Morning update

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, 

Here are the latest updates from the Israeli war on Gaza, now in its 348th day: 

• A day after thousands of pagers detonated in Lebanon in what is suspected to be an Israeli espionage operation, another round of explosions involving electronic devices like walkie-talkies and laptops resulted in at least 20 deaths and 450 injuries

• Hezbollah’s executive council announced the group will respond to the attacks with "special punishment," while Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib condemned the "blatant assault on Lebanon’s sovereignty and security," warning that it could "signal a wider war"

• As tensions escalated, the Israeli military confirmed the redeployment of the 98th Division, comprising approximately 10,000 to 20,000 soldiers, from Gaza to Lebanon’s northern border

• The UN Security Council is scheduled to meet on Friday to address the explosions in Lebanon. Meanwhile, the UN human rights chief, Volker Turk, denounced "the fear and terror" caused by the attack and called for an independent investigation

• On Wednesday, Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip left at least 48 Palestinians dead, including nine children, according to medical sources

• The UN General Assembly passed a non-binding resolution demanding Israel end its "unlawful presence" in Palestinian territories within a year. Palestine’s UN envoy described it as a pivotal moment in "our struggle for freedom and justice"

• Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman stated that the kingdom will not establish diplomatic ties with Israel until the creation of a Palestinian state, dealing a setback to US-led efforts to broker a "normalisation" deal.