War in Lebanon 4-7 October - as it happened

Ahram Online , Monday 7 Oct 2024

Israeli warplanes continued deadly strikes against various towns and villages in southern Lebanon. Hezbollah fighters mounted attacks against Israeli troops attempting to take the strategic village of Maroun al-Ras on Jabal Alem (Mount Alem).

Beirut
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a neighborhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs on October 7, 2024. AFP

 

Monday 7 October
 

23:55 Hezbollah says it targeted an Israeli military intelligence base near Tel Aviv.

The Lebanese group said it fired "a salvo of rockets at the Glilot base of military intelligence unit 8200 on the outskirts of Tel Aviv".

22:50 Lebanese state media said that two new strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs, according to AFP.

An AFP correspondent saw smoke rise from the suburbs, and the country's National News Agency reported that the area was "the target of two raids".

This latest round of air raids follows heavy targeting of Beirut's southern Dahyeih over the past couple of days, and no less than 3 evacuation orders from Israel for different places in Lebanon pushing its residents north. 

 

 

22:20 The Israeli army issued their latest call for residents to evacuate from areas in southern Beirut, following a string of similar messages as the military bombs positions in Lebanon's capital targeting the southern Dahyieh.

Military spokesman Avichay Adraee appealed on social media platform X for residents of Burj al-Barajneh and Hadath Beirut to move at least 500 metres (yards) away "for your safety and the safety of your family members," after a similar appeal to residents of the same area the night before before intense bombing.

This is, at least, the third evacuation order issued by the Israeli military to residents of Lebanon over the past 5 hours. 

The evacuation orders came after the latest round of Israeli bombardments on Beirut tonight. 

​21:10 Lebanese official media said Israeli aircraft again bombed Hezbollah's south Beirut bastion, later reporting six strikes on the area, which has been repeatedy hit since late last month.

"Enemy warplanes launched successive strikes on the southern suburbs," the National News Agency said, later reporting "six strikes" on neighbourhoods in the area.

20:50 Hezbollah ordered its fighters not to attack Israeli troops who recently moved behind a UN peacekeeping position near a Lebanese border village.

The group reported "unusual movement of Israeli enemy forces behind a UNIFIL position, on the outskirts of the border village of Maroun al-Ras," ordering fighters "not to take action... to preserve the lives of the peacekeepers", quoting a field commander in their statement. The group accused Israel of "trying to use UNIFIL forces as human shields".

20:15 Air France and its low coast airline Transavia said Monday they are suspending flights to Tel-Aviv until 15 October and to Beirut until 26 October because of security concerns, according to AFP.

"The resumption of service will be subject to an evaluation of the situation on the ground," said the Air France-KLM group airlines, which earlier had suspended flights to the two middle eastern cities until at least 8 October.

19:40 The Israeli army said it would expand its operations against Hezbollah to Lebanon's coast south of the Al-Awali River, and warned people to stay away from the shore in the area, according to AFP.

The army "will soon operate in the maritime area against Hezbollah" south of the Al-Awali river, army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement published in Arabic on social media.

This is the second Israeli evacuation warning of the day, according to Ahram Online's tally. 

 

 

19:15 The Israeli military claims it struck more than 120 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon within a 60-minute period as part of extensive strikes on Monday, according to AFP.

"The IAF (air force) conducted an extensive aerial operation and struck over 120 terror targets in southern Lebanon within an hour," the military said in a statement, adding the targets belonged to the group's elite Radwan forces and other units.

18:50 Lebanon's militant group Hezbollah said it launched rockets at areas north of the Israel city of Haifa on Monday for the second time in the day, according to AFP.

It said it fired a "large rocket salvo" at the areas in the afternoon.

Alarm sirens have also been heard at the Galilee panhandle, according to Hezbollah-affiliated news outlet Al Mayadeen.

Previously, Hezbollah had fired rockets on Haifa that managed to penetrate Israel's complex air defence system and reach their targets. 

18:10 Israel's military said air defences intercepted a missile fired from Yemen, according to AFP.

"A surface-to-surface missile was fired from Yemen," where Iran-backed rebels have previously launched missiles towards Israel, the military said in a statement, with warning sirens audible in the commercial hub of Tel Aviv.

Sirens had sounded all around Israel as the missile was launched, while landings and takeoffs at Ben Gurion Airport were halted in anticipation of the missile. 

 

 

17:50 Israel can not confirm it killed Hashem Safieddine, a potential successor to the late Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, following reports that he was targeted in an Israeli airstrike last week, according to Reuters.

During an online briefing on Monday, Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer stated, "We don't have that confirmation yet. When it is confirmed, as and when it will be on the IDF (Israeli military) website."

Reports emerged over the weekend suggesting that communication with Safieddine was lost after Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday, while other reports that he is in an underground shelter.

A high-level Hezbollah source indicated that Safieddine was in the area at the time of the attack, which resulted in significant destruction and multiple blasts that rattled buildings across the Lebanese capital.

17:30 Israel's military claims that the Lebanese group Hezbollah had fired some 135 projectiles into Israel on Monday.

The Israeli military made this statement, as air raid sirens sounded frequently across northern Israel.

