As the Middle East anxiously awaits an immiment Iranian retaliation against Israel, Lebanese militants Hezbollah claimed to launch a fresh swarm of attack drones and missile strikes at Israeli military targets.
US president Joe Biden held “round-the-clock” crisis talks on Monday amid fears of an imminent retaliation from Iran that could bring the Middle East to the brink of an all-out regional war, following the suspected Israeli attack that killed Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
Tehran has warned that retaliation is inevitable and that “punishing the aggressor” is the only way to “establish stability in the region”. Iran’s foreign ministry yesterday called on the US to stop supporting Israel.
And despite Hezbollah launching a fresh wave of attacks on Tuesday, the Iran-backed militant group claimed to Reuters that its own response to the Israeli assassination of Hamas commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut last week “has not yet come”.
Both Hamas and Hezbollah are backed by Iran in what it calls an “axis of resistance”.
Key Points
- Hezbollah launches fresh drone attack on northern Israel
- Israel could launch ‘preemptive strike’ - report
- Iran says it must ‘punish’ Israel to bring stability in Middle East
- Ismail Haniyeh’s killing intended to extend Gaza war, says Palestinian president
- In pics: Tehran remembers Hamas’s leader Haniyeh
- Middle East on brink of war of ‘unknown proportions’, says EU official
UK government ‘ready and prepared’ should tensions escalate in Middle East, cabinet told
14:31
Andy Gregory
The UK government is “ready and prepared” should tensions further escalate in the Middle East, foreign secretary David Lammy told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday.
A cabinet readout said: “Turning to the Middle East, the foreign secretary updated on the rising tensions across the region and said that the government’s focus was around encouraging de-escalation.
“He made clear that the government stood ready and prepared should the situation deteriorate.”
Japan urges citizens not to visit Israel
14:01
Andy Gregory
Japan has become the latest country to urge its citizens not to visit Israel, citing rising tensions in the Middle East.
It comes a day after Japan’s foreign ministry urged Japanese nationals in Lebanon to leave the country.
Iran executes man, 34, accused of murder during Mahsa Amini unrest after ‘grossly unfair trial'
13:47
Andy Gregory
Iran has executed a 34-year-old man accused of killing a security officer during widespread unrest over the death of Kurdish-Iranian woman Mahsa Amini in 2022, state media said – in the first known protest-related execution since president Masoud Pezeshkian took office.
In November 2022, Reza Rasaei joined the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests in his hometown of Sahneh, in the western province of Kermanshah, during which security agent Nader Bayrami was fatally stabbed. Bayrami is claimed to have been the intelligence chief for the Revolutionary Guards in Sahneh county.
Rasaei, who according to rights group Hengaw is a Kurdish member of a religious minority, was charged with Bayrami’s murder and sentenced to death in October 2023. He was executed on Tuesday, the official judiciary news agency Mizan reported.
Amnesty International said on its website that Rasaei was sentenced to death after “a grossly unfair trial that relied on his forced confessions obtained under torture”.
Israel claims to kill 45 Palestinian fighters after ambush near Rafah
13:22
Andy Gregory
Israel’s military claims to have killed 45 Palestinian fighters in Gaza over the past 24 hours, after heavy fighting in which Hamas said it destroyed two armoured personnel carriers during an ambush near the city of Rafah.
The Israeli military said the Hamas official in charge of smuggling operations was among those killed and that his death significantly hit their ability to bring weapons and military equipment into the besieged enclave.
On Tuesday, air strikes killed five Palestinians in the Al-Bureij camp, in the central Gaza Strip, medics said, while two others were killed in a separate air strike in Rafah.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said Israeli military strikes had killed at least 30 Palestinians and wounded 66 others in the past 24 hours. “Many victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, where the teams of the ambulance and civil emergency service can’t reach,” the ministry said.
Putin advises Iran against attacks on Israeli civilians, sources claim
13:00
Andy Gregory
Russia’s Vladimir Putin has asked Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei for a restrained retaliation to the suspected Israeli killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, two senior Iranian sources have told Reuters.
The warning – which advised against attacks on Israeli civilians – was delivered by Mr Putin’s senior ally Sergei Shoigu on Monday during his visit to Tehran, the sources said.
Iran is also claimed to have pressed Moscow for the delivery of Russian made Sukhoi Su-35 fighter jets, the news agency reported.
Hezbollah launches drone and rocket attacks – but says retaliation for assassination yet to come
12:48
Andy Gregory
Hezbollah has launched a series of drone and rocket attacks into northern Israel – but warned that its much-anticipated retaliation for Israel’s killing of a top commander last week is still yet to come.
Hezbollah said it launched a swarm of attack drones at two military sites near Acre in northern Israel, and also attacked an Israeli military vehicle in another location.
