Middle East Conflict: 2 Killed In Alleged Israeli Attack Targeting 'Iranian Figure' In Syria

Israeli missiles intercepted over Damascus: Syrian radio

Several "Israeli missiles" launched toward areas south and southwest of Damascus were intercepted by Syrian air defenses Wednesday afternoon, Syria's pro-government Sham FM radio reported.

No further details were provided regarding the supposed attacks just hours after Syrian state TV said two people were killed in an Israeli attack at the Syrian capital.

US urges World Court to consider Israel's 'very real' security concerns amid occupation withdrawal calls

Washington has urged the UN's World Court, also called the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to "not find that Israel is legally obligated to immediately and unconditionally withdraw from occupied territory."

Richard Visek, legal advisor at the U.S. State Department, told the World Court Wednesday that it should consider "Israel's very real security needs," following the Oct. 7 massacre.

Most speakers during the week-long hearings have so far demanded that Israel end its occupation.

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Israeli warplanes attack 3 Hezbollah 'operational headquarters'

Israeli fighter jets on Wednesday afternoon local time attacked "three operational headquarters of the terrorist organization Hezbollah in southern Lebanon," the IDF said in a series of Google-translated posts on X.

Fighting in the Israel-Lebanon border has intensified in recent weeks, with some casualties reported on both sides as the Iranian-backed Hamas ally vowed it will keep up attacks toward Israel until the war in Gaza ends.

Israel not ready to 'pay any price' for hostage releases: Netanyahu

The Israeli prime minister on Tuesday said Israel "very much" wants to reach another deal to free the remaining hostages in Gaza "but we are not prepared to pay any price, certainly not the delusional prices that Hamas is demanding of us."

His remarks come amid increasing pressure from the families of remaining hostages who have been staging protests, saying the Netanyahu administration has abandoned some 130 abductees taken from Israel during Hamas' Oct. 7 carnage.

Israel responsible for Iranian pipelines attack: Oil minister

Iranian oil minister Javad Owji on Wednesday said Israel was responsible for an explosion that struck gas pipelines in Iran, the Iranian government's semi-official Tasnim News Agency reported.

He said the "sinister plot" failed, thanks to the oil ministry's preparedness. The gas pipelines were reportedly fixed immediately and no cities and villages were affected by the incident.

Blasts were reported last week at a natural gas pipeline running from the Iranian western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province to cities in the Caspian Sea. At the time, an Iranian official said the incident was a "sabotage and terrorist action."

Houthi-attacked ship arrives in Aden

The MV Sea Champion, which was attacked by two Houthi missiles Tuesday afternoon arrived in Aden, Yemen on Wednesday morning local time, Reuters reported, citing shipping and military sources.

The attack is believed to have been a mistaken missile strike by the Iranian-backed rebel militia as it has repeatedly said it only attacks U.S., British, and Israeli vessels or those linked to Israel.

Carrying humanitarian aid meant for the Yemeni public, the U.S.-owned bulk cargo vessel suffered minor damage from the attack, according to CENTCOM.

Bombed Damascus neighborhood had Hezbollah, Iranian militia links: Arab report

The area in Damascus that was subject to a bombardment earlier Wednesday had been "witnessing the spread of Hezbollah members and Iranian militias," Sky News in Arabic reported, citing the Syrian Observatory.

'Heightened' drone activity reported in Red Sea: UKMTO

There is "heightened" drone activity west of Al Hudaydah in Yemen, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) reported early Wednesday. "Masters are requested to report any UAS (uncrewed aerial system) activity to UKMTO and are advised to follow industry guidance on loitering munitions."

'Progress' in hostage talks: Arab media

Progress has been made in talks for a ceasefire-hostage deal, Sky News Arabia reported Wednesday, citing Israeli sources. Additionally, an Israeli delegation will reportedly head to Egypt for further negotiations.

The report comes after Netanyahu called a Hamas counterproposal for a truce plan "delusional," and Hamas said it won't settle for less than the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a ceasefire.

2 killed in 'Israeli' strikes in Damascus residential neighborhood: Syrian state TV

Two people were killed after Israeli strikes hit a residential neighborhood in Damascus, Syria's capital on Wednesday morning, Syrian state TV reported.

The report said some missiles hit Kfar Sousseh, but no further details were provided regarding the casualties.

Rami Abdurrahman, chief of the opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said the attack was similar to the strike in a Hezbollah stronghold in Lebanon last month that killed Saleh al-Arouri, Hamas' deputy leader, as per the Associated Press.

The bombing targeted at "Iranian figure," as per Sky News in Arabic.

The Israeli army has yet to deny or confirm the reports.

