Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah intensified as eight IDF soldiers were killed in ground combat in south Lebanon. In response, Israel bombed central Beirut, killing at least six people and wounding seven.
The airstrike targeted a building in the Bachoura neighborhood, near Lebanon’s parliament.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to defeat Iran’s “Axis of Evil,” saying, “we are at the height of a difficult war... we will stand together and with God’s help, we will win together.”
Hezbollah reported ground clashes with Israeli forces, claiming to have destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks. Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli air raids killed 46 people in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden said the US will not support an Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear programme as the US looked to contain the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
“The answer is no,” the US president told reporters on Wednesday when asked if he would support such a response after Iran fired around 200 missiles at Israel the previous day following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.
Key Points
- Biden says he does not support attack on Iran's nuclear sites
- Israel will respond to Iran’s missile attack, military chief warns
- Iran’s president warns: ‘If Israel acts against us we will respond’
- Israel names eight troops killed in combat with Hezbollah
- Charter plane carrying British nationals from Lebanon lands in Birmingham
Plane evacuating Britons from Lebanon lands in UK as blasts heard in Beirut
04:55
Namita Singh
More British nationals are expected to be airlifted out of Lebanon on Thursday as further blasts hit Beirut.
An apparent Israeli airstrike hit an apartment building near the centre of the Lebanese capital on Wednesday, marking the second time Israel has struck the city this week.
The airstrike hit not far from the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament and no warning was issued ahead of the blast, with the number of casualties unclear.
Report:
Israel's PM pledges to defeat 'Iran's axis of evil' amid escalating conflict
04:19
Namita Singh
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged victory in the country’s conflict with Hezbollah, following the deaths of eight soldiers in Lebanon.
“I would like to send my heartfelt condolences to the families of our heroes who fell today in Lebanon, may God avenge them, and may their memories be a blessing,” Mr Netanyahu said, paying tribute to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers.
Mr Netanyahu emphasised that Israel is engaged in a “tough war against Iran’s axis of evil.” He reassured the nation, saying, “this will not happen. Because we will stand together, and with God’s help, we will win together.”
His remarks come as tensions between Israel and Hezbollah continue to escalate, with the Lebanese-based militant group posing a significant challenge to regional stability.
China urges UN Security Council to de-escalate Middle East crisis
03:59
Namita Singh
China called on the United Nations Security Council to take “urgent actions” to de-escalate the situation in the Middle East as Israel launched fresh air strikes in Lebanon.
China’s permanent representative to the UN, Fu Cong, said during a Security Council briefing on Wednesday, that it needed to make clear and unequivocal demands to stop the cycle of violence over the Israeli-Lebanon conflict.
“The Security Council bears the primary responsibility for the maintenance of international peace and security,” the official Xinhua news agency reported Mr Fu as saying, noting that all parties concerned “must return to the track of political and diplomatic solutions”.
Israel’s latest missile strikes in central Beirut come after Iran fired more than 180 missiles into Israel on Tuesday. Israel has also sent infantry and armoured units into Lebanon with reports of fighting with the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah.
Iran said on Wednesday its missile volley - its biggest ever assault on Israel - was over barring further provocation, but Israel and the United States promised to hit back hard.
Iran’s missile attack and Israel’s pledge of retaliation have raised concerns that the oil-producing Middle East could be caught up in a wider conflict.
Warning that the current situation is “hanging by a thread,” Xinhua cited Mr Fu as saying that any “passive procrastination would be irresponsible, and any rhetoric of condoning further military adventurism would send a wrong message”.
Mr Fu said the spreading Middle East conflict had already caused an unprecedented humanitarian disaster, with Gaza having become a “hell on earth,” and over 1.2 million people displaced in Lebanon.
Hezbollah says it fired surface-to-air missiles at an Israeli helicopter
03:00
Tara Cobham
Hezbollah says it fired surface-to-air missiles at an Israeli military helicopter flying over Beit Hillel in northern Israel, forcing it to retreat.
The Lebanese militant group didn't say if the helicopter was hit in the attack Wednesday, and there was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. It is the first time the group has said it fired a missile at a helicopter since hostilities between the two sides escalated two weeks ago.
Hezbollah and the Israeli military have clashed in southern Lebanese border towns since Israel launched its ground operation against Hezbollah.
