Without fanfare, the Israel Defense Forces is transitioning from phase 2 in the war against Hamas--the high-intensity stage of surging ground forces throughout Gaza--to phase 3, involving far more targeted operations, with a focus on the south of the strip.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, more than 2,650 wanted terrorists have been arrested throughout Judea and Samaria and the Jordan and Valley areas, approximately 1,300 of whom are associated with the terrorist organisation Hamas.
In retaliation to an escalation in attacks by Houthi rebels on commercial vessels recently, the United States has carried out fresh strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen, according to a US official, as reported by CNN.
The US and Britain launched airstrikes on Houthi positions in Yemen in the early hours of Friday morning in what one analyst described as "a message" to Iran.
The strikes against Houthi rebels were a demonstration of 'shared commitment' to freedom of navigation, international commerce, and defending the lives of mariners from illegal and unjustifiable attacks, the countries behind the joint assault said in a joint statement
Hamas "opted to invest precious resources in building terrorist infrastructure used to harm Israeli civilians and IDF forces, while cynically exploiting the civilian population in the Gaza Strip," the military statement said.
At least five rebels were killed and six more were wounded in the strikes by the United States and the United Kingdom in the Red Sea, CNN reported, citing Houthi rebels' military spokesperson, Yahya Sare'e, on Friday.
Israel presented its case at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Thursday (local time), and rejected allegations of genocide levelled by South Africa in connection with the ongoing war in Gaza.