Yemen’s Houthis strike Tel Aviv

TEL AVIV: Yemen’s Houthis announced that they conducted a drone strike on Thursday which targeted the Jaffa area in Tel Aviv.

“The operation achieved its goals successfully by the arrival of the drones without being detected or shot down by the enemy,” said the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree.

Israel said it intercepted a suspicious aerial target in the area of central Israel early on Thursday.

Hezbollah and Iran’s other regional allies, Yemen’s Houthis and armed groups in Iraq, have launched attacks in the region in support of Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza.

Israeli strike kills six in Beirut

The Houthis, who have been firing missiles, sending armed drones and launching boats laden with explosives at commercial ships with ties to Israeli, U.S. and UK entities since last year, said they launched a successful attack on Israel’s commercial capital Tel Aviv with drones.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) urged residents of Lebanese villages who have evacuated their homes not to return until further notice.

“IDF raids are continuing,” spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X on Thursday.

More than 1,900 people have been killed and over 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting, with most of the deaths occurring in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics.

46 Lebanese perish as Israeli strikes continue

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said about 1.2 million Lebanese had been displaced by Israeli attacks.

More than 300 of those displaced have taken shelter in a Beirut nightclub, once known for hosting glitzy parties and where staff are now using their guest-list clipboards to register residents.

“We’re trying to keep strong,” said Gaelle Irani, who was formally in charge of guest relations, taking a brief break from finding people a corner to live in.

“Its just overwhelming. So overwhelming and sad. But just as this was a place for people to come enjoy themselves, it’s now a place to shelter people and we are doing everything we can to help and be there for them.”

The Israeli military said regular infantry and armoured units joined ground operations in Lebanon on Wednesday as Iran’s missile attack and Israel’s promise of retaliation fanned concern of a wider conflict in the oil-producing Middle East.

Israel bans UN chief from entering its borders

Israel’s addition of infantry and armoured troops from the 36th Division, including the Golani Brigade, the 188th Armoured Brigade and 6th Infantry Brigade, indicated that the operation is expanding beyond limited commando raids.

Western nations have drafted contingency plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon after Tuesday’s dramatic escalation, but none have launched a large-scale military evacuation yet, though some are chartering aircraft as Beirut airport stays open.