UN pushes for Palestinian state, Israel launches new strike on Lebanon

The UN General Assembly on Tuesday called on Israel to withdraw from the occupied Palestinian territories and pushed for the creation of a Palestinian state.

In a resolution passed by a 157-8 vote, with the U.S. and Israel among those voting no, and seven abstentions, the Assembly expressed "unwavering support, in accordance with international law, for the two-state solution of Israel and Palestine."

The Assembly said the two states should be "living side by side in peace and security within recognized borders, based on the pre-1967 borders."

The assembly called for "realization of the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, primarily the right to self-determination and the right to their independent state."

Israel and Hamas have held on-off negotiations since October 2023, but after an initial hostage release in November, little progress has been made with both sides blaming each other.

On Monday, U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said on Truth Social that the hostages had to be freed by the time he was sworn in without naming any group, adding that if his demand was not met, those responsible will be hit harder than anybody has been hit in the long and storied History of the United States of America.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and many of his ministers publicly thanked Trump for his hard-hitting words.

Responding to Trump's post, senior Hamas official Basem Naim said Netanyahu had sabotaged all efforts to secure a deal that involved exchanging the hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

While in Lebanon, Israel on Tuesday launched an airstrike on the southern Lebanese town of Shebaa, killing one person, in what Lebanese media described as a violation of a newly-reached ceasefire with Hezbollah.

In response to escalating tensions, the Lebanese army deployed additional soldiers to the city of Tyre and surrounding areas as part of a broader redeployment effort in southern Lebanon, particularly in border villages, the Lebanese National News Agency reported. The Lebanese Defense Ministry also announced a call for new recruits to join combat units in the armed forces.

Earlier on Tuesday, Israel warned it would expand its military operations to include targets linked to the Lebanese state if the ceasefire with Hezbollah collapses. The warning came after Hezbollah launched two mortars into a disputed border area on Monday, accusing Israel of repeated violations of the truce. Israel retaliated with airstrikes on more than 20 locations across Lebanon.

(With input from agencies)