Middle East: Israeli military warns Lebanese not to go south

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for "an immediate ceasefire and the unconditional release of all hostages; an end to the unlawful occupation of the Palestinian territory."

He made the appeal as the UN marked the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People.

Guterres said nothing justified the October 7 terror attacks by Hamas and the taking of hostages, adding, "nothing justifies the collective punishment of the Palestinian people."

He said it was "appalling and inexcusable" that over 43,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, were killed. He said the humanitarian crisis there was worsening.

"Meanwhile, in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Israeli military operations, settlement expansion, evictions, demolitions, settler violence, and threats of annexation are inflicting further pain and injustice."

At least eight people were wounded when a man opened fire on an Israeli bus near the Jewish settlement of Ariel in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

Israel's Magen David Adom ambulance service said four people suffered gunshot wounds, with three in serious condition, while four others were hurt by flying glass.

The attacker was shot dead at the scene. There was no initial information about his identity.

The Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied factions seized dozens of towns and villages in government-held parts of Syria's north and northwest, a war monitor said Friday.

"More than 50 villages and towns in the Aleppo and Idlib regions are now under the control of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham and allied factions," Rami Abdel Rahman, who heads the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor, told AFP.

The fighting between the militants and Syrian leader Bashar Assad's forces, backed by Russian allies, has forced 14,000 people to flee their homes, activists and the UN said.

The battle started on Wednesday in areas controlled by HTS. Groups from the rebel Syrian National Army joined the fight in the most intense clashes seen in years.

Russia and Iran began supporting the Syrian government after anti-government protests turned into war in 2011. Turkey has backed opposition groups and established a military presence in northwestern Syria, while the United States has supported Syrian Kurdish forces fighting Islamic State militants in the east.

Lebanese residents cannot enter roughly 60 southern villages near the border until further notice, Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in Arabic on social media.

He warned that anyone who moves to the area in the south "puts themselves in danger."

The locations in the restricted zone are all on or south of the Litani River. 

Under a truce reached on Wednesday, Hezbollah and Israeli forces were to withdraw from southern Lebanon, and the Lebanese military was to step in.

On Thursday, the Israeli military and Hezbollah militants accused each other of breaching a ceasefire that aims to halt over a year of fighting.

Tens of thousands of Lebanese headed south on Wednesday and Thursday after the 60-day ceasefire came into effect.

Iran was set to hold talks with Britain, France, and Germany in Geneva on Friday regarding its nuclear program. The UN watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), recently adopted a censure against Iran proposed by the three European nations.

Following the censure, Iran announced it would activate new centrifuges for uranium enrichment. Experts note that more than 90% purity is required for nuclear weapons, although Iran maintains its nuclear program is solely for non-military purposes.

Friday's meeting occurs amid heightened tensions in the Middle East between Iran and its proxies and Israel. On Thursday night, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel would do "everything" to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon.

"I will use all the resources that can be used," Netanyahu told Israeli broadcaster Channel 14.

Israel's military says it fired on suspects at several locations at the Lebanese border for breaching the terms of the truce. The Lebanese military accused Israel of violating the ceasefire "several times." The ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah began early in the morning on Wednesday.

The conditions for survival are diminishing in the northern Gaza Strip, according to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). The agency said that the UN had attempted to reach these areas 91 times to assist since October 6, but these were "denied" 82 times and "impeded" nine times. Both Israel and aid agencies have noted widespread looting by armed gangs as well as desperate civilians.

New York police arrested a group of pro-Palestinian protesters who briefly interrupted the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

They attempted to block the parade route just ahead of the Ronald McDonald float. "The demonstrators were taken into custody without incident," the New York Police Department said in a statement.

lo/zc (AFP, AP, Reuters, dpa)