The Times of Israel is liveblogging Monday’s events as they happen.
Incoming majority leader says Senate will sanction ICC unless case against Israelis dropped
Senator John Thune says the US must pass legislation threatening the International Criminal Court with sanctions if it seeks arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and others.
“If the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis,” tweets Thune, who will become the majority leader of the Senate in early January when Republicans officially take over Congress.
If the ICC and its prosecutor do not reverse their outrageous and unlawful actions to pursue arrest warrants against Israeli officials, the Senate should immediately pass sanctions legislation, as the House has already done on a bipartisan basis. If Majority Leader Schumer does…
— Senator John Thune (@SenJohnThune) November 17, 2024
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan has asked a pre-trial panel at the Hague to approve his request for arrest warrants against Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and three Hamas officials who have since been killed by Israel. Khan alleges that war crimes may have been committed during fighting in Gaza.
Thune indicates he is happy for current majority leader Chuck Schumer to pursue such legislation sanctioning the ICC, but says if he does not “the Senate Republican majority will stand with our key ally Israel and make this – and other supportive legislation – a top priority in the next Congress.”
Houthi attack reported on ship in southern Red Sea
A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a commercial ship late Sunday night traveling through the southern reaches of the Red Sea, though it caused no damage nor injuries, authorities say.
A ship’s captain saw that “a missile splashed in close proximity to the vessel” as it traveled near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center says in an alert.
The attack happened some 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Yemen’s port city of Mocha.
20241117 – UKMTO WARNING INCIDENT 134 – UPDATE 001https://t.co/ZgjRM6rsdX#MaritimeSecurity #MARSEC pic.twitter.com/9nXKR3r0qq
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) November 17, 2024
“The vessel and crew are safe and proceeding to its next port of call,” the UKMTO adds.
The Houthis do not immediately claim the attack. However, it can take the rebels hours or even days to acknowledge their assaults.
Unsealing secret Hamas papers, families of October 7 victims sue Iran in US court
Families of American victims of the October 7 attacks led by Hamas have filed suit in a US federal court against Iran and an array of linked terror groups, presenting what they say is new proof of Tehran’s involvement in the attack, according to a lawyer representing several plaintiffs.
The suit, which has been seen by The Times of Israel, relies on what attorneys for the plaintiffs say are secret documents uncovered by lawyer Gary Osen showing Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps funneling millions of dollars to Hamas.
The complaint also includes a document from a 2022 meeting of senior Hamas members Yahya Sinwar, Khalil al-Hayya and others plotting out the contours of mutual defense agreement between Hamas and other Iran-backed groups should war break out. The paper includes a decision to request Iran send Hamas $7 million monthly “to mobilize and prepare for … confrontations.”
According to the New York Times, the $7 million monthly was sought to ready for the October 7 attack.
Aside from Iran and the IRGC, the suit also names Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.
While the documents include references to funding for Hamas from Qatar and Turkey, neither US ally is named in the suit. Also left out are Yemen’s Houthi rebels, who were taken off the US’s terror blacklist by the Biden administration.
Many of the victims in the suit were killed or kidnapped on October 7, though other plaintiffs include families from southern Israel who suffered emotionally during or after the attacks. Families of several soldiers killed in combat are also named.
Among the 37 families of victims in the suit is Yechiel Leiter, who is set to become Israel’s ambassador to the US. Leiter’s son Moshe Leiter was killed in battle in Gaza in late November 2023.
The suit seeks unspecified financial awards for the families under the US Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and Anti-Terrorism Act.
US progressive Ocasio-Cortez suggests blaming AIPAC as Democrats lick wounds
New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez appears to suggest that pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC was responsible for Democrats’ poor performance in this month’s election, which saw Republican Donald Trump defeat Vice President Kamala Harris and the GOP take control of both the House and Senate.
If people want to talk about members of Congress being overly influenced by a special interest group pushing a wildly unpopular agenda that pushes voters away from Democrats then they should be discussing AIPAC https://t.co/2o22CMMtqw
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 17, 2024
“If people want to talk about members of Congress being overly influenced by a special interest group pushing a wildly unpopular agenda that pushes voters away from Democrats then they should be discussing AIPAC,” the Democrat writes on X.
