The Houthis strike hotel in Israel, NYPD arrests city officials at ICE holding facility, and Israeli airstrikes recommence in southern Lebanon

Drop Site Daily: September 19, 2025

Israel kills more than 21 Palestinians in Gaza as its assaults escalate. An Ansarallah (Houthi) drone strikes a hotel in Eilat, Israel. President Donald Trump makes a push to retake Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan. The U.S. delegation to the UN again vetoes a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, invoking its Security Council privileges. The NYPD arrests New York elected officials, including city comptroller Brad Lander, after they attempted to inspect ICE holding cells at a facility in the city. Airstrikes resume in southern Lebanon. Iran continues to discuss the terms of an agreement with the West concerning its nuclear program, while France and Germany threaten snapback sanctions if a deal is not reached. Ukraine strikes Russian oil facilities deep within Russian borders in Bashkortostan. The Venezuelan government claims it disrupted a U.S. false flag operation by seizing a massive quantity of cocaine, and fighting in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo is poised to resume.

This is Drop Site Daily, our new, free daily news recap. We send it Monday through Friday.

Watch yesterday’s ⚡️Drop Site Recap | September 18, 2025

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Israeli warplanes carried out an airstrike on the town of Kfar Tebnit in Nabatieh province, southern Lebanon, on September 18, 2025. (Photo by Stringer/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The Genocide in Gaza

• At least 21 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza today, according to Al Jazeera.

• At least 33 Palestinians killed and 146 injured in the past 24 hours, according to Gaza’s ministry of health. One Palestinian was killed and 17 injured while seeking aid. The total recorded death toll since October 7, 2023 is now 65,174 killed, with 166,071 injured.

• Four more deaths, including one child, were recorded over the past 24 hours due to starvation and malnutrition, bringing the total since the start of the war to 440, including 147 children.

• Nearly a quarter of a million Palestinians have been displaced since mid-August when Israel launched its offensive on Gaza City, with around half fleeing in the past week alone, according to the UN. The UN also said that Gaza City’s lifelines are collapsing as 11 UNRWA shelters have been hit in the past five days and aid continues to be severely restricted.

• The Israeli military warned on Friday it will operate with “unprecedented force” in Gaza City. It also announced the temporary “opening” of Salah al-Din Road, a main thoroughfare running north to south along the Gaza Strip, has been closed again. The only possible route for Palestinians fleeing south is the coastal al-Rashid road.

• Israeli Army Radio reports that four soldiers were killed in Rafah’s Janaina neighborhood after a Hummer struck a powerful IED around 9:30 a.m. while clearing the area; three others were wounded, one critically. The blast occurred about 1.5 km from the Philadelphi axis, where Israeli forces have conducted repeated raids.

• The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics reports that roughly 740,000 Palestinians—about 35% of Gaza’s population—remain in the north as of September 16, despite nearly two years of siege, repeated Israeli ground assaults, and mass displacement. Entire neighborhoods have been destroyed, aid sites have seen deadly attacks on civilians, and satellite imagery shows a rapid decline in remaining tent camps, with numbers expected to drop further as Israel’s assault on Gaza City continues.

• The Palestinian Telecommunications Company says it restored internet and landline services in Gaza City and North Gaza, after repair crews worked under dangerous conditions amid ongoing Israeli attacks and military operations.

• Amnesty International released a report urging states, institutions, and companies to end their complicity in Israel’s occupation, apartheid, and genocide in Gaza by halting arms sales, surveillance tech, and trade that enable these crimes. The report names 15 companies—including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Elbit Systems, Palantir, Airbnb, and Booking.com—whose weapons, technology, or services directly support Israel’s military and settlement operations, and calls for suspensions, bans, and legislative action to stop them profiting from or enabling Israel’s war economy.

Israeli and West Bank News

• A Houthi drone strike hit the entrance of a hotel in Israel’s Red Sea city of Eilat, setting off sirens and sending residents to shelters, though no casualties were reported. The Yemeni Armed Forces said the attack was part of a “qualitative military operation,” also claiming strikes in Yaffa and Beersheba, and vowed to keep targeting Eilat until Israel ends its war on Gaza and lifts the siege.

• Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a shooting and stabbing attack at the Allenby Crossing on Thursday, carried out by 57-year-old Jordanian truck driver Abd al-Mutalib al-Qaisi, who was shot dead at the scene. Israel briefly sealed Jericho and halted Jordan-Gaza aid convoys for review, though other routes into Gaza remain open.

U.S. News

• The U.S. cast its sixth veto at the UN Security Council, blocking a resolution calling for an immediate, permanent ceasefire in Gaza and the release of captives. All 14 other members supported the measure, which described Gaza’s situation as “catastrophic,” and urged Israel to lift aid restrictions. U.S. adviser Morgan Ortagus said the resolution “fails to condemn Hamas or recognize Israel’s right to defend itself,” while Algeria expressed “dismay” and apologized to Palestinians for the council’s inaction.

• More than a dozen Democratic elected officials in New York, including Comptroller Brad Lander, were arrested Thursday at a federal building in Manhattan. They were attempting to inspect ICE holding cells and protest the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign. The arrests followed a federal judge’s injunction requiring ICE to improve conditions at the facility, but officers denied the officials entry, citing security concerns and labeling the protest a “stunt.” Additional arrests also took place outside the building, as officials and supporters sought to draw attention to overcrowding and alleged mistreatment of migrants.

• A group of Democratic senators led by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) introduced the first Senate resolution to urge recognition of a Palestinian state on Thursday. In a statement, Merkley said, "The goal of a Palestinian state can’t be put off any longer if we want the next generation to avoid suffering from the same insecurity and affliction.”

• Trump was asked by NPR how he plans to target Antifa—a leaderless, membership-free group—and replied vaguely: “We’re gonna see. People have been talking about it for a long time. Do they have anything to do with your network?” He was also asked about activists who disrupted his September 9 dinner in D.C., chanting “Free D.C., Free Palestine! Trump is the Hitler of our time!” Trump responded, “Yeah, I thought they were a threat.”

• Trump on Bagram Air Base: “Strength and length. You could land a planet, can you imagine!?” The former U.S. and NATO base in Afghanistan—abandoned in 2021 and now under Taliban control—is described by Trump as strategically vital and “close to where China makes nuclear weapons,” fueling his push to regain control of its runways.

• Protesters gathered at Oakland International Airport demanding an end to U.S. arms shipments to Israel, citing at least 280 cargo loads of F-35 parts sent since January. Organized by Oakland Arms Embargo, PSL Bay Area, Bay Area PYM, and AROC, demonstrators waved Palestinian flags and held signs reading: “No weapons from our airports—stop arming genocide!”

• The indefinite suspension of Jimmy Kimmel’s show amid FCC pressure is prompting some Republicans to reconsider the right to free speech, with Sen. Cynthia Lummis telling Semafor that, while she once saw the First Amendment as “the ultimate right,” she no longer feels that way, citing cultural changes and concerns about incitement. North Dakota Sen. Kevin Cramer and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul emphasized the distinction between private consequences and government action, while Rep. Tim Burchett argued Kimmel’s removal was largely “a business decision.”

International News

• Israel launched a new series of airstrikes across southern Lebanon on Thursday including on Mais al-Jabal, Debbine, Kfar Tebnit, Shehabieh, and Bint Jbeil, with footage showing a strike hitting Debbine in Marjayoun district. The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon denounced the Israeli attacks, calling them violations of Security Council resolutions that "further undermine civilians’ confidence that a non-violent solution to this conflict is possible.”

• Iranian FM Seyed Abbas Araghchi said he presented a “reasonable and actionable” plan to the E3 and EU to avert the looming snapback of UN sanctions, claiming it has full backing from Iran’s leadership. He accused European governments of avoiding engagement and urged the UN Security Council to intervene, stressing that Tehran has already struck a new inspection deal with the IAEA and “cannot be the sole responsible actor.” The UN Security Council is expected to vote today on whether to reimpose the sanctions.

