Middle East Conflict: Israel Says 24 Soldiers Killed In Army's Biggest Single-Day Loss

Drone activity reported in Red Sea

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said Tuesday afternoon local time that it received reports of drone activity off of Al Mukha Yemen. Authorities are investigating the reports, and vessels transiting the area have been advised to move with caution.

This comes a few hours after Houthi rebels vowed retribution for the joint strikes by the U.S. and UK in Yemen on Monday.

Khan Yunis sees major exodus: Local media

A "significant" number of Gaza residents are leaving Khan Yunis for Rafah, multiple local outlets reported Tuesday.

The reports come after the Israeli army said it has completed the encirclement of southern Gaza's main city, which is also the enclave's second-largest city.

Hezbollah claims it attacked IDF strategic base

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Iran-backed Hezbollah on Tuesday claimed that the Lebanon-based terror group fired a "large number of missiles" at the Israeli army's air traffic control base in Mount Meron, in the Upper Galilee region.

The Israeli army has yet to confirm the claim, but the Israel Electric Corporation said there were power disruptions in the area, local media reported.

Attacks targeting Houthi capability will continue: Britain's foreign secretary

David Cameron on Tuesday warned that joint U.S.-UK attacks targeting the Yemeni Houthi rebels' capabilities in disrupting Red Sea shipping lanes will continue "whilst sending the clearest possible message that we back our words and our warnings with action."

His warning came after the Houthis vowed it will respond to the latest joint strikes from the allied countries.

Around 20 missiles launched towards Galilee: Arab media

About 20 missiles were launched from Lebanese territory toward several areas in Galilee, Arab media reported Tuesday following local reports of rocket sirens sounding in northern Israel at least three times Tuesday morning.

Hamas appears to pin blame on Palestinians over Oct. 7 atrocities

Hamas official Razi Hamed admitted that "mistakes happened" on Oct. 7, adding that the terror group's was not to kill or abduct civilians, Israel's national broadcaster Kan reported Tuesday, citing Qatari media. "Our main goal was military," he said, as per a Google translation.

"When the fence between us and Israel was breached, many people poured in and did what they did," Hamed said, seemingly blaming other Palestinians who entered Israel during Hamas' shock invasion.

Mossad chief offered to spare Hamas leaders: Report

David Barnea, the chief of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, has offered to Hamas the exile of its senior leaders as part of broader ceasefire talks, CNN reported Tuesday, citing two officials familiar with the discussions.

Barnea's suggestion was reportedly brought up during the meeting between U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani earlier this month.

The Qatari leader reportedly told Blinken that the proposal "would never work," in part due to Hamas' doubt that Israel will end its military campaign in Gaza after senior leaders leave the enclave, as per one official.

Sirens sound in northern Israel

Rocket sirens sounded in northern Israel Tuesday morning, local media reported. It is the third time so far in the day that rocket sirens were activated in the region.

Lebanon-based Hezbollah, which is a staunch Hamas ally and Iran-backed terror group, has been firing rockets towards northern Israeli communities since the war in Gaza started.

It also vowed vengeance following the killing of Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri within Lebanese territory weeks ago, which Hamas, Iran and Hezbollah said Israel was responsible for.

Israeli troops complete encirclement of Khan Yunis

Israeli ground forces in southern Gaza have completed encircling Khan Yunis, southern Gaza's main city, the IDF said Tuesday.

The news comes after the Israeli army suffered its highest personnel losses since the war started when a total of 24 soldiers were killed Monday in the Gaza Strip.

Rescue operations after buildings collapsed on soldiers 'took a long time': Local media

The rescue operations that were carried out after two two-story buildings collapsed on 21 Israeli reserve soldiers Monday "took a long time," local i24 News correspondent Pierre Klochendler reported Tuesday.

He also revealed that the incident that killed the soldiers took place "in an area where there is low intensity fighting."

The IDF's chief spokesperson, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, earlier said that a militant fired at a nearby tank where reserve fighters were planting explosives on two buildings for demolition.