 

 

17:15 The Israeli military Arabic spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, has issued an urgent warning to residents of several villages in southern Lebanon, including Serbin, Marouhin, and Tyre Harfa to evacuate their homes immediately and move north of the Litani River for their safety. 

Adraee stressed, "Any movement toward the south will endanger your lives. We will inform you when it is safe to return to your homes." 

The warning came as Israel stepped up its bombardment of southern Lebanon. 

The Israeli military has announced evacuation orders for an estimated 117 towns and villages in total, according to the Washington Post.

 

 

16:30 A Lebanese security source said to AFP, that an Israeli strike hit Monday near the country's only airport in Beirut.

"Israel conducted an air strike near the airport," the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Lebanon's official National News Agency had earlier said Israel launched "a series of strikes targeting more than 30 towns and villages in the Tyre district," after earlier saying "series of strikes" hit other south Lebanon locations.

 

 

16:15 The Israeli army on Monday said its forces were launching a "targeted" strike in a southern Beirut suburb that the military described as a key Hezbollah stronghold.

The army said it " is currently conducting a targeted strike in the area of Dahiyeh, a key Hezbollah terrorist stronghold."

15:30 On the first anniversary of the Israeli war on Gaza, Hamas described the "Al-Aqsa Flood" operation on 7 October 2023 as a historic milestone in the Palestinian struggle toward achieving national liberation.

In a statement titled “A Flood Towards Liberation”, Hamas said that the 7 October operation was “a natural response to Zionist schemes aimed at liquidating the Palestinian cause."

Hamas also urged escalating resistance against the widening Israeli aggression beyond Gaza on other Arab and Islamic countries.

“The Israeli occupation forces had committed the most heinous crimes and massacres over the past year and waged the most horrific genocidal war against our people in modern history," Hamas said.

However, the statement added, the resilience of Gazans and their steadfastness has "shattered all of the occupation’s plans."

The Palestinian movement, which has been engaged in fierce battles against the Israeli army in Gaza for over a year, also reaffirmed the right of the Palestinian people to resist the occupation "by all means".

14:30 Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed Egypt's firm rejection of any violations of Lebanon's sovereignty, highlighting the seriousness of Israel's ground incursion into southern Lebanon.

The Egyptian top diplomat made this reaffirmation during a phone call on Monday with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, where called for an immediate ceasefire in both Lebanon and Gaza.

13:30 "Israeli aggression' pushing region towards the 'abyss' of full-blown war," Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi warned during a visit to Lebanon on Monday.

“The Israeli aggression... which started in Gaza and now has continued into Lebanon is pushing the whole region into the abyss of full-blown regional war,” Safadi told a news conference in Beirut.

12:30 US Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla visited Israel for "a situational assessment" focused on security challenges coming from Iran and Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Monday.

"General Kurilla's visit focused on the current security issues, with an emphasis on Iran and the northern front," a military statement said, without specifying when he had arrived in Israel.

US secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin reaffirmed in a phone call with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant on Monday, his “unwavering US commitment to Israel’s security, a ceasefire in Gaza, and a diplomatic resolution that enables citizens to return safely to their homes on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border”.

In a statement issued by the Pentagon, Austin also noted that the US maintained a “significant capability” in the region to defend US personnel, support Israel’s “self-defence” and “deter further escalation”.

“The two leaders reiterated their commitment to deterring Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies from taking advantage of the situation or expanding the conflict,” the statement added.

12:00 Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops in a south Lebanon border village on Monday.

Hezbollah fighters "bombed... a gathering of Israeli forces in the Maroun al-Ras park with a rocket salvo," the Lebanese group said in a statement,

Earlier, Hezbollah said its fighters had targeted several areas and military positions in northern Israel and across the border.

The Israeli military confirmed that more than 35 rockets have been launched from Lebanon at northern Israel since Monday morning. It said some of the rockets were intercepted and the rest struck open areas.

Earlier, the Israeli military announced that its 91st Galilee Regional Division began ground operations last night in southern Lebanon, joining two other divisions already operating there.

11:30 Israel continued its airstrikes and shelling targeting towns in southern Lebanon on Monday morning, according to media reports.

Two Israeli airstrikes targeted the Rayhan area in southern Lebanon.

Additionally, Israeli artillery shelled the towns of Kfar Kila, Al-Khiam, Kfar Hamam, and the surrounding area of Kfar Shuba in southern Lebanon.

Overnight, Israeli warplanes pounded Dahiya in Beirut with airstrikes that lit up the skies for hours.

Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon have killed more than 1,400 and wounded more than 10,000 since 16 Sepember.


Courtesy of Maps of the World

 

10:00 A new round of airstrikes hit Beirut suburbs late Sunday as Israel intensified its bombardment on southern Lebanon.

Lebanese group Hezbollah rockets hit Israel's third-largest city of Haifa, Israeli police said early on Monday.

Hezbollah said it targeted a military base south of Haifa with a salvo of "Fadi 1" missiles.

Israeli media reported 10 injured in the country's north on the first anniversary of the Gaza war.

Two rockets hit Haifa on Israel's Mediterranean coast and five hit Tiberias, 65 km (40 miles) away, Israeli news media said.

Police said some buildings and properties were damaged, and there were reports of minor injuries.

