The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon has risen to 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, with at least 1,645 people wounded.
Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon was jammed with cars heading toward Beirut. It was the biggest exodus in the region, and the highest single day death toll, since a 2006 war.
It came as Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the country’s forces were fully prepared for a ground invasion of Lebanon if necessary.
While stating that Israel is “not looking for wars”, he said the Israeli army was “in full readiness, and we will do whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah back from the border.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a video message to civilians urging them to heed Israeli military warnings and evacuate their homes.
He said: “I have a message for the people of Lebanon: Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.
“I urge you – take this warning seriously.”
Key Points
- Israel prepared for ground invasion of Lebanon if necessary, IDF says
- 492 killed in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war
- Netanyahu compels people of Lebanon to leave homes in video warning
- US sending more troops to the Middle East as violence rises between Israel and Hezbollah
- Israeli military says it has conducted strike on Lebanon capital Beirut
- Footage shows moment of Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon
Israel prepared for ground invasion of Lebanon if necessary, IDF says
04:59
Maroosha Muzaffar
Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the Israeli Defense Forces are fully prepared for a ground invasion of Lebanon if necessary.
While reiterating that Israel is “not looking for wars”, Hagari emphasised that the army will take all necessary steps to secure the northern border and ensure the safe return of citizens.
“The army is in full readiness, and we will do whatever is necessary to bring back home all our citizens to the northern border safely,” he said during a televised press conference.
Meanwhile, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Monday rose to 492 people, including 90 women and children. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister condemned the attacks as “genocide in every sense of the word”.
Hagari defended the IDF’s actions, saying efforts are made to avoid civilian casualties, while also highlighting that many of those killed were Hezbollah militants. The IDF claimed to have hit 1,300 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon within the past 24 hours.
Iran president accuses Israel of fanning flames of war in the Middle East
04:30
Maroosha Muzaffar
Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, accused Israel of provoking war in the Middle East during his first official visit to the US.
“We know more than anyone else that if a larger war were to erupt in the Middle East, it will not benefit anyone throughout the world. It is Israel that seeks to create this wider conflict,” he said.
He expressed frustration over Israel’s actions, especially the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.
“There is no winner in warfare, everyone loses in war and conflict. We are only deluding ourselves if we think someone will be victorious in a regional war.”
He added: “Every day Israel is committing more atrocities and killing more and more people – old, young, men, women, children, hospitals, other facilities.”
Mr Pezeshkian also criticised the West for its double standards on human rights and reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to nuclear talks, denying any missile supplies to Russia during his presidency.
“We are prepared, and if the other parties are also prepared, we can have another beginning of the talks during this trip,” he said.
He also dismissed claims that Iran funds anti-Israel protests.
Netanyahu compells people of Lebanon to leave homes in video warning
04:00
Barney Davis
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sent a video message to the people of Lebanon urging them to heed IDF warnings and evacuate their homes after airstrikes killed 274. He said: “I have a message for the people of Lebanon: Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.
“It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens.
“To defend our people against Hezbollah strikes, we must take out those weapons.
“Starting this morning, the IDF has warned you to get out of harm’s way.
“I urge you – take this warning seriously. Don’t let Hezbollah endanger your lives and the lives of your loved ones. Don’t let Hezbollah endanger Lebanon.
“Please, get out of harm’s way now.
“Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”
90 women and children among dead in Israeli airstrikes that killed nearly 500 in Lebanon
03:59
Maroosha Muzaffar
Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon resulted in 492 deaths on Monday, including 90 women and children, in the deadliest attack since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Israel says its strikes are targeting Hezbollah, which has launched thousands of rockets into Israel.
Israel warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate, with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging them to “get out of harm’s way”.
He asked residents to “take this warning seriously”.“Please get out of harm’s way now,” Mr Netanyahu said. “Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”
Israeli war commander says country ‘not looking for wars’
02:22
Barney Davis
Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the army will do “whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah from Lebanon’s border with Israel.
Rear Admiral Hagari claimed Monday’s widespread airstrikes had inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah.
But he would not give a timeline for the ongoing operation and said Israel was prepared to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon if needed.
