The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they unfold.
IDF says its fighter jets have shot down a drone heading to Israel from the east
Israeli fighter jets during the night shot down a drone that was heading toward Israel from “the eastern direction,” the military says.
The IDF says the aircraft had been tracked throughout the incident, and there was no threat to civilians.
It does not elaborate on where the drone was shot down.
Amid the war, several drones have been launched at Israel by Iran-backed groups in Iraq and Syria. Iran itself also carried out an unprecedented attack on Israel last month with hundreds of drones and missiles.
In Holocaust Remembrance Day message, Biden pledges to realize responsibility of ‘Never Again’
In a short Holocaust Remembrance Day message, US President Joe Biden writes of the importance of “heeding the lessons of the Shoah and realizing the responsibility of ‘Never Again.'”
The statement is posted on X, formerly Twitter.
This Holocaust Remembrance Day, we mourn the six million Jews who were killed by the Nazis during one of the darkest chapters in human history.
And we recommit to heeding the lessons of the Shoah and realizing the responsibility of “Never Again.”
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 6, 2024
Lebanese report: Israeli raid near Baalbek injures 3
Lebanon’s Hezbollah-aligned Al Mayadeen outlet reports an Israeli raid targeting a building in an area south of the city of Baalbek.
The report says three people are lightly injured.
There is no immediate comment by the Israeli military.
US defense chief speaks with Gallant, voices condolences for victims of Hamas barrage
US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has spoken with his Israeli counterpart, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, to discuss “the ongoing hostage negotiations, humanitarian assistance efforts, and Rafah,” the Pentagon says.
Austin “expressed his condolences for the IDF soldiers killed and wounded by a rocket and mortar attack launched by Hamas out of Rafah,” the statement says.
He is also said to have reiterated Washington’s commitment to “supporting Israel’s defense,” his own commitment to returning all the hostages from Gaza, and the US demand for any offensive to Rafah to include a “credible” plan to protect civilians and preserve the flow of humanitarian aid.
There is no immediate Israeli readout of the call.