The Israeli military said sirens sounding in Acre turned out to be a false alarm but that a number of hostile drones were identified crossing from Lebanon and one was intercepted. It said several civilians were injured to the south of the coastal city of Nahariya.
Israel also claimed to strike two Hezbollah facilities in south Lebanon.
But despite the fresh exchange of fire on Tuesday, a Hezbollah source told Reuters that “the response to the assassination of commander Fuad Shukr has not yet come.”
Earlier on Tuesday, four people were killed in a strike on a home in the Lebanese town of Mayfadoun, some 20 miles north of the border, medics and a security source said. Two additional security sources said those killed were Hezbollah fighters, but the group had not yet posted its usual death notices.
Italy’s flagship airline extends suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until Thursday
11:56
Andy Gregory
Italy’s flagship airline ITA Airways has extended a suspension of its flights to and from Tel Aviv until Thursday “due to the geopolitical developments in the Middle East and to ensure the safety of its passengers and crews”.
ITA Airways had previously suspended flights to and from the Lebanese capital until today.
Airlines are avoiding Iranian and Lebanese airspace and cancelling flights to Israel and Lebanon, as concerns grow over a possible wider conflict in the region.
Lebanon working to ensure Hezbollah retaliation days not trigger total war, says minister
11:28
Andy Gregory
Lebanon is working to ensure any response to Israel’s killing of a top Hezbollah commander in Beirut does not trigger total war in the Middle East, the country’s foreign minister Abdallah Bou Habib has said.
The region is on edge is it awaits retaliations following the killing in Tehran of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and an Israeli strike on Beirut’s suburbs which killed senior Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr.
Hezbollah said last week that the Iran-backed group will respond in a studied manner.
Iraq says it rejects ‘reckless’ actions targeting its bases and US-led coalition outposts
10:52
Andy Gregory
Iraq has said it rejects all “reckless” actions that target Iraqi bases, diplomatic missions, and US-led coalition outposts.
At least five US personnel were wounded in an attack against a military base in Iraq on Monday, US officials told Reuters, as the region braces for a possible new wave of attacks by Iran and its allies following last week’s killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.
Killing of Hamas leader was intended to prolong war in Gaza, Palestinian president says
10:26
Andy Gregory
The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was intended to prolong the Gaza conflict, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has alleged.
Speaking to Russia’s state RIA news agency ahead of a visit to Moscow next week in which he will discuss the regional crisis with Vladimir Putin, Mr Abbas said he considered Haniyeh’s assassination “a cowardly act and a dangerous development in Israeli politics”.
“There is no doubt the purpose of Mr Haniyeh’s assassination is to prolong the war and expand its scope,” he said, in an interview published in Russian. “It will have a negative impact on the ongoing negotiations to end the aggression and withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza.”
South Korea urges citizens to leave Lebanon and Israel
10:03
Andy Gregory
South Korea’s foreign ministry has “strongly advised” its citizens in Lebanon and Israel to leave as soon as possible because of escalating tensions in the Middle East.
“South Korea’s government ... hopes that diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions such as negotiations for a ceasefire and hostage release will not stop,” ministry spokesperson Lee Jae-woongLee said.
More than 500 South Korean nationals are currently residing in Israel and around 120 in Lebanon as of Tuesday, according to the ministry.
Russia to provide military aid to Iran - report
09:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Russia will deliver advanced air defence systems and other military equipment to Iran as Tehran prepares to retaliate against Israel over the killing of Hamas’s top political leader.
Moscow agreed to deliver military aid after Tehran requested more arms from its ally, Iranian officials told The New York Times.
Iran’s president Masoud Pezeshkian told a senior ally of Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin yesterday that Tehran was determined to expand relations with its “strategic partner Russia”.
Sergei Shoigu, the secretary of Russia’s security council, met Iran’s president and top security officials as the Islamic Republic weighs its response to the killing of a Hamas leader.
“Russia is among the countries that have stood by the Iranian nation during difficult times,” Mr Pezeshkian said in a meeting with Mr Shoigu.
Russia has condemned the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in Iran last week and called on all parties to refrain from steps that could tip the Middle East into a wider regional war.
Israel kills three Palestinian teenagers in occupied West Bank
09:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Four Palestinians were killed, including three teenagers, and another seven were wounded by Israeli fire during a military raid in the occupied West Bank, local health officials have said.
The raid was carried out overnight in the village of Aqaaba in the northern West Bank. Those killed included two 19-year-olds and a 14-year-old, the Palestinian health ministry said today.
Separately, the Islamic Jihad militant group reported heavy fighting with the army in the Jenin refugee camp in the northern West Bank, a frequent flashpoint.
The health ministry claims over 600 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank since the start of the war in October.
Hezbollah launches fresh drone attack on northern Israel
08:45
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Hezbollah has hit northern Israel with a drone attack in response to what it calls “attacks and assassinations” carried out by Israel in southern Lebanon, as fears grow of the potential for all-out war in the Middle East.
