A joint operation between IDF ground forces and the Israeli Air Force led to the elimination of dozens of terrorists in the southern part of Gaza City.
In a coordinated effort, the IDF Yiftach Brigade, preparing for an anticipated ambush, initiated a diversionary fire that lured numerous terrorists into a building serving as a Hamas command center, and with combined artillery and intelligence units, Israeli fighter jets were directed to strike the structure, resulting in the elimination of the terrorists.
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In addition, IDF soldiers from the 179th Division uncovered a weapons cache in the central Gaza Strip's Bureij neighborhood, notably located within a kindergarten. According to the IDF, the findings included toy boxes containing dozens of mortar shells, explosive heads, and RPG anti-tank missiles.
The IDF has established “near full operational control” in the northern Gaza Strip, IDF Spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Friday evening.
"IDF forces continue their ground operations in Khan Younis and are simultaneously preparing to extend operations to additional areas, with a focus on the south,” he said in his daily press briefing.
“We are still in a combat zone in the Daraj Tuffah neighborhood near Shijaiyah, and we have near full operational control in the northern Strip."
The UN Security Council adopted a resolution Friday calling for immediately speeding up aid deliveries to civilians in Gaza but without the original call for an "urgent suspension of hostilities" between Israel and Hamas.
Hagari emphasized that the resolution also includes a demand for the unconditional release of Israeli hostages. "Humanitarian access must be allowed, and the needs of the hostages must be addressed. We call on international organizations to implement this resolution," he said.
Meanwhile, a source from the Islamic Resistance in Iraq militia told Al Jazeera on Friday that pro-Iranian militias attacked Israel’s Karish natural gas rig in the Mediterranean using a drone.
IDF fighter jet downs drone off coast of Lebanon approaching Israeli airspace
(Video: IDF Spokesperson's Unit )
Earlier, the IDF reported that an Israeli fighter jet, in collaboration with the Navy, downed an unmanned aerial vehicle off the coast of Lebanon that was making its way to Israeli territory last week. According to the report, the aircraft did not cross into Israeli airspace. The military's statement did not specify who was responsible for launching the drone.
The IDF reported Friday evening that Sergeant Amit Hod Ziv, 19, a soldier of the 188th Armored Brigade's 71st Battalion, from Rosh Haayin, was killed on the Lebanon border by Hezbollah fire. Another soldier was seriously wounded in the attack.
Earlier, Hezbollah-affiliated Lebanese network Al-Manar reported that Israel attacked the southern Lebanon villages of Al-Jibin, Teer Harfa, A-Naqoura and Meiss El-Jabal with artillery. The strikes came after multiple rockets were fired from Lebanon into northern Israel in five separate instances throughout the day, one of which resulted in the death of the soldier.
Later, the IDF reported that an Air Force fighter jet struck Hezbollah targets in Lebanese territory in response to rocket fire toward the border community of Manara and mortar fire toward Metula. Israeli forces struck the sources of the launches with artillery fire.
Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on Friday that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar "now hears the IDF's tractors above him, the Air Force bombings and the actions of the IDF. He will soon meet our gun barrels too."
Speaking after his daily security assessment with senior defense officials Gallant said, "In the northern Strip, the operation is increasingly achieving our objectives - dismantling Hamas battalions and neutralizing underground capabilities. We are also operating in the Khan Younis area and the southern Strip, with further actions planned elsewhere."
Iran is providing real-time intelligence to Yemen’s Houthis that the rebels are using to direct drone and missile attacks on ships passing through the Red Sea, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday, citing Western and regional security officials.
According to the officials, a surveillance vessel controlled by Iran’s paramilitary forces in the Red Sea is gathering tracking information and passing it to the Houthis, who have used it to attack commercial vessels passing through the Bab el-Mandeb strait in recent days.
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A Houthi gunman walking past the Galaxy Leader cargo ship, hijacked by Iranian-backed rebels in November
(Photo: EPA/YAHYA ARHAB)
The White House later alleged that Iran was "deeply involved" in planning operations against commercial vessels in the Red Sea and its intelligence was critical to enable Yemen's Houthi movement's targeting of maritime vessels.
"We have no reason to believe that Iran is trying to dissuade the Houthis from this reckless behavior, White House national security spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi spoke to his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron on Friday to discuss an end to hostilities in the Gaza Strip.
According to Sisi’s office, the two leaders agreed that "efforts should be made to prevent the escalation of the conflict and to promote the Palestinian issue through a two-state solution."
El-Sisi emphasized that "the attacks on the Strip must be halted and humanitarian aid must be provided in the necessary quantities to meet the urgent needs of the residents in Gaza."
Kibbutz Nir Oz, which was attacked by Hamas terrorists on October 7, announced Friday that the body of 73-year-old Israeli hostage Gadi Hagai is still being held by the terrorist organization after he was murdered during the massacre.
Hagai was abducted during the attack alongside his wife Judie Weinstein, 70, who's still being held by Hamas in the Strip.
The IDF struck several Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon Friday following a major rocket barrage aimed toward Israel earlier in which at least 20 rockets were fired toward Israel.
As a result of the fire, an Israeli livestock farm located in Western Galilee was damaged after it was hit by a rocket.
A female Border Police officer received minor injuries on Friday in a suspected terror attack after a car that was stopped for inspection at a checkpoint in the West Bank attempted to ram the force stationed there, who shot at the assailant in response.
The suspected terrorist received minor injuries and was evacuated by the Red Crescent Society and the incident is being looked into.
Israeli officials said Friday that at least 20 rockets were fired at northern Israeli communities in a single volley from Lebanon following a 17-hour calm in the area. According to reports, the barrage came following Israeli airstrikes against terror targets in Lebanon.
The IDF Spokesperson’s Unit released Friday the names of two IDF soldiers who were killed in battles in the southern part of the Gaza Strip.
They are: Sergeant First Class (res.) Tal Shua, 31, a Combat Engineering Corps’ 7071st Battalion soldier from Be’er Sheva. Lieutenant Shai Ayeli, 21, an officer in the Special Tactics Rescue Unit 669, from Ashkelon.
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Sergeant First Class (res.) Tal Shua, Lieutenant Shai Ayeli
(Photo: IDF Spokesperson's Unit)
Meanwhile, U.S.-based news outlet The Washington Post reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden are “heading for collision” on Israel’s planned agenda following the war in Gaza.
According to the article, Netanyahu asked Biden to pressure Egypt into opening its borders and accepting a large number of the Palestinians in Gaza into its territory. In response, Biden said the idea was a “non-starter” with the Egyptian government, having made its position clear about refusing to allow any displaced Palestinians from entering the country.
Amid the ongoing threat to shipping lanes in the Red Sea made by the Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, the U.S. Pentagon announced Friday that over 20 countries have joined its multinational naval alliance aimed at deterring the terrorist organization in the area.
First published: 08:28, 12.22.23