibility towards Israel".

The Ukrainian army still controls 800 square kilometres of the Russian border region of Kursk. A source in the Kiev army pointed this out to Afp, indicating a reduction from an earlier claim of almost 1,400 square kilometres. "The maximum amount of territory we controlled in the Kursk region was 1,376 square kilometres. Now it is about 800 square kilometres," the source said, adding that Ukraine will remain in the region, the scene of an incursion last summer, "as long as it is appropriate".

Russia "strongly" condemns Wednesday's attacks by Israel on the Syrian city of Palmyra that left dozens dead. "This violent action by Israel on Syrian territory, as well as all those that preceded it, constitute a serious violation of this country's sovereignty and the fundamental norms of international law," said Moscow Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova. "Once again," the spokeswoman added, "we strongly urge all parties involved in the current regional escalation to listen to the voice of reason and not to go beyond the boundaries of civilised behaviour based on the humanistic value system that emerged in the 21st century.

"I immediately contacted the contingent commander, Stefano Messina, to ascertain the condition of the four soldiers, who are not cause for concern. I also contacted my Lebanese counterpart to reiterate that the Italian Unifil contingent remains in southern Lebanon to offer a window of opportunity for peace and cannot become hostage to militia attacks". This is what Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said immediately after the Israeli attack that injured four Italian soldiers from the Unifil base.

Hungary, if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu actually arrived on its soil and was not arrested, 'would violate its international legal obligations and the EU position on the International Criminal Court'. This was stated by a senior EU official commenting on Viktor Orban's invitation. "He seems to be back to 'trolling' with the end of the presidency in sight," a diplomatic source said instead. "I am not sure what the member states can do about it," pointing out that there will be a meeting of the Permanent Representatives Committee next week and the issue could be raised.

All hospitals in the Gaza Strip are at risk of reducing or completely ceasing their activities within 48 hours due to the running out of fuel needed to operate the facilities. This was announced by the Ministry of Health in the Strip.

Four Italian soldiers of the Unifil mission were injured after the base in south Lebanon where they were stationed was hit. The four, according to government sources, are not in danger of dying. Investigations are underway to establish the dynamics of what happened.

Il luogo dell'attacco e l'auto dei quattro caschi blu della Brigata Sassari i militari rimasti ferit nell'attacco alla base Unifil nel Libano, Shama, 22 novembre 2024 ANSA/NPK

A large part of the southern terminal of the British airport of London Gatwick was evacuated after a 'security incident'. This was reported by the UK media according to which the police and emergency services intervened.

Deputy PM Matteo Salvini challenges the ICC. "If Netanyahu came to Italy he would be welcome. The war criminals are others." Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, has announced that he will invite his Israeli counterpart to protest the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). "I can guarantee that the ICC ruling in Hungary will have no effect". China meanwhile urges the Hague Court to adopt and pursue "an objective position" on the matter, Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said. Biden called the international arrest warrants against Israeli PM Netanyahu and his former minister Gallant for war crimes 'outrageous'.

"These things are to be studied, they are technical criteria so it seems to me that he said what we have always reiterated". This was said by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, asked on the sidelines of an event at the Lumsa University, on reactions to the Pope's words on the need to investigate whether what is happening in Gaza constitutes genocide. "On anti-Semitism", he added, "I believe that the Holy See's position is clear, there is no need to make further considerations, we have always condemned it and we will continue to condemn it and we will try to create those conditions, as far as we are concerned, for a serious condemnation of this phenomenon".

For Russia, the decisions of the International Criminal Court (ICC) are 'insignificant', and therefore 'there is no reason to comment on them'. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said this about the arrest orders against Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant. Ria Novosti reports. Russia is not a member of the ICC, which issued an arrest order for President Vladimir Putin last year.

Lebanese media report the entry in the last few hours of Israeli soldiers into the Lebanese border village of Deir Mimas, inhabited mainly by Christians along the eastern sector of the demarcation line between the two countries. This was reported by eyewitnesses to the media in Beirut. This is the first time that Israeli soldiers have entered a Lebanese border village still partly inhabited by the local population.

