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TNA’s live coverage of the latest from the war on Gaza concludes for today.

Join us again tomorrow at 0800 GMT for updates from the besieged Palestinian enclave.
 

The Arab League regional bloc called on Iran on Thursday not to fuel "strife" in Syria, after the ouster of Tehran ally president Bashar al-Assad ended decades of rule by his clan.

Assad's government crumbled on December 8 and he fled for Russia, another key backer of his rule, after an Islamist-led coalition of fighters wrested control of city after city until they reached Damascus.

With Assad's fall, Iran lost a key ally in the region, just as its Lebanese proxy Hezbollah emerged massively weakened but not crushed from a year of war with Israel.

The Arab League, which last year welcomed back Assad after a decade of isolation, emphasised the need to "respect Syria's sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability, to restrict weapons to the hands of the state, dissolve all armed formations and reject all destabilising foreign interventions".

Syria's new authorities on Thursday launched an operation in a stronghold of Assad, after deadly clashes pitting their fighters against gunmen affiliated with the former government.

The Arab League said it was "following with concern the events taking place in several Syrian cities and areas with the aim of igniting the sparks of conflict."

It also said it "rejects the Iranian statements aimed at fuelling strife among the Syrian people", according to a statement from the secretariat.

It did not specify which statements it was referring to.

A Syria war monitor said Thursday the country's new authorities had arrested a military justice official under the ousted government of president Bashar al-Assad who issued death sentences in the notorious Saydnaya prison.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Mohammed Kanjo Hassan was arrested in the coastal Tartus province, a stronghold of Assad's clan, along with 20 members of his entourage.

The Israeli military has confirmed airstrikes on Houthi military targets in Yemen, including Sanaa International Airport, power stations, and ports, claiming these were used for smuggling Iranian weapons.

In a statement on X, the Israeli forces said the strikes were in retaliation for Houthi attacks on Israel and further stated that they were part of efforts to curb destabilising activities in the region.

WHO chief Tedros Ghebreyesus confirms that an Israeli airstrike on Sanaa airport wounded a WHO crew member as teams were leaving after a humanitarian mission.

At least two killed in the attack, with damage to the control tower, departure lounge, and runway.

WHO teams are awaiting repairs before departure.

Our mission to negotiate the release of staff detainees and to assess the health and humanitarian situation in concluded today. We continue to call for the detainees' immediate release.

As we were about to board our flight from Sana’a, about two hours ago, the airport…

— Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros)

Houthis' Al Masirah TV reports at least three killed and 11 wounded in Israeli airstrikes on Yemen, including an attack on Sanaa's international airport. 

Iran's foreign ministry on Thursday rejected accusations that Tehran interfered in Syria, after the new Syrian foreign minister told the Islamic Republic not to spread chaos in his country.

"We reject the baseless accusations by some media ... against Iran over interfering in Syria's internal affairs," Iran's foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei was quoted as saying by state media.

"It is necessary to prevent the spread of insecurity and violence ... and ensure the security of Syrian citizens," he added.

Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reports Israeli airstrikes hit Sanaa’s central power station, the capital’s airport, and Hodeidah’s port city, calling it “Israeli aggression.�

Sanaa and Hodeidah have faced extensive bombing by Israel and Western allies, targeting vessels, power stations, and oil facilities.

Images from Sanaa airport show large smoke plumes, while the Israeli military has yet to comment.

The Syrian Interim Government's Ministry of Information has prohibited the publication of sectarian media content that could incite division or discrimination, aiming to strengthen national unity, according to °®Âþµº's Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby al-Jadeed.

According to SANA, media outlets and activists are urged to promote brotherhood and coexistence.

Violators are also said to face legal consequences.

Israel struck Sana'a International Airport in Yemen on Thursday, Haaretz newspaper said, citing an Israeli official.

The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment. 

Footage documents the initial moments following the Israeli airstrikes that targeted Sana’a International Airport in Yemen.

