Israel launched waves of deadly airstrikes across Lebanon's northeast that killed at least 45 people on Friday, authorities said, and transformed once-bustling neighbourhood blocks in Beirut's southern suburbs into smouldering ruins.
Meanwhile in central Gaza, Palestinians recovered the bodies of 25 people killed in a barrage of Israeli aerial attacks that began Thursday, hospital officials said. Israel said it targeted Hamas infrastructure near the Nuseirat refugee camp.
The latest violence comes against the backdrop of the Biden administration's renewed diplomatic push, days before the U.S. election, to reach temporary ceasefire deals. Israel has stepped up its offensive against Hamas' remaining fighters in Gaza, pulverizing areas in the north and raising fears of worsening humanitarian conditions for civilians still there.
Israel has broadened its strikes in Lebanon to bigger urban hubs, like Baalbek, in recent weeks after initially targeting smaller border villages in the south, where Hezbollah draws deep support. Iran-backed Hezbollah doubles as a major political party and provider of social services in Lebanon.
Hezbollah began firing rockets, drones and missiles from Lebanon into Israel in solidarity with Hamas immediately after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. This yearlong cross-border fighting boiled over to full-blown war on Oct. 1, when Israeli forces launched a ground invasion of southern Lebanon for the first time since 2006.
In Lebanon's northeast -- where small farming villages nestled between the country's mountain ranges had largely been spared the worst of Israeli bombardment until last month -- Israel conducted a series of heavy airstrikes Friday, killing at least 45 people, driving more families to flee with whatever they could carry and sending thick plumes of smoke over the horizon.
Intensified Israeli airstrikes on and around the northeastern city of Baalbek this week have prompted 60,000 people to flee their homes, emptying many small villages in the area, said Hussein Haj Hassan, a Lebanese lawmaker representing the region.
Rescuers searched for survivors after airstrikes killed seven people in Younine, a town in the Bekaa Valley, said Governor Bachir Khodr, and brought down a building believed to be housing 20 people. Further Israeli strikes in the northeast killed 11 people in the village of Amhaz, five people in the town of Nahleh and 14 others across the Bekaa Valley, Khodr added.
Lebanon's state-run National News Agency also reported four others killed in the small village of Ollak, bringing the total death toll from Friday's attacks on the Bekaa Valley to 45. There was no immediate comment from Israel on the deadly strikes.
In Lebanon's capital, Israeli planes pounded the southern suburb of Dahiyeh overnight and early Friday for the first time in four days, spreading panic after a rare lull. The Israeli military, which warned residents to evacuate at least nine locations in Dahiyeh, said it hit Hezbollah weapons manufacturing sites and command centers.
There were no reports of casualties from Dahiyeh, where fears of Israeli bombings drive a mass outflow of residents each night.
Bulldozers rumbled through clouds of dust and smoke Friday, clearing rubble from the pulverized roads where Israeli warplanes had reduced dozens of buildings to their skeletal remains.
Formerly home to families and businesses, mid-rise apartment blocks were left open to the breeze, walls blown off and furniture buried. Hezbollah supporters in several locations raised the group's bright yellow banner atop the rubble.
Since the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah erupted last year, more than 2,897 people have been killed and 13,150 wounded in Lebanon, the Health Ministry reports, not including Friday's toll. Health authorities say that a quarter of those killed were women and children.
Overall, UN agencies estimate that Israel's ground invasion and bombardment of Lebanon has displaced 1.4 million people. Residents of Israel's northern communities near Lebanon, roughly 60,000 people, have also been displaced for more than a year.
Hezbollah has continued firing rockets into northern Israel, with projectiles launched from Lebanon on Thursday carshing into agricultural areas and killing seven people, including four Thai farm workers.
Medic Abed Al Aziz Bardini mourns next to the body of his mother on Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024, in Deir al-Balah on the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Abed Al Kareem Hana)
Israel is also pressing on with its bombardment of Gaza on Friday, where a barrage of airstrikes hit central Gaza's Nuseirat refugee camp and killed at least 21 Palestinians -- including an 18-month-old and his 10-year-old sister -- according to health officials at the nearby Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Israeli strikes also hit a motorcycle in Zuwaida and a house in Deir al-Balah, killing four more people, hospital officials said, bringing the overall death toll in Gaza to 25 on Friday.
