Houthi missile hits Tel Aviv, causes casualties

The Israel Defense Forces said it failed to intercept the projectile.

ByDavid Brennan and Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: December 23, 2024, 2:53 AM EST

Rebel forces in Syria are building a transitional government after toppling the regime of President Bashar Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country.

Meanwhile, the ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group. The Israel Defense Forces continues its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza.

Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Dec 18, 2024, 7:20 AM EST

US has unseen evidence of Assad atrocities, State Department says

In response to a question about the suspected mass graves being uncovered in Syria, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said Tuesday that the U.S. has evidence of other atrocities that occurred under toppled President Bashar Assad's regime that is not currently available to the public.

Syrian rebel fighters stand at a site identified as a mass grave for detainees killed under rule of former President Bashar Assad in Najha, south of Damascus, on Dec. 17, 2024.
Hussein Malla/AP

"When you look at the evidence that is coming out of Syria in the now 10 days since the Assad regime fell, it continues to shock the conscience," he said.

"And I'm referring not just to the mass graves that have been uncovered, but information that we have been gathering inside the United States government, including information that's not yet publicly known," Miller added.

"We just continue to see more and more evidence pile up of how brutal they were in mistreating their own people, in murdering and torturing their own people," Miller said.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

Dec 18, 2024, 7:13 AM EST

US in 'intense' talks to prevent escalating conflict in north Syria

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters Tuesday that "fairly intense diplomatic discussions" aimed at staving off renewed fighting between Turkey plus its allied militias and the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in northern Syria were ongoing.

Members of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces stand together as they hold their weapons in Hasaka, Syria, on Dec. 6, 2024.
Orhan Qereman/Reuters

"We continue to engage with Turkey about the situation in northern Syria," Miller said. "As you know, we worked out a ceasefire for the area around Manbij. That ceasefire has been holding. It had expired. It has been extended until the end of this week, and we continue to engage with the SDF, with Turkey about a path forward," he said.

Although the U.S. is allied with the SDF, Miller described Turkey's concern about the terror threat posed by the Kurdistan Workers' Party -- a U.S.-designated terror group which Turkey claims is directly linked to the SDF -- as "very legitimate."

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

Dec 18, 2024, 6:58 AM EST

38 Palestinians killed in Gaza strikes, officials say

At least 38 Palestinians were killed and more than 200 injured in the past 24 hours of Israeli strikes in Gaza, according to Palestinian Civil Defence authorities in the Hamas-run territory.

Mourners pray next to the body of Palestinian woman, Hanaa Mansour, who was killed in an Israeli strike on a tent camp sheltering displaced people, at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, on Dec. 18, 2024.
Hatem Khaled/Reuters

The Israel Defense Forces also issued a new evacuation order for Palestinians residing in the Bureij area in the center of the strip.

-ABC News' Diaa Ostaz and Joe Simonetti

Dec 18, 2024, 6:35 AM EST

IDF removes alleged Israeli settlers from south Lebanon

The Israel Defense Forces told ABC News on Wednesday it "removed from the area" a group of alleged Israeli settlers that crossed into Lebanese territory.

This photo shows a view of destruction in southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel, on Nov. 18, 2024.
Thomas Peter/Reuters

"The preliminary investigation indicates that the civilians indeed crossed the blue line by a few meters and after being identified by IDF forces, they were removed from the area," the IDF said in a statemen.

"This is a serious incident that is being investigated," the IDF added. "Any attempt to approach or cross the border into Lebanese territory without coordination poses a life-threatening risk and interferes with the IDF's ability to operate in the area and carry out its mission."

The south of Lebanon remains under IDF evacuation orders following Israel's recent ground offensive there. Israeli forces have committed to withdrawing from all Lebanese territory within 60 days of a ceasefire that came into force on Nov. 27.

-ABC News' Anna Burd and Joe Simonetti

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