Israeli special forces are said to be conducting small-group raids into southern Lebanon to gather intelligence on Hezbollah positions, with Israel’s defence minister hinting at a ground invasion.
Yoav Gallant was quoted by Israeli media as telling armoured corps troops near the Lebanon border on Monday: “To return the residents of the north safely to their homes we will activate all our capabilities – including you.”
He added: “We will use all the forces from the air, sea and land.”
It comes as the deputy leader of Hezbollah vowed to be ready for an Israeli invasion.
In his first speech since Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah over the weekend, the group’s deputy chief Naim Qassem said he was confident Hezbollah could push Israeli forces back like during the war in 2006.
“We are confident the Israeli enemy will not achieve its aims,” he said. “We will confront any possibility and are ready if Israel decides to enter by land.”
Israel intensified its airstrikes on Monday, hitting central Beirut for the first time since 2006, while also killing Hamas’s leader in Lebanon in the southern city of Tyre.
Key Points
- Israeli special forces ‘conducting Lebanon raids'
- Israel defence minister hints at ground operation against Hezbollah
- Hezbollah deputy leader speaks for first time since Nasrallah death, vows to defeat Israel
- Israel strikes central Beirut for the first time in almost two decades
- Israeli strikes kill Hamas leader in Lebanon and three Palestinian leaders in Beirut
India's Modi speaks to Israel's Netanyahu as Middle East conflict escalates
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.
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
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.
It’s a ‘very difficult time’ for US Jews as High Holy Days and 7 October anniversary coincide
15:46
Tom Watling
Pictured: Smoke rises above Lebanese town after shelling
15:29
Tom Watling
Mapped: Where has Israel fired missiles around the Middle East?
15:13
Tom Watling
Israel-Hezbollah conflict: Why is Lebanon being attacked?
14:52
Tom Watling
Lebanese soldier killed in an Israeli drone strike on southern Lebanon, army says
14:37
Tom Watling
A Lebanese soldier was killed in an Israeli drone strike targeting a motor-bike while passing through an army check point in southern Lebanon’s Wazzani area, the country’s army said on Monday.
Our travel correspondent Simon Calder answers your questions on evacuating Lebanon
14:25
Simon Calder
Could an airlift be organised by the UK?
In theory, although the UK government has not raised that possibility. But it is possible that evacuation aircraft may be sent in by the UK as other countries have done.
Germany has sent an Airbus A321 to repatriate citizens to Berlin, while the Bulgarian government has dispatched a smaller A319 jet for an emergency flight from Beirut to Sofia. Jordan’s government sent a military transport plane.
"Were the UK to launch such an operation, it would most likely be a shuttle between Larnaca in Cyprus and Beirut. The two airports are only 129 miles apart, representing a total flight time of around half-an-hour.
"It is possible one of the government jets could be used, or instead a military transport airport deployed."
Can people leave by land or sea?
The FCDO “advises against leaving Lebanon through land border crossings”.
The border with Israel is closed. The border with Syria is open, but the Foreign Office advises “against all travel to Syria due to the ongoing conflict and unpredictable security conditions”.
Some travellers may decide to risk the journey to Damascus, because the airport in the Syrian capital is running normally – with flights to Kuwait City, Abu Dhabi or Sharjah (adjoining Dubai) probably the best bet, due to easier connections to the UK.
But some British nationals are travelling to the northern border of Lebanon, taking a taxi for around 100 miles through Syria to Turkey and flying back from Antakya airport via Istanbul.
The obvious destination for the evacuation by sea of British citizens would be Cyprus.
At their closest the two countries are 100 miles apart. But the distance from the key port of Tripoli in Lebanon and Limassol in Cyprus is about 160 miles, representing typically seven hours’ sailing.
Ferries formerly ran between Tripoli and the Turkish port of Mersin, but no longer operate.
