Beirut has been rocked by huge explosions with a Lebanese government source claiming at least one Israeli strike had come close to the city’s airport.
Civilians have been fleeing amid the series of massive blasts in Beirut's southern suburbs last night, with the state media reporting there were more than 10 consecutive airstrikes.
Witnesses said they saw smoke near Beirut’s international airport while a source in Lebanon’s transport ministry said an Israeli strike had come down outside the perimeter this morning.
Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, who is widely regarded as the heir of killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, was a target of the blasts, Axios reported, citing sources.
Earlier, at least nine people were killed and 14 wounded after Israel launched an airstrike on Beirut, targeting a building near the parliament, in what was the closest an air assault had come to the central downtown district.
The attack comes after Israel launched a ground operation in Lebanon on Monday night, which was followed by a missile offensive by Iran on Israel on Tuesday night.
Key Points
- 18 killed in Israel’s deadliest attack on West Bank in decades
- Biden says he doesn’t believe there will be an ‘all-out war’
- Israeli strike hits ‘outside perimeter of Beirut airport'
- Senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine targeted in Israeli strikes - report
- Biden says US ‘discussing’ Israeli oil field strikes
Children among 18 killed in Israel’s deadliest attack on West Bank in decades
04:23
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 people, including children, in the occupied West Bank in one of the deadliest attacks in two decades, the Palestinian health ministry said.
“Eighteen martyrs following the bombing of the Tulkarm camp by the occupation,” the ministry said on Telegram.
Last night’s attack reportedly levelled an entire building. An activist in the area told AFP that the airstrike “hit a cafeteria in a four-storey building”.
He added there were “many victims in the hospital”.
The Israeli military earlier said it conducted a strike in Tulkarm in a joint operation with its Shin Bet security service and killed the head of Hamas in the refugee camp.
It said the strike also killed “multiple other significant terrorists”.
Palestinian prime minister Mohammad Mustafa called the attack a “massacre” and accused Israel of ignoring “global calls for justice”.
Biden says he doesn’t believe there will be an ‘all-out war’
04:11
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
US president Joe Biden said yesterday he did not believe there is going to be an “all-out war” in the Middle East, amid Israel’s assault on Lebanon and Gaza and rising tensions with Iran.
Asked how confident Mr Biden was that such a war can be averted, he told reporters: “How confident are you it’s not going to rain? Look, I don’t believe there is going to be an all-out war. I think we can avoid it.”
“But there is a lot to do yet, a lot to do yet,” he added.
Britons urged to leave Lebanon now – but what are their travel options?
03:56
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar
As Israel attacks targets in central Beirut, the UK Foreign Office has run the first evacuation flight from Lebanon to help British citizens, their spouses and children under 18 to leave the country.
The plane from Beirut touched down at Birmingham airport on Wednesday evening carrying “more than 150 British nationals and dependents”, according to the Foreign Office.
More evacuation flights are planned. The government says they “will continue for as long as the security situation allows”.
But the Foreign Office warns: “Do not rely on FCDO being able to evacuate you in an emergency.”
Simon Calder has more.
British man ‘will be stranded in Israel for weeks as there are no flights out’
03:00
Tara Cobham
A British man has said he will be stranded in Israel for weeks because of a lack of commercial flights out of the country to the UK.
Keith Ottaway, 46, originally planned to return to the UK on September 24 after visiting his partner in Israel, but successive flights were cancelled.
He said the next available ticket with Israeli flag carrier airline El Al is not until 21 October.
Sam Hall reports:
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon stay put despite Israel asking them to move
02:15
Tara Cobham
United Nations peacekeepers in southern Lebanon remain in place - despite Israel asking them to move - and provide the only communications link between the countries' militaries, the UN peacekeeping chief said on Thursday.
"Peacekeepers continue to do their best to implement their Security Council mandate in obviously very difficult conditions," UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told reporters, adding that contingency plans were ready for both good and bad outcomes.
The mission, known as UNIFIL, is mandated by the Security Council to help the Lebanese army keep the area free of weapons and armed personnel other than those of the Lebanese state. That has sparked friction with Iran-backed Hezbollah, which effectively controls southern Lebanon.
