Israeli airstrikes pound Lebanon and Gaza
It’s Monday morning in the Middle East. Here’s what happened this weekend:
• Airstrikes hit Beirut: Israeli airstrikes hit multiple branches of a Hezbollah-linked financial institution in Beirut on Sunday. The Israeli military had warned it planned to strike locations belonging to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association to block Hezbollah’s access to financial resources.
• Lebanon death toll keeps rising: The death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon since September 16 has passed 1,800, according to a CNN tally of ministry figures.
• US intelligence leak: The US is investigating a leak of highly classified intelligence about Israel’s planned response to Iran’s major missile attack earlier this month, sources tell CNN.
• Strike targets Netanyahu’s house: Iran has denied involvement in the launch of a drone toward Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s home in central Israel on Saturday.
• Devastation in northern Gaza: An Israeli strike on northern Gaza killed at least 87 people, the enclave’s health ministry said, with graphic footage showing children among the dead.
• Aid airdrop kills child: Family members in central Gaza have described their devastation after an airdropped aid pallet killed their 3-year-old child. Palestinians in Gaza have described the experience of receiving airdrops as dangerous and humiliating, while also voicing practical concerns about the content of the deliveries.
• Israel vows to destroy Hezbollah: Israel’s defense minister Yoav Gallant used a visit to its northern border Sunday to rally his troops fighting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, telling them they are “moving from defeating the enemy to destroying it.”
