In a statement, Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said troops had started limited and localised ground raids on Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in the country after approval by political leaders.
The announcement came after images emerged showing Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles at the border at Lower Galilee, with US officials telling news agencies that a ground operation could be imminent.
Meanwhile, in Beirut IDF has issued evacuation orders for three areas in the southern part of the city. At least six Israeli strikes hit the southern suburbs of the city on Monday, a Lebanese security source said.
In a post on social media, the IDF’s Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee says: “You are located near interests and facilities belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah, and therefore the IDF will act against them forcefully.”
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant had warned on Monday that the next phase of the war against Hezbollah along the southern border of Lebanon “will begin soon”.
Meanwhile, the deputy leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, vowed to be ready for an Israeli invasion in his first speech given since Israel killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, over the weekend.
Key Points
- Israeli military says it has begun ‘limited, localised’ operation in southern Lebanon
- Israeli military orders evacuations in Beirut as airstrikes hit southern suburbs
- Israel launches cross-border raids in Lebanon with larger operation planned, officials say
- Israeli troops may be positioned for imminent Lebanon ground incursion, US official says
- US to send ‘few thousand’ more troops to Middle East if Israel needs defending, says Pentagon
- Israeli defence minister Gallant says next phase of the war will begin soon
- Hezbollah deputy leader vows to defeat Israel in first speech since Nasrallah death
Austin spoke with Israel's Gallant, Pentagon says
04:00
Namita Singh
US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, the Department of Defence said.
“They agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities,” the department said in a statement.
Mr Austin reaffirmed that a diplomatic resolution is required to ensure that civilians can return safely to their homes on both sides of the border, according to the department.
WATCH: Hezbollah's deputy leader vows to fight on after Nasrallah's death
04:00
Graig Graziosi
Top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon was UNRWA employee placed on administrative leave
03:26
Graig Graziosi
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said that the top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon Monday was one of its employees but had no function as he was placed on administrative leave since March.
Fatah Sharif’s connection to Hamas appeared set to ratchet up pressure on UNRWA, already facing a $80 million funding shortfall this year. Critics have repeatedly blasted the agency, saying it wasn’t doing enough to root out Hamas militants from its ranks.
The U.N.’s internal watchdog has been investigating UNRWA since Israel in January accused 12 of its staffers of being involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which armed militants killed 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. The allegations led more than a dozen donor countries to suspend their funding, causing an initial cash crunch of about $450 million dollars. Since then, all donor countries except for the United States have decided to resume funding the agency.
READ MORE:
Syrian news anchor killed in Israeli airstrike, Syrian media reports
02:54
Graig Graziosi
A well known Syrian televsion anchor, Safaa Ahmed, and two other individuals were killed overnight after an Israeli airstrike on Damascus, according to Syrian news organization SANA.
Syria defense ministry said the IDF launched an attack using drones and planes around 2am local time.
“The General Authority for Radio and Television announces the death of the anchor Safaa Ahmed as a martyr following the treacherous Israeli aggression on the capital, Damascus,” SANA reported.
EDITORIAL: Iran does not want war with Israel – but what of Benjamin Netanyahu?
02:20
Graig Graziosi
From the editorial:
The Iranian regime has been in trouble for many months, and at risk of revolt enacted by a people exhausted by the ayatollah’s aggression as well as their country’s isolation and international sanctions. Plainly, they do not want war with Israel – but what of Mr Netanyahu?
Suddenly energised by bold military initiatives, Israel seems to possess an unlimited appetite for audacious operations. It has already launched some further pre-emptive air assaults on the notorious Houthi rebels in Yemen (another of Iran’s cadet forces).
Few would bet against it, given the momentum that has powered Israel forward in recent days – and Israel’s unprecedented defiance, even towards its most important partner, the United States.
READ MORE:
Watch: Beirut city centre in ruins after first Israeli strike in 18 years
02:00
Graig Graziosi
Watch live from Beirut on Monday, 30 September, as an apartment building lies in ruins following an Israeli strike in the city centre for the first time since 2006.
This feed shows a residential building that was hit by an airstrike in the Kola district.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the attack brings the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon to more than 1,000 people and the number of those injured to more than 6,000 over the last two weeks.
