KEY POINTS
- Israeli opposition's Yair Lapid calls on Netanyahu to follow IDF intel chief's lead
- Israel's original Iran retaliation plan reportedly included major strike on military targets
- Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi lands in Pakistan to mend ties broken by tit-for-tat strikes
It's Day 199 of the Israel-Hamas war, and the focus has since shifted back to the Gaza Strip following an apparent de-escalation between Iran and Israel over the weekend.
Israel has reportedly kicked off preparations to evacuate the Palestinian civilian population in southern Gaza's Rafah city in the next two to three weeks, ahead of its planned ground raid of the overcrowded city.
Maj. Gen. Aharon Haliva, the Israel Defense Forces' (IDF) head of military intelligence, has announced he will step down from his position due to mistakes on Oct. 7 when Hamas operatives launched a shock attack in Israel, killing more than a thousand people and abducting some 250 hostages to trigger the six-month-long war in Gaza.
- Bodies found buried at Israeli-raided Nasser hospital: Gaza's civil defense agency
- IDF deploys 'numerous' troops along Israel-Lebanon border amid Hezbollah fire exchanges
- Hostage's mother says Israeli government doesn't have a solution to bring abductees home
- Expert expects pressure on other Israeli leaders to grow after Haliva's resignation
- Israel has yet to provide evidence on UNRWA employee accusations: Review
- Explosive drone launched toward air base hosting US troops in Iraq: Report
- Israeli troops reportedly return to Khan Yunis
An Israeli Air Force (IAF) remote manned aircraft was struck by a surface-to-air-missile and fell within Lebanese territory Sunday night. The incident comes amid continuing fire exchanges between Israeli forces and Iranian-backed Hezbollah.
In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would "strongly defend the IDF" and would fight against anyone who believes they can impose sanctions on any Israeli army units.
In Syria, five rockets were reportedly fired from Iraqi territory toward a U.S. military base in the northeastern part of the country, marking the first attack against American forces in the Middle East since February.
Tensions in the Middle East are a result of decades of fighting in the Israel-Palestine conflict that has also led to attacks toward Israel and its allies by Iran-backed militia and Hamas allies.
The live update has ended.
Israeli troops return to Khan Yunis: Report
Israeli forces have "fought their way back" into an eastern part of Khan Yunis, southern Gaza's main city and the known hometown of Hamas' top official in the Gaza Strip, Reuters reported Monday, citing residents.
