Morning Briefing: Oct. 14, 2024

ISTANBUL 

Here is a rundown of all the news you need to start your Monday with, including Israel preparing for potential strike on Iran in coordination with the US, Washington deploying a missile defense system in Israel, and Prime Minister Netanyahu urging the UN to get peacekeepers “out of harm’s way” in Lebanon.

TOP STORIES

The Israeli army is reportedly preparing for possible action against Iran in coordination with the United States following a retaliatory missile attack by Iran on Israel earlier this month.

Israel has “already decided on the type of response to Iran,” though the exact timing remains undecided, according to Channel 12. On Saturday evening, the Israeli army announced the deployment of the US-made THAAD missile defense system in Israel to counter potential long-range ballistic missile threats from Iran.

Channel 12 reported that the current THAAD deployment is part of Israel’s preparations for what is described as a “major” strike against Iran and the Israeli army is coordinating closely with the US, which will be notified prior to any action against Iran.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the United Nations to withdraw its peacekeeping mission from southern Lebanon amid a ground incursion in the area.

“It is time for you to withdraw UNIFIL from Hezbollah strongholds and from the areas of combat,” Netanyahu said in a Hebrew-language message to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“The IDF (Israeli army) has repeatedly asked for this, and has been met with repeated refusals, all aimed at providing a human shield to Hezbollah terrorists,” he claimed.

An Iranian missile attack on Israel has caused extensive damage worth around $53 million, according to Israeli media.

The Oct. 1 attack has caused estimated damage between 150 to 200 million shekels ($40 to $53 million), said Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper, citing property tax data.

“This was the largest damage caused by a single missile attack on Israel since the outbreak of the (Gaza) war on Oct. 7, 2023,” it added.

NEWS IN BRIEF

• The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon since last October rose to 2,306, with 10,698 others injured, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.
• Hamas described the Israeli army’s targeting of a group of children playing at the al-Shati refugee camp in western Gaza City a “horrific crime.”
• At least 18 Palestinians, including children and women, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a school housing displaced people in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.
• Türkiye said that Israel’s repeated attacks on the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) show that the Israeli government led by Benjamin Netanyahu intends to extend its occupation to Lebanon.
• A Starship rocket booster launched by SpaceX made a successful landing after its fifth test flight.
• At least 67 Israelis were injured, including four critically, in a Hezbollah drone attack on the city of Haifa in northern Israel, according to the Israeli Army Radio.
• Three Lebanese soldiers were injured in an Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon , the state news agency NNA reported.
• Turkish Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmus met with United Arab Emirates (UAE) Federal National Council Speaker Saqr Ghobash.
• Hezbollah accused Israel of shelling border towns in southern Lebanon with internationally banned cluster bombs.
• More than 300 people have been killed in Israel’s ongoing offensive in the northern Gaza Strip since last week, local authorities said.
• At least eight Palestinians were killed in Israeli artillery shelling in the central Gaza Strip, a medical source said.
• Thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters took to the streets across Australia, demanding a permanent cease-fire in the Middle East.
• Ukraine claimed that it downed over 30 Russian drones during an overnight attack.
• Somalia expressed gratitude to Türkiye’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) for its continued support in delivering critical humanitarian aid to remote areas with limited access to food donations.
• Russia claimed that it took control of another village in Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region.
• Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang has said that Beijing stands ready to promote “high-quality and high-level cooperation” in various fields with Vietnam, state media reported.
• North Korea warned that South Korea will face a “horrible disaster” if the latter’s drones are flown again over Pyongyang.

SPORTS

Turkish rider Toprak Razgatlioglu finished first in race two of the Round 11 of the 2024 Superbike World Championship (WorldSBK) in Portugal.

Razgatlioglu increased his points to 473 and has a 46-point lead over his rival, Ducati’s Nicolo Bulega, but he could not secure his second championship title a week earlier as the points gap remained less than 63.

“Everyone’s waiting for a very stressful weekend at Jerez. I’m more relaxed because I have a big gap in the points. I’ll just try to enjoy it at Jerez. In 2021, I remember the Championship finished at the final round,” Toprak, 27, said.

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