Two Israeli tanks “forcibly entered” a UNIFIL position in southern Lebanon. This was reported by the UN peacekeeping mission. UNIFIL accused the Israeli army of blocking one of its movements, demanding “explanations” after these “shocking violations”. «Yesterday, Israeli army soldiers blocked a crucial UNIFIL logistics movement near Meiss el-Jabal, preventing its passage. This crucial movement could not be carried out,” the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon said.
“The time has come to remove UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and combat areas,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a recorded statement this morning, in which he addressed UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres.: “The IDF has asked for this repeatedly, and has been repeatedly refused, all aimed at providing a human shield for Hezbollah. Your refusal to evacuate the soldiers makes them hostages of Hezbollah“https://gazzettadelsud.it/articoli/mondo/2024/10/13/tensione-in-medio-oriente-hamas-programmava-associazione-in-stile-11-settembre-gia-prima-della-guerra-621666bd -82b0-4d85-8af9-aeaf207d2018/.”This puts their lives and the lives of our soldiers in danger. We regret the injury suffered by the Unifil soldiers, we do everything to prevent these accidents,” he said.
“Unfortunately, some European leaders are applying pressure in the wrong place. Instead of criticizing Israel, they should direct their criticism at Hezbollah, which uses UNIFIL as a human shield just as Hamas in Gaza uses UNRWA,” Netanyahu said.
Meloni, phone call with the Israeli prime minister
President Meloni – Palazzo Chigi communicates in a note – «reaffirmed the unacceptability that Unifil was attacked by the Israeli armed forces, recalling how the Mission acts on the mandate of the Security Council to contribute to regional stability. He underlined the absolute need for the safety of Unifil staff to always be guaranteed.” Meloni «renewed Italy’s commitment in this sense, saying she is convinced that through the full application of resolution 1701 we can contribute to the stabilization of the Israeli-Lebanese border and guarantee the return home of all displaced people». During the conversation, the Prime Minister «underlined the urgency of working on a de-escalation on a regional basis, renewing – the note from Palazzo Chigi continues – Italy’s full availability, also as the rotating presidency of the G7, to work in this direction.”
IDF, ‘Hezbollah terrorist arrested in a bunker in Lebanon’
Israeli commandos have arrested a Hezbollah “terrorist” who was hiding in an underground bunker in southern Lebanon, the IDF reports. Troops identified a tunnel shaft inside a building that led to a 50-square-meter room seven meters underground. The militiaman from the pro-Iranian Shiite group was in hiding and had with him many weapons and supplies for a prolonged stay. In the video published by the army, the soldiers can be seen ordering him in Arabic to slowly exit the bunker, wearing only underwear and shoes. According to the IDF, he was taken to a detention center inside Israel for questioning.
The Pope, ceasefire in the East, respecting UN forces
“I continue to follow with concern what is happening in the Middle East and I once again call for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts.” Pope Francis said this at the Angelus. “Let us follow the paths of diplomacy and dialogue to obtain peace”, he continued. “I am close to all the populations involved, Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, where I ask that the United Nations peacekeeping forces be respected”, added the Pontiff.
Media, ‘Netanyahu opens government meeting but immediately leaves’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his military secretary, General Roman Goffman, left the scheduled cabinet meeting minutes after it began. The reasons are not known at the moment, local media report.
Israel guarantees the US steps to avoid damage to Unifil
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant told his US counterpart Lloyd Austin that Israel will continue to take measures to avoid harm to UN peacekeeping forces deployed in southern Lebanon. The Israeli Ministry of Defense stated this today. “Minister Gallant stressed… that the IDF (Israeli army) will continue to take measures to avoid damage to UNIFIL troops and peacekeeping positions” in southern Lebanon, the ministry said in a statement following overnight talks between the two.
Red Cross, paramedics injured in raid in southern Lebanon
The Red Cross reports that several of its rescuers were injured today in an attack on a house in southern Lebanon where they had been sent “in coordination” with the United Nations mission that acts as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon. “While the team was looking for victims to rescue, the house was hit for a second time, causing injuries to rescuers and damage to two ambulances,” the Lebanese Red Cross said. This team, he added, “had been sent in coordination with the United Nations Interim Force (Unifil) deployed in southern Lebanon, bombed daily by Israeli planes.
Iran and Hezbollah deny NYT, no link with October 7th
Iran’s mission to the United Nations denied reports reported by the New York Times, which viewed secret Hamas documents seized by the Israeli army, that the terrorist group attempted to implicate Tehran and Hezbollah in the attack on 7 October. In a statement to CNN, the Iranian mission claims that “Hamas officials stationed in Doha said that they too were unaware of the operation and that all planning, decision-making and direction were carried out exclusively by the wing military based in Gaza. Any claims that attempt to link it to Iran or Hezbollah – partially or totally – lack credibility and come from fabricated documents.” A Hezbollah spokesperson also denied the news to CNN. “As Hezbollah martyr Hassan Nasrallah said, we were not aware of the operation carried out by Hamas on October 7.”
Years before the October 7, 2023 assault, the leaders of Hamas had planned a much more aggressive wave of terrorist attacks against Israel that included the 9/11-style demolition of two Tel Aviv skyscrapers. According to documents from the group seized by the Israeli army that The Washington Post has seen, Hamas intended to attack using trains, ships and even horse-drawn carts, bringing in its allies – Hezbollah and Iran – for a coordinated assault on Israel from the north. , south and east, as the New York Times has already revealed.
The Lebanese Health Ministry said that at least 15 people were killed in Israeli attacks in two areas in the north of the country and one in the south of the capital. Nine people were killed and 15 injured in an “Israeli enemy attack” in the village of Maaysrah, located north of Beirut. The ministry also said two people were killed, four injured and unidentified “body parts” were recovered following an Israeli attack in Deir Bella, near the town of Batroun in northern Lebanon. Four people were killed and 18 injured in an attack in Barja, south of Beirut. Israel also struck the southern city of Nabatieh, where eight people were injured.