Israel-Hezbollah War Highlights: Lebanon says Israeli airstrikes kill nearly 500 people, over 1,600 injured

The U.S. is sending a small number of additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said Monday.

Major General Pat Ryder, Pentagon press secretary, would not say how many more forces would be deployed or what they would be tasked to do. The U.S. now has about 40,000 troops in the region.On Monday, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, two Navy destroyers and a cruiser set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, headed to the Sixth Fleet area in Europe on a regularly scheduled deployment.

The ships' departure opens up the possibility that the U.S. could keep both the Truman and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is in the Arabian Gulf, in the region in case more violence breaks out.

“In light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional U.S. military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region," Ryder said. "But for operational security reasons, I’m not going to comment on or provide specifics.” (Associated Press)

The rocket that you see below is a long-range rocket, stored on a hydraulic system directed toward Israeli civilians and ready to be launched at a moments notice.

This is just one of the 1,300 targets including long-range cruise missiles, heavy-weight rockets and UAVs that were… pic.twitter.com/XHGsKPzxbQ

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 23, 2024

The escalation between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah is almost a full-fledged war, the European Union's foreign policy chief said on Monday.

"This situation is extremely dangerous and worrying. I can say that we are almost in a full-fledged war," Josep Borrell told reporters.

"If this is not a war situation, I don't know what you would call it," he said, citing the increasing number of civilian casualties and the intensity of military strikes.

Borrell said efforts to reduce tensions were ongoing, but Europe's worst fears about a spillover were becoming a reality. 

He said civilians were paying a high price and all diplomatic efforts were needed to prevent a full-blown war. "Here in New York is the moment to do that. Everybody has to put all their capacity to stop this path to war," he said. (Reuters)

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.

Israeli Iron Dome air defense system fires to intercept rockets that were launched from Lebanon, as seen from Haifa, northern Israel, Monday, Sept. 23, 2024. (AP Photo)

After a security source told news agency Reuters that militant group Hezbollah’s senior leader Ali Karak was targeted in an Israeli attack in Lebanon, the group has denied the reports and said that their senior leader is okay.

Ali Karak, who is the head of the southern front, was moved to a safer place, informed the Hezbollah group. Reuters had reported that Karak was attacked by the Israeli military in the southern suburbs of Lebanon.

Thousands have fled the country amid continuing strikes by the Israeli military and Lebanon's health ministry claimed that 492 people have been killed in the attack.

The Middle East is at the verge of another full blown war amid Israel-Gaza war which began last year in october when Hamas militant group attacked Tel Aviv and killed close to 1,200 people.

Citizens of Israel’s northern city of Haifa ran for cover as sirens went off alarming the imminent attack by Lebanon based Hezbollah militants.

The Israeli military, in a statement said, “Sirens sounded in the city of Haifa and surrounding areas, northern Israel,” according to news agency AFP.

The Israeli army further stated that around 180 projectiles and one unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) crossed over into Israel’s northern region on Monday. The majority of these projectiles were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system.

In a latest update of casualties caused by Israel’s attack in Beirut, Lebanon's health ministry stated that 492 people have been killed while 1,645 remain injured.

The Israeli air strike in Lebanon has claimed the lives of at least 356 people, including 24 children, Lebanon's health ministry has stated. It is believed to be the deadliest barrage of attacks on Beirut since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

“Israeli enemy strikes on towns and villages in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa and Baalbek in the east, killed 356 people, including 24 children and 42 women, and injured 1,246 others,” the health ministry said in a statement.

The Israeli military has issued warnings for the residents of southern and eastern Lebanon as Tel Aviv widens its air warfare campaign against Iran backed Hezbollah militant group.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressing Lebanon's southern and eastern residents said, “Take this warning seriously. Please get out of harm’s way now. Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that Israel is trying to drag the Middle East into a full blown war by trying to drag Tehran into the year long war with Lebanon based Hezbollah militant group and Tel Aviv.

President Pezeshkian in his statement warned that such steps will have “irreversible consequences”. He is in the United States to attend the United Nations General Assembly.

Pezeshkian said, “We do not wish to be the cause of instability in the Middle East as its consequences would be irreversible.”

