Israel-Gaza updates: Netanyahu says Israel 'can't be flexible' on some issues

More cease-fire talks are set to take place in Cairo next week.

ByLeah Sarnoff, Meredith Deliso, Nadine El-Bawab, and David Brennan
Last Updated: August 18, 2024, 5:09 PM EDT

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, the U.S. military announced it is moving more forces to the Middle East.

The United States and its allies continue to plead for a cease-fire deal while Israel anticipates possible retaliatory action from Iran or Hezbollah following multiple assassinations of top Hamas and Hezbollah leaders in recent weeks.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Aug 12, 2024, 10:38 AM EDT

Hezbollah says it is still determined to attack Israel

While the weekend passed with no direct retaliation from Hezbollah for the killings of several top leaders by Israeli strikes, the group said it still plans to strike.

"The response is coming and inevitable and there is no turning back from it," Ali Damoush, the deputy chairman of the Executive Council of Hezbollah, said Monday.

A general view of St Paul Cathedral on Aug. 11, 2024, in Beirut, Lebanon.
Chris McGrath/Getty Images

The Hezbollah official saif America, Great Britain, Germany and everyone who supplies Israel with weapons is a partner in the Gaza massacres.

"Israel does not find any practical and serious response to its massacres, and this is what encourages it to continue committing crimes and massacres, and without effective pressure Netanyahu will not stop his crimes," Damoush claimed.

Aug 12, 2024, 8:29 AM EDT

Israeli Air Force bans travel abroad

Amid fears that an attack from Iran may be imminent, the commander of Israel’s Air Force, Maj. Gen. Tomer Bar, has issued an order barring servicemembers from traveling abroad. The directive applies to career officers and non-commissioned officers, not conscripts, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

This picture taken from a position in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon shows an Israeli Air Force fighter flying over the border area on Aug. 11, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah.
Jalaa Marey/AFP via Getty Images

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Aug 11, 2024, 10:02 PM EDT

US is 'strengthening' military force in Middle East over 'escalating' tensions

The U.S. is "strengthening" its capabilities in the Middle East by sending an additional guided missile submarine to the region "in light of escalating regional tensions," according to a statement from Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder issued on Sunday.

The update comes the same day Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant.

PHOTO: The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (L), the air-defense destroyer HMS Defender and the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut transit the Strait of Hormuz on Nov. 19, 2019. The U.S. will bolster its military presence in the Middle East.
The aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (L), the air-defense destroyer HMS Defender and the guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut transit the Strait of Hormuz on Nov. 19, 2019. The U.S. will bolster its military presence in the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Aug. 2, 2024.
Zachary Pearson/US Navy/AFP via Getty Images, FILE

"Secretary Austin reiterated the United States' commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel," according to the statement.

Secretary Austin ordered the USS Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, equipped with F-35C fighters, to accelerate its transit to the Middle East, which was previously expected to get there by the end of the month.

The Lincoln was already en route to replace the USS Theodore Roosevelt, but will now add to the capabilities of the Roosevelt

Additionally, Austin has ordered the USS Georgia guided missile submarine to the Middle East.

The statement doesn’t say how soon the Lincoln or the USS Georgia will arrive in the region.

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty

Aug 11, 2024, 8:16 PM EDT

Israeli forces intercept 'projectiles' crossing from Lebanon, no injuries: IDF

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted approximately 30 "projectiles" that were identified as crossing from Lebanon into northern Israel early Monday morning local time, the IDF said in a statement.

No injuries were reported from the attacks, the IDF said.

"The IDF is striking the sources of fire," the IDF added.

-ABC News' Dana Savir

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