The Israeli military did not comment on the strikes outside Nuseirat camp. It said it was aware of reports of civilian casualties and was investigating. In a separate announcement, the army said an airstrike on a vehicle in Gaza's southern town of Khan Younis killed a senior member of the Hamas political bureau, Izz al-Din Kassab, and his assistant, Ayman Ayesh.
Hamas confirmed the death of Kassab, who was not well known to the public. Israel alleged he was a coordinator between militant groups in Gaza.
As U.S. diplomats left the region this week after a flurry of meetings with Israeli officials, there were no signs of a breakthrough on a ceasefire in either Lebanon or Gaza.
Hamas on Friday doubled down on its longstanding demands for a permanent ceasefire and complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, saying Israel offered only a temporary pause in the war and an increase in aid shipments in the latest negotiations. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
"The proposals do not meet the comprehensive needs of the Palestinian people in terms of security, stability, relief, and reconstruction," said senior Hamas official Bassem Naem, speaking first to the Hamas-run Al Aqsa TV before confirming the group's position to The Associated Press.
Israel's blistering war in Gaza has killed more than 43,000 Palestinians since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed roughly 1,200 people in Israel and took some 250 hostages back to Gaza.
Health officials inside Hamas-run Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, but say more than half of the dead in the enclave are women and children.
Israeli forces have recently shifted their attention to Hamas militants that they say have regrouped in northern Gaza, renewing an offensive that has trapped tens of thousands of people under intense bombardment without enough food or water.
Israeli airstrikes have repeatedly delayed an emergency polio vaccination campaign, which the World Health Organization announced it planned to finally launch on Saturday -- but only in Gaza City. Towns further north, like Jabaliya, Beit Lahiya and Beit Hanoun, remain inaccessible as Israel tightens its siege.
The UN and other humanitarian organizations warned on Friday that "the situation unfolding in north Gaza is apocalyptic," citing Israel's denial of humanitarian aid to the area, military raids on hospitals, air strikes on shelters and obstruction of Palestinian rescue teams who struggle to help survivors after Israeli attacks.
------
Associated Press writers Julia Frankel in Jerusalem, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, David Rising in Bangkok, Isabel DeBre in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Edith Lederer in New York and Jamey Keaten in Geneva contributed to this story.
Springfield, Ohio was once a manufacturing hub. Now, people know it for Trump's comments at September's presidential debate, when he famously - and falsely - told an audience of 67 million people that Haitians eat their pets, echoing claims that had circulated on social media.
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
An Ontario woman is facing serious charges after police allege she pretended to be a registered nurse at several Simcoe County facilities, despite being unqualified.
New Westminster Mayor Patrick Johnstone's all-expenses-paid trip to Dubai for a climate conference last December violated the city's Code of Conduct for Council Members and the Community Charter, the city's ethics commissioner has ruled.
A headset worn at home that zaps the brain with the energy of a 9-volt battery could help relieve symptoms of depression, a new study shows.
Hundreds of people are flocking to see a rare site in Pennsylvania: remnants of a historic town that is usually underwater.
In an interview with Business Insider, Longoria talked about investing in the 2014 hit movie after the budget fell short before filming began.
Democrats Abroad Canada is warning Americans that a potential postal workers strike this weekend could affect the ability to vote in next week's election.
An Edmonton Police Service officer was caught on camera running over a woman with a marked cruiser last month.
Someone spray-painted graffiti onto the home of Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim on Halloween – marking the latest in a string of incidents targeting the property this year.
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow is slamming the province's plan to unilaterally remove bike lanes along some of the city's major streets, calling it 'arbitrary' while warning that it could ultimately make congestion worse.
More than half of human trafficking incidents remained unsolved in Canada by police as the number of incidents increased over the past decade, according to new data released Friday.
Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.
In the early days of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Adam Oake, a Canadian with no prior military training, sold all of his Toronto Maple Leafs memorabilia to buy a plane ticket.
An appeal has been denied to extend the sentence of an Ontario trucker who killed a woman in his Edmonton hotel room in 2011.
Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is sending additional bomber aircraft and Navy warships to the Middle East to bolster the U.S. presence in the region as an aircraft carrier and its warships are preparing to leave, U.S. officials said Friday.
Springfield, Ohio was once a manufacturing hub. Now, people know it for Trump's comments at September's presidential debate, when he famously - and falsely - told an audience of 67 million people that Haitians eat their pets, echoing claims that had circulated on social media.
Democrats Abroad Canada is warning Americans that a potential postal workers strike this weekend could affect the ability to vote in next week's election.
China appears to have built a new and unusual aircraft carrier, intriguing experts with a potentially first-of-its-kind vessel that could further increase Beijing’s rapidly expanding maritime power.
White House press officials altered the official transcript of a call in which U.S. President Joe Biden appeared to take a swipe at supporters of Donald Trump, drawing objections from the federal workers who document such remarks for posterity, according to two U.S. government officials and an internal email obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.
A new Secret Service report into the July assassination attempt against former U.S. president Donald Trump said multiple staffers knew about clear line-of-sight risks but found them 'acceptable' and that farm equipment intended to obstruct the view from the nearby building where the gunman opened fire was never used.
An aggressive Chinese hacking campaign is the most active state cyber threat to Canada, the country's signals intelligence agency said on Wednesday, in the latest warning about clandestine activity by Beijing.
Canada will need a profound shift in political priorities if the country is to ramp up spending to meet its international security obligations.
Jagmeet Singh says the NDP will not support the Bloc Québécois and Conservative leaders to help them bring down the Liberal government.
A regional public health department in Idaho is no longer providing COVID-19 vaccines to residents in six counties after a narrow decision by its board.
A headset worn at home that zaps the brain with the energy of a 9-volt battery could help relieve symptoms of depression, a new study shows.
An Ontario woman is facing serious charges after police allege she pretended to be a registered nurse at several Simcoe County facilities, despite being unqualified.
Talented though they may be, monkeys will never type out the complete works of William Shakespeare, or even a short book, a new study suggests.
As Phobos, one of Mars’ two moons, passed in front of the sun, it cast a lumpy, potato-shaped shadow on the sun’s face as well as on the Martian surface.
The oldest known surviving tombstone in the United States is an elaborate display of wealth — an intricately carved slab of black limestone initially laid in the floor of the second church of Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent British settlement in North America.
'No Other Land,' has been hailed as one of the year's most powerful documentaries, but it's stoked controversy, prompted death threats for its makers and, despite the acclaim, remains without an American distributor.
In an interview with Business Insider, Longoria talked about investing in the 2014 hit movie after the budget fell short before filming began.
Mariah Carey is finally ready.
New changes are coming into effect that aim to protect bank customers in the event of a scam or address other bank-related issues.
Whichever candidate wins the U.S. president election next Tuesday, experts say investors will be relieved to shed some uncertainty over what kinds of policies to expect.
Air Canada on Friday raised its annual core profit forecast and announced share buybacks, as the country's largest carrier benefits from strong demand for international travel.
Befitting a pop icon at midlife, Hello Kitty's 50th birthday has brought museum exhibits, a theme park spectacle and a national tour.
Matthew Horsnell began falling asleep for no reason when he was in sixth grade.
An orphaned squirrel that became a social media star called Peanut was euthanized after state authorities seized the beloved pet during a raid on his caretaker's home, authorities said Friday.
The Los Angeles Dodgers, including Shohei Ohtani and his dog, celebrated their eighth World Series championship with a downtown parade and a raucous on-field party on Friday.
Hana Wakimoto shot a 4-under 68 on Friday to maintain her lead after the second round of the LPGA's Toto Japan Classic.
The Dodgers' most valuable pet: Decoy Ohtani, dog of Shohei, has become a fixture of Dodgers — and dog — fandom.
Toronto police say 59 suspects are facing a total of 300 charges in connection with an auto theft and re-vinning probe.
Several Ford vehicles have been recalled in Canada due to issues with braking systems, steering and child car seat tethers.
Volkswagen has informed employee representatives that it wants to close at least three plants in Germany, the head of the company's works council said Monday.
