Israel is engaged in “intense fighting” with Hezbollah inside southern Lebanon after sending troops across the border as part of a major assault, the military have said.
Israel’s military Arabic-language spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote on X, formerly Twitter: “Urgent warning to the residents of South Lebanon. Intense fighting is taking place in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah elements using the civilian environment and the population as human shields to launch attacks.
“For your personal safety, we ask you not to move vehicles from the northern region to the southern region of the Litani River. This warning is in effect until further notice.”
Israel announced overnight that it had launched “targeted” raids on Hezbollah positions on the border with southern Lebanon, controlled by Hezbollah.
A lieutenant commanding Israel’s Egoz unit reportedly told troops before going in that their operation was part of a “more substantial invasion” intended to halt Hezbollah’s ability to attack the northern territories across the border.
“This is a substantial matter because we have not invaded Lebanon since 2006,” the commander said.
Key Points
- Israel says ‘intense’ fighting taking place in Lebanon
- Uk government charters flight for Britons in Lebanon
- Israeli military says it has begun ‘limited, localised’ operation in southern Lebanon
- US to send ‘few thousand’ more troops to Middle East if Israel needs defending, says Pentagon
Holidaymakers raise concerns about trips to Cyprus
09:41
Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent
Cyprus, one of the Mediterranean's most popular islands is close to Lebanon, and a number of travellers with trips booked to Cyprus are looking at the map of the eastern Mediterranean with concern – and have contacted The Independent travel desk.
The popular Cypriot resort of Ayia Napa is barely 100 miles from the Lebanese capital, Beirut. Yet the Foreign Office does not have concerns about Cyprus. The official travel advice for the island has not been amended since June 2024, when it was “reviewed for style and accuracy”.
Under the heading “Regional risks” the only concern is the long-standing warning about travel to the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus: “FCDO can only provide limited consular support if you are visiting areas in the north that are not under control of the Republic of Cyprus.”
In their travel advice to citizens on Cyprus, the US State Department and the Australia government express no alarms about the unfolding catastrophe in Lebanon.
“Overspill” from Lebanon to Cyprus looks extremely unlikely. Consider Syria, which has been in a civil war since 2011; even though the Mediterranean port of Latakia is only 70 miles from Cyprus, there has been no danger posed to the island as a result of that tragic conflict.
As the Foreign Office does not warn against travel to Cyprus, there is no prospect of being able to cancel a trip for a full refund. Neither will travel insurance be of help; the insurer will say that there is no reason not to go.
It is legally possible to transfer a proper package holiday to someone else – though time is short to do this before Saturday. Alternatively, the holiday company may possibly offer the chance to switch to a different destination; this is relatively low season, and there may be capacity elsewhere.
UN launches £320m fund to help fleeing civilians in Lebanon
09:30
Tom Watling
Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, and United Nations Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza have launched a $426 million (£320 million) appeal to help civilians affected by the escalating conflict, the UN has announced.
France says it is sending helicopter carrier to eastern Mediterranean
09:21
Tom Watling
A French helicopter carrier will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the next five to six days and take up position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon, a French army spokesperson has announced.
Western nations have been weighing their options on how to get nationals out of Lebanon safely if a full-scale war breaks out there, with Cyprus and possibly Turkey seen as offering sanctuary to tens of thousands of people. Earlier, we reported that the UK had chartered an emergency flight to evacuate Britons from the area.
Israel said intense fighting had erupted with the Hezbollah movement in south Lebanon after its paratroops and commandos launched raids there, at the start of a ground incursion that followed airstrikes against Hezbollah’s leadership.
France, which has about 20,000 citizens in Lebanon, sent its Dixmude helicopter carrier from the naval port of Toulon to the region on Monday, the French army spokesperson said.
Israeli ground raids will target Hezbollah strongholds along border, military says
09:08
Tom Watling
Israel‘s ground raids into southern Lebanon will target Hezbollah strongholds along the border that threaten Israel, not a war against the Lebanese people, Israel‘s military has said.
“These localised ground raids will target Hezbollah strongholds that threaten Israeli towns, kibbutzim and communities along our border,” said military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari. “Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases ready for an attack on Israel.”
