Israel Today: Ongoing War Report - Update from 2025-11-13 at 08:08

HEADLINES - Hamas Hostages Testify at UN Torture Committee - Israel Strikes Khan Yunis Demolitions in Tafah - Tehran Witnesses Rare Lion Flag Protest The time is now 3:01 AM in New York, I'm Noa Levi and this is the latest Israel Today: Ongoing War Report. This is the 3:00 a.m. news update. Former Hamas hostages Keith and Aviva Siegel testified before the United Nations torture committee, recounting a Gaza captivity marked by repeated moves, hunger, and degradation, and emphasized they are seeking accountability and justice rather than mercy. Their account underscores the enduring human dimension of the Gaza conflict and the international focus on safeguarding civilian welfare and rights in captivity cases. In Gaza, reporting from the region indicates renewed Israeli airstrikes in Khan Yunis in the past hours, with journalists in Gaza City describing targeted demolitions in the Tafah neighborhood as part of ongoing efforts to remove structures associated with “terror infrastructure.” The Israeli military says it continues to clear the area of weapons caches and underground facilities linked to militant activity, as part of broader security operations intended to curtail threats to Israeli civilians and nearby communities. In the West Bank, a mosque was set on fire in the village of Deir Istiya near Nablus, with graffiti sprayed on its walls. The messages targeted the head of the Israeli Central Command and proclaimed defiance, prompting condemnations from Palestinian officials and diverse community voices, while some settlement leaders also denounced violence as incompatible with broader peace and stability efforts. Meanwhile, the United States Secretary of State indicated that Washington expects to sign several agreements with Saudi Arabia next week as part of ongoing regional security and diplomatic alignment. The statement reflects attempts to deepen strategic cooperation amid shifting regional dynamics and broader questions about security guarantees and energy cooperation in the Middle East. Overseas in East Asia, 20 people were injured when a truck plowed into a shopping center in Bucheon, near Seoul, South Korea. Authorities said 11 people were in serious condition, with two in critical condition. The incident drew rapid international attention to regional traffic safety and emergency response capabilities, even as the focus remained on broader geopolitical tensions in nearby regions. In Lebanon and the broader Levant, the Israeli military reported striking a weapons storage facility and an underground terror infrastructure site in southern Lebanon. The army characterized the operation as a response to ongoing militant activity, and said such sites and actions pose a violation of understandings between Israel and Lebanon. The incident adds to a pattern of exchanges along the border that underscore the fragility of long-standing arrangements designed to prevent cross-border escalation. Iran witnessed a rare public protest in central Tehran when two men dressed in military-style attire raised the pre-revolutionary lion-and-sun flag at a metro station and broadcast a recording of the Shah’s speeches. Iranian security forces reportedly moved to restrain the demonstration, and footage circulated online as part of a broader wave of domestic unrest that rights groups say has intensified since the summer. Observers note the regime’s tight restrictions on dissent, even as discontent has grown amid multiple pressures facing Tehran. On a related regional security note, analysts and officials continue to monitor the hostage issue, including debates about remaining captives and the group’s knowledge of their locations. Reports describe a spectrum of assessments about the status of hostages held by Hamas, with discussions focusing on how information about captivity outcomes or remains could influence negotiations and humanitarian responses. In the Sahel, Mali remains at the center of a transnational security conversation after a major ransom exchange. Reports indicate that Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin secured at least $50 million in exchange for the release of a member of the United Arab Emirates royal family involved in the gold trade, along with other prisoners and captives. Analysts say the ransom strengthens the group’s already substantial war chest, enabling procurement of weapons, drones, and salaries for fighters, while the Malian junta continues to face a security vacuum intensified by the departure of French forces and a complex regional realignment. The United States and the United Kingdom have withdrawn non-essential personnel from Mali, reflecting growing concerns about the ability of Malian authorities or their partners to guarantee safety for foreign interests. Turning to diplomacy and regional security, Jerusalem reported a memorandum of growing coordination with Athens and Nicosia amid Turkish concerns over a tightening security triangle with Israel, Greece, and Cyprus. An official visit by