October 15, 2024 news on the wars in the Middle East | CNN

October 15, 2024 news on the wars in the Middle East

Chris Lau

Antoinette Radford

Tori B. Powell

By Chris Lau, Antoinette Radford, Aditi Sangal and Tori B. Powell, CNN

Updated 5:54 AM EDT, Wed October 16, 2024

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Parents whose son was killed by Hamas describe the conditions of his captivity

3:59 • Source: CNN

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Parents whose son was killed by Hamas describe the conditions of his captivity

3:59

What we covered here

• Hezbollah’s deputy secretary general called on Israelis to accept a ceasefire in Lebanon or face “pain,” suggesting it would ramp up attacks further south in Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to keep striking Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including in Beirut.

• The number of Israeli attacks in Lebanon has topped 10,000, Lebanese authorities said. The UN estimates that around a fifth of Lebanon’s population has fled their homes.

• The Israeli government is reviewing a letter sent by the Biden administration that demands it act to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within 30 days. The UN has warned that Israel is effectively sealing off northern Gaza and may be carrying out a “large-scale forced transfer” of civilians, which it said would amount to a war crime.

• Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, have assured the US that a counterstrike on Iran would be limited to military targets rather than oil or nuclear facilities, according to a source.

33 Posts

Our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East has moved here.

Israel reviewing Biden administration letter demanding Gaza humanitarian aid, reports say

From CNN's Alex Stambaugh

The Israeli government is reviewing the Biden administration’s letter demanding that it improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza, CNN analyst Barak Ravid and Reuters reported.

“Israel takes this matter seriously and intends to address the concerns raised in this letter with our American counterparts,” an Israeli official in Washington said, according to Reuters.

Ravid also reported the letter was being “thoroughly reviewed” by Israeli security officials, citing an Israeli official.

Earlier, CNN reported the Biden administration sent the letter to the Israeli government demanding it act to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days or risk violating US laws governing foreign military assistance, suggesting US military aid could be in jeopardy.

It is unclear, however, if the US would follow through. In May, Biden warned it would cut off bombs and artillery to Israel if it launched a major invasion of Rafah. Israel did launch an invasion into Rafah. Shortly after that, the Biden administration announced a $1 billion weapons package to Israel.

The Sunday letter, jointly written by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, is addressed to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer.

CNN has reached out to the Israeli prime minister’s office for comment.

This post has been updated with background on previous US warnings to Israel.

41 killed in Lebanon as total number of Israeli attacks passes 10,000, Lebanese authorities say

From CNN’s Hamdi Alkhshali

Vehicles lie among the ruins of a house that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Aitou, Lebanon, on Tuesday.

Vehicles lie among the ruins of a house that was destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Aitou, Lebanon, on Tuesday.

Carl Court/Getty Images

At least 41 people have been killed and 124 injured by Israeli attacks in Lebanon over the past day, Lebanese authorities said Tuesday, as a government report said the total number of attacks in the country had passed 10,000.

There were 146 Israeli attacks on Lebanon in the past 24 hours alone, according to a report released Tuesday by the Lebanese government’s emergency committee, which said there had been a total of 10,012 raids since the onset of “Israeli aggression.” It did not specify the date it was referring to for the onset of attacks.

Here’s more details in the report from Dr. Nasser Yassin, the committee’s coordinator and the environment minister:

The 146 strikes primarily targeted the southern regions and Nabatiyeh.
Of the 1,067 centers established to shelter displaced people, 881 were now at full capacity. (The number of displaced people has reached 188,652, according to the National Operations Room.)
Lebanese authorities recorded 329,386 Syrian citizens and 126,842 Lebanese citizens crossing from Lebanon into Syrian territory between September 23 and October 15.
About 77% of public schools are unable to operate, either because they are serving as shelters or are in areas directly affected by the violence.
The directly affected areas include 40% of public technical education and vocational training students, 57% of Lebanese university students and 32% of private higher education institutions.

