Middle East crisis live: Iranian-backed militias reportedly enter Syria to back Assad’s army | World news
Key events
Israel’s military has announced that it believes hostage Capt Omer Neutra, an Israeli soldier abducted into Gaza on 7 October 2023, is dead, and was killed on the morning of the attack. His body remains held in Gaza.
Recently appointed defense minister Israel Katz has posted to social media to offer his “deepest condolences” to the Neutra family.
He described the US-Israeli, who was born in New York, as representing “the good and strong in our nation” who “sacrificed his life for the security of the state of Israel against the worst of our enemies.”
Iran’s military consultants remain in Syria at Damascus’ request, Reuters reports Iran’s foreign ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said on Monday.
In a statement Israel’s military has said that warning sirens that sounded overnight in Hanita, a kibbutz close to Lebanon, were “determined to be a false alarm”.
Israel prohibits Lebanese civilians from returning to their villages in the south
Israel has issued an order prohibiting the inhabitants of dozens of villages in the south of the country from returning to their homes.
In a message posted to social media, Israel’s Arabic language spokesperson issued a map of the prohibited area and said “The IDF does not intend to target you and therefore you are prohibited at this stage from returning to your homes from this line south until further notice.”
Israeli-issued map forbidding Lebanese civilians returning to their villages Photograph: IDF
Under the terms of the ceasefire agreement, which came into effect on 27 November, Israel has 60 days to withdraw its forces from the country, while the Lebanese army is expected to deploy into the region.
Tens of thousands of Lebanese people and tens of thousands of Israelis on either side of the UN-drawn blue line that separates the two countries had been forced to flee their homes after over a year of near constant exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and the IDF.
Overnight Israel’s chief of staff Herzi Halevi justified continued military activity inside the Israeli-occupied West Bank, saying “We don’t wait for terrorists.”
Speaking after the IDF mounted an operation inside occupied Jenin, Halevi said in a statement:
We don’t wait for terrorists; we reach wherever necessary – until we eliminate those who threaten our security. Initiative and proactive action are the key to our successes here. The offensive and pre-emptive efforts, such as this morning’s strike, enable us to continue fighting effectively in Lebanon, Gaza, and even in more distant arenas.
Palestinians inspect a vehicle targeted near Israeli-occupied Jenin by Israeli forces. Photograph: Nasser Ishtayeh/SOPA Images/REX/Shutterstock
Iranian news agency Tasnim is carrying a read-out of a call between Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian and Iraq’s prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani.
It reports that Pezeshkian said “As the region was moving towards relative calm following the ceasefire in Lebanon, and attention was turning to Gaza, the recent events in Syria caused serious concerns about regional security.”
It reports Pezeshkian said it was “essential for the Islamic community to unite and work together to prevent the spread of terrorism in the region,” and he suggested that Israel was attempting to spread “insecurity, discord, and conflict within Islamic countries.”
Iranian-backed militias entered Syria overnight to support Assad's army – reports
Iranian-backed militias entered Syria overnight from Iraq and were heading to northern Syria to reinforce Syrian army forces battling insurgents, two Syrian army sources have told Reuters.
“These are fresh reinforcements being sent to aid our comrades on the frontlines in the north,” a senior army source told the news agency.
Pro-Assad media in Syria, citing health minister Dr Ahmed Damiriyeh, report that ambulances and the emergency services in Aleppo have resumed their work after being out of commission for two days following attacks. The claims have not been independently verified.
Overnight Syria’s national news agency reported that the telephone network in Aleppo, which has falling to insurgent forces, “has suffered significant damage and several exchanges have gone out of service.”
Welcome and opening summary …
Welcome to our ongoing coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. Here are the headlines …
Iranian-backed militias entered Syria overnight from Iraq and were heading to northern Syria to reinforce beleaguered Syrian army forces battling insurgents
A US-backed, Kurdish-led force in Syria is seeking to evacuate Kurds in parts of Aleppo to safe areas, its chief said Monday, after pro-Turkey rebels seized a town where tens of thousands of Kurds were living
Iranian foreign minister Abbas Araghchi travelled to the Syrian capital Damascus, where he told reporters in Iran the purpose of his visit was to convey the strength of Tehran’s backing for Syrian president Bashar al-Assad and his rule
Assad, whose regime is also backed by Moscow, has vowed to “defend [Syria’s] stability and territorial integrity in the face of all terrorists and their backers”
Turkey’s top diplomat discussed the shock rebel offensive in Syria with US secretary of state Antony Blinken, saying Ankara would support moves “to reduce tension” in the war-torn country. In a phone call, foreign minister Hakan Fidan told Blinken Turkey was “against any development that would increase instability in the region”
The international criminal court’s member states open their annual meeting Monday. The assembly of states parties, which represents the ICC’s 124 member countries, will convene its 23rd conference to elect committee members and approve the court’s budget
Israel is reportedly closely monitoring developments in the Syrian uprising, fearing that Iran may send significant forces into the country. Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu held a second meeting about Syria last might, amid fears Iranian troops could be deployed next to Israel’s borders and that Tehran might use it as an opportunity to deliver weapons to Hezbollah in Lebanon
Netanyahu’s wife Sara Netanyahu met with US president-elect Donald Trump on Sunday, in an event he held in his golf course in Florida
