Hochstein expected in Israel Thursday | IDF death toll in war passes 800 | UNSC to vote on resolution demanding 'unconditional, permanent ceasefire' & hostage release in Gaza

13:50 - Alleged Israeli strike in Palmyra, Syria kills 4 'non-Syrian' militants

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based group affiliated with the opposition to the Assad regime, reported that four people were killed in an attack in Palmyra, Syria. SOHR said those killed belonged to pro-Iranian militias holding "non-Syrian citizenship". The group reported that six others injured in the attack, including civilians.

12:45 - US special envoy Hochstein expected in Israel Thursday

U.S. President Joe Biden's special envoy to the Middle East, Amos Hochstein, is expected to arrive in Israel on Thursday as part of efforts to reach a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hezbollah an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.

Originally expected in Israel today, Hochstein reportedly remained in Beirut to "nail down" additional details of the ceasefire agreement.

12:39 - New Hezbollah leader to give speech later today

Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, reported that incoming Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem is expected to give a televised speech today, after his planned speech yesterday was canceled.

11:42 - House destroyed by direct rocket hit in Kiryat Shmona earlier

A private home was destroyed by a direct rocket hit in the town of Kiryat Shmona about an hour ago, according to the Israeli Fire Service. There were no casualties reported.

Three fire crews were rushed to the scene, and "found a fire, a gas leak and a lot of destruction in the building. The firefighters extinguished the flames, searched for trapped people, dealt with the gas leak and worked to clear the scene."

10:26 - IDF death toll in war passes 800 killed as another reservist falls in Gaza

An IDF reservist was killed, and another senior officer was seriously wounded in battles in northern Gaza yesterday, the IDF announced.

The fallen soldier was identified as Sgt. First Class (res.) Roi Sasson (21) from the Jerusalem suburb of Mevasseret Tzion. Sasson served with the Kfir Brigade’s Nahshon Battalion. The senior officer who was wounded in the same incident served in the same battalion.

According to The Times of Israel, Sasson is the 379th Israeli soldier killed in operations in and around Gaza, bringing the overall death toll among soldiers and security officers since Oct. 7, 2023, to 800.

09:01 - UNSC set to vote on "immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire" and hostage release

The UN Security Council is set to vote today on a resolution urging “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire” in the Gaza Strip, while also demanding the “immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.”

The four permanent UNSC members – Russia, China, Great Britain and France – are expected to abstain from the vote, while the United States has yet to indicate how it will vote, according to media reports.

08:35 - Drone parts from an earlier attack found in northern Israel

After the 25-minute hunt for three drones earlier in the morning, Channel 12 News reported that two impact sites were found in the western Galilee.

One site was located near the town of Betzet, while more drone parts were located near the coastal city of Acre.

A drone launched by #Hezbollah from Lebanon has been flying around for a while through the north & making its way towards #Haifa.

The Israeli occupation army failed to intercept two drones that infiltrated from Lebanon & fell near #Acre.#Lebanon #Resistance pic.twitter.com/GpHORIcbpq

— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) November 20, 2024

06:53 - IDF declares 25-min-long hunt for hostile drones to be over

After the IDF tracked three hostile drones for over 25 minutes while they flew over the Haifa Bay area, triggering wide-ranging sirens in the process, the military said the infiltration was over.

"Interception attempts were made, impacts were identified in the western Galilee area. There are no casualties," the army said in a terse statement, that didn't say whether the drones crashed or hit their intended targets.

A map showing the areas where alarm sirens were triggered illustrates the likely path taken by the three drones.

🚨 ✈️ Hostile Aircraft Intrusion [06:39:33] - 10 Alerts:

• HaMifratz — Kiryat Motzkin, Usha, Kfar HaMaccabi, Ramat Yochana, Kfar Hassidim, Kiryat Atta, Kfar Biyalik, Kiryat Yam
• Upper Galilee — Acre
• Menashe — Haifa - Bay

Population: 434,000 pic.twitter.com/wShcJ2TCb3

— ILRedAlert (@ILRedAlert) November 20, 2024