In pictures: Lebanese civilians flee Israeli strikes
14:13
Tom Watling
Lebanon PM ready to implement 2006 deal ending Hezbollah’s armed presence
14:00
Tom Watling
The Lebanese government is ready to fully implement a United Nations resolution that had aimed to end Hezbollah‘s armed presence south of the Litani River as part of an agreement to stop war with Israel, caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati has said.
Mikati said Lebanon was ready to fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 and deploy the army south of the river, which lies about 30 km (around 20 miles) from Lebanon’s southern border.
Mikati also said he and House Speaker Nabih Berri had agreed that electing a new president to end a near two-year vacancy at the top post would only happen after a ceasefire took hold, in comments delivered after the pair met in Beirut.
UK says it is doing ‘everything we can’ to help Brits evacuate Lebanon
13:46
Tom Watling
The British government has said it is doing “everything we can” to secure seats on commercial flights as it reiterated calls for British nationals to leave Lebanon, PA Media reports.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “The prime minister has been very, very clear that British nationals should leave now, particularly whilst commercial flights are still available.
“We’re doing everything we can to work with commercial airlines to maximise capacity because we want people to leave, and I understand that there have been extra Middle East Airlines flights leaving Lebanon over the weekend, another scheduled for Tuesday and we have secured seats for British nationals on those flights.”
The spokesperson added: “What we’re focused on at the moment is 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. We’re also working to send a rapid deployment team to bolster the efforts of our embassy in supporting British nationals who want to leave.”
Asked why an evacuation has not started, the spokesperson said: “We’ve been clear whilst there are commercial flights available, British nationals can and, indeed, should leave.”
The spokesperson also pointed to the deployment of 700 troops, alongside Border Force and Foreign Office officials, to Cyprus to continue work on “all contingency options and plan for a range of scenarios in the region”.
Pictured: Israel strikes Yemeni port controlled by Houthis
13:32
Tom Watling
Death toll from Israeli strike on Ain Deleb hits 45, Lebanese ministry says
13:21
Tom Watling
The death toll from an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Ain Deleb has risen to 45, Lebanon‘s health ministry has said.
Israel ‘wipes out’ Hezbollah leadership as bombing ‘forces 1m to flee’
13:13
Tom Watling
Britain calls for ceasefire after Israeli strikes in Lebanon
13:01
Tom Watling
Britian has urged all sides to seek de-escalation and a ceasefire after Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon, reiterating that the region needs to pull back from the brink.
“We are ironclad in our support for Israel’s right to self-defence,” a spokesperson for prime minister Keir Starmer said. “But our very clear message now is, on all sides, (for) all parties to show restraint.”
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.
“We want to see all sides step back from the brink,” he said. “Any further escalation must be avoided. A ceasefire will provide the space necessary to find the political solution that is necessary to secure peace in the region.”
Here are some of the latest photos from Lebanon
12:47
Chris Stevenson
Gallant meets troops
12:35
Chris Stevenson
More from the Israeli defence minister, Yoav Gallant, during his visit to see troops on the Lebanese border.
In a short video, he is seen telling troops that "we will use all the abilities we have and if someone on the other side did not understand what all the abilities mean - it's all the abilities.
"And you are part of this effort, we trust you to be able to accomplish anything."
“Everything that needs to be done – will be done," Mr Gallant adds. "We will use all the forces from the air, sea and land".
Israel special forces ‘conduct raids' in Lebanon
12:10
Chris Stevenson
Israel has been launching small special forces raids into southern Lebanon as part of a potential ground offensive, according to a number of reports.
Israel officials told NBC News and The Telegraph that they are designed to gather intelligence and probe Hezbollah’s positions. The official went on to say that such operations have been going on for months and do not necessarily signal the imminent start of a ground assault.
But when taken with the words of Mr Gallant mentioned in the previous post, it is clear that Israel is preparing for some form of operation.
Israel defence minister hints at ground operation against Hezbollah - media
12:01
Tom Watling
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant appeared to hint on Monday at a possible ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon, according to reports in the Israeli media.
