21:00 World leaders have confirmed that they have to abide by the ICC ruling and that their authorities would have to arrest Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defence minister Yoav Gallant if they arrive in their countries.
20:10 The International Criminal Court's top prosecutor urged the body's 124 members to act on arrest warrants issued against Israel's prime minister and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, plus Hamas's military chief Mohammed Deif.
"I appeal to all States Parties to live up to their commitment to the Rome Statute by respecting and complying with these judicial orders," said the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, in a statement.
He also called on countries that are not members of the ICC to work together towards "upholding international law."
18:30 Lebanon's health ministry said Israeli strikes on several locations in the eastern Bekaa Valley killed 22 people on Thursday, with state media reporting four family members killed in one village.
"Israeli enemy" strikes on five areas in the Baalbek region killed a total of 22 people, the ministry said in separate statements, with the National News Agency reporting that a strike on the village of Maqneh killed at least four members of the same family.
The health ministry added more than 3,558 people have been killed in the Israeli escalation since October 2023.
Most of the deaths have been since September this year, when Israel began its massive bombing campaign and later invaded Lebanon.
17:50 Hezbollah claimed seven attacks on Israeli soldiers in and near south Lebanon's Khiam after official media said Israeli troops were dynamiting homes and buildings in the town.
In seven separate statements, Hezbollah said its fighters targeted Israeli troops in and near Khiam, including with artillery, rockets and drones, as Lebanon's National News Agency said "the enemy army" was "blowing up homes and residential buildings during its incursion into the town."
17:20 Israeli strikes killed 79 people, including some from Iraq and Lebanon, in the Syrian city of Palmyra, a monitor said, updating the toll for the raids a day earlier.
The toll was "the highest due to Israeli raids on pro-Iran groups in Syria since the start of the conflict" in the country in 2011, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The Britain-based Observatory close to the Syrian opposition said Wednesday's strikes targeted three sites in Palmyra -- a modern city adjacent to renowned Greco-Roman ruins -- including one that hit a meeting of pro-Iranian groups with leaders from Iraq's Al-Nujaba group and Lebanon's Hezbollah.
17:00 The European Union's foreign policy chief said International Criminal Court arrest warrants issued Thursday for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, his former defence minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas's military chief Mohammed Deif were "binding" and should be implemented.
"It is not a political decision. It is a decision of a court, of a court of justice, of an international court of justice. And the decision of the court has to be respected and implemented," Joseph Borrell said during a visit to the Jordanian capital Amman.
16:30 Dutch foreign minister Caspar Veldkamp, whose country hosts the International Criminal Court, has confirmed The Netherlands would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he arrived on Dutch soil.
“The line from the government is clear. We are obliged to cooperate with the ICC ... we abide 100% by the Rome Statute,” he said in response to a question in parliament Thursday.
15:25 Hamas urges the international community to cooperate with the ICC to prosecute Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Galant, accusing them of committing war crimes and calling for an end to the genocide against civilians in Gaza.
15:10 Hamas says ICC arrest warrants for Israeli officials are an "important step towards justice."
15:00 Hezbollah said its fighters on Thursday fired missiles at a military base near south Israel's Ashdod, the first time it has targeted so deep inside Israel in more than a year of hostilities.
Hezbollah fighters "targeted... for the first time, the Hatzor air base" east of the southern city, around 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Lebanon's southern border with Israel, "with a missile salvo," the group said in a statement.
14:30 The ICC court statement:
*Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (‘Court’), in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine, unanimously issued two decisions rejecting challenges by the State of Israel (‘Israel’) brought under articles 18 and 19 of the Rome Statute (the ‘Statute’). It also issued warrants of arrest for Mr Benjamin Netanyahu and Mr Yoav Gallant.
*Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (‘Court’), in its composition for the Situation in the State of Palestine, unanimously issued a warrant of arrest for Mr Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri, commonly known as ‘Deif’, for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes committed on the territory of the State of Israel and the State of Palestine from at least 7 October 2023.
The Prosecution had initially filed applications for warrants of arrest for two other senior leaders of Hamas, namely Mr Ismail Haniyeh and Mr Yahya Sinwar. Following confirmation of their deaths, the Chamber granted the withdrawal of the applications on 9 August 2024 and 25 October 2024, respectively. With respect to Mr Deif, the Prosecution indicated that it would continue to gather information with respect to his reported death.
14:00 The decision turns Netanyahu and the others into internationally wanted suspects and is likely to further isolate them and complicate efforts to negotiate a ceasefire to end the 13-month war. But its practical implications could be limited since Israel and its major ally, the United States, are not members of the court and several of the Hamas officials have been subsequently killed in the conflict.
Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders have condemned ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan’s request for warrants as disgraceful and antisemitic. US President Joe Biden also blasted the prosecutor and expressed support for Israel’s right to defend itself against Hamas.
13:30 Israeli warplanes escalated their airstrikes across multiple areas in Lebanon on Thursday, resulting in casualties, while Hezbollah retaliated with a barrage of drones and missiles targeting northern Israel. An Israeli official acknowledged significant damage in the affected areas.
Lebanese media reported that four people were killed in an Israeli raid on the town of Younin in the Baalbek-Hermel Governorate in eastern Lebanon.
Hezbollah continued its response to Israeli airstrikes with missile and drone attacks. Al Jazeera's correspondent reported the launch of 12 missiles from southern Lebanon targeting the Western Galilee region.
The group announced it had bombed the Shraga military base north of Acre in northern Israel with a missile barrage. Meanwhile, Israel's Channel 12 reported the possible infiltration of multiple drones into northern Israel, adding that efforts to track and intercept them were ongoing.