US offers limited support for Israeli invasion - but calls for ‘diplomatic pathway’
09:00
Tom Watling
The US has said it agrees with Israel’s need to reduce the threat Hezbollah poses by “dismantling attack infrastructure along the border” - but it has stopped shy of backing an incursion into Lebanon.
In a readout of a call between US defence secretary Lloyd Austin III and his counterpart Yoav Gallant, the US department of defence wrote that Hezbollah must not be allowed the opportunity to conduct “October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities”.
“They agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hizballah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities,” the readout said.
“The Secretary reaffirmed that a diplomatic resolution is required to ensure that civilians can return safely to their homes on both sides of the border.
“He and Minister Gallant discussed the importance of ultimately pivoting from military operations to a diplomatic pathway to provide security and stability as soon as feasible.”
Yemen's Houthis say they targeted Israeli military posts
08:47
Tom Watling
Yemen’s Houthi movement targeted Israeli military posts in Tel Aviv and Eilat with drones on Tuesday, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree has said in a televised speech.
Netanyahu warns Iran: ‘Nowhere in Middle East out of Israel’s reach’
08:34
Tom Watling
Red Sea vessel caught in incident near Houthi-controlled port
08:18
Tom Watling
Earlier we reported that the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency was investigating an alleged incident with a cargo vessel northwest of Yemen’s Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port.
They have since revealed that the vessel reportedly saw four splashes close by but that all crew were safe and it was proceeding to its next port of call.
In pictures: Israel soldiers pray on the border as Beirut wakes up to destruction
08:03
Tom Watling
A former hostage fought for her own life in Gaza. A year on, she fights for her husband's freedom
07:50
Tom Watling
Israel warns Lebanese civilians not ot move vehicles during ‘intense’ fighting
07:38
Tom Watling
The Israeli military has said that intense fighting with Hezbollah is taking place in southern Lebanon as he warned residents not to move vehicles in the region.
Spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in Arabic on X, formerly Twitter: “Urgent warning to the residents of South Lebanon ...
“Heavy fighting is taking place in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah elements using the civilian environment and the population as human shields to launch attacks.
“For your personal safety, we ask you not to move vehicles from the northern region to the southern region of the Litani River. This warning is in effect until further notice.”
Here are some of the latest pictures from Lebanon
07:28
Tom Watling
UKMTO receives report of incident of Yemen’s Hodeidah
07:13
Tom Watling
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency says it has received a report of an incident 97 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s Hodeidah, adding that the authorities are investigating.
Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli troops in Metula with artillery fire
07:04
Namita Singh
Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah said in a statement on Tuesday that it had targeted Israeli troops across the border in Metula with artillery fire but made no mention of Israel’s announcement that it had begun a ground incursion into Lebanon.
Israel announced overnight that it had begun “limited” raids in the border area of southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu says nowhere in Middle East out of Israel's reach
06:35
Namita Singh
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Iranians on Monday that there was nowhere in the Middle East beyond Israel’s reach, three days after Israel’s military killed the leader of Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Mr Netanyahu, speaking in English in a three-minute-long video released by his office in which he said he was addressing the Iranian people, blamed the Iranian government for plunging the Middle East “deeper into war” at the cost of its own people.
“There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach. There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country,” Mr Netanyahu said.
He said the Iranian government was bringing Iranians “closer to the abyss”. Iran and Israel would be at peace when Iran is “finally free”, which he said would “come a lot sooner than people think”.
Referring to Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, killed on Friday in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, Mr Netanyahu said that “puppets” of the Iranian “regime” were eliminated every day.
Israel has ramped up attacks on militant targets in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the best armed of militant groups across the Middle East aligned with Iran.
Suspected Yemen Houthi rebel attack targets ship in Red Sea
06:34
Namita Singh
A suspected attack Tuesday by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Red Sea, likely marking their first assault on commercial shipping in weeks as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to become a regional conflict.
The attack comes as Israeli ground forces entered Lebanon after days of Israeli airstrikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top leaders and the earlier explosions of sabotaged electronic devices used by the Shiite militia.
The Houthis had threatened “escalating military operations” targeting Israel on Monday after they apparently shot down a US military drone flying over the country.