Gallant was cited by several news outlets as telling armoured corps troops near the Lebanese border: “Nasrallah’s elimination is an important step but it is not the end - to return the resident of the north safely to their homes we will activate all our capabilities - including you.”
Berlin says Nasrallah killing was Israeli self defence
11:29
Tom Watling
Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful airstrike in Beirut constituted a use of its right to defend itself, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said on Monday.
“Hezbollah is of course a terrorist organization and it was obviously a meeting of the top leadership of Hezbollah, from which one can assume, even from a distance, that they were planning their further operations,” the spokesperson said.
“So in this respect, there are also reasons to believe that the right to self-defence was exercised here,” he added.
Asked about the civilian deaths in the incident, the spokesperson said “every civilian victim is one civilian victim too many.”
Strike hits central Beirut as Hezbollah reels from Israel's elimination of much of its top command
11:03
Tom Watling
Lebanon's Hezbollah will pick new leader at earliest opportunity, says its deputy chief
10:48
Tom Watling
Lebanon’s Hezbollah will choose a successor to its slain secretary-general Hassan Nasrallah “at the earliest opportunity” and will continue the fight against Israel, the Iran-backed group’s deputy chief Naim Qassem said on Monday.
He said the group was continuing its operations, working according to plans already laid out, and described its attacks thus far as the “minimum”, adding that the battle could be long.
Hezbollah is ‘ready’ to fight Israel, vows deputy chief
10:31
Tom Watling
We have some quotes from Hezbollah deputy chief Naim Qassem’s first speech since his superior Hassan Nasrallah was killed over the weekend.
“We are confident the Israeli enemy will not achieve its aims,” Qassem said. “We will confront any possibility and are ready if Israel decides to enter by land.”
More than 100,000 people cross from Lebanon into Syria, UN refugee agency says
10:29
Tom Watling
More than 100,000 people have crossed into Syria from Lebanon since a conflict between Israeli forces and the Hezbollah militia escalated this month, the United Nations refugee agency chief said on Monday.
Filippo Grandi said on social media platform X that those fleeing included both Lebanese and Syrian nationals. The UN agency is assisting those arriving at four crossing points, he added.
The number of people who have crossed into Syria from Lebanon fleeing Israeli airstrikes — Lebanese and Syrian nationals — has reached 100,000. The outflow continues.
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) September 30, 2024
UNHCR is present at four crossing points alongside local authorities and @SYRedCrescent to support new arrivals. pic.twitter.com/7dtrghsMH4
Hezbollah deputy leader speaks for first time since Nasrallah death
10:20
Tom Watling
Hezbollah’s deputy chief Naim Qassem is giving his first public address since the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a series of Israeli strikes over the weekend.
He has vowed that Hezbollah will defeat Israel and that they are ready to go to war.
Sound of explosions heard on outskirts of Damascus, say witnesses
10:10
Tom Watling
Sounds of explosions were heard on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, witnesses told Reuters.
Iran will not leave Israel's 'criminal' acts unanswered, says foreign ministry
09:58
Tom Watling
Iran will not leave any of ‘the criminal acts’ of Israel unanswered, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a weekly news conference on Monday, referring to the killing of Hezbollah’s chief and Iranian Guard deputy commander in Lebanon.
Israel posts footage of planes refuelling during Houthi attacks
09:45
Tom Watling
The Israeli military has posted footage of its planes refuelling while on route to attacks on the Houthi militia in Yemen.
Earlier, we reported that dozens of its aircraft struck Houthi targets in Yemen in response to a recent attack on Israel.
The military said it targeted power plants and sea port facilities in the city of Hodeida.
The Houthis launched a ballistic missile attack on Ben Gurion airport on Saturday when prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was arriving.
️WATCH the IAF at work as dozens of IAF aircraft—including fighter jets and refueling aircraft—conducted strikes on military targets belonging to the Houthi terrorist regime in the areas of Ras Isa and Hudaydah in Yemen: pic.twitter.com/Y6axCJDoHZ
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 30, 2024
Hezbollah faces ‘existential moment’ after Nasrallah’s death
09:30
Maroosha Muzaffar
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House, said that Israel has been closely monitoring Hezbollah and its leader Hassan Nasrallah since the 2006 war, enabling them to eliminate many key figures within the group.