The military said sirens also sounded in the Upper Galilee area of northern Israel, with no let-up in the daily rocket fire from Lebanon.

Earlier on Monday the Israeli military said it had also intercepted two "suspicious aerial targets" that were launched from the east.

An Israeli soldier was killed along the country's northern border with Lebanon, the latest casualty since the military launched ground operations on Leabanon last week, the military announced on Monday.

09:00 Iranian authorities announced Monday the resumption of air traffic after flight cancellations at some airports over "operational restrictions," state media reported, as Israel vowed to retaliate for an Iranian missile strike.

00:30 Lebanon's Hezbollah group said early Monday it had targeted an Israeli military base near the northern city of Haifa, the third attack on a military position in the area in one day, AFP reported.

Hezbollah fighters launched "a salvo of Fadi 1 rockets at the Carmel base south of Haifa," late Sunday the group said in a statement, having earlier reported two attacks on another base also south of Haifa. The group dedicated the attack to its leader Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs last month.


A man pushes his bicycle over the debris as others run along the old road leading to Beirut International airport on the outskirts of the capital, following an Israeli airstrike on October 6, 2024. AFP

 

Sunday 6 October
 

23:25 Israel has launched airstrikes on south Beirut shortly after its army issued orders for residents to leave the densely-populated suburbs -- repeatedly bombarded for several days.

"Enemy warplanes launched two strikes on the southern suburbs, the first targeted the Saint Therese area, and the second targeted the Burj al-Barajneh area," Lebanon's National News Agency said.

19:00 Iran's aviation body on Sunday announced the cancellation of flights at some of the country's airports, citing "operational restrictions", state media reported as Israel vows to retaliate for an Iranian missile strike.

Because of those restrictions, "the flights at some airports of the country will be cancelled from 21:00 tonight (1730 GMT), Sunday, October 6, until 6:00 am tomorrow, October 7," according to IRNA state news agency citing Iran's Civil Aviation Organisation spokesman, Jafar Yazarloo.

The announcement comes amid Tehran's preparations for an imminent Israeli attack on the country in retaliation for the Tuesday 1 October Iranian strike on Israel.

18:15 Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli air attacks on the Jabalia refugee camp have killed at least 17 people, including nine children, according to Al Jazeera.

“There are 17 martyrs, including nine children, in Israeli air raids in Jabalia,” civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told Al Jazeera.

Earlier on Sunday, an Israeli airstrike on a mosque-turned-shelter near Jabalia killed and wounded tens of Palestinians.


People demonstrate to mark one year of the war between Hamas and Israel near the White House, in Washington, DC on October 5, 2024. AFP

 

18:00 About 40 percent of Lebanon’s 1.25 million school pupils have become displaced by ongoing Israeli attacks, Director General of Education Imad Achkar has said, as reported by the Guardian.

“There are 1.25 million pupils in Lebanese schools,” Achkar said, adding that “40 percent of them have been displaced” by Israeli bombardment.

UN officials said on Friday most of Lebanon’s nearly 900 shelters were full and that people fleeing Israeli military airstrikes were increasingly sleeping out in the open on the street or in public parks.

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister, Najib Mikati, said 1.2 million people – out of Lebanon’s total 2022 population of 5.49 million (according to UN data) – have been forced from their homes by Israel’s intensifying air and ground attacks.

The Lebanese government said earlier today that the start of the academic year for more than one million Lebanese students will be delayed until 4 November due to "security risks," according to the Guardian.

17:00 Egypt welcomed on Sunday French President Emmanuel Macron's call to halt exporting arms to Israel intended for use in Gaza, citing the serious violations of international law and international humanitarian law committed by the Israeli military in both the strip and Lebanon.

In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry said these violations have resulted in tens of thousands of civilian casualties and injuries, most of whom are women and children.

Earlier today, the Egyptian foreign ministry denounced in a statement the massacre carried out by the Israeli army in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip on Saturday evening, which killed and wounded tens of Palestinians.

In the same statement, the foreign ministry condemned the ongoing Israeli massacres in Lebanon.


The aftermath of repeated Israeli airstrikes on Dahiya. AFP

 

16:00 The Israeli military’s Arabic-language spokesperson has issued new evacuation alerts for residents of about 25 areas in southern Lebanon, calling on them to head immediately to the north of the Awali River (north of the Lebanese city of Sidon).

“Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, installations or weapons is putting his life in danger,” Avichay Adraee said. “Village residents, you must evacuate your homes,” he said. Houla, Meiss el-Jabal, and Bilda are among the villages told to evacuate.

“We will inform you of the appropriate and safe time to return to your homes,” Adraee added.


Courtesy of Maps of the World

 

15:00 Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant warned Iran that it might end up looking like Gaza or Beirut if the Islamic Republic was considering an attempt to harm Israel.

"The Iranians did not touch the air force's capabilities -- no aircraft was damaged, no squadron was taken out of order," Gallant said in a statement, referring to Iran's recent missile strike on Israel that hit two bases of the Israeli air force.

"Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action should take a look at (our achievements) in Gaza and Beirut."

14:30 Iran has prepared a plan to respond to a possible Israeli attack, the Tasnim news agency said, quoting an informed source in the armed forces.

