Hezbollah says fighting off Israeli incursions in south Lebanon

An Israeli airstrike early on Thursday hit within Beirut's city limits, not far from downtown, a security source told Reuters.

It was the second attack on the Lebanese capital since hostilities began with Hezbollah last year.

Israeli strikes killed 46 people and wounded 85 in Lebanon on Wednesday, the Lebanese health minister said.

The deaths included 34 people in south Lebanon, 11 across the eastern Beqaa region, and one person in Beirut's southern suburbs.

The World Health Organization chief warned Tuesday that Lebanon's health system was struggling to keep up, after Israel escalated airstrikes and launched ground raids into the country.

"The death toll in Lebanon is rising, and hospitals are overwhelmed with the influx of injured patients," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned on X.

"The health system has been weakened by successive crises and is struggling to cope with the immense needs," he said, adding that WHO was scaling up its response.

Tedros said that he had met with Arab League ambassadors in Geneva to discuss the situation.

"We agreed that patients, health workers and civilians, including refugees, must be protected and offered the health care they need," he said.

He stressed that WHO had been working closely with the Lebanese health ministry "to ensure hospitals have enough medical supplies and health workers are trained for mass casualty events, as well as to maintain essential health services for the most vulnerable".

"But more help is needed." he said.

Israeli jets have launched two strikes on a southern suburb of Beirut. Smoke was seen rising from the site of the attack.

عاجل
قصف إسرائيلي جديد يستهدف الضاحية الجنوبية لبيروت ب 3 غارات
المنطقة المستهدفة هي حي الاميركان بالضاحية الجنوبية pic.twitter.com/Yq52kFHvzK

— Ayman Abdel Nour (@aabnour) October 2, 2024

US has real wariness about an extended or substantial set of Israeli ground operations in Lebanon, said US Deputy Secretary of State Kurt M. Campbell.

Nasrallah's son-in-law killed in Israeli strike in Damascus: NGO

The six-member Gulf Cooperation Council affirmed its support for Lebanon in "such a critical phase" and called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, according to a statement.

Lebanon's caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Wednesday the country needed a ceasefire in hostilities between Israel and armed group Hezbollah, saying around 1.2 million people in Lebanon had been displaced by Israeli attacks.

"Stop fighting. We don't need more blood. We don't need more destruction," Mikati said in an online briefing organised by the American Task Force on Lebanon, a U.S.-based non-profit. "There is an immediate need for a ceasefire."

Mikati said a diplomatic end to the escalating war would be a "win-win" for Israel and Lebanon and "all parties" would respect such a deal.

The caretaker premier said he hoped to deploy 10,000 Lebanese army troops in the south if a ceasefire is agreed.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Hezbollah leader 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 Sept. 17, 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.

Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani said on Wednesday that Doha will continue mediation efforts to end the war in Gaza amid a heightening of regional tensions.

In a joint press conference with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, the Qatari emir said Doha had warned of escalation in Lebanon since the beginning of the war in Gaza.

Saudi state-owned broadcaster Al Hadath TV said on Wednesday an emergency Gulf countries ministerial meeting has started to discuss developments in the region.

The United Nations is making preparations to start in mid-October a second round of vaccinating some 640,000 children in the Gaza Strip against polio, U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday.

He said vitamin supplements would also be distributed during the vaccination campaign.

It's been made clear to Israel that the US does not want to see civilians or civilian infrastructure targeted in Lebanon, the US State Department said Wednesday.

Already hundreds have been killed this past week in Israel's air offensive in Lebanon, including children.

Hezbollah said it repelled an Israeli infiltration into southern Lebanon on Wednesday, as Israel reported eight soldiers were killed - its first losses since launching cross-border raids this week.

The United States organised 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 U.S. citizens in Lebanon had registered with the U.S. 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.

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.

(Reuters)

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.

(Reuters)

The Biden administration over the next few days will focus its engagements with the Israelis to try to align its perspectives on any potential response to the Iranian attack on Israel, US Deputy Secretary Kurt Campbell said, describing the current situation in the Middle East as "a moment of peril".

"I think we recognize as important as a response of some kind should be, there is a recognition that the region is really on a knife's edge, and real concerns about an even broader escalation or a continuing one," said Campbell, speaking at a virtual event by DC-based think-tank Carnegie Endowment.

