War Diary: Day 167
Tylia El Helou 2024-03-21 22:55 - Reading : less than a minute
This is Beirut brings you a daily recap of the situation in Gaza. Here are the main highlights for March 21st, 2024.
War in the Middle East
Collective Prayer at Jerusalem Western Wall for Israeli Hostages
This Is Beirut 2024-03-21 22:36 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Several thousand people took part in a Jewish prayer at the Western Wall in Jerusalem on Thursday, in solidarity with the hostages held in Gaza since October 7. Jewish communities around the world were called upon to join in this particular prayer, known as the Fast of Esther and broadcast live on the Internet, which culminates in a joint ...
Blinken Calls an All-Out Israeli Offensive on Rafah 'A Mistake'
This Is Beirut 2024-03-21 21:47 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said that a major military operation by Israel in Gaza's southernmost city of Rafah would be "a mistake." Blinken called on Thursday the looming ground offensive "unnecessary" in a joint press conference with his Egyptian counterpart in Cairo, adding, "There is a better way to deal with the ongoing threat ...
Blinken Resumes Middle East Tour and Calls for a Ceasefire
This Is Beirut 2024-03-21 19:36 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken began his tour of the Middle East on Wednesday, his sixth visit to the region since October 7. The aim is to reach an agreement for a temporary pause in the fighting in order to facilitate the release of hostages held by Hamas. During his tour of the Middle East, Antony Blinken met Saudi leaders in Jeddah on ...
French Foreign Ministry Committed to Preventing War in Lebanon
This Is Beirut 2024-03-21 19:33 - Reading : less than a minute
The French Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday its commitment to preventing escalation between Lebanon and Israel, stating that it is “actively engaged on all fronts to achieve this goal.” In an interview with the al-Hadath news channel, Christophe Lemoine, deputy spokesman for the French Foreign Ministry, emphasized France’s efforts ...
Violence Soars on Southern Front
This Is Beirut 2024-03-21 18:32 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Attacks on the southern front intensified on Thursday as the Israeli army targeted civilian homes. Israeli airstrikes struck Mays al-Jabal, targeting a house in its eastern neighborhood first, followed by another in Ras al-Dahr. The towns of Tayr Harfa, Aita al-Shaab and Yaroun were also subjected to attacks. Warplanes also bombed the town of ...
Why Did Hezbollah Deploy Heavily in Dahyeh Yesterday?
Joanne Naoum 2024-03-21 17:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
In a scene that raised concern among residents, masked and armed members of Hezbollah deployed heavily on Wednesday night in Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahyeh), checking people’s identities in a move aimed at tightening control over the party’s stronghold. Security concerns are the main motive for Hezbollah’s heightened control amid its ...
Multiple Deaths in Israeli Attacks on West Bank
This Is Beirut 2024-03-21 12:12 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
The death toll rose to four on Thursday in an Israeli operation in the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian Red Crescent said. "Palestine Red Crescent ambulance teams have just transported an 18-year-old young man who was killed by the Israeli occupation forces in Nur Shams camp," the group said on X, formerly ...
Unprecedented Move: US Resolution Calling For Immediate Ceasefire in Gaza
This Is Beirut 2024-03-21 11:28 - Reading : 3 minute(s)
The US has presented a revised UN Security Council resolution, on Thursday, calling for an "immediate ceasefire tied to the release of hostages." The United States has circulated a draft UN Security Council resolution calling for an "immediate ceasefire linked to the release of hostages" in the Gaza Strip, Secretary of State Antony Blinken ...
Israel Strikes Senior Palestinian Islamic Jihad Militant
This Is Beirut 2024-03-20 23:50 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
An Israeli strike on Wednesday killed three Palestinians in a car in the occupied West Bank, including a senior Islamic Jihad militant, the Palestinian health ministry said. AFP journalists saw a crowd gathered around the charred remains of a vehicle and blood on the pavement in the northern West Bank city of Jenin after the army said "an ...
Senate Democrats Call on Biden to Push for Palestinian State
This Is Beirut 2024-03-20 23:02 - Reading : 2 minute(s)
Benjamin Netanyahu Palestine Hamas
Over one-third of the Democratic members of the US Senate urged President Joe Biden's administration to pursue "bold" measures towards the establishment of a Palestinian state, marking the latest instance of resistance against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. More than a third of the US Senate's Democrats called on President Joe Biden's ...
Amal Fighter Killed on Southern Front
This Is Beirut 2024-03-20 22:39 - Reading : 1 minute(s)
Artillery fire exchange between Hezbollah and Israel intensified on Wednesday evening. An Amal fighter was killed in an air raid on a house in Kantara, which had been repeatedly targeted. Israel also bombed Kfar Kila, Aita al-Shaab and the outskirts of Wazzani for the second time on the same day. Earlier in the day, cattle breeders had been ...