The attack Tuesday morning took place some 110km off the port city of Hodeida in the Red Sea, which has become a battlefield for shippers since the Houthis began their campaign targeting ships traveling through a waterway that once saw $1 trillion a year of cargo pass through it.
A captain on a ship saw four “splashes” near his vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in a warning.
That likely would have been missiles or drones launched at the vessel.“All crew are safe and the vessel is proceeding to (its) next port of call,” the UKMTO said.The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack.
Uk government charters flight for Britons in Lebanon
06:33
Namita Singh
The UK government has chartered a flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave as Israel said it had begun a limited, localised” operation in the southern part of the country.
Foreign secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly” as the flight, due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, was confirmed.
Earlier, Mr Lammy reiterated calls for Britons in Lebanon to leave and said the government will do “all that we can” to assist people in fleeing.
Hours after Mr Lammy’s announcement, the Israeli military said it had begun a “limited, localised” operation against its Hezbollah targets in the region.
Report:
In Pictures: Israeli troops deploy to staging area along Lebanon border
05:54
Namita Singh
Missile targets US military facility near Baghdad airport
05:24
Namita Singh
A missile attack has targeted a US military facility near the Baghdad airport, two Iraqi security officials said.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak publicly, said one rocket fell in an adjacent area used by Iraqi security forces and damaged vehicles parked there.
No casualties were reported in the attack early on Tuesday. Air traffic was halted as a result of the strike.US officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment and no group claimed responsibility.
Iran-backed Iraqi militias have regularly targeted bases housing US troops in Iraq over the past year, which they have said is a response to Washington’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and Lebanon.
US supports Israel's right to defend itself, Austin says
05:23
Namita Singh
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin told Israel’s defence minister that he agreed on the need for a ground offensive inside Lebanon to rid the border area of Hezbollah weapons and other means it can use to carry out attacks across the frontier.
Mr Austin told Yoav Gallant in a call that the US supports Israel’s right to defend itself and discussed Israel’s military operations.
Israeli ground forces moved into southern Lebanon overnight, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hezbollah.
The Israeli military said on Tuesday it has begun a “limited” ground operation against Hezbollah targets it said posed an “immediate threat” to northern Israeli communities.
“We agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border,” Mr Austin said in a statement posted on the X social platform.
Biden urges immediate ceasefire hours before Israel begins ground operation
05:20
Namita Singh
The White House and the US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Israel’s ground operations in Lebanon.But on Monday, US president Joe Biden had called for a ceasefire.
“I’m more worried than you might know and I’m comfortable with them stopping,” Mr Biden told reporters when asked if he was comfortable with Israeli plans for a cross-border incursion. “We should have a ceasefire now.”
Israel last week rejected a proposal by the US and France calling for a 21-day ceasefire on the Lebanon border to give time for a diplomatic settlement that would allow displaced civilians on both sides to return home.
Resistance forces ready for ground engagement with Israel, says Hezbollah
04:58
Namita Singh
Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem, in a first public speech on Monday since Hassan Nasrallah’s death, said that “the resistance forces are ready for a ground engagement” with Israel.
He said Hezbollah had continued to fire rockets as deep as 150km into Israeli territory.
“We know that the battle may be long. We will win as we won in the liberation of 2006,” he said, referring to the last big conflict between the two foes.
Late on Monday, Lebanese troops pulled back about 5km from positions along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, a Lebanese security source told Reuters. A Lebanese army spokesperson did not confirm or deny the movement.
Lebanon’s army has historically stayed on the sidelines of major conflicts with Israel, and in the last year of hostilities has not fired on the Israeli military.
Israeli strikes kill 95 in Lebanon
04:50
Namita Singh
At least 95 people have been killed and 172 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s southern regions, the eastern Bekaa Valley, and Beirut in the last 24 hours, Lebanon’s health ministry said early on Tuesday.
Israel’s ground invasion into Lebanon follows its deadly detonation of booby-trapped Hezbollah pagers, two weeks of airstrikes, and its killing on Friday of Hezbollah head Hassan Nasrallah, which dealt the group one of the heaviest blows in decades.
