KEY POINTS
- US airman who set himself ablaze outside Israeli embassy dies
- Palestinian Authority's Mahmoud Abbas accepts PM Mohammad Shtayyeh's resignation
- Loved ones of abductees call on Israeli government to "choose the hostages"
The war in Gaza is now on its 144th day, and hopes for a new ceasefire deal are on the rise as details of a draft truce proposal for Ramadan have emerged. Still, tensions in the Middle East remain at a concerning high as Iranian-backed Houthis continue to threaten commercial shipping activities in the Red and Arabian Seas and the Gulf of Aden.
Hamas is studying a 40-day ceasefire proposal in Gaza that reportedly includes releasing 40 hostages in exchange for freeing 400 Palestinian prisoners. U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel is ready to halt its military operations during the month of Ramadan, but a Hamas official reportedly said Biden's optimistic remarks on a truce were premature.
- 'Concerning shift' in Israel-Hezbollah fire exchanges: UNIFIL
- Iran reportedly pledges 'submarines' for Houthi following US-UK strikes
- Houthi attacks reportedly affect four Red Sea submarine cables
- Hezbollah says it used Soviet Union-developed rocket launchers in IDF base attack
- US, UK sanction IRGC Quds Force's deputy commander: State Department spokesperson
In the greater Red Sea, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said it received a report of "irregular activity" wherein three small boats tailed a merchant ship for one hour off Saudi Arabia.
The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) also said it destroyed three unmanned surface vessels (USVs) and a drone in self-defense as they posed an imminent threat to merchant ships and U.S. Navy warships in the region.
Iranian-backed Hezbollah on Tuesday said it attacked the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) Meron air control base, a strategic air surveillance site, with a missile barrage "in response" to Israeli airstrikes in the Bekaa Valley that killed two Hezbollah members Monday.
The IDF announced late Monday that it eliminated Hassan Hossein Salami, a Hezbollah operative "responsible for the Hajir region." His assassination came following reports that an Israeli drone attack targeted a vehicle in southern Lebanon earlier Monday.
Back in war-torn Gaza, pressure is mounting on the Israeli government to allow more humanitarian aid to enter the devastated enclave. There have also been warnings from Israel's allies against a ground operation in Rafah unless civilian protection is ensured.
Fighting in Gaza has been on and off for decades due to the deep-rooted Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but the situation reached its deadliest point on Oct. 7, when Hamas militants raided Israel, murdering more than a thousand people and abducting some 250 Israelis and foreigners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel will fight until Hamas is eliminated, even as the loved ones of some 130 remaining hostages in Gaza pressure his government to agree to a ceasefire-hostage deal.
The live update has ended.
No Rafah operation until civilians moved out of combat zone: IDF spokesperson
No operation will be conducted in Rafah, an overcrowded city in southern Gaza, until "all preparations" to move civilians "out of the combat zone" are completed, IDF spokesperson for international media Col. (Res). Olivier Rafowicz told local media in an interview published Tuesday.
‘Nothing will be done in Rafah until we have all the preparations made and implemented to prevent civilian population to be out of the combat zone’
— i24NEWS English (@i24NEWS_EN) February 27, 2024
Says IDF Spox. for International Media, Col. (Res.) Olivier Rafowicz (@RAFOrafo) pic.twitter.com/G8E0i2lw2b
His remarks came amid increasing pressure on Israel to ensure civilian safety before launching a ground operation in the city known to be sheltering more than a million people.
