Middle East latest: Rescue workers pull 30 bodies from apartments in Lebanon after Israeli strike

Lebanon’s Civil Defense service says they have pulled 30 bodies from the rubble of an apartment building that Israel struck the night before. Search efforts were ongoing Wednesday, and it was unclear how many survivors or bodies were still trapped under the rubble.

The airstrike Tuesday night came without warning. There was no statement from the Israeli military on the strike, and it was not immediately clear what the intended target was.

On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant in a surprise announcement that sparked protests across the country. Gallant's replacement is Foreign Minister Israel Katz, a longtime Netanyahu loyalist and veteran Cabinet minister.

While Netanyahu has called for continued military pressure on Hamas, Gallant said military force created the necessary conditions for at least a temporary diplomatic deal that could bring home hostages held by the militant group.

The Israel-Hamas war began after Palestinian militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting 250 others. Israel's military response in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 people, Palestinian health officials say. They do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of those killed were women and children.

Since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted in 2023, at least 3,000 people have been killed and some 13,500 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reported. A report by Lebanon's crisis response unit said 361,300 Syrians and over 177,800 Lebanese crossed into Syria between Sept. 23 and Nov. 1.

___

Here’s the latest:

BEIRUT — Hezbollah’s leader Naim Kassem said in a speech aired Wednesday the Lebanese militant group “is not basing its expectations on the results of the American elections.”

“We will make the enemy seek to demand an end to the aggression,” Kassem said, speaking from an undisclosed location in a pre-recorded televised address. “Our military capabilities are available for a long time, and we do not rely on the results of the American elections.”

His speech marked the 40-day mourning period since former Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut.

“Whether Harris wins or Trump wins, they have no value to us,” Kassem said.

He said that Hezbollah is open for cease-fire negotiations only once “the enemy stops its aggression.”

“The only thing that will stop the war is the battlefield,” he said.

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein visited Israel nearly a week ago, raising hopes for an imminent cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel. However, he immediately returned to the U.S. without traveling to Lebanon, which many saw as a sign of a setback.

As Kassem spoke, the Israeli army issued evacuation warnings for three buildings in Burj al-Barajneh, a district in Beirut’s southern suburbs with a strong Hezbollah presence. Since the hostilities escalation, the suburb has faced repeated Israeli strikes, which have leveled hundreds of buildings.

JERUSALEM — Sirens blared across northern and central Israel on Wednesday, including in the populous metropolitan area of Tel Aviv, as Hezbollah launched 10 rockets towards Israel.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue services said there were no reports of injuries.

A large portion of a rocket slammed into a parked car in the central Israeli city of Raanana. Rockets also struck an open area near Israel’s main airport, Israeli media reported, though the airport said flights were operating as normally.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue services said there were no injuries. Israeli police said they arrested 40 people during protests on Tuesday night when the demonstrators blocked Israel’s main highway in Tel Aviv.

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah continues to send dozens of rockets and drones towards Israel. The projectiles have killed 72 people in Israel so far, including 30 soldiers, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office.

BEIRUT — Lebanon’s Civil Defense service said Wednesday they have pulled 30 bodies and remains out of the rubble of an apartment building in the town of Barja that Israel struck the night before. Search efforts were ongoing.

The airstrike Tuesday hit an area that had not been regularly targeted by Israeli military operations. It came without warning. There was no statement from the Israeli military on the strike, and it was not immediately clear what the intended target was.

Civil defense official Mostafa Danaj said it was unclear how many survivors or bodies were still trapped under the rubble.

“We hope that there isn’t anyone else, but the neighbors have said that there are still people (missing),” he said.

Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militant group have been clashing for more than a year, since Hezbollah started firing rockets across the border on Oct. 8, 2023 — a day after the deadly Hamas-led incursion into southern Israel sparked the war in Gaza. The war on the Lebanese front has substantially escalated since mid-September, with Israel launching a massive aerial bombardment of much of Lebanon and a ground invasion.

More than 3,000 people have been killed by Israeli strikes in Lebanon, the vast majority of them since Sept. 23. Israel has said it targets Hezbollah militants and weapons caches, but hundreds of civilians have also been killed.

___

For more Middle East news: https://apnews.com/hub/middle-east

Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.