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen)

About 18,000 Syrians have crossed into their country from Jordan since the government of Bashar al-Assad was toppled earlier this month, Jordanian authorities said on Thursday.

Interior Minister Mazen al-Faraya told state TV channel Al-Mamlaka that "around 18,000 Syrians have returned to their country between the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad on December 8, 2024 until Thursday".

He said the returnees included 2,300 refugees registered with the United Nations.

Amman says it has hosted about 1.3 million Syrians who fled their country since civil war broke out in 2011, with 650,000 formally registered with the United Nations.

Fadel al-Naim, director of Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, reports a sharp rise in injured patients as Israeli attacks intensify in the city and northern Gaza, Wafa news agency said.

He highlighted severe shortages in medical supplies and critical challenges treating serious cases. Despite appeals for blood donations, widespread anaemia and malnutrition persist.

Al-Naim urged the opening of crossings to transfer critically injured patients out of Gaza for urgent care.

Israeli forces arrested a young man at a military checkpoint in the northern Jordan Valley and raided Shu’fat refugee camp, according to the Palestinian Prisoner’s Society.

In Hebron, settlers released sheep onto Palestinian farmlands in Masafer Yatta, escalating intimidation efforts.

Meanwhile, Tulkarem residents mourned eight Palestinians killed during a two-day Israeli raid. A ninth body was seized by Israeli forces.

Over 30 arrests and significant infrastructure destruction were reported.

Massive destruction of the infrastructure and Palestinian homes was caused by the Israeli occupation forces during their aggression in the Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

— Quds News Network (@QudsNen)

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday that the new ruler of Syria had called relations with Russia long standing and strategic and that Moscow shared this assessment.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said on Monday that Russia was in contact with Syria's new administration at both a diplomatic and military level. 

(Reuters) 

The United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon expressed concern on Thursday at the "continuing" damage done by Israeli forces in the country's south despite a ceasefire in the war with Hezbollah.

Lebanon's army on Thursday condemned Israel's "violation of the ceasefire agreement by attacking Lebanese sovereignty and destroying southern towns and villages".

Under the ceasefire agreement, UNIFIL peacekeepers and the Lebanese army were to redeploy in south Lebanon, near the Israeli border, as Israeli forces withdrew over 60 days.

UNIFIL said in a statement on Thursday that "there is concern at continuing destruction by the IDF (army) in residential areas, agricultural land and road networks in south Lebanon".

The statement added that "this is in violation of Resolution 1701", which was adopted by the UN Security Council and ended the last Israel-Hezbollah war of 2006.

The health ministry in Gaza said on Thursday that 38 people had been killed in the Palestinian territory in the past 24 hours, taking the overall war death toll to 45,399.

The ministry also said in a statement that at least 107,940 people had been wounded in more than 14 months of war.

The Israeli military has reportedly ended its two-day raid on Tulkarem, killing at least nine Palestinians in ground assaults and drone strikes.

Journalist Raghad Salameh shared a video, showing an Israeli military four-wheel drive deliberately trying to run her over during live coverage of the raid in the Nur Shams refugee camp.

She stated, "The vehicle deliberately tried to hit me, knocking the camera to the ground."

An Iraqi delegation met with Syria's new rulers in Damascus on Thursday, an Iraqi government spokesman said, the latest diplomatic outreach more than two weeks after the fall of Bashar al-Assad's rule.

The delegation, led by Iraqi intelligence chief Hamid al-Shatri, "met with the new Syrian administration", government spokesman Bassem al-Awadi told state media, adding that the parties discussed "the developments in the Syrian arena, and security and stability needs on the two countries' shared border."

 Lebanon said on Thursday it was looking forward to having the best neighbourly relations with Syria, in its first official message to the new administration in Damascus.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib passed the message to his Syrian counterpart, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, in a phone call, the Lebanese Foreign Ministry said on X. 

Jordan’s Foreign Ministry denounced Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s entry into the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, calling it a "provocative step" and a violation of the historical and legal status quo.