READ MORE:
Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon begins with ‘targeted’ raids on Hezbollah targets
01:31
Graig Graziosi
Israel’s widely-expected ground incursion inside Lebanon appeared to be underway with its military saying troops had carried out ‘targeted’ raids across the border while backed by airstrikes and artillery.
In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, Israel Defense Force (IDF) said it was striking Hezbollah targets in areas close to its country’s northern border.
The announcement came shortly after Israeli media reported that the country’s cabinet had approved the next stage of the military operation targeting the militant group.
READ MORE:
‘Operation Northern Arrows’ begins in southern Lebanon
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:56
Graig Graziosi
The IDF’s push into Lebanon — which it is calling “Operation Northern Arrows” — is reportedly targeting individuals in villages close to the border that it claims posed an “immediate threat” to communities in northern Israel.
Residents in Aita al-Shaab, a village close to Lebanon’s southern border, told Reuters that they experienced heavy shelling and that they could hear drones and helicopters overhead.
The White House denies that Biden calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon is a policy change on Israel
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:30
Graig Graziosi
The White House says there has been no change in America’s support of Israel in response to the start of what has been described as a limited ground offensive in Lebanon despite President Joe Biden’s call for the Israeli government to consider “stopping” the operations and his suggestion that a ceasefire deal be implemented “now.”
Biden commented on the plans when he was questioned by reporters following remarks on Monday he delivered on the federal response to Hurricane Helene.
Asked whether he was aware of or comfortable with the Israeli plans, Biden replied: “I’m more aware than you might know, and I’m comfortable with them stopping.”
“We should have a ceasefire now,” he added.
READ MORE:
Israeli military says it has begun ‘limited, localised’ operation in southern Lebanon
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:02
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military says it has begun a "limited, localised" operation in southern Lebanon.
Rocket attack targets military base hosting US forces in Baghdad, military sources say
Monday 30 September 2024 23:22
Tara Cobham
At least two Katyusha rockets were fired at a military base hosting US forces near Baghdad International Airport, two Iraqi military officials told Reuters early on Tuesday.
Air defenses intercepted the rockets, they added.
UK government charters flight out of Lebanon for Britons
Monday 30 September 2024 23:11
Tara Cobham
The UK Government has chartered a flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave amid fears of a wider conflict.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly” as the flight, due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, was confirmed.
Earlier on Monday night, Mr Lammy had reiterated calls for Britons in Lebanon to leave as he said the Government will do “all that we can” to assist people in fleeing.
British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 are eligible for the flight, and those who are vulnerable will be prioritised.
Mr Lammy chaired a ministerial meeting of the Cobra emergency committee on Monday to discuss the crisis.
There are an estimated 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon and the Government says it is working on “all contingency options”.
British military assets have been deployed to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean in case an evacuation is required, although ministers and officials have stressed that Britons should leave immediately.
On Monday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer has been “very, very clear” that British nationals “should leave now, particularly whilst commercial flights are still available”.
It is understood around 15 spaces for British nationals were secured on a flight which arrived on Sunday, and a further 40 on the flight due to leave on Tuesday.
The spokesman said the focus is on “securing extra spaces on commercial flights for those who do want to leave and reiterating our calls for those to leave and to register their presence with us and book the first available flights”.
Israeli military orders evacuations in Beirut as airstrikes hit southern suburbs
Monday 30 September 2024 23:05
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders in Beirut as a security source said Israeli strikes hit the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs overnight.
At least six Israeli strikes hit the south of Beirut, a Lebanese security source said on Monday, with a Reuters reporter seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud blast about an hour after the Israeli military had warned residents to evacuate areas near buildings it said contained Hezbollah infrastructure south of the Lebanese capital.
Huge blasts heard in Lebanese capital as Israeli strikes pound suburbs, say Reuters witnesses
Monday 30 September 2024 22:18
Tara Cobham
Huge consecutive blasts were heard across the Lebanese capital just after midnight on Tuesday, Reuters witnesses said, as the Israeli military carried out strikes on the city's southern suburbs.
A massive smoke cloud could be seen in a Reuters live broadcast.
Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli troop movements near Lebanese border towns
Monday 30 September 2024 22:17
Tara Cobham
Hezbollah has targeted Israeli troop movements across from Lebanese border towns, the group has said in a statement issued early on Tuesday.
