Netanyahu phone call with Biden held in 'positive atmosphere' | Israeli citizen arrested in Beirut | 2 Israelis killed in heavy rocket attacks by Hezbollah

20:44 - Phone call between Netanyahu and US President Biden held in 'positive atmosphere'

The conversation between Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Joe Biden was held “in a positive atmosphere,” an Israeli official told Channel 12 News.

The phone call reportedly focused on the Israeli response to the Iranian missile assault.

19:42 - Israel's response against Iran will be 'deadly, precise and surprising,' says Defense Minister Gallant

During a visit to the IDF Intelligence Directorate's visual intel Unit 9900, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant spoke about the Iranian missile attack and Israel's upcoming response.

"You saw how the Iranians attacked us a short time ago, these attacks were aggressive, but these attacks failed because they were not precise attacks. The Air Force was not harmed, all the routes are working, continuity is maintained, not a single plane, a single soldier, or a single civilian was harmed."

"On the other hand, when we talk about your abilities, of the IDF, of the Intelligence Division ... the accuracy at the various points is very, very focused, the ability to attack is very strong."

"Our attack will be deadly, precise and above all surprising, they will not understand what happened and how it happened, and they will see the results," Gallant said.

18:54 - Israeli undercover special forces kill five terrorists in Nablus, Samaria

Undercover Israeli special forces of the Border Police's Yamam commando eliminated five terrorists in the city of Nablus in Samaria.

Among the killed was the commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade in the nearby Balata camp, the IDF stated.

The joint operation between IDF and police forces followed precise intelligence intended to lead to the terrorists' arrest.

They were killed only after posing a threat to the Israeli soldiers, the army said.

18:48 - British-Israeli citizen was arrested in Lebanon, Israeli authorities confirm

Israeli authorities confirmed that a British-Israeli citizen and reported named Joshua Tartakovsky has been arrested in Beirut after entering the country under a British passport.

An Israeli official told media outlets, "Unfortunately, this is not the first time that Israeli citizens have entered the territories of hostile countries, although this is prohibited by law, and constitutes a clear danger to their security."

The National Security Council reiterated the existing ban on Israeli citizens entering hostile countries.

18:39 - IDF strikes rocket launchers used in attacks on Safed and Shlomi, shoots down Hezbollah drone

The IDF struck and destroyed the rocket launchers used to fire the large barrages at the areas of Shlomi and Safed some hours earlier, the army stated.

In addition, the IDF's aerial defenses shot down a drone launched by Hezbollah over Lebanese territory.

18:36 - IDF strikes rocket launchers used in attacks on Kiryat Shmona

The Israeli army says it struck and destroyed the launcher used in the rocket attack on Kiryat Shmona earlier in the day, in which a man and a woman were killed.

16:48 - Rocket alarms across Western Galilee, including Shlomi, Rosh Hanikra and Goren

Rocket alarms were activated across a 10 km (6.5 miles) broad swathe of the western Galilee, from Rosh Hanikra on the coast to Goren.

16:41 - Heavy rocket fire on Upper Galilee, including Safed, Rosh Pina, Sea of Galilee and Katzrin

Rocket alarms were activated across the Upper Galilee, from the border all the way to Kfar Nahum on the Sea of Galilee and the Golan Heights, after a heavy rocket barrage was fired from Lebanon.

Israeli media reported that a building in Safed suffered a direct hit.

The IDF later updated that around 90 rockets were fired in the barrage which caused some damage but no casualties.

15:35 - Rocket alarms in Safed and surroundings

Rocket alarms were activated in Safed and nearby areas after rocket fire from Lebanon.

14:40 - Man and woman killed in rocket barrage on Kiryat Shmona

A man and a woman in their 40s were killed by shrapnel in Kiryat Shmona after Hezbollah launched a barrage of around 20 rockets towards Israel's northern communities.

The IDF said that several impacts were reported.

