Israel-Hamas Conflict: Pro-Iran Iraqi Militia Claims US Strike Killed A Commander, 3 Other Fighters

Hezbollah missile hits house in northern Israel: Local media

Hezbollah fired an anti-tank missile "a short time ago" that hit a house in the Metula area in northern Israel, local N12 News reported. There were no casualties immediately reported after the launch and the Israeli army fired back, as per the report.

The report came after the IDF said an Israeli fighter jet attacked Hezbollah assets in Lebanese territory Thursday morning.

Hamas leader's killing in Lebanese territory 'embarrassed' Hezbollah: Report

The Tuesday assassination of a Hamas senior leader inside Lebanese territory, in an area known as a Hezbollah stronghold, "embarrassed" the powerful paramilitary group, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported Thursday, citing a Lebanese political source.

3 IDF reserve Brigades to exit Gaza by the end of the week: Local media

A total of three IDF reserve Brigades and two conscripts Brigades will complete their withdrawal from the Gaza Strip by the end of the week, local i24 News correspondent Pierre Klochendler reported Thursday morning local time.

The news comes after the IDF said earlier this week that it was withdrawing thousands of troops as part of the efforts to boost the economy and to ensure its soldiers are rested for a potential battle in the northern front.

Israel steps up attacks targeting Hezbollah assets in Lebanon

An Israeli Air Force (IAF) warplane attacked Hezbollah paramilitary assets in the Maroun al-Ras area in southern Lebanon Thursday morning, the IDF said.

It also fired mortars "to remove a threat" in an area near the northern border with Lebanon Wednesday night.

Commander of a pro-Iran militia in Iraq killed in blast: Reports

A commander of the pro-Iranian Iraqi militia, the Al-Nujaba movement, was killed in an explosion at a Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) base, Israel's national broadcaster reported Thursday, citing Arab reports. The commander's assistant was also killed in the blast and several others were wounded.

Other outlets reported that the attack was carried out using a drone. Police and security forces told Reuters Thursday that a total of four militia fighters were killed in the strike.

Two Iraqi militia commanders and an Al-Nujaba spokesperson accused the U.S. of carrying out the attack. Abu Aqeel al-Moussawi, a local Iraqi militia commander, said the group "will retaliate and make the Americans regret carrying out this aggression," as per the report.

Washington did not immediately comment on the matter, as per Reuters.

The Al-Nujaba movement was a former PMF unit that left the umbrella organization to form the Islamic Resistance in Iraq with other Iran-backed factions.

Hezbollah warned Hamas deputy leader he was being followed: Report

Iran-backed Hezbollah warned Hamas' deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri days before he was killed in a strike in Beirut that he was being followed by Israeli operatives, local Walla reported, citing Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar.

Israel has not confirmed nor denied that it carried out the strike that killed Hamas' senior leader. An aide for the Netanyahu government said hours after Arouri's killing that Israel "has not taken responsibility" for the attack.

US dismisses South Africa's 'genocide' accusation against Israel

National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby dismissed South Africa's accusations against Israel as "meritless, counterproductive" and "completely without any basis."

The White House's position comes after the ICJ scheduled public two-day hearings for the case.

Iranian leader instructs army to avoid direct US confrontation: Report

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has instructed the commanders of Iran's army to pursue "strategic patience" and avoid getting into a direct military clash with the U.S., the New York Times reported, citing two people familiar with internal discussions in the country.

The report comes following two blasts that killed scores of people during a Wednesday ceremony that commemorated the fourth-year death anniversary of a revered Iranian general who was killed in a U.S. targeted strike in 2020.

IDF attacks Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army attacked a "terrorist cell" in Yaroun, a village in southern Lebanon, Wednesday night, the IDF said. Israeli troops also attacked observation posts and military infrastructures belonging to Iran-backed Hezbollah, the IDF added.

The announcement came a few hours after Hezbollah said four of its members, including a senior commander, were killed in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon Wednesday.