On Tuesday, Iran fired some 200 missiles at Israel in retaliation for the assassination of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders.

"If Israel takes action, there will be no doubt that an Iranian counterattack will be carried out," said Tasnim.

It added that Iran "has a list of many Israeli targets," and said Iran's attack on Tuesday "showed that we can level to the ground any place it desires".

On Sunday, Oil Minister Mohsen Paknejad visited a key oil site in the Gulf, amid growing concerns over possible Israeli strikes on Iran's oil facilities.

US President Joe Biden on Friday advised Israel against targeting oil sites in Iran, one of the world's 10 largest oil producers.

13:30 Lebanon's Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati called for "pressure on Israel" for a ceasefire as a new Israeli strike hit the capital's southern suburbs on Sunday.

"We demand pressure on Israel to commit to a ceasefire and implement Resolution 1701 immediately," Mikati said in a statement referring to the UN Security Council Resolution which ended the Israeli war on Lebanon in 2006.

Mikati renewed Lebanon's support for the joint call issued by France and the United States of America, with the support of the European Union and Arab and foreign countries, for an immediate 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border.

He also praised French President Emmanuel Macron's support for Lebanon and his call on Saturday to stop transferring arms to Israel for use in Gaza.

"Once again, French President Emmanuel Macron expresses his support for Lebanon and stands by the Lebanese people in facing the crises afflicting them, and his announcement yesterday about holding an international conference to support Lebanon this month in France is clear evidence of this support," the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) quoted Mikati as saying.

He emphasized: "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's attack on President Macron merely for calling for a halt to the transfer of arms to Israel for use in Gaza and considering the priority to be a political solution rather than continuing the war, proves the correctness of the French stance."

"It is not surprising that this stance is met with open hostility from Netanyahu, who is a disgrace to humanity as a whole," Mikati added.


A pro-Palestinian protester holds an "End the Genocide" sign as people rally in support of Gaza and Lebanon in front of the City Hall to mark one year of the Israeli war on Gaza in Orlando, Florida, on October 5, 2024. AFP

 

12:00 The Palestinian Civil Defense Agency said Sunday an Israeli strike on a mosque-turned-shelter in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza, killed 21 people, in another horrific massacre against displaced families in the area.

"The number of deaths rose to 21 and a large number of wounded as a result of the occupation bombing of a mosque sheltering displaced people in front of the gate of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip," agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP.

Some children’s bodies arrived at the hospital with severe mutilations and others were even beheaded, according to WAFA news agency.

Healthcare workers are facing overwhelming challenges, as they try to prioritize treatment for the critically injured while grappling with a severe shortage of medical supplies and medications needed for care.

Earlier in the night, two civilians, including an infant girl, were killed and 11 were wounded, in an Israeli airstrike on Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, WAFA said.

Simultaneously, Israeli warplanes continued to carry out dozens of strikes across northern Gaza, leading to a rising toll of casualties, with many of the victims being children.


Palestinian families arrived in Gaza City after evacuating their homes in the Jabalia area on October 6, 2024, after the Israeli army ordered people to evacuate the area north of Gaza. AFP

 

11:00 In Beirut, airstrikes lit up the skyline and loud explosions echoed across the southern suburbs, known as the Dahiyeh, throughout the night.

The Israeli strikes reportedly targeted a building near a road leading to Lebanon’s only international airport.

Israeli strikes killed 23 people and wounded 93 others across Lebanon on Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said, without including casualties in more recent bombardment on Beirut's southern suburbs early Sunday.

Israeli raids targeted towns and villages of south Lebanon, Nabatieh, the eastern governorate of Beqaa, Baalbek-Hermel, Mount Lebanon, and the north, the ministry added in a tweet on their X account.

Israeli airstrikes also targeted various Palestinian refugee camps in the country.

 

 

At least 1,400 Lebanese have been killed and more than 10,000 wounded since Israel started its intense strikes on Lebanon.

Nearly 1.2 million were driven from their homes in less than two weeks.

Meanwhile, Israel’s military said about 30 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.

Hezbollah said it successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers after they tried to infiltrate Khallat Shuaib in Blida, in southern Lebanon.

A statement said fighters fired rockets at Israeli troops during the evacuation of "dead and wounded soldiers" in the Al-Manara settlement after midnight.

Hezbollah also said it launched a swarm of drones targeting the Israeli Shamshon base.

Rocket sirens blared in several of Israel's northern settlements, according to Israeli media.

A petrol station and a medical supplies warehouse were hit.

---------

 

Saturday 5 October
 

23:50 Official Lebanese media said five Israeli strikes hit south Beirut and its outskirts, four of them "very violent".

"Israeli enemy warplanes carried out four very violent strikes on (Beirut's) southern suburbs, and one strike on the Chweifat" area, with ambulances rushing to the site, Lebanon's National News Agency said. AFP correspondents in Beirut heard several explosions with AFP footage showing plumes of smoke rising from the targeted areas.

22:45 Israel's army chief Herzi Halevi on Saturday vowed no let-up in the military's battle against Lebanon's Hezbollah movement as Israeli warplanes pounded various parts of Lebanon on Saturday.

"We must continue to apply pressure on Hezbollah and do additional and continual damage to the enemy, without concessions and respite," Lieutenant General Halevi said in a statement.

