Israel Latest: Iranian Minister Warns US Over Support of Israel
(Bloomberg) -- Iran’s foreign minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, warned that new fronts would open against the US if it continues its unequivocal support for Israel.
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Israeli said it’s expanding military activity in the Gaza Strip, as Gaza lost internet and telephone service and international agencies lost contact with staff there. The United Nations General Assembly approved a resolution calling for an “immediate, durable and sustained humanitarian truce” in the conflict.
In a statement, the Israeli Defense Forces said it had carried out targeted raids “with the aim of preparing the ground for future stages of the operation.” “Ground forces are extending their ground activities this evening,” it said. That news came as both sides suggested there had been little progress on a deal to free the more than 200 hostages in the Gaza Strip.
Only about 2% of needed humanitarian aid is reaching Gaza, and that can’t be properly distributed because of fuel shortages, according to the UN.
(All time stamps are Israeli time)
US Says No Casualties in Strikes on Iranian Targets (1:45 a.m.)
The Pentagon said US attacks on Iranian targets Thursday night were focused on storage facilities for weapons and ammunition used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and resulted in no casualties.
“These narrowly-tailored strikes in self-defense were intended solely to protect and defend US personnel in Iraq and Syria,” Brigadier General Pat Ryder, a Defense Department spokesman, said in a statement. “They are separate and distinct from the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, and do not constitute a shift in the U.S. approach to the Israel-Hamas conflict.” Ryder said that coalition forces had been attacked 14 times in Iraq and six times in Syria by rockets and drones. Most of the attacks failed to reach their targets, he added.
Iran Warns of ‘New Fronts’ Against the US (12:35 a.m,)
Iran’s foreign minister warned that new fronts would open against the US if it keeps up unequivocal support for Israel, and said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government would regret its actions if it proceeds with a full-scale invasion.
Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian declined to detail the consequences Iran might have in store. But his comments in an interview signaled an escalation in the rhetoric between Washington and Tehran after a series of attacks on US forces in Syria and Iraq fanned concerns that the Israel-Hamas conflict would turn into a wider regional war.
Iran Denies Directing Groups That Attacked US Forces (12:10 a.m.)
Iran’s foreign minister said groups attacking US forces in Syria and Iraq are acting independently, and haven’t received orders or instructions from Tehran. “They’re not receiving any orders from us, any instructions,” Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. “The American side claims that these are linked to Iran. These groups decide for themselves independently.”
Amirabdollahian spoke less than a day after the US said that it had conducted military strikes on two Syrian facilities linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps that had been used for attacks against US troops in the region. US officials have said they don’t have evidence that Iran explicitly ordered the attacks, but they hold Iran responsible because it supports the groups.
UN Approves Resolution Calling for Truce (11:12 p.m.)
The UN General Assembly approved a non-binding resolution calling for a truce that would lead to a cessation of hostilities, with the US, Israel and 12 other nations voting no.
The resolution, which was sponsored by several Arab nations, was adopted with 120 votes in favor, 14 opposed and 45 abstentions. It demands that all parties comply with international law and allow the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
US Says No Red Lines in Conversations with Israel (10:29 p.m.)
White House National Security Council John Kirby told reporters Friday that the US is “not drawing red lines” for Israel, reiterating support for the country’s defense against Hamas.
“We have had and will continue to have conversations with them about the manner in which they’re doing this, and we have not been shy about expressing our concerns over civilian casualties, collateral damage and the approach that they might choose to take,” Kirby added.Gaza Internet, Phone Services Cut by Israeli Bombing, Provider Says (8:30 p.m.)
Israeli bombardment cut off internet and mobile services in the Gaza Strip, the main telecom provider in the Palestinian territory said.
“We regret to announce a complete cessation of all communications and Internet services in the Gaza Strip in light of the ongoing aggression,” Jawwal, the largest cellular operator in Gaza, said on its website. Calls to mobile numbers via the other Gaza cellular operator, Ooredoo, didn’t go through.
Chevron Says It’s Prioritizing Israeli Gas Deliveries (4:28 p.m.)
Chevron Corp. said Friday it’s supplying natural gas to Israel and Jordan from wells in the Mediterranean Sea even after shutting the key Tamar platform at the outbreak of the conflict with Hamas.
Chevron’s Leviathan platform increased production to help ease the 1 billion cubic feet per day loss from Tamar, Chief Financial Officer Pierre Breber said in an interview. Tamar is located in Israeli waters about 12 miles (kilometers) from the Gaza Strip and was shut on government orders shortly after this month’s deadly attack.
“The Israeli domestic market is prioritized in that event,” Breber said. “We continue to supply Jordan customers and we continue to supply part of our Egyptian contracts, but not all of our Egyptian customers.”
Israeli Naval Commandos Raid Hamas Installations in Southern Gaza (3:27pm.)
The Israel Defense Forces said naval commandos raided an installation in the southern Gaza Strip belonging to Hamas’ naval force, destroying “terrorist infrastructure.” Army Radio described it as Israel’s first sea-borne raid since the attack.
Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack on southern Israel included attempts to land commandos by sea. In recent days the Israeli military said they had repelled another attempt by Hamas frogmen to infiltrate Israel.
Israel Won’t Exchange Fuel For Hostages, Official Says (2:20pm)
Israel is against a hostage exchange deal that entails sending fuel, according to an Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the details publicly. Over 200 Israelis, including women, children, and dozens of foreign nationals, are being held in the Gaza Strip.
Four have been released by Hamas. Osama Hamdan, Hamas politburo member and representative in Lebanon, told dpa that future releases will hinge on the entry of fuel and medical supplies to Gaza. Israel has halted the supply of fuel, electricity, food and water to Gaza since the October 7 attacks.
Israel Police: Whatsapp Hackers May Be Behind Unidentified Calls (1:17pm)
Israeli Police said there’s been numerous complaints from people who say they’ve received phone or video calls from unidentified international numbers in the past few hours. Police urged Israelis not to respond to unfamiliar numbers and said it could be a potential harassment tactic or attempt to take over WhatsApp accounts. Israeli media reported that many of the calls were immediately disconnected after being picked up.
UN Says Only 2% of Humanitarian Aid is Reaching Gaza (11:39)
The UN said only the tiniest fraction of needed aid to Gaza such as food, water and fuel is making it through, and even the distribution of those essential items is being blocked because of fuel shortages.
The UN repeated that it’s scaling back operations and might have to stop them altogether, according to UN humanitarian coordinator for Palestine Lynn Hastings, who spoke earlier today at a briefing in Geneva.
A total of 74 aid trucks have been allowed into the Gaza Strip since Oct. 7, short of the circa 100 trucks of humanitarian supplies per day a UN official estimated last week were needed.
Iran Says Hamas Wants an Immediate Ceasefire (11:20 a.m.)
Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Ali Bagheri met with Hamas official Mousa Abu Marzouk in Moscow, Iran’s state-run Islamic Republic News Agency reported.
Bagheri told Marzouk that Tehran’s priorities in talks with foreign parties are an immediate ceasefire, aid for Palestinians and lifting the blockade on Gaza.
Marzouk, a member of Hamas’s political bureau, said Gazans would emerge from the conflict with their heads held high.
Israel Says It Knows of 229 People Held Hostage in Gaza (11:15 a.m.)
Israel’s government said it knows of 229 people that were abducted by Hamas during its Oct. 7 attacks. These are in addition to four people who have been freed.
Israel hasn’t said whether it knows how many are alive. Some may have been killed during Hamas’s incursion and been taken into Gaza as corpses, Israeli officials have said.
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