A Windsor teen’s social media post showing off a distinctive Windsor pizza topping has gone viral, drawing millions of views worldwide and sparking new curiosity about Windsor-style pizza.
Auston Matthews has come face to face with his look-alike. On Thursday, the Maple Leafs star met seven-year-old Grayson Joseph, who went viral for dressing up as an Auston Matthews hockey card.
A Halifax junk remover shares some of his company’s strangest discoveries.
When Leah arrived at work directing traffic around a construction site, she never expected to see a van painted in all sorts of bright colours, and covered in eclectic decorations, including a stuffed moose attached to its roof.
After 14 years of repairing and selling bicycles out of the garage of her home, a Guelph, Ont. woman’s efforts have ended – for now, at least.
Epcor says it has removed more than 20,000 goldfish from an Edmonton stormwater pond.
Witches and warlocks have been flocking to New Brunswick waterways this month, as a new Halloween tradition ripples across the province.
New Brunswicker Jillea Godin’s elaborate cosplay pieces attract thousands to her online accounts, as well as requests from celebrities for their own pieces.
A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.
On the same day Chip Wilson erected a controversial sign at his Vancouver mansion, the city was quietly honouring the billionaire and his wife.
A Vancouver man is saying goodbye to his nine-to-five and embarking on a road trip from the Canadian Arctic to Antarctica.
A Vancouver Island woman who refused to accept her daughter died of an accidental overdose is relieved the record has been set straight.
One person is in life-threatening condition after being shot in North York Friday night.
Two people are in life-threatening condition while a third person is in critical condition following a collision in Mississauga, Peel paramedics say.
Two people are in custody after an alleged stolen pickup truck struck a police horse and rammed into three cruisers before crashing into a downtown Toronto store Friday afternoon.
A Calgary councillor wants the city to protect drivers from tow truck companies that are "preying" on drivers on scene of car crashes.
A CN train derailed near Beiseker, Alta., on Friday morning.
The Calgary Real Estate Board says October home sales were mostly flat compared with last year's levels, but remained around one-quarter higher than long-term trends for the month.
Internal documents show the National Capital Commission took what it called a 'manageable risk' to lower the standard for what qualifies as thick enough ice in order to squeeze a few more skating days into the Rideau Canal Skateway season.
Ottawa firefighters have contained a fire at a seniors' home in Richmond.
The switch to standard time occurs at 2 a.m. on Sunday, with clocks moving back one hour. The end of daylight saving time means it will get darker earlier in the evening, with sunset before 5 p.m. starting on Sunday.
It’s been almost a decade in the making — Montreal inaugurated its first home for lesbians 55 and over, and the first tenants started moving in.
Quebec experts agree that AI and robotics are part of the labour market and will continue to be, but that simply replacing immigrant labour with technology is more complicated.
Thanks to a private donation, the Old Brewery Mission renovated all its shelters to have semi-private rooms.
The government of Alberta says its new bill aimed at women's sporting divisions is about inclusion, but advocates don't agree.
An Edmonton Police Service officer was caught on camera running over a woman with a marked cruiser last month.
An appeal has been denied to extend the sentence of an Ontario trucker who killed a woman in his Edmonton hotel room in 2011.
Nova Scotia's premier is apologizing after a court criticized his government for what it calls a flawed, discriminatory and unfair process that led to two women being rejected for coverage of out-of-province treatments.
Montreal-based company Westcliff Management, a privately owned real estate development and management company, officially own Dieppe’s Champlain Place Mall as of Halloween.
The RCMP in Yarmouth, N.S., is investigating the sudden deaths of two people known to each other.
Manitoba RCMP are looking for more information after the remains of an infant were identified.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew is not making any commitments on possible new municipal taxes in Winnipeg.
A 25-year-old man has been charged with multiple offences after he allegedly shot another man with a shotgun during a dispute at a North End home last month.
Advance polling stations for the Regina civic election opened Friday morning.
Swift Current RCMP are looking for two men after a 'serious assault' in the city early Tuesday morning.
A local makeup artist and business owner is bringing the runway experience back to Regina this weekend five years after the end of Saskatchewan Fashion Week.