The Israeli military asked UN peacekeepers earlier this week to prepare to relocate more than 5 km (3 miles) from the border between Israel and Lebanon - known as the Blue Line - "as soon as possible, in order to maintain your safety," according to an excerpt from the message, seen by Reuters.
"The peacekeepers are currently staying in their position, all of them," Lacroix told reporters. "The parties have an obligation to respect the safety of and security of peacekeepers, and I want to insist on that."
Lacroix said UNIFIL was continuing to liaise with both countries, describing the mission as "the only channel of communication" between them. The mission was working to protect civilians and support the safe movement of civilians and delivery of humanitarian aid.
The UN peacekeepers operate between the Litani River in the north and the Blue Line in the south. The mission has more than 10,000 troops from 50 countries and about 800 civilian staff, according to its website.
Israel's military told residents of more than 20 towns in south Lebanon to evacuate their homes immediately on Thursday as it pressed on with its cross-border incursion and struck Hezbollah targets in a suburb of Beirut.
UN Security Council backs Guterres after Israel bars him from country
01:30
Tara Cobham
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday expressed its full support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after Israel's foreign minister said he was barring him from entering the country.
The 15-member council said in a statement that any decision not to engage with the UN Secretary-General or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East.
The statement did not name Israel. Such statements by the council are agreed by consensus.
Watch: British man takes shelter as air-raid sirens sound near Tel Aviv in Israel
Friday 4 October 2024 00:45
Tara Cobham
US backs Israel's operations in Lebanon despite risk of expanding conflict
Friday 4 October 2024 00:00
Tara Cobham
The Biden administration believes it is appropriate for Israel to continue with its ground and air attacks on Hezbollah for now, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday, even as he acknowledged the risk of the operation in Lebanon expanding beyond Israel's current aims.
Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday after two weeks of intense airstrikes in a worsening conflict that has drawn in Iran and risks sucking in the United States.
Speaking at a regular press briefing, Miller said the nature of all conflicts was "fluid" and "unpredictable" and therefore it was impossible to say how long it would take Israel to achieve its stated goal of clearing Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, allowing it to return Israelis displaced from their homes across the border by months of rocket fire.
"We do ultimately want to see a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution, but we do think it's appropriate that Israel, at this point, is bringing terrorists to justice," Miller said.
Washington has repeatedly warned Israel against escalating the conflict, but a three-week ceasefire proposal put forward by the US and other countries last week was quickly dismissed by Israel in favor of intensified operations.
More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli attacks, and nearly 2,000 people have been killed since the start of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon over the last year, most of them in the past two weeks, Lebanese authorities said.
The United States has continued to provide Israel with arms despite tensions during the past year over the conduct of its war in Gaza, which started when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October, 2023.
Washington has raised concerns about the civilian toll of that conflict and at times urged Israel to restrain its forces to calm international outrage.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill 37 in past 24 hours, health ministry says
Thursday 3 October 2024 23:20
Tara Cobham
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have left 37 people dead and 151 wounded in the past 24 hours, the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement early on Friday.
Israeli strike on Beirut targets senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, Axios reporter says
Thursday 3 October 2024 23:18
Tara Cobham
An Israeli strike on Beirut targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said in a post on social media platform X early on Friday, citing an Israeli source.
Safieddine is the man widely regarded as the heir of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.
Reuters could not confirm the information in the social media post and there was no immediate official statement from any side.
BREAKING: The target for the Israeli strike in Beirut was Hezbollah senior leader Hashem Safi a-Din - who was Hassan Nasrallah's likely successor, Two Israeli officials tell me
— Barak Ravid (@BarakRavid) October 3, 2024
Pentagon says it's talking to Israel about response to Iran's attack
Thursday 3 October 2024 23:15
Tara Cobham
The Pentagon said on Thursday that it was in discussions with Israeli officials about their possible response to Iran's missile attack earlier this week but declined to offer more details on those talks.
"We are certainly talking to them about their response, but what their response might be, I'm just not going to speculate further on. But we do continue to engage with them," said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.
Israeli military says it killed head of Hamas network in West Bank's Tulkarm
Thursday 3 October 2024 22:41
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military said early on Friday it killed the head of the Hamas network in a strike on West Bank's Tulkarm.
In a statement, the military identified the Hamas operative as Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi.
