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Hezbollah Rockets Kill 7 as US Officials Meet Israeli Counterparts in Jerusalem to Discuss Truce Deal
Senior US and Israeli officials meet in Jerusalem, Oct. 31, 2024. Photo: Ma’ayan Toaf (GPO)
Senior US officials Amos Hochstein and Brett McGurk arrived in Israel on Thursday to discuss a proposed agreement to de-escalate hostilities with the Hezbollah terrorist group which, according to a leaked draft, would have Israel withdraw from southern Lebanon within a week of signing.
The eight-page draft, which was exposed by Israel’s Kan public broadcaster, stipulated that Israel would retain the right to conduct targeted strikes against imminent threats for a 60-day period. The agreement also outlined the deployment of the Lebanese Army, alongside UNIFIL, the UN’s peacekeeping force in Lebanon, in dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure and blocking unauthorized weapons and ammunition from entering the country.
Throughout the day, US Special Envoy Hochstein and McGurk, who is President Joe Biden’s Middle East adviser, held meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Shin Bet Director Ronan Bar, Mossad Director David Barnea, and other senior Israeli officials.
The meetings came amid ongoing rocket barrages from Iran-backed Hezbollah into northern Israel which killed seven people and wounded several more. One incident in Metula, which is largely evacuated due to the conflict, killed farmer Omer Weinstein and four of his foreign workers. In a second incident, a 60-year-old and her 30-year-old son were killed in an olive grove near Shfaram from a Hezbollah rocket.
Avi Melamed, a former Israeli intelligence officer and Middle East expert, said all indications pointed to Hezbollah, which wields significant influence in southern Lebanon, signing a ceasefire deal but that in the meantime, the Iran-backed terror group was employing its remaining capabilities in a “rearguard battle” to preserve some leverage.
Even Naim Qassem, who took over from his slain predecessor Hassan Nasrallah as Hezbollah chief, seemed inclined to a ceasefire, despite a fiery first speech in which he threatened Netanyahu’s life.
“He’s trying to save face, but it’s quite clear that Hezbollah ultimately wants to reach some kind of deal to end this matter,” Melamed told The Algemeiner.
“In the eyes of the Arab world, Hezbollah is the defeated party in this war,” he added.
The group had sustained heavy losses and large swaths of south Lebanon have been entirely decimated. According to Melamed, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) was now shifting its focus to striking strategic Hezbollah strongholds such as Baalbek and Qusair — a key city on the Syria-Lebanon border that Hezbollah captured a decade ago during the Syrian civil war and is now using as a transit point for the smuggling of weapons and fighters. The strikes are intended to further degrade Hezbollah’s military assets and increase pressure on the organization to negotiate from a weakened position.
Meanwhile, the IDF confirmed on Thursday that an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon killed Mohammed Khalil Alian, a Hezbollah regional commander overseeing anti-tank missile operations. Alian was targeted in the village of Burj Qallawiyah, where he led Hezbollah’s “Nasser” unit in the Hajir area, a division responsible for many of the rocket, mortar, UAV, and anti-tank missile launches into northern Israel.
Some 70,000 residents of Israel’s north have been evacuated from their homes for over a year, after Hezbollah began launching rockets into the region. The Israeli government has vowed to take whatever measures are necessary, including military action, to ensure the displaced persons can return.
Raz Malka, representing Lobby 1701 — a group formed after the war’s outbreak to advocate for Israel’s northern evacuees — expressed skepticism about the proposed ceasefire agreement.
“We have seven casualties in the north, so it doesn’t feel like it’s safe right now to go back, especially with this agreement,” he told The Algemeiner.
“It’s worth almost nothing,” he said, adding his hope that the Israeli government will ensure the IDF upholds its responsibility to protect the security of northern residents.
The post Hezbollah Rockets Kill 7 as US Officials Meet Israeli Counterparts in Jerusalem to Discuss Truce Deal first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Trump Administration Reaffirms Opposition to Turkey Rejoining F-35 Program
A Lockheed Martin F-35 aircraft is seen at the ILA Air Show in Berlin, Germany, April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Axel Schmidt
The Trump administration has reaffirmed its opposition to Turkey’s rejoining the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program, citing Ankara’s possession of Russian S-400 missile defense systems.
In a letter sent on Wednesday to US Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH), a senior State Department official reiterated that Washington remains committed to enforcing the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which penalizes countries with financial ties to Russia’s defense sector.
“The Trump administration is fully committed to protecting US defense and intelligence assets and complying with US law, including CAATSA,” the letter read
The message, signed by Paul Guaglianone of the Bureau of Legislative Affairs, stated that Washington’s position “has not changed” and that Turkey’s continued possession of the Russian-supplied S-400 remains incompatible with US law and defense requirements. The official stressed that the Trump administration was fully committed to protecting American defense and intelligence assets while maintaining its obligations under the National Defense Authorization Act.
Despite the strained relationship, the letter emphasized that Turkey remains a longstanding NATO ally. US officials framed the relationship as critical to the security interests of both countries and signaled a willingness to maintain dialogue with Ankara.
In 2017, despite several US warnings, Ankara purchased the Russian S-400 surface-to-air missile system, leading to Turkey’s expulsion from the multibillion-dollar fighter jet program in 2019.
“The United States seeks to cooperate with Turkey on common priorities and to engage in dialogue to resolve disagreements,” Guaglianone wrote, while maintaining that Washington has “expressed our disapproval of Ankara’s acquisition of the S-400 and clearly conveyed steps that would need to be taken” in the sanctions review process.
The letter came after a bipartisan coalition of more than 40 US lawmakers pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier this month to prevent Turkey from rejoining the F-35 program, citing ongoing national security concerns and violations of US law. Members of Congress warned that lifting existing sanctions or readmitting Turkey to the US F-35 fifth-generation fighter program would “jeopardize the integrity of F-35 systems” and risk exposing sensitive US military technology to Russia.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed during a NATO summit in June that Ankara and Washington had begun discussing Turkey’s readmission into the program.