“We are not looking for wars. We are looking to take down the threats,” he said. “We will do whatever is necessary to do to achieve this mission. We hope to do it as shortly as we can.”
Rear Admiral Hagari said Hezbollah has launched some 9,000 rockets and drones into Israel since last October, including 250 on Monday alone.
Hamas armed wing says field commander killed in Israeli strike on Lebanon on Monday
01:00
Barney Davis
Hamas’ armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, said that its field commander in southern Lebanon, Mahmoud al Nader, was killed in an Israeli strike on Lebanon on Monday.
Is this war? The Israeli-Hezbollah conflict is hard to define — or predict
Monday 23 September 2024 23:21
Barney Davis
Israel is bombing targets across many parts of Lebanon, striking senior militants in Beirut and apparently hiding bombs in pagers and walkie-talkies. Hezbollah is firing rockets and drones deep into northern Israel, setting buildings and cars alight.
But no one is calling it a war — not yet.
Israeli officials say they are not seeking war with Hezbollah and that it can be avoided if the militant group halts its attacks and backs away from the border. Hezbollah also says it doesn’t want a war but is prepared for one — and that it will keep up the strikes on Israel that it began in the wake of ally Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack until there is a cease-fire in Gaza.
Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly traded fire since then — but the intensity rose to another level Monday, when Israeli airstrikes killed more than 350 people, according to Lebanese officials. That would make it the deadliest day in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah last went to war in 2006.
“If someone had told me or most analysts in summer 2023 that Hezbollah is striking Israeli bases in Israel, and Israel is striking southern Lebanon and parts of southern Beirut, I would have said, OK, that’s an all-out war,” said Andreas Krieg, a military analyst at King’s College London.
The term hasn’t yet been applied to the current conflict because “there haven’t been any boots on the ground,” but that might be “the wrong metric,” he added.
492 killed in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war
Monday 23 September 2024 22:25
Barney Davis
Israeli strikes on Lebanon have killed more than 490 people including more than 90 women and children, Lebanese authorities have said.
The Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of its widening air campaign against Hezbollah.
Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon was jammed with cars heading toward Beirut in the biggest exodus since 2006.
Lebanon’s health ministry said the strikes killed 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, and wounded 1,645 people - a staggering one-day toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices last week.
Mapped: Israel strikes on Lebanon targets killing 492
Monday 23 September 2024 22:05
Barney Davis
Israel’s airstrikes on Lebanon which killed 492 came after a day after Hezbollah fired over 100 rockets into northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa.
Hezbollah’s rockets were in response to an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday that killed a top Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen members, along with civilians including women and children.
Last week, thousands of communications devices, used mainly by Hezbollah members, exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000. Lebanon blamed the attacks on Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny its responsibility.
In Pictures: Israeli airstrikes destroy Beirut suburb
Monday 23 September 2024 21:30
Barney Davis
This is the damaged vehicle and buildings seen in the southern suburb of Beirut after an Israeli military strike, in Beirut, Lebanon, 23 September 2024.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said they conducted a ‘targeted strike’ in Beirut on 23 September after the Israeli military announced that it launched ‘extensive’ airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Lebanese residents of villages in the Beqaa Valley ‘who are inside or near houses where rockets and weapons are stored’ have been warned to ‘move away immediately! For your safety and protection’, the statement added.
Charity suspends work in Bekaa Valley
Monday 23 September 2024 21:05
Barney Davis
ActionAid’s partner, The Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (RDFL), which works in the Bekaa Valley, has had to suspend its activities due to the escalating violence.
RDFL runs two centres providing essential protection services for Palestinian and Syrian refugees, as well as host communities in Lebanon.
Malak, Safe Space Officer from The Lebanese Women Democratic Gathering (RDFL), ActionAid Partner in West Bekaa Valley said people in desperate need of assistance are too afraid to leave their homes amidst the ongoing conflict.
She said: “A significant displacement is underway, with many families fleeing to Jeb Jennine, which is seen as safer than the surrounding villages.
“Schools are being converted into shelters for the displaced, and the air is filled with the constant sound of ambulances. There’s a growing concern that the situation may worsen in the coming hours.