Israeli strike hits outside perimeter of Beirut airport, transport ministry source says
Thursday 3 October 2024 22:31
Tara Cobham
At least one Israeli strike hit outside the perimeter of Beirut's international airport early on Friday, according to a source in Lebanon's ministry of transport and public works.
A series of loud explosions were heard near Lebanon's Beirut airport, with smoke seen nearby after jets were heard overhead, Reuters witnesses said.
Israel’s ambassador to UN: ‘We have a lot of options with Iran'
Thursday 3 October 2024 22:30
Tara Cobham
Israel has a lot of options when it comes to striking back at Iran in response to its missile attacks earlier this week, the country's ambassador to the United Nations told CNN on Thursday.
"We have a lot of options ... so it's (up to) us to decide where and when we want to attack, but they are vulnerable. They know that," said Danny Danon.
G7 statement renews calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Thursday 3 October 2024 21:45
Tara Cobham
The G7 statement renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the leaders vowed to "continue to be in close contact with all actors" to seek to restore peace and stability.
It added: "We are also deeply concerned about the situation in Lebanon. We recall the need for a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible to create space for a diplomatic solution along the Blue Line, consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.
"This is the only path to durably de-escalate tensions, stabilise the Israel-Lebanon border, fully restore the sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability of Lebanon, and return displaced citizens to their homes with safety and security on both sides.
"We urge all actors to protect civilian populations. We are committed to providing humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of civilians in Lebanon."
At least 14 killed in Israeli strike on Tulkarm in West Bank, Palestinian Health ministry says
Thursday 3 October 2024 21:39
Tara Cobham
At least 14 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on the Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said on Thursday.
The Israeli military earlier said in a statement that it had conducted a strike on Tulkarm, without providing more details.
The Palestinian Red Crescent, separately, said that at least five people were killed in the strike on Tulkarm.
Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have involved thousands of arrests and regular gunbattles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.
Israeli military conducts strike on Tulkarm in Occupied West Bank, statement says
Thursday 3 October 2024 21:01
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military said in a statement on Thursday that it has conducted a strike on the West Bank city of Tulkarm.
G7 leaders warn of ‘dangerous cycle of attacks’ leading to ‘uncontrollable escalation’ in Middle East
Thursday 3 October 2024 20:57
Tara Cobham
G7 leaders warned of a "dangerous cycle of attacks" leading to "uncontrollable escalation" in the Middle East as conflict spirals in the region.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, they expressed "deep concern" about the deteriorating situation and called for a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon.
"We, the leaders of the G7, express deep concern over the deteriorating situation in the Middle East and condemn in the strongest terms Iran's direct military attack against Israel, which constitutes a serious threat to regional stability," it said.
"We unequivocally reiterate our commitment to the security of Israel. Iran's seriously destabilising actions throughout the Middle East through terrorist proxies and armed groups - including the Houthis, Hezbollah, and Hamas - as well as Iran-aligned militia groups in Iraq, must stop. Yesterday we discussed co-ordinated efforts and actions to avoid escalation in the area.
"A dangerous cycle of attacks and retaliation risks fuelling uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East, which is in no-one's interest. Therefore, we call on all regional players to act responsibly and with restraint. We encourage all parties to engage constructively to de-escalate the current tensions. International humanitarian law must be respected."
As he pursues a fight on five fronts, does Netanyahu even want peace?
Thursday 3 October 2024 20:30
Tara Cobham
One year on from the invasion led by Hamas terrorists that has been called the greatest trauma in Israel’s history, in which 1,200 Israelis were killed and more than 200 taken hostage, Benjamin Netanyahu’s government claims sudden success.
For much of the past year, it has been accused by Israelis of failing to defeat Hamas, capture its leaders or return the hostages. The 7 October attacks left the reputation of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and the intelligence agencies in tatters. Israel’s subsequent assault on Gaza, which has led to the deaths of more than 40,000 Palestinians, has shredded its international reputation.
In just two weeks, Israel has killed the Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, destroyed the communications network of the group, and now, sent forces into southern Lebanon. Netanyahu has vowed to retaliate for Iran’s missile strikes on 1 October (which were, in turn, retaliation for the assassination of Nasrallah).
Bronwen Maddox writes:
Israel orders evacuation of Lebanese communities north of UN buffer zone
Thursday 3 October 2024 19:45
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of villages and towns in southern Lebanon that are north of a United Nations-declared buffer zone established after the 2006 war.
