Live

Israel-Gaza-Lebanon live updates: US denies giving Israel 'a pass' on Gaza

American officials demanded Israel ensure more aid made it into Gaza.

Last Updated: November 13, 2024, 3:08 PM EST

The Israel Defense Forces continued its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza -- particularly in the north of the strip -- and in Lebanon, with Israeli attacks on targets nationwide including in the capital Beirut. The strikes form the backdrop for a fresh diplomatic push by the White House ahead of President-elect Donald Trump's return to the Oval Office in January.

Tensions also remain high between Israel and Iran after the former launched what it called "precise strikes on military targets" in several locations in Iran following Tehran's Oct. 1 missile barrage.

3:49 AM EST

State Department denies giving Israel 'a pass' on Gaza

Vedant Patel, the State Department's principal deputy spokesperson, denied at a Tuesday briefing that the U.S. is giving Israel "a pass" after President Joe Biden's administration said it would not withhold weapons earmarked for the country over dire humanitarian conditions inside Gaza.

A handout picture released by the official Jordanian news agency Petra shows an airdrop of humanitarian and relief aid to the southern Gaza Strip carried out by members of the Jordanian army on Nov. 12, 2024
-/PETRA News Agency/AFP via Getty

Tuesday saw the expiry of a 30-day deadline set by the U.S. for Israel to "surge" aid into the devastated Palestinian territory, or risk restrictions on military aid. Patel said Israel met some -- but not all -- U.S. demands set out in an Oct. 13 letter signed by Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

"Certainly I would not view it as giving them a pass, because one, no one is up here -- certainly I'm not -- saying that the situation in Gaza or the humanitarian circumstances are rosy," Patel told journalists at a Tuesday briefing.

"It is a very dire circumstance," he added. "And what we need to see is we need to see these steps acted on. We need to see them implemented."

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

Nov 12, 2024, 5:06 PM EST

White House says Israel has 'taken steps' to improve aid in Gaza

Following a State Department press briefing with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, the White House released a statement saying they’ve seen Israel has "taken steps" to improve humanitarian aid in Gaza but "there's more work to be done."

“We have seen, certainly some improvement. And again, we are going to do everything that we can," White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told ABC News.

"The United States, we are indeed, the largest provider of humanitarian aid, humanitarian assistance into Gaza to relieve the pain of the Palestinian people. And what we're seeing and you're right, it is dire. But those discussions continue, and we're going to be laser-focused on that," Jean-Pierre added.

-ABC News' Justin Gomez

Nov 12, 2024, 12:12 PM EST

Tens of people killed in Gaza, Lebanon after Israeli strikes

At least 62 Palestinians were killed and 147 were wounded in five IDF attacks across the Gaza Strip within the last 48 hours as the situation in the north remains dire, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health.

The IDF launched strikes on Beit Hanoun in the north, Deir Al Balah and the Al-Mawasi area Tuesday morning, where displaced people were sheltering in west of Khan Yunis.

Several strikes on southern Beirut were reported as well. In Lebanon, at least 3,287 people have been killed and 14,222 wounded since October 2023.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian, Sami Zyara, Diaa Ostaz and Ghazi Balkiz

Nov 12, 2024, 6:50 AM EST

Airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs

Several large airstrikes rocked the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday morning, shortly after the Israel Defense Forces issued new evacuation orders for people living in the southern suburbs of Dahiya.

Smoke rises after an Israeli airstrike on Dahiya in southern Beirut, Lebanon, on Nov. 12, 2024.
Bilal Hussein/AP

Dahiya -- known as a Hezbollah stronghold -- has borne the brunt of Israeli airstrikes on the capital. It was here that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by a massive Israeli attack in September.

The IDF has said it is targeting Hezbollah operatives, weapons manufacturing facilities and arms storage sites in the area.

Lebanese authorities say 3,200 people have been killed by Israeli strikes since cross-border fighting with Hezbollah flared again on Oct. 8, 2023.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti

Related Topics