Live blog: Israel strikes southern Lebanon in yet another truce violation

Monday, February 17, 2025

1904 GMT –– Israeli warplanes carried out air strikes on the villages of Tayr Harfa and Aaichiyehin in the Jezzine district, as well as two explosions in the border town of Odaisseh in the Marjayoun district, continuing its breaches of the ceasefire in southern Lebanon just before it is due to leave the area.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that the Israeli air force launched two strikes targeting the course of the Litani River between the Lahed Bridge and Mahmoudiyeh in Aaichiyehin, Jezzine.

Israeli aircraft also targeted the Ainez Zarqa area on the outskirts of Tayr Harfa in the southern district of Tyre. The agency added that Israeli forces set off two blasts in Odaisseh in southern Lebanon’s Marjayoun district.

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1854 GMT –– Jordan's king reaffirms rejection of Palestinian displacement

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has reiterated his firm opposition to the displacement of Palestinians.

His remarks came during a meeting with military retirees at the Royal Hashemite Court, according to a statement. "For 25 years, I have been saying no to displacement, no to resettlement, no to the alternative homeland," the court quoted the monarch as saying, denouncing "those who question these firm positions."

He also reiterated "the importance of de-escalation in the West Bank," highlighting that "achieving just peace on the basis of the two-state solution is the only way to guarantee stability in the region."

1808 GMT –– Very little appetite for US to take over Gaza 'in any shape or form': Graham

US Senator Lindsey Graham has said that there was a "very little appetite" for the US to take over Gaza "in any way, shape or form". Graham was speaking to reporters following meetings by a visiting bipartisan US Senate delegation with Israeli officials in Israel.

1806 GMT –– Hamas must leave Gaza, surrender arms: Israel minister

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has said that Hamas must surrender their arms and leave Gaza, ahead of a cabinet meeting to discuss the next phase of the truce.

Smotrich in a video statement said he "will demand a vote" by ministers to "issue a clear ultimatum to Hamas – immediately release all prisoners, leave Gaza for other countries, and lay down your arms", all part of US President Donald Trump's "plan" according to the minister, who added that "Israel will open the gates of hell" if the Palestinian group refused.

1732 GMT –– Israel preparing to receive bodies of four hostages on Thursday

Israel is preparing to receive the bodies of four prisoners from Gaza and is working on bringing back six living captives on Saturday, an Israeli security official said.

If the two handovers are successful, only four hostages, all presumed dead, would remain in Gaza of the 33 due to be released in the first phase of a ceasefire agreement reached last month to halt the war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

1545 GMT –– Top US diplomat Rubio meets Saudi crown prince in Riyadh

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is meeting Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the State Department said, during the top diplomat's first Middle East tour.

Rubio was expected to discuss President Donald Trump's widely criticised plan for the United States to take control of Gaza and move its Palestinian inhabitants elsewhere.

1438 GMT –– Israeli troops to stay at five locations in Lebanon: military

The Israeli military has said its forces will remain at five "strategic points" inside Lebanon beyond Tuesday, when the deadline for troop withdrawal from the neighbouring country under a fragile ceasefire expires.

The move violates the Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire agreement. Under the deal, Lebanon's military was to deploy in the south alongside United Nations peacekeepers as the Israeli army withdrew over a 60-day period that was later extended to February 18.

"Based on the current situation, we will leave small amounts of troops deployed temporarily in five strategic points along the border in Lebanon so we can continue to defend our residents and to make sure there's no immediate threat," military spokesperson Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani told journalists.

"This is a temporary measure until the Lebanese armed forces are able to fully implement the understanding".

1429 GMT –– Palestinian detainee was tortured in Israeli detention centre

Palestinian medic and ambulance worker Tarek Rabie Safi, freed from an Israeli jail as part of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas, said he was underfed and abused during almost a year in captivity.

Safi, a 39-year-old father of two, was released along with 368 other Palestinian detainees on Saturday, after Hamas freed three Israeli hostages from Gaza.

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1235 GMT –– At least 25 Palestinians arrested in Israeli military raids

The Israeli army rounded up at least 25 more Palestinians in fresh military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups on Monday.

Minors and former prisoners were among the detainees in the raids that targeted several areas in Hebron and Ramallah, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

The arrests came amid military raids by the Israeli army that have killed at least 55 people and displaced thousands in the northern West Bank since Jan. 21.