The warnings issued on Thursday signalled a possible broadening of Israel's incursion into southern Lebanon, which until now has been confined to areas close to the border.
Israel has told people to leave Nabatieh, a provincial capital, and other communities north of the Litani River, which formed the northern edge of the border zone established by the UN Security Council after the 2006 war in a resolution that both sides accuse the other of violating.
Just after the warning, the Lebanese Red Cross said an Israeli strike wounded four of its paramedics and killed a Lebanese army soldier as they were evacuating wounded people from the south.
It says the convoy near the village of Taybeh, which was accompanied by Lebanese troops, was targeted on Thursday despite co-ordinating its movements with UN peacekeepers.
It came after Lebanon's health ministry has said that at least nine people had been killed in an Israeli strike in central Beirut.
It also said it is running DNA tests on remains they have obtained to identify others.
Civilians bear brunt in 'catastrophic' Lebanon conflict, UN official says
Thursday 3 October 2024 19:05
Tara Cobham
Civilians are bearing the brunt of a "truly catastrophic" situation in Lebanon, a senior UN official said, urging respect for the rules of war nearly two weeks since Israel launched a major offensive against the armed group Hezbollah.
With around 1 million people in Lebanon impacted, Imran Riza, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, said the pace of displacement since Sept. 23 had exceeded worst case scenarios, and too much damage was being done to civilian infrastructure.
"What we saw from 23 September on is truly catastrophic," Riza said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday. He was referring to the day when Israel dramatically ramped up airstrikes in Lebanon, killing more than 500 people in a single day, according to Lebanese government figures.
"The level of trauma, the level of fear amongst the population, has been extreme," he said.
Israel says its campaign against the heavily armed, Iran-backed Hezbollah aims to secure the return home of Israelis evacuated from areas near the Lebanese border as a result of nearly a year of Hezbollah fire into northern Israel.
The Lebanese government says around 1.2 million people have been displaced by Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, the southern suburbs of Beirut and other parts of the country. Some have been killed in Israeli strikes after having been displaced.
"You've got people being displaced from one place to another, thinking they were going to a safe place, and then that being struck," Riza said.
Riza said 97 medical and emergency workers had been killed - the majority of them in the last 10 days. There has been too much damage to civilian infrastructure, and civilians have been "bearing the great brunt of what's been going on", he said.
He noted that international humanitarian law requires that humanitarians be allowed to access people in need, and that civilian infrastructure and water systems be protected.
"This is what we call for when we're saying respect the rules of war in this," he said. "Unfortunately, we are seeing a situation where we have to go back to everybody and advocate for these basics in terms of protecting civilians."
Israeli soldier killed in combat in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, Israeli military says
Thursday 3 October 2024 18:17
Tara Cobham
An Israeli soldier was killed in combat in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, the Israeli military has said.
Full story: Israeli strikes on Beirut kill at least nine as military calls for more Lebanon evacuations
Thursday 3 October 2024 18:15
Tara Cobham
Strikes by Israel on Beirut have killed at least nine as the military called on citizens in southern Lebanon to evacuate more than 20 more towns in a sign of a potential expansion of its ground and air assault on Hezbollah.
The latest warnings took the number of southern towns subject to evacuation calls to 70 and included the provincial capital Nabatieh, suggesting another Israeli military operation was imminent, further stoking fears of an all-out regional war.
Into Thursday, Israel bombed central Beirut in an attack the Lebanese health ministry said killed nine people. A Hezbollah-linked civil defence group said seven of its staff, including two medics, were killed in the Beirut attack. In response, Josep Borrell, the EU’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy accused Israel of a possible breach of humanitarian lae: “Not only civilians are victims of attacks, including in densely populated areas, but they are deprived of emergency care. I condemn this violation of IHL [international humanitarian law],” he wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Israel denies all such accusations.
Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew and International Editor Chris Stevenson report:
Russian deputy foreign minister and Israeli envoy discuss situation in Middle East in Moscow
Thursday 3 October 2024 17:40
Tara Cobham
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov held a meeting with the Israeli envoy to Moscow Simona Halperin on Thursday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry said Bogdanov and Halperin discussed the situation in the Middle East, including Gaza and Lebanon, but provided no details.