Israeli strike hits Beirut’s southern suburbs, security source says
Monday 30 September 2024 22:13
Tara Cobham
At least two Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs late on Monday, a security source said, with Reuters reporters seeing two flashes of light and hearing loud blasts coming from the neighbourhood.
The Israeli military had warned an hour earlier that it would strike specific buildings in the typically densely populated southern suburbs, saying armed group Hezbollah was using them as facilities and telling residents to leave.
Many residents had fled the area in recent days after a spike in Israeli strikes, but ended up sleeping in the streets of the city as shelters were full.
Families had told Reuters they had struggled to find taxis to get them out of the district fast enough.
Fears of a ground invasion have spiked on Monday, with Lebanese troops pulling back from the border with Israel and a U.S. official saying Israeli soldiers looked set to enter Lebanon.
Netanyahu warns Iran: ‘Nowhere in the Middle East out of Israel’s reach
Monday 30 September 2024 22:00
Tara Cobham
Israeli military warns Beirut suburbs to evacuate before strikes on Hezbollah targets
Monday 30 September 2024 21:39
Tara Cobham
Israel’s military issued an urgent warning late on Monday for residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate due to planned strikes on Hezbollah targets.
Iran is 'at our side', Hezbollah lawmaker says
Monday 30 September 2024 21:30
Tara Cobham
Hezbollah has not asked for any help from Iran as “they are at our side”, the Lebanese group’s lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told local broadcaster Al Jadeed on Monday.
US State Department reiterates calls for Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire to reach ‘diplomatic resolution’
Monday 30 September 2024 21:00
Tara Cobham
The US State Department has reiterated calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in order for a “diplomatic resolution” to be reached.
John Kirby, spokesman for the US State Department, also said on Monday that Israel “has a right to defend itself”.
He said: “I think sometimes people either misinterpret or have their own version of what a ceasefire is. A ceasefire is not one side in a conflict unilaterally putting down its arms and stopping the conflict. It is an agreement for both sides to stop the conflict.
“And in this case, what we have proposed is a 21-day ceasefire where both sides would stop attacking the other and we would reach a diplomatic resolution. We are going to continue to engage with our Israeli counterparts, with Lebanese counterparts, with other countries around the world to reach that objective.”
He added: “If you look at what the acting leader of Hezbollah said just today, it's that their attacks on Israel will continue. So Israel has a right to defend itself against those attacks, so that includes in targeting terrorist infrastructure inside Lebanon.”
In pictures: Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles at Lebanese border
Monday 30 September 2024 20:49
Alex Ross
These pictures show the meeting of tanks and armoured vehicles at Upper Galilee, on the Lebanese border, this evening. It comes amid fears from Western officials that an invsaion is imminent.
Vital to avoid any more military intervention in Lebanon, says EU’s Borrell
Monday 30 September 2024 20:30
Tara Cobham
European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell has said it is vital to avoid any further military interventions in Lebanon.
“Any further military intervention would dramatically aggravate the situation and it has to be avoided,” Borrell told reporters on Monday, speaking from Mexico after an emergency video conference of EU foreign ministers.
Israel warned Iran on Monday that nowhere in the Middle East was beyond its reach and hinted at a land invasion of Lebanon after assassinating the leader of the Tehran-backed Hezbollah group, one of its biggest adversaries, in a Beirut suburb last week.
Israel declares areas around 3 northern border communities as closed military zone
Monday 30 September 2024 20:15
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military declared the areas around the communities of Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel near the border with Lebanon as a closed military zone and said entry to the areas was prohibited.
It said the decision, announced as speculation has grown of an imminent ground incursion into southern Lebanon, was taken following a situational assessment.
Israel has told US ground operations against Hezbollah are limited, State Dept says
Monday 30 September 2024 20:00
Tara Cobham
Israel has told the United States it is conducting limited ground operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanon near the border with Israel, the State Department said on Monday.
“This is what they have informed us that they are currently conducting, which are limited operations targeting Hezbollah infrastructure near the border,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters.
Asked to confirm they were limited ground operations, he said: “That is our understanding.”