Israel will retaliate against Iran for the missile attack launched by Tehran at “the timing which we decide," Israeli army spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a broadcast statement, according to a Reuters report.

“How we respond to this disgraceful attack will be in the manner, at the location and the timing which we decide, according to the political leadership’s instructions.” 

Hagari added that the two air bases struck in the Iranian attack - Tel Nof and Navatim - remained fully operational and no aircraft were damaged.

On the other side, speaking at a press conference in Damascus after meeting President Bashar Al-Assad and top Syrian officials earlier in the day, Iran Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi had some harsh warnings for Tel Aviv.

"Every action from Israel will be met with a commensurate - and even a stronger - response. We have done this before and they can test our will once again," Araghchi told reporters.

21:00 The 88 members of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (OIF), including France and Canada, call for an "immediate and lasting" ceasefire in Lebanon, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Saturday.

"We have unanimously expressed ourselves in favour of an immediate and lasting ceasefire and have stated our commitment to de-escalating tensions in the region," Macron told reporters at the end of a "Francophonie" summit, adding France would hold an international conference in support of Lebanon in October.

Macron expressed reservations Saturday about the decision of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to send troops on ground operations into Lebanon.

"I regret that Prime Minister Netanyahu has made another choice," said Macron, referring to his decision not to heed earlier calls from Paris and Washington for a ceasefire.

Earlier in the day, Macron urged a halt to arms deliveries to Israel, which has been criticised over the conduct of its operation in Gaza, which killed and wounded more than 140,000 Palestinians - most of whom are women and children.

"I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza," Macron told broadcaster France Inter.

"France is not delivering any," he added during the interview recorded early this week.

Later in the evening, Netanyahu slammed President Macron for calling for a halt to arms supplies to Israel.

"As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilised countries should be standing firmly by Israel's side. Yet, President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them," Netanyahu said in a statement issued by his office.

In September, Britain said it was suspending some arms exports to Israel, citing a "clear risk" that they could be used in a serious breach of international humanitarian law.

20:30 The president of Ireland on Saturday sharply criticised Israel's demand that UN peacekeepers leave their positions in southern Lebanon.

"It is outrageous that the Israeli Defence Forces have threatened this peacekeeping force and sought to have them evacuate the villages they are defending," President Michael Higgins said in a statement.

"Indeed, Israel is demanding that the entire UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) operating under UN mandates walk away."

Ireland accounts for 347 of the 10,000 soldiers serving in the UNIFIL forces, which are charged with maintaining peace in the south of Lebanon.

Earlier Saturday, UNIFIL said it had rejected Israeli demands that it "relocate" some positions ahead of Israeli ground operations against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Higgins called the demand "an insult to the most important global institution."

Earlier, the United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Saturday it would not leave positions in the country's south despite what it said was an Israeli request to relocate. 

19:30 The first shipment of Egyptian medical and relief aid arrived at Beirut Airport Saturday as part of Egypt's support for the Lebanese people in facing the current difficult circumstances, Al-Qahera News reported.

In a statement to Al-Qahera News from Beirut, the Egyptian Ambassador to Lebanon, Alaa Moussa, said the Egyptian aid plane carried 22 tons of medical and relief supplies, noting that more planes loaded with aid are expected to arrive in the coming days.

Moussa stressed that "what we are doing is an attempt to alleviate the burden of the Israeli aggression on the displaced."

He added that Egypt has repeatedly warned against the conflict's expansion to other areas, and it has indeed happened.

On Friday, the Egyptian Embassy in Lebanon announced that it arranged a special flight on Saturday for Egyptians in Lebanon who wish to return to Egypt.

18:30 A high-level Hezbollah source said on Saturday that contact with Hashem Safieddine, widely considered as potentially the group's next leader, had been lost following Israeli strikes this week.

"Contact with Sayyed Safieddine has been lost since the violent strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs" early on Friday, the official told AFP.

"We don't know if he was at the targeted site, or who may have been there with him," he added.

A second source close to Hezbollah also confirmed that communication had been cut off and that his whereabouts were unknown.

Hezbollah "is trying to reach the underground headquarters that were targeted, but every single time Israel starts striking again to impede rescue efforts," he said.

Safieddine "was with Hezbollah's head of intelligence," known as Hajj Murtada, when the strikes took place, he said.

Both sources requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.


File Photo: Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine speaks during a conference in the southern Beirut suburb of Dahiyeh. AP

 

18:15 Protesters in central Athens carried Palestinian and Lebanese flags to demand an end to Israeli aggression.

 

18:00 Thousands of protesters gathered on Saturday in central London to condemn the Israeli war on Gaza and Lebanon. 

 

 

17:45 Thousands marched in Paris on Saturday afternoon in solidarity with Gaza and Lebanon in the face of the ongoing Israeli aggression.

 

 

16:45 Hezbollah launched a barrage of 60 rockets at various cities in the Upper Galilee in northern Israel, including Karmiel, Safad, and Deir al-Assad.

Rockets also reached Haifa, and Acre on the Mediterranean in northern Israel.

Al Jazeera reported that sirens blurred in those cities and others in the past two hours.