“People are arriving with nothing after being forced to abandon their homes. Their immediate needs must be addressed urgently.”
Lebanese refugees describe fleeing Israeli airstrikes
Monday 23 September 2024 20:45
Barney Davis
Ramzieh Dawi had arrived with her husband and daughter after hastily evacuating the village of Yarine, carrying just a few essential items as airstrikes boomed nearby.
“These are the only things I brought,” she said, gesturing at the three tote bags she carried.
Fatima Chehab, who came with her three daughters from the area of Nabatieh, said her family had been displaced twice in quick succession.“We first fled to stay with my brother in a nearby area, and then they bombed three places next to his house,” she said.
Some people waited for hours in gridlocked traffic to get to what they hoped would be safety.
At a public high school in the capital’s Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood, a few dozen men, women and children were milling around as volunteers registered them.
Yahya Abu Ali, who fled with his family from the village of Doueir in Lebanon’s Nabatieh district, struck a defiant tone.
“Don’t think that an airplane or a missile will defeat us, or that a wounded person or a martyr on the ground will weaken us,” he said.
“On the contrary, it gives us strength, determination, and resilience.”
But Abu Ali also admitted that he was worried about his four siblings and their families who remained behind in southern Lebanon.
“God willing, I hope they will make it out,” he said.
US sending more troops to the Middle East as violence rises between Israel and Hezbollah
Monday 23 September 2024 19:56
Jabed Ahmed
The US is sending additional troops to the Middle East during a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon has said.
Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder would provide no details on how many additional forces or what they would be tasked to do.
The US currently has about 40,000 troops in the region.
The new deployments come after significant strikes by Israeli forces against targets inside Lebanon that have killed hundreds and as Israel is preparing to conduct further operations and the State Department is warning Americans to leave Lebanon as the risk of a regional war increases.
Ali Karaki - third highest ranking Hezbollah member - ‘in full health’ after Israeli strikes in Beirut
Monday 23 September 2024 19:46
Barney Davis
Hezbollah sources hit back at rumours that Ali Karaki was killed in the latest wave of Israeli air strikes.
They said: “There is no truth to the enemy’s claims of assassinating the Mujahid Ali Karaki, and we confirm that he is in full health and wellness.”
Karaki is in charge of Hezbollah’s so-called “Southern Front,” responsible for the terror group’s military activity in south Lebanon.
He is third in command of Hezbollah’s armed forces and is the most senior figure after the assassinations of commanders Fuad Shukr, and Ibrahim Aqil.
Iran's President accuses Israel of seeking wider Mideast war and laying 'traps' to lead Iran into it
Monday 23 September 2024 19:30
Jabed Ahmed
Iran’s president has accused Israel of seeking a wider war in the Middle East and laying “traps” to lead his country into a wider conflict.
Masoud Pezeshkian told about two dozen media representatives that Iran doesn’t want to see the current war in Gaza and airstrikes across the Israeli-Lebanon border expanded.
He said while Israel insists it doesn’t want a wider war, it is taking actions that show otherwise.
Mr Pezeshkian pointed to the deadly explosions of pagers, walkie-talkies and other electronic devices in Lebanon last week, which he blamed on Israel, and the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on the eve of his inauguration.
Lebanon strikes as journalist speaks on live TV
Monday 23 September 2024 19:24
Barney Davis
כדי להבין את עוצמת תקיפות צה"ל בלבנון היום צפו בקטע הבא: עיתונאי לבנוני מתראיין בשידור חי לערוץ עיראקי ואז מתרחשת תקיפה pic.twitter.com/w1ne5xZdsU
— roi kais • روعي كايس • רועי קייס (@kaisos1987) September 23, 2024
Breaking: Death toll from Lebanon strikes reaches 356
Monday 23 September 2024 19:21
Barney Davis
The death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon has reached 356, with 1,246 others injured since Monday morning, a statement from Lebanon’s health ministry said.
The statement added that 24 children and 42 women were among the dead.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said Israel’s air strike destroyed tens of thousands of Hezbollah rockets
Monday 23 September 2024 19:07
Barney Davis
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant claims Israel’s airstrikes destroyed tens of thousands of Hezbollah rockets, adding to the most difficult week for the Iranian-backed movement since its creation.
