KEY POINTS
- US State Department reviewing reports of civilian harm by Israel
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards chief says Iran will target enemy ships if its vessels attacked
- Israeli army publishes video of Hamas' Yahya Sinwar's supposed tunnel escape
The war in Gaza has now reached Day 131, with tensions still high across the Middle East. A rocket barrage from Lebanese territory toward northern Israel Wednesday morning struck a building in Safed, killing one woman and injuring eight others.
A U.S. military base in eastern Syria was attacked by missiles early Wednesday, the Iranian government's semi-official Mehr News Agency reported. Russian state media also reported about missile attacks on an American military base in Syria.
- Iranian natural gas pipeline blasts a 'terrorist action,' official says
- Israeli fighter jets begin 'extensive' attacks in Lebanese territory
Amid intensifying fire exchanges between Israeli forces and Iranian-backed Hezbollah in the Israel-Lebanon border, the terror group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, said the heavily armed militia is "committed" to fighting Israel until the country is "off the map."
The militant group has since claimed attacks on eight military assets and sites belonging to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in the last day.
In Cairo, where negotiators from the U.S., Israel, Qatar, and Egypt gathered to discuss a proposed ceasefire deal, talks ended inconclusively, raising fears for the fate of some 130 hostages still in Hamas captivity.
Following several days of continuing attacks by Yemeni Houthi rebels, the Red Sea saw a 24-hour calm as the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said there were no maritime security alerts from Monday night through Tuesday night.
Back in the devastated Gaza Strip, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains unshaken despite increasing calls for restraint in Rafah, an overcrowded city in southern Gaza that the IDF has its eyes on for a ground offensive.
Netanyahu's resolute standpoint over the fighting draws from years of violence in the Israel-Palestine conflict that ultimately boiled over on Oct. 7, when Hamas operatives raided Israel, killing more than 1,200 people and dragging some 240 hostages into Gaza.
1 killed, 8 others wounded in rocket barrage from Lebanon
One woman was killed and eight others were wounded after a rocket attack from Lebanese territory hit a building in Safed, northern Israel on Wednesday morning, multiple local outlets reported.
Some rockets from the barrage hit the IDF's Northern Command headquarters in Safed, The Times of Israel reported, citing the Israeli army.
There has been no immediate claim for the rocket barrage, but Iranian-backed Hezbollah has been launching rockets and missiles toward northern Israel since the war started. It is believed that the terror group carried out the attack.
Israeli warplanes conduct strikes in Lebanese territory: IDF
Israeli fighter jets have started "an extensive wave of attacks" in Lebanese territory, the IDF announced on X Wednesday, as per a Google translation.
The Israeli army said it will provide further details about the attacks later.
This comes after Nasrallah claimed that eight IDF sites and assets were attacked by Hezbollah in the last day.
Explosions reported in Iranian natural gas pipeline
A natural gas pipeline running from Iran's western Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province to cities in the Caspian Sea was struck by explosions early Wednesday, the Associated Press Reported.
Saeed Aghli, the manager of Iran's gas network control center, told Iranian state television that the explosions along several parts of the line were caused by a "sabotage and terrorist action," as per the report.
A subsequent fire occurred after an explosion in the gas pipeline, as per Iranian media. No casualties were reported so far from the blast and rescue teams have been dispatched to the scene.
Aghli did not identify any suspects in the supposed terror attack, but tensions in the Middle East as driven by the war in Gaza have also drawn attacks toward Iran. Earlier last month, at least 84 people were killed in twin blasts during the remembrance ceremony for Revolutionary Guards general Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in a U.S. strike in Baghdad in 2020.
IDF publishes footage of Hamas' Gaza leader's supposed escape through tunnel
The IDF on Tuesday released a video showing what it said was footage of Sinwar's escape through a tunnel in the Gaza Strip.
Spotted: Yahya Sinwar running away and hiding in his underground terrorist tunnel network as Gazan civilians suffer above ground under the rule of Hamas terrorism.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 13, 2024
There is no tunnel deep enough for him to hide in. pic.twitter.com/KLjisBFq1f
The video shows a group of people moving through a tunnel. The first man was identified by the Israeli army as Sinwar's brother. One woman then followed, while three children walked behind her. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, head of the IDF's Spokesperson's Unit, identified the woman as "one of" Sinwar's wives and the three kids as the Hamas Gaza leader's children.
