Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel says about 200 projectiles fired by Hezbollah into Israel Saturday

The ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on Saturday after Lebanon drones targeted Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu's house in Caesarea. "A UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was launched toward the prime minister's residence in Caesarea. The prime minister and his wife were not at the location, and there were no injuries in the incident," the Israeli PMO said in a statement.

The PM responded to this saying that Iran had made a "bitter mistake" by attempting to assassinate him.

Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes targeted Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, resulting in significant damage and casualties, including the death of a city mayor in Nabatiyeh. Israel’s military also carried out a strike on Syria’s port city of Latakia, which led to fires. Syrian air defenses responded, but the extent of the damage remains unclear.

In Gaza, after pressure from the US, Israel allowed 50 aid trucks to enter northern Gaza from Jordan, providing food, water, and medical supplies. However, aid organizations report that this is insufficient to meet the urgent needs, particularly as Israel has intensified its siege in northern Gaza. Meanwhile, Qatar stated that there have been no active ceasefire negotiations over the past three to four weeks, signaling a lack of progress towards de-escalation.

The Pentagon confirmed that US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant about ongoing operations and humanitarian aid measures. Despite international calls for restraint, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has dismissed ceasefire efforts, maintaining a firm stance in the conflict.

07:53 (IST) Oct 17

How Israel's bulky pager fooled Hezbollah

The batteries inside the weaponised pagers that arrived in Lebanon at the start of the year, part of an Israeli plot to decimate Hezbollah, had powerfully deceptive features and an Achilles' heel.

The agents who built the pagers designed a battery that concealed a small but potent charge of plastic explosive and a novel detonator that was invisible to X-ray, according to a Lebanese source with first-hand knowledge of the pagers, and teardown photos of the battery pack seen by Reuters.

To overcome the weakness - the absence of a plausible backstory for the bulky new product - they created fake online stores, pages and posts that could deceive Hezbollah due diligence, a Reuters review of web archives shows.

06:35 (IST) Oct 17

Israel Hezbollah War Live: Pentagon chief talks to Israeli defense minister after letter on Gaza aid

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Wednesday to discuss Israel’s operations in Lebanon and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. This conversation followed a letter from Washington earlier in the week urging Israel to improve the situation in Gaza.

Austin encouraged Israel to continue efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis, highlighting recent steps taken to increase the flow of aid into Gaza, according to a Pentagon statement released Wednesday.

06:30 (IST) Oct 17

Israel Hezbollah War Live: Israeli attack targets Syria's Latakia

An Israeli strike on Syria’s Mediterranean port city of Latakia early Thursday caused fires, according to Syria’s state news agency, SANA. Firefighters were working to put out the blazes, while Syrian state television reported that the country’s air defenses had responded to Israeli targets over Latakia.

Israel has been conducting strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years, intensifying these attacks following the October 7, 2023, assault by Hamas on Israeli territory.

00:19 (IST) Oct 17

Israel Hezbollah War Live: Israeli military says sirens sounded in southern Israel

The Israeli military said on Wednesday that sirens sounded in Nir Am and Sderot in southern Israel, without giving further details.
The Al Quds Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, said shortly after that it fired rockets towards Sderot, Nir Am and areas near Gaza.

00:17 (IST) Oct 17

Israel Hezbollah War Live: No Gaza ceasefire talks for last 3/4 weeks, Qatar says

Qatar's prime minister said on Wednesday that there had been no conversations or engagement with any parties for the last three to four weeks to secure a ceasefire in Gaza.
"On the prospects of the negotiation ... basically in the last three to four weeks, there is no conversation or engagement at all, and we are just moving in the same circle with the silence from all parties," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told reporters at the end of a summit between the EU and GCC in Brussels.

Sheikh Mohammed, who is also foreign minister, has led mediation efforts for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.

00:17 (IST) Oct 17

'Violent clashes' with Israeli troops in south Lebanon': Hezbollah

Hezbollah said its fighters in southern Lebanon were locked in clashes on Wednesday with Israeli troops "at point-blank range".

The Iran-backed armed group said militants were engaged in "ongoing" and "violent clashes with the Israeli enemy forces in the vicinity of the Al-Qawzah village at point-blank range with various types of machine guns," it said.

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00:17 (IST) Oct 17

Israel Hezbollah War Live: Israel allows some aid into Northern Gaza after US warning

Israel on Wednesday announced that it had inspected and permitted 50 aid trucks to enter northern Gaza from Jordan -- carrying food, water, medical and other supplies -- "in accordance with international law."

That is a fraction of what aid agencies say is needed to meet the dire needs in Gaza, especially in the north, where the United Nations has said that Israel "has tightened a siege" this month as it steps up military operations against Hamas.

00:11 (IST) Oct 17

Israel Hezbollah War Live: Israel pounds Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, killing mayor

Israel carried out dozens of strikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Wednesday, killing a city mayor, toppling buildings and causing widespread destruction in several southern areas.
The latest exchanges in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed increasing calls for a ceasefire.

The Israeli army said its warplanes struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, where the Lebanese group and its ally Amal hold sway.

The Israel-Hezbollah conflict continues to escalate, with violent clashes reported in southern Lebanon and airstrikes on Hezbollah targets. The US urged Israel to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, resulting in limited aid entering the region. Meanwhile, Qatar confirmed no ceasefire talks have taken place in recent weeks. Hezbollah militants clashed with Israeli troops, and Israeli airstrikes targeted Syria’s Latakia. Despite international pressure, Israel intensifies its military response.

According to Israel's PMO, Netanyahu’s Caesarea home was targeted in a drone attack. Two other drones fired from Lebanon were downed by Israeli air defences, triggering sirens in the Tel Aviv area.

"A UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) was launched toward the prime minister's residence in Caesarea. The prime minister and his wife were not at the location, and there were no injuries in the incident," the Israeli PMO said in a statement.