“Today is a significant peak. On this day we have taken out of order tens of thousands of rockets and precise munition. What Hezbollah has built over a period of 20 years since the second Lebanon War, is in fact being destroyed by the IDF,” he said in a statement.
Kamala Harris plans to raise Gaza ceasefire deal in meetings with UAE leader
Monday 23 September 2024 18:58
Jabed Ahmed
US Vice President Kamala Harris plans to discuss efforts to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal in her meeting with the United Arab Emirates president, according to a White House official.
Harris and US President Joe Biden are meeting separately with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the first in what are expected to be a series of foreign leader gatherings during the week of the United Nations General Assembly.
They give Harris an opportunity to demonstrate national security chops at a time the Democratic administration is under increasing pressure to contain strife in the Middle East.
Iranian president warns of ‘irreversible’ consequences of all-out war in the Middle East
Monday 23 September 2024 18:50
Barney Davis
Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, spoke to a group of journalists after his arrival in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly on Monday.
He said: “We do not wish to be the cause of instability in the Middle East as its consequences would be irreversible”
“We want to live in peace, we don’t want war,” he added. “It is Israel that seeks to create this all-out conflict.”
Pezeshkian, a relatively moderate politician who was elected in July promising a pragmatic foreign policy, accused the international community of silence in the face of what he called “Israel’s genocide” in Gaza.
Pezeshkian’s call to resolve the Middle East conflict through dialogue came on the deadliest day in Lebanon in nearly a year of conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
“We will defend any group that is defending its rights and itself,” Pezeshkian said, when asked whether Iran will enter the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He did not elaborate.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres ‘alarmed’ by the escalating violence in Lebanon
Monday 23 September 2024 18:34
Barney Davis
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for “de-escalation” of airstrikes across the border with Lebanon urging a diplomatic solution as the threat of wider war looms.
“He expresses great concern for the safety of civilians, both in southern Lebanon and in northern Israel as well as the UN staff there in those areas,” Guterres’ spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters.
“The secretary-general notes the ongoing efforts by the UN special coordinator for Lebanon and the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon to reduce tensions, and he reiterates the urgent need for de-escalation – that all efforts should be devoted to a diplomatic solution.”
It came as at least 274 people have been killed and more than 1,024 wounded, including 39 women and 21 children, in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon.
Full report: Israeli airstrikes kill more than 270 and injure 1,000, Lebanon says – in deadliest day for country since 2006
Monday 23 September 2024 18:26
Jabed Ahmed
The Independent’s International Editor Chris Stevenson reports:
Iran accuses Israel of looking for wider war in Middle East
Monday 23 September 2024 18:05
Barney Davis
Iran’s president has accused Israel of seeking a wider war in the Middle East and laying “traps” to lead his country into a wider conflict.
Masoud Pezeshkian told about two dozen media representatives that Iran does not want to see the current war in Gaza and airstrikes across the Israeli-Lebanon border expanded.
He said while Israel insists it does not want a wider war, it is taking actions that show otherwise.
Mr Pezeshkian pointed to the deadly explosions of pagers, walkie-talkies and other electronic devices in Lebanon last week, which he blamed on Israel, as well as the assassination of Hamas’ political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on the eve of his inauguration.
“They are dragging us to a point where we do not wish to go,” the Iranian leader said of Israel.
“There is no winner in warfare. We are only fooling ourselves if we believe that.”
Asked when Iran will respond to the killing of Haniyeh, he replied: “We will give our answer in an appropriate time and place.”
Israeli military says it has struck around 800 Hezbollah targets in Southern Lebanon and Bekaa
Monday 23 September 2024 17:59
Jabed Ahmed
The Israeli military has said it had struck around 800 targets connected to the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in southern Lebanon and the area of the Bekaa valley.
“Among the targets struck were buildings where Hezbollah hid rockets, missiles, launchers, UAVs and additional terrorist infrastructure,” the military said in a statement.