Vakil described this as a critical junction for Hezbollah. “This is why this is such an existential moment for the group.”
Sources told Middle East Eye that while Hezbollah typically replaces its commanders quickly, Nasrallah’s cousin, Hachem Safieddine, has been groomed for leadership.
“Over the years, Nasrallah put Safieddine on the path to prepare him to take the helm. But this remains to be seen as Safieddine’s name was circulating among those who were killed in Friday’s strike,” the source was quoted as saying.
Deputy chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah to give speech, first since Nasrallah's killing
09:15
Tom Watling
The deputy chief of Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah is due to give an address imminently, the group’s media office have said.
It is the first address by a Hezbollah official since the killing of the group’s secretary general in an Israeli air attack on Friday.
The media office originally reported the speech would take place at 12 pm local time, 9am GMT.
Kirby says Israeli strikes ‘nearly decimated’ Hezbollah command structure
09:00
Maroosha Muzaffar
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said that Israel’s airstrikes in Lebanon have “nearly decimated” Hezbollah’s command structure, though he cautioned that the group will likely rebuild it swiftly.
He told ABC: “There’s no question that the Hezbollah of today is not the Hezbollah that was even just a week ago.”
But he warned that “somebody will be anointed” to take Hassan Nasrallah’s place.
Israel confirmed that the Hezbollah leader was killed in a strike on Beirut on Friday.
“We’re watching this very, very closely to see how, if and how, Hezbollah and / or Iran may react as well as the militia groups in Iraq and Syria. We have to be prepared for some sort of response. We have to make sure that we are ready, and we are. We believe we have the force capability we need in the region, but it’s not clear right now, it’s too soon to know how Iran’s going to react to this,” Mr Kirby said.
Israel-Lebanon latest: Israel strikes central Beirut for first time in 18 years as death toll passes 1,000
08:44
Tom Watling
In photos: Israeli air strike on central Beirut
08:30
Maroosha Muzaffar
Smoke rises from Beirut's southern suburbs after suspected strike, witness
08:16
Tom Watling
Smoke is rising from Beirut’s southern suburbs after a suspected Israeli strike, witness have told Reuters.
Lebanese media have suggsted the smoke this is the result of the collapse of a building, rather than an airstrike.
Lebanese media say this is the result of the collapse of a building, rather than an airstrike https://t.co/xlUIKIKyA8
— Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) September 30, 2024
Israeli strikes kill Hamas leader in Lebanon and three Palestinian leaders in Beirut
08:10
Tom Watling
Palestinian militant group Hamas said an Israeli strike killed its leader in Lebanon on Monday, while another Palestinian militant group said three of its leaders were killed in a strike on Beirut, the first attack within the city limits.
Hamas said its leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was killed, along with his wife, son, and daughter, in a strike that targeted their house in a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Tyre in the early hours of Monday.
As Israel escalates hostilities against Iran’s allies in the region, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) said three of its leaders were killed in a strike that targeted Beirut’s Kola district.
The strike hit the upper floor of an apartment building, Reuters witnesses said.
Hamas says that its leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the south of the country. pic.twitter.com/8yMQlB8pf3
— Emanuel (Mannie) Fabian (@manniefabian) September 30, 2024
Who was Hassan Nasrallah? Hezbollah leader of Lebanese militant group killed in Israeli strike
08:00
Maroosha Muzaffar
Hassan Nasrallah’s death is not only an enormous blow to Hezbollah but also to Iran, whose Revolutionary Guards founded the group in 1982.
Read more here:
ICYMI: Pope Francis suggests Israel's actions in Gaza and Lebanon are disproportionate and immoral
07:30
Maroosha Muzaffar
Pope Francis suggested Sunday that Israel‘s attacks in Gaza and Lebanon have been “immoral” and disproportionate, saying its military domination has gone beyond the rules of war.