1205 GMT –– Gaza residents must return home with dignity, EU to tell Israel

The EU plans to tell Israel next week that Palestinians uprooted from their Gaza homes should be ensured a dignified return and that Europe will contribute to rebuilding the shattered territory, according to a document seen by Reuters.

A document outlining the draft EU position emphasises both Europe's commitment to Israel's security and its view that "displaced Gaza residents should be ensured a safe and dignified return to their homes in Gaza".

"The EU will actively contribute to a coordinated international effort to early recovery and reconstruction in Gaza," it said, also calling for full humanitarian access.

"The EU deeply deplores the unacceptable number of civilians, especially women and children, who have lost their lives, and the catastrophic humanitarian situation notably caused by the insufficient entry of aid into Gaza, in particular in the North."

1155 GMT — More bodies found in Gaza rubble as death toll approaches 48,300

Palestinian medics and rescue teams recovered nine more bodies from the rubble in Gaza, pushing the overall death toll from Israel’s genocidal war since October 2023 to 48,284, the Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that the toll also included four Palestinians killed by Israeli army fire in the last 24 hours.

According to the ministry, 16 injured people were also admitted to hospitals, taking the number of injured to 111,709 in the Israeli onslaught.

1148 GMT — Israeli military claims it killed Hamas official in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military claimed to have killed a Hamas leader in southern Lebanon's Sidon area, it said in a statement.

The army said Muhammad Shaheen was the head of the operations department of Hamas in Lebanon and that he had recently been involved in promoting "terrorist plots" with Iranian direction and funding from Lebanese territory against Israeli citizens.

An Israeli strike on a car in Lebanon's southern port city of Sidon targeted an official in the Palestinian militant group, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters earlier. Lebanon's state news agency said rescuers had removed one body from the car but did not identify the victim.

1120 GMT — Saudi Arabia to host Gaza reconstruction plan meeting

Saudi Arabia will host a 5-way Arab meeting on Feb. 20 to discuss an Egyptian proposal for rebuilding Gaza without displacing its Palestinian inhabitants, an Arab League official said.

The planned meeting will be attended by Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Hossan Zaki, the assistant secretary-general of the Arab League, said in televised statements.

"It is possible that Palestine could be invited to the meeting to discuss the general framework of the (Egyptian) proposal that will be presented to the Arab summit," he added.

0822 GMT — Israeli army continues with raids in occupied West Bank

The Israeli army staged a new raid into the occupied West Bank city of Nablus amid escalating tensions, witnesses said.

Israeli forces stormed the old town of Nablus and searched several homes in the area, they added.

Israeli military also seized a Palestinian vehicle before withdrawing from the area, the witnesses said.

The raid came hours after the Israeli army concluded a military incursion in the old town of Nablus on Sunday, wounding 14 Palestinians, including four children.

0604 GMT –– Israel security cabinet set to discuss next phase of Gaza truce

Israel's security cabinet was set to discuss the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza, after top US diplomat Marco Rubio and Israeli Prime Pinister Benjamin Netanyahu presented a united front against Hamas and Iran.

Rubio was in Israel on his first Middle East trip as President Donald Trump's secretary of state, and was slated to leave for Saudi Arabia on Monday.

"Hamas cannot continue as a military or a government force... they must be eliminated," Rubio said of the Palestinian Islamist group that fought Israel for more than 15 months in Gaza until a fragile ceasefire took effect on January 19.

2257 GMT — Only 30% of expected aid trucks entered Gaza in past 2 days

The number of aid trucks entering Gaza over the past two days has not exceeded 30 percent of the expected volume, the Gaza Media Office said, citing Israeli restrictions on the entry of humanitarian supplies.

Gaza received fewer than 180 trucks, far below the daily quota of 600 set under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, according to the office's statement.

2103 GMT — Rubio says more 'Israels' in Middle East will make world 'safer'

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio claimed in a controversial statement Sunday that a Middle East with more "Israels" would make the world "safer."

"If there were more Israels in the Middle East, then the world would be a safer and a better place," Rubio claimed during a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in West Jerusalem, according to a statement by the US Embassy in Israel.

He also reaffirmed Washington's unwavering support for Israel.

2000 GMT — Head of World Jewish Congress confirms his support for two-state solution

The President of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, reiterated his rejection of uprooting Palestinians from besieged Gaza and the occupied West Bank, stressing his support for a two-state solution during a meeting with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, Lauder stressed the urgent need to uphold the ceasefire, deliver humanitarian aid, and ensure the return of displaced Palestinians to their neighbourhoods.

For our live updates from Sunday, February 16, 2025, click here.