Houthis vow retribution for latest US-UK strikes

Yemeni Houthi rebels on Tuesday vowed that the latest attacks on its assets will be avenged, saying the joint U.S.-UK forces launched "18 air strikes" toward different areas across Yemen. Among the attacked governorates were Taiz and Sana'a, the Iranian-backed rebel group said.

"These attacks will not go unanswered and unpunished," Houthi spokesperson Yahya Sare'e said in a statement.

The U.S. military said the Monday strikes were "part of ongoing international efforts to respond to increased Houthi destabilizing and illegal activities in the region."

Israeli army launches probe into deaths of 21 soldiers: Netanyahu

The Israeli army has launched an investigation into "the disaster" that killed 21 soldiers in southern Gaza Monday, Netanyahu said. He said Israel "must draw the necessary lessons and do everything to preserve the lives of our warriors."

As reported earlier, the IDF announced the deaths of 21 reserve soldiers during a demolition operation in southern Gaza. Three Israeli army officers were also killed in southern Gaza earlier Monday.

War cabinet minister calls for unity after 'terrible disaster' in southern Gaza

War cabinet minister Benny Gantz on Tuesday called for unity among Israelis after the IDF said 21 soldiers were killed in the "terrible disaster" Monday in southern Gaza when a militant's RPG fire collapsed two buildings the reservists were preparing for demolition.

"On this difficult morning, we must be united, remember the heavy price we are forced to pay for such a just war and the lofty goal for which our heroes fell – to secure our future, to return our daughters and sons, and to take care of Israel forever," he said in a Google-translated statement on X.

Iraqi pro-Iran group claims it hit Israeli port

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, an umbrella organization of pro-Iranian Iraqi militias, on Tuesday claimed that it launched a drone attack at the Israeli port of Ashdod, Arab media reported.

Israel has yet to confirm the report.

Israel's defense minister grieves 'painful morning' after IDF's losses

Yoav Gallant on Monday expressed grief during a "difficult and painful morning" for the Israeli army following the IDF's announcement that 21 of its soldiers were killed in southern Gaza on Monday.

"The fall of the fighters is a requirement to achieve the goals of the war," he said, as the ongoing war is one "that will determine the future of Israel for decades to come."

21 Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza: IDF

Hagari on Tuesday said a total of 21 reserve soldiers were killed Monday afternoon in southern Gaza, in addition to three announced earlier in the day, marking the highest single-day losses among Israeli army personnel since the war started.

Hagari announced the news in a televised statement Tuesday morning, revealing that two buildings, which were being prepared for demolition, collapsed on Israeli forces when a militant fired a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at a military tank nearby.

Earlier in the day, the IDF added 3 Israeli officers were announced to have been killed in southern Gaza, all of them with the Paratroopers Brigade.

Musk visits Auschwitz concentration camp

Elon Musk, the owner of X (formerly Twitter) and CEO of Tesla, visited the Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland on Monday, where he lit a candle during a ceremony that raised awareness about the horrors of the Holocaust.

His visit comes after criticism of his alleged tolerance of anti-Semitic posts on X.

5 Arab countries at work on Saudi-Israel normalization in exchange for Palestinian state: Report

Five Arab nations are working on a proposal for a post-war Gaza that would ultimately lead to Palestinian statehood in exchange for normalized Saudi Arabia-Israel relations, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, citing Arab officials.

The proposal has been submitted to Israel through the United States, Israel's top western ally that has repeatedly said it believes a two-state solution would resolve the turbulent Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Late last week week, Netanyahu publicly rejected the creation of a Palestinian state, saying it "collides with the idea of [Israeli] sovereignty."

3 IDF officers killed in southern Gaza

The Israeli army has lost three officers in fierce battles against Hamas militants in the southern Gaza Strip, the IDF announced late Monday. All three were from the 202^nd Battalion of the Paratroopers Brigade.