• French President Emmanuel Macron said UN sanctions on Iran will “likely” be reimposed by the end of the month, criticizing Tehran for not engaging in “serious” talks to avert the snapback. While Iran announced a new cooperation deal with the IAEA to resume inspections, Western diplomats dismissed it as too vague and non-binding, warning it could allow Iran to delay compliance. Echoing this, Germany’s Foreign Ministry warned that Iran has not taken the “reasonable and precise actions necessary” to extend UN Resolution 2231, stressing that sanctions will snap back unless Tehran makes “concrete actions in the coming days.” The measures would hit Iran’s financial, banking, energy, and defense sectors.

• Overnight, Ukraine carried out precision strikes on major Russian oil refineries in Bashkortostan and Volgograd, hitting facilities critical to Moscow’s military fuel supply. Analysts say the attacks, which have already disrupted 17% of Russia’s refining capacity, are causing nationwide fuel shortages, rationing, and rising prices, while forcing Russia to divert resources toward protection and recovery. Experts argue that targeting oil infrastructure inflicts a deeper economic and social impact than hitting drone factories, potentially creating long-term strain on Russia’s economy even as its war effort continues.

• Venezuela announced the seizure of 3,700 kilograms of cocaine and the arrest of five people on September 17, calling the operation a “false flag” aimed at framing the country for drug trafficking. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello claimed one detainee, Levi Enrique López, was an American DEA agent and trafficker, while authorities said the boat originated in Colombia and was linked to the group “Los Orientales,” framing the bust as proof of Caracas’s anti-narcotics efforts.

• In Sudan, 43 civilians were reportedly killed in a drone strike on a mosque in the besieged city of El Fasher in North Darfur. The Sudan Doctors Network said the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) were responsible for the attack on the mosque. El Fasher has been at the epicenter of fighting between the RSF and the Sudanese Army for over a year.

• Fighting between Congo’s army and the Rwandan-backed M23 rebels is intensifying in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, with both sides reinforcing positions and accusing each other of violating peace accords. The conflict—rooted in decades-old regional tensions and mineral disputes—has displaced millions and left thousands dead, despite multiple U.S.- and Qatari-brokered agreements. Analysts warn that mistrust, broken promises, and ongoing violence continue to undermine peace efforts, leaving the region on the brink of renewed large-scale war.

• Spain has joined Ireland, Slovenia, the Netherlands, and Iceland in pledging to boycott the 2026 Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna if Israel is allowed to compete, becoming the first of the contest’s “Big Five” countries to do so. RTVE, Spain’s state broadcaster, approved the move after Culture Minister Ernest Urtasun urged a withdrawal over Israel’s war on Gaza, while Dutch broadcaster AVROTROS said it “can no longer justify Israel’s participation given the severe human suffering in Gaza.”

More from Drop Site

• Join us Thursday, Sept. 25, 6–8 p.m. ET at Columbia Journalism School’s Pulitzer Hall for a discussion on defending press freedom in Gaza. Drop Site News’s Middle East Editor Sharif Abdel Kouddous will be in conversation with Jodie Ginsberg, Kenneth Roth, Laila Al-Arian, and Trevor Timm, with Azmat Khan moderating. The event is co-sponsored by Columbia Journalism Review and the Freedom of the Press Foundation.

• Yemeni journalist Shuaib Almosawa and Drop Site’s Murtaza Hussain report on a deadly Israeli airstrike in Yemen’s capital, Sana’a, that killed dozens of civilians and as many as 32 journalists, marking one of the largest single attacks on media workers in recent history. The article details how Israel targeted Ansarallah’s government offices while the group continues to launch drones and missiles at Israel in retaliation. Almosawa highlights the resilience of Yemen’s Ansarallah forces and the ongoing regional conflict, which the group says will persist until the siege of Gaza ends.

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