Blaming Israel for violence and war, Iran’s newly inducted President said “We want to live in peace, we don’t want war. It is Israel that seeks to create this all-out conflict.” Notably, the Hezbollah militant group which is engaged in warfare with Israel is backed by Iran.

The Military chief of the general staff of Israel, Herzi Halevi, has said that the country is now preparing for the next phase of military operation in Lebanon.

Israel's barrage of attack in Lebanon has claimed at least 274 lives and has injured over 1,000 people. Earlier, pager and walkie talkie blasts in Lebanon triggered the exchange of fire between militant group Hezbollah and Tel Aviv.

“The Israeli military is preparing for the next stage of its operation in Lebanon after launching a wave of air strikes against Hezbollah targets on Monday morning,” said army chief Halevi.

In a statement, as quoted by Reuters, Halevi further stated “Essentially, we are targeting combat infrastructure that Hezbollah has been building for the past 20 years. This is very significant. We are striking targets and preparing for the next phases.”

US President Joe Biden has said that his administration is trying to get things calmed down in Lebanon as the Israeli strikes have claimed the lives of over 274 people and more than 1,000 people have been injured.

President Biden said, “I've been briefed on the latest developments in Israel and Lebanon. My team is in constant contact with their counterparts, and we're working to de-escalate in a way that allows people to return home safely.”

President Biden further held talks with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan at the White House.

The tension in the Middle-East have escalated after pager and walkie talkie blasts in Lebanon which the militant group Hezbollah blamed on Israel.

Israeli strikes killed more than 270 Lebanese in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war as the Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate their homes ahead of a 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 the 2006 fighting. More than 1,000 other people were wounded in the strikes — a staggering one-day toll for a country still reeling from a deadly attack on communication devices last week.

The government ordered schools and universities to close Tuesday across most of the country and began preparing shelters for people displaced from the south. The Israeli military announced that it hit some 800 targets Monday, saying it was going after Hezbollah weapons sites.

At least 182 people were killed and 727 were wounded, including women, children and medics, in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, the country's health ministry said in a statement, as reported by Reuters.

Israel unleashed its most widespread wave of airstrikes against hundreds of Hezbollah targets, killing at least 100 people by Lebanese tallies, and warned citizens to evacuate areas where it said the armed group was storing weapons.

Lebanon's health ministry said at least 100 people had been killed, including women, children and medics, and more than 300 injured in Israel's strikes. Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X that so far, more than 300 Hezbollah targets have been struck after earlier warning that airstrikes on houses in Lebanon, in which "Hezbollah hid weapons" were imminent.

Israeli strikes in the central Gaza Strip on Monday resulted in the deaths of at least 10 Palestinians, including four children, according to medical sources. Heavy rains have exacerbated conditions for displaced residents living in tent encampments.

The ongoing assault on Gaza, which has persisted for nearly a year, continues despite growing international focus on the conflict in Lebanon and northern Israel involving Hezbollah and Israeli forces.

Palestinian health officials reported that five individuals were killed at a school that was sheltering displaced residents in Nuseirat, one of Gaza's historic refugee camps. The Israeli military stated that the strike targeted a Hamas command center located within a compound that had formerly been a school. (REUTERS)

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 airlines suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.
• AIRBALTIC, Latvia's airBaltic plans to resume flights between Riga and Tel Aviv on Sept. 17.
• AIR FRANCE-KLM, Air France suspended services to Beirut and Tel Aviv until Sept. 19. As of September 23 Beirut flights were cancelled at least until September 24, while Tel Aviv flights had resumed operation.
• KLM has cancelled all flights to and from Tel Aviv until Oct. 26. The Franco-Dutch group's low-cost unit Transavia cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until March 31, 2025, and flights to Amman and Beirut until Nov. 3.
• AIR INDIA The Indian flag carrier suspended scheduled flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.
• CATHAY PACIFIC Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific cancelled all flights to Tel Aviv until March 27, 2025.
• DELTA AIR LINES will pause its flights between New York and Tel Aviv through December 31.
• EASYJET airline stopped flying to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume flights on March 30, 2025.
• IAG owned Spanish low-cost carrier Vueling cancelled its operations to Tel Aviv until Jan. 12, 2025 Flights to Amman have been cancelled until further notice, the airline added.
• LOT, the Polish flag carrier suspended flights to Lebanon until further notice, while flights to Tel Aviv were operating regularly, it said in an emailed comment on Sept. 20.
• LUFTHANSA GROUP said it was suspending all connections to and from Tel Aviv and Tehran until September 24, while flights to Beirut will be suspended until October 26.
• RYANAIR, Europe's biggest budget airline cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until October 26, citing "operational restrictions."
• SUNDAIR airline cancelled all flights between Bremen and Beirut until October 23.
• SUNEXPRESS, suspended flights to Beirut through December 17.
• UNITED AIRLINES suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future due to security reasons.
• Britain advised UK airlines not to enter Lebanese airspace from August 8 until November 4 citing "potential risk to aviation from military activity". 