Israel is "sealing off North Gaza," UN Human Rights Office warns. Here's what you should know

From CNN staff

Palestinians in northern Gaza carry their belongings as they flee areas north of Gaza City on October 12.

Palestinians in northern Gaza carry their belongings as they flee areas north of Gaza City on October 12.

Mahmoud Issa/Middle East Images/AFP/Getty Images

Israel is “effectively sealing off North Gaza” and may be carrying out the “large-scale forced transfer of the civilian population,” The United Nations Human Rights Office warned, adding that this would amount to a war crime.

The Israeli military has, for more than a week, been carrying out an intense offensive in the north of the Palestinian enclave. It has ordered all civilians north of Gaza City to leave and has blocked all food from entering northern Gaza since the beginning of the month, according to the World Food Programme.

The UN Human Rights Office said Monday that Israel’s roadblocks were effectively sealing off northern Gaza, and that the Israeli military had reportedly fired on civilians attempting to flee, as CNN and others have reported.

Here are other headlines you should know:

Hezbollah strikes and threats:

90 rockets have been fired at Israel from Lebanon as of 9 p.m. local time, and at least one landed in a yard near the northern city of Haifa, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. There were no reports of injuries. Hezbollah on Tuesday claimed responsibility for some of the barrages.
Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem has called on Israelis to accept a ceasefire in Lebanon or face “pain” as the group changes its strategy to strike harder and deeper into Israel.

Israeli strikes:

Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 40 Palestinians overnight, according to emergency and civil defense officials in the enclave.
An Israeli strike on a Christian-majority village of Aitou in northern Lebanon that killed 21 people is “being examined,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday.
A 24-year-old Palestinian reporter who spoke to CNN in May about documenting the horrors of the war in Gaza could now be paralyzed, according to his doctor, after he was shot by Israeli forces last week while covering the Israeli incursion in northern Gaza.
An advance team of US military personnel and some components of the advanced air defense system the US is providing to Israel arrived in the country on Monday, the Pentagon said in a statement. Additional troops and components will be arriving in Israel in the coming days.

Humanitarian crisis:

Israeli forces left Nasser Hospital “non-functional and severely damaged, with no food, water, electricity, food or oxygen,” according to the nongovernmental organization Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), following a deadly siege that Israel said targeted Hamas militants in February.
US President Joe Biden’s administration sent a letter to the Israeli government demanding it act to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days or risk violating US laws governing foreign military assistance, suggesting US military aid could be in jeopardy.
The Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza’s Jabalya refugee camp is currently running out of vital supplies, according to its director, as Israel continues its bombardment of the strip.
Without “emotional safety,” Palestinians with mental health conditions are struggling in Gaza’s hospitals. Medical workers are struggling to cope with the constant flow of people wounded by attacks, as the Israeli bombardment and siege of Gaza starves hospitals of critical supplies, according to the American psychiatrist Dr. Deborah Weidner. Local staff are burdened by the fear that their loved ones will arrive in the floods of mass casualties.

Funeral for Abbas Nilforoushan:

A funeral for Abbas Nilforoushan, a senior commander in the powerful Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), was held Tuesday in Tehran. Nilforoushan was killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack on Beirut last month.

90 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon Tuesday, IDF says

From CNN’s Lauren Izso and Benjamin Brown

Smoke rises from Metula in northern Israel after a rocket was fired from southern Lebanon near the settlement on October 15, as seen from Marjayoun, Lebanon.

Smoke rises from Metula in northern Israel after a rocket was fired from southern Lebanon near the settlement on October 15, as seen from Marjayoun, Lebanon.

Stringer/Anadolu/Getty Images

Ninety rockets have been fired at Israel from Lebanon as of 9 p.m. local time, and at least one landed in a yard near the northern city of Haifa, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. There were no reports of injuries.

Hezbollah on Tuesday claimed responsibility for some of the barrages.