Several powerful explosions occurred in the city of Sumy, following a Russian drone attack in which two people died and 12 others were injured. This was reported by the mayor of Sumy, Artem Kobzar, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda, adding that 'The enemy struck a residential area of the regional centre using Shahed-type drones'.

'Calm' and 'restraint'. This is what China, which has always demanded a "clear and consistent position" on Ukraine, is calling for after Russian leader Vladimir Putin yesterday confirmed the "test under combat conditions" of a new "medium-range missile system", a "hypersonic ballistic missile". "All sides should remain calm and exercise restraint," Beijing diplomacy spokesman Lin Jian said in statements reported by the Global Times, "work to reduce tensions through dialogue and consultations and create conditions for a ceasefire and a political solution to the crisis.

China urges the International Criminal Court (ICC) to adopt and pursue 'an objective position' after the arrest warrant issued against Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant. This was said by Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian.

Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov said in a video that Russian forces in Ukraine have accelerated their advance, Reuters reports. In the ministry's footage Belousov is seen visiting a Russian command post in Ukraine and handing out medals for bravery. Belousov held a meeting at the Northern group's control centre, listening to the report of group commander Alexander Lapin. "We have crushed their best parts and the advance has now accelerated," his words reported by Interfax. According to official reports, the Northern group is conducting an operation against Ukrainian forces in the Kursk region. The Russian Defence Ministry said that Belousov listened to command reports on the current situation, the supply of troops in the special military operating zone and the nature of the enemy's actions.

The Israeli army claimed to have "eliminated" five Hamas militants, including two commanders, in a night raid in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza. The army and the Shin Bet security agency specified that they had 'eliminated five Hamas terrorists, including a Nukhba company commander and another company commander who had participated in the 7 October massacre', adding that the slain militants had 'led the killings and kidnappings in the Mefalsim area', a kibbutz in southern Israel.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the EU, has announced that he will invite his Israeli counterpart Benyamin Netanyahu to protest the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). "We have no choice but to challenge this decision. I will invite" Netanyahu "to come to Hungary, where I can assure him that the ICC ruling will have no effect," he said in an interview with state radio.

A senior South Korean official claimed that Russia provided anti-aircraft missiles to North Korea in exchange for sending troops. The US, South Korea and other countries claim that North Korea has sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine. National Security Director Shin Wonsik told an SBS TV programme on Friday that South Korea has discovered that Russia has provided anti-aircraft missiles and other equipment to strengthen the air defence network in Pyongyang, the capital. According to Shin, Russia also provided various economic aid to North Korea. Seoul and Washington have expressed concern about possible Russian transfers of sensitive nuclear and missile technology to North Korea.

"Trump is the American president-elect, he has not yet taken his seat in the White House and he has two months to carefully prepare all the steps to take when he takes office. We have to work with every American administration because it is clear that the United States is an influential country. We see this every day. They do not only influence what happens at the front in Ukraine, but also other countries. In fact during the elections the whole world was holding its breath waiting to see how they would turn out'. Olena Zelenska, wife of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said this in an interview with Repubblica, adding that in Kiev 'we can only hope' for a just peace. With Trump "no one can be completely sure, but this is a personal opinion". Zelenska moves on to talk about the harsh conditions the war imposes on Ukrainians as the cold season approaches: 'My family also has to survive the winter, like the rest of us. We don't want more blackouts, cold and to see our children doing their homework by candlelight. Nobody wants that. We have withstood other winters of war, we will do it again this time. Our people have great resilience. The data show that Ukrainians are not leaving the country. They are staying, they are optimistic and still hope for victory'. Speaking of the Ukrainian children deported to Russia and returned home, President Zelensky's wife says that 'at the moment there are 388 of them, but there are 19,500 still in Russia. The Ukrainian presidential programme Bring Kids Back involves many countries, it is a complicated procedure. The 388 children are certainly not back because there is a smooth and working process, every time there are huge obstacles. When a special mission starts, thousands of people are involved, as well as humanitarian associations and a 'special advocate' like Cardinal Zuppi, whom I thank. The Russians change the children's names and give them new documents. When they then want from us the list of those to be returned with their name, date and place of birth, they can no longer find them. They have deported many orphans from occupied areas, often no certain information about them can be retrieved'.