The intensive air strikes have eliminated several Hezbollah commanders but also killed about 1,000 civilians and forced one million to flee their homes, according to the Lebanese government.
Overnight, strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs, a security source said. A Reuters reporter witnessed a flash of light and a series of loud blasts about an hour after the Israeli military warned residents to evacuate areas near buildings it said contained Hezbollah infrastructure south of the Lebanese capital.
Israeli strike on Damascus kills 3 civilians, Syrian media says
04:35
Namita Singh
Three civilians were killed and nine others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the capital Damascus, Syrian state media said on Tuesday citing a military source. Israel’s military said it does not comment on foreign media reports.
Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but has ramped up raids since the Hamas attack on Israel’s southern territory on 7 October 2023.
Hamas killed 1,200 people and took about 250 hostage in its assault on Israel, according to Israeli tallies. Israel in response launched a massive assault on Hamas in Gaza, reducing most of the Palestinian territory to rubble, displacing most of its 2.3 million people and killing more than 41,300 Palestinians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.
Israel targets Palestinian Fatah movement's Lebanese commander, Palestinian officials say
04:34
Namita Singh
An Israeli strike in Lebanon early on Tuesday targeted Mounir Maqdah, commander of the Lebanese branch of the Palestinian Fatah movement’s military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, according to two Palestinian security officials.
His fate was unknown.
The strike hit a building in the crowded Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon, the sources said. It marked the first strike on the camp, Lebanon’s largest Palestinian camp, since cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel broke out nearly a year ago.
Israel says ground raids are 'limited, localised and targeted'
04:06
Namita Singh
Israel’s widely expected ground invasion of Lebanon appeared to be getting underway early on Tuesday as its military said troops had begun “limited” raids against Hezbollah targets in the border area.
The military said in a statement that it had begun “limited, localised, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence” against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon villages close to the border that posed “an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel”.
It said the air force and artillery were supporting the ground forces with “precise strikes”.
Local residents in the Lebanese border town of Aita al-Shaab reported heavy shelling and the sound of helicopters and drones overhead. Flares were repeatedly launched over the Lebanese border town of Rmeish, lighting up the night sky.
On Monday, Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant had told local council heads in northern Israel that the next phase of the war along Lebanon’s southern border would begin soon, and would support the aim of bringing home Israelis who have fled Hezbollah rockets during nearly a year of border warfare.
The ground invasion represents an escalating conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Iran-backed militants, sparked by an assault on Israel by Palestinian militant group Hamas on 7 October 2023, that now threatens to suck in the US and Iran.
Austin spoke with Israel's Gallant, Pentagon says
04:00
Namita Singh
US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, the Department of Defence said.
“They agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities,” the department said in a statement.
Mr Austin reaffirmed that a diplomatic resolution is required to ensure that civilians can return safely to their homes on both sides of the border, according to the department.
WATCH: Hezbollah's deputy leader vows to fight on after Nasrallah's death
04:00
Graig Graziosi
Top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon was UNRWA employee placed on administrative leave
03:26
Graig Graziosi
The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said that the top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon Monday was one of its employees but had no function as he was placed on administrative leave since March.
Fatah Sharif’s connection to Hamas appeared set to ratchet up pressure on UNRWA, already facing a $80 million funding shortfall this year. Critics have repeatedly blasted the agency, saying it wasn’t doing enough to root out Hamas militants from its ranks.
The U.N.’s internal watchdog has been investigating UNRWA since Israel in January accused 12 of its staffers of being involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which armed militants killed 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. The allegations led more than a dozen donor countries to suspend their funding, causing an initial cash crunch of about $450 million dollars. Since then, all donor countries except for the United States have decided to resume funding the agency.
READ MORE:
Syrian news anchor killed in Israeli airstrike, Syrian media reports
02:54
Graig Graziosi
A well known Syrian televsion anchor, Safaa Ahmed, and two other individuals were killed overnight after an Israeli airstrike on Damascus, according to Syrian news organization SANA.
Syria defense ministry said the IDF launched an attack using drones and planes around 2am local time.
“The General Authority for Radio and Television announces the death of the anchor Safaa Ahmed as a martyr following the treacherous Israeli aggression on the capital, Damascus,” SANA reported.
