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Israel on "high alert" for Iranian aggression, military says
From CNN’s Catherine Nicholls and Eugenia Yosef
Israel is on “high alert” for “Iranian aggression,” Israel Defense Forces spokespersonDaniel Hagari said in a video statement released on Saturday.
"Iran funds, trains and arms terror proxies across the Middle East and beyond,” Hagari said, claiming that the country is “world’s biggest state sponsor of terror.”
Hagari said that Iran will “bear the consequences for choosing to escalate the situation any further,” adding that Israel has increased its readiness against "further Iranian aggression; we are also prepared to respond."
In the early hours of Saturday morning, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy seized a cargo ship in a "helicopter operation near the Strait of Hormuz," according to Iranian state news agency IRNA.
Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz said in a post on X that the cargo ship seized by Iran belongs “to an EU member,” calling on “the European Union and the free world to immediately declare the Iranian Revolutionary Guards corps as a terrorist organization and to sanction Iran now.”
Iran has vowed to retaliate against Israel for a deadly strike on its consulate in Syria. The United States currently expects Iran will carry out strikes against multiple targets inside Israeland that Iranian proxies could also be involved in carrying out the attacks, sources say, in what would mark a major escalation.
Portuguese government in contact with Iranian authorities over MSC Aries
From CNN's Vasco Cotovio and Catherine Nicholls
Portugal is in contact with Iranian authorities after a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship was seized by Iran on Saturday morning, Portugal’s government told CNN.
According to the Portuguese government, the MSC Aries is "owned by the Zodiac Maritime Limited company," which it said is based in London.
"There is no record of Portuguese citizens on board, whether crew or command,” the statement said. The number of those on board has not been released.
Mediterranean Shipping Company confirmed the seizure, telling CNN there are 25 crew on board.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy seized the container ship in a "helicopter operation near the Strait of Hormuz," state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday, which added the vessel was being taken to Iranian waters.
CNN team witnesses settler attack on Palestinian village in the West Bank
From CNN’s Jeremy Diamond, Kareem Khadder and William Bonnett in Al-Mughayyir, occupied West Bank
A CNN team witnessed dozens of settlers descending onto the Palestinian village of Al-Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank Saturday afternoon, soon after the body of14-year-old Israeli boy, Binyamin Achimair was found.
The team witnessed settlers setting a building and cars ablaze. Multiple shots were fired towards Palestinians in the village, although CNN could not immediately confirm who fired the shots.
The Israeli military and border police later arrived at the scene and fired tear gas to disperse both Palestinians and settlers.
The latest attack by settlers on the village comes a day after a large-scale attack took place amid the search for Achimair, leaving one Palestinian man dead.
Settlers also appear to have shot at a fire truck that arrived to put out the fires, causing the truck to engulf in flames, the team said.
They also witnessed a man getting shot in his leg, but could not immediately confirm who fired the shots. The Palestinian Red Crescent said in a statement Saturday that a Palestinian from Al-Mughayyir was shot in his thigh and transferred to the hospital.
14-year-oldIsraeliboy who went missing in West Bank found dead, Israeli military says
A 14-year-old Israeli boy, Binyamin Achimair who went missing Friday morning in the occupied West Bank, has been found dead, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
Achimair's disappearance sparked a major manhunt and triggered Israeli settler attacks on a Palestinian village.
“Binyamin Achimair went missing yesterday morning (Friday) and was murdered in a terrorist attack. The incident is under review. Security forces are continuing the pursuit after those suspected of carrying out the attack,” the statement added.
It is unclear yet what was the cause of death, and the IDF is yet to provide evidence that this was a “terrorist attack.”CNN has reached out for clarity.
Israeli public broadcaster and CNN affiliate Channel 11 on Fridayreported that Achimair was grazing sheep around an Israeli settlement in northern West Bank and was last seen in the area of Malachei Ha’Shalom before he went missing.
Hundreds of armed Israeli settlers stormed the village of Al-Mughayyir in the occupied West Bank on Friday, setting fire to several homes and cars and killing at least one Palestinian man, according to Palestinian officials.
In response to a question by CNN, the IDF said “violent riots were instigated in multiple locations in the area” following the search for the boy.
Iranian navy seizes container ship reportedly linked to Israel, state media report
From CNN’s Adam Pourahmadi and Catherine Nicholls
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy has seized a container ship in a helicopter operation near the Strait of Hormuz, state news agency IRNA reported on Saturday.
IRNA reported that the IRGC seized the Portuguese-flagged MSC Aries, which is now being "directed back to Iranian territorial waters."
According to IRNA, the vessel is managed by the Zodiac Maritime, a companylinked to Israeli businessman Eyal Ofer.
CNN has reached out to Zodiac Maritime and Eyal Ofer for comment.
United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) earlier reported on a seizure near the Strait of Hormuz, an important route for global shipping, saying "regional authorities" were responsible. UKMTO did not provide further details about the boarding.
The region is on high alert after Iran vowed retaliation for a suspected Israeli strike on its consulate in the Syrian capital Damascus. The Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen have also been targeting shipping in the Red Sea area.
Further airstrikes fired at Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, Israeli military says
From CNN's Eugenia Yosef
Israel carried out airstrikes on "a large military complex" used by Hezbollah militants in Al Rihan, southern Lebanon on Saturday morning, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said.
