Israel-Hamas War day 357: What's happening in Gaza, Lebanon border?

The IDF targeted Hezbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a strike on the terror organization's central headquarters in Beirut Friday evening, the IDF reported after witnesses in Beirut told Reuters they had heard multiple blasts and saw clouds of smoke rising from the city.

Israeli officials suspect that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was in the bunker targeted in the recent bombing, and anyone inside would struggle to survive such an attack, N12 reported. 

About three hours before the strike, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu held consultations with Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi. A security source told the Qatari newspaper Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that "the extent of the destruction in Dahieh is enormous. Lebanon has reinforced all ambulances and dispatched them to the scene."

Israel’s battle against Iranian proxies helps protect Western countries, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his Dutch counterpart Dick Schoof, ahead of his speech Friday morning to the United Nations General Assembly.

“Israel's war against Iran's axis of evil is vital not only in ensuring its future but also the future of the West as a whole,” the Prime Minister’s Office said as it described Netanyahu’s message to Schoof.

Netanyahu arrived in New York on Thursday morning, two days later than anticipated due to his decision to scale up IDF efforts to push Hezbollah out of southern Lebanon.

Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that Hezbollah was "getting crushed" during a situational assessment in northern Israel, Israeli media reported on Friday. 

"Hezbollah sought to wear us down, but they are getting crushed instead - they are gripped with fear, anxiety, and control issues. We have unresolved matters with many actors stretching back many years. We've been waiting for the opportunity," Gallant stated. 

The commander of the 91st Division, Brigadier General Shai Klapper, and other brigade commanders and officers from the division were also reportedly present.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attempted to soothe tensions with the United States after he surprised the Biden administration by not agreeing immediately to its ceasefire proposal for a 21-day lull in the year-long constrained IDF-Hezbollah war along Israel’s northern border.

“Israel appreciates the US efforts in this regard because the US role is indispensable in advancing stability and security in the region,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in an unusual statement put out first in English.

It spoke up after US National Security Adviser John Kirby said “We wouldn't have issued [that proposal] when and how we did if it wasn't supported by the conversations that we are having with top Israeli officials yesterday and those conversations continue today.”

The IDF mobilized the 6th and 228th reserve brigades for operational missions in northern Israel, the military announced on Friday. 

The brigades were mobilized along with additional reserve battalions as part of the IDF's preparations for escalating conflict as tensions along Israel's northern border with Hezbollah in Lebanon ramp up. 

The brigades reportedly carried out various operations along the northern border over the course of the Israel-Hamas War.

Palestinian gunmen in the Gaza Strip shot and killed an aid worker from a US-based charity, firing on her car in what Hamas-run government officials told her family was a case of mistaken identity.

The car in which Islam Hejazy, Gaza program manager at HEAL Palestine, was traveling was intercepted on Thursday in the area of Khan Younis in the south of the enclave.

Gunmen riding in three cars sprayed the vehicle with dozens of bullets, according to residents and the woman's family.

Rocket launchers responsible for a barrage sent towards the Tiberias area were attacked in the Hadatha area of southern Lebanon, the IDF reported on Friday.

IAF fighter jets recently struck several launchers from which rockets were fired earlier today towards the Tiberias area.

The IDF continues to strike Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanese territory at this time.

Ten rockets were fired from Lebanon at Haifa and the surrounding area, the IDF said on Friday following the sirens that sounded in the area starting at 8:33 a.m. local time. 

The IDF intercepted some of the rockets, while others were impacted in open areas.

Israeli teams met on Thursday to discuss the US ceasefire proposals with Lebanon and will continue the discussions in the days ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday, adding that he appreciated the US efforts.

"Our teams met (Thursday, Sept. 26) to discuss the US initiative and how we can advance the shared goal of returning people safely to their homes. We will continue those discussions in the coming days," he said in a statement.

The proposal was backed by French President Emmanuel Macron, who said an Israeli invasion of Lebanon would be a huge mistake.

"And I do believe that the US now has to increase the pressure on the prime minister of Israel to do so," Macron told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Similar truce proposed by world superpowers

Foreign Minister Israel Katz had previously rejected a similar proposal for a 21-day truce, and Netanyahu said he had ordered the military to keep fighting with full force.

France's President Emmanuel Macron speaks with US President Joe Biden after a family photo of leaders of the G7 and invited countries during the G7 Leaders' Summit in Hiroshima on May 20, 2023. (credit: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/POOL VIA REUTERS)

According to Macron, if Netanyahu rejected the proposal, France would raise the matter at the United Nations Security Council.

The PMO stated that Netanyahu has not responded to this American-French proposal.

“The report about the purported directive to ease up on the fighting in the north is the opposite of the truth.” the statement said.

“The fighting in Gaza will also continue until all the objectives of the war have been achieved.”