On Monday, 115 rockets were fired at Israel from Lebanon, according to the IDF.

Around 1/4 of Lebanon's population is under Israeli evacuation orders, UN says

From CNN’s Eve Brennan in London

Lebanese soldiers deploy around a destroyed building hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Barja village, south of Beirut, on October 12.

Lebanese soldiers deploy around a destroyed building hit by an Israeli airstrike, in Barja village, south of Beirut, on October 12.

Mohammad Zaatari/AP

Around a fifth of people in Lebanon have fled their homes, and around a quarter of the country is under Israeli military evacuation orders, according to the Middle East director of the United Nations Refugee Agency.

Lebanon’s entire population is around 5 million people.

“You can imagine how dramatic it is that over one million people are now without shelter and on the move – or rather, not without shelter because they are being housed in collective centers, but are being forced to flee their homes in search of safety,” Rema Jamous Imseis told a press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

“Israeli airstrikes and Israeli evacuation orders continue to increase the areas impacted … we have over 25% of the country under a direct Israeli military evacuation order. Just yesterday (Monday), we had another 20 villages issued with an evacuation order in the south of the country,” she added.

On Sunday, the Israeli military expanded its evacuation warnings to residents of 21 more villages in southern Lebanon, bringing the total number of villages affected by a series of evacuation directives to 157 for that week.

Remember: The Israel Defense Forces has insisted its ground operation in Lebanon is “limited” and “localized” — even though four of its divisions are now involved in the fighting.

US "opposes" Israeli bombing in Beirut, largely due to civilian toll, State Department says

From CNN's Kylie Atwood and Michael Conte

The US “opposes” Israel’s bombing campaign over recent weeks in Beirut specifically, according to a State Department spokesperson.

The US has “concerns about the nature of the campaign,” he said, pointing to specific concerns largely about the “civilian toll” of the strikes.

Some context: Miller’s comment is the first time the Biden administration has publicly said it opposes that facet of the Israeli operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon. As recently as last week, US officials were not opposing the strikes publicly.

Miller would not say whether there would be consequences in Israel if the country were to continue that scale of bombings in Beirut.

US sent a letter to Israel because of "very, very low" levels of aid getting into Gaza, State Department says

From CNN's Kylie Atwood and Michael Conte

Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza, on December 21, 2023.

Palestinians line up for food in Rafah, Gaza, on December 21, 2023.

Fatima Shbair/AP

US President Joe Biden’s administration wrote a letter to the Israeli government demanding action on the humanitarian situation in Gaza because aid has “fallen by over 50% from where it was at its peak,” according to a State Department spokesperson.

Israel increased the level of humanitarian assistance getting into Gaza after calls from US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in April, but the levels have “not been sustained” over the last few months, said State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Tuesday, characterizing the current levels as “very, very low.”

The US held intense talks with Israel, where it conveyed its concerns about aid, Miller said, but “ultimately we did not see our concerns addressed,” which prompted the letter.

Unclear on possible consequences: Miller would not say what the potential consequences would be if Israel did not comply — other than to say there are implications in US law.

In May, the Biden administration had issued a report to Congress finding that Israel had not violated international law in its war in Gaza, Miller said, noting that Blinken’s assessment was “based on the changes that we had seen them put into place and the increased levels of humanitarian assistance.”

However, those increased levels need to be sustained, he added. The US wanted to make clear to Israel which changes needed to be made, before making a change to the assessment overnight, which could trigger changes in US policy.

Miller said the 30-day deadline was not influenced by the upcoming November presidential election.

Without "emotional safety," Palestinians with mental health conditions struggle in Gaza’s hospitals

From CNN’s Sana Noor Haq

The thick scent of blood fills the emergency ward of Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. Near the morgue, Palestinians whisper funeral prayers for loved ones killed by Israeli strikes.

Just outside the facility in Khan Younis, vendors sell mangoes and young children play soccer against the backdrop of blown-out buildings, according to Dr. Deborah Weidner.

