Middle East live updates: Israel threatens Houthis with ‘miserable fate’

December 30, 2024

DECEMBER 30: Palestinians taking shelter in tent camps are battling harsh weather conditions as heavy rainfall has flooded their tents on December 30, 2024 in Deir al-Balah, Gaza. The ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza are worsen by the severe storms, which have led to widespread flooding in the camps where thousands have sought shelter. (Photo by Ashraf Amra/Anadolu via Getty Images)

(LONDON) -- Rebel forces in Syria are building a transitional government after toppling the regime of President Bashar Assad in a lightning-quick advance across the country.

The Israel Defense Forces continues its intense airstrike and ground campaigns in Gaza, particularly in the north of the strip around several Palestinian hospitals.

Meanwhile, the November ceasefire in Lebanon is holding despite ongoing Israeli airstrikes on Hezbollah targets, which Israeli officials say are responses to ceasefire violations by the Iranian-backed militant group.

Tensions remain high between Israel and Iran after tit-for-tat long-range strikes in recent months and threats of further military action from both sides. The IDF and the Yemeni Houthis also continue to exchange attacks.

Israel intercepts missile from Yemen, threatens Houthi leaders

A missile launched from Yemen was intercepted by Israeli air forces, the Israel Defense Forces said in a Monday night statement, amid continued Israeli and Houthi long-range attacks.

Sirens sounded "due to the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception," the IDF said.

The latest missile launch came shortly after Danny Danon -- Israel's ambassador to the United Nations -- said Israelis "have had enough" of attacks from the Houthis in Yemen, ongoing since October 2023 in protest of Israel's war in Gaza.

"Israel will not stand by waiting for the world to act," Danon said.

Addressing the Houthi leadership, he added, "Let me remind you what happened to Hamas, to Hezbollah, to [former Syrian President Bashar] Assad and to all those who thought to destroy us."

"This is not a threat, it is a promise," Danon said. "You will share the same miserable fate."

-ABC News' Will Gretsky, Dana Savir and Ellie Kaufman

Ukraine foreign minister meets Syrian leader in Damascus

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Monday met with Syria's de facto leader Ahmed al-Sharaa -- also known by nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Jolani.

Sybiha became the latest foreign representative to meet with Sharaa in Damascus, where the latter's Hayat Tahrir al-Sham forces and their allies are establishing a transitional government having toppled former President Bashar Assad.

Sybiha wrote on X that he "personally conveyed the message" of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. "We are with you and ready to assist in restoring normal life, stability and food security," Sybiha said.

"We rely on the new Syria respecting international law, including Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added. "This will pave the way to fully restoring our diplomatic ties, political dialogue and diplomatic presence. We are ready to develop cooperation in a number of areas."

The visit came days after Zelenskyy announced Kyiv's dispatch of 500 tons of wheat flour to Syria as part of the "Grain from Ukraine" humanitarian program in cooperation with the World Food Program.

Gaza hospitals become ‘battlegrounds,’ WHO chief says

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said early Monday that Gaza's beleaguered hospitals "have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat."

Ghebreyesus said the Kamal Adwan Hospital in the north Gaza town of Beit Lahia "is out of service," following an Israeli raid which itself came after several weeks of encirclement and bombardment.

Israeli forces raided the compound on Friday, forcibly evacuating all remaining patients and staff. The Israel Defense Forces said it detained 240 alleged militants, among them hospital director Dr. Hossam Abu Safiya. The IDF said the hospital was a "command center" for Hamas "military operations" in the surrounding area.

Ghebreyesus said Safiya's "whereabouts are unknown. We call for his immediate release."

Kamal Adwan patients were transferred to the Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City and the Indonesian Hospital in Beit Lahia, both of which have also reported repeated Israeli attacks. The latter "is itself out of function," Ghebreyesus said.

"Seven patients along with 15 caregivers and health workers remain at the severely damaged Indonesian Hospital, which has no ability to provide care," he added.

Four patients were detained by the IDF during their transfer out of Kamal Adwan Hospital, the WHO chief said.

Two other facilities -- the Al-Ahli Hospital and Al-Wafa Rehabilitation Hospital in Gaza City -- were also attacked and sustained damage on Monday, Ghebreyesus said.

"We repeat: stop attacks on hospitals," he wrote. "People in Gaza need access to health care. Humanitarians need access to provide health aid. Ceasefire!"

Family of Gaza hospital director asks international community to help find him

The family of Dr. Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of Kamal Adwan Hospital in the Gaza Strip, is pleading with the international community to help learn his whereabouts, alleging he was detained by Israeli forces during a recent raid on the medical facility.

The family posted a message on Abu Safiya's official Instagram page, on which the doctor had been posting updates about the hospital's functioning, pleading, "We do not know the fate of our father."

"We appeal to every compassionate individual and all international organizations and institutions to take action," said the family, asking the international community to apply media pressure and make appeals to "help us push for his swift release from captivity."

The message said Abu Safiya is still recovering from injuries he suffered a month ago while working at the hospital.

The Israel Defense Forces said in a statement released on Saturday that Abu Safiya is suspected of being a Hamas terrorist and is being held in Gaza.

Abu Safiya had not been arrested in previous IDF raids of the hospital.

-ABC News' Camilla Alcini and Nadine Shubailat

IDF issues statement on Kamal Adwan Hospital raid

The IDF released a statement outlining their operations in and around Kamal Adwan Hospital in the last few days.

The Israel Defense Forces said the hospital was a "command center" for Hamas "military operations in Jabaliya," although the statement and attached media do not provide corroborating evidence of this.

The statement says the IDF faced heavy fighting in areas near the hospital, and says the IDF detained 240 terrorists, including the director of the hospital, Dr Hossam Abu Safiya, whom it says is is "suspected of being a Hamas terrorist operative.”

Abu Safiya was one of the only male staff members at the hospital not detained during the IDF's raid of the hospital in October, and he would have helped coordinate numerous resupply and patient evacuations with Israel over the last several months.

Kamal Adwan is the last functioning hospital in northern Gaza and is operating at a limited capacity due to a lack of medical supplies and the repeated attacks on the hospital.

-ABC News’ Victoria Beaule