Under Section 1245 of the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act, the Pentagon is prohibited from transferring F-35 jets or related technology to Turkey unless Ankara no longer possesses the Russian-made S-400 system and provides assurances it will not acquire such equipment in the future. Because Turkey continues to retain the S-400, US officials are legally barred from approving its participation in the F-35 program.
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Israel Responds to Norway Donating Profits From World Cup Qualifying Matchup to Aid Gaza
Alexander Sørloth of Norway scores the 1-2 goal during the FIFA World Cup Qualifier football match between Israel and Norway on March 25, 2025, in Debrecen. Photo: VEGARD GRØTT/Bildbyran/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
The Israel Football Association has issued a statement in response to a decision by its Norwegian counterpart to give profits from their mutual World Cup qualifiying match to support humanitarian efforts in the Gaza Strip.
Norway will host Israel on Oct. 11 at the Ullevaal Stadion in Oslo, in the next round of the European qualifiers for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. On Tuesday, the Norwegian Football Association said it “cannot remain indifferent” to humanitarian suffering in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war, and announced that it will donate profits from the Oct. 11 game to aid humanitarian causes supporting Gaza.
“Neither we nor other organizations can remain indifferent to the humanitarian suffering and disproportionate attacks that the civilian population in Gaza has been exposed to for a long time,” said Norwegian Football Federation President Lise Klaveness. “Israel is part of FIFA’s and UEFA’s competitions and we have to deal with that. But we want to give the profit to a humanitarian organization that saves lives in Gaza every day and that contributes with active emergency aid on the ground.”
The Norwegian Football Association said it will reveal at a later date which humanitarian organization it will donate to. The association added that it is working with local police and UEFA to ensure the safety of players and fans at the Oct. 11 match in Oslo and will be taking “some extra security measures,” such as limiting capacity at the game. Tickets go on sale next week.
The Israeli Football Association responded on Wednesday in a statement to Telegraph Sport. It urged the Norwegian association to “make sure the money is not transferred to terrorist organizations or to whale hunting,” for which Norway has been criticized internationally. Israel also said it “would be nice” if the Norwegian Football Association would condemn the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
“We do not usually advise associations regarding the use of match revenue, even if it is obtained thanks to a match against our proud national team, but we will deviate from our custom this time: it would be nice if some of the amount were directed to try to finding a condemnation by the Norwegian FA of the Oct. 7 massacre that claimed the lives of hundreds of Israeli citizens and children, or action in favor of the release of 50 hostages – and please, make sure that the money is not transferred to terrorist organizations or to whale hunting,” the Israeli Football Association said in a statement. It also said it aims to gain 3 points at the October match.
Israel has been unable to host matches on its home soil for international competitions because of security concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war. It competed in a qualifying match against Norway in Hungary in March, which Norway won 4-2.
The Italian Soccer Coaches’ Association (AIAC) is demanding that Israel be suspended from international competitions ahead of Italy’s upcoming World Cup qualifiers against the Jewish state that are set for September and October. Italy is set to play Israel in Debrecen, Hungary, on Sept. 8, before hosting Israel in Udine on Oct. 14.
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Toronto Film Festival CEO Apologizes Again for Canceling, Then Rescheduling Screening of Oct. 7 Documentary
Skyline of Toronto, Canada. Photo Credit: Aaron Davis, Wikimedia Commons, June 2020.
The CEO of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has apologized again for the festival’s decision to cancel and then reschedule the screening of a documentary about the Hamas-led terrorist attack in Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.
“I want to apologize for any hurt, frustration, or disappointment that our communication about the film has caused, and for any mischaracterizations that have taken root,” Cameron Bailey said at a pre-festival event on Wednesday, according to The Canadian Press. “We’re working now — and we will be for a while — to clarify things and to repair relationships.”
Bailey made the comments during his first public appearance since the festival stirred controversy last week when it removed the documentary “The Road Between Us: The Ultimate Rescue” from its official lineup of films. Directed by Canadian filmmaker Barry Avrich, the documentary recounts how retired Israeli Army general Noam Tibon traveled from his home in Tel Aviv to the Nahal Oz kibbutz to rescue his son and his family from Hamas terrorists during the Oct. 7 attack. The film combines news interviews with footage from the deadly massacre.
Bailey said on Wednesday that TIFF originally wanted to showcase the film out of “a desire to share a painful but important story with audiences who choose to witness it,” as reported by The Canadian Press. “That commitment to challenging, relevant screen storytelling remains strong,” he added.
Festival organizers pulled the film last week because of issues with “legal clearance of all footage.” The move sparked widespread outrage from Jewish groups, entertainment industry leaders, and politicians. In response, Bailey apologized on Aug. 13 for disinviting the film and said TIFF was committed to working with the filmmakers to meet the festival’s screening requirements.
The next day, Bailey and Avrich announced in a joint statement that the film has officially rejoined the festival. They reached a resolution that clears up “important safety, legal, and programming concerns” regarding the film after hearing “pain and frustration” from the public, according to their statement.
“TIFF’s communication around [the film’s] requirements did not clearly articulate the concerns and roadblocks that arose and for that, we are sorry,” Bailet and Avrich said. “Both TIFF and the filmmakers have always been committed to presenting diverse perspectives and a belief in the power of storytelling to spark and encourage dialogue and understanding. We thank our audiences and community for their passion, honesty and belief in the importance of film.”
“The Road Between Us” is now slated to make its world premiere at TIFF on Sept. 10 at the Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. Tickets go on sale for the public on Monday. TIFF will run from Sept. 4-14.