Israel at ‘high level of readiness’ for Iran’s response, source says

Israel is at a “high level of readiness” for a response from Iran, an Israeli military source told CNN, as US officials visited the Middle East for a renewed push to resolve the conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon. Follow live updates.

• Israel is at a “high level of readiness” for a response from Iran, an Israeli military source told CNN. It comes after a high-ranking source told CNN that Iran could respond to Israel’s recent attacks before the US presidential election. • US officials returned from the Middle East after talks to deter any Iranian retaliation and for a renewed push to resolve the conflicts in Lebanon and Gaza. But officials remain doubtful the efforts will result in a pause in fighting in the Palestinian enclave before the US election, according to people familiar. • Despite greater optimism for a potential Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire, war is still raging in Lebanon. The Israeli military struck Beirut’s southern suburbs for the first time in nearly a week, Lebanese state media said, after Hezbollah rocket fire killed seven civilians in Israel, including four Thai workers. • In Gaza, health officials said at least 13 people were killed and dozens injured after an Israeli airstrike hit two houses north of Nuseirat refugee camp. The Israeli military has yet to comment. The World Health Organization (WHO) says it is ready to resume polio vaccinations in northern Gaza, after the campaign was suspended last month amid escalating Israeli attacks in the area. The UN-led campaign was dealt a major blow on October 23, when Israeli forces struck a school in northern Gaza where vaccinations were set to take place, forcing the temporary suspension of the program. The three-phased campaign, which began in September, has been facilitated by a series of pauses in fighting agreed to by the Israeli military.