Israel’s military says it identified six rockets launched from Lebanon that apparently fell inside Lebanese territory.
The army said Monday that Israeli artillery returned fire into southern Lebanon. Air raid sirens sounded in a kibbutz near the border, and residents were instructed to prepare bomb shelters.
The incident took place near the site of protests staged along the Lebanese border Friday. In one incident, protesters breached the border fence and entered Israeli territory. Israeli troops fatally shot man who was later identified by the Lebanese militia Hezbollah as one of its fighters.
JERUSALEM — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel will “continue to strike terror targets” in the Gaza Strip after a week of fighting with Palestinian militants.
In an address after meeting with top defense officials, Netanyahu said Monday that Israel will “continue to operate as long as necessary in order to return calm and security to all Israeli citizens.”
The fighting broke out May 10, when Hamas fired long-range rockets at Jerusalem after weeks of clashes in the holy city between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police.
The protests were focused on the heavy-handed policing of a flashpoint sacred site during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and the threatened eviction of dozens of Palestinian families by Jewish settlers.
___
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Qatar has condemned the Israeli bombing of the Qatari Red Crescent building in the Gaza Strip, which it said resulted in deaths and injuries.
Qatar said Monday the operation also damaged parts of The Hamad Bin Khalifa Hospital for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation, as did the previous aerial bombing Saturday of the tower that housed the offices of the Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news channel. The mixed-use office and residential high-rise was also home to The Associated Press' offices in Gaza.
Qatar said the targeting of humanitarian and media institutions is a flagrant violation of international law. The Foreign Ministry said “Qatar affirms it will spare no effort in supporting the just Palestinian cause and its brothers in Palestine.”
The energy-rich Gulf country has been providing $20 million to Gaza monthly since 2018.
___
AMMAN, Jordan — Jordan’s interior minister says Israel has handed over two Jordanian citizens who infiltrated its border over the past days.
Mazen Farayah didn't elaborate while speaking to parliament Monday.
The foreign ministry said authorities are looking into reports that other Jordanian citizens have crossed into Israel in Monday without confirming whether it indeed happened.
Jordan has been witnessing protests against Israel over fighting that broke out last week between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group.
On Monday, all parliament members in Jordan called on the government to evict Israel’s ambassador to Jordan and recall Jordan’s ambassador to Israel. The legislators also called for abolishing the peace accord that Jordan and Israel signed in 1994.
The calls by the legislators aren't binding.
___
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations says over 38,000 Palestinians have been displaced in Gaza by Israeli airstrikes and more than 2,500 people have been made homeless because their houses were destroyed.
U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday those displaced have sought protection in 48 schools run by UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian Refugees.
Dujarric said 41 education facilities have been damaged according to U.N. staff on the ground.
“The power supply across Gaza has been reduced to six to eight hours per day, on average, with a number of feeder lines not functioning,” he said. “That, in turn, disrupts the provision of health care and other basic services, including water, hygiene and sanitation.”
He said the World Food Program has started providing emergency assistance for more than 51,000 people in north Gaza.
___
CAIRO — An Egyptian health official says three Palestinian wounded arrived Monday at a hospital in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula for treatment.
The official says ambulances have transferred the three, including a child, from the Raffah crossing point to the al-Arish public hospital.
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to brief media.
They were the first wounded to cross into Egypt from Gaza since the fighting between Israel and Palestinian militant groups in the territory started May 10 following weeks of clashes between Palestinian protesters and Israeli police in Jerusalem.
Egypt, which is mediating a cease-fire, has also sent trucks carrying humanitarian aid and medical supplies to Gaza.
— By Samy Magdy
___
PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron says he will have talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the coming days about the airstrike that destroyed a Gaza building that housed The Associated Press and other media outlets.
Macron said at a news conference in Paris that “the safety of journalists ... and their protection in times of conflict is a crucial responsibility.”
He said France has requested that Israel clarify the circumstances and objectives of the airstrike.
Macron called for a cease-fire “as soon as possible,” and said France is supporting Egypt’s mediation in the conflict as key to avoiding more violence.
He said he will discuss with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, whom he already met on Monday in Paris, and Jordanian King Abdullah II in the coming days to make concrete proposals.
___
ANKARA, Turkey — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed U.S President Joe Biden, accusing him of “writing history with his bloody hands” following reports of a multi-million dollar weapons sale to Israel by his administration.
Speaking after a Cabinet meeting on Monday, Erdogan also said Jerusalem should be administered by an international commission made up of Jewish, Christian and Muslim representatives. Erdogan, who has been conducting telephone diplomacy to try and end the violence, said he had raised the issue during a call with Pope Francis.
“In today’s circumstances, the administration of Jerusalem by a commission made up of representatives of the three religions will be the most accurate and consistent way,” he said.
Erdogan also took aim at Austria for flying the Israeli flag from a government building, suggesting that Vienna was trying to make Muslims “pay the price of their own genocide against the Jews.”
“Now, unfortunately, you (Biden) are writing history with your bloody hands with this event (in which) Gaza is being attacked with seriously disproportionate force causing the martyrdom of thousands of people,” Erdogan said. “You have forced us to say this.”
Erdogan was referring to reports that the Biden administration had approved a $735 million weapons sale to Israel.
AP
Comments About This Article
Please fill the fields below.