KEY POINTS
- Inner political turmoil in Israel as Netanyahu allegedly disapproved Gantz's US trip
- US Vice President Kamala Harris calls for 'immediate' Gaza ceasefire, to meet Gantz
- IDF conducted biggest raid in West Bank's Ramallah in years, witnesses say
The war in Gaza has entered its 150th day, and the Red Sea crisis has reached devastating highs following the sinking of a British-owned commercial ship in the Red Sea that Iranian-backed Houthis attacked two weeks ago.
Amid elevated tensions in the Red Sea, an Italian warship shot down a drone in the area. The Italian Defense Ministry also called out the Yemeni Houthi rebels for their continuing "serious violation" of international law that protects freedom of navigation.
- Israeli warplanes strike Hezbollah site after 1 killed in missile attack in Galilee
- 'Attack' reported off of Yemen: United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operation (UKMTO)
- 'Significant progress' made in Sunday Cairo talks with Hamas: Egyptian state-linked TV
- Vessel attacked off Yemen was 'linked to Israel': Israel's national broadcaster
- Gaza truce won't necessarily end Israel-Lebanon border fighting: US envoy
In the Israel-Lebanon border, where tensions are just as high, Iran-backed Hezbollah claimed to have targeted "military bases" overnight, causing material damage to some assets of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
A missile attack near a northern Israel community killed one person and wounded seven others, Israel's rescue service Magen David Adom (Mdais) said Monday.
Back in Gaza, expansive operations are underway ahead of the Ramadan month, even as the U.S. and its allies push for a ceasefire. Israel skipped hostage talks in Cairo on Sunday over Hamas' alleged failure to first present a list of which hostages are alive and which died in captivity.
A day earlier, Israel was reported to have "basically accepted" a six-week ceasefire plan in Gaza and was only waiting for Hamas' response. However, it appears that the warring sides are now at a stalemate.
The raging war in Gaza stems from Hamas' Oct. 7 massacre in Israel, wherein the Palestinian militant group murdered more than a thousand Israelis and foreigners and abducted some 250 individuals – around 130 of which are still being held in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to bend to international pressure for a truce, drawing from years of violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict that has seen civilians from both sides suffering the brunt of decades-long fighting.
The live update has ended.
Gaza truce won't necessarily bring Israel-Lebanon border peace: US envoy
U.S. Special Envoy Amos Hochstein on Monday offered a less-than-optimistic view of the hostilities in the Israeli-Lebanese border, saying a halt to the fighting in Gaza won't automatically mean fighting between the IDF and Hezbollah will end as well.
Hochstein is in Beirut as part of Washington's efforts to help resolve the issue at Israel's northern border. "Escalation of violence is in no one's interest, and there is no such thing as a limited war. A temporary ceasefire is not enough. A limited war is not containable," he told reporters after his meeting with Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri.
His visit came on the same day one person was killed following a missile attack targeting northern Galilee in Israel.
Ship attacked off Aden 'Israeli-linked': Local broadcaster
A Liberia-flagged merchant ship attacked off the Red Sea Monday afternoon was "linked to Israel," Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported. It is unclear if the vessel was directly or indirectly hit following "nearby explosions," as per the report.
'Significant progress' made in truce talks with Hamas: Egyptian TV
There has been "significant progress" in talks between truce mediators and Hamas, Israeli media reported, citing Egyptian state-linked TV.
This comes following Sunday negotiations in Cairo wherein Israel did not send a delegation as the Palestinian terror group allegedly did not provide the lists Israel was asking for, including a list that indicates which hostages were still alive and which have died in captivity.
There are still around 130 hostages in Hamas captivity, some 30 of which are believed to be dead.
Attack reported off Aden: UKMTO
An "attack" was reported off of Aden in Yemen Monday afternoon Sana'a time, the UKMTO said. Details about the attack have yet to be provided as authorities investigate the incident.
UKMTO INCIDENT 044 WARNING
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) March 4, 2024
ATTACK https://t.co/fX3hWupi7g#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/qyWIeSVryS
This comes amid continuing attacks by Iranian-backed Houthis in the Red and Arabian Seas, as well as in the Gulf of Aden.
Israeli jets attack Hezbollah site after missile kills 1 in northern Galilee
Israeli warplanes on Monday attacked "a military site of the Hezbollah terrorist organization in the Shekhin region," the Israeli army said.
לפני זמן קצר מטוסי קרב תקפו אתר צבאי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב שיחין, בו היו מחבלי הארגון.
— צבא ההגנה לישראל (@idfonline) March 4, 2024
כמו כן, מוקדם יותר היום מטוסי קרב תקפו מבנה צבאי של ארגון הטרור חיזבאללה במרחב עייתא א-שעב>> pic.twitter.com/bUTrzuu6H0
The strikes came after the one person was killed in a missile attack that targeted northern Galilee.
