Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: Officials say 87 killed in Israeli strikes on Beit Lahia

Hezbollah in Lebanon launches rocket attacks on Israel, IDF says.

Last Updated: October 20, 2024, 3:20 PM EDT

Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind behind the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, was killed this week in a firefight with Israeli forces, officials said.

The development comes as Israel continues intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The uptick in offensive operations came as Israeli leaders planned their response to Iran's latest ballistic missile attack.

Oct 16, 2024, 3:50 PM EDT

90% of internally displaced in Lebanon in urgent need of food, shelter

Nearly 90% of those internally displaced in Lebanon are in urgent need of food and shelter, according to a report conducted by the International Rescue Committee.

Internally displaced people sheltering in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, Bekaa, Baalbak, Akkar and the north "don’t have access to enough food, water or critical items such as blankets to keep them warm at night," according to the report.

Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced in Lebanon and over 2,200 people have been killed as the conflict continues to expand, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

In a picture taken from Lebanon's southern city of Tyre shows a smoke plume erupting following an Israeli air strike on the village of Tayrdebba, Oct. 16, 2024.
Kawnat Haju/AFP via Getty Images

The primary concern among displaced people is finding safe places for their children and families, according to the IRC.

"Many people are still living on the streets and in public spaces since the shelters in their area are full. As winter approaches, those who are unable to find adequate shelter will be vulnerable to the elements and at heightened risk of getting sick. For Syrian refugees living in Lebanon the situation is particularly dire. Many are unable to access collective shelters, leaving an already highly vulnerable population without safe options," Juan Gabriel Wells, the IRC country director in Lebanon, said.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Oct 16, 2024, 1:20 PM EDT

Netanyahu says Israel won't accept 'unilateral cease-fire' in Lebanon

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is opposed to a "unilateral cease-fire" in Lebanon during a call with French President Emmanuel Macron, according to a statement from Netanyahu's office.

"The Prime Minister said in the conversation that he is opposed to a unilateral cease-fire, which does not change the security situation in Lebanon, and which will only return it to the way it was," the statement said.

Netanyahu "made it clear" that Israel won't accept a cease-fire deal in Lebanon "that would not prevent Hezbollah from reorganizing and rearming," the statement said.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Oct 16, 2024, 1:20 PM EDT

Israel says it killed Hezbollah commander in strike on southern Lebanon

Israel said it killed Hezbollah commander Jalal Mustafa Hariri in a strike on southern Lebanon Wednesday. Hezbollah has not confirmed the death of the commander.

Three people were killed and 54 others were injured in a strike in the Qana and Nabatieh areas, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.

-ABC News' Dorit Long and Josiane Hajj Moussa

Oct 16, 2024, 12:58 PM EDT

US announces more sanctions against Hezbollah, Syrian regime

The U.S. has announced another round of sanctions targeting several individuals and companies it accuses of generating funds for Hezbollah's operations by helping the terror group evade existing financial restrictions.

The Biden administration also announced sanctions against three individuals allegedly involved in the production and trafficking of captagon, a synthetic amphetamine-type stimulant that it says "harms communities and countries across the region and beyond and is a source of funding for the Syrian regime and its backers," which include Hezbollah.

"The United States is steadfast in our commitment to disrupt Hizballah’s access to the international financial system and its various methods of generating revenue, which the Iran-backed group uses to fund its violence. We will also continue to target the illicit captagon trade in the region, which has become an illicit billion-dollar enterprise operated in part by senior members of the Syrian regime," the administration said in a statement.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Kingston

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