• Maj. David Nati Alfasi, 27 – deputy battalion commander
• Maj. Eli Levy, 24 – a company commander
• Capt. Eyal Mebaruch Toito, 22 – platoon commander

The news comes amid intensifying battles between Israeli troops and Hamas operatives in Khan Yunis, southern Gaza's main city and the known hometown of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas' top official in the enclave.

Iran 'very directly involved' in Houthi attacks: Top US Navy commander

Iran is "very directly involved" in Houthi attacks against shipping lanes in the Red Sea, Vice Adm. Brad Cooper, the U.S. Navy's top Middle East commander told AP Monday.

"Clearly, the Houthi actions, probably in terms of their attacks on merchant shipping, are the most significant that we've seen in two generations," he said in a telephone interview, but he stopped short of saying whether Iran directed individual attacks by the Yemeni rebel militia.

He also acknowledged that growing threat from Iran's "proxies" and its weapons distribution activities have extended not just within Red Sea areas but out in the wider Indian Ocean.

Iran's FM urges UN to condemn Israel's alleged attacks in Syria

Iranian foreign minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian late on Monday called on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to strongly condemn Israel's alleged "unlawful use of force and provocative military acts," including the supposed "targeting of Iranian military advisers" in Syria during the weekend, as per a copy of the letter sent by Abdollahian to UN chief Antonio Guterres that Iran's semi-official Mehr published.

Iran has accused Israel of carrying out a strike in Damascus Saturday that killed five members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

US denies cargo ship was attacked by Houthis

Yemeni Houthi rebels on Monday claimed that they attacked M/V Ocean Jazz, which the group described as a "military cargo ship."

The U.S. Nava Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) denied this claim hours later, saying the said vessel had a "safe transit" in the Red Sea.

Houthis have been focusing attacks on U.S.-owned or U.S.-linked vessels in recent days after attacking multiple merchant ships since Nov. 19 that it claimed were either Israeli vessels, ships linked to Israel, or those headed for Israeli ports.

US, UK launch 2nd joint strikes in Yemen

The allies on Monday launched their second joint strikes in Yemen that specifically targeted Houthi assets in the country.

Among the assets struck were a Houthi "underground storage site and locations associated with the Houthis' missile and air surveillance capabilities." The allied nations previously said their strikes were meant to cripple the Yemeni rebel group's capabilities in attacking Red Sea shipping lanes.

Read the full story here.

IAF warplanes attack Hezbollah building in Lebanon

Warplanes of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) on Monday attacked a paramilitary building "where terrorists from the terrorist organization Hezbollah were staying" in the Maroun al-Ras area, the IDF said.

"Many sub-explosions" followed the strikes, "indicating the invention of weapons on the spot," the IDF added. Other Hezbollah assets were targeted earlier in the day, in the areas of Marvin, Tayba, Tir-Kharfa and Shehin.

The attacks came following rocket launches detected from Lebanese territory toward Israel earlier in the day.

Israel offers proposal to Hamas for 2-month truce: Report

Israel has offered Hamas a proposal through Qatari and Egyptian mediators that includes a ceasefire of up to two months, Axios' Barak Ravid reported early Tuesday, citing two Israeli officials.

The offer is part of a possible multi-phased agreement that could see the release of all remaining abductees in the Gaza Strip. The report added that Israel's war cabinet approved the terms of a new hostage deal proposal 10 days ago, as per the officials.

The first phase of the Israeli-proposed deal would see the release of women, men aged 60 and beyond, and abductees suffering critical medical conditions, the officials said. In the next stages, female captive soldiers, non-military men under the age of 60, and male soldiers will be freed. It will also include returning the bodies of hostages.

For a period of up to two months, the two sides will agree in advance regarding the number of Palestinian detainees to be freed in exchange for an Israeli hostage in each of the categories. Separate talks will be conducted on the names of the prisoners for release.

Hamas has yet to respond, but the officials said Israel is "cautiously optimistic" that progress may be made in negotiations in the coming days.