Hezbollah earlier said it destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks heading towards Maroun al-Ras, and detonated an explosive device hidden in an abandoned building on the outskirts of Kfar Kila after Israeli soldiers entered.
Israeli airstrike in Damascus kills three, Syrian state-run outlet says
02:30
Tara Cobham
An Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in the Mezzeh area of Damascus Wednesday evening, killing three people and wounding at least three more, Syria's state-run SANA news agency reported.
An Associated Press journalist at the scene says the missile appeared to have targeted the bottom floor of a four-story apartment building.
There has been no comment from Israel, which frequently strikes targets linked to Iran or allied groups in Syria but rarely claims responsibility.
The strike comes amid a multi-front escalation in the ongoing war in the Middle East. Israel has launched a heavy aerial bombardment and what it describes as a limited ground incursion in Lebanon. It says that incursion aims to push the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah back from the border after nearly a year of low-level clashes.
On Tuesday, Iran fired a barrage of ballistic missiles into Israel, which it said was in retaliation for attacks that killed the leaders of Hezbollah and Hamas — both backed by Iran — in Beirut and Tehran.
Hamas' military wing claims responsibility in Jaffa shooting
02:00
Tara Cobham
Hamas' military wing has claimed responsibility for a mass shooting in Tel Aviv that left seven people dead and wounded 16 more.
It said the two attackers, Mohammed Mesek and Ahmed Himouni, were its militants who hailed from the southern West Bank city of Hebron.
Israeli police said the two opened fire Tuesday evening in the Jaffa neighborhood of Tel Aviv, including shooting directly into a light rail carriage crowded with passengers that was stopped at a station. Police said the pair were shot and killed by security guards and armed pedestrians.
The attack came moments before Iran launched a massive barrage of rockets towards Israel, sending people into bomb shelters across the country.
It remains unclear how the two men entered Israel from the West Bank. Hamas, which has ruled Gaza since 2007, is active in various cities and refugee camps in the West Bank.
On Wednesday, locals left flowers and candles at the train stop, where bullet holes peppered the signs and benches.
Maya Brandwine said she was at a coffee shop on the street when the shooting broke out. During the subsequent Iranian missile attack, she took cover in a bomb shelter as police swept for suspects.
"It's a nightmare, and we're starting to get used to it," she said, blaming the policies of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir for the violence.
Thousands flee southern Lebanon for Syria seeking respite from Israeli strikes
01:30
Tara Cobham
Thousands of Syrians and Lebanese continue to pour into Syria to escape Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon.
On Wednesday, an Associated Press team saw hundreds crowding the Jousieh border crossing, one of several points of entry into Syria. The crossing is around 30 kilometers (18 miles) from Syria's central city of Homs, where many said they were headed.
Most of those waiting to enter Syria were from eastern Lebanon's city of Baalbek and surrounding areas, which have been hard hit by Israeli airstrikes in recent days. The militant group Hezbollah has a strong presence in that region, but many of those killed and wounded have been civilians.
Some came from as far as the southern suburbs of Beirut.
Ola Hallaq, her husband and two kids were among those waiting to be processed. Originally from Homs, she fled Syria at the start of the civil war in 2011 and settled in Baalbek. Now, as Israel pounds eastern Lebanon, the family is returning home despite the uncertainty and lack of income.
"I'm returning to my country because of the war — there was so much destruction all around," she said.
Dabbah Mashaal, an official at the crossing, said 10,000 displaced Syrians and 7,700 Lebanese have crossed the border in recent days.
Six dead in Beirut after Israeli strike
01:03
Graig Graziosi
An Israeli strike in central Beirut killed six people early on Thursday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
The agency said that an additional seven people were injured and are being treated in local hospitals.
The recent strikes on Beirut are the first time Israel has targeted the center of Lebanon’s capital since the nations went to war in 2006.
Around 100 American citizens and family members leave Lebanon
01:00
Tara Cobham
The State Department says about 100 American citizens and family members have left Lebanon on a flight contracted with a commercial airline.
Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Wednesday that the flight to Istanbul was not a charter flight but also was not on the Lebanese national carrier Middle East Airlines, which is the only commercial airline flying scheduled flights in and out of Beirut.
Since 28 September, MEA has made about 800 seats on its flights out of Beirut available for American citizens, but Miller could not say how many had taken those MEA flights.