“The site is half destruction,” Weidner, an American psychiatrist who was deployed to the hospital earlier this year, told CNN in September. “Bombs send shockwaves. They can be a couple of miles away, yet they shake the building.”

Medical workers are struggling to cope with the constant flow of people wounded by attacks, as the Israeli bombardment and siege of Gaza starves hospitals of critical supplies, Weidner said. Local staff are burdened by the fear that their loved ones will arrive in the floods of mass casualties.

Those with pre-existing mental health conditions, including schizophrenia, are deteriorating, said Weidner, adding that some “fear for their own behavior.” Others arrive at the hospital begging for medication.

“They (the Palestinian staff) just keep going,” she said. “So much of it is about faith and trust in God. Trust in Allah … The people are generally hopeful. But I worry what will happen if nothing changes.”

Gazan reporter may be paralyzed after being shot by Israeli forces, doctor says

From CNN’s Kareem Khadder, Eyad Kourdi and Sana Noor Haq

Fadi Wael Abdel Karim Al-Wahidi, seen in a hospital bed, is a Palestinian photojournalist who was shot while covering an Israeli incursion and could be paralyzed, his doctor at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital said. His colleague, Anas Al-Sharif, warned that Al-Wahidi is unable to receive adequate medical treatment because they are “trapped in northern Gaza under siege.”

Fadi Wael Abdel Karim Al-Wahidi, seen in a hospital bed, is a Palestinian photojournalist who was shot while covering an Israeli incursion and could be paralyzed, his doctor at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital said. His colleague, Anas Al-Sharif, warned that Al-Wahidi is unable to receive adequate medical treatment because they are “trapped in northern Gaza under siege.”

Courtesy Anas Al-Sharif

A 24-year-old Palestinian reporter who spoke to CNN in May about documenting the horrors of the war in Gaza could now be paralyzed, according to his doctor, after he was fired on last week while covering the Israeli incursion in northern Gaza.

Fadi Wael Abdel Karim Al-Wahidi, a photojournalist working for Al Jazeera, was shot in the neck near the Jabalya refugee camp on October 9, the network said, accusing the Israeli military of shooting at a group of reporters.

Dr. Fadel Naim, a medic at Al-Ahli Baptist Hospital in Gaza City, told CNN Friday that Al-Wahidi’s condition was “very serious.”

“A piece of shrapnel struck his neck, severing the veins there,” Naim said.

Al Jazeera cameraman Fadi al-Wahidi is carried to Al Ahly Hospital after being injured from gunfire in Gaza on October 9.

Al Jazeera cameraman Fadi al-Wahidi is carried to Al Ahly Hospital after being injured from gunfire in Gaza on October 9.

Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/Anadolu/Getty Images

Naim said there were not enough supplies in northern Gaza to stabilize Al-Wahidi, who needs surgery. Israel’s campaign has caused severe drug shortages in the besieged strip. “He will likely suffer from paraplegia,” the doctor added.

The Israeli military told CNN it was “not aware of IDF (Israel Defense Forces) troops in the specified area” at that time.

The Israeli offensive in Gaza since the Hamas-led October 7 attacks has killed a record number of journalists, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which reported Tuesday that at least 128 journalists and media workers — mostly Palestinian — have been killed.

A northern Gaza hospital is running out of milk and food, its director says

From CNN's Annoa Abekah-Mensah

Medical staff are seen examining newborns at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza on June 28.

Medical staff are seen examining newborns at Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza on June 28.

Khalit Alkahlut/Anadolu/Getty Images/File

The Kamal Adwan Hospital in Gaza’s Jabalya refugee camp is currently running out of vital supplies, according to its director, as Israel continues its bombardment of the strip.

The hospital’s health care system is facing “terrifying challenges,” and supplies such as milk and food are dwindling, hospital Director Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya said in a video uploaded to Instagram on Tuesday.

His plea comes less than a week since the World Food Programme told CNN that no food trucks have entered northern Gaza this month.