(Reuters)

The G7 on Wednesday vowed to work together to reduce tensions in the Middle East and said a diplomatic solution to widening conflict "is still possible".

A statement released from Italy - which holds the G7 presidency - said the G7 "reiterated that a conflict on a regional scale is in no one's interest and that a diplomatic solution is still possible."

An Israeli air strike killed two people in Damascus Wednesday, a monitor said, in the second strike in two days on a neighbourhood that is home to security headquarters and embassies.

"An Israeli air strike targeted a residential building in the Mazzeh neighbourhood frequented by Hezbollah leaders and the Iranian Revolutionary Guards," killing at least two people whose identity was not immediately clear, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Israel will respond to Iran's missile attack and its forces can strike anywhere in the Middle East, its military chief said on Wednesday.

"We will respond. We can locate important targets and we can hit them precisely and powerfully," said the Chief of the General Staff Herzi Halevi, in a video from an air force base in central Israel, one day after Iran's missile attack on Israel.

"We have the capability to reach and strike every location in the Middle East and those of our enemies who have not yet understood this, will understand this soon." 

(Reuters)

Hezbollah said on Wednesday it had destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks with guided rockets in the Lebanese border town of Maroun el-Ras. 

(Reuters)

Israel carried out a strike targeting a residential building in the Mezzah suburb area in the western part of the Syrian capital Damascus resulting in injuries, Syrian state media reported on Wednesday.

(Reuters)

Seven Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat in south Lebanon, the Israeli military announced.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday condemned Iran's missile attack on Israel, telling the Security Council the "deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop."

"Time is running out," he told the council.

The 15-member 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 strike that raised fears of a wider war in the Middle East.

(Reuters)

An Israeli source speaking to the Times of Israel has said that an Israeli response will aim to cause "significant financial damage" to Iran, with the source adding that the Israeli response "must be significant, and it must come soon."

Britain said two of its fighter jets and a air-to-air refuelling tanker played a part on Tuesday in attempts to prevent further escalation in the conflict in the Middle East, but that the jets did not engage any targets.

"Two Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets and a Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker played their part in attempts in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, demonstrating the UK's unwavering commitment to Israel's security," Britain's Ministry of Defence said on X.

"Due to the nature of this attack, they did not engage any targets, but they played an important part in wider deterrence and efforts to prevent further escalation."

(Reuters)

Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that Israel would face a harsh reaction if it did not stop what he called "its crimes".

He was speaking a day after Iran fired waves of ballistic missiles at Israel, and Israel stepped up its war with Tehran's proxy Hezbollah by sending troops over the border into Lebanon.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he would strike back at Iran following the missile attack.

"If the Zionist regime (Israel) does not stop its crimes, it will face harsher reactions," Iran's Pezeshkian said as he left for a scheduled trip to Qatar, state media reported.

Pezeshkian told state television that the first goal in Doha was to discuss bilateral ties and sign agreements with the Qatari government. He will also attend a summit of the Asia Cooperation Dialogue.

"The second goal is to discuss how Asian countries can prevent Israeli crimes in the region...and prevent enemies from causing uproar in the Middle East," Pezeshkian said.

Hezbollah said it had targeted an Israeli unit with an explosive device near a southern border village Wednesday, as the group clashed with Israeli forces entering Lebanon.

"As the Israeli enemy army tried to sneak around the village of Yaroun... (Hezbollah) fighters surprised them by detonating an explosive device," it said, reporting Israeli casualties.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is meeting security chiefs in Tel Aviv. The meeting included Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi, Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and Mossad chief David Barnea.

Germany summoned the Iranian ambassador to condemn Tehran's missile attack on Israel the previous evening, a government spokesman said Wednesday.

"We summoned the Iranian ambassador," foreign ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer told reporters, adding that the ambassador himself was not in Berlin and that the charge d'affaires had attended instead.

An Israeli soldier was killed in combat in Lebanon, the army said Wednesday, following an incursion by the Israel army across the border earlier this week to target Hezbollah positions.

"Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, aged 22... fell during combat in Lebanon," the military said in a statement.