He said some 6,000 American citizens have now asked for information from the US Embassy in Beirut on how they might be able to leave the country, although only a small fraction of those have asked for actual assistance.
UN ponders how to calm the conflict as Israel battles militants on two fronts
Thursday 3 October 2024 00:30
Tara Cobham
The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Wednesday to address the spiralling conflict in the Middle East.
Iran's ambassador to the UN said his country launched nearly 200 missiles at Israel on Tuesday as a deterrent to further Israeli violence, while his Israeli counterpart called the barrage an "unprecedented act of aggression."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed late Tuesday to retaliate, and an Iranian commander threatened wider strikes on infrastructure if Israel did so. US President Biden said on Wednesday that he would not support an Israeli attack targeting Iran's nuclear program.
Israel further ruffled feathers Wednesday when its foreign minister declared the UN secretary-general "persona non-grata" in the country, doubling down on decades of accusations of antisemitism against the organization.
Israel was meanwhile battling militants on two fronts, pursuing a ground incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah and conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children. The Israeli military said eight soldiers have died in the conflict in southern Lebanon.
Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since the day after Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October, 2023, which killed 1,200 Israelis and took 250 others hostage. Israel declared war on the militant group in the Gaza Strip in response. More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory, and just over half the dead have been women and children, according to local health officials.
British defence secretary expresses UK’s ‘total condemnation’ of Iran’s attack
Thursday 3 October 2024 00:00
Tara Cobham
Britain’s defence secretary has said he spoke with the Israeli defence minister to express the UK’s “total condemnation” of Iran’s attack and “steadfast commitment” to Israel’s security.
In a post on X on Wednesday evening, John Healey said: “I spoke to Yoav Gallant today to express our total condemnation of Iran’s massive missile attack against Israel.
“I set out the UK’s continuing, steadfast commitment to Israel’s security.
“We must avoid further escalation and secure an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.”
I spoke to @yoavgallant today to express our total condemnation of Iran’s massive missile attack against Israel.
— John Healey (@JohnHealey_MP) October 2, 2024
I set out the UK’s continuing, steadfast commitment to Israel’s security.
We must avoid further escalation and secure an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza.
US resident killed in Israel's military campaign in Lebanon, friend says
Wednesday 2 October 2024 23:36
Tara Cobham
A US resident from Dearborn, Michigan, has been killed in Lebanon, the American government said on Wednesday, with the man's friend and neighbors saying he died in an Israeli airstrike.
"We are deeply saddened by the death of Kamel Ahmad Jawad and our hearts go out to his family and friends. His death is a tragedy, as are the deaths of many civilians in Lebanon," a White House spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, a State Department spokesperson, when asked about reports of an American's death in Lebanon, said: "It's our understanding that it was a legal permanent resident, not an American citizen (who got killed in Lebanon) but we obviously offer our sincerest condolences to the family."
Israel's recent military campaign in Lebanon has killed hundreds, wounded thousands and displaced over a million. Israel says it is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants.
Jawad was in Lebanon taking care of his elderly mother, according to the Detroit News. His friend Hamzah Raza and local Dearborn groups said on social media that Jawad was killed in an Israeli air strike and called him "one of the kindest and most generous humans".
The Independent was unable to confirm the circumstances of Jawad's death.
Washington has faced criticism in some quarters for its support of its ally Israel, which is also waging a war in Gaza, including in Dearborn where there is a large Arab American population.
Israel at war against ‘evil axis of Iran’ says Netanyahu as he sends condolences to soldiers killed in Lebanon
Wednesday 2 October 2024 23:30
Tara Cobham
Airstrike hits apartment building in central Beirut
Wednesday 2 October 2024 23:21
Tara Cobham
An apparent Israeli airstrike has hit an apartment building near the center of the Lebanese capital, marking the second time Israel has struck central Beirut this week.
The airstrike Wednesday started a fire in an apartment in the multistory building in the residential Bashoura district. It is not clear whether there were any casualties. Ambulances rushed to the scene.
Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV station said the strike targeted a center of the group's health unit.
The airstrike hit not far from the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister's office and parliament.
There was no warning issued ahead of the strike.
At least two killed and 11 wounded in Israeli strike on Beirut, says Lebanese health ministry
Wednesday 2 October 2024 23:18
Tara Cobham
At least two people have been killed and 11 wounded in an Israeli strike on central Beirut, the Lebanese health ministry has said.
