Day 89 of Hamas-Israel war blog: Wednesday, Jan. 3

Just hours before a speech by Hezbolla chief Hasan Nasrallah, two explosions rocked Iran's south-central city of Kerman near the cemetery where former Iranian Quds Force commander Qasem Soleimani is buried.

Rina Bassist, Ezgi Akin, Beatrice Farhat, Elizabeth Hagedorn, Adam Lucente, Jack Dutton, Jared Szuba and Al-Monitor’s contributors on the ground in Gaza, the West Bank and Israel contributed to this blog.

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Live updates (all times EDT):

Wednesday, Jan. 3, 2024

7:00 pm: US braces for escalation as Hezbollah weighs Israel retaliation

Israel's suspected killing of Saleh al-Arouri, a senior Hamas member based in Lebanon, has raised fears of more spillover from the war in Gaza. Elizabeth Hagedorn reports.

4:50 pm: Germany, Canada urge citizens to leave Lebanon as Hezbollah vows to retaliate

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared the United States responsible for the war in Gaza in a Wednesday speech, vowing retaliation for the killing of Saleh al-Arouri, a top Hamas official in Beirut, as several Western governments urged their citizens to leave Lebanon. Adam Lucente reports.

3:52 pm: Salam Fayyad says he's not part of postwar Gaza talks

In an interview with Al-Monitor, former Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad distanced himself from reports suggesting that he should be nominated to run Gaza after the war ends. “I am not part of this discussion or a party to it,” he said, adding, “any such discussion must be based on national consensus and certainly should not be restricted to Gaza alone," referencing the need for a political settlement to include Gaza as well as the West Bank and east Jerusalem. Daoud Kuttab reports.

12:01 pm: Israel braces for retaliation by Hamas, Hezbollah for Arouri's death

While already on high alert over the war in Gaza, Israeli security agencies are being especially vigilant for possible attacks by Hezbollah after Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri was killed Tuesday evening in Beirut. Israel anticipates not only a strong reaction by Hamas in Gaza or the West Bank, but also a possible response by Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border or against Israeli or Jewish targets abroad. Rina Bassist reports.

11:37 am: Israel-Lebanon border heats up in aftermath of Arouri’s killing

The exchanges of fire between the Israeli military and Lebanese Hezbollah along the Israel-Lebanon border are intensifying ahead of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah’s speech scheduled for today. Beatrice Farhat reports.

6:20 am: What does Israeli military drawdown mean for Gaza war?

The Israeli military is preparing for what could be seen as the third phase of the war in Gaza, with fewer troops on the ground and more precisely targeted operations. 

Four Israeli combat brigades are set to stop fighting this week in the Gaza Strip. Israeli military chief of staff Herzi Halevi reportedly decided to release two reserve brigades, the infantry-vocational school brigade and an armored-corps training brigade. Rina Bassist reports.

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