Missile attack in northern Israel kills 1
An anti-tank missile fired toward northern Galilee in northern Israel has killed one person and wounded seven others, Israel's Mdais said Monday. Two of the injured are in serious condition. All of them have since been evacuated from the scene.
Update to the anti-tank missile attack in the northern Galilee: MDA EMTs and Paramedics are reporting a total of 8 casualties: 1 killed, 2 in serious condition, 4 moderate, and 1 mild. The casualties, all with shrapnel, are being evacuated by MDA and IAF helicopters. pic.twitter.com/SUsDOYYmij
— Magen David Adom (@Mdais) March 4, 2024
Israel conducts biggest raid in Ramallah in years: Sources
Israeli ground troops on Sunday night carried out its most expansive raid in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank, Reuters reported Monday, citing Palestinian sources and witnesses.
Palestinian news agency WAFA said residents clashed with Israeli forces as soon as the soldiers entered the administrative capital. Live bullets were reportedly "fired at Palestinian youths, wounding 16-year-old Mustafa Abu Shalbak. The Hamas-controlled Palestinian health ministry said Abu Shalbak was killed in the confrontations.
Harris calls for 'immediate' truce in Gaza
The U.S. vice president called for an "immediate ceasefire for at least the next six weeks" in Gaza amid a mounting death toll and the humanitarian crisis that has left civilians scrambling for food and medical supplies.
She also called on Hamas to agree to the proposed six-week truce to prove its claims that it wanted a ceasefire. She said the truce should get the hostages out and allow more aid to enter the enclave.
Harris is expected to meet Gantz as the Israeli war cabinet minister visits the U.S.
Read the full story here.
Internal Israeli government turmoil as Netanyahu allegedly opposed Gantz' US trip
Trouble may be brewing within the Israeli government as the Israeli president allegedly did not approve war cabinet minister Gantz's visit to Washington. "Netanyahu had a tough talk with Gantz and told him the country has just one prime minister," a source told AP, amid growing friction in Israel's inner leadership circle.
Gantz, a former defense minister, is expected to meet the U.S. Secretary of State and the American vice president during his U.S. trip.
Read the full story here.
Israel skips Cairo talks amid Hamas' failure to present hostage list: Report
Israel did not send a delegation to Egypt Sunday for ceasefire negotations after Hamas did not respond to two Israeli demands, including a list of abductees that specify which were still alive and which have died in captivity, CNN reported, citing an Israeli official who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter.
Hamas also did not provide confirmation on the ratio of hostages that will be freed in exchange for Palestinian detainees, the official added.
News of the stalemate comes a day after a senior Biden administration official told reporters that Israel had "basically accepted" a truce plan lasting for six weeks.
Hezbollah claims attacks on Israeli 'military bases'
The powerful paramilitary organization early on Monday claimed that it attacked Israeli "military bases" overnight using rockets and anti-tank guided missiles (ATGMs). The attacks resulted in "material damage" to the IDF assets, Hezbollah said.
The Israeli army has yet to deny or confirm the claims.
Houthi-attacked vessel sinks in the Red Sea
The British-owned commercial vessel Rubymar has sank in the Red Sea about two weeks after Houthis struck the ship with a missile while it was transiting the Bal el-Mandeb Strait.
Sinking of Motor Vessel⁰Rubymar Risks Environmental⁰Damage
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) March 3, 2024
On Mar. 2 at approximately 2:15 a.m., MV Rubymar, a Belize-flagged, UK-owned bulk carrier, sank in the Red Sea after being struck by an Iranian-backed Houthi terrorist anti-ship ballistic missile on Feb. 18.
The ship… pic.twitter.com/fRUM4ll4cY
The U.S. confirmed Sunday that the ship sank early Saturday. "The approximately 21,000 metric tons of ammonium phosphate sulfate fertilizer that the vessel was carrying presents an environmental risk in the Red Sea," the U.S. military warned.
Read the full story here.
Italian battleship downs drone in Red Sea
Italian warship Nave Duilio on Sunday afternoon shot down a drone in the Red Sea, which was flying towards the battleship at a distance of only "about 6 kilometers," the Italian defense ministry said in a statement.
"The terrorist attacks by the Houthis are a serious violation of international law and an attack on the safety of maritime traffic on which our economy depends. These attacks are part of a hybrid war, which uses every possibility, not only military, to harm some countries and benefit others," Italian defense minister Guido Crosetto said of the incident, as per a Google translation.
The ministry noted that the Nave Duilio was operating in the Red Sea "to guarantee the protection of international law and safeguard national interests."
Nave Duilio #MarinaMilitare abbatte drone nel #MarRosso.
— Ministero Difesa (@MinisteroDifesa) March 2, 2024
"Gli attacchi terroristici degli Houthi sono una grave violazione del diritto internazionale e un attentato alla sicurezza dei traffici marittimi".
Così il Min. @GuidoCrosetto
Leggi la notizia➡️ https://t.co/JubVeFvEcA pic.twitter.com/8ZS0isDosb
