Israel Hezbollah War Highlights: Israel targets border villages in southern Lebanon

An Israeli strike in Lebanon early on Tuesday targeted Mounir Maqdah, commander of the Lebanese branch of the Palestinian Fatah movement's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, according to two Palestinian security officials.

Maqdah's fate was unknown.

The strike hit a building in the crowded Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern city of Sidon, the sources said.

It marked the first strike on the camp, largest of several Palestinian camps in Lebanon, since cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel broke out nearly a year ago.

(Reuters)

The United Kingdom is chartering a commercial flight for its nationals stuck in war torn Lebanon and who want to leave the country, the UK government announced on social media.

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office of the United Kingdom said in a post on X, “The UK government is chartering a flight to help British nationals who want to leave Lebanon. If you are a British national in Lebanon, you should register your presence to receive the latest updates.”

According to BBC, the UK government will pay to charter the flight, which will depart from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, but British nationals will be expected to pay a fee of £350 per seat.

The Israeli military has started targeted ground raids in southern Lebanon against Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group.

The Israel Defense Forces shared the development on X and said, “The IDF began limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon. These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”

The plan for a temporary ceasefire by the United States led allies has fallen flat as Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu has clearly stated his plans to counter Iran’s ‘axis of resistance’.

The Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian visited Iran-backed Hezbollah’s office in Tehran “to pay tribute” to the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in an air strike by Israeli forces.

Israel has reportedly suggested to its army that the IDF will be going ahead with a possible ground incursion which will be limited but targeting Hezbollah’s military and other infrastructure.

Iran’s Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has vowed that Hezbollah leader Nasrallah’s death “will not be in vain,” according to Arab News.

Amid reports of a possible Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon to attack the Hezbollah militant group, the Israeli Defense Forces have ordered the citizens for an “immediate” evacuation of three areas in southern Beirut.

In a social media post, IDF's Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee said, “You are located near interests and facilities belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah, and therefore the IDF will act against them forcefully.”

IDF’s Adraee further added “For your safety and the safety of your family, you must evacuate the buildings immediately, starting at a distance of no less than 500 meters.”

Israeli forces targeted Lebanon based Hezbollah militant group’s top commander Eid Hassan Nashar in airstrikes and killed him. According to Israel Defense Forces, “Eid was a veteran commander in Hezbollah and served a significant role in the unit's day-to-day operations.”

“In the past, he served as the Commander of the Surface-to-Surface Rocket Unit and Deputy Commander of the Badr Unit. Additionally, the commander, deputy commander and other commanders of Hezbollah's Precision Missile Unit were eliminated. Just last week, this unit was responsible for firing towards central Israel,” the IDF stated in a post on X.

The Israeli offensive also targeted the infrastructure of Hezbollah in Lebanon and destroyed a missile depot, located near the Beirut airport, according to news agency ANI.

Amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a rare direct message to the Iranian people on Monday, stating that Israel stands with them as it fights the proxies of Tehran, like Lebanon based Hezbollah militant group.

In a message relayed on YouTube and other channels, PM Netanyahu said, “Every day, you see a regime that subjugates you and makes fiery speeches about defending Lebanon, defending Gaza. Yet every day, that regime plunges our region deeper into darkness and deeper into war.”

Netanyahu added that there’s no place in the Middle East where Israeli forces can’t reach and that “puppets of Iran” were being eliminated in Israel’s offensive. He further said, ”There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country.”

Netanyahu’s statement comes after Israel Defense Forces killed Iran-backed Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in airstrikes in Lebanon’s capital Beirut, which also killed a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps official.

(Read more from the report here)

After Israel launched its air attack campaign against Lebanon based Hezbollah militant group, more than 1,000 people have died and over 6,000 have been injured. Now, the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR has said that over 70,000 people have fled the country.

The UNHCR, in a post on X, said “The situation is dire for civilians devastated by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. More than 70,000 people have fled the country so far.”