US senators express hope for ceasefire deal

Democratic senators Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Chris Coons of Delaware told Reuters that they were hopeful a truce deal will be struck before Ramadan.

The lawmakers held talks with Israeli and Arab leaders Tuesday, revealing that there was "broad hope" of a ceasefire agreement soon that could see the remaining hostages in Hamas captivity freed.

Over 700,000 Gazans suffering from severe hunger

More than 700,000 Gaza residents are suffering from severe hunger, the Hamas-controlled information ministry said late Tuesday, as per multiple outlets.

The report comes after the WFP said it has paused aid deliveries to the enclave following civilian attacks on its humanitarian aid trucks, resulting in the beating of one truck driver Monday.

Prince William calls for end to Gaza fighting

The United Kingdom's Prince William on Tuesday called for an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip due to the dire situation and thousands dead due to the war.

"There is a desperate need for increased humanitarian support to Gaza. It's critical that aid gets in and hostages are released," the future King said in a statement.

"Sometimes it is only when faced with the sheer scale of human suffering that the importance of permanent peace is brought home," he argued.

UN WFP announces pause to aid deliveries in northern Gaza

The WFP said it has halted deliveries to the northern Gaza Strip, citing attacks against its humanitarian aid convoys in recent days.

On Sunday, a WFP truck convoy was "surrounded by crowds of hungry people close to the Wadi Gaza checkpoint. The trucks first fended off multiple attempts by civilians to climb aboard the trucks, but the convoy faced "gunfire once we entered Gaza City."

However, there was "complete chaos and violence to the collapse of civil order" in the enclave on Monday. "Several trucks were looted between Khan Younes and Deir al Balah and a truck driver was beaten," it said in a statement.

Deliveries to the area will resume once "conditions are in place that allow for safe distributions," the program noted.

Verification of Qatar's statement regarding hostages' medicine underway: Netanyahu's office

Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al-Ansari on Tuesday said the country "received confirmation from Hamas medicines were received and delivery commenced to hostages in Gaza."

Netanyahu's office has since commented on the statement, saying it was working to verify the report. "The Qatari announcement is the direct result of PM Netanyahu's insistence on receiving proof that the medicines have reached our hostages."

This comes following the Israeli army's discovery of medicine boxes with the names of hostages written on them at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Yunis, which the subject of a military operation by the IDF amid "credible intelligence" that some hostages' bodies may have been kept at the facility.

Protests kickoff in northern Gaza against Hamas: Reports

Protests against Hamas have started in northern Gaza, as per videos circulating on social media and local media.

Jabalia residents, in particular, took to the streets Tuesday night, criticizing Hamas' most senior leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and the terror group's political bureau chief, Ismail Haniyeh, who is residing in Qatar.

"We need food, we need flour! Sinwar and Haniyeh, stay away from us, you thieves," the people chanted, as per a translation by The Jerusalem Post. "Down with Hamas!" other demonstrators reportedly yelled.

This comes amid increasing devastation and hunger in Gaza following more than four months of fighting.

Hezbollah claims attack on IDF site near Israeli-Lebanese border

Hezbollah on Friday claimed that it attacked "a gathering of soldiers at the Birkat Risha site" of the Israeli army, located near the Israel-Lebanon border that has seen near-daily fire exchanges since the start of the Israel-Hamas war.

This comes days after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah said Israel will pay the price for the deaths of several people in Lebanon in retaliatory strikes by the IDF following the killing of an Israeli soldier from a Hezbollah rocket barrage last week.

US vetoes UN resolution that doesn't condemn Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre

The U.S. on Tuesday vetoed a UNSC resolution put forward by Algeria that called for an immediate cessation to the fighting in the Gaza Strip. The said resolution additionally called for the release of some 130 remaining hostages in Gaza, but did not condemn the Palestinian terror group's massacre of more than 1,200 people in Israel.

Washington has also floated its own proposal for an eventual truce. U.S. deputy ambassador to the UN Robert Wood on Monday previously said Washington doesn't believe the Algeria-proposed resolution "will help the situation on the ground.

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Houthis fire missiles toward aid-carrying ship: CENTCOM

Houthis fired two anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs) toward Greek-flagged, U.S.-owned MV Sea Champion Tuesday afternoon, the U.S. military said early Wednesday.

The vessel, which was carrying grain "for the benefit of the Yemeni people" and was en route to Aden in Yemen, suffered minor damage after one missile detonated "near the ship."

The damaged ship continued its journey toward Yemen, as per CENTCOM. "M/V Sea Champion has delivered humanitarian aid to Yemen 11 times in the past year," the U.S. army said.