In a statement on X, spokesperson Sufyan Al-Qudah emphasised that Israel, as the occupying power, holds no sovereignty over Jerusalem’s Islamic and Christian holy sites.

He reiterated that the entire Al-Aqsa compound is a Muslim place of worship managed solely by the Jordanian Endowments Administration.

The quiet resumption of operations at a desalination plant in the Gaza Strip last month marked a small but significant step toward restoring public services in the Palestinian territory ravaged by more than 14 months of war.

The process of restarting the plant in Deir el-Balah, in central Gaza, involved both Israeli and Palestinian stakeholders who could have a hand in the territory's future, especially amid renewed hopes for a ceasefire in recent days.

While its reopening has had a limited tangible impact so far, diplomats close to the project suggest it could offer a tentative roadmap for Gaza's post-war administration.

Since being reconnected to Israel's electricity grid, the station has been producing approximately 16,000 cubic metres of water per day, according to UNICEF.

It serves more than 600,000 Gaza residents through tankers or the networks of Deir el-Balah and Khan Yunis governorates in central and southern Gaza, respectively.

"Its production capacity remains limited in the face of immense needs," an official within the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority (PENRA) told news agency AFP.

Residents of the devastated Palestinian territory have struggled since the early days of the war to secure even basic necessities, including food and clean water.

Human Rights Watch last week accused Israel of committing "acts of genocide" in Gaza by restricting water access -- a claim denied by Israeli authorities.

Syria's security forces launched an operation on Thursday against pro-Assad "militias" in the western province of Tartus, state news agency SANA reported, a day after deadly clashes with gunmen affiliated with the former government.

The operation had already succeeded in "neutralising a certain number" of armed men loyal to toppled president Bashar al-Assad, SANA said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor has reported several arrests in connection with Wednesday's clashes.

Far-right Israeli Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound under heavy armed protection, defying the longstanding status quo prohibiting non-Muslim rituals.

On X, he claimed to pray for soldiers' safety, hostages' return, and "complete victory." Known for opposing Gaza agreements, Ben-Gvir has repeatedly stormed the site, previously calling for a synagogue to be built there.

Photographer Omar al-Jadi documented the devastating moment after Israeli forces targeted a van marked "press" in central Gaza, killing his journalist brother Ayman and four colleagues as they slept.

Helplessly witnessing the burning vehicle, Omar cried out in agony: "Ayman is inside—my brother is martyred."

A Syrian family that survived a 2013 chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds of people near the country’s capital, Damascus, told news agency The Associated Press (AP) the ordeal they experienced haunts them to this day.

The Aug. 21, 2013 attack targeted several Damascus suburbs, including Zamalka, where the Arbeeni family lives.

Government forces of then-President Bashar Assad were blamed for the attack.

The Arbeenis remember how they locked themselves inside a windowless room in their home for hours, escaping the fate of dozens of their neighbors who perished in what was one of the deadliest moments of Syria’s civil war.

The gas that was used — sarin, an extremely toxic nerve agent — can kill in minutes.

The Syrian government denied it was behind the attack and blamed opposition fighters , an accusation the opposition rejected as Assad's forces were the only side in the brutal civil war to posses sarin.

The United States subsequently threatened military retaliation, with then-President Barack Obama saying Assad’s use of chemical weapons would be Washington’s "red line."

"It was a horrifying night," Hussein Arbeeni, 41, told The Associated Press on Wednesday.

The surface-to-surface missiles fell close to his family’s home without exploding, instead leaking the poisonous gas.

Shortly after that, he says the family members had difficulties breathing, their eyes started to ache and they hearts beat faster and faster.

Arbeeni, his parents, his siblings and their families, as well as a neighbor — 23 people in all — rushed into the only room in their home without windows and closed the door.

 An Israeli strike killed five Palestinian journalists outside a hospital in the Gaza Strip overnight, the Health Ministry said early Thursday.

The strike hit a car outside the Al-Awda Hospital in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in the central part of the territory.

The journalists were working for the local Quds News Network, which also reported the strike.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.