Israeli air defenses intercepted many of the rockets but some were not intercepted and hit various buildings.

Firefighters were battling various blazes caused by several direct hits in Safad, Karmiel, and near Haifa, according to Al Jazeera.

15:37 Nearly 375,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria, fleeing Israeli bombardment, in less than two weeks, Lebanese officials said.

The government's crisis management unit, citing figures from Lebanese General Security, said 374,621 people — Lebanese citizens and Syrians living in Lebanon — have crossed into Syria since 23 September, when Israel intensified its air bombardment campaign on Lebanon.

Thousands have continued to cross on foot through the main Masnaa Border Crossing even after Israeli airstrikes cut off the road leading up to it on Thursday.

15:00 The potential successor to slain Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been out of contact since Friday, after an Israeli airstrike that is reported to have targeted him.

Axios cited three Israeli officials as saying targeted Hashem Safieddine is in an underground bunker.

Ongoing Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburb have kept rescue workers from scouring the site of the attack.

Hezbollah has not commented so far on Safieddine since the attack.

Israeli media claim that Ismail Qaani, Iran's Quds Force Commander, was wounded in the attacks. 

14:38 An Israeli official told AFP that the army is "preparing a response" to the Iranian missile barrage that targeted Israel earlier this week.

He did not elaborate on the nature or timing of the response.

14:29 Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad said that Iran's second-ever retaliatory missile attack on Israel this week was a "lesson" for Israel, his office said.

The missile attack on Tuesday evening was "a strong response and taught the Zionist entity a lesson," Assad was quoted as saying as Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi visited Damascus.

13:15 Israeli army radio says Tel Aviv is preparing to attack Iran "and the response will be harsh," Al Jazeera reported.

11:29 Hezbollah said its militants launched Fadi-1 rockets at Israel's Ramat David air base near the northern city of Haifa, about 45 kilometres (30 miles) from the Lebanese border.

In a statement, the resistance group also said its fighters hit an Israeli tank in south Lebanon, near the border, with a missile.  

Earlier, Hezbollah said its fighters were confronting Israeli troops in Lebanon's southern border region, where the Israeli army struck a mosque.

11:00 The Israeli army struck a south Lebanon mosque overnight, the first such strike since clashes erupted between Israel and Hezbollah last year.  

The Israeli army claimed Hezbollah members were operating within a command centre that was located inside a mosque adjacent to the Salah Ghandour Hospital in southern Lebanon.  

The Salah Ghandour Hospital, run by the Hezbollah-affiliated Islamic Health Committee, said nine of its medical and nursing staff were wounded by heavy strikes.  

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that the grounds of the hospital in the southern town of Bint Jbeil were "subjected to Israeli shelling".  The hospital's director Mohammed Sleiman told AFP it took a direct hit and was evacuated.  

10:51 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Damascus on Saturday, coming from Beirut.

"There are initiatives regarding a ceasefire and consultations have been held that we hope will lead to a result," he said, adding that "there must be collective efforts from the international community to stop the crimes of the Israeli entity."

"The ceasefire in Lebanon and Gaza is the most important file, and our consultations with the Syrians are particularly important."

10:10 Hamas said an Israeli strike killed one of its commanders in a refugee camp in north Lebanon Saturday, the first time the area had been hit since the start of Israel's war on Gaza.

"Commander" Saeed Attallah Ali, his wife and two daughters were killed in "Zionist bombardment of his house in the Beddawi camp" near the northern city of Tripoli, the Palestinian group said.  

09:20 Hezbollah said early Saturday it was engaged in ongoing clashes with Israeli troops in the Lebanon border area after earlier saying it forced Israeli soldiers to retreat there.

09:18 US President Joe Biden on Friday advised Israel against striking Iran's oil facilities, saying he was trying to rally the world to avoid the escalating prospect of all-out war in the Middle East. 

"If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about alternatives than striking oil fields," Biden told reporters when asked about his comments a day earlier that Washington was discussing the possibility of such strikes with its ally.

Biden said that Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu "should remember" US support for Israel when deciding on the next steps.

Biden added that the Israelis "have not concluded how they're, what they're going to do" in response for a ballistic missile retaliatory attack by Iran on Israel on Tuesday.

The price of oil had jumped after Biden's remarks Thursday.

09:00 The United Nations peacekeeping force in Lebanon said Saturday it would not leave positions in the country's south despite what it said was an Israeli request to "relocate".

"On 30 September, the Israeli military notified UNIFIL of their intention to undertake ground incursions into Lebanon. They also requested we relocate from some of our positions," the UN Interim Force in Lebanon said in a statement, adding that "peacekeepers remain in all positions and that the UN flag continues to fly." 

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Friday 4 October

17:30 The Israeli army announced that two Golani Brigade soldiers were killed and 24 wounded in a drone attack from Iraq early Thursday.

An investigation revealed that two explosive-laden drones were launched, one shot down by air defences and the other hitting an army base in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Among the soldiers Israel sent to attack Lebanon were members of the Golani Brigade, one of the country’s most decorated infantry units.

The Israeli army withdrew the Golani Brigade from the Gaza Strip on 21 December after 60 days of fighting that incurred significant losses for the elite force.

17:00 Hezbollah said it targeted Israeli troops in the south Lebanon border area for a second time after earlier saying it had shelled Israeli soldiers nearby.