Israeli military says warning sirens sound in northern West Bank
Monday 23 September 2024 17:27
Jabed Ahmed
Warning sirens have sounded in the northern part of the occupied West Bank as Hezbollah rocket fire extended further south from the border areas in northern Israel, which have been most heavily targeted in the latest exchange of fire.
Alarms were also sounded in areas across northern Israel, the military said.
US concerned by Israel shuttering Al Jazeera office in Ramallah, State Department says
Monday 23 September 2024 17:16
Jabed Ahmed
The United States is concerned by the Israeli military’s raid and shutdown of media network Al Jazeera’s office in the West Bank city of Ramallah, a State Department spokesperson has said.
“This action is inconsistent with US support for freedom of the press in the West Bank and all over the world,” the spokesperson said.
The US is still gathering information about the Israeli military operation on Sunday, they added.
Watch the video below for context:
Breaking: Israeli military says it has conducted strike on Lebanon capital Beirut
Monday 23 September 2024 16:52
Jabed Ahmed
The Israeli military has said it had conducted a targeted strike in Beirut. It gave no details on the target.
A security source told news agency Reuters an Israeli strike hit Beirut’s southern suburbs on Monday evening, but said it was not immediately clear what type of strike was used or what was hit.
The Lebanese minister coordinating the crisis response, Nasser Yassin, said tens of thousands of people are fleeing southern Lebanon “due to Israeli atrocities”.
The security source also told the news agency the strike targeted senior Hezbollah leader Ali Karaki, the head of the southern front. He condition is currently unknown
Mapped: Israeli strikes on Lebanon
Monday 23 September 2024 16:43
Jabed Ahmed
Watch: Dashcam footage captures moment Hezbollah rocket hit city in northern Israel
Monday 23 September 2024 16:27
Jabed Ahmed
Netanyahu says Israel is changing security balance on northern border
Monday 23 September 2024 15:59
Jabed Ahmed
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel faced “complicated days” as it stepped up strikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and he called on Israelis to stay united as the campaign unfolded.
“I promised that we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the north - that is exactly what we are doing,” he said in a message issued following a situational assessment at military headquarters in Tel Aviv.
At least 21 children and 31 women among the 274 dead from Israeli airstrikes, Lebanese health minister says
Monday 23 September 2024 15:43
Jabed Ahmed
At least 274 people, including 21 children and 31 women, were killed and 1,024 wounded in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon on Monday, the country’s health minister said during a press conference.
Explainer: What happened during 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war?
Monday 23 September 2024 15:41
Jabed Ahmed
The 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war was a 34 day armed conflict in Lebanon, northern Israel and the Golan Heights.
The conflict, primarily fought between Hezbollah and the Israeli military, began on 12 July 2006, and continued until a UN-brokered ceasefire came into effect on 14 August.
It is estimated some 1,300 Lebanese people were killed during the war, and 165 Israelis, according to a report by The Independent at the time.
Around one million Lebanese people were displaced during the war.
Today’s strikes on Southern Lebanon from Israel is the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Comment: Why has Israel’s president denied the pager attack on Hezbollah?
Monday 23 September 2024 15:29
Jabed Ahmed
The Israeli president has said that he “rejects out of hand any connection” between his state and the wave of detonating pagers and walkie-talkies that hit Lebanon’s Hezbollah in particular, but a lot of bystanders too.
It is not clear what led Isaac Herzog to contradict that otherwise universally accepted connection, which has been cheered on by some, and deplored by others.
Read the full Voices article by Mark Almond below:
Top UN officials say ‘atrocities must end’ in Gaza
Monday 23 September 2024 15:19
Jabed Ahmed
Top United Nations officials have demanded “an end to the appalling human suffering and humanitarian catastrophe” in the Gaza Strip nearly one year into the war between Israel and Palestinian militants Hamas.
“These atrocities must end,” the heads of UN agencies said in a statement as world leaders gathered in New York for the annual UN General Assembly.
Pictured: Israeli jets amid most widespread wave of air strikes in southern and northeastern Lebanon
Monday 23 September 2024 14:58
Jabed Ahmed
Israel says it is preparing to attack Hezbollah targets in Bekaa
Monday 23 September 2024 14:28
Jabed Ahmed
Israeli aircraft are preparing to attack Hezbollah strategic weapons stashed in houses in Lebanon's Bekaa valley, the Israeli military spokesperson has said, calling on civilians to evacuate immediately.
