Israeli Military Says it Killed 'Islamic Jihad' Member in West Bank Air Strike

The rubble of destroyed structures during an Israeli military operation in the Al Nusairat refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 19 February 2024. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
The rubble of destroyed structures during an Israeli military operation in the Al Nusairat refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 19 February 2024. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
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Israeli Military Says it Killed 'Islamic Jihad' Member in West Bank Air Strike

The rubble of destroyed structures during an Israeli military operation in the Al Nusairat refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 19 February 2024. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER
The rubble of destroyed structures during an Israeli military operation in the Al Nusairat refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, 19 February 2024. EPA/MOHAMMED SABER

The Israeli military said on Friday it had targeted a member from the Islamic Jihad group in an air strike in the occupied West Bank who was on his way to carry out an attack.
The Palestinian news agency WAFA said a 17-year-old was also killed in the strike late on Thursday in the city of Jenin, with more than a dozen others injured.
The Israeli military said the strike targeted Yasser Hanoun, who had carried out several shooting attacks over the past few weeks, reported Reuters.
Violence in the West Bank, among the territories which the Palestinians want for an independent state, was on the rise before the Gaza war and has increased since, with frequent Israeli arrest raids and often deadly clashes.
Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after fighters from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies.
The offensive against Hamas has killed more than 29,000 Palestinians, according to local authorities, laying waste much of the enclave to waste and displacing most of its 2.3 million population.
Israel says its goal is to eliminate Hamas, a group sworn to Israel's destruction.



US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
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US Defers Removal of Some Lebanese, Citing Israel-Hezbollah Tensions

Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)
Smoke billows from a site targeted by Lebanon's Hezbollah, along the northern Israeli border with Lebanon on July 25, 2024, amid ongoing cross-border clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters. (AFP)

The United States is deferring the removal of certain Lebanese citizens from the country, President Joe Biden said on Friday, citing humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon amid tensions between Israel and Hezbollah.

The deferred designation, which lasts 18 months, allows Lebanese citizens to remain in the country with the right to work, according to a memorandum Biden sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

"Humanitarian conditions in southern Lebanon have significantly deteriorated due to tensions between Hezbollah and Israel," Biden said in the memo.

"While I remain focused on de-escalating the situation and improving humanitarian conditions, many civilians remain in danger; therefore, I am directing the deferral of removal of certain Lebanese nationals who are present in the United States."

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire since Hezbollah announced a "support front" with Palestinians shortly after its ally Hamas attacked southern Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, triggering Israel's military assault in Gaza.

The fighting in Lebanon has killed more than 100 civilians and more than 300 Hezbollah fighters, according to a Reuters tally, and led to levels of destruction in Lebanese border towns and villages not seen since the 2006 Israel-Lebanon war.

On the Israeli side, 10 Israeli civilians, a foreign agricultural worker and 20 Israeli soldiers have been killed. Tens of thousands have been evacuated from both sides of the border.