Middle East updates: Netanyahu vows to eliminate Hamas
Published July 1, 2024last updated July 1, 2024
What you need to know
- Israeli PM Netanyahu says determined to eliminate Hamas militants in Gaza
- US military destroys three Houthi crewless vessels in the Red Sea
Here is a roundup of developments from the Israel-Hamas warand the wider Middle East region on Monday, July 1:
Israel says 18 soldiers injured in occupied Golan Heights
Israel's military said on Sunday that 18 of its soldiers were injured, one of them seriously, when a drone struck their position in the occupied Golan Heights, bordering Lebanon.
The Israeli Defence Force (IDF) said in a statement that the strike had happened earlier on Sunday. The IDF had struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon with air strikes and artillery fire.
Lebanese Iran-backed militia group Hezbollah and Israel have traded cross-border fire since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.
But fighting there has intensified recently, with the US, Germany and Turkey urging caution.
The US and Germany have cautioned against the consequences of the expansion of war, while Turkey has pledged solidarity with Lebanon and called on other regional players to join in.
US military destroys three Houthi crewless vessels
The US military said it destroyed three Houthi uncrewed surface vessels (USVs) in a span of 24 hours in the Red Sea.
"It was determined the USVs presented an imminent threat to US and coalition forces, and merchant vessels in the region," the US Central Command said in a post on X.
"This continued malign and reckless behavior by the Iranian-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and endangers the lives of mariners across the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden," the post read.
Netanyahu vows to defeat Hamas, bring all hostages home
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during his weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday that he was committed to seeing Hamas militants defeated in Gaza.
"We are committed to fighting until we achieve all of our objectives: Eliminating Hamas, returning all of our hostages, ensuring that Gaza never again constitutes a threat to Israel and returning our residents securely to their homes in the south and the north," he said.
He added that "dozens of terrorists are being eliminated every day."
The conflict in Gaza, triggered by Hamas' attack into Israel on October 7, has killed 38,000 people in the enclave so far, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.
"Hamas is the only obstacle to the release of our hostages," Netanyahu added at the meeting. Hamas is classified as a terrorist organization by many governments including the US, Israel and others.
Israeli forces on Sunday advanced into Shejaiya, a neighborhood in Gaza City in the north, as well as pushed deeper into western and central Rafah in the south.
mk/rm (AP, AFP, Reuters, dpa)