An aid convoy eventually delivered fuel to the hospital on Sunday, after it had issued multiple warnings that it was in danger of losing power to run life-saving medical equipment.

The Israeli military has been carrying out an intense military campaign in the north of the Palestinian enclave for more than a week. The United Nations Human Rights Office warned on Monday that Israel is “effectively sealing off North Gaza.”

Addressing the international community, Safiya urged humanitarian organizations to take action to open humanitarian corridors that would allow fuel, medical delegations, supplies and food to reach the hospital.

Meanwhile, at least 40 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli strikes across Gaza, according to emergency and civil defense officials in the enclave on Tuesday. This included 17 people who were killed and more than six injured in strikes on Gaza City and areas to the north.

Biden administration demands Israel improve Gaza humanitarian situation in letter

From CNN's Jeremy Diamond and Natasha Bertrand

A general view shows a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinian people, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 15.

A general view shows a tent camp sheltering displaced Palestinian people, amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, in Al-Mawasi area in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on October 15.

Hatem Khaled/Reuters

US President Joe Biden’s administration sent a letter to the Israeli government demanding it act to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within the next 30 days or risk violating US laws governing foreign military assistance, suggesting US military aid could be in jeopardy.

The Sunday letter, jointly written by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, is addressed to Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant and Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer. It marks a significant new step by the US to try to compel Israel to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

The letter notes that the US State and Defense departments, under US law, “must continually assess” Israel’s adherence to its assurances made earlier this year that it would not restrict aid flows into the enclave.

The deadline falls after the US presidential election on November 5.

Despite the stern warning, the US is continuing to provide military assistance to Israel, including an advanced air defense system.

Some of the US demands include that Israel:

must allow at least 350 trucks a day to enter Gaza through all four major crossings and open a fifth crossing.
must over the next month implement humanitarian pauses across Gaza as necessary to enable humanitarian actions, including vaccinations and aid distribution for at least the next four months.
allow people within the designated Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone inside Gaza to move inland before winter and enhance security.

The letter closes by calling for a new channel between the US and Israeli governments to “discuss civilian harm incidents,” with the first meeting to be held at the end of the month.

This post has been updated with additional details.

Hezbollah’s de-facto leader says Israelis must choose between a ceasefire and "pain"

From CNN’s Mostafa Salem and Eyad Kourdi

People watch Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem delivering a televised address as they sit in a cafe in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 15.

People watch Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem delivering a televised address as they sit in a cafe in Beirut, Lebanon, on October 15.

Mohamed Azakir/Reuters

Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Naim Qassem has called on Israelis to accept a ceasefire in Lebanon or face “pain” as the group changes its strategy to strike harder and deeper into Israel.

He addressed the Israeli public, calling on it to choose a truce with Hezbollah two days after the group carried out its deadliest attack in Israel since the war started, when it struck a military base near Haifa, killing four soldiers.

After a ceasefire is reached, Israelis can return to their homes in the north of the country, Qassem said, warning that without a truce, more Israelis will be displaced “and more than 2 million people will be in danger at any time, at any hour or day.”

The Israeli government last month added the return of displaced residents in the north of the country as an objective of its war.

Qassem said Hezbollah’s response to Israeli attacks across Lebanon now includes striking any area within Israel, “without exception.”

The top Hezbollah official said that despite the “hard hits” his group has sustained following pager and walkie-talkie attacks on members last month, the group remains strong.

Qassem also taunted the Israeli military about what he suggested were limited gains in its ground operation in Lebanon.

US doctor says she saw Palestinians sleeping on site of mass graves at damaged Gaza hospital

From CNN’s Sana Noor Haq

Palestinians walk on a ravaged road in front of Nasser Hospital, southern Gaza, on May 2.

Palestinians walk on a ravaged road in front of Nasser Hospital, southern Gaza, on May 2.

