Middle East Conflict: Israeli Strikes In Syria Reportedly Kill IRGC Adviser, 2 Hezbollah 'Leaders'

Only grain ships bound for Iran still transiting Red Sea: Analyst

Amid continuing Houthi attacks in the Red Sea, many grain-carrying vessels are avoiding the area, an analyst said Friday, as per Reuters.

"Just about all (dry bulk grain) vessels going from the Americas and western Europe are avoiding the Red Sea, the only exception is vessels going to Iran, they're still taking the Red Sea route when shorter," said Ishan Bhanu, a lead agricultural commodities analyst at data provider Kpler.

Houthis claim 'millions' of Yemenis attend march in solidarity with Gaza

Houthi spokesman Yahya Sare'e said the "great Yemeni people" marched in "millions" to the Al-Sabeen Square in Yemen's capital of Sana'a on Friday to show support for the Palestinian people of Gaza.

The Friday rally was had the slogan "You are not alone ... stand with Gaza," as per Sare'e.

Yemeni Houthi rebels have been attacking merchant ships in the Red Sea since November, saying their aggression won't stop unless a ceasefire is implemented in the Gaza Strip.

IDF completes Ramadan preparations: Local media

The Israeli army has completed preparations for Ramadan, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported Friday. Among the preparations made were simulations of possible escalated scenarios in the West Bank, as per the report.

"You have a great responsibility to arrive prepared and strong for every mission and this is even more important in preparation for Ramadan," IDF chief of staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told Israeli troops, as per a Google translation.

Egypt still hopes for Gaza truce before Ramadan

Egypt, which is a mediator alongside Qatar in truce talks, remains hopeful that Israel and Hamas will strike a ceasefire deal before the Ramadan month begins, its foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said Friday at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Turkey.

"Everyone recognizes that we have a time limit to be successful before the start of Ramdan," he noted.

His statements come as both Israel and Hamas have not been very optimistic of progress made in negotiations for a ceasefire-hostage agreement.

Jordan airdrops aid packages in northern Gaza

Jordan airdropped a total of 48 humanitarian aid packages in four different locations across northern Gaza on Friday, the Israeli government said.

The latest airdropping operation comes following difficulties in delivering aid to Gaza civilians by land, as underscored in Thursday's chaotic and deadly aid delivery operation wherein dozens were killed.

EU proceeds with $54 million donation to embattled UNRWA

The European Commission on Friday announced that the European Union will "proceed to paying EUR 50 million (approximately $54 million)" for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) next week, citing the agency's agreement to an audit, which will be conducted by an EU-appointed external team.

The Commission noted that it has "assessed its funding decision for UNRWA in light of the very serious allegations" that several staffers of the agency were directly involved in Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

It welcomed the UN's move of launching a probe into the matter and its decision to establish an independent review group to determine whether UNRWA was doing "everything within its power to ensure neutrality and respond to allegations of serious breaches."

Israeli warplanes strike Hezbollah sites in Lebanon

Israeli fighter jets on Friday struck "military structure" belonging to Hezbollah in the Ayta ash Shab area and Jabal Blat in southern Lebanon, the IDF said. The strikes were carried out after several rocket launches from Lebanese territory targeted an open area in Margaliot, a moshav in northern Israel.

IRGC Navy adviser killed in suspected Israeli strike: Report

A military adviser of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy was killed in Syria Friday in a suspected Israeli strike, Reuters reported, citing Iran's official news agency, IRNA.

CEO of independent news platform Deir Ezzor 24 Omar Abu Layla identified the said "prominent leader" of the IRGC as Reza Zarei. Layla, who is also a northeast Syria governance and security expert, said Zarei was assassinated in Israeli airstrikes targeting Banias city on the Syrian coast Friday.

Two other "militia leaders" of Iranian-backed Hezbollah were also killed in the strikes, as per the reports.

European Commission president calls for probe into Gaza aid site incident

Ursula von der Leyen on Friday took to X to raise concerns about the humanitarian situation in Gaza following Thursday's deadly stampede during the delivery of humanitarian aid in northern Gaza.

"Deeply disturbed by images from Gaza. Every effort must be made to investigate what happened and ensure transparency," she said. "We stand by civilians," she added.

Germany demands Israeli army 'fully explain' Gaza aid incident

German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock on Friday said the IDF "must fully explain how the mass panic and shooting could have happened," as per a Google translation of her posts on X.

Reports about the incident were a "shock," she said, adding that a ceasefire was needed to free the remaining hostages in Gaza, more deaths can be prevented, and aid can be distributed safely.

50 Palestinian detainees released overnight: Local media

Around 50 Palestinian inmates were unexpectedly freed from the West Bank's Ofer prison Thursday night, local i24 News reported Friday.