"At one of the scenes, we saw a 40-year-old man and woman unconscious with shrapnel wounds. We performed medical tests, but their injuries were critical, and we had to pronounce them dead on the spot," said emergency medic Aviad Hertz.

A spokesperson for the Israel Fire and Rescue Service said fire crews from the Galilee-Golan station were working to fight fires caused by rocket impacts in several buildings in Kiryat Shmona.

13:10 - Rocket alarms in Haifa and the Krayot area

Rocket alarm sirens were activated in the city of Haifa and the towns in the Haifa Bay area, known as the Krayot after about 40 rockets were launched by Hezbollah.

11:47 - 6 injured, several critically, in terror stabbing attack in Hadera

Six people were treated for stab wounds after a terrorist attacked them with a knife in Hadera, a city in between Tel Aviv and Haifa.

Hillel Yaffe Medical Center, where the wounded were transported by MDA ambulances, reported that the condition of two of the injured significantly worsened after their arrival at the hospital.

Israel Police stated that the suspect is known to them and that the incident is being investigated as a probable terror attack.

11:46 - IDF drops flyers in Gaza warning Sinwar he will share the fate of slain Hezbollah leader Nasrallah

Israeli media outlets reported that the IDF dropped flyers over the Gaza Strip warning Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar that he would share the same fate as Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and many other Hamas leaders eliminated by Israel.

Next to an hourglass displaying the faces of the slain leaders, a message in Arabic on the flyer reads, “No tunnel is too deep, Sinwar, ask Sayyed Hassan…”

כרזות הוטלו ברצועה: "סינוואר, אין מנהרה עמוקה מדי. שאל את נסראללה" pic.twitter.com/dZEXJLram5

— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) October 9, 2024

11:30 - Israeli Air Force strikes over 230 targets in Gaza and Lebanon in last 24 hours

The Israeli Air Force struck over 230 terror targets in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon over the past 24 hours, the IDF stated.

The targets included 185 Hezbollah sites in Lebanon and around 45 Hamas sites in Gaza.

"IDF troops are prepared for defense and attack in every sector," the army said.

11:21 - Rocket alarms in Yiftah

Sirens were activated in Yiftah and the nearby Mevo'ot HaHermon Municipality in the Upper Galilee after rockets were launched from Lebanon.

08:30 - Netanyahu to speak with President Biden later today

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a phone conversation with U.S. President Joe Biden this afternoon to discuss Israel's response to Iran's missile attack on Oct. 1. The two have not spoken directly since Aug. 22, about a month and a half ago.

The announcement followed reports that Netanyahu postponed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant's trip to meet with U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin in Washington until the Cabinet had decided on an Israeli response against Iran.

08:28 - Sirens sound in Caesarea, Zikhron Ya'akov, and Hof HaCarmel

After another barrage of rockets was detected from Lebanon, setting off sirens along Israel's coastal areas between Tel Aviv and Haifa.

The IDF later announced that the two rockets that caused the alarms were intercepted.

05:57 - IDF spokesman: 3 IDF soldiers were seriously injured in battles south of Bennu in Lebanon

The IDF announced that three soldiers were seriously wounded in combat operations in southern Lebanon on Tuesday. A combat NCO (non-commissioned officer) and a reservist serving as a field investigator of Unit 504 were severely injured during combat.

Additionally, a reservist from the 228th Brigade was seriously injured during combat earlier on Wednesday. All three soldiers were evacuated for medical treatment, and their families were notified.

04:47 - Sirens across the Western Galilee

Sirens sounded across the Western Galilee after rockets launched from Lebanon were detected crossing over the border into Israeli territory. At least 10 impacts were registered from rockets falling in open areas during the barrage.

02:29 - IAF intercepts a drone that was launched from the east

The IDF said that an unmanned aircraft launched from the east was shot down. "No alerts were activated according to policy," the army stated. It was reported earlier in Arab media that pro-Iranian militias launched a drone at a "vital target" in Israel.