Indications grew on Monday that Israel was on the verge of sending ground troops into Lebanon, two weeks into an assault on the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia that culminated in the assassination of its leader, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
A US official who spoke on condition of anonymity told Reuters the positioning of Israeli troops suggested a ground incursion could be imminent.
After two weeks of intensive airstrikes and a string of assassinations of Hezbollah commanders, Israel has suggested ever more strongly that a land invasion is looming.
The Israeli attacks on militant targets in Lebanon are part of a conflict stretching from the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the occupied West Bank to Iranian-backed groups in Yemen and Iraq. The escalation has raised fears that the United States and Iran will be sucked into the conflict.
Miller said that the United States continues to support a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah but added that military pressure can at times enable diplomacy. He cautioned that military pressure can also lead to miscalculation and unintended consequences.
UK foreign minister repeats calls for ceasefire after talk with Blinken on Middle East
Monday 30 September 2024 19:59
Tara Cobham
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire amid reports of a potential escalation in the Israel-Lebanon conflict.
Speaking to broadcasters on Monday evening, Mr Lammy said that he had spoken to US secretary of state Antony Blinken and said they both agreed that “the best way forward is an immediate ceasefire and to get back to a political solution”.
Asked about advice he may have for Britons who are in Lebanon, he said: “We will do all that we can to assist people to get out and we have secured places on commercial flights that are flying tomorrow so that UK nationals can get out.
“I urge them to leave because the situation on the ground is fast moving.”
He added: “And of course, whilst we will do everything we can to protect British nationals – and those plans are in place to do so - we cannot anticipate the circumstances and the speed with which we could do that if things escalate in a major way over the coming hours and days.”
‘Unalloyed good Nasrallah no longer with us,’ says US State Department
Monday 30 September 2024 19:45
Tara Cobham
The US State Department has said “it is an unalloyed good” that the leader Hezbollah Hassan Nasrallah “is no longer with us” after Israel killed him over the weekend.
John Kirby, spokesman for the US State Department, said on Monday: “It is an unalloyed good that he is no longer with us.”
Lebanese army withdraws from positions on southern border with Israel, sources say
Monday 30 September 2024 19:28
Tara Cobham
The Lebanese Army was seen withdrawing from several positions on the southern border with Israel, local residents and a security source told Reuters.
A Lebanese army spokesperson did not confirm or deny the reports.
Biden calls for ceasefire in Lebanon
Monday 30 September 2024 19:25
Tara Cobham
US President Joe Biden has called for a ceasefire in Lebanon as a US official said Israeli troop deployments suggested a ground incursion against Hezbollah militants could be imminent.
Asked about reports that Israeli ground troops were preparing to move into southern Lebanon, Biden told reporters on Monday that he was “comfortable with them [Israel] stopping”.
Several top aides reinforced Biden's call for a ceasefire by urging a diplomatic resolution to the violence to allow tens of thousands of displaced Israelis and Lebanese to return to their homes along the border.
Washington "will continue to work with our partners in the region and around the world to advance a diplomatic resolution," Secretary of State Antony Blinken told a State Department conference.
Residents of Beirut neighbourhood tell of wishes for war to be over
Monday 30 September 2024 19:15
Tara Cobham
The streets are filled with people and cars in the neighbourhood of Hamra in Beirut, many having fled the southern parts of the country or the capital itself amid heavy Israeli bombardments since last week.
On Monday afternoon, an Israeli surveillance drone can be heard loudly above the neighbourhood, Cosette Moljin reports for The Independent from Beirut. Many pedestrians stop for a moment and look up to the sky, searching and occasionally spotting the little white plane.
Heba, who runs a small catering shop in the area, says the drone has been around all day. “We hear it all the time, going lower, then higher, then lower again. It is annoying, and it scares us, of course.” She said some residents of Hamra have yet again received phone calls containing supposed evacuation messages. The phone calls have been debunked earlier last week already as being fake, but despite that they incite confusion and panic among Lebanese.
Despite the large number of refugees in the area, Heba said there have been no problems so far. “Thank God! I think it's safe here, there is no Hezbollah here and I don't think Israel has anything to bomb here.”
She said she wishes the war would be over. “Every five or 10 years we have a war again. It never stops. Now my children cannot go to school because they closed. All they have is online class.”