EDITORIAL: Iran does not want war with Israel – but what of Benjamin Netanyahu?
02:20
Graig Graziosi
From the editorial:
The Iranian regime has been in trouble for many months, and at risk of revolt enacted by a people exhausted by the ayatollah’s aggression as well as their country’s isolation and international sanctions. Plainly, they do not want war with Israel – but what of Mr Netanyahu?
Suddenly energised by bold military initiatives, Israel seems to possess an unlimited appetite for audacious operations. It has already launched some further pre-emptive air assaults on the notorious Houthi rebels in Yemen (another of Iran’s cadet forces).
Few would bet against it, given the momentum that has powered Israel forward in recent days – and Israel’s unprecedented defiance, even towards its most important partner, the United States.
READ MORE:
Watch: Beirut city centre in ruins after first Israeli strike in 18 years
02:00
Graig Graziosi
Watch live from Beirut on Monday, 30 September, as an apartment building lies in ruins following an Israeli strike in the city centre for the first time since 2006.
This feed shows a residential building that was hit by an airstrike in the Kola district.
According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the attack brings the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon to more than 1,000 people and the number of those injured to more than 6,000 over the last two weeks.
READ MORE:
Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon begins with ‘targeted’ raids on Hezbollah targets
01:31
Graig Graziosi
Israel’s widely-expected ground incursion inside Lebanon appeared to be underway with its military saying troops had carried out ‘targeted’ raids across the border while backed by airstrikes and artillery.
In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, Israel Defense Force (IDF) said it was striking Hezbollah targets in areas close to its country’s northern border.
The announcement came shortly after Israeli media reported that the country’s cabinet had approved the next stage of the military operation targeting the militant group.
READ MORE:
‘Operation Northern Arrows’ begins in southern Lebanon
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:56
Graig Graziosi
The IDF’s push into Lebanon — which it is calling “Operation Northern Arrows” — is reportedly targeting individuals in villages close to the border that it claims posed an “immediate threat” to communities in northern Israel.
Residents in Aita al-Shaab, a village close to Lebanon’s southern border, told Reuters that they experienced heavy shelling and that they could hear drones and helicopters overhead.
The White House denies that Biden calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon is a policy change on Israel
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:30
Graig Graziosi
The White House says there has been no change in America’s support of Israel in response to the start of what has been described as a limited ground offensive in Lebanon despite President Joe Biden’s call for the Israeli government to consider “stopping” the operations and his suggestion that a ceasefire deal be implemented “now.”
Biden commented on the plans when he was questioned by reporters following remarks on Monday he delivered on the federal response to Hurricane Helene.
Asked whether he was aware of or comfortable with the Israeli plans, Biden replied: “I’m more aware than you might know, and I’m comfortable with them stopping.”
“We should have a ceasefire now,” he added.
READ MORE:
Israeli military says it has begun ‘limited, localised’ operation in southern Lebanon
Tuesday 1 October 2024 00:02
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military says it has begun a "limited, localised" operation in southern Lebanon.
Rocket attack targets military base hosting US forces in Baghdad, military sources say
Monday 30 September 2024 23:22
Tara Cobham
At least two Katyusha rockets were fired at a military base hosting US forces near Baghdad International Airport, two Iraqi military officials told Reuters early on Tuesday.
Air defenses intercepted the rockets, they added.
UK government charters flight out of Lebanon for Britons
Monday 30 September 2024 23:11
Tara Cobham
The UK Government has chartered a flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave amid fears of a wider conflict.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly” as the flight, due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, was confirmed.
Earlier on Monday night, Mr Lammy had reiterated calls for Britons in Lebanon to leave as he said the Government will do “all that we can” to assist people in fleeing.
British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 are eligible for the flight, and those who are vulnerable will be prioritised.
Mr Lammy chaired a ministerial meeting of the Cobra emergency committee on Monday to discuss the crisis.
There are an estimated 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon and the Government says it is working on “all contingency options”.
British military assets have been deployed to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean in case an evacuation is required, although ministers and officials have stressed that Britons should leave immediately.
On Monday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer has been “very, very clear” that British nationals “should leave now, particularly whilst commercial flights are still available”.
