Israel renews strikes on Beirut as Netanyahu vows 'no ceasefire'

Lebanon PM condemns 'deliberate' Israeli strike on Nabatiyeh

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati condemned deadly Israeli strikes Wednesday on the southern city of Nabatiyeh, saying they intentionally targeted a municipality meeting.

Mikati "condemned the new Israeli aggression against civilians in the city of Nabatiyeh, which deliberately targeted a meeting of the municipal council that was discussing the city's services and relief situation," he said in a statement. A local official said the city mayor was among the dead.

GHM: 42,409 killed and 99,153 injured since 7 October

The Gaza Health Ministry said on Wednesday that at least 42,409 people have been killed in the war between Israel and Palestinian militants.

The toll includes 65 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 99,153 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip.

Israel claims its navy struck Hezbollah infrastructure

Israeli navy forces say they have struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in cooperation with troops on the ground, Israel's military said on Wednesday.

(Reuters)

Iran's foreign minister to visit Jordan, Egypt and Turkey

Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi is visiting Jordan, Egypt and Turkey as part of Iran's diplomatic reach-out to countries of the region "to end genocide, atrocity and aggression", the Iranian foreign ministry's spokesperson said on Wednesday in a post on X.

(Reuters)

Iran tells UN chief ready for 'decisive' to Israel attack

Iran's top diplomat on Wednesday warned UN chief Antonio Guterres it is ready for a "decisive and regretful" response if Israel attacks the Islamic republic in retaliation for a barrage of missiles.

"Iran, while making all-out efforts to protect the peace and security of the region, is fully prepared for a decisive and regretful response to any adventures" by Israel, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said, quoted by his office.

LHM: Death toll from Israeli strike on Qana rises to 15

Lebanon’s Civil Defense said the death toll from an Israeli strike on the southern town of Qana has risen to 15.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike late Tuesday.

Qana was the site of an Israeli artillery strike on a United Nations compound in 1996 that killed dozens of civilians.

Israeli strike on municipal building in S. Lebanon kills 5

Five people were killed in an Israeli air strike on the municipal building of the southern Lebanese town of Nabatieh, the country's health ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

(Reuters)

Mayor of Lebanon's Nabatiyeh among dead in Israeli strike

The mayor of Nabatiyeh was among those killed Wednesday in Israeli strikes on the municipality of the southern Lebanese city, where Hezbollah and its ally Amal hold sway, authorities said.

"The mayor of Nabatiyeh, among others... was martyred. It's a massacre," Nabatiyeh governor Howaida Turk told AFP, adding he had been in the municipality building. Hezbollah-affiliated rescuers also said several people were killed in the strike on the municipality building, including Mayor Ahmad Kahil.

Over 10 Israeli strikes in and around south Lebanon city

A Lebanese official said Israel carried out 11 air strikes on Nabatiyeh and surrounding areas on Wednesday, days after strikes destroyed the southern city's marketplace.

"For now, 11 strikes have mainly hit Nabatiyeh but also its surroundings," Nabatiyeh governor Howaida Turk told AFP when asked about Israeli strikes, adding that the intense raids "formed a kind of belt of fire" in the area. She reported casualties but could not provide a precise toll.

EU won't pull back UN troops from south Lebanon

European Union countries that contribute to UN peacekeeping force UNIFIL in Lebanon have no intention of pulling back from the south of the country despite Israeli calls to do so, Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg said.

Since an Israeli ground invasion on 1 October, UNIFIL positions have come under fire, and two Israeli tanks burst through the gates of one of its bases, the UN says. Five peacekeepers have been injured.

Sixteen EU countries, including Austria, contribute to UNIFIL, and the recent incidents have sparked widespread alarm among European governments.

On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on the UN to withdraw UNIFIL "from Hezbollah strongholds and from the combat zones".

But Schallenberg, summarising a discussion among EU foreign ministers on Monday, said European nations were not minded about pulling troops back or out.

"There was no debate about pulling back or whatever," he told Reuters in an interview in Brussels.

"They are there to stay but the security and the safety of our troops is paramount and has to be ensured by everybody," said Schallenberg, whose country has about 160 soldiers in UNIFIL.

(Reuters)

Israeli military claims it hit Hezbollah storage depot

The Israeli army claims it hit an underground strategic weapons storage depot of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah in its Beirut stronghold of Dahieh on Wednesday.

It said advance warnings were given to civilians before the strike.

(Reuters)

Strike hits south Beirut after Israel evacuation order

A strike hit south Beirut on Wednesday, AFPTV footage showed, less than an hour after the Israeli military ordered residents to leave part of the Lebanese capital.

Black smoke billowed from between buildings in Haret Hreik after the strike, which followed Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee telling people to leave the area.

Israel military issues new evacuation order for south Beirut

The Israeli military on Wednesday ordered residents to leave part of southern Beirut, a warning which usually precedes strikes on the area pinpointed in the Lebanese capital.

"You are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah, which the IDF (Israeli military) will work against in the near future" in the Haret Hreik area, Israeli military spokesman Avichay Adraee wrote in Arabic on X.