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Flydubai 'terrorist' wanted to crash plane, kill Israelis, Ben Gvir says

The emergency landing Wednesday of a Tel Aviv-bound flydubai flight was due to a "terrorist" who wanted to crash the plane and kill Israelis, Israel's far-right national security minister said.

"The naive notion that our enemies cherish life and that we should pity them received another reminder this morning in the form of a terrorist who planned to crash a plane and murder the 180 Israelis on board," Itamar Ben Gvir said in a statement.

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Gaza health officials say Israeli strike kills 5 in Gaza City

Gaza City's Al-Shifa Hospital said an Israeli airstrike targeting a vehicle killed five people on Wednesday, with the territory's civil defense agency confirming the toll.

Al-Shifa reported that "five martyrs and 13 injured arrived to the hospital following an Israeli airstrike that targeted a vehicle near the destroyed cabinet headquarters in the Tel al-Hawa neighborhood". AFP has contacted the Israeli military for a response.

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Army says four wounded in explosion, not Israeli strike

The Lebanese military said on Wednesday that the explosion of an unknown object wounded a soldier and three civilians, after initially saying it was an Israeli strike.

"A soldier and three civilians were wounded in the Nabatieh al-Fawqa area as a result of an explosion while the army was escorting residents to inspect their properties in the area," the army said in a statement.

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Rival says Netanyahu 'fear-mongering' over warning of pre-vote attack

Israel's opposition chief early Wednesday accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fear-mongering after he alleged that enemies may attack before October 27 elections.

Netanyahu, who polls show is in a close race to hold on to power, has issued warnings in recent weeks to Iran, the militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah and even the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority, vowing retaliation in case of an attack.

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Hezbollah denies any link to cell dismantled in Syria

Hezbollah denied on Wednesday any connection to a cell that Syrian authorities said they had dismantled in the country's south and which they accused of being affiliated with the Lebanese group.

A statement from the Iran-backed group's media office said it "categorically denies any relationship or connection between Hezbollah and the alleged cell" and emphasized that "it has no presence whatsoever on Syrian territory and has no involvement in any security or military activity there."

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Israel PM says 'indications' enemies will try to attack ahead of elections

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said there were "indications" that Israel's enemies could try to attack ahead of elections scheduled for the end of October, without giving details.

"We have indications that ahead of the elections our enemies will try to attack us. So... I am sending you a message: Don't mess with us, not now and not ever. Our long arm will reach you anywhere, anytime," Netanyahu said at an air force base, according to a video published by his office.

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US to allow Iran pilgrims to fly to holy city in Iraq

The United States has granted Iraqi airlines a sanctions waiver allowing them to fly Iranian pilgrims in and out of the Iraqi city of Najaf, holy to Shia Muslims, an Iraqi government official and an airport source told AFP.

The Iraqi government had on Saturday said it was in talks with the U.S. to seek such an exemption after sanctions on Iran's aviation sector took effect.

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Settler attack on West Bank village injures Israeli forces, drawing rare rebuke

More than 100 Israeli settlers attacked a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank early Tuesday, drawing rare Israeli government condemnation after they injured three members of the security forces.

The raid, along with another attack on a different West Bank village on Tuesday, comes amid mounting international criticism of settler violence, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed in an address last week to the United Nations.

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Sabotage on east Syria pipeline halts gas flow

Syria early on Tuesday said an explosion caused by sabotage on an eastern gas pipeline the night before halted the flow of gas to power stations.

"A fire broke out Monday evening in a gas pipeline between the Al-Shoula area and Deir Ezzor due to the explosion of a sectional valve caused by sabotage," the official SANA news agency said.

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Iran FM says expects US answer Tuesday on plan to open Hormuz

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said he expected a formal answer on Tuesday from the United States to Tehran's proposal to open the Strait of Hormuz, state media reported.

Qatari intermediaries "presented ideas, and we discussed them; they are set to raise the matter with the American side once more, after which the final U.S. response will be conveyed to us", Araghchi said late Monday.

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