Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: Netanyahu claims UN peacekeepers acting as 'human shields' for Hezbollah
U.N. peacekeepers claim IDF tanks breached their base in southern Lebanon.
The Israel Defense Forces continued intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
The uptick in offensive operations came days after Israel marked the anniversary of Hamas' Oct. 7 assault and as Israeli leaders planned their response to last week's Iranian ballistic missile attack.
Key Headlines
- 51 killed, 174 injured in Lebanon on Saturday: Lebanese Ministry of Health
- Gallant describes southern Lebanon villages as 'military targets'
- Pentagon will deploy THAAD air defense system to Israel
- UN claims IDF tanks forcefully breached its peacekeeping base in southern Lebanon
- Netanyahu claims UN peacekeepers acting as 'human shields' for Hezbollah
Biden to speak with Netanyahu Wednesday, source says
President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are expected to speak Wednesday, a source familiar with the plans told ABC News.
The conversation will be the first publicly announced talks between the leaders in months.
Biden has told reporters for weeks that he would speak to the Israeli leader as escalation in the region intensified. The planned call was first reported by Axios.
-ABC News' Michelle Stoddart
Stabbing attack wounds several in Israel
Six people were injured -- two seriously -- in a stabbing attack in the Israeli city of Hadera on Wednesday, Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said.
Police described the incident as a terrorist attack and said one attacker was "neutralized" while trying to flee the scene. The suspect is 36 years old and is an Israeli national, police said.
Hadera is a coastal city located between Haifa and Tel Aviv.
-ABC News’ Jordana Miller and Joe Simonetti
Israel continues Beirut airstrikes
The Israel Defense Forces continued its bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs overnight into Wednesday, with a focus on the Hezbollah-controlled Dahiya area.
Lebanon's health ministry also said 36 people were killed and 150 wounded in Israeli attacks on Monday.
The total number of people killed by Israel in Lebanon rose to 2,119 and the number of wounded to 1,019, health officials said.
-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz and Joe Simonetti
Gaza death toll passes 42,000, health officials say
The Hamas-controlled Health Ministry in Gaza announced Wednesday that the Palestinian death toll in the strip since Oct. 7, 2023 has now passed 42,000.
Health authorities reported 42,010 Palestinians killed and 97,720 wounded since the start of the war. Thousands more bodies are believed to still be under rubble in the devastated territory.
-ABC News’ Lama Hasan and Joe Simonetti