Heba hopes people abroad understand that “Lebanon is not Hezbollah. There is many different people in this country. But we all want peace. They should just implement [the UN Resolution] 1701. Then they [Israel] can live their life there, and we can do the same here.”
Witnesses describe fear and damage after Israel bombs residential building in Beirut
Monday 30 September 2024 19:00
Tara Cobham
Israel bombed a residential building in the Kola area of Beirut early on Monday morning. In its first strike beyond the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital, it killed four people, including three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestina (PFLP) group.
Some hours after the attack in the Kola area, the streets surrounding the targeted, detached building are full of traffic again, Cosette Moljin reports for The Independent from Beirut.
Most of the apartments of the ten-story building are heavily damaged. With three of its four walls destroyed, the fifth floor that was targeted is left completely exposed. On the street lie ruins and what is left of furniture and personal belongings from the damaged apartments.
“Yes we were here, we saw everything this morning,” said Mahmoud Kalaf Salam, a Syrian drinking coffee with some other men on the opposite side of the viaduct the targeted building faces. “After the explosions, we saw rubble everywhere, there was fire, people wounded with schrapnel and debris all over their bodies. Everyone ran outside to see what happened.”
Aissa, another Syrian man, also saw the attack happen. He said he heard at least two missiles. “Now everyone around is scared. This is no area where Hezbollah has a presence. These neighbourhood are mainly Sunni, they're poor, but not Hezbollah. As you know, they attacked three Palestinians.” Under the bridge facing the targeted building, several homeless people sit on matrasses or the floor, some children not older than ten years old smoke cigarettes.
Then Aissa points at groups of people, families with children carrying bags crossing the streets. “Look, many Syrians are leaving Beirut. They're going to Tripoli [a northern coastal city in Lebanon] or even back to Syria,” he said. He himself does not want to return to Syria, where he originally came from over 30 years ago. “If I go there, I end up in prison or being killed. But here we're going to be in a war. Where should I go then? I either die in Lebanon or in the sea.”
Turkey's Erdogan says UN should recommend use of force if Israel not stopped
Monday 30 September 2024 18:45
Tara Cobham
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Monday that the United Nations General Assembly should recommend the use of force, in line with a resolution it passed in 1950, if the UN Security Council fails to stop Israel's attacks in Gaza and Lebanon.
"The UN General Assembly should rapidly implement the authority to recommend the use of force, as it did with the 1950 Uniting for Peace resolution, if the Security Council can't show the necessary will," Erdogan said after a cabinet meeting in Ankara.
He also urged Muslim countries to take economic, diplomatic, and political steps against Israel to pressure it into accepting a ceasefire, and added Israel's attacks would target them too if it is not stopped soon.
US envoy to UN: We want de-escalation in Middle East
Monday 30 September 2024 18:30
Tara Cobham
The United States does not want to see violence spread in the Middle East and wants to see a de-escalation, the US envoy to the United Nations said on Monday.
"We want to find a path to peace, so that Palestinians and Israelis have safety and Lebanese and Israelis living on the northern border find security and safety as well," US Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told reporters.
When asked if Israel had told the US that it was going to carry out an incursion into Lebanon, Thomas-Greenfield said she would not discuss US-Israel talks but that the two countries were in close contact.
Air France temporarily suspends flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv
Monday 30 September 2024 18:15
Tara Cobham
Air France is suspending flights between Paris and Tel Aviv, and between Paris and Beirut, until 8 October due to concerns over the regional security situation, said the airline on Monday.
Israel launches cross-border raids in Lebanon with larger operation planned, officials say
Monday 30 September 2024 18:01
Tara Cobham
Israel has launched small, precision raids across the border in Lebanon and a larger ground operation is being planned, according to two officials, the Associated Press has reported.
It was not clear if Israel had made a final decision on a broader operation. The Israeli military did not comment.
The US official and the Western official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
UNRWA chief denies knowledge that suspended employee was Hamas leader in Lebanon
Monday 30 September 2024 18:00
Tara Cobham
The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) chief on Monday denied knowing that its employee Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was a Hamas commander in Lebanon and called on states to push back against Israeli attacks on the agency.
