US aircraft carrier strike group arrives in Middle East

The move was planned before the fall of the Assad regime, an official said.

Last Updated: December 16, 2024, 3:49 AM EST

Rebel forces in Syria captured the capital Damascus and toppled 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 also 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.

Dec 15, 2024, 5:05 PM EST

Gaza hospital director says his facility is being bombed 'around the clock'

The director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza said Sunday night that his medical complex and its surroundings are being bombed "around the clock."

Dr. Hossam Abu Safia, the hospital's director, alleged that his facility is under siege by Israeli quadcopters or armed drones.

On Sunday, all the hospital generators were damaged in the bombings, Safia said. He said people who tried to go fix the generators were targeted.

"We are being killed daily in the hospital, and we are currently suffering direct bombardment without any prior warning," Safia said.

He said there were 50 patients at the hospital, including people who were injured within the hospital complex.

The Israel Defense Forces has not issued recent comments about attacks on Kamal Adwan Hospital.

-ABC News' Samy Zyara

Dec 15, 2024, 1:08 PM EST

Netanyahu says he spoke with Trump on Syria

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday night released a video in Hebrew addressing Israel's actions in Syria. He says he discussed this with President-Elect Trump "last night." He called it a "very friendly, very warm and very important conversation," and said they spoke about "the need to complete Israel's victory," as well as freeing the hostages in Gaza.

On Syria, Netanyahu said he has instructed the Israel Defense Forces "to thwart potential threats from Syria, and to prevent terrorist elements from taking over near our border." He also said the IDF's airstrikes in Syria have destroyed "capabilities that the Assad regime had built over decades," as well as the "arms supply routes from Syria to Hezbollah."

Netanyahu said Israel has "no interest in confronting Syria" but also said Israel will continue to act to stop Hezbollah from rearming "as much as necessary, in every arena and at any time."

-ABC News' Bruno Nota

Dec 15, 2024, 11:28 AM EST

US aircraft carrier strike group enters Middle East

The USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier strike group has arrived in the Middle East, according to U.S. Central Command.

The move from the Mediterranean was planned before the fall of the Assad regime in Syria, a U.S. official told ABC News.

The Truman replaces the USS Abraham Lincoln, which left the region last month.

The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman leaves the French Mediterranean port of Marseille, on Dec. 3, 2024.
Gerard Bottino/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, FILE

-ABC News' Matt Seyler

Dec 15, 2024, 7:45 AM EST

46 people killed in Gaza in 24 hours, officials say

At least 46 people have been killed in Gaza in the last 24 hours according to the Gaza Ministry of Health in the Hamas-run territory.

Smoke rises above Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip as seen from near Kibbutz Nir Am in southern Israel, on Dec. 12, 2024.
Stoyan Nenov/Reuters

The expulsion of residents from the northern part of the strip continues amid Israel's intense offensive operation there, the Gaza Civil Defense reported.

The body said people sheltering at a school in Beit Hanoun -- on the northeastern tip of Gaza close to areas of intense fighting like Beit Lahia and Jabalia -- were forced to leave on Sunday morning, with young men arrested.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement that its troops "conducted a targeted raid on a terrorist meeting point in the Beit Hanoun area."

In coordination with warplanes, "the troops struck dozens of terrorists from both the air and ground and additional terrorists were apprehended," the IDF said.

-ABC News' Samy Zyara, Bruno Nota and Victoria Beaule

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