“Hamas leaders, wherever they are hiding, should know they are on borrowed time.”
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) February 14, 2024
Watch the full statement by IDF Spokesperson RAdm. Daniel Hagari: pic.twitter.com/iyh2pPlFuA
Finally, another man, identified by the IDF as Sinwar himself, is seen walking behind the children, carrying a bag.
"While the people of Gaza are suffering above ground, Sinwar is hiding in tunnels underground, underneath them, running like the coward that he is," Hagari said.
International Business Times cannot independently verify that the man in the video is indeed Sinwar, or provide information regarding the date when the footage was recorded.
Iran will retaliate if its ships are attacked: IRGC chief
Maj. Gen. Hossein Salami, commander of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Tuesday warned that the IRGC will target enemy ships if its vessels are attacked.
His warning came after the U.S. military said Yemeni Houthis, a Hamas ally and Iranian-backed terror group, attacked Greek-owned cargo ship MV Star Iris, which was transiting the Bab el-Mandeb Strait from Brazil on Monday and was en route to Iran. The Houthi rebel militia confirmed it attacked the Star Iris with naval missiles but referred to the merchant vessel as an "American ship."
US reviewing reports Israel harmed civilians in Gaza: State Department
Washington is looking into reports that Israel harmed civilians in its military campaign in the Gaza Strip, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Tuesday.
The review is being implemented under the State Department's Civilian Harm Incident Response Guidance (CHIRG) to ensure countries receiving American arms conduct their military operations in line with international humanitarian law, Miller said.
While he did not specify how many reports the department was reviewing in relation to the Gaza war, a source familiar with the process said the department was looking into at least 50 reported incidents.
No Red Sea maritime alerts for 24 hours: UKMTO
There were no maritime security alerts from Monday night through Tuesday night, marking the first time in recent weeks that the UKMTO did not issue any maritime security warnings for a 24-hour period.
The Red Sea calm comes following near-daily disruptions by Houthis in the area that has had an impact on commercial shipping activities.
UKMTO DAILY SUMMARY
— United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) (@UK_MTO) February 13, 2024
1800UTC 12 Feb 24 to 1800UTC 13 Feb 24 https://t.co/aE4dSUuqMt#MaritimeSecurity #MarSec pic.twitter.com/TqmeO50lPA
Truce talks in Egypt end without breakthrough
Talks for a proposed truce agreement in Cairo regarding the war in Gaza ended Tuesday without a breakthrough, even as the loved ones of remaining hostages in Gaza pile pressure on Israel and the international community to push Hamas to free the abductees.
Key mediators Egypt and Qatar were joined by negotiators from the U.S. and Israel during Tuesday's discussions.
Hezbollah says it attacked 8 IDF sites and assets
Following Nasrallah's speech wherein the Hezbollah leader vowed continuing attacks against Israel, the Iran-backed terror group said it attacked eight sites and assetsof the Israeli army in the last day.
Among the sites targeted were an IDF site in the Shebaa Farms that the militia calls Ruwaisat Al-Alam, and an Israeli army site that the Hezbollah calls Mitat barracks. Nasrallah said the attack on Mitat barracks resulted in IDF soldiers "being killed or wounded."
The IDF has yet to deny or confirm the said claims.
Hezbollah chief says fight against Israel will continue
Nasrallah in a speech Tuesday said that Iran-backed Hezbollah is "committed to fighting Israel until it is off the map," as per a translation by Haaretz.
He also said the Lebanon-based terror group believes Israel will "leave the battle defeated" and Hezbollah will not agree to a de-escalation agreement with Israel until a ceasefire deal is reached in war-torn Gaza.
His comments come amid a spike in attacks toward northern Israel by the militant group, which is a much larger organization than Hamas.
In light of what is happening in Gaza, the national interest of the countries of the region comes before the Palestinian interest, which is for Israel to emerge defeated.
— حسن نصر الله (@SH_NasrallahEng) February 13, 2024
| Speech on the Day of the Wounded, 13/02/2024. pic.twitter.com/9NCTY7l5oF
US base attacked by missiles: Iranian, Russian media
An American base in eastern Syria was attacked by missiles Wednesday, Iranian media reported.
Details are scarce about the said attack, but state-owned Sputnik reported, citing a local Syrian source, that the said U.S. base which is located in oil and gas fields was "attacked three times" in less than an hour.
The U.S. army has yet to confirm or deny the alleged missile attack.