Islamic Resistance in Iraq says it attacked target in southern Israel
Thursday 3 October 2024 17:34
Tara Cobham
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq has said it has attacked a target in southern Israel in a statement issued on Thursday.
Israeli military says it intercepts drone in southern Israel
Thursday 3 October 2024 17:20
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military has said it has intercepted a drone in southern Israel.
It added that no injuries have been reported.
In pictures: Israel launches airstrikes on Lebanon
Thursday 3 October 2024 17:00
Tara Cobham
Watch: Girl, 9, calls for end to violence from hospital bed in Lebanon
Thursday 3 October 2024 16:40
Tara Cobham
Biden says US ‘discussing’ Israeli oil field strikes
Thursday 3 October 2024 16:33
Tara Cobham
US President Joe Biden has said “we are discussing that” when asked whether he would support Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities.
Reporters put the question to Biden as he left the White House on Thursday, with the US president appearing to hesitate at the end of his answer.
The BBC reports Biden’s words caused the price of crude oil to surge 5 per cent to $77 a barrel.
NEW here are President Biden’s words on “discussing” Iran oil facilities, leaving the White House - caused an oil price spike - he seems to hesitate at the end: pic.twitter.com/WTCqPsDXU2
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) October 3, 2024
Dozens of health workers killed in Lebanon over past day, WHO says
Thursday 3 October 2024 16:20
Tara Cobham
At least 28 on-duty medics have been killed in the past 24 hours in Lebanon, where Israel has launched airstrikes and sent troops to fight Hezbollah in an escalating conflict, the World Health Organization chief said on Thursday.
"Many (other) health workers are not reporting to duty and fled the areas where they work due to bombardments," Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online press briefing, calling for stronger protections for health workers.
"This is severely limiting the provision of mass trauma management and continuity of health services," he said.
The global health agency will not be able to deliver a large planned shipment of trauma and medical supplies to the country on Friday due to flight restrictions, he added.
WHO's representative in Lebanon Dr Abdinasir Abubakar told the briefing that all of the healthcare workers killed in the past day had been on duty, helping with the wounded.
A total of nearly 2,000 people have been killed, including 127 children, and 9,384 injured since the start of Israeli attacks on Lebanon over the last year, the country's health ministry said.
"Hospitals have been already evacuated. I think what I can say for now is the capacity for mass casualty management exists, but it's just a matter of time until the system actually reaches its limit," said the WHO's Abubakar.
Israel fires at Lebanese army post and Lebanese forces ‘fire back for first time’
Thursday 3 October 2024 16:08
Tara Cobham
Israel has fired at a Lebanese army post in southern Lebanon, with Lebanese forces reportedly firing back for the first time.
The Israeli fire in the town of Bint Jbeil on Thursday killed a Lebanese soldier, raising to two the number of members of the Lebanese military killed.
The Telegraph reported a military official told AFP this was the Lebanese army’s first response to Israeli fire since last October and came about because the post was “directly” hit.
The Lebanese army said in a statement that troops "open fire at the source of" the attack. It did not elaborate.
A Lebanese security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of regulations, said that the army post was hit by artillery fire.
Rockets, missiles and the Iron Dome: who calls the shots in the Middle East?
Thursday 3 October 2024 16:00
Holly Evans
Escalating retaliatory strikes signify the severity of the situation between Israel and Iran. Tuesday’s strike was more aggressive than the April response by Iran to the Israeli strike on their consulate in Damascus, which killed Mohammed Zahedi, the IRGC commander of the Quds Force.
April’s attack consisted of 300 drones, which were largely neutralised by Israel’s Iron Dome, the joint US-Israeli aerial protection system that shoots down rockets. Tuesday night’s attack consisted of approximately 180 ballistic missiles delivering a more devastating payload, albeit countered in part by the Iron Dome.
Even Iran could not have anticipated the vehemence with which Israel would respond to the 7 October attacks. Israel’s latest switch to focus on the systematic dismantling of Hezbollah’s senior leadership in a single week has left Iran’s quest for regional hegemonic control in tatters. But whilst Hezbollah’s leadership is wounded, the force should not be underestimated.
