The Times of Israel is liveblogging Thursday’s events as they happen.
Syrian state TV reports Israeli ‘aggression’ in Homs countryside
An Israeli “aggression” is happening on Hasiya industrial city in Syria’s Homs countryside, Syrian state TV says.
US envoy slams Israel over Gaza humanitarian situation, effort to ban UNRWA operations
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield slams Israel’s handling of the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip along with its effort to ban UNRWA from operating in the Jewish state.
On Sunday, the IDF said that its troops had encircled the Gaza city of Jabaliya in a new ground operation targeting efforts by Hamas to reestablish itself in the northern Strip. Ahead of the operation, the IDF issued a fresh batch of evacuation orders for towns in the area and said it was readying to order the evacuation of all northern Gaza where tens of thousands of Palestinians still reside.
“The United States is concerned by the situation in northern Gaza, including the announcement by Israel of a new evacuation order for several communities. We are particularly concerned that Palestinian civilians have nowhere safe to go,” Thomas-Greenfield says during a Security Council session on the Middle East.
“Already, there are devastating reports of the squalid conditions in the humanitarian zone in southern and central Gaza, where more than 1.5 million displaced civilians have fled. These catastrophic conditions were predicted months ago, and yet, have still not been addressed. That must change, and now. We call on Israel to take urgent steps to do so, and I reiterate the United States’ expectation that Palestinian civilians, including those evacuated from the north be permitted to return to their communities and rebuild,” the US envoy adds.
“We are also concerned by recent actions by the Israeli government to limit the delivery of goods into Gaza. When combined with new bureaucratic limits placed on humanitarian goods arriving from Jordan, and the closure of most border crossings in recent weeks, these restrictions would only have the effect of intensifying suffering in Gaza,” says Thomas-Greenfield.
Turning to the Knesset’s recent advancement of legislation aiming to outlaw UNRWA’s operations in Israel and bar Israeli authorities from contacting officials from the UN relief agency for Palestinians, Thomas-Greenfielld says the US is “deeply concerned” by the proposals.
Noting the allegations facing UNRWA, she says only “a small percentage” of its staffers have ties to terror groups and participated in the October 7 onslaught.
“At the same time, we know that UN personnel, including from UNRWA, are vital to the humanitarian response in Gaza and face tremendous danger while performing their work,” the US envoy says, calling on Israel to provide more information regarding allegations against UNRWA and for the agency to do a better job addressing those concerns.
Lebanon says it arrested 2 Syrians on suspicion of spying for Israel
BEIRUT — The Lebanese army says it has arrested two Syrians on suspicion of having been recruited to work for Israel, as its military bombs Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Lebanese army intelligence arrested two Syrians “for photographing different places… and documenting the results of enemy airstrikes,” an army statement on social network X says.
The arrests were “a result of surveillance and follow-up of Israeli spy networks and enemy agents,” it says in the statement.
The pair had also documented “search and rescue operations and the recovery of bodies” at Israeli strike sites and were “recruited through social media,” the statement says, adding that judicial authorities are investigating.
Lebanese security services have arrested dozens over the years on suspicions of collaborating with Israel, with some receiving jail terms of up to 25 years.
Suspicions are running particularly high after Israel killed senior Hezbollah commanders in recent weeks, including the terror group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
Regev hails decision by EU to drop recommendation that planes avoid Israeli airspace
Transportation Minister Miri Regev welcomes the European Union Aviation Safety Agency’s (EASA) decision to lift a recommendation to avoid Israeli airspace, which she presents as a personal vindication.
Tweeting a photo of herself with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Regev laments the “mountains of muck and poison” aimed at her for her recent trip to Budapest to lobby for EASA to reverse its guidance and pledges that “together we will continue to act for the benefit of the citizens of Israel.”
Last week, as Iran launched a massive ballistic missile attack on Israel, Regev was photographed outside a Budapest jeweler, sparking domestic criticism. She claimed that the photo was framed to make her look like she was shopping when she was only passing outside.
נתחיל מהסוף הטוב: רשות התעופה של האיחוד האירופי ביטלה את החלטתה לאסור טיסות לישראל ובקרוב החברות האירופאיות יחזרו לטוס ארצה. הררי רפש ורעל הוטחו ברשתות כלפיי על נסיעת הבזק שקיימתי בשבוע שעבר להונגריה >>> pic.twitter.com/dusNnvMDSr
— מירי רגב (@regev_miri) October 9, 2024
IDF shoots down drone in Red Sea area; Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims responsibility
The military says it intercepted a drone in the Red Sea area headed toward Israel, as the Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq releases a statement claiming an attack on Eilat.
The Israel Defense Forces says the drone never entered Israeli territory.