The Israeli army and Israel's security agency Shin Bet said Friday that the releases were made to make room for "detainees with a higher threat level," as per the outlet. Palestinian reports stated that the released detainees were arrested after Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel.

Hamas reportedly warns truce talks could end following aid incident

Hamas has threatened to end talks for a ceasefire agreement in Gaza following the deadly aid incident in northern Gaza, as per Reuters.

"The negotiations conducted by the movement's leadership are not an open process at the expense of the blood of our people," the Palestinian terror group reportedly said in a statement.

Netanyahu reiterates Israel won't bend to Hamas' truce demands

The Israeli prime minister early on Friday reiterated that Israel will not yield to Hamas' "delusional demands" for a ceasefire-hostage deal.

"We are making great efforts to succeed but one thing is clear to you – we will not capitulate in the face of Hamas's delusional demands. We will not do this because if we capitulate, we will simply not be here," he wrote in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter).

He went on to say that while the Israeli army continues to pursue its goal of eliminating Hamas, the forces are also "making a relentless effort to return all of our hostages" as it is a "sacred goal."

His remarks came amid increasing pressure from the loved ones of remaining abductees in Gaza to free them immediately as some 30 of the hostages are believed to be dead.

'Tragic' aid riot highlights need for deal: US State Dept spox

U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller late on Thursday addressed the stampede in northern Gaza that reportedly killed over a hundred Palestinians.

"Today's tragic event that reportedly killed over 100 Palestinians underscores the need to reach an agreement that will get hostages out of Gaza and enable more aid to come in," he said.

He said the White House is "urgently seeking additional information on exactly what took place," adding that the Biden administration has been communicating with the Israeli government. An investigation into the incident is underway, he said. "We will be monitoring that investigation closely and pressing for answers."

US strikes missiles ready to launch towards Red Sea

U.S. forces on Thursday evening Sana'a time struck six mobile anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCMs) "that were prepared to launch towards the Red Sea." The strikes were conducted in self-defense, the U.S. military said early Friday.

CENTCOM forces also downed an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) over the southern Red Sea Thursday.

The U.S. has been conducting self-defense strikes against Houthi assets in recent weeks as Yemeni rebel militia continued attacking commercial vessels transiting the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden.

Washington has also carried out joint strikes with the United Kingdom, targeting paramilitary sites in Houthi-held areas of Yemen.

Peace in Red Sea for first time this week

The UKMTO on Thursday said it issued no maritime security alerts in the Red Sea area from 4 p.m. UTC (11 a.m. EST) Wednesday through 4 p.m. UTC Thursday, marking the first time in the entire week that there was no incident report in the Red Sea.

This comes after the Houthis' leader said there will be "surprises" in the Iranian-backed rebel militia's expanded Red Sea aggression.

Gaza truce will restart indirect talks to end Israel-Lebanon fire exchanges: Lebanese PM

Mikati said Thursday that a halt to the fighting in Gaza as early as next week would trigger indirect negotiations to also end hostilities in the Israel-Lebanon border, according to Reuters. The Lebanese caretaker prime minister said he believes Hezbollah would stop firing if Israel does the same in Gaza.

Hezbollah has pledged solidarity with Palestinians, being a Hamas ally and has been conducting near-daily rocket launches toward northern Israel.

IDF denies airstrike in deadly humanitarian aid riot

The Israeli army has denied that it conducted an airstrike Thursday during a humanitarian aid delivery operation that turned deadly as Palestinians sought to obtain supplies from an aid convoy.

"No IDF strike was conducted towards the aid convoy. On the contrary, the IDF was there conducting a humanitarian operation to secure the humanitarian corridor and allow the aid convoy to reach its designated distribution point," Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, chief of the Israeli army's Spokesperson's Unit, said in a statement late Thursday.

Hagari said a "mob ambushed the aid trucks, bringing the convoy to a halt" early Thursday morning. The Israeli tanks saw "Gazans being trampled, and cautiously" tried to disperse the mob" with a few warning shots in the air. However, the hundreds of people became thousands so the tank commander decided to retreat, Hagari noted, adding that the Israeli troops backed up "securely" and risked their own lives while "not shooting at the mob."

Some initial reports Thursday stated that an Israeli airstrike resulted in dozens of deaths in the aid site. Other reports stated that Israeli troops opened fire on the Palestinian crowd waiting on the supplies.

Israeli sources confirmed to AFP that Israeli forces did open fire at the crowd after determining that the mob near the aid trucks were a "threat." A spokesman for Netanyahu's office reportedly said many of the dead were run over by trucks. The IDF also previously said in a Thursday morning report that dozens of Gazans were killed "as a result of the pushing, trampling and being run over by the trucks."