Talking about the displaced issue, Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati had earlier said that there could be close to 1 million internally displaced people in Lebanon who have fled Israeli attacks, according to an Al Jazeera’s report.

Cuba’s Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez has condemned the military warfare being carried out by Israel saying it is encouraging a large-scale war in the Middle East region.

In a post on X, Bruno spoke against the United States’ support to Israel. He further said, “We reiterate that the only solution to the conflict is to recognize an independent Palestinian State with borders prior to 1967.”

In a statement by the Gulf Cooperation Council, a ceasefire has been called upon in the violent hostilities in Lebanon being carried out by Israel since the past week.

Jasem Mohamed Albudaiwi, the secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, said that a ceasefire must be enforced in Lebanon. The Gulf Cooperation Council, whose member countries include United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait have together issued the statement and said they are “continuously backing for Lebanon’s sovereignty, security, and stability.”

Secretary Albudaiwi of the GCC said that there needs to be an “immediate ceasefire” and the “importance of avoiding military escalation” must be adhered to. Ascertaining that civilians remain safe and restraint is exercised, Albudaiwi said to refrain from, “Engaging in regional conflicts to prevent the expansion of the dispute in the region.”

As Israel widens its air strike campaign against Lebanon based Hezbollah militant group, news agency Reuters witnesses claim that an apartment building in Beirut was hit by an Israeli airstrike on Monday.

It is being seen as the first attack by Israel within the city limits of Beirut. The strike damaged the upper floor of the apartment building in Kola district of Lebanon's capital.

Israel’s increasing frequency of attacks against Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi militants has raised fear of a full blown war being carved out of it as Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to bog down for any ceasefire deal.

According to Lebanon's health ministry, more than 1,000 people have been killed while over 6,000 remain injured in the attacks by Israel in the past two weeks.

The Lebanese health ministry has said that fresh strikes by Israel have led to the death of five individuals in Bint Jbeil, which falls under the southern Lebanon region.

According to the state-run National News agency, the reported incident also led to the injury of 10 people across multiple towns in the district. Bint Jbeil, in south Lebanon, is at the border of Israel.

Sirens were sounded in Israel’s Haifa as reports suggested that militant group Hezbollah has fired a barrage of missiles towards northern Israel.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) informed about the development on X and stated that millions of Israelis are “running for shelter” amid attacks by Hezbollah.

The IDF posted on X, “Once again, more than a million Israelis are running for shelter after Hezbollah fired missiles at Haifa and northern Israel.”

Saudi Arabia has said that it stands with the people of Lebanon in its conflict against Israel, as it is the first instance that Saudi has made any statement since Israel's killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

In a statement, the Saudi foreign ministry pressed on the sovereignty of Lebanon and that it must be preserved and respected.

The Saudi’s foreign ministry further added that the country will be sending medical and relief aid to the people of Lebanon.

Israel said it bombed Houthi targets in Yemen on Sunday in response to missile fire by the Iran-aligned militants at Israel over the past two days, marking another front in fighting in the Middle East.

The Israeli strikes killed at least four people and wounded 29, the Houthi-run Health Ministry said in a statement, and residents said the bombing had caused power outages in most parts of the port city of Hodeidah.

Israel's military said in a statement that dozens of aircraft, including fighter jets, had attacked power plants and a sea port in Hodeidah and the port of Ras Issa.

It was the second such Israeli attack on Yemen in just over two months. In July, Israeli warplanes struck Houthi military targets near Hodeidah after a Yemeni drone hit Tel Aviv and killed one man. (Reuters)

Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Israel should not be allowed to attack the Iran-aligned nations of "Axis of Resistance" in a successive manner.

Israel, which was successful in killing the leader of Lebanon based Hezbollah militant group Hassan Nasrallah, has started its offensive against Iran and Yemen based Houthi militants.

As the violence widens in the Middle East, the efforts by United States led aligned countries to strike a temporary ceasefire for Israel has fallen flat as Tel Aviv has been attacking Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen and Iran consecutively.