Citizens in Beirut and other regions received messages on phones from the Israeli military warning them to evacuate their locations immediately, reported Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA). 

The office of Lebanon's Information Minister, Ziad Makary, also received a similar message to evacuate the building, the news agency said. 

Reuters reported that residents of southern Lebanon also received calls from a Lebanese number ordering them to immediately distance themselves 1,000 metres from any post used by Hezbollah. The Reuters reporter also received a call.

Israel is deepening its attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon and the public will have to remain calm the next few days, Israel's 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. These are days in which the Israeli public will have to show composure." Gallant said in a video published by his office.

Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee alerted civilians to evacuate on Monday as airstrikes on houses in Lebanese villages in which Hezbollah had hidden weapons were imminent. 

An event planned for Monday to pay tribute to brave Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during World War I to liberate the northern Israeli coastal city of Haifa from Ottoman rule has been cancelled due to escalating tensions in West Asia.

The event is organised every year at the Indian soldiers' cemetery in Haifa by the Indian mission and Haifa municipality

Outdoor gatherings of up to ten and indoor gatherings of up to a 100 people, close to protected shelters, are currently allowed as  Israel Home Front command issued precautionary advisory to citizens.

"Due to the current situation, the Haifa Day commemoration, planned for September 23, 2024 in Haifa, by the Embassy of India, is being cancelled," an official communication said.

The Indian Army commemorates September 23 every year as Haifa Day to pay its respects to the three brave Indian Cavalry Regiments - Mysore, Hyderabad and Jodhpur Lancers - that helped liberate Haifa following a dashing cavalry action by the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade.

A rocket hit an uninhabited mountainside east of the Lebanese port city of Byblos on Monday, Lebanon's state media and a resident there said, as per reports by Reuters. 

"The area has not been previously hit by airstrikes but falls between Christian and Shi'ite villages there", the resident said, declining to be identified.

Israel on Monday carried out intensified airstrikes across a wider geographical region, targeting the Shi'ite armed group Hezbollah.

The Israeli military on Monday called on people in southern Lebanon to immediately evacuate homes and other buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons and said it was carrying out “extensive strikes” against the militant group, AP. 

It was the first warning of its kind in nearly a year of low-level conflict along the border and came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire on Sunday.

Hezbollah launched over 100 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in retaliation for recent strikes that killed a top commander and dozens of its fighters.

Israeli Defence Minister(IDF) Yoav Gallant said on Monday that he had spoken with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin about the military's latest strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

"Provided the Secretary with a situation assessment of Hezbollah threats and briefed him on IDF operations to degrade Hezbollah's ability to launch attacks against Israeli civilians," Gallant said on X.

"We also discussed the wider regional situation and the threats posed by Iran and its proxies," he added.

Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani speaking at the 'Summit of the Future' held in the US reiterated the Qatar's call to reach a ceasefire agreement in the Israel-Gaza conflict and release war prisoners and hostages. 

Speaking at the Summit on Monday, he called on the international community to take a clear position regarding violations of international humanitarian law regarding the repeated attacks on schools, hospitals, relief workers, and displaced persons in Gaza.

The State of Qatar is currently engaged in various mediations, including mediation between Hamas and Israel, in partnership with the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United States of America, to stop the disastrous war on the Gaza Strip. 