Read the full analysis from Mike Crofts here:
Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli military industries base in Haifa Bay
Thursday 3 October 2024 15:49
Tara Cobham
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said on Thursday it targeted Israel‘s “Sakhnin base” for military industries in Haifa Bay with a salvo of rockets.
Israeli military says it has struck 200 Hezbollah targets
Thursday 3 October 2024 15:40
Holly Evans
The Israeli military has said that it had struck around 200 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and observation posts, killing at least 15 Hezbollah fighters.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said its fighters detonated a roadside bomb when Israeli forces entered the Lebanese border village of Maroun el-Ras, kiling and wounding soldiers. It was not possible to independently confirm the claims made by either side.So far, ground clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have been confined to a narrow strip along the border. But hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes, as Israel has warned people to evacuate from dozens of villages and towns in the south.
Black smoke rises from Lebanon's Beirut skyline
Thursday 3 October 2024 15:20
Holly Evans
UAE flight delays: How is the unfolding Middle East conflict affecting international flights?
Thursday 3 October 2024 15:05
Holly Evans
The late afternoon Emirates flight from London Heathrow to Dubai has an advertised connection to Bangkok of just one hour. Normally 60 minutes is sufficient for extricating passengers (and, separately, their checked baggage) from the world’s biggest passenger plane, the A380, and enabling them to board another SuperJumbo at a different gate at the airport that handles more international travellers than any in the world, all in the early hours of the morning.
But the remarkable, unrelenting choreography that allows millions of passengers to connect every day at Dubai, Doha, Abu Dhabi and many other hubs is under severe strain as a result of the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Lebanon.
Read the full article here:
Ministers of Gulf states and Iran discuss de-escalation, say sources
Thursday 3 October 2024 14:50
Holly Evans
Ministers from Gulf Arab states and Iran attending a meeting of Asian nations hosted by Qatar have discussed de-escalation in the conflict between Israel and Iran, three sources told Reuters on Thursday.
The Gulf Arab states sought to reassure Iran of their neutrality in the conflict on the back of concerns that a wider escalation in violence could threaten Gulf oil facilities, two of the sources said.
What are Israel and Iran’s attack and defence capabilities?
Thursday 3 October 2024 14:38
Holly Evans
Fears are rising of an all-out war across the Middle East in the wake of lran launching almost 200 ballistic missiles in an attack on Israel, marking a major escalation in the conflict between the two bitter enemies.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guard said the missiles were launched in response to Israeli military troops military campaign against the Tehran-backed Hezbollah, including a ground invasion into Lebanon..
On 17 September, a series of exploding device attacks saw Hezbollah walkie talkies and pagers detonate, injuring more than 2,300 people and leading to a major escalation between the two countries.
Read the full article here:
Nearly 2,000 people killed in Lebanon, says health minister
Thursday 3 October 2024 14:29
Holly Evans
A total of 1,974 people, including 127 children, have been killed in Israeli attacks on Lebanon in the last year, the Lebanese health minister has said.
Some 9,384 have been injured, Firass Abiad added.
Border crossings under monitoring in Lebanon
Thursday 3 October 2024 13:59
Holly Evans
Lebanon’s transport minister Ali Hamieh said on Thursday has said that all border crossings were under government monitoring.
This follows Israeli accusations that Hezbollah was smuggling weapons from Syria through the Masnaa border crossing.
Civilians north of UN buffer zone in southern Lebanon urged to evacuate
Thursday 3 October 2024 13:33
Holly Evans
The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of villages and towns in southern Lebanon that are north of a United Nations-declared buffer zone established after the 2006 war.
The warnings issued on Thursday signalled a possible broadening of Israel’s incursion, which until now has been confined to areas close to the border.
Israel has told people to leave Nabatieh, a provincial capital, and other communities north of the Litani River. This area formed the northern edge of the border zone established by the UN Security Council after the 2006 war.
Just after the warning, the Lebanese Red Cross said an Israeli strike wounded four of its paramedics and killed a Lebanese army soldier as they were evacuating wounded people from the south.
It says the convoy near the village of Taybeh, which was accompanied by Lebanese troops, was targeted on Thursday despite co-ordinating its movements with UN peacekeepers.
