Hezbollah escalates attacks in North, world awaits Israel, Hamas responses to deal
IAF strikes Hezbollah • Biden pushes Israel-proposed ceasefire deal • Hamas calls proposal 'positive'
Smotrich, Ben-Gvir refuse Biden ceasefire proposal, threaten to leave government
Later, Opposition Leader and Yesh Atid Chairman Yair Lapid slammed their statements, calling them a betrayal to national security.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir announced on Saturday that they would not be part of a government that agrees to Biden's ceasefire proposal, calling it "absurd' and a surrender to Hamas.
Go to the full article >>Hezbollah escalates attacks amid negotiations for hostage, ceasefire deal with Hamas - analysis
The overall picture in the north is of an aggressive Hezbollah that is not deterred by a potential deal between Israel and Hamas, and is willing to expand the conflict.
Hezbollah escalated attacks in the north over the same weekend that Biden proposed an Israel-approved ceasefire deal. This may be a move to show that Iran's "Axis of Resistance" remained strong until the end of the war.
Go to the full article >>Who can declare victory if a ceasefire would leave Hamas in power? - analysis
What did Israel accomplish? It didn’t even defeat a terror group that had one 20-30,000 fighters. When powerful countries fight weaker enemies the powerful country has more to lose via missteps.
A weak Hamas can recover. Iran learned a lot in this war about Israel’s vulnerabilities. If Biden's ceasefire is agreed upon and the war ends, what did Israel actually achieve?
Go to the full article >>Watch: Nahal soldiers discover explosive booby-trapped house in Rafah
The brigade has destroyed terrorist infrastructure, including positions from which anti-tank fire was directed at IDF forces, stored weapons, sniper positions, and terrorists.
The Nahal Brigade's combat team, led by Division 162, discovered a civilian house rigged with explosive barrels during continued operations in Rafah.
Go to the full article >>Watch: IDF strikes Hamas, Al-Noor terror group in continued Gaza operations
The IDF also killed Salame Barake, who was a Hamas operative in the eastern Khan Yunis Battalion and Head of Finance in the Hamas Police.
The IDF struck a structure belonging to the Al-Noor terror group, which finances Hamas, and killed a senior Hamas official during ongoing operations throughout the Gaza Strip.
Go to the full article >>Egyptian, US and Israeli officials to discuss reopening Rafah crossing, Egypt's Al Qahera says
A meeting between US, Egyptian and Israeli officials is scheduled to take place on Sunday in Cairo to discuss the reopening of Gaza's Rafah crossing, a high-level source told Egypt's state-linked Al Qahera TV.
Egypt is insisting that Israel withdraw its forces from the crossing, Al Qahera reported. Israel seized the crossing on the Gaza side in May during its offensive in the city of Rafah along the enclave's southern edge.
Israeli and Egyptian delegations will meet to discuss the issue further on Sunday.
Go to the full article >>Hezbollah terrorists launch Burkan rocket, impacts IDF base, no injuries
The deadly Burkan warhead carries hundreds of kilograms of explosive material and is capable of operating at a redius of 1.5-5 kilometers.
Hezbollah fired a Burkan rocket at Israel on Saturday, which impacted and caused significant destruction to military buildings and infrastructure in the North, Israeli media reported.
A Burkan rocket carries hundreds of kilograms of explosive material and a combat warhead capable of operating at a radius of 1.5-5 kilometers, Walla noted.
Shortly after rocket sirens blared in the northern Israeli city of Kiryat Shmona on Saturday morning, Israeli media shared footage of damage purportedly caused by the impact of the rocket.
Later, the IDF confirmed that two projectiles had been identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory towards the area of Kiryat Shmona.
תיעוד: נזק כתוצאה מנפילה בקריית שמונה@ItayBlumental (אורלי אלקלעי) pic.twitter.com/8WazJehej2
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) June 1, 2024
The military noted that no injuries resulted as a result of the projectiles' crossing into Israel.
Later, Walla reported that Hezbollah took responsibility for the attack. The Lebanon-based terror organization reportedly claimed to have targeted the Givor camp in Kiryat Shmona.
Two Hezbollah terrorists eliminated
The IDF added that earlier in the day, it had identified two Hezbollah terrorists operating in the area of Majdal Selm.
In footage shared by the military, an Israeli military aircraft subsequently struck the two operatives.
UAV downed by surface-to-air missile
The IDF, in a later Saturday afternoon update, confirmed a surface-to-air missile was fired toward an IAF UAV operating in Lebanese airspace. The UAV was hit and fell in Lebanese territory.
The IDF is reviewing the felled UAV.
Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for the missile, which the IDF has not confirmed.
Go to the full article >>
PM Benjamin Netanyahu: Gaza war won't end until Hamas destroyed
Yair Lapid criticized Netanyahu's comments and called for Smotrich and Ben-Gvir to leave the government.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed over X, formally Twitter, on Saturday that the war against Hamas in Gaza would continue until the terrorist organization was destroyed.
“Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed: The destruction of Hamas military and governing capabilities, the freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel,” the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) stated.
Go to the full article >>
Hamas-run Gaza health ministry: Death toll in Strip risis to 36,379
The death toll in Gaza has risen to 36,379, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry reported on Saturday.
The ministry does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its tally.
Prabowo says Indonesia willing to send peacekeeping troops to Gaza
Prabowo Subianto said a comprehensive investigation into the humanitarian disaster in the Rafah area of Gaza was needed as well as a "just solution" to the situation in "Palestine."
Indonesia's president-elect, Prabowo Subianto, said on Saturday that his country was willing to send peacekeeping troops to enforce a ceasefire in Gaza if required.
Speaking at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia's premier security conference, Prabowo said US President Joe Biden's three-phase proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza was a step in the right direction.
"When needed and when requested by the UN, we are prepared to contribute significant peacekeeping forces to maintain and monitor this prospective ceasefire as well as providing protection and security to all parties and to all sides," Prabowo said.
Go to the full article >>Israel-Hamas war: What you need to know
- Hamas launched a massive attack on October 7, with thousands of terrorists infiltrating from the Gaza border and taking some 240 hostages into Gaza
- Over 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals were murdered, including over 350 in the Re'im music festival and hundreds of Israeli civilians across Gaza border communities
- 125 hostages remain in Gaza
- 39 hostages in total have been killed in captivity, IDF says