The US is moving equipment to the Middle East. A key Hamas leader is said to have been killed. All developments in the news blog.
2:55 a.m.: According to the Israeli military, three rockets were fired from Lebanon at the center of Israel. Some were intercepted, and a fallen projectile was identified in the affected area according to initial findings, the armed forces said. An air alarm had previously been triggered in the region. Videos were shared on social media that appeared to show a rocket hitting the town of Tira, northeast of Tel Aviv. Seven people were injured in the attack, the rescue service said.
2.30am: The Israeli military reported siren alerts in a number of areas in central Israel in the early hours of Saturday. The military said three shells entered the country from Lebanon, some of which were intercepted. “A dropped projectile was most likely identified in the area,” the army added, noting that details were still being reviewed.
1 a.m.: The USA wants to send more B-52 bombers, fighter jets, tankers and warships to the Middle East. In contrast, the so-called Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group with the flagship “USS Abraham Lincoln” is being prepared to leave the region. The Pentagon said in a statement that the transfers would take place in the coming months. “Should Iran, its partners or its proxies use this moment to attack American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take all necessary measures to defend our people,” Pentagon spokesman Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement . The USA deployed two aircraft carriers in the Middle East last year. The withdrawal of the Abraham Lincoln will create a gap until another aircraft carrier is deployed to the Middle East.
10 p.m.: The Israeli army says it has killed one of the last high-ranking Hamas officials in the Gaza Strip. The member of the Islamist terrorist organization’s Politburo, Is al-Din Kassab, was responsible for relations with other extremist groups in the coastal strip.
The army releases an aerial video that purports to show the rocket attack on the Hamas official’s vehicle. An employee of Kassab was also killed. Hamas confirms the deaths of the two.
6:14 p.m.: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli government has approved the draft budget for 2025 with increased spending on the military and cuts to education, health and social services. The draft, which still needs to be approved by parliament, envisages spending totaling 744 billion shekels (182 billion euros), Israeli business newspaper Calcalist reports. This includes 161 billion for debt service.
The military is to receive 117 billion shekels for its multi-front war, around 20 billion shekels (around 5 billion euros) more than in the current year. In addition to the savings, there is a bitter pill for all citizens in the form of an increase in VAT from 17 to 18 percent. This should close a budget gap of around 40 billion shekels, reports “Calcalist”.
The target for the budget deficit was 4.3 percent of the gross national product. It is currently 8.5 percent. The war is putting an enormous strain on Israel’s economy. The growth forecast for 2024 had to be reduced from 1.1 percent to just 0.4 percent.
