Netanyahu and Herzog to meet with Blinken Tuesday | Rocket alarms sound in dozens of northern Israeli towns | US Def Sec Austin says THAAD battery arrived in Israel

17:57 - IDF temporarily halts flights at Ben Gurion Airport while shooting down 5 drones over Mediterranean

The IDF said that five hostile drones were shot down over the Mediterranean Sea, stressing that there was no fear of a security incident at Ben Gurion airport.

Departures and arrivals at the airport were temporarily halted for "security reasons" earlier, with no further details being given.

17:52 - Hezbollah shoots 45 rockets at northern Golan Heights

The IDF said that 45 rockets were launched from Lebanon at the towns of Snir and Merom Golan, both in the Israeli Golan Heights, and fell in open areas.

There were no reports of casualties or damage.

17:25 - Alarm sirens in Sderot for the first time in a week

Afer rocket alarm sirens sounded in the areas of Sderot and Ibim, the IDF said it intercepted a projectile that crossed from the northern Gaza Strip.

It is the first rocket fired from Gaza since October 16, after the death of Yahya Sinwar was announced.

17:05 - Netanyahu and Herzog to meet with Secretary Blinken on Tuesday

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israeli President Isaac Herzog will meet separately tomorrow with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is currently on his way to Israel.

12:30 - Hezbollah rocket attack triggers alarms in dozens of towns across Galilee

Rocket alarms were activated in Haifa, Acre, Nahariya, Karmiel, Yokneam, and dozens of other towns and communities in the western and central Galilee regions.

Shortly after, the IDF said that the broad alarms were triggered by a single launch from Lebanon, which was shot down.

The military didn't explain why a single launch activated the unusually large number of alarms. In the past, similarly broad alarms were activated after interceptions of large ballistic missiles, for fear of the relatively large amount of falling shrapnel.

11:51 - Iran complains to UN nuclear watchdog about "Israeli threats" on nuclear sites

The Iranian regime has filed a written complaint to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over Israel's threats to strike its nuclear sites, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei said at a televised news conference on Monday.

“Threats to attack nuclear sites are against UN resolutions.... and are condemned... we have sent a letter about it to... the UN nuclear watchdog,” Baghaei said.

08:52 - Around 25 launches detected from Lebanon into Galilee

The IDF announced that, following sirens sounded in the Upper, Western and Central Galilee region between 08:22-08:23, approximately 25 launches were identified from Lebanon crossing into Israeli territory.

Some launches were intercepted and fallen projectiles were identified. No injuries were reported.

08:48 - US Secretary of Defense says THAAD battery operating in Israel

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) battery, sent by the United States to help in the event of an Iranian attack, has been deployed and is operating in Israel. The system is designed to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles and will function as a supplement to Israel's existing air defense systems.

07:51 - IDF releases a statement concerning airstrikes in Beirut

IDF: "Overnight, the IAF conducted a series of targeted, intelligence-based strikes against dozens of facilities and sites used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to finance its terrorist activities against the State of Israel. The strikes were conducted in the areas of Beirut, southern Lebanon, and deep within Lebanese territory."

"Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including advance warnings issued via different platforms to the civilian population in the area."

"These strikes are part of the IDF's ongoing efforts to degrade Hezbollah's terror infrastructure, its military capabilities and ability to rebuild."

Beirut in flames. A wide-scale Israeli attack targeted Hezbollah's financial infrastructure in Beirut and across Lebanon last night. Massive fires were seen above Beirut as over 15 buildings were struck following evacuation warnings to residents. Hezbollah has paid and will… pic.twitter.com/TH0L9v1J3I

— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) October 21, 2024

02:15 - IDF intercepts drone crossing from Jordanian airspace

The IDF announced that following the sirens alerts in the Jordan Valley area a short time ago, the Israeli Air Force intercepted a UAV that crossed from the east into Israeli territory.