Israeli strikes on Lebanon kill 46 in past 24 hours, health ministry says
Wednesday 2 October 2024 23:00
Tara Cobham
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed 46 people and wounded 85 in the past 24 hours, the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement early on Thursday.
UK’s Armed Forces not able to defend Israel from Iranian ballistic missile attacks, experts claim
Wednesday 2 October 2024 22:46
Tara Cobham
The UK’s Armed Forces are not able to defend Israel from Iranian ballistic missile attacks, experts have claimed.
RAF Typhoon jet fighters are believed to lack the weapons required to protect Israel from a bombardment like Tuesday’s, forcing Britain into a supporting role as the US defends its ally.
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace told The Telegraph that the UK’s Type-45 anti-missile destroyers would also struggle with a response.
Meanwhile, sources alleged that the Royal Navy’s carrier strike groups did not have a sufficient number of sailors to effectively operate in a way zone.
BREAKING: Israeli strike hits central Beirut, security source says
Wednesday 2 October 2024 22:30
Tara Cobham
An Israeli strike early on Thursday hit within Beirut's city limits, not far from downtown, a security source told Reuters.
Witnesses in central Beirut heard a massive blast.
The Israeli military said in a statement late on Wednesday that it had conducted a precise strike on the Lebanese capital.
What do we know about the rescue flight from Beirut?
Wednesday 2 October 2024 22:16
Travel Correspondent Simon Calder
Flight DN9999 from Beirut to Birmingham was the first rescue flight organised by the UK government since the Covid pandemic, writes Travel Correspondent Simon Calder.
The plane was a 15-year-old Airbus A320, a standard low-cost jet equipped with 180 seats, belonging to the Romanian airline, Dan Air.
The aircraft began the rescue mission in Bucharest, the airline’s base, with a two-hour flight carrying no passengers to Beirut.
The plane was on the ground in the Lebanese capital for three-and-a-half hours, missing its intended departure time by 90 minutes.
On the 2,400-mile flight from Beirut to Birmingham, it stopped at Bucharest along the way, about one-third of the way into the journey, to refuel and change crew. This was a much shorter stop, just 40 minutes. The plane eventually touched down at Birmingham at 8.39pm,
Ahead of the flight, the UK government said: “Vulnerable British nationals and their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18, will be prioritised for this flight.
“This includes those with greatest need, including those with medical conditions, over-65s and children. British nationals should not make their way to the airport unless they have a confirmed seat on the plane.”
Gulf Cooperation Council affirms support for Lebanon and calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza
Wednesday 2 October 2024 22:00
Tara Cobham
The Gulf Cooperation Council affirmed its support for Lebanon during such a "critical stage" and called for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the council said late on Wednesday after holding an extraordinary ministerial meeting in Doha.
The meeting was held to discuss the latest regional developments.
The council also condemned the escalation of conflict in Lebanon and the occupied Palestinian territories, calling on all involved parties to exercise self-restraint and refrain from violence, it added in a statement.
More than 1,900 people have been killed and over 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting between Israel and Iranian-backed Hezbollah, with most of the deaths occurring in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military offensive in Gaza has killed more than 41,000 Palestinians since 7 October, when Hamas gunmen led an incursion into Israel, killing around 1,200 people and abducting about 250 hostages, according to Israel and Gaza health authorities.
Britons fleeing Lebanon arrive back on first flight charted by UK government
Wednesday 2 October 2024 21:45
Tara Cobham
The first charter flight carrying British citizens out of Lebanon has landed in Birmingham amid escalating conflict in the Middle East.
The Dan Air plane touched down at Birmingham International Airport shortly before 8.40pm, having departed from Beirut and stopped off in Bucharest, Romania, on its journey.
Foreign secretary David Lammy said earlier on Wednesday that more charter flights have been arranged for this week following Israel’s ground offensive into southern Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah – which has followed more than a week of heavy bombardment.
My colleague Alex Croft reports:
Biden says he doesn’t back Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities as tension in Middle East grow
Wednesday 2 October 2024 21:15
Tara Cobham
President Joe Biden said he would not support strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities by Israel even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to retaliate against Tehran for the ballistic attacks that were largely repelled on Tuesday.
Asked on Wednesday whether he would endorse Israel going after Iranian facilities as he boarded Air Force One, Biden told reporters: “The answer is no.”