It is understood around 15 spaces for British nationals were secured on a flight which arrived on Sunday, and a further 40 on the flight due to leave on Tuesday.
The spokesman said the focus is on “securing extra spaces on commercial flights for those who do want to leave and reiterating our calls for those to leave and to register their presence with us and book the first available flights”.
Israeli military orders evacuations in Beirut as airstrikes hit southern suburbs
Monday 30 September 2024 23:05
Tara Cobham
The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders in Beirut as a security source said Israeli strikes hit the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs overnight.
At least six Israeli strikes hit the south of Beirut, a Lebanese security source said on Monday, with a Reuters reporter seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud blast about an hour after the Israeli military had warned residents to evacuate areas near buildings it said contained Hezbollah infrastructure south of the Lebanese capital.
Huge blasts heard in Lebanese capital as Israeli strikes pound suburbs, say Reuters witnesses
Monday 30 September 2024 22:18
Tara Cobham
Huge consecutive blasts were heard across the Lebanese capital just after midnight on Tuesday, Reuters witnesses said, as the Israeli military carried out strikes on the city's southern suburbs.
A massive smoke cloud could be seen in a Reuters live broadcast.
Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli troop movements near Lebanese border towns
Monday 30 September 2024 22:17
Tara Cobham
Hezbollah has targeted Israeli troop movements across from Lebanese border towns, the group has said in a statement issued early on Tuesday.
Israeli strike hits Beirut’s southern suburbs, security source says
Monday 30 September 2024 22:13
Tara Cobham
At least two Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs late on Monday, a security source said, with Reuters reporters seeing two flashes of light and hearing loud blasts coming from the neighbourhood.
The Israeli military had warned an hour earlier that it would strike specific buildings in the typically densely populated southern suburbs, saying armed group Hezbollah was using them as facilities and telling residents to leave.
Many residents had fled the area in recent days after a spike in Israeli strikes, but ended up sleeping in the streets of the city as shelters were full.
Families had told Reuters they had struggled to find taxis to get them out of the district fast enough.
Fears of a ground invasion have spiked on Monday, with Lebanese troops pulling back from the border with Israel and a U.S. official saying Israeli soldiers looked set to enter Lebanon.
Netanyahu warns Iran: ‘Nowhere in the Middle East out of Israel’s reach
Monday 30 September 2024 22:00
Tara Cobham
Israeli military warns Beirut suburbs to evacuate before strikes on Hezbollah targets
Monday 30 September 2024 21:39
Tara Cobham
Israel’s military issued an urgent warning late on Monday for residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate due to planned strikes on Hezbollah targets.
Iran is 'at our side', Hezbollah lawmaker says
Monday 30 September 2024 21:30
Tara Cobham
Hezbollah has not asked for any help from Iran as “they are at our side”, the Lebanese group’s lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told local broadcaster Al Jadeed on Monday.
US State Department reiterates calls for Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire to reach ‘diplomatic resolution’
Monday 30 September 2024 21:00
Tara Cobham
The US State Department has reiterated calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in order for a “diplomatic resolution” to be reached.
John Kirby, spokesman for the US State Department, also said on Monday that Israel “has a right to defend itself”.
He said: “I think sometimes people either misinterpret or have their own version of what a ceasefire is. A ceasefire is not one side in a conflict unilaterally putting down its arms and stopping the conflict. It is an agreement for both sides to stop the conflict.
“And in this case, what we have proposed is a 21-day ceasefire where both sides would stop attacking the other and we would reach a diplomatic resolution. We are going to continue to engage with our Israeli counterparts, with Lebanese counterparts, with other countries around the world to reach that objective.”
He added: “If you look at what the acting leader of Hezbollah said just today, it's that their attacks on Israel will continue. So Israel has a right to defend itself against those attacks, so that includes in targeting terrorist infrastructure inside Lebanon.”
In pictures: Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles at Lebanese border
Monday 30 September 2024 20:49
Alex Ross
These pictures show the meeting of tanks and armoured vehicles at Upper Galilee, on the Lebanese border, this evening. It comes amid fears from Western officials that an invsaion is imminent.