Hezbollah fighters targeted "an Israeli enemy troop force during its advance" towards an area west of the border village of Yarun "with artillery shells and a rocket salvo", a statement said, with the group also claiming a series of attacks on Israeli soldiers across the border on Friday.

16:00 Three hospitals in Lebanon including one on the outskirts of Beirut's southern suburbs announced the suspension of work, amid ongoing Israeli bombardment.

In statements carried by the official National News Agency, Sainte Therese Hospital near Beirut's southern suburbs reported "huge damage" to the building on Thursday due to Israeli bombardment in the vicinity and the subsequent "halt of hospital services" as two hospitals in the country's south also said services had stopped.

15:00 A delivery of medical supplies from the United Nations reached Lebanon, a first since the Israeli war on Lebanon began last week, said a UN agency and a Lebanese minister.

"An airlift... landed in Beirut earlier this morning with 30 metric tonnes of trauma and surgical supplies, enough to treat tens of thousands of people," the World Health Organization's regional director Hanan Balkhy said on social media platform X.

"More flights are arriving today and tomorrow, carrying trauma supplies, cholera supplies and mental health supplies," she added.

14:00 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi vowed support for Tehran's "friends" in Lebanon, on his first visit to Beirut since fighting between Israel and Hezbollah intensified last month.

"Be sure that the Islamic Republic of Iran is and will be firmly standing by the friends in Lebanon," Araghchi told reporters, adding that Tehran supports Lebanon, its Shiite Muslim community and Hezbollah, "and it was necessary to say this in person".

13:00 The Israeli army said that a strike in Beirut the day before (Thursday) killed Mohammed Rashid Skafi, the head of Hezbollah’s communications division. 

The army claimed in a statement that Skafi had been responsible for the communications unit since 2000 and was closely affiliated with high-up Hezbollah officials.

12:45 Hezbollah said it shelled Israeli troops in Maroun al-Ras in the southern Lebanon border area.

The resistance group said its fighters targeted "Israeli enemy troops in the Maroun al-Ras plain with artillery."

12:40 Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei delivered remarks in Arabic in a rare Friday sermon, a week after the Islamic Republic had launched a missile attack on Israel in retaliation to the assassinations of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

"The enemy of Iran is the enemy of Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Yemen, and Iraq. The enemy is the same and works everywhere with a special method, but the control room is the same," he stated.

The supreme leader added that Hezbollah was providing a "vital service to the entire region" by fighting Israel. 

"Hezbollah ... by defending Gaza, fighting for (Jerusalem's) Al-Aqsa Mosque and hitting the usurping and tyrannical regime (Israel), took a step (in providing) a vital service to the entire region and the entire Islamic world."

 

 

12:15 A source close to Hezbollah said that Hassan Nasrallah had been temporarily buried in a secret location for fear Israel would target a large funeral.

"Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily buried until the circumstances allow for a public funeral," the source said after an Israeli strike killed the leader last week.

The source said a public funeral had been impossible to hold "for fear of Israeli threats they would target mourners and the place of his burial".

11:00 Lebanon said the overnight Israeli attacks cut off the main international road to Syria.

10:30 Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Beirut, the Lebanese National News Agency said. 

00:45 According to Axios, the Israeli attacks were targeting a leader of Hezbollah Hashem Safieddine.

00:30 A series of massive blasts have rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs, shaking buildings kilometres away in the Lebanese capital.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reports that the area witnessed more than 10 consecutive airstrikes late Thursday. It isn’t clear what was targeted or if there are casualties.

The strikes come amid an ongoing escalation in the yearlong conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
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Thursday 3 October
 

23:15 Israeli airstrikes killed at least 18 Palestinians in the Tulkarem refugee camp in the northern occupied West Bank on Thursday evening.

It was the first time that Israel used its air force against the occupied territories since the 2000-2002 Palestinian intifada.

Raith Radwan, a field commander in the military wing of the Islamic Jihad in Tulkarem, was killed in the Israeli airstrike, Palestinian media reported.

The Palestinian WAFA news agency said more than two dozen Palestinians were killed and injured tonight in an Israeli massacre which targeted a popular café in the Tulkarm refugee camp.

According to WAFA correspondent, Israeli warplanes fired at least one missile at a packed café in the Al-Hamam neighbourhood.

Civil defence and ambulance vehicles rushed to assist the victims, transporting the injured to the Thabet Government Hospital in Tulkarm.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society reported that its teams transported the bodies of some of the victims, along with one injured person, to hospital.  

22:15 Russia, France and Greece on Thursday became the latest countries to launch operations to get nationals out of Lebanon since Israel launched ground raids into southern Lebanon and Iran fired missiles at Israel.

22:00 The World Bank on Thursday announced it was redirecting $250 million to emergency aid for Lebanon from funds originally meant to promote renewable energy.

"The World Bank is activating emergency response plans to repurpose resources in the portfolio to respond to the urgent needs of people in Lebanon," said a statement from the US-based multilateral institution.

21:30 Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty reaffirmed on Thursday Egypt’s support for Lebanon in the face of Israeli attacks on the country and its sovereignty in a phone call with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati

The Egyptian foreign minister underscored to PM Mikati Cairo's continuing communication with regional and international parties to achieve an immediate ceasefire, de-escalate tensions, and protect the region from full-scale war.