Turkey has suspended flights from Istanbul to Iran, Iraq and Jordan due to escalating regional tensions, state broadcaster TRT Haber reported.

Flights from Istanbul to the three countries were cancelled on the night of 1 October and throughout 2 October, the report said.

It also noted that many international airlines had to change their routes due to the continuing conflict and their planes landed at Istanbul's Sabiha Gokcen Airport.

A Lebanese soldier was injured by an Israeli drone strike on a road between Ebel es-Saqi and Hasbaya, which targeted his unit as it was clearing a road blocked by rubbles from Israeli strikes.

Three people, including a man, his wife and their granddaughter, were killed in a strike in the town of Arab Salim in the southern Nabatiyeh district.

Israeli forces briefly crossed into Lebanese territory before withdrawing, the Lebanese army has said.

"An Israeli enemy force breached the Blue Line approximately 400 metres into Lebanese territory in the areas of Khirbet Yaroun and Odaisseh, then withdrew after a short period," the army said on X.

The Blue Line separates Lebanon from Israel and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

خرقت قوة تابعة للعدو الإسرائيلي الخط الأزرق لمسافة ٤٠٠ م تقريبًا داخل الأراضي اللبنانية في منطقتَي خربة يارون وبوابة العديسة ثم انسحبت بعد مدة قصيرة.#الجيش_اللبناني #LebaneseArmy pic.twitter.com/uqOTVUzyQS

— الجيش اللبناني (@LebarmyOfficial) October 2, 2024

Israel declared UN chief Antonio Guterres "persona non grata" on Wednesday, accusing him of failing to specifically condemn Iran's missile attack on Israel.

"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," said Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement.

"This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers," he said.

Katz added that Guterres, who he said supported the "murderers of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, and now Iran, the mothership of global terror, will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to come".

Following Iran's missile attack on Israel late Tuesday, Guterres condemned the "broadening conflict in the Middle East", slamming "escalation after escalation" in the region.

"This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire," said Guterres.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will host a call of Group of Seven (G7) leaders later on Wednesday to discuss the crisis in the Middle East, her office said.

"Italy will continue to strive for a diplomatic solution, including in its capacity as chair of the G7. I have convened a leaders' level meeting for this afternoon," Meloni was quoted as telling her cabinet.

Italy holds the rotating presidency of the G7 - the club of major Western democracies, which comprises the United States, Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Japan.

Meloni told her ministers that there was "deep concern" about latest developments, including Iran's missile attack against Israel and the instability in Lebanon, her office said.

"The goal is the stabilization of the Israeli-Lebanese border through the full implementation of Resolution 1701," she was quoted as saying, referring to the UN resolution which halted the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war in south Lebanon.

"In this framework, Italy has called on the UN Security Council to consider strengthening the mandate of the UNIFIL mission in order to ensure the security of the Israel-Lebanon border," she said.

Italy is a major contributor to the United Nations' peacekeeping force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Italian media reported on Wednesday that the government was considering pulling its forces out of the area given the recent border violence.

(Reuters)

Lebanon's Hezbollah militants are clashing with Israeli forces infiltrating the border town of Maroun Al-Ras, the militant group said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement comes after the group claimed to have ambushed Israeli troops in the town of Adaisseh, with Al Jazeera reporting that 2 Israeli soldiers have been killed and 18 wounded in an Hezbollah ambush in the town.

The group also announced it had targeted areas north of Israel's city of Haifa with a large missile salvo.

The groups media chief Mohammad Afif said "we are only in the first round" following the clashes, adding that the group had enough fighters, weapons and ammunition to push back Israeli forces.

Container shipping company Maersk said on Wednesday it continued to serve its customers in Lebanon with two weekly callings in Beirut despite the deteriorating security situation in the country.

"While Maersk's business in the country is impacted, we currently remain in a position to serve our customers," a Maersk spokesperson said in an email.

The company said all staff in both Lebanon and Israel were safe and accounted for.

Maersk's office in Lebanon is located in Beirut and employs 21 people.

(Reuters)

Gaza's ministry of health has said that 51 Palestinians have been killed in the last 24 hours as Israel continues its war on the enclave.

The ministry added that 165 had also been injured, with the total number of killed and wounded now standing at 41,689 killed and 96,625 wounded.