Francis was asked en route home from Belgium about Israel’s targeted killing of one of Hezbollah’s founding members, Hassan Nasrallah. Friday’s strike in Beirut targeted an area greater than a city block and reduced several residential buildings to rubble, and at least six other deaths have been confirmed.
Francis didn’t mention Israel by name and said he was speaking in general terms. But he said that “the defense must always be proportionate to the attack.”
“When there is something disproportionate, there is a dominating tendency that goes beyond morality,” he said. “A country that does these things — and I’m talking about any country — in a superlative way, these are immoral actions.”
He said that even if war itself is immoral, there are rules that “indicate some morality.”
Read the full story here:
Israeli forces uncover Gaza Hamas tunnel near homes
07:00
Jane Dalton
The Israeli military says it has uncovered and dismantled a Hamas tunnel in central Gaza that was over a kilometre (0.6 miles) long.
It said the tunnel ran near homes, and that inside were several rooms and equipment used by militants for prolonged stays.
The military released footage showing the entrance to the tunnel, a long staircase leading down and what appeared to be an iron blast door.
Hamas is believed to have built hundreds of miles of tunnels across Gaza to evade Israeli airstrikes. The militants have also used the tunnels to hold hostages captured in the 7 October attack that triggered the war and to launch ambushes against Israeli forces.
53 meters. That’s the distance between a @UN school and Hezbollah’s underground headquarters where Hassan Nasrallah was eliminated alongside 20+ additional terrorists.
— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 29, 2024
The terrorists were in Hezbollah’s central headquarters, located in the heart of Beirut, embedded beneath… pic.twitter.com/eTor8mBGhU
Hamas says its leader in Lebanon was killed in Israeli strike
06:30
Maroosha Muzaffar
Hamas’s top commander in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin, has been killed in an Israeli strike, the militant group confirmed on Monday.
Some of el-Amin’s family members were also killed during the airstrike in the south of the country.
Lebanon ‘on verge of catastrophic humanitarian situation’
06:15
Maroosha Muzaffar
In just a few hours this weekend, the number of displaced people in Lebanon surged from 300,000 to nearly one million, according to Nasser Yassin, Lebanon’s head of emergency disaster management.
Despite opening hundreds of shelters, Mr Yassin warned that Lebanon is on the brink of a “catastrophic” humanitarian crisis. The country, already hosting 1.5 million Syrian and 250,000 Palestinian refugees, now has one million of its own people internally displaced due to ongoing Israeli strikes.
“We don’t want this to collapse fully, but we are on the verge of coming to a catastrophic humanitarian situation,” he told Sky News.
“We have been taking this on our shoulders, and now we have an additional burden of one million Lebanese people being displaced or affected by the current aggression.”
He criticised Israel’s tactic of announcing attacks on social media, calling it the “professionalisation of genocide”.
US kills dozens of al-Qaeda militants
06:00
Jane Dalton
The US military says it killed 37 militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group in two strikes in Syria this month.
US Central Command said it struck northwestern Syria on Tuesday, targeting a senior militant in charge of military operations for the al-Qaeda-linked Hurras al-Deen group and eight others.
It also said a large-scale airstrike on two weeks ago targeted an IS training camp in a remote location in central Syria. That attack killed 28 militants including “at least four Syrian leaders,” the US said.
There are 900 US forces in Syria, along with an undisclosed number of contractors, mostly trying to prevent any comeback by the extremist IS group, which swept through Iraq and Syria in 2014, taking control of large swaths of territory.
U.S. Central Command Conducts Targeted Strikes Against Terrorist Groups in Syria pic.twitter.com/u62UyJvkZT
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) September 29, 2024
Israeli strike allegedly kills three leaders of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
05:32
Maroosha Muzaffar
A Palestinian militant group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), alleged that three of its leaders were killed in an Israeli airstrike on central Beirut’s Kola district.
The attack comes as Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon killed over 1,000 people in the last two weeks, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, with a fifth of the population now displaced.
