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Israel-Gaza-Lebanon live updates: Drone strike targets Netanyahu's house

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by Israeli forces in Gaza.

Last Updated: October 19, 2024, 2:43 PM EDT

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, was killed this week in a firefight with Israeli forces, officials said.

The development comes as Israel continues intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The uptick in offensive operations came as Israeli leaders planned their response to Iran's latest ballistic missile attack.

5:41 AM EDT

Drone strike launched from Lebanon toward Netanyahu's home, no casualties reported

Three drones launched from Lebanon crossed into Israeli territory early Saturday, according to the Israel Defense Forces. Two of the drones were intercepted while the third hit a structure in the area of Caesarea, a coastal town in northwestern Israel. No injuries were reported, the IDF said.

A spokesperson for the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed in a statement that Netanyahu’s private residence was the target of a drone attack, but that the prime minister and his wife were not home at the time and there were no casualties.

No group has claimed responsibility. Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has not commented.

Oct 18, 2024, 5:06 PM EDT

Targeting of UN peacekeeping forces in Lebanon is 'absolutely unacceptable,' Italian prime minister says

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni visited Lebanon Friday, calling the targeting of United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon -- peacekeeping forces -- "absolutely unacceptable."

"We are committed to discussing the issue of the displaced in Lebanon at a European level,” Meloni sad.

Meloni called for a 21-day cease-fire after meeting with Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

Fighting continued in Lebanon on Friday with the Israel Defense Forces issuing more evacuation orders in southern Lebanon and calling up an "additional reserve brigade" for "operational missions" in northern Israel.

There were 87 airstrikes over the past 24 hours, according to the Lebanese prime minister's office said. Six people were killed and 69 others were wounded in the strikes. Over 2,400 people have been killed and over 11,300 were wounded since Israel began its increased attacks on Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Ministry Public of Health.

-ABC News' Ellie Kaufman

Oct 18, 2024, 2:00 PM EDT

Sinwar killed using tank after exchange of fire with Israeli soldiers, IDF says

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar was killed by tank fire that targeted a building he was inside after Israeli soldiers and Hamas members exchanged fire on the streets of Rafah Wednesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces.

Two of the Hamas members were killed by IDF soldiers in the exchange of fire before a third Hamas member ran into a building. Israeli forces then sent a drone into the building for surveillance, which they used to determine that the third Hamas fighter was still alive inside.

IDF Chief of the General Staff Herzl Halevi and other officers tour the scene of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s death in Rafah, Oct 17, 2024.
Israel Defense Forces

The IDF then used a tank to fire at the building, "eliminating" the person inside, the IDF said. The IDF did not get Sinwar's body and positively identify him until Thursday.

Sinwar was found with a handgun and documents that are also being analyzed, the IDF said.

-ABC News' Dorit Long

Oct 18, 2024, 1:13 PM EDT

Biden says cease-fire in Lebanon a 'possibility,' but 'harder in Gaza'

President Joe Biden is now on his way back to the U.S. after wrapping his day in Berlin meeting with Quad leaders, saying there is a “possibility” of working toward a cease-fire in both Lebanon and Gaza.

"We think there is a road to peace there,” Biden said before boarding Air Force One in Berlin, but cautioned that "it's going to be harder, it's going to be difficult."

"There's an opportunity, in my view, and my colleagues agree, that we can probably deal with Israel and Iran in a way that is -- ends the conflict for a while."

He said there’s also a "possibility of working towards a cease-fire in Lebanon," but it will be "harder in Gaza."

President Joe Biden speaks to journalists before boarding Air Force One at Berlin-Brandenburg Airport in Schoenefeld, southeast of the German capital, on Oct. 18, 2024, at the end of his state visit to Germany.
Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Biden also said he understands what Israel will do regarding a retaliatory strike against Iran and when they will respond, though he did not reveal any of the options or timing.

A reporter asked, "Do you have a good understanding right now what Israel is going to do in response to Iran's Oct. 1 attacks and when they will actually respond to Iran?"

"Yes and yes," Biden said.

-ABC News' Justin Ryan Gomez

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