The head of Hamas’ Lebanon branch, Abu el-Amin was killed along with family members in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the group said on Monday. He was suspended from his job at UNRWA in March following allegations concerning his politics, Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Geneva.
“I never heard the word commander before,” he said. “What’s obvious for you today, was not obvious yesterday.”
Lazzarini, who briefed press after meeting with U.N. member states earlier on Monday, said he asked them to “push back on all the reputation attack on the agency and the ongoing drafting of bills which could be adopted in Jerusalem.”
He was referring to a move by Israeli parliament to declare the organisation a “terrorist body” which has already received preliminary approval. Such a move would be “absolutely unconscionable”, he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has for years called for UNRWA to be dismantled, accusing it of anti-Israeli incitement.
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) was established in 1949 and provides relief to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, including in Lebanon where it says up to 250,000 reside.
Lazzarini said it was using existing shelters for Palestinian refugees to house some of the 1 million people displaced within Lebanon following two weeks of intensive Israeli strikes against Hezbollah.
Israeli troops may be positioned for imminent Lebanon ground incursion, US official says
Monday 30 September 2024 17:45
Tara Cobham
The United States has observed positioning of Israeli troops that suggests that a ground incursion into Lebanon could be imminent, a US official told Reuters on Monday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to offer further details on the posture of Israeli forces and declined further comment.
Israeli military says it destroyed missile warehouse located about 1.5 km from Lebanon's international airport
Monday 30 September 2024 17:43
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military said on Monday that it destroyed a warehouse of surface-to-air missiles located about 1.5 km from Lebanon’s international airport.
US to send ‘few thousand’ more troops to Middle East if Israel needs defending, says Pentagon
Monday 30 September 2024 17:40
Tara Cobham
The US will send a “few thousand” additional troops to the Middle East to boost security and defend Israel if needed, the Pentagon has said.
US and Israel still talking about best way forward, Pentagon says
Monday 30 September 2024 17:35
Tara Cobham
The United States and Israel are still in discussions “about the best way forward,” the Pentagon said on Monday, as it referred reporters to Israel for questions about whether it was planning a ground offensive in Lebanon.
“We’re continuing to engage with them, trying to learn more. We continue discussions on the best way forward,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told a news briefing.
Singh also said Israel gave US notice but did not coordinate its Sunday strikes in Yemen with the United States.
Yemen's Houthis say they will escalate military operations in response to Israeli attacks
Monday 30 September 2024 17:34
Tara Cobham
Yemen's Houthis said on Monday that they will escalate military operations against Israel in response to its attacks on the country, a day after an Israeli attack against Houthi targets, which the Yemeni group's spokesperson said left five killed and 57 injured.
Israel to launch limited Lebanon ground offensive ‘as soon as today’, says US official
Monday 30 September 2024 17:31
Tara Cobham
Israel is set to launch a limited ground offensive in Lebanon as soon as today, a US official is reported to have confirmed.
The BBC reports Israel has told the US that it intends to launch the ground incursion, with the official saying the operation could begin on Monday – although The Independent has not independently verified the report.
Germany announces evacuations from Lebanon
Monday 30 September 2024 17:15
Tara Cobham
Germany has evacuated non-essential staff, families of embassy workers and German nationals who are medically vulnerable out of Lebanon and will support others trying to leave, a joint statement by the foreign and defence ministries said on Monday.
The German foreign ministry raised its crisis level for missions in Beirut, Ramallah and Tel Aviv again at the weekend, though the embassies there remain operational.
There are currently 1,800 registered German citizens in Lebanon, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Monday.
A source told Reuters that 110 people would be evacuated on Monday in a flight taking off from Beirut.
“The embassy continues to support the remaining Germans in Lebanon in their efforts to leave the country via commercial flights and other means. The Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense continue to coordinate very closely on this,” the statement said.
Israel has hit Lebanon with a two-week wave of attacks, eliminating Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and several commanders but also killing around 1,000 Lebanese and forcing 1 million to flee their homes. Hezbollah has pledged to confront any Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon.
Netanyahu suggests Iran would be free ‘sooner than people think'
Monday 30 September 2024 17:00
Tara Cobham
Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested Iran would be free “sooner than people think”.
In an address on Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister told Iranians their government was bringing them "closer to the abyss".
