Yoav Gallant

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's dismissal of his defense minister amid its war in the Gaza Strip has sparked a torrent of backlash, reverberating through government circles and igniting public outrage in the streets.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday, Israeli media reported.

His replacement will be Foreign Minister Israel Katz.

The Biden administration is stepping up criticism of Israel for not doing enough to improve humanitarian conditions in Gaza as a 30-day deadline looms for Israeli officials to meet certain requirements or risk potential restrictions on military assistance.

At least 10 strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs early Friday, after the Israeli army issued orders for buildings in the Hezbollah stronghold to be evacuated.

The strikes come a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met visiting U.S. officials to discuss a possible deal to end the war in Lebanon with the death toll mounting on both sides of the border.

Israel began bombing Lebanese branches of an association accused of financing the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, Lebanese state media reported late Sunday, a further escalation of Israel's nearly month-long war against the militants.

Israeli airstrikes hit three branches of a financial institution linked to Hezbollah in Beirut on Sunday night, one of which was located near the international airport of Lebanon’s capital.

A Palestinian boy looks at destroyed shelters at the site of an Israeli airstrike which hit tents for displaced people two days earlier in the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Oct. 16, 2024

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will pay a visit to Türkiye, Egypt and Jordan as part of his Middle East tour to discuss ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, his office announced on Oct. 16.

Araghchi will engage in talks in a "diplomatic reach-out to countries of the region to end genocide, atrocity and aggression," the statement said.

The United States has issued a warning to Israel, demanding it improve humanitarian aid access in Gaza within the next 30 days or face potential consequences, including the suspension of military assistance. This message, reported by The Washington Post, represents the most significant pressure Washington has placed on Israel since the outbreak of its conflict with Hamas a year ago.