Middle East: Fresh Israeli airstrikes reported in Beirut

The Israeli army has released footage of slain Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar in an underground tunnel hours before the beginning of the October 7 terror attack.

The video shows Sinwar moving about a tunnel along with his wife and children.

In the footage, Sinwar appears to be stocking up on supplies ahead of the attack, Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a televised briefing.

In a post on social media, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani described a scene of Sinwar "taking down his TV into his tunnel, hiding underneath his civilians, and preparing to watch his terrorists murder, kidnap and rape."

Defense ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) developed economies have expressed their concern over the escalating conflict in the Middle East and called for peacekeepers to be protected.

At least five UN peacekeepers have been wounded amid fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon in recent weeks.

"We are concerned by the latest events in Lebanon and the risk of further escalation. We express concern over all threats to UNIFIL's security," the ministers said in a join statement after they met in Naples, Italy, on Saturday.

They also called for a cease-fire between Israel and militant group Hamas, for the return of Israeli hostages, and for more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza.

Italy holds the G7 chairmanship this year. Other members are the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, France and Germany.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said he would to see Israel "scale back" its airstrikes on the Lebanese capital of Beirut to minimize civilian casualties, which he said "have been far too high."

The EU's foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, who also attended the meeting, said the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon should be reviewed and potentially be strengthened.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has blamed Iran for a drone that was aimed at his holiday home in the coastal town of Caesarea on Saturday.

"The agents of Iran who tried to assassinate me and my wife today made a bitter mistake," Netanyahu said on social media.

He said anyone who harms citizens of Israel will "pay a heavy price."

Netanyanu's office said earlier that nobody was injured. The prime minister and his wife were not at the home at the time of the incident.

Israel hit multiple Hezbollah facilities during its airstrikes on Beirut on Saturday, the Israeli military said.

The Israeli air force said on social media that it "conducted a strike on a number of Hezbollah weapons storage facilities and a Hezbollah intelligence headquarters command center in Dahiyeh."

The statement comes after reports that Israel conducted a number of strikes in the Lebanese capital and issued evacuation orders in the southern suburbs.

The Associated Press reported at least 10 Israeli airstrikes on southern Beirut on Saturday.

Displaced Palestinians in Gaza remain without basic supplies as Israeli strikes continue, the head of the UN's Palestinian aid agency said on Saturday.

"Our colleagues on the ground report that another 20,000 people were forced to flee Jabaliya camp yesterday seeking safety including in UNRWA shelters," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said on social media.

"People lost everything. They need everything including food, water, blankets and mattresses: The basic of the basic."

Lazzarini pointed to fuel and medical supplies specifically, but also noted food shortages.

"Critical shortage of fuel and medical supplies are reported in the last remaining hospitals. Fuel shortages also affect access to water," he said. "A dozen trucks of flour were allowed to cross into Gaza City this week, by far not enough. Few bakeries in Gaza City could increase bread production for distribution to people in UNRWA shelters."

Lazzarini called for an end to the war and for leaders "to invest in peace."

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) issued a fresh evacuation call for residents of southern Beirut on Saturday.

"Urgent warning to residents of the southern suburb (of Dahiyeh), specifically those in ...Haret Hreik neighborhood: You are located near facilities and interests belonging to Hezbollah, against which the IDF will be operating in the near future," Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on social media.

Such warnings are usually followed by strikes in the same area.

A Lebanese security source told the AFP news agency that at least two Israeli airstrikes had hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Saturday. Smoke clouds could be seen over the city skyline.

Lebanese news agency NNA also reported at least two Israeli airstrikes.

The death toll in Gaza has risen to 42,519 people have been killed in the war between Israel and Palestinian militants since October 7 last year, the health ministry of the Hamas-run enclave said.

The ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants, said 99,637 people had been wounded in the same time period. 

The  Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says more than 50 projectiles were fired from Lebanon on Saturday morning.

The projectiles were fired mainly into northern Israel and some were intercepted.

Separately, Hezbollah militants said they fired a "large salvo" of rockets, including at a military base near the northern Israeli city of Haifa.

At least five people were injured in Kiryat Ata, in the Haifa district, mostly from shrapnel injuries, said a spokesperson for emergency service provider Magen David Adom.

Hezbollah is considered a terrorist organization by the US, Germany and several Sunni Arab countries, while the EU lists its armed wing as a terrorist group.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz was scheduled to meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday to discuss the escalating crisis in the Middle East and other issues.

Erdogan is a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza and has frequently condemned Western support for Israel, labeling it a "terror state.”

Meanwhile, Scholz remains a staunch supporter of Israel and has consistently defended its right to self-defense.

You can read more about the tricky agenda issues by clicking here. 

A drone was launched towards Benjamin Netanyahu's home in the northern Israel town of Caesarea on Saturday, his spokesman said.

The Israeli Prime Minister was not home, and there were no casualties.

Earlier, the Israeli military said a drone spotted crossing into the country from Lebanon struck Caesarea, while two others were intercepted.

The strikes into Israel come as its war with Lebanon's Hezbollah has intensified in recent weeks.

Palestinian medical officials say a new Israeli strike on a home in central Gaza's Maghazi refugee camp has killed at least 11 people, including three children.

The dead are all from the same family and were killed in the Maghazi refugee camp, according to the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, where they were taken.

The Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported there were still missing people under the rubble.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. 

Iran's supreme leader , Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said Hamas was alive and would survive despite the death of its leader, Yahya Sinwar.

Israeli soldiers killed Sinwar during an operation in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Hamas is part of Iran-backed groups in the Middle East dubbed the "Axis of Resistance." It is deemed a terrorist organization not only by Israel, but also the US, Germany and several other countries.   

"His loss is undoubtedly painful for the Axis of Resistance, but this front did not cease advancing with the martyrdom of prominent figures," Khamenei said in a statement.

lo/jcg (AP, AFP, dpa, Reuters)