The strikes, previously limited to southern Beirut, have now spread to the city’s centre for the first time since 2006.
The Israeli military has not commented on the latest incident.
Biden says need to avoid ‘all-out’ war in the Middle East
05:04
Maroosha Muzaffar
US president Joe Biden said that he planned to speak with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu shortly before Israel intensified its military actions in Lebanon.
Israel has launched its first airstrike on central Beirut since 2006. The strike followed a weekend of IDF attacks targeting Hezbollah, including the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Mr Biden said that there is a need to avoid an all-out war in the Middle East, adding that the US is working with international partners to de-escalate the situation. “It has to be. We really have to avoid it.”
“I’ll tell you what I say to him when I talk to him,” he said.
Iranian leader calls for ‘decisive’ response to killings
04:30
Jane Dalton
Iran’s president has said a “decisive response” is needed following Israel‘s killing of numerous leaders of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
President Masoud Pezeshkian characterised the Israeli attacks on Hezbollah as crimes.
“The Lebanese fighters should not be left alone in this battle,” Pezeshkian said during a Sunday cabinet meeting, his office reported.
Iran, which has armed and trained Hezbollah for decades, also condemned Israeli airstrikes on power plants and port facilities in Yemen that targeted Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
Pezeshkian branded Israel a “brutal” regime and urged all Islamic countries not to be indifferent.
He won Iran’s presidential race in July, and is thought to be a reformist politician within Iran’s Shia theocracy:
Israel strikes central Beirut for the first time in almost two decades
04:06
Maroosha Muzaffar
Israel intensified its military campaign across the Middle East on Monday, striking central Beirut for the first time since 2006.
A drone attack also reportedly killed three senior leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), a militant group involved in the ongoing conflict with Israel. The airstrike hit a residential building near the Kola intersection, causing significant damage and killing at least two others on the scene, the group said.
The attack comes as Israeli airstrikes across Lebanon have killed over 1,000 people in the last two weeks, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, with a fifth of the population now displaced.
Meanwhile, Israel launched a wave of airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen, targeting infrastructure in the port city of Hodeidah. The strikes, which hit fuel facilities and power plants, were reportedly in response to Houthi missile attacks on Israel. At least four people were killed and 33 wounded in the Yemeni strikes.
Hezbollah leadership ‘wiped out’ by Israel
03:00
Jane Dalton
Bombing has forced a fifth of Lebanese to flee, a minister says. Full report:
Netanyahu puts former rival in war cabinet
01:30
Jane Dalton
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed a former rival, Gideon Saar, to his cabinet. The move expands Netanyahu’s governing coalition and helps entrench the Israeli leader in office.
Under their agreement, Mr Netanyahu said Mr Saar would be given a spot in the Security Cabinet, the body that oversees management of the war.
Mr Saar had hoped to replace defence minister Yoav Gallant, another rival of Mr Netanyahu’s. But a deal for the job fell through after fighting intensified with Hezbollah.
Curbs eased in northern Israel
Monday 30 September 2024 00:05
Jane Dalton
The Israeli army has eased restrictions in parts of the country’s north - a move that appears to reflect a determination that the threat of incoming rocket fire has slightly diminished, although restrictions in the north still remain much stricter than other parts of the country.
The changes applied to parts of the Haifa Bay area and several adjacent towns. Schools will be allowed to operate if they have quickly-accessible shelters and restrictions on gatherings will ease.
Shortly after the announcement, sirens warned of incoming rockets throughout the Haifa area and Israel’s northern coast. The army said some 35 rockets were launched from Lebanon at northern Israel and two drones that crossed from Lebanon into the territorial waters of Israel were intercepted.
Thousands of Israeli children have been kept home from schools for the past week across the country’s north as fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated.
IDF: A short while ago, an Israeli Navy missile boat successfully intercepted a UAV in the area of the Red Sea, outside of Israeli territory.
— Israel ישראל (@Israel) September 29, 2024
Details to follow.