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari in a video on X, called on residents of South Lebanon to keep away from Hezbollah posts. He said Israel began striking Hezbollah posts in Lebanon after identifying an intention to fire on Israel. 

"Hezbollah has converted Lebanon into a warzone by converting Lebanese villages on the borders into militarised structures," he added. 

Israeli warplanes carried out an intense wave of air strikes on towns along Lebanon's southern border and even further north on Monday morning, according to Reuters witnesses.

Warplanes could be heard flying low over the southern port city of Tyre in Lebanon along with a series of air strikes nearby.

Hezbollah's al-Manar television reported Israeli airstrikes targeting the outskirts of many towns and villages in the South and the Bekaa Valley in eastern Lebanon. 

Israeli Defence Forces(IDF) International spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshanihas spoke about the aim of Israeli airstrikes in a video posted on X. He says the military has been conducting preemptive strikes on Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon to defend their civilians on all fronts, including on the northen border.

"We continue playing defense while our enemies play offense. Since Hezbollah joined the war with an unprovoked attack on October 8, forcing over 60, 0000 civilians. We have been conducting precise operations to dimnish their military capabilities." Shoshanihas added. 

"Several week ago Hezbollah was planning a large scale attack that was aimed at our civilians living in the north and the center of Israel. Just like any other decent country would, we defended our civilans and struck numerous rocket launchers before the terrorists could shoot them at our citizens," Shoshanihas said on plaftorm X on Sunday. 

The Israeli military said on Monday it was conducting extensive strikes against targets of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.The military gave no further details of the strikes.

The air attacks come amid some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire between Israel and Hezbollah in nearly a year of conflict.

Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the UN envoy for Lebanon said that armed attacks in the region cannot ensure safey for either sides as both Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon contiune their retaliary attcaks.

In a post made on platform X she said “With the region on the brink of an imminent catastrophe, it cannot be overstated enough: there is NO military solution that will make either side safer."

While the Israeli military said rockets had been fired towards civilian areas, Hezbollah said its attacks have been aimed at military targets.

The barrage came after an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday killed at least 45 people, including one of Hezbollah’s top leaders as well as women and children. 

Hezbollah’s terrorism targets civilians.

Hundreds of thousands of Israeli civilians spent their night hiding in bomb shelters, while barrages of rockets were flying over their heads, some hitting their homes, and rocket alert sirens were constantly sounding throughout the night.… pic.twitter.com/2XzgAQQ7Fp

— Israel Defense Forces (@IDF) September 22, 2024

The United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said that he is concerned about the growing tension and hostilities between Israel and Lebanon based Hezbollah militant group, equating the military conflict between the two with the Israel-Gaza war.

In an interview to CNN, Guterres said that the pager and walkie talkie blasts in Lebanon last week could be projected as a pre-emptive strike in a major military operation.

Guterres said, “The fact that these things existed means that there is a potential for much stronger escalation, and that is what concerns me - the possibility of transforming Lebanon into another Gaza, which I think would be a devastating tragedy for the world,” according to a BBC report.

Detailing about the Israel-Gaza ceasefire deal, Guterres expressed his pessimism about the subject and said, “Neither the government of Israel nor Hamas really want a ceasefire.”

In a recorded message, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his country has served a series of attacks on the militant group Hezbollah and that they will understand the message from Israel loud and clear.

PM Netanyahu said, “In recent days, we have dealt Hezbollah a series of blows they never imagined. If Hezbollah did not understand the message, I assure you, they will understand it.”

Talking about the country’s resolve to bring back the displaced citizens of the North, PM Netanyahu said, “We are determined to safely bring our residents in the North back to their homes. We will do whatever it takes to restore security.”

Hezbollah recently fired around 150 rockets and missiles into Israel while Tel Aviv attacked Beirut and killed at least 45 people, including children.

Josep Borrell, the European Union’s chief diplomat, has expressed his concern over the growing tension between Israel and the Hezbollah militant group as both have been exchanging fire, giving rise to a possible new front of war.

Borrell, in a post on X, stated “The EU is extremely concerned by the escalation in Lebanon, following Friday’s attacks in Beirut & the increasing cross border violence between Israel and Hezbollah. Civilians on both sides are paying