The Israeli Home Front Command stated that sirens were sounded twice in Ras Al-Naqoura and Nahariya, warning of a drone spotted over Nahariya. The command later announced that the incident in the Western Galilee region had concluded without providing further details.
Israeli media reported that one person was killed in Nahariya due to falling missile fragments, with earlier reports indicating that three missiles had struck the city.
Objects fly amid the heavy smoke during an Israeli airstrike that targeted Beirut’s southern suburbs near the Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium. AFP
13:00 Israeli first responders said a man was killed on Thursday after rocket fire from Lebanon hit the northern Galilee region.
"Emergency medical technicians and paramedics have reported a 30-year-old male with no signs of life and have declared him deceased," the Magen David Adom emergency medical service said.
12:00 Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the army is preparing to bolster its presence in southern Lebanon, praising its officers and personnel for their sacrifices in defending the country.
Earlier, Army Commander Joseph Aoun reaffirmed the military's continued deployment in the south, stressing its vital role in safeguarding Lebanon's sovereignty.
11:30 Renewed strikes hit Hezbollah's southern Beirut stronghold on Thursday, AFPTV footage showed, after the Israeli military warned people to evacuate the area.
Lebanon's official National News Agency reported "three violent strikes on Haret Hreik" neighbourhood, hours after three strikes on the same area at dawn.
11:00 Turkey has acknowledged a Panamanian-flagged bulk carrier attacked earlier this week by Yemen’s Houthi group was owned by a Turkish company.
Turkey’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding the attack on the Anadolu S. The Houthis twice fired a missile at the vessel, which failed to hit it in both the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
“We condemn the missile attacks by the Houthis,” the statement said. “Necessary initiatives are being taken to prevent the recurrence of a similar incident.”
10:30 A Palestinian youth was killed by Israeli occupation forces' gunfire during a raid on Al-Ein Camp west of Nablus in the occupied West Bank, WAFA news agency reported.
Security sources said that the occupation forces stormed Al-Ein Camp and the Zawata area west of Nablus, firing live ammunition.
During the raid, the occupation forces also arrested three citizens in several neighbourhoods of Nablus.
Palestinians stand near blood stains along a street following an Israeli military raid in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. AFP
10:10 A group of Democratic senators failed in their bid to block shipments of US weapons to Israel after several procedural motions were voted down in the upper chamber Wednesday evening.
The long-shot initiative was led by Senator Bernie Sanders, who caucuses with Joe Biden's Democratic Party and has been a vocal opponent of Israel's war in Gaza.
Accusing the United States of "complicity" in human rights "atrocities," Sanders said that nonstop aid for Israel would undermine US credibility on other geopolitical issues.
"Nobody is going to take anything you say with a grain of seriousness," said the 83-year-old, who recently won re-election to another six-year term.
"They will say to you, 'You're concerned about China, you're concerned about Russia, you're concerned about Iran. Well, why are you funding the starvation of children in Gaza right now?'"
Sanders introduced what is called Joint Resolutions of Disapproval, seeking to block the Biden administration's recent sale of $20 billion in US weapons to Israel.
Moves to advance three resolutions failed, garnering only around 20 votes out of the chamber's 100 members. Most Democrats joined all Republicans against the measures.
The Biden administration has steadfastly backed Israel while counselling restraint for more than a year.
US officials had recently warned Israel its military aid could be at risk if the humanitarian situation did not improve in Gaza but ultimately declined to withhold any assistance.
Israel has killed at least 43,985 Palestinians in Gaza since the war started on 7 October 2023.
09:55 Gaza's civil defence agency said Thursday that 22 people were killed in an Israeli strike on Gaza City, while medical sources reported dozens of deaths in another overnight air raid.
"We can confirm that 22 martyrs were transferred (to hospital) after a strike targeted a house... in Sheikh Radwan" neighbourhood of Gaza City, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said.
Dozens more were killed in another strike at around midnight in northern Gaza, medical sources said. The civil defence has yet to announce a death toll from that strike.
09:45 US envoy Amos Hochstein, seeking to broker a ceasefire in the Israel war on Lebanon, will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday, the premier's office said.
Spokesman Omer Dostri made the announcement after Israeli media outlets reported that Hochstein had arrived in Israel on Wednesday evening and held talks with Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer.
09:30 The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said the Israeli strikes had killed as many as 61 people.
"The Israeli enemy launched an air attack from the direction of the Al-Tanf area, targeting a number of buildings in the city of Palmyra," the defence ministry said in a statement.
The attack "killed 36 people and wounded more than 50" and caused "significant material damage," it added.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, however, gave a higher toll, which is expected to "rise due to the presence of seriously injured people."
"The total number of dead reached 61 people," it said.
Among them, 33 were Syrians affiliated with Iranian militias, 22 were non-Syrians, four were from Hezbollah, and two were unknown, according to the monitor.
The strikes targeting Palmyra — a modern city adjacent to Greco-Roman ruins — are the deadliest in Syria since the Israeli all-out war on Lebanon on 23 September.
Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria but has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran to expand its presence in the country.
The Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned "in the strongest terms the brutal Israeli aggression against the city of Palmyra, which reflects the continuing crimes of Zionism against the countries of the region and their peoples."
Palmyra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, was taken over and pillaged by Islamic State jihadists at the height of the Syrian civil war.
Director General of Antiquities and Museums in Syria Nazir Awad told AFP that the city's temples "did not suffer any direct damage" during the latest strikes.
"We need to conduct a survey on the ground to confirm these observations," he added.
Short link: