What is the Flag March in Jerusalem and why is it controversial?
From CNN’s Nadeen Ebrahim
An annual march held bynationalistIsraelis, thisflag-flying parade marksJerusalem Day, commemoratingwhenIsrael captured East Jerusalem from Jordan in the 1967 war, which placed the entire city under its control.
During the march, which will take place later on Wednesday, crowds waving Israeli flags walk through a route thatsets off from Damascus Gate-- the main entry to the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem’s Old City, where most residents are Palestinian. The marchersusually dance and chant nationalist slogans.
Thousands of Israeli police officers have been deployed to protect marchers in the past, somein riot gear, blocking surrounding streets and clearing the marching route of Palestiniancounter-protesters. Police have used stun grenades, rubber bullets and live fire against Palestiniandemonstratorson Jerusalem Day in the past.
Why is it controversial?The event is seen by Palestinians as a provocation meant to undermine their ties to the city, which they hope can one day serve as the capital of an independent Palestinian state.
East Jerusalem, where the Old City lies, is considered by most of the international community as occupied territory, along with the West Bank and Gaza.
Some of theslogans previously chantedby Israelisduring the Flag March include: “This is our home,” “Jerusalem is ours,” but somehave also chanted “Death to Arabs,” prompting condemnation from theinternational community, including the United States, as well as some Israeli officials.
The march is mostly attended by nationalist Jewish groups, and has previously triggered clashes between Israelis and Palestinians. In 2021, it prompted themilitant groupHamas to fire rockets toward Israel, helping to trigger an 11-day conflict between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza.
This year’s event risks escalating already high tensions in East Jerusalem and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, which have witnessed an unprecedented uptick in violence against Palestinians sincetheOctober 7 attacksand Israel’s war in Gaza.
Hamas branded its October 7 operation against Israel “Al Aqsa Flood,” saying it was in response to Israeli provocations in Jerusalem.
Gunman was targeting US embassy in Lebanon, Lebanese security source says
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem and Ben Wedeman
A gunman who opened fire in Awkar, northeast of Beirut, on Wednesday morning was targeting the US embassy in Lebanon, a Lebanese security source told CNN.
The Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, said “intensive investigations have begun to reveal details of the incident and arrest all those involved,” according to a post by his office on X.
The gunman seemed to be acting alone, and is undergoing surgery at the hospital, the Lebanese official said.
“Small arms” were fired in the vicinity of the embassy entrance around 8:30 a.m. local time, before Lebanese security forces and US embassy security reacted “quickly,” the embassy said in a statement.
“I cannot speak to motivations," a source at the embassy told CNN.
The embassy staff are safe and the facility was not damaged, the US embassy added in the statement.
Lebanese army statements did not reveal any details further beyond that a Syrian national was injured and is currently receiving treatment at the hospital.
Lebanon has been a wider flashpoint in the Israel-Gaza conflict. Tit-for-tat fire between Israel and Hezbollah has brought fears of all-out conflict.
Scores killed in Israeli strike on Gaza's Deir El-Balah, hospital staff say
From journalist Mohammad Sawalhi in Gaza, and CNN's Kareem Khadder and Mike Schwarz in Jerusalem
At least 65 people, including women and children, were killed in Israeli strikes overnight into Wednesday in Deir El-Balah in Central Gaza, according to local health workers.
On Wednesday morning, officials at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs hospital said 65 of the victims brought to the hospitalhad died.
Umm Shadi says in a video obtained by CNN that her daughter's building was hit in the early hours of Wednesday morning, killing her and one of her children in their sleep. Her four surviving children are being treated in the hospital's ICU.Shadi said there had been no warning the area would be targeted by the IDF.
"There was no warning to the building the neighborhood was fairly safe, no one told them to leave, if they have been warned to leave they would have left," she said on camera.
The video shows several dead children and women at the hospital as their relatives grieve.
On Wednesday, the IDF released a statement saying "troops have started a targeted operational activity in the areas of Bureij and eastern Deir al Balah both above and below ground," based on "intelligence" indicating the presence of Hamas fighters.
"The activity started with a series of aerial strikes on terror targets, including military compounds, weapons storage facilities, and underground infrastructure. During the strikes, several Hamas terrorists were eliminated," the statement said.
The IDF statement added that troops are continuing operations in Central Gaza and Rafah on Wednesday.
Israel prepared for "very intense action" along northern border with Lebanon, Netanyahu says
From CNN's Mike Schwartz and Alex Stambaugh
IsraeliPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that Israel is prepared for "very intense action" along the northern border with Lebanon, which has seen frequent exchanges of fire with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Netanyahu made the comments on Wednesday while visiting Kiryat Shmona, a northern city near the Lebanese border, after large blazes erupted in the area following rocket fire from southern Lebanon earlier this week.
"Yesterday the ground was on fire here and I'm glad you put it out, but the ground was also burning in Lebanon," Netanyahu said while touring the city, according to a statement from the prime minister's office.
He emphasized that Israel is ready to take action against threats from Lebanon, saying: "Whoever thinks that they can hurt us and that we will sit idly by is making a big mistake. We are prepared for very intense action in the north. One way or another, we will restore security to the north."