Erick Buhr has asked the jury to find him not guilty in his grandmother Viola Erb’s death.
Waterloo Regional Police are putting out a stern reminder about fireworks safety after a concerning display in Breslau.
Waterloo Regional Police say charges are anticipated after a tow truck operator was seriously injured helping a disabled vehicle on the side of Trussler Road in North Dumfries Friday afternoon.
The family of a man shot and seriously injured at a jobsite 14 kilometres north of Prince Albert late last week is speaking out.
Soon, Saskatoon residents will know who of the five candidates will take the reins as mayor, and who will join the new mayor at City Hall for the next term.
SaskPower has been ordered to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for violating workplace safety rules, but the victim won't receive any of the money.
With the surging number of homeless encampments in Ontario cities, Sudbury Mayor Paul Lefebvre has joined other big city mayors in asking the province to back them up when they try and prohibit encampments.
Two males, including one young offender, were arrested Thursday evening after a shooting at a grocery store on Notre Dame Avenue in Sudbury.
Police in northern Ontario say a razor blade was found in a child's candy on Halloween night.
The John C. Grace boardwalk will officially be unveiled on November 23rd.
Already sentenced to spend a life in prison for committing two London murders, William McDonald, 34, continued to add to his already lengthy criminal record while behind bars at Collins Bay Penitentiary.
The London Fire Department said a blaze that destroyed a south London townhouse Friday killed a dog left home alone.
An Ontario woman is facing serious charges after police allege she pretended to be a registered nurse at several Simcoe County facilities, despite being unqualified.
Christina and Troy Durocher are still struggling to come to terms with how the justice system handled the death of their son two and a half years ago.
While online shopping has become a multi-trillion-dollar worldwide industry, a new online marketplace launched in Simcoe County in recent weeks is making it easier and more affordable to keep e-commerce local.
There were long lines Friday as residents and visitors waited their turn to visit Canadian navy warship HMCS Harry DeWolf docked at Dieppe Park.
The Unemployed Help Centre (UHC) revealed a new honour for the late Windsor labour leader Gary parent.
A Windsor man is on trial for attempting to join a terrorist organization known as the Atomwaffen Division (AWD).
A Vancouver Island woman who refused to accept her daughter died of an accidental overdose is relieved the record has been set straight.
Police on southern Vancouver Island are issuing a warning about the dangers of deer rutting season after a dog was gored to death by a buck earlier this week.
A B.C. Supreme Court judge has granted an order to establish a buffer zone around one of the province's largest Sikh temples this Saturday in advance of expected confrontations between protesters and Indian consular officials.
Police in Kamloops, B.C., are reminding parents and guardians to check their children's Halloween candy after receiving a report of a mother finding a razor blade in one of her daughter's treats.
More than two years after Alannah Brown and Douglas Barker were found dead north of Penticton, police are asking for help identifying a vehicle they believe was associated with the crime.
Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.
Lethbridge County and the towns of Coalhurst, Nobleford and Picture Butte and the village of Barons have signed a new regional emergency management partnership agreement.
As overnight temperatures continue to dip below freezing, the City of Lethbridge has launched its second annual snow route season ahead of winter.
The University of Lethbridge Pronghorn Athletics Annual Safe Ride Home campaign is making a return this year, but with a new name.
More than half of Ontario's 480 wildfires last summer were in northeastern Ontario, according to new data from the Ministry of Natural Resources.
A 40-year-old suspect has been charged with sexual assault following an incident Wednesday in Sault Ste. Marie.
Juanita Migwans – or 'Winnie,' as her family calls her – of M'Chigeeng First Nation has been missing for almost a month.
School staff are being struck more often, students are fighting more frequently, and police are increasingly being called to school grounds, according to data compiled and released this week by the Newfoundland and Labrador Teachers' Association.
Newfoundland and Labrador's auditor general has issued a warning about the province's financial position as the government announced it would finish the 2024-25 fiscal year with a higher-than-expected deficit.
Police in Newfoundland and Labrador have charged an off-duty RCMP officer for allegedly driving while impaired, following a crash on Sunday.
The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at CTV News. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop. Read about us.
