Live: Israel strikes Beirut's southern suburbs as Lebanon reviews US truce plan

16/11/2024 - 11:44

Iran 'categorically' denies envoy's meeting with Musk

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman on Saturday "categorically" denied The New York Times report on Tehran's ambassador to the UN meeting with US tech billionaire Elon Musk, state media reported. 

In an interview with state news agency IRNA, spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei was reported as "categorically denying such a meeting" and expressing "surprise at the coverage of the American media in this regard".

The Times reported on Friday that Musk, a close ally of president-elect Donald Trump, met earlier this week with Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani.

16/11/2024 - 11:29

Gaza war death toll rises to 43,799

At least 43,799 people have been killed in more than 13 months of war in Gaza, the health ministry in Hamas-run Palestinian enclave said on Saturday.

The toll includes 35 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 103,601 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began in October 2023.

16/11/2024 - 11:21

• An Israeli strike hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Saturday, shortly after the Israeli military issued a call to evacuate the Hezbollah stronghold area.
• At least 43,799 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in more than 13 months of war, the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave said Saturday. The number of wounded since the war began in October 2023 rose to 103,601.

16/11/2024 - 11:11

Iranian press divided over envoy's reported meeting with Musk

Iranian media on Saturday was divided over a reported meeting between Tehran's ambassador to the UN and tech billionaire Elon Musk, with some describing it as "positive" while others called it "treason".

The New York Times reported on Friday that Musk, who is a close ally of president-elect Donald Trump, met earlier this week with Iran's ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani.

Iranian media outlets, particularly those aligned with the reformist party that supports President Masoud Pezeshkian, largely described the meeting in positive terms.

The Ham Mihan reformist daily noted that "the strategy of the Iranian diplomatic team is on target and has elicited a reciprocal and positive response from the American side". 

Sazandegi, another reformist outlet, interpreted the meeting as an indication of Iran engaging in "secret diplomacy" with the US.

In contrast, the ultraconservative Kayhan daily criticised the reported meeting as "naivety or treason" against Iran, slamming Trump for exiting the Iran nuclear deal.

The paper said Trump "must pay damages to Iran for violating the nuclear agreement", which was signed in 2015 between Iran and Western powers.

16/11/2024 - 09:03

‘Terrifying week’ for family of Israeli hostage Trupanov

Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a militant group allied with Hamas, on Friday released a new clip of Israeli hostage Sasha Trupanov, who has been held in Gaza since October 2023.

It was the second video of Trupanov released in a week, says FRANCE 24’s Noga Tarnopolsky, reporting from Jerusalem.

For the Israeli-Russian dual national hostage’s family, this has been “a terrifying week because they fear, following the pattern that Hamas has shown in recent months, that broadcasting these videos may indicate that he's a particular target. It happened with Hamas videos that, subsequent to their posting, the hostages were then murdered,” explains Tarnopolsky.

“On the one hand, this has shown a sign of life, and this has given a kind of new burst of energy to the daily protests in Israel to release the hostages. But it's also caused very deep fear among the family members,” notes Tarnopolsky.

16/11/2024 - 08:28

Israel strikes Beirut's southern suburbs

A strike hit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital Beirut on Saturday, AFPTV footage showed, shortly after the Israeli army issued a new call to evacuate the area.

AFPTV video showed a plume of smoke rising over the buildings in the area. Shortly before the strike, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee posted on X a call for residents of the Haret Hreik suburb to evacuate.

16/11/2024 - 08:27

Hello and welcome to FRANCE 24's live coverage of the conflicts in the Middle East.

Yesterday's key developments:

• The Lebanese government on Friday was reviewing a US truce proposal in the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, according to Lebanese government sources.
• A series of Israeli air strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Friday shortly after the IDF issued an evacuation order for residents of the Ghobeiry neighbourhood.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)

About casualty figures from Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry:

Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. For more on the health ministry’s casualty figures, click here.