A spokesman for North Korea's Foreign Ministry said that the recent UN General Assembly resolution on human rights in Kim Jong Un's country 'falsifies' the situation in the country and violates its sovereignty. This was reported today by the official KCNA news agency.

"A 'resolution' distorting and falsifying the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) was passed on 21 November at the Third Committee of the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly. The DPRK Foreign Ministry considers the farce of the adoption of the 'human rights resolution', led by the United States and its followers, to be a serious politically motivated provocation that undermines the dignity and sovereignty of the DPRK, and strongly condemns and rejects it," the spokesperson said in a statement.

The spokesman expressed 'serious concern' that the adoption of resolutions at the UN is 'becoming a political tool' to interfere in the internal affairs of independent and sovereign states, adding that such actions violate the UN Charter.

The spokesman also stated that the US and its followers abuse the 'universal concept of human rights' to pursue their 'sinister' geopolitical goals.

The UN General Assembly's Third Committee, which specialises in human rights issues, adopted a resolution on Wednesday condemning alleged "gross and systematic" human rights violations in North Korea. The document, passed unanimously, argues that freedom of thought and conscience is severely restricted in the country.

Citing sources in Washington, Israeli broadcaster Kan news says that the new Trump administration is planning punitive actions against the Cpi for its decision to issue arrest warrants against Israeli PM Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Gallant. Sources told Kan that they are considering introducing personal sanctions against Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan and the judges who issued the warrants. Yesterday Mike Waltz, designated by Trump as national security adviser, wrote in X that 'a strong response to the anti-Semitic bias of the Cpi and the UN can be expected in January'.

"The issuing of arrest warrants by the ICC against Israeli leaders is scandalous. Let me be clear once again: whatever the ICC may imply, there is no equivalence, none, between Israel and Hamas. We will always stand with Israel against threats to its security'. This was stated by US President Joe Biden in a note condemning the ICC's decision to issue arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

New Israeli raids hit the southern suburbs of Beirut this morning, just after the IDF had ordered the evacuation of several neighbourhoods. In addition to the outskirts of the Lebanese capital, the Israeli army ordered the evacuation of several areas in the south of the country during the night.

Iran said it will launch a series of "new and advanced" centrifuges to enrich uranium in response to the resolution adopted by the IEA censuring Tehran for what the agency calls poor cooperation. "The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organisation has issued an order to take effective measures, including the launch of a significant series of new and advanced centrifuges of various types," reads a joint statement issued by the organisation and Iran's foreign ministry. "The Islamic Republic of Iran has consistently stressed at all levels that the adoption of confrontational measures and any abuse of the IEA Board of Governors to pursue political and illegitimate objectives will provoke a reciprocal response," the Islamic Republic's foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The details of Iran's possible actions," he continued, "had already been communicated in advance to the Director-General. In line with this position, the President of the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran has given directives to start operation of a considerable number of advanced centrifuges of various models'.

The situation in Ukraine is increasingly tense, with air raids in the Sumy region during the night resulting in two deaths, while Moscow denounced in the same hours the presence of at least 23 Ukrainian drones in the skies over three Russian regions. 'With missiles over Russia the conflict is worldwide. We do not exclude striking the countries that supplied weapons to Kiev - Putin told the Armed Forces yesterday. In case of escalation, we will respond decisively and symmetrically'

At least 47 people were killed in a series of Israeli air strikes in the eastern Baalbek region of Lebanon. This was reported by Al Jazeera, according to which several towns and villages were targeted in the raids. The Lebanese Ministry of Health said that 22 people were also injured. Rescue operations are still ongoing.