It comes as Iran claimed it is not looking to escalate tensions but needs to punish Israel to prevent further instability, following the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran.
Foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani committed to “punishing the aggressor”, adding that a response to the assassination of Hamas’s political chief, Ismail Haniyeh, was inevitable.
Jabed Ahmed reports.
Middle East on brink of war of ‘unknown proportions’, says EU official
08:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The EU’s representative for foreign affairs and security policy today issued alarm bells over the possibility of an all-out war in the Middle East as Iran vowed to retaliate against Israel.
Josep Borrell Fontelles in a post on X said the tension in the Middle East has brought the region to “the brink of a war of unknown proportions”.
“All those standing in the way of de-escalation shall be held accountable,” he added.
“We all must prevent another catastrophe. The way forward is largely consensual: ceasefire in Gaza, now.”
In Pics: Banners against Israel across Tehran
08:15
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Families of Israeli hostages block Tel Aviv highway
08:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Families of hostages blocked Tel Aviv’s Ayalon highway on Tuesday in protest against prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
“Netanyahu is abandoning, Netanyahu isn’t fit [to serve],” the protesters chanted as they demanded a deal with Hamas to bring the hostages back home.
An English language banner saying “Stop bull******** us” was put up across the road, in a reference to a phrase US president Joe Biden reportedly used in a call with Mr Netanyahu.
כעת: משפחות חטופים ופעילות מחאת הנשים להחזרת החטופות והחטופים חוסמות את איילון דרום סמוך למחלף לה גארדיה. המפגנים אוחזים בשלט מחאה עליו נכתב Stop Bullshitting Us
— אור רביד | Or Ravid (@OrRavid) August 6, 2024
@N12News pic.twitter.com/NL6v1ioGFs
US soldiers wounded in huge rocket attack on Iraq base
07:45
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
At least five US soldiers were reportedly wounded in a suspected rocket attack at a military base in Iraq amid growing fears of a war in the Middle East.
Two Katyusha rockets were fired at the al-Asad airbase in western Iraq, two Iraqi security sources said. One Iraqi security source said the rockets fell inside the base.
The attack follows the killings last week of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’s top political leader in Iran in suspected Israeli strikes. Both groups are backed by Iran.
Namita Singh reports.
Israel returns bodies of over 80 Palestinians to Gaza
07:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israel returned the bodies of more than 80 Palestinians killed in its military offensive in the Gaza Strip, as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 more people on Monday, the Hamas-run health ministry in the Strip said.
Yamen Abu Suleiman, the director of the Palestinian Civil Emergency Service in Khan Younis in southern Gaza, said it was unclear whether the bodies had been dug up from cemeteries by the army during the ground offensive, or whether they were "detainees who had been tortured and killed".
Jordan denies airspace to US, Israel and Iran - report
07:15
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Jordan has denied the US, Israeli and Iranian militaries permission to use its airspace amid rising concerns over an imminent war in the Middle East.
Jordanian foreign minister Ayman Safadi told Tehran that Jordan will not permit Israel to use its airspace, Sky News Arabia reported.
Amman has requested all airlines landing at its airports carry 45 minutes of reserve fuel in an apparent precautionary measure in case of an attack by Iran against Israel.
US president Joe Biden spoke to Jordanian King Abdullah II yesterday and discussed their efforts to de-escalate regional tensions, the White House said.
Nine UN staff fired for involvement in 7 October attack
07:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The UN says it has fired nine staff members from its agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, after an internal investigation found they may have been involved in the Hamas-led 7 October attack in southern Israel.
The UN secretary-general’s office announced the move in a brief statement yesterday, without elaborating on the UNRWA staffers’ likely role in the attack.
It said the nine included seven staffers who were fired previously over the claims.
The UN’s internal watchdog has been investigating the agency since Israel in January accused 12 UNRWA staffers of being involved in the attack on Israel in which militants killed more than 1,100 people and abducted some 250 others.
Israel could launch ‘preemptive strike’ - report
06:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israel could launch a preemptive strike on Iran if it were certain that Tehran was preparing to attack the Jewish nation, Times of Israel reported citing Hebrew media following prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with security chiefs.
Iran has vowed retaliation against Israel following the assassination of Hamas’s political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.
Israel has not claimed responsibility for the killing so far. Haniyeh was killed just hours after Israel killed Hezbollah senior commander Fuad Shukr in Beirut.
On Sunday the meeting chaired by Mr Netanyahu was attended by defense minister Yoav Gallant, military chief of staff Lt-Gen Herzi Halevi, Mossad head David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar.
During the meeting the option of striking Iran as a deterrence measure was discussed, Ynet reported.