The comment comes after a senior advisor to Senator Bernie Sanders points a finger at lobbies representing corporate or industrial interests.
The claim from Ocasio-Cortez, a leading member of the party’s progressive flank, comes as the Democrats have entered a period of soul-searching following the drubbing at the polls.
While some have pointed to the Biden Administration’s support for Israel as a factor in driving away some Arab and Muslim voters, most pundits have suggested that the party’s focus on identity politics and embrace of progressive cultural matters rather than economic issues for pushing working class voters into the Trump camp.
AIPAC says it spent $53 million to support 361 pro-Israel candidates from both sides of the political aisle, while helping to defeat 24 anti-Israel candidates. It has recently begun targeting Sanders for his attempts to block arms sales to Israel.
In response to the tweet from Ocasio-Cortez, the lobby snarkily posts screenshots showing vote totals for two fellow members of the progressive anti-Israel “Squad” who were defeated in Democratic primaries by AIPAC-backed challengers.
Fact check on what Democratic voters find popular vs unpopular, @AOC. https://t.co/hwCTqBS0SS pic.twitter.com/CQjZIp4Kil
— AIPAC ????????????????????️ (@AIPAC) November 17, 2024
Lebanon says 11 killed in strikes on Tyre
Lebanon’s health ministry says 11 people were killed and dozens were wounded in Israeli strikes on the Tyre region in the south of the country.
“The raids of the Israeli enemy on villages in the Tyre district have left 11 dead and 48 wounded,” says a ministry statement.
The region is a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Army says interceptor missile crashed into Eilat area
The army says it is investigating after an interceptor missile hit the southern resort city of Eilat area during an attempt to shoot down a drone fired from Iraq.
“A number of interceptors were fired at the target, one of the interceptors fell in the area,” the Israel Defense Forces says.
It adds that there have been no reports of injuries.
Video appeared to show the interceptor missile streaking into the sky over the city before falling back down and appearing to land near a hotel strip near the coast, as terrified onlookers watched.
Notably, no explosion is heard as the missile impacts the ground.
⚡️⭕️ Interceptor missile failure while attempting to intercept a drone in the city of Umm al-Rashrash (Eilat) in southern occupied Palestine pic.twitter.com/lxfsD76Gs7
— Middle East Observer (@ME_Observer_) November 17, 2024
⚡️Incredibly clear footage showing an Israeli interceptor malfunction and fall back down moments ago in Eilat pic.twitter.com/WUf5wdoSKu
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) November 17, 2024
The army said earlier the drone was successfully downed before reaching Israeli territory.
IDF downs drone from Iraq fired toward Eilat
The Israel Defense Forces says it shot down a UAV fired “from the east,” after sirens were activated in the Red Sea resort city of Eilat.
The IDF generally uses “from the east” to denote projectiles launched from Iraq.
The military says the air force downed the drone before it entered Israeli territory.
It does not comment on videos appearing to show a failed interceptor rocket falling in the city.
The United Hatzalah rescue service says it is treating a number of people seeking help for acute anxiety following a drone alert that sounded in Eilat.
The Magen David Adom rescue service says it is also responding to a call related to the attack, but that it does not yet have any details on possible casualties.
The launch is claimed by the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an Iran-backed militia, which claims it targeted a “vital asset” in the Eilat area.
Rocket alerts sound in northern Galilee
Rocket sirens are sounding in Kiryat Shmona and other towns in the Galilee panhandle near the border with Lebanon.
There are no immediate reports of impacts.
Drone alert sounds in Eilat, interceptor appears to fail
The Israel Defense Forces says it is investigating after a drone infiltration alert was triggered in the far southern city of Eilat just after midnight.
According to the Home Front Command, the incident has ended.
Videos from the city shared on social media appear to show an interceptor fired into the sky above the city before crashing back down to earth.
There are no immediate reports of injuries or damage.
⚡️Seems as though an Israeli interceptor failed and fell back on Eilat pic.twitter.com/6YN9YuBOXK
— War Monitor (@WarMonitors) November 17, 2024
⚡️Watch failed interceptor missile diving directly into Eilat center. https://t.co/DfkAEZyykp pic.twitter.com/wPPRVQ42tD
— MenchOsint (@MenchOsint) November 17, 2024