AFP/Getty Images

Bullet marks scar the walls of Nasser Hospital, according to Dr. Tammy Abughnaim — a stark reminder of the Israeli offensive in southern Gaza.

Palestinians seeking refuge from bombardment line the hallways of the medical facility, the US emergency doctor told CNN in September.

Israeli forces left the hospital “non-functional and severely damaged, with no food, water, electricity, food or oxygen,” according to the nongovernmental organization Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP), following a deadly siege that Israel said targeted Hamas militants in February.

“They had essentially destroyed a lot of the infrastructure of the hospital. They burned down the entire dialysis building. The overhead communications were damaged. A lot of the electricity and water systems were damaged,” said Abughnaim, who treated patients in Gaza earlier this year. The Chicago-based physician was stationed in the enclave from July 25 to August 15 as part of an emergency medical team organized by MAP and the International Rescue Committee.

A man inspects the damage in a room following Israeli bombardment at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, on December 17.

A man inspects the damage in a room following Israeli bombardment at Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza, on December 17.

AFP/Getty Images

Just 17 out of 36 hospitals in the strip are partially functional, according to the United Nations’ Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Workers in Nasser Hospital do not have adequate air conditioning or ventilation, according to Abughnaim.

“As much as hospitals are supposed to be a safe haven, they also cannot act as a displacement camp. … Some people actually slept on the mass grave site some nights, because it was just so hot that being in the building was intolerable,” she added.

Initial components and US military personnel for THAAD arrive in Israel, Pentagon announces

From CNN's Natasha Bertrand

An advance team of US military personnel and some components of the advanced air defense system the US is providing to Israel arrived in the country on Monday, the Pentagon said in a statement. Additional troops and components will be arriving in Israel in the coming days.

What is THAAD?: The defense system is one of the US military’s most powerful anti-missile weapons, capable of intercepting ballistic missiles at ranges of 150 to 200 kilometers (93 to 124 miles) and with a near-perfect success rate in testing.

Using a combination of advanced radar systems and interceptors, THAAD, short for Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, is the only US missile defense system that can engage and destroy short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles both inside or outside the atmosphere during their terminal phase of flight — or dive on their target.

THAAD interceptors are kinetic, meaning they take out incoming targets by colliding with them rather than exploding near the incoming warhead.

An Israeli strike that killed 21 in a Christian-majority village is "under review," military says

From CNN's Dana Karni

An Israeli strike on a Christian-majority village of Aitou in northern Lebanon that killed 21 people is “being examined,” the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said Monday.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said it struck what it claimed was a Hezbollah target in the area on Monday, adding that “the claim that Lebanese civilians were killed as a result of the strike is under review.”

Monday’s strike destroyed an entire building housing people who fled the bombardment in southern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese Red Cross.

1 killed and 4 injured in shootings near Israel’s Ashdod, hospitals say

From CNN’s Dana Karni

Members of Israeli security and emergency services deploy at the site of a shooting on the Yavne interchange, near the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, on October 15.

Members of Israeli security and emergency services deploy at the site of a shooting on the Yavne interchange, near the southern Israeli city of Ashdod, on October 15.

Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

One person was killed and four others injured in a shooting near the Israeli city of Ashdod on Tuesday, according to hospitals in the area that received the victims.

One person is in moderate condition, the Assuta Ashdod Medical Center said, while two others are lightly injured. The person killed was dead on arrival, the medical center added.

Another hospital, Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot, said it received a 37-year-old with a gunshot wound in his leg.

Israel’s emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) said it received reports of two shootings at 11:06 local time on Highway 4, which is between Ashdod and Tel Aviv.

Israel Police spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner Asi Aharoni, described the shooting as a “terror attack” on Israeli television, and said that the shooter has been “neutralized.”

Oil prices slide as worries about Iranian supply ease and global glut seen in 2025

From CNN’s Olesya Dmitracova

A general view of Isfahan refinery, one of the largest refineries in Iran, on November 8.