Israel kill Hamas militant previously jailed for lynching Israeli reservists
Thursday 3 October 2024 13:18
Holly Evans
Israel has killed Abdel-Aziz Salha, a West Bank Hamas militant who had been jailed for life for taking part in the lynching of two Israeli reservists in Ramallah in 2000 but later deported to Gaza in a prisoner swap, Hamas media and medics said.
Salha was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a tent inside Al-Aklouk School, which shelters displaced Palestinians, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip earlier on Thursday, medics said.
There was no immediate Israeli comment on Salha’s death or whether he had been deliberately targeted.
Hezbollah says it has detonated bomb against IDF
Thursday 3 October 2024 12:49
Holly Evans
Militant group Hezbollah says it has detonated a bomb against Israeli forces infiltrating a southern Lebanese village.
Iran rejects G7 statement on Iran's attack against Israel as 'biased'
Thursday 3 October 2024 12:46
Holly Evans
Iran has accused the G7 of being “biased and irresponsible” after the group condemned its attack on Israel, a foreign ministry spokesperson said.
Iran launched more than 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for the killings of militant leaders and aggression in Gaza and Lebanon.
Abbas Nilforoushan, a deputy commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, was also killed in an Israeli airstrike on Beirut a week ago that killed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah.
In a statement on Wednesday, Group of Seven (G7) leaders condemned Tehran’s attack. They expressed “strong concern” over the crisis in the Middle East but said a diplomatic solution was still viable and a region-wide conflict was in no one’s interest.
Watch: British man takes shelter as air-raid sirens sound near Tel Aviv in Israel
Thursday 3 October 2024 23:15
Tara Cobham
Russia begins evacuating citizens from Lebanon
Thursday 3 October 2024 12:22
Holly Evans
Russia has started evacuating citizens from Lebanon and a special flight left Beirut on Thursday with the family members of Russian diplomats, Emergencies Minister Alexander Kurenkov said.
About 60 people will arrive in Russia from Lebanon on Thursday, his ministry said.
“The evacuation is carried out on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin,” the ministry said.
Russia often also helps evacuate citizens from other former Soviet republics in such situations.
Second evacuation flight scheduled for Thursday afternoon
Thursday 3 October 2024 11:57
Simon Calder
A second UK government evacuation flight is on its way to Beirut. Up to 180 British citizens and their dependents are likely to board the charter jet to Birmingham via Bucharest.
Flight DN9999 will repeat the pattern of Wednesday’s first flight, and uses the same plane, belonging to the Romanian airline, Dan Air. It is a 15-year-old Airbus A320 – a standard low-cost jet equipped with 180 seats. After an overnight stop in Birmingham, it is heading back empty nonstop to Beirut.
On Thursday afternoon it is scheduled to depart from Beirut at 3.40pm, Lebanese time, with another technical stop at Bucharest to refuel and change crew.
More evacuation flights are planned. The government says they “will continue for as long as the security situation allows”.
Death toll from Beirut strike rises to nine
Thursday 3 October 2024 11:45
Holly Evans
Lebanon’s health ministry have said that at least nine people were killed in an Israeli strike in central Beirut.
DNA tests on remains are currently ongoing to identify those killed, while people were injured in the strike on an amartment building. Hezbollah said that seven paramedics and rescue workers from its medical arm the Islamic Health Committee were killed in the strike that hit its office in Bashoura.
Prior to the attack, the ministry said that 55 people were killed and 156 others were wounded in Israeli strikes over Lebanon on Wednesday.
Israeli military warns more southern Lebanon residents to evacuate
Thursday 3 October 2024 11:29
Holly Evans
The Israeli military have warned citizens in 25 more areas in southern Lebanon to evacuate and head north.
In a new update on social media, the Israel Defence Forces’ Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee urged civilians to “save your lives”.
#عاجل ‼️ تحذير عاجل لسكان القرى التالية في جنوب لبنان: الخرايب, ارزي, زرارية, عدلون, أنصارية, مزرعة دير تقلا, مزرعة الواسطة, مزرعة جمجم, قصيبه, جبشيت, نبطية, مزرعة سيناي, دوير الشرقية, كفر رمان, نبطية الفوقا, منزلة, ,حبوش ,الحمصية, بيصرية, السكسكية, لوبية, كفر تبنيت, أرنون, زوطر… pic.twitter.com/bcENOdWKN1
— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 3, 2024