The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they unfold.
Hezbollah claims it carried out pre-dawn attack near border
The Hezbollah terror group claims to have shelled a group of soldiers near the border southwest of Kiryat Shmona in the Galilee panhandle. It says the attack occurred at 3 :15 a.m.
There are no reports on the Israeli side of an attack on troops, or missiles fired near the border.
The Iran-backed Lebanese organization has been known to inflate its battlefield exploits.
Moscow says two attackers copped to concert hall bombing
A Russian court statement says two of the four men accused of staging the Russia concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people have claimed guilt in the attack, after being charged in the preliminary hearing.
Earlier accounts said three or all four had pleaded guilty, but court officials now say only Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev and Saidakrami Rachabalizoda admitted guilt for the attack after being charged.
The two appeared before a Moscow court Sunday along with Shamsidin Fariduni, and Mukhammadsobir Faizov to face charges of committing a group terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
All four showed signs of severe beatings, raising questions about whether they were speaking freely. Faizov appeared to be barely conscious during the hearing.
The court ordered that the men, all of whom are citizens of Tajikistan, be held in pre-trial custody until May 22.
Palestinians report arrest raids, clashes throughout West Bank
Palestinian reports say that clashes have broken out between Israeli troops and locals as the army carries out arrest raids in several areas around the West Bank.
Videos published online show military convoys moving through cities near Ramallah, Jenin and Hebron.
تغطية صحفية: قوات الاحـــتلال تعتقل الشبان عبد الحليم سالم وإبراهيم أبو سالم ومحمد الرمحي خلال اقتحام بلدة اللبن الغربي في رام الله. pic.twitter.com/sxZEPSONiL
— شبكة قدس الإخبارية (@qudsn) March 25, 2024
According to official Palestinian news outlet WAFA, firefights broke out in two areas near Jenin, and soldiers used live ammunition in al-Arroub camp near Hebron, though no injuries are reported in either location.
Battered and bruised, three of four Russia bombing suspects plead guilty
Three of the four suspects charged with carrying out the concert hall attack in Moscow that killed more than 130 people have admitted guilt for the incident in a Russian court.
Moscow’s Basmanny District Court formally has charged Dalerdzhon Mirzoyev, 32; Saidakrami Rachabalizoda, 30; Mukhammadsobir Faizov, 19; and Shamsidin Fariduni, 25, with committing a group terrorist attack resulting in the death of others. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
The court orders that the men, all of whom are citizens of Tajikistan, be held in pre-trial custody until May 22.
Mirzoyev, Rachabalizoda and Fariduni all admit guilt after being charged. The fourth, Faizov, is brought to court directly from a hospital in a wheelchair and sits with his eyes closed throughout the proceedings. He wears a hospital gown and trousers and is seen with multiple cuts, as medics attend him.
The other three suspects are also heavily bruised with swollen faces amid reports in Russian media that they were tortured during interrogation by the security services.
Rachabalizoda, has a heavily bandaged ear. Russian media reported Saturday that one of the suspects had his ear cut off during interrogation. The Associated Press couldn’t verify the report or the videos which purported to show this.
The hearing comes as Russia observed a national day of mourning, following the attack Friday on the suburban Crocus City Hall concert venue that killed at least 137 people.
The attack, which has been claimed by an affiliate of the Islamic State group, is the deadliest on Russian soil in years.
Russian authorities arrested the four suspected attackers Saturday, with seven more people detained on suspicion of involvement in the attack, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an address to the nation Saturday night. He claimed they were captured while fleeing to Ukraine, something that Kyiv firmly denied.
Jordanians marching on Israeli embassy clash with police, call to ‘bomb Tel Aviv’
Several people have been arrested in Amman amid clashes between riot police and Jordanian demonstrators marching on the Israeli embassy to protest Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
“No Zionist embassy on Jordanian land,” some protesters chant as others shout slogans back Hamas and attacks on Israeli soldiers and civilians.
“We want to go the borders and kill and kidnap Zionist soldiers. Revenge … revenge … Oh Hamas, bomb Tel Aviv,” they shout.
A massive protest in Amman, condemning the Israeli genocide in Gaza, was on its way to the Israeli embassy when it encountered brutal repression by Jordanian security forces. Tear gas was deployed, and dozens were detained. pic.twitter.com/3XTU6fVdJx
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) March 24, 2024
Authorities had sent in riot police to disperse demonstrators gathered in the Kaloti mosque in the capital who were planning to march on the heavily fortified Israeli embassy nearby.
Several protesters were beaten and several arrested as they tried to break a heavy police cordon around the embassy, witnesses say. Police have deployed teargas to push back the demonstrators.
More visuals from Amman, Jordan from the confrontation between Jordanian security forces and anti-Israel protesters. pic.twitter.com/Fprh8uqi8P
— FJ (@Natsecjeff) March 24, 2024
Police are not immediately available for comment.
Jordan has allowed peaceful protesters to gather outside the Israeli embassy daily but authorities say they cannot tolerate any attempt to storm the embassy, instigate civic unrest or try to reach a border zone with the West Bank or Israel.
Israel’s ambassador has been absent since October 7 due to security precautions.