A general view of Isfahan refinery, one of the largest refineries in Iran, on November 8.

Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu/Getty Images

Oil prices fell sharply Tuesday as concerns about a potential hit to supply subsided and the International Energy Agency predicted a “sizable” global surplus of the commodity next year.

Israel has said it will consider US opinions but will ultimately decide on its response to Iran’s October 1 attack based on its own national interests, following media reports that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the United States that Israel may avoid targeting Iranian nuclear and oil sites. US officials have made clear they do not want Israel to target those sites.

The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the global benchmark, dropped just over 5% to $73.5, after losing 2% in the previous trading session. Likewise, West Texas Intermediate, the US oil benchmark, fell more than 5% to $70, extending Monday’s losses.

“Oil was lower (Monday) on reports that Israel would not be targeting Iran’s oil facilities,” Mohit Kumar, an economist at Jefferies, wrote in a note.

Oil prices came under further pressure Tuesday when the International Energy Agency forecast the global glut of the commodity in 2025, as ample supply collides with persistently weak demand in China, the world’s largest oil importer.

Israel assures US it plans to target Iran's military, not its oil or nuclear sites, source says

From CNN’s Nadeen Ebrahim and Kevin Liptak

Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have assured the United States that a counterstrike on Iran will be limited to military targets rather than oil or nuclear facilities, according to a person familiar with the discussions.

President Joe Biden, who has conveyed in public his opposition to striking Tehran’s nuclear and oil facilities, discussed Israel’s plans with Netanyahu during a classified phone call last week. During that conversation, Netanyahu relayed to Biden his plan to hit military targets, the person said.

The Washington Post first reported that Netanyahu had reassured Biden of his plans to avoid nuclear and oil targets.

Israel has been weighing a response after the Islamic Republic fired a barrage of missiles at the Jewish state on October 1, which Iran said was in retaliation to the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian commander Abbas Nilforoushan.

Key context: An Israeli retaliation that targets Iran’s nuclear or oil supplies could cause a significant escalation in the conflict between the two countries. Concerns about Israel potential targeting Iran’s nuclear and oil facilities sparked a jolt in oil prices, as well as fears of a wider war that would draw in the US and Iran’s oil producing Arab neighbors. A disruption in Middle Eastern oil supply could have a major impact on global energy prices ahead of the US elections next month.

Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 40 people overnight

From CNN’s Kareem Khadder and Lucas Lilieholm

Relatives react next to the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 15.

Relatives react next to the bodies of Palestinians who were killed in an Israeli strike in Khan Younis, Gaza, on October 15.

Hatem Khaled/Reuters

Israeli strikes across Gaza killed at least 40 Palestinians overnight, according to emergency and civil defense officials in the enclave.

In southern Gaza, an Israeli airstrike on Bani Suhaila in Khan Younis hit a residential building, killing at least 10 people and trapping others under the rubble, according to officials at Nasser Hospital and family members of the dead.

An attack struck a house in the town of Al-Fokhari, killing five, including a woman and two children. Their bodies were transferred to the Gaza European Hospital, according to the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) and hospital officials.

In central Gaza, Israeli strikes in and around the Al-Nuseirat camp killed eight people.

A strike on a house near the residential Nawri tower killed six people, according to the Gaza Civil Defense, while a strike on a residential home near the Radi petrol station killed two, according to PRCS paramedics. The victims from both attacks were transferred to Al-Awda Hospital.

In northern Gaza, 17 people were killed in Israeli strikes on Gaza City and areas to its north.

A strike near the Salah Eddine Mosque in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood southeast of Gaza City killed three people, while another two were killed in airstrikes near a mosque in Tal Al-Hawa, to the southwest, according to civil defense officials who said more victims were trapped under the rubble.

Twelve bodies arrived at the Kamal Adwan Hospital on Tuesday morning following Israeli air and artillery attacks in the Al-Fallujah area west of the Jabalya camp, according to first responders and the civil defense.

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