Egypt's cabinet condemned what it called a "dangerous" Israeli escalation in southern Lebanon and rejected any attempts to impose a "new situation" on the ground that violates Lebanese sovereignty, according to a statement released on Wednesday.

(Reuters)

Yemen's Houthis targeted military posts deep in Israel with three winged 'Quds 5' rockets, the group's military spokesperson Yahya Saree said on Wednesday.

There was no announcement from the Israeli military about rocket fire from Yemen on Wednesday.

The Houthi militants, backed by Iran, have repeatedly fired missiles and drones at Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza.

The group said the continuous support to Israel from the United States and the United Kingdom will put their interests 'under fire'.

"We will not hesitate in broadening our military operations against the Israeli enemy and who is behind it until the aggression against Gaza and Lebanon ends," Saree added.

Hezbollah said Wednesday it clashed with Israeli soldiers who tried to infiltrate into Lebanon, and also targeted Israeli troops across the border, according to statements from the Iran-backed Lebanese group.

Hezbollah fighters confronted "an Israeli enemy infantry force that tried to infiltrate into the village of Adaisseh... and clashed with them... and forced them to withdraw", a statement said.

Hezbollah also said its fighters targeted "a large infantry force" in Misgav Am across the border with "rockets and artillery", as well as troop gatherings in three other locations, one with Burkan rockets.

Israel since last week has been heavily bombarding Lebanon, particularly the south, saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites.

Egypt's Mada Masr website said that three family members of its correspondent in Gaza, Hassan Aslih, were killed yesterday.

It added that this had come after the Israeli army "launched a violent attack on several areas in Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip".

The Health Ministry in Gaza said that 23 Palestinians were killed and 101 others injured in "four massacres" the Israeli army had carried out against families.

The ministry added that this had raised the total death toll to 41,638 since the start of the war, in addition to 96,460 injuries.

Hamas has welcomed Iran's "heroic launch of missiles" in response to what it said were Israel's "continuous crimes against the peoples of the region" and the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah and Brig Gen Abbas Nilforoushan, the operations chief and head of the Lebanon division in the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Quds Force.

"We stress that this honourable Iranian response is a strong message to the Zionist enemy and his fascist government," Hamas said in a statement on Telegram.

The group urged Arab and Muslim-majority countries to unite and take action to liberate the Palestinian territories.

Abu Ubaida, the spokesman for the group's military wing said: "This is an exceptional day in the history of the conflict."

 The Israeli military said on Wednesday that regular infantry and armoured units were joining ground operations in southern Lebanon, but said they would remain limited and localised in scope.

Israel said on Tuesday that commando and paratroop units had crossed a short distance over the border in the first publicly announced ground operation in Lebanon.

It subsequently said that special forces units had been carrying out ground raids against Hezbollah targets across the border for months, during which it uncovered tunnels and weapon caches under homes.

The addition of infantry and armoured troops from the 36th Division, including the Golani Brigade, the 188th Armoured Brigade and 6th Infantry Brigade, suggests that the operation has moved beyond limited commando raids.

The military has said the ground operation is largely aimed at destroying tunnels and other infrastructure on the border and there were no plans for a wider operation targeting Beirut or major cities in southern Lebanon. 

(Reuters)

Iran's attack on Israel threatened to ignite a broader conflict in the Middle East, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Wednesday, as he condemned Tehran's missile barrage.

"The Iranian missile attacks on Israel must be condemned in the strongest possible terms. They threaten a further escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East. Iran risks setting the entire region ablaze", Scholz said in a statement.

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol ordered on Wednesday military aircraft to be deployed immediately to evacuate its citizens from Israel and other parts of the Middle East amid escalating tension, his office said.

Yoon met with his national security and economic advisers over the Middle East conflict and called for a swift but measured response to any impact on the country's energy supply, trade and supply chains, his office said.

Yoon said the safety of its citizens in the region is the top priority and all necessary measures must be taken, it said.

Earlier on Wednesday, South Korea's foreign ministry urged its citizens in Israel and Lebanon to immediately leave by any means available.

Government data for 2023 showed there were 572 South Koreans in Israel including permanent residents and Israeli passport holders and 214 in Lebanon. 

(Reuters)