What’s going on in the Middle East in five bullet points

• Israel is attacking Gaza and Lebanon in its conflicts with Hamas and Hezbollah. Drones and rockets fired at Israel by the two groups, and other Iran-backed proxies, continue to be largely ineffective against Israel’s advanced air defence systems;
• The IDF has confirmed the killing of Hashem Safieddine, who was expected to become the next leader of Hezbollah after his cousin Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in Beirut last month;
• In Gaza, the Israeli military has stepped up attacks on Hamas in the city of Jabalia, where a large refugee camp is located, and ordered residents to leave. Many Palestinians fear the evacuation orders will enable Israeli control over northern Gaza after the war;
• Hunger and malnutrition are rife and aid access remains severely restricted, with a sharp decline after a temporary surge during the summer months. This month, the Israeli military has denied access to almost half of aid movements, according to the UN. Last week, the US issued Israel an ultimatum to allow more aid into Gaza in 30 days or risk losing some of its military funding. In the past year the US, Israel’s biggest funder, is estimated to have spent nearly $18bn on military aid to Israel.
• Israel has still not yet launched an attack on Iran, which it vowed to carry out after Iran sent a missile barrage at the country on 1 October, which was mostly intercepted.

Israel begins strikes on Tyre

Israel has begun striking the historic southern Lebanese port city of Tyre.

Around three hours ago, an Israeli military spokesman, Avichay Adraee, published a map on X showing dozens of buildings highlighted in red and ordered their residents to evacuate.

The port is typically a bustling hub for southern Lebanon, with fishermen, tourists and even UN peacekeepers on break from deployment spending time there.

Thousands of people have already fled the UNESCO-listed city in recent weeks after Israel stepped up its campaign to destroy Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Israeli troops ‘find rifles, grenades and missiles’ inside Lebanese mosque

Israel’s military says its troops operating in southern Lebanon have uncovered a cache of weapons stored inside a mosque.

In an update shared on Telegram, the Israel Defence Forces said it found ammunition and a recoilless rifle outside the mosque.

Inside the building it found rocket-propelled grenades, sniper rifles, anti-tank missiles and other weapons, according to the military.

All the weapons that were found were seized and dismantled, it added.

More than 70 killed in Gaza in past 24 hours, health ministry says

Seventy-four Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the Hamas-run health ministry has said.

According to its latest figures, 42,792 people have now been killed by Israel since 7 October 2023.

A further 100,412 have been injured.

The ministry’s figures do not differentiate between Hamas fighters and civilians.

For context: While Israeli officials have cast doubt on the numbers killed in Gaza, several independent groups say the ministry’s figures have proved to be largely reliable and broadly in line with those later produced by the UN and Israel itself.

Examination of data from previous Gaza conflicts, comparing the ministry’s counts with post-war United Nations analysis, shows the initial data is largely accurate with, at most, a 10-12% discrepancy.

The Israeli military told Sky News earlier this month that 20,000 Hamas militants had been killed, but this remains unverified.