Hamas leadership reportedly in Turkey, IDF artillery moves into Lebanon

For the first time since the IDF's withdrawal from Lebanon, an artillery battery was deployed overnight into Sunday morning for combat operations in southern Lebanon, significantly increasing the range of artillery fire into Lebanese territory.

Following the advancement of IDF troops to additional targets in Lebanon and engagements with Hezbollah's second line of defense, Division 36 decided to move a heavy artillery battery into Lebanese territory.

Israel Air Force Chief Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar affirmed that the air force was present to provide 24/7 support for troops on the ground during a tour of the Jabalya area of northern Gaza, the IDF reported on Sunday evening.

“For over a year, all Israeli Air Force units have been operating wing-to-shoulder with the brave soldiers on the ground,” Maj.-Gen. Bar said. “I want you to know that while you are here fighting the enemy on the ground, the Israeli Air Force operates 24/7 to provide effective fire support to every unit, in every location.”

The tour was conducted with 162nd Division head, Brig.-Gen Itzik Cohen, and Givati Brigade commander Col. Liron Batito, along with other senior IDF commanders, the IDF added.

“For over a year, we have been fighting across the entirety of Gaza, constantly supported by the personnel of the Israeli air force from above,” Brig.-Gen Cohen said. “Together, we’ve learned how to complete operational tasks effectively, powerfully strike the enemy, and dominate every area we reach. Here in Jabaliya, we are employing significant aerial firepower, which is a key component in our battle in this sector.”

The head of the operations department in Hezbollah's "Southern Front" was the target of an airstrike that hit a vehicle and an apartment in Beirut, Lebanon, Army Radio reported Sunday evening.

In footage of the aftermath of the event shared by the Israeli news outlet, a fire rages in a city street as plumes of smoke rise into the evening sky.

תיעוד: זירת התיקפה בביירות >> https://t.co/rGKr87jttL pic.twitter.com/vKQn4ZDwL2

— גלצ (@GLZRadio) November 17, 2024

Two individuals were killed, and thirteen others were wounded in the strike, the Lebanese Health Ministry reported.

This is a developing story.

Senior members of Hamas's leadership outside of Gaza have been in Turkey in recent days, Israeli state broadcaster KAN reported on Sunday.

This latest report comes after an American source confirmed to the news outlet earlier this month that Qatar had agreed to remove Hamas from its territory.

Israel's Magen David Adom treated a 13-year-old boy who had suffered light blast wounds after rocket sirens sounded in the North on Sunday afternoon, the emergency medical service reported.

The wounded 13-year-old was taken to the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya along with a number of other victims suffering from anxiety symptoms.

Capt. Yogev Pazy and St.-Sgt. Noam Eitan were killed while fighting in northern Gaza, the IDF announced on Sunday.

Capt. Pazy, 22, from Giv'ot Bar, St.-Sgt. Eitan, from Hadera, served in the Nahshon Battalion of the Kfir Brigade. 

In the incident in which the two fell, another soldier in the same battalion was severely wounded.

A group of UNIFIL peacekeepers were fired at while conducting a patrol of villages in southern Lebanon, the organization said in a statement Sunday.

The peacekeepers, who were French and Finnish, initially had their path blocked by a group of people, one of whom was armed. The patrol group moved around the obstruction and continued along their pre-planned route. 

Nearly an hour later, the patrol was fired upon about 40 times from behind after the peacekeepers had just entered the village of Marrakech. UNIFIL said the gunfire was likely from non-state actors.

The patrol quickly left the area while staying on their route and got safely to the UNIFIL base in Deir Kifa. UNIFIL immediately informed the Lebanese Armed Forces about the incident, according to the statement.

No peacekeepers were injured, though some of the vehicles had bullet impacts. 

An Israel Air Force strike on a densely populated district of Beirut on Sunday killed Hezbollah's media relations chief Mohammad Afif, two Lebanese security sources told Reuters on Sunday.

Hezbollah later confirmed Afif's death.

Army Radio reported that the strike targeted Hassan Nasrallah's home in Beirut's Dahiyeh neighborhood.

The IDF's Haruv Reconnaissance Unit, under the control of the 228th Brigade, is taking on a new adventure in southern Lebanon after successful counterterrorism operations in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, the military announced Thursday.

Sirens in Yavne and Nes Ziona on Sunday marked a growing drone threat, as the IDF intercepted a UAV from the east. With attacks linked to Iran-backed militias increasing, Israel faces a mounting challenge to its air defenses. How can this evolving threat be countered?