He also stressed Egypt’s support for all Lebanese state institutions carrying out critical responsibilities particularly the government, parliament, and armed forces.

20:30 Lebanon's state-run media said a new Israeli strike hit Dahiyeh, in southern Beirut. on Thursday.

"Very violent enemy raids were renewed on the southern suburbs," the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA) reported.

AFP correspondents heard two loud explosions and saw smoke rising from the southern suburbs.

 

 

20:00 British Airways has announced it will suspend flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the month.

Earlier, German carrier Lufthansa suspended flights to Tehran until 26 October, Tel Aviv until 31 October, and Beirut until the end of November.

Dutch airline KLM has suspended flights to Tel Aviv until the end of the year.

Air India, Cathay Pacific, Delta, United, EasyJet, Ryanair and Wizz Air have all suspended flights to Israel.

18:40 More than 20 Hezbollah rockets struck soldiers' clusters in the Israeli Metula settlement on the Lebanese-Israeli border despite all interception attempts, reported the Hezbollah-affiliated news outlet Al Mayadeen. 

The Israeli army radio reported that more than 200 rockets were fired from Lebanon against various parts of northern Israel on Thursday.

In the early hours of Thursday evening, Hezbollah announced that it launched rockets against Safad in northern Israel.

Hezbollah carried out 29 operations against Israeli military targets on the border and in northern Israel on Thursday, according to the Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV.

18:00 "There is a constant, strong sound of drones buzzing in the skies above Beirut," according to Nafiseh Kohnavard BBC Persian Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

"If you're wondering how it sounds, it’s like a hair dryer or a drill that was left on - or a giant mosquito."

"Some friends are telling me that they're used to it now, having heard it overhead day and night in the past few days."

"I am not, though, yet," said Kohnavard.

17:50 Hezbollah announces targeting the Israeli Sakhnin military industries base in Haifa Bay.

17:40 A new Israeli airstrike hit a medical centre reportedly affiliated with Hezbollah in southern Beirut, killing at least 7 paramedics, according to Al Jazeera. 

Zeina Khodr, an Al Jazeera reporter at the site of the strike, said: "The Israeli military is going after everyone or everything associated with Hezbollah." 

 

 

Meanwhile, AFP has reported that the Israeli military said it hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut on Thursday.

17:15 US President Joe Biden said he did not believe any Israeli strikes against Iran would come on Thursday, as the region tensely awaits a response to Tehran's massive missile attack on Israel.

"First of all, we don't 'allow' Israel, we advise Israel. And nothing is going to happen today," Biden told reporters at the White House when asked if he would allow Israel to retaliate against Iran.

17:00 The Lebanese Health Firass Abiad said 1,974 civilians were killed since the start of the Israeli aggression on the country on 16 September, including 127 children and 261 women. He added that 9,384 were wounded.

16:30 The Lebanese Ministry of Health said Israeli strikes killed more than 40 paramedics and firefighters in the past three days.

At least 28 health workers in Lebanon have been killed in the last 24 hours, the World Health Organization (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has told reporters.

Tedros added that many health workers are also “not reporting to duty as they fled the areas where they work due to bombardment," BBC News quoted him as saying.


Smoke billows from the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Khiam near the border with Israel on October 3, 2024. AFP

 

16:15 A senior Iranian source told Al Jazeera: "The period of alarm over Israel's 'unilateral actions' is over after it became clear that this alarm does not serve Iran's national security. Any future Israeli attack will be met with an 'unusual response, including against infrastructure."

16:00 Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to meet with Lebanese officials in Beirut on Friday.

15:45 For the first time, the Lebanese army returned fire on the Israeli forces after two Lebanese soldiers were killed in two separate Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday.

The first Israeli strike targeted a Red Cross convoy, while the second hit a Lebanese army centre, the army said.

15:00 At least four Israeli soldiers were killed in clashes with Hezbollah members in the town of Maroun al-Ras in southern Lebanon on Wednesday dawn, Sky News Arabia quoted unnamed sources as saying.

Western news agencies reported, quoting Hezbollah, that its fighters detonated an explosive device on troops from the Israeli Golani Brigade in the Tartira area who were trying to bypass west of Maroun al-Ras, "killing and wounding them."

They added that helicopters began transporting the wounded, without giving further details.

Additionally, Al Jazeera TV quoted an Israeli media outlet that described the situation in the “north” as a “dangerous and unusual event.”

From their side, Hezbollah said: "We detonated 4 explosive devices against the Israeli forces infiltrating the towns of Maroun al-Ras and Yaroun from dawn until noon today and inflicted heavy losses on the enemy forces," according to Al Jazeera.

14:00 The Israeli military has told residents of 25 villages across southern Lebanon to evacuate on Thursday.

13:00 At least six people were killed in an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in Beirut overnight, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said, as governments around the world scrambled to evacuate their citizens from the country.

Israel was pursuing a ground incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah while conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children. The Israeli military said eight soldiers have died in the conflict in southern Lebanon.

On Wednesday, the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting to address the spiralling conflict in the Middle East.

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