He also reiterated what he described as “full solidarity and support to Israel and its people” on the part of the United States.
Andrew Feinberg reports:
Charter plane carrying British nationals from Lebanon lands in Birmingham
Wednesday 2 October 2024 20:49
Tara Cobham
A charter plane carrying British nationals from Lebanon has landed in Birmingham.
The Dan Air plane touched down at Birmingham International Airport shortly before 8.40pm, having departed from Beirut and stopped off in Bucharest, Romania, on its journey.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said earlier on Wednesday that further flights were planned for Thursday and over the coming days.
Air France passengers endure eight-hour trip to nowhere as Iran sparks chaos
Wednesday 2 October 2024 20:45
Tara Cobham
Tens of thousands of airline passengers are waking up where they did not expect to be after carriers diverted many planes in response to Iran’s overnight attack on Israel.
The normal flightpath from Europe and North America to the Gulf and south Asia is to fly to the southeast corner of Turkey and then head southeast over either Iran or Iraq.
But as missiles were fired from Iran over Iraq towards Israel, the airspace of both countries was closed. Jordan’s skies were also closed temporarily.
Travel Correspondent Simon Calder reports:
Iran is on course to build a nuclear bomb and enter a high-stakes gamble
Wednesday 2 October 2024 20:15
Tara Cobham
Only historians will be able to tell us whether the Middle East is now facing its most dangerous moment since the Yom Kippur war in 1973, writes former foreign secretary Jack Straw. It easily could be, and it certainly feels that both sides are gambling with much higher stakes than ever.
The leaders on both sides are under great personal pressure. For all its shortcomings (and there are many under Bibi Netanyahu, who heads up a fragile coalition and is subject to corruption charges), Israel is a democracy. Iran is not.
Part of its government is elected. But its defence, intelligence, and security apparatus are under the direct control of its supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, aged 85, who has never once been out of Iran since he assumed office in 1989. He’s propped up by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and an extensive network of true believers across Iran. Their blind faith and fanaticism has to be seen to be believed.
Read more here:
Watch: Trump compares Israel and Hezbollah to ‘two kids fighting in the schoolyard’
Wednesday 2 October 2024 20:03
Alex Ross
US State Department says Israel’s decision to bar UN’s chief ‘not productive'
Wednesday 2 October 2024 20:00
Tara Cobham
The US State Department has said Israel’s decision to bar the UN’s chief from entering the country is “not productive”.
Israel's foreign minister said on Wednesday that he was barring U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not "unequivocally" condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel.
Asked about the move at a press briefing, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said: "Steps like these are not productive to (Israel) improving its standing in the world."
US ‘makes clear’ to Israel it does not want civilians targeted in Lebanon
Wednesday 2 October 2024 19:45
Tara Cobham
The US State Department has said it has “made clear” to Israel that the US does not want to see civilians or civilian infrastructure targeted in Lebanon.
Iran's Khamenei warned Nasrallah of Israeli plot to kill him, sources say
Wednesday 2 October 2024 19:33
Tara Cobham
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Hezbollah leader Syyed Hassan Nasrallah to flee Lebanon days before he was killed in an Israeli strike and is now deeply worried about Israeli infiltration of senior government ranks in Tehran, three Iranian sources said.
In the immediate aftermath of the attack on Hezbollah's booby-trapped pagers on 17 September, Khamenei sent a message with an envoy to beseech the Hezbollah secretary general to leave for Iran, citing intelligence reports that suggested Israel had operatives within Hezbollah and was planning to kill him, one of the sources, a senior Iranian official, told Reuters.
The messenger, the official said, was a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, who was with Nasrallah in his bunker when it was hit by Israeli bombs and was also killed.
Khamenei, who has remained in a secure location inside Iran since Saturday, personally ordered a barrage of around 200 missiles to be fired at Israel on Tuesday, a senior Iranian official said. The attack was retaliation for the deaths of Nasrallah and Nilforoushan, the Revolutionary Guards said in a statement.
The statement also cited the July killing of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and Israel's attacks on Lebanon. Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh's death.
Lebanon is in immediate need of a ceasefire, caretaker PM says
Wednesday 2 October 2024 19:31
Tara Cobham
Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon was in need of a ceasefire to end intensified hostilities between Israel and armed group Hezbollah, saying around 1.2 million across Lebanon had been displaced by Israeli attacks.
