Welcome and Overview
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and the wider crisis in the Middle East.
Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav GalantLebanon’s president warned that Israeli forces were capable of pushing Lebanon “back to the Stone Age” in any war with Hezbollah, but insisted his government wanted a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Lebanon border.
Coming off a visit to Washington, Gallant told reporters he had discussed with senior US officials a “next-day” proposal for post-war governance of Gaza that would involve local Palestinians, regional partners and the US, but that it would be a “long and complex process”.
We’ll go into more detail about this later, but first here’s a quick rundown of the day’s major events:
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An aide to U.S. President Joe Biden told Gallant that Washington would maintain a moratorium on shipments of heavy bombs to Israel. A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters the issue was under review as allies continued to discuss a single shipment of powerful weapons, which President Biden suspended in May over concerns it could kill more Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
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Israeli forces attacked several areas of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, and residents reported heavy fighting in Rafah throughout the night.Fighting intensified in the Tel al-Sultan area west of Rafah, where tanks attempted to advance north amid heavy clashes, residents said. Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups said their fighters had fired anti-tank rockets and mortar shells at Israeli forces.
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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Western countries of backing Israel’s plans to attack Lebanon. He plans to “spread the war” across the region. “Israel has now set its sights on Lebanon and we see the West praising and even supporting Israel behind the scenes,” he told lawmakers from his ruling AKP party.
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Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on Wednesday called on parties to conflicts in the Middle East to accept a “peace proposal.”He said “there is no need for war” in Lebanon and the region. “The Middle East is at a critical juncture,” he said at a news conference in Beirut.
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The outgoing UN humanitarian chief warned that a spread of the war to Lebanon would be “potentially catastrophic”.Martin Griffiths described Lebanon as “a flashpoint beyond all flashpoints.” A war that engulfed Lebanon “would engulf Syria, it would engulf other countries,” he told reporters in Geneva. “It’s very worrying.”
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Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, has warned that Israel’s military is capable of taking Lebanon “back to the stone age” in any war with Hezbollah militants, but insisted his government prefers a diplomatic solution on the Israel-Lebanon border.
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Speaking to reporters as his trip to Washington wrapped up, Gallant also said he discussed with senior US officials his “day after” proposals for governance of postwar Gaza that would include local Palestinians, regional partners and the US, but that it would be “a long and complex process.”
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More on that in a moment, first here’s a summary of the day’s other main events.
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US president Joe Biden’s top aides told Gallant that Washington would maintain a pause on a shipment of heavy bombs for Israel while the issue is under review, a senior US official told the Reuters news agency. The official said the allies remain in discussions about the single shipment of powerful munitions, which was paused by Biden in May over concerns they could cause more Palestinian civilian deaths in Gaza.
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Israeli forces pounded several areas across Gaza on Wednesday, and residents reported fierce fighting overnight in Rafah. Residents said fighting intensified in the Tel Al-Sultan neighbourhood in western Rafah, where tanks were also trying to force their way north amid heavy clashes. The armed wings of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad said fighters attacked Israeli forces with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs.
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Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has accused western powers of backing what he said were Israeli plans to attack Lebanon and “spread war” throughout the region. “Israel is now setting its sights on Lebanon and we see that western powers behind the scenes are patting Israel on the back and even supporting them,” he told lawmakers from his ruling AKP party.
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Vatican secretary of state, Pietro Parolin, on Wednesday urged warring parties in the Middle East to accept “peace proposals”, saying the region including Lebanon “doesn’t need war”. He told a press conference in Beirut, “the Middle East is going through a critical moment.”
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The outgoing United Nations humanitarian chief warned that a spread of the war to Lebanon would be “potentially apocalyptic”. Martin Griffiths described Lebanon as “the flashpoint beyond all flashpoints”. A war involving Lebanon “will draw in Syria … it will draw in others”, he told reporters in Geneva. “It’s very alarming.”
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Important Events
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that three people were killed and 11 wounded in an Israeli military attack in southern Syria. Damascus.
More details coming soon…
Al Jazeera reported that one Israeli soldier was killed in the blast. Jenin The attack occurred at a refugee camp in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Seventeen people were reportedly injured. There has been no immediate comment from Israeli security forces.
Welcome and Overview
Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the Israel-Gaza war and the wider crisis in the Middle East.
Israeli Defense Minister, Yoav GalantLebanon’s president warned that Israeli forces were capable of pushing Lebanon “back to the Stone Age” in any war with Hezbollah, but insisted his government wanted a diplomatic solution to the Israel-Lebanon border.
Coming off a visit to Washington, Gallant told reporters he had discussed with senior US officials a “next-day” proposal for post-war governance of Gaza that would involve local Palestinians, regional partners and the US, but that it would be a “long and complex process”.
We’ll go into more detail about this later, but first here’s a quick rundown of the day’s major events:
-
An aide to U.S. President Joe Biden told Gallant that Washington would maintain a moratorium on shipments of heavy bombs to Israel. A senior U.S. administration official told Reuters the issue was under review as allies continued to discuss a single shipment of powerful weapons, which President Biden suspended in May over concerns it could kill more Palestinian civilians in Gaza.
-
Israeli forces attacked several areas of the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, and residents reported heavy fighting in Rafah throughout the night.Fighting intensified in the Tel al-Sultan area west of Rafah, where tanks attempted to advance north amid heavy clashes, residents said. Hamas and Islamic Jihad militant groups said their fighters had fired anti-tank rockets and mortar shells at Israeli forces.
-
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused Western countries of backing Israel’s plans to attack Lebanon. He plans to “spread the war” across the region. “Israel has now set its sights on Lebanon and we see the West praising and even supporting Israel behind the scenes,” he told lawmakers from his ruling AKP party.
-
Vatican Secretary of State Pietro Parolin on Wednesday called on parties to conflicts in the Middle East to accept a “peace proposal.”He said “there is no need for war” in Lebanon and the region. “The Middle East is at a critical juncture,” he said at a news conference in Beirut.
-
The outgoing UN humanitarian chief warned that a spread of the war to Lebanon would be “potentially catastrophic”.Martin Griffiths described Lebanon as “a flashpoint beyond all flashpoints.” A war that engulfed Lebanon “would engulf Syria, it would engulf other countries,” he told reporters in Geneva. “It’s very worrying.”