"A short while ago, IDF fighter jets struck a large military complex belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization containing military compounds and a military post in the area of Rihan in Lebanon."
The IDF released a blurry video of the airstrikes it carried out - in which two explosions are visible.
It came a day after the IDF launched several airstrikes to target "military buildings"used by Hezbollah fighters in several areas in southern Lebanon.
Also on Friday, 40 rockets were launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel, and claimed by Hezbollah.
US expects Iran to carry out direct attack on Israel, sources say, as Biden warns ‘Don’t’
From CNN's Natasha Bertrand, MJ Lee, Kevin Liptak and Samantha Waldenberg
The US expects Iran will strike against multiple targets inside Israel in the coming days and is prepared to help intercept any weapons launched at its ally, sources tell CNN, as the Biden administration is on high alert for what could be the eruption of a volatile and unpredictable period in the Middle East.
President Joe Bidenon Friday predicted that Iran’s attacks were coming “sooner than later” and sought to once again issue a stern public warning, saying that his message to Tehran was simply: “Don’t.”
The beginning of a state-on-state conflict between Iran and Israel would mark a serious escalation in the region – a scenario that the US has hoped to avoid since the start ofthe Israel-Hamas warin October.
As of late Friday, the US believed that Iranian proxies could also be involved in the forthcoming attacks, according to a senior administration official and a source familiar with the intelligence, and that targets would likely be both inside Israel and around the region. The US’ readiness to intercept weapons launched at Israel marked a clear indication of the level of ongoing cooperation between the two militaries.
The US had observed Iran moving military assets around internally, including drones and cruise missiles, signaling that it was preparing to attack Israeli targets from inside its own territory, according to two people familiar with US intelligence. One of the people said that the US had observed Iran readying as many as 100 cruise missiles.
It was not clear whether Iran was preparing to strike from its soil as part of an initial attack, or if it was posturing to try to deter Israel or the US from conducting a possible counter strike on its territory.
Read the full story here.
Israeli settlers storm village in West Bank and kill at least 1 Palestinian. Here's what you should know
From CNN staff
Hundreds of armed Israeli settlers stormed a village in the occupied West Bank on Friday, setting fire to several homes and cars — and leaving at least one Palestinian dead — in one of the largest attacks by settlers this year, according to Palestinian officials.
The settlers attacked Al-Mughayyir village, east of Ramallah, raided homes and fired gunshots at residents, according to Amin Abu-Alia, the head of the village council. Videos obtained by CNN show parts of the village burning, with smoke billowing over several buildings and settlers lobbing rocks. Houses and cars are seen completely burnt up, with sounds of gunfire and clashes heard in the background.
Here are other headlines you should know:
- More Israeli attacks: An Israeli airstrike early Friday killed at least 29 peopleand injured dozens more after troops targeted a house belonging to the well-known Al-Tabatibi familyineasternGaza City, according to a local health official. Israeli forces also surrounded and attacked the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, wounding several journalists and at least one other person. And in the occupied West Bank, troops killed two Hamas members in a raid on the city of Tubas, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials.
- Hezbollah-Israel clashes: Around 40 rockets were fired from Lebanon on Friday evening, according to the Israeli military.Some were intercepted and the rest fell in open areas, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. Israeli warplanes also carried out several airstrikes on Friday, targeting "military buildings" used by Hezbollah fighters in parts of southern Lebanon, the IDF said.
- Iranian threats: US President Joe Biden told reporters Friday he expects an attack from Iran will happen “sooner than later," with the White House adding that there is a "very credible" threat of Iranian retaliatory strikes against Israel. The US Defense Department is moving additional assets to the Middle East region, a defense official told CNN, as the US and Israel brace for the potential attack. Israel’s Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and US Central Command Commander Gen. ErikKurilla on Friday discussed preparations for thepotential attack.
- Warnings amid Iranian threats: France, Germany, Canada and the United States are among countries that are warning their citizens not to travel to the region due to the threat of an Iranian attack against Israel.
- Humanitarian aid: The Israeli military does not understand how humanitarian operations work, a top United Nations official said Friday, maintaining there is a "degree of mistrust" that needs to be resolved between the IDF and non-governmental organizations on the ground in Gaza.
- Sanctions: The European Council hasadopted sanctionsagainst three Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad entities, in light of "their responsibilities in the brutal and indiscriminate terrorist attacks" that occurred across Israel on October 7. The US is also sanctioningfour leaders of Hamas’ cyber and drone operations based in Gaza and Lebanon, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller announced on Friday.
US sees Iran moving military assets including drones and cruise missiles, sources say
From Natasha Bertrand and Oren Liebermann
The US observed Iran moving military assets around internally, including drones and cruise missiles, signaling that it is possibly preparing to attack Israeli targets from inside its own territory, according to two people familiar with US intelligence.
It is not clear whether Iran is preparing to strike from its soil as part of an initial attack, or if it is posturing to try to deter Israel or the US from conducting a possible counter strike on its territory.
One of the people said the US had observed Iran readying as many as 100 cruise missiles.
Some context: The Iranians want their retaliatory strike on Israel — a response to the Israeli strike on an Iranian consulate last week in Damascus — to be "significant," one of the people familiar with the intelligence said. But they also want to avoid getting embroiled in a direct war with Israel and the US, CNN has reported, which is why US intelligence has assessed that Iran may use its proxy forces to launch the first attack.