Blazes erupted in northern Israel early Tuesday after Hezbollah launched what it described as a "swarm of drones" at an Israeli military command center in the Galilee. The fires are now under control, authorities said.
The tit-for-tat fire between Israel and Hezbollah following the October 7 attacks has brought fears of all-out conflict. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been evacuated from along the border.
On Tuesday, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Chief of Staff Major General Herzi Halevi also toured the area and said the IDF was ready to respond if called on. “We are approaching the point where a decision will have to be made," he said.
Man arrested after shooting near US embassy in Lebanon
From CNN’s Mostafa Salem in Abu Dhabi
A man has been arrested following an overnight shooting near the US embassy in Lebanon, in Awkar, northeast of Beirut, Lebanese authorities say.
A Syrian national was injured after army members deployed to the area responded with fire, the Lebanese army said Wednesday, adding the male suspect was arrested and transferred to a hospital for treatment.An investigation is underway, the army said.
In a post on X, the US embassy said "small arms fire" was reported in the vicinity of the embassy's entrance around 8:34am local time (1:34am ET).
"Our facility and our team are safe. Investigations are underway and we are in close contact with host country law enforcement," the embassy said.
Lebanon has been a flashpoint in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Since the start of war, Lebanon has exchanged regular cross-border fire with Israel. Most recently, blazes erupted in northern Israel early Tuesday after Lebanon-based Islamist group Hezbollah launched what it described as a "swarm of drones" at an Israeli military command center in the Galilee.
The low rumble of tit-for-tat exchanges has sparked fears that Hezbollahcould actively participate in the conflict on behalf of the Palestinians.
In October, the US State Department issued a travel warning for Americans not to visit Lebanon following the outbreak of war. The travel advisory has since been updated advising citizens to "reconsider travel" to Lebanon, and continues to rule out travel to the country's south, the border with Syria and refugee settlements.
US House passes bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials after it sought Netanyahu arrest warrant
From CNN's Clare Foranand Haley Talbot
The US House of Representatives voted Tuesday to pass a bill to sanction International Criminal Court officials – House Republicans’ response to the courtseeking an arrest warrantfor Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The ICC’s targeting of Netanyahu has sparked widespread backlash from Republicans and Democrats in Congress. President Joe Biden alsoforcefully denouncedthe ICC move, saying “there is no equivalence” between Israel and Hamas, but the administration has said it does not support the GOP-led effort to sanction the court.
It is unlikely that the Senate will take up the sanctions bill. The House passed the bill in a 247 to 155 vote, with 42 Democrats joining Republicans in support.
ICC prosecutor Karim Khan told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour inan exclusive interviewlast month that the court is seeking arrest warrants for the Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, and Netanyahu on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity over the October 7 attacks on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza.
According to the legislative text, the bill would impose sanctions on individuals “engaged in any effort to investigate, arrest, detain or prosecute any protected person of the United States and its allies.” The sanctions include prohibiting US property transactions and blocking and revoking visas.
Headquartered at The Hague in the Netherlands, the ICC was established in 2002 and is tasked with prosecuting individuals forcrimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.
Slovenia becomes latest European country to recognize Palestinian state
From CNN's Radina GigovaandStephanie Halasz
Slovenia has become the latest European country to formally recognize Palestinian statehood, after the country’s parliament approved the move with a majority vote on Tuesday.
The decision follows those ofSpain, Ireland and Norway, who formally recognized Palestinian statehood in late May.
The growing momentum in Europe is likely to bolster the global Palestinian cause, but could further strain relations with Israel.
Most of the world already recognizes Palestinian statehood. More than 140 out of 193 member states of the United Nations have made their recognition official. But only some nations in the 27-member European Union are among them.
Read the full story here.
Israel phasing out use of desert detention camp after CNN investigation detailing abuses
From CNN's Abeer Salman,Tamara Qiblawi,Allegra GoodwinandBarbara Arvanitidis
Israel is phasing out the use of the detention camp of Sde Teiman in Israel’s Negev desert, a state attorney told Israel’s Supreme Court on Wednesday during a first-ever hearing about the facility where hundreds of Palestinian detainees from Gaza have allegedly been held under conditions of extreme abuse.
State attorney Aner Helman told the court that 700 inmates had been moved to Ofer military facility in the occupied West Bank, with another 500 were set to be transferred in the weeks to come. Around 200 detainees will remain in Sde Teiman, said Helman, who added that the state would provide an update on their status within three days.
The hearing comes in response to a petition by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and other human rights groups, which drew heavily onCNN reportingabout the makeshift prison to make a case for it to be shut down.
CNN’s investigation, in which Israeli whistleblowers as well as Palestinian former detainees and eyewitnesses described horrific conditions at the facility, including continuous blindfolding and handcuffing, sparked an international outcry.
Read the full story here.
9Israelisoldiersinjured,2seriously, after explosion at military base
From CNN's Mike Schwartz in Jerusalem and Alex Stambaugh
Nine Israeli soldiers have been injured, two seriously, after a stockpile of ammunition exploded at a military base in southern Israel, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement.
According to the Israeli military, two were seriously injured in the blast while the rest sustained light or moderate injuries. They did not say what caused the explosion or when it happened.
Thesoldierswere evacuated to a hospital to receive medical treatment and their families have been notified, the IDF said in a statement.
The incident is under review, it added.