However, Israeli officials stressed that a preemptive attack would only be considered upon receiving definite intelligence “confirming that Tehran was about to launch a strike”.
Ismail Haniyeh: Who was the Hamas leader killed in Tehran?
06:15
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
UK joins foreign nations in asking its citizens to leave Lebanon
06:00
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Western nations, including the UK, have called on their citizens to leave Lebanon by any means possible amid rising concerns of a wider Middle East war.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office over the weekend said Britons should use any commercial options still working, acknowledging potential exit routes were already limited or closed.
Foreign secretary David Lammy warned that “tensions are high and the situation could deteriorate rapidly”.
The US embassy in Beirut urged its nationals to “book any ticket available” out of Lebanon, noting that several flights had already been cancelled and that military evacuations were rare.F
rance and Canada followed the statement saying, “now is the time to leave”.
Germany’s air force was preparing a limited fleet of A400M transport aircraft to facilitate the evacuation from Lebanon, Der Spiegel reported. These aircraft would potentially shuttle evacuees from Beirut to Cyprus.
US military personnel injured in Iraq
05:30
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
At least five US personnel were injured in an attack against a military base in Iraq yesterday, American officials said, as the region braced for fresh conflict over the killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.
Two Katyusha rockets were fired at al Asad airbase in western Iraq, two Iraqi security sources told Reuters.
One Iraqi security source said the rockets fell inside the base, but it was unclear whether the attack was linked to threats by Iran to retaliate over the killing of the Hamas leader.
One of the American troopers sustained serious injuries in the rocket attack, an official said. “Base personnel are conducting a post-attack damage assessment.”
Haniyeh’s killing intended to extend Gaza war, says Palestinian president
05:15
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
The killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was intended to prolong the Gaza conflict, said the president of the Palestinian Authority, ahead of his meeting with Russian president Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Mahmoud Abbas is expected to visit Russia on 12 August for talks with the Russian president in the wake of the assassination of Hamas’s political leader, RIA reported.
Mr Abbas told the news agency that Haniyeh’s killing in Tehran was “a cowardly act and a dangerous development in Israeli politics”.
“There is no doubt that the purpose of Mr Haniyeh’s assassination is to prolong the war and expand its scope,” he said.
“It will have a negative impact on the ongoing negotiations to end the aggression and withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza.”
Haniyeh had been the face of Hamas’s international diplomacy since Israel launched a retaliatory war on Gaza after Hamas’s 7 October attack.
Iran, which backs Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza, has blamed Israel for Haniyeh’s killing and said it will “punish” it. Israeli officials have not claimed responsibility.
Russia has condemned Haniyeh’s killing and called on all parties to refrain from further destabilisation of the region.
In pics: Tehran remembers Hamas’s leader Haniyeh
04:55
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iran says it must ‘punish’ Israel to bring stability in Middle East
04:49
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Iran believes it needs to punish Israel to prevent further instability in the Middle East after the deaths of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders last week, the foreign ministry said.
“Iran seeks to establish stability in the region, but this will only come with punishing the aggressor and creating deterrence against the adventurism of the Zionist regime (Israel),” Nasser Kanaani said, adding that action from Tehran was inevitable.
Mr Kanaani called on the US to stop supporting Israel, saying the international community had failed in its duty to safeguard stability in the region and should support the “punishment of the aggressor”.
An emergency meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation will be held on Wednesday at Iran’s request to discuss the killing of Ismail Haniyeh and Iran’s response, he added.
Joe Biden holds ‘round-the-clock’ crisis meeting
04:48
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Joe Biden held ‘around-the-clock’ crisis meetings with stakeholders in the Middle East to stop another war from breaking out in the region between Israel and Iran amid fears of an imminent retaliation from Tehran over the killing of Hamas’s top political leader.
“We are engaged in intense diplomacy, pretty much around the clock, with a very simple message -- all parties must refrain from escalation,” US secretary of state Antony Blinken said yesterday.
Mr Biden called King Abdullah II of Jordan, while Blinken called top officials in Qatar and Egypt, the key intermediaries seeking a ceasefire in Israel’s 10-month-long war in Gaza.
“It’s also critical that we break this cycle by reaching a ceasefire in Gaza,” Mr Blinken added.
Hezbollah launches fresh drone attack on northern Israel
04:41
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Hezbollah has hit northern Israel with a drone attack in response to what it calls “attacks and assassinations” carried out by Israel in southern Lebanon, as fears grow of the potential for all-out war in the Middle East.
It comes as Iran claimed it is not looking to escalate tensions but needs to punish Israel to prevent further instability, following the assassination of a Hamas leader in Tehran.
The head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), General Hossein Salami, reiterated the threat that Israel “will receive punishment in due time”.
Jabed Ahmed reports.
04:22
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Good morning and welcome to The Independent’s live blog tracking all the developments in the Middle East.