He said Iran and Israel would be at peace when Iran is "finally free", which would "come a lot sooner than people think".
Referring to Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah, killed on Saturday in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, Netanyahu also said that "puppets" of the Iranian "regime" were eliminated every day.
Israel has ramped up attacks on militant targets in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the best armed of militant groups across the Middle East aligned with Iran.
Netanyahu tells Iranians nowhere in Middle East out of Israel’s reach
Monday 30 September 2024 16:45
Tara Cobham
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Iranians on Monday that there was nowhere in the Middle East beyond Israel's reach, two days after Israel's military killed the leader of Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Netanyahu, speaking in English in a 3-minute-long video released by his office in which he said he was addressing the Iranian people, blamed the Iranian government for plunging the Middle East "deeper into war" at the cost of its own people.
"There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach. There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country," Netanyahu said.
Biden calls for ceasefire amid reports Israel plans to move into Lebanon
Monday 30 September 2024 16:42
Tara Cobham
US President Joe Biden called for a ceasefire on Monday when asked about reports that Israel is preparing for a limited ground invasion of Lebanon in its fight against Hezbollah militants.
Biden, asked if he was comfortable with Israel's plan, said, "I'm comfortable with them stopping."
Israeli defence minister Gallant says next phase of the war will begin soon
Monday 30 September 2024 16:40
Tara Cobham
The next phase of the war along the southern border of Lebanon is set to begin shortly, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday, as at least two US newspapers reported that special forces may have already made short incursions.
"The next stage in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon," Gallant told a meeting of local council heads in northern Israel, according to a statement from his office. He said the next phase would contribute to achieving the war aim of returning residents evacuated from the area to their homes.
Hezbollah claims attack using 'Nour Missile' for first time
Monday 30 September 2024 16:34
Tara Cobham
Hezbollah on Monday said in a statement it had attacked Israel using a "Nour Missile", which sources familiar with Hezbollah say is a ballistic missile.
French foreign minister again urges Israel not to invade Lebanon
Monday 30 September 2024 16:30
Tara Cobham
French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot again urged Israel on Monday not to undertake any ground invasion of Lebanon, adding France will step up its support for the Lebanese army.
"I (...) urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire. I call on Hezbollah to do the same and to refrain from any action likely to lead to regional destabilisation," Barrot told reporters while visiting Lebanon.
Israel has hit Lebanon with a two-week wave of attacks, eliminating Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and several commanders but also killing around 1,000 Lebanese and forcing 1 million to flee their homes. Hezbollah has pledged to confront any Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon.
India’s Modi urges de-escalation as he speaks to Israel’s Netanyahu
Monday 30 September 2024 16:11
Tara Cobham
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that he had spoken to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu about recent developments in West Asia and highlighted the need for de-escalation.
"It is crucial to prevent regional escalation and ensure the safe release of all hostages," Modi posted on X.
Israel's military killed the leader of Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Saturday as it ramped up attacks on militant targets in Lebanon.
"India is committed to supporting efforts for an early restoration of peace and stability," Modi said on Monday
Spoke to Prime Minister @netanyahu about recent developments in West Asia. Terrorism has no place in our world. It is crucial to prevent regional escalation and ensure the safe release of all hostages. India is committed to supporting efforts for an early restoration of peace and…
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 30, 2024
US to announce over £251 million in aid for Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank
Monday 30 September 2024 16:01
Tom Watling
The United States on Monday will announce nearly $336 million (£251 million) in additional humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, according to a US Agency for International Development statement seen by Reuters.
The funding, first reported by Reuters, will enable USAID’s partners to continue to provide humanitarian aid, including food assistance, healthcare, nutrition and other services, according to the statement.
The funding will also support emergency shelter assistance to displaced Gazans ahead of winter, the statement said.
“Over the last year, this conflict has cost the lives of innocent Palestinians and Israelis and has left Gaza and the West Bank in a state of humanitarian crisis and dire humanitarian need,” the statement said.
“The United States continues to call on all parties to agree to a ceasefire deal and an immediate release of hostages, and to allow for the immediate scale-up of humanitarian aid moving into and throughout Gaza.”
The war began last 7 October when Hamas gunmen stormed Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel‘s military has leveled swaths of the besieged Palestinian enclave, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing more than 41,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
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