US Education Department official steps down

Tariq Habash, a special assistant in the U.S. Education Department's Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy, resigned from his post Wednesday, citing the Biden administration's handling of the war in Gaza.

"I cannot stay silent as this administration turns a blind eye to the atrocities committed against innocent Palestinian lives," Habash wrote in a letter to Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, as per multiple outlets.

'No clear desire' by both Israel, Hezbollah to wage war: US official

Following the assassination of a top Hamas leader in Beirut on Tuesday, a U.S. official who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said that Washington sees "no clear desire for Hezbollah to go to war with Israel and vice versa."

Hezbollah's Nasrallah previously vowed that the Hamas leader's death will not go unpunished, and the Israeli army has also signaled that its troops in the northern front are prepared for fighting. However, observers noted that both sides have not used language indicating they are waging a full-blown war.

Israel has not confirmed nor denied that it was responsible for the attack that killed the Hamas senior official, but multiple outlets reported that a U.S. official said an Israeli strike killed Arouri.

Houthis vow continued Red Sea attacks

Yahya Sare'e, the spokesman for Yemeni Houthis, on Wednesday announced that the rebel army will "continue to prevent Israeli ships or those heading to the ports" of Israel. He also said "any American aggression will not go unanswered or punished."

The statement came at around the same time the U.S. and its allies warned Houthis against continuing attacks targeting commercial shipping activities in the Red Sea.

ICJ to hold public hearings in South Africa vs. Israel case

The ICJ said Wednesday that it will hold public hearings on Jan. 11-12 for the case that South Africa lodged against Israel over the latter's military offensive in the Gaza Strip.

In its filing, South Africa accused Israel of committing "genocidal acts against the Palestinian people in Gaza." The Israeli government has rejected the accusations "with disgust," saying South Africa's case was "blood libel."

12 countries join US in warning Houthis against continued Red Sea disruption

The U.S. and 12 other countries released a joint statement Wednesday, warning Yemen's Houthi rebel army "against further attacks" in the Red Sea.

"There is no lawful justification for intentionally targeting civilian shipping and naval vessels," the statement reads, adding that the Yemeni rebel group "will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue" the attacks.

Read the full story here.

Iran urges UNSC to condemn Kerman attack

The Iranian government on Wednesday night wrote a letter to the UN Security council calling on the council "to immediately and unequivocally condemn" the attacks in Kerman that killed more than 70 people.

The explosions took place near the burying place of a top Iranian military general who was assassinated on Jan. 3, 2020 in a U.S. airstrike in Baghdad, as Iranians commemorated the 4^th year of his passing.

Read the full story here.

IDF chief visits northern command

The Israeli army's chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, visited the IDF's Northern Command Wednesday, following Hezbollah's warning of a "significant" response in the killing of a top Hamas leader Tuesday.

Even as Israeli troops are still focused on fighting Hamas militants across the Gaza Strip, Halevi said the IDF is "in very strong readiness in the north," as per a Google translation of his statement during the visit.

Hezbollah leader warns Israel not to wage all-out war

Nasrallah on Wednesday warned Israel that if it "thinks of waging a war on Lebanon, we will fight without restraint, without rules, without limits and without restrictions."

He also addressed the death of Arouri, Hamas' deputy leader, who was killed in a drone strike in a Beirut suburb – known as a Hezbollah stronghold – on Tuesday. He said the attack "will not go unanswered and unpunished."

The Hezbollah chief's speech was delivered on the 4^th death anniversary of Qasem Soleimani, the head of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Quds Force, who was assassinated in a U.S. strike in 2020.

Read the full story here.

Hezbollah senior official killed in Israeli strike

Lebanon-based terror group Hezbollah on Wednesday announced the killing of Hussein Yazbek, the commander of the organization's operations in Naquora, in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, multiple outlets reported. Three other members of the group were killed in the attack, the group said.