"The sights now from south Lebanon are of secondary explosions of Hezbollah weapons, which are exploding inside houses. In every house we are attacking there are weapons. Rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles that were meant for and aimed at killing Israeli civilians," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.
Iran ready for nuclear talks in New York 'if other parties are willing', foreign minister says
Monday 23 September 2024 14:00
Jabed Ahmed
Iran is ready to start nuclear negotiations on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York if “other parties are willing”, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi said on Monday in a video published on his Telegram channel.
The United States, under then-President Donald Trump, withdrew in 2018 from a nuclear accord signed in 2015 between Iran and six world powers, which restricted Tehran’s nuclear programme.
Indirect talks between the US and Tehran to revive the deal have stalled. Iran is still part of the agreement but it has decreased its commitments due to US sanctions imposed on it.
“I will stay in New York for a few more days than the president and will have more meetings with various foreign ministers. We will focus our efforts on starting a new round of talks regarding the nuclear pact,” Mr Araqchi said.
Mr Araqchi added that messages have been exchanged and a “general declaration of readiness” issued, but cautioned that “current international conditions make the resumption of talks more complicated and difficult than before.”
The Biden administration has said the United States was not ready to resume nuclear talks with Iran.
At least 182 killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Monday, health ministry says
Monday 23 September 2024 14:00
Jabed Ahmed
At least 182 people have been killed and 727 wounded, including women, children and medics, in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, the country’s health ministry said in a statement.
Turkey to press criticism of Israel over Gaza war at UN General Assembly
Monday 23 September 2024 13:28
Jabed Ahmed
Turkey, among the world’s sharpest critics of the Israeli military operation in Gaza, will use the UN General Assembly this week to highlight what it says is a genocide unfolding there and will urge international pressure on Israel.
President Tayyip Erdogan and several Turkish ministers will take part in the General Assembly in New York, which comes amid the heaviest cross-border fire between Israel and militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, alongside the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
NATO member Turkey has condemned Israel‘s military campaign in the Gaza Strip, which came in retaliation for Palestinian militant group Hamas’ cross-border attack on 7 October last year. Turkey halted all trade with Israel and applied to join a genocide case against Israel at the World Court.
Israel has repeatedly dismissed the genocide case as baseless, arguing in the court that its operations in Gaza are self-defence and target Gaza’s ruling Hamas group.
Erdogan addresses the assembly on Tuesday and plans to underscore what he described as the “ongoing genocide in Gaza” and repeat his call to reform the U.N. structure to be more inclusive, a Turkish diplomatic source told news agency Reuters.
‘A widening assault'
Monday 23 September 2024 13:15
Chris Stevenson
The Israeli military says it is widening an aerial offensive against what it says are Hezbollah weapons sites in southern and eastern Lebanon.
The military said Monday that it was expanding its airstrikes to include areas of the Bekaa Valley, along Lebanon's eastern border, after targeting more than 300 sites in southern Lebanon.
Israeli military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said residents of the Bekaa Valley must immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah is storing weapons.
Pictured: Israeli strikes on Southern Lebanon seen from a beach
Monday 23 September 2024 13:00
Jabed Ahmed
‘Everything is drowned’: Heavy rains flood humanitarian-designated area in the southern Gaza
Monday 23 September 2024 12:30
Jabed Ahmed
Heavy rains overnight piled more problems onto Gaza’s displaced as downpours flooded tents, washed some of them away, and forced families out of their sleep.
Some placed water buckets on the ground to protect mats from leaks and dug trenches to drain water away from their tents. The price of new tents and plastic sheeting to prevent leaks shot up.
Ahmed Al-Burai, 30, said people made their tents of used sacks of flour, worn-out clothes, and nylon bags. As soon as it rained the water and wind blew many tents away and flooded others.
“Everything is drowned, the blankets, the food, and the people in just a few hours of rain,” Mr Burai told news agency Reuters over the phone from Al-Mawasi, a humanitarian-designated area in the southern Gaza Strip.