"Stop fighting. We don't need more blood. We don't need more destruction," Mikati said in a briefing organized by the American Task Force on Lebanon, a U.S.-based lobby group. "There is an immediate need for a ceasefire," he added.
US organized a flight out of Beirut as Americans seek to leave Lebanon, says State Dept
Wednesday 2 October 2024 19:04
Tara Cobham
The United States organized a flight from Beirut to Istanbul on Wednesday to allow Americans to leave Lebanon amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
Miller told a press briefing that around 7,000 US citizens in Lebanon had registered with the US government to receive information about leaving the country, although not all of those are looking for assistance to leave.
The flight on Wednesday had a capacity of about 300 and carried around 100 Americans and their family members, Miller said, adding Washington had been working with airlines since Saturday to make seats available to Americans on commercial flights.
Iran’s president warns: ‘If Israel acts against us we will respond’
Wednesday 2 October 2024 18:45
Tara Cobham
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian has said Iran “does not seek war” but warned: “If Israel acts against us we will respond”.
Israel and Iran warn each other against attacks at UN meeting
Wednesday 2 October 2024 18:29
Tara Cobham
Israel, backed by the United States, and Iran on Wednesday threatened each other with retaliation if attacked as the United Nations Security Council met amid fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
"This deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the 15-member council. "Time is running out."
The council met after Israel killed the leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah and began a ground assault against the Iran-backed militant group and Iran attacked Israel in a missile strike.
"Israel will defend itself. We will act. And let me assure you, the consequences Iran will face for their actions will be far greater than they could ever have imagined," Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon told the council.
Iran's UN Ambassador Amir Saied Iravani said the missile attack on Tuesday was "to restore balance and deterrence." He said further escalation could be avoided if Israel stopped the war in Gaza and attacks on Lebanon.
"Iran is fully prepared to take further defensive measures, if necessary, to protect its legitimate interests and defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty against any acts of military aggression and the illegal use of force," he said.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council that U.S. support for Israel had been defensive.
"Let me be clear: The Iranian regime will be held responsible for its actions. And we strongly warn against Iran or its proxies taking actions against the United States, or further actions against Israel," she said.
French UN Ambassador Nicolas de Riviere said France wants the Security Council to "show unity and to speak with one voice" to de-escalate the situation. Thomas-Greenfield said the council should condemn Iran and impose "serious consequences" on Iran's elite Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps for its actions.
Israel and the United States both called for sanctions on Iran.
Israel bars UN secretary-general from entering country
Wednesday 2 October 2024 18:27
Tara Cobham
Israel's foreign minister said on Wednesday that he was barring UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not "unequivocally" condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel.
Guterres on Tuesday issued a brief statement after the bombardment condemning "the broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation." Earlier on Tuesday, Israel had sent troops into southern Lebanon.
Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said Guterres' failure to call out Iran made him persona non grata in Israel.
"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as nearly all the countries of the world have done, does not deserve to set foot on Israeli soil," Katz said.
"Israel will continue to defend its citizens and uphold its national dignity, with or without Antonio Guterres."
UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric described the announcement as political and "just one one more attack, so to speak, on UN staff that we've seen from the government of Israel". He said the UN traditionally does not recognise the concept of persona non grata as applying to UN staff.
During a Security Council meeting on Wednesday Guterres said: "As I did in relation to the Iranian attack in April – and as should have been obvious yesterday in the context of the condemnation I expressed – I again strongly condemn yesterday’s massive missile attack by Iran on Israel."
Britons fly back from Lebanon on first flight chartered by UK government
Wednesday 2 October 2024 17:58
Tara Cobham
The first charter flight carrying British citizens out of Lebanon has taken off amid escalating conflict in the Middle East, the foreign secretary has confirmed.
More charter flights have been arranged for this week following Israel’s ground offensive into southern Lebanon against the Iran-backed Hezbollah – which has followed more than a week of heavy bombardment. The Israeli military has warned people to evacuate around 50 villages and towns across southern Lebanon with intense clashes with Hezbollah forces.
Nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past year and around 1.2 million people have been displaced from their homes, Lebanese authorities say. The majority of the deaths came in the past two weeks.
My colleague Alex Croft reports:
Biden says he does not support attack on Iran's nuclear sites
Wednesday 2 October 2024 17:43
Tara Cobham
US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday that he does not support an attack on Iran's nuclear sites following strikes on Israel.
Biden also told reporters that there would be more sanctions imposed on Iran and said he would speak soon with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Biden and G7 ‘unequivocally condemn’ Iran’s attack against Israel, White House says
Wednesday 2 October 2024 17:40
Tara Cobham
US President Joe Biden has said he and the G7 “unequivocally condemn” Iran’s attack against Israel, the White House has said.
Biden joined the call with the G7 to discuss and coordinate on a response to iran’s attack against Israel, including new sanctions, it said.
He expressed the US’s “full solidarity and support” to Israel and its people in the call with the leaders, it added.
Full story: Israel and Hezbollah clash in fierce fighting in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows Iran ‘will pay’ for missile attack
Wednesday 2 October 2024 17:35
Tara Cobham
Israel and Hezbollah have clashed in intense ground battles in southern Lebanon for the first time in nearly two decades as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Iran “will pay” for its huge missile attack.
Mr Netanyahu held two security meetings in the immediate wake of Iran firing 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, the first of which was in a bunker in Jerusalem late on Tuesday night and the second was in Tel Aviv at the defence ministry’s headquarters on Wednesday, to work out a response.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it,” he said, immediately after the attack. “The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.”
Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew and Tom Watling report:
Starmer reiterates Israel has right to security and to defend itself
Wednesday 2 October 2024 17:31
Tara Cobham
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer reiterated on Wednesday Israel had the right to security and to defend itself, when asked about the prospect of Israel retaliating against Iran and the potential role of British forces in any related military action.
"I think it's very clear that we stand firm with Israel," Starmer said in response to a question at a press conference in Brussels.
"Israel does have the right to security. Israel does have the right to defend herself, and that is absolutely clear. I'm not going to get drawn further than that, nor get drawn on the role of our own service personnel," he added.
Hamas' armed wing claims responsibility for shooting attack in Tel Aviv
Wednesday 2 October 2024 17:25
Tara Cobham
Hamas' armed al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv that killed at least seven people, the group said in a statement on Wednesday.
The fallout from a cross-region war cannot be imagined
Wednesday 2 October 2024 17:20
Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew
It has been a year since Hamas militants launched their bloody assault on southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli estimates, as our Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew writes.
Of the hostages, around 100 are thought to still be inside Gaza, although there are concerns that only three-quarters of them are alive. Since then, Israel’s ferocious bombardment of Gaza has killed tens of thousands of people, the vast majority women and children, according to Palestinian health authorities. An additional 10,000 are thought to be lost under the rubble.
That war has triggered every explosive faultline across the Middle East, with a multiple-front battleground emerging, pitting Israel—and its seemingly unwilling allies, including the US —against Iran and its proxies and allies in Yemen, Iraq, Syria, and, of course, Hezbollah in Lebanon.
The more actors get involved, the more complex this situation becomes. The fallout from a cross-region war cannot be imagined.
Today in Lebanon—where a war between Israel and Hezbollah rages on —the UN says as many as a million have been displaced, which would be a fifth of the entire population.
The UK is busy organising chartered evacuation flights for British citizens still left in the country. Captains of luxury party yachts along Lebanon’s glittering Mediterranean coastline have been shuttling people to Cyprus –for a hefty $1,500 price tag. There are even families fleeing by foot via the land border into war-torn Syria.
It follows nearly two million displaced in Gaza, 90 per cent of the pre-war population. Most of them forced to move at least three times.
In Israel, 60,000 people have been displaced from the north, living in hotels and rented apartments. A driving force behind Israel’s invasion of Lebanon has been a desire to push Hezbollah back far enough to allow citizens to go home.
But as we hurtle towards mutual annihilation, there are already no homes for people to return to— few families left to reunite.
I’ve spoken to civilians in Gaza, scrambling for food in bullet-ridden tents, begging for any second of respite. I’ve spoken to former Israeli hostages, shuttling across the world in search of a truce exchange deal to bring their loved ones home—not in body bags. I’ve spoken to displaced families in Lebanon, camping in the streets of burning towns, who right now need just a basic roof over their heads.
Their voices must be heard by Israel’s and Iran’s leaders.
It’s clear we are already in a Middle East war – one that will be difficult to stop
Wednesday 2 October 2024 17:18
Chief I