“Most of the displaced can’t afford the new prices of tents and plastic sheeting. Just two days ago the price of plastic sheeting stood at 100 to 200 shekels ($27 to $54) and today it has risen to 700 and 800 shekels ($189 to $216) because of the greed of merchants,” Mr Burai said.
More shelters and supplies to help people cope with the coming winter were needed, the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said.
“As autumn begins, plastic and fabric are not enough to protect people against the rain and the cold,” the relief agency posted on X.
Israel strikes Gaza as heavy rain worsens misery of displaced Palestinians
Monday 23 September 2024 12:00
Jabed Ahmed
Strikes by Israeli forces killed at least 10 Palestinians, including four children, in the central Gaza Strip, medics have said, as heavy rains flooded displaced residents’ tent encampments.
The assault on Gaza, now nearly a year long, carried on even as international attention turned to the conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel between Hezbollah militants and Israel.
Palestinian health officials said at least five Palestinians were killed at a school sheltering displaced Palestinians in Nuseirat, one of Gaza Strip’s eight historic refugee camps. The Israeli military said it targeted a Hamas command center embedded inside a compound that previously served as a school.
Later on Monday, an Israeli airstrike on a house in the city of Deir Al-Balah, where a million people have taken shelter, killed a woman and four children, medics said. There was no immediate Israeli army comment on the incident.
Hamas’ armed wing said its fighters managed to lure a convoy of Israeli vehicles into “a well-prepared ambush” on the supply line of the Israeli forces east of Rafah city, and attacked them with anti-tank rockets and already-planted explosive devices. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.
50 killed and more than 300 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon, health ministry says
Monday 23 September 2024 11:45
Jabed Ahmed
Lebanon’s health ministry said at least 50 people were killed and more than 300 wounded, including children, women and medics, in Israeli strikes on Monday that targeted southern Lebanon.
Breaking: Hezbollah says it launched rockets at Israeli military after attacks on Southern Lebanon
Monday 23 September 2024 11:32
Jabed Ahmed
Hezbollah has said it has launched dozens of rockets at several Israeli military post after attacks on Southern Lebanon, according to a statement by the group.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military said it has struck 300 targets in Lebanon as it increases the pressure on Hezbollah.
Airlines suspend flights as Middle East tensions rise
Monday 23 September 2024 11:27
Jabed Ahmed
Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected air space.
Below are some of the airlines that have adjusted services to and from the region:
- AIR ALGERIE
- AIRBALTIC
- AIR FRANCE-KLM
- KLM
- AIR INDIA
- CATHAY PACIFIC
- DELTA AIR LINES
- EASYJET
- IAG
- RYANAIR
- UNITED AIRLINES
Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal has been stalled for 2 weeks, Biden aide admits,
Monday 23 September 2024 10:58
Jabed Ahmed
Read the full report from my colleague John Bowden in Washington DC:
‘Everywhere you look there has been an airstrike’
Monday 23 September 2024 10:32
Tom Watling
Below we have some more footage from southern Lebanon, where Israel has been carrying out extensive airstrikes this morning.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib can be heard saying in the video that “everywhere you look there has been an airstrike”.
The Israeli Air Force has launched a new round of airstrikes across southern Lebanon, the IDF says. Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV correspondent Ali Shoeib describes in this video: "Everywhere you look there has been an airstrike." pic.twitter.com/iRpHmqxfSY
— Ariel Oseran (@ariel_oseran) September 23, 2024
Israel launches airstrikes on southern Lebanon - in pictures
Monday 23 September 2024 10:04
Tom Watling
Israelis must keep composed as Lebanon strikes intensify, defence minister says
Monday 23 September 2024 09:41
Tom Watling
Israel is deepening its attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the public will have to remain calm the next few days, defence minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday, signaling that he expected intensified fire from across the border.
“We are deepening our attacks in Lebanon, the actions will continue until we achieve our goal to return the northern residents safely to their homes,” Gallant said in a video published by his office. “These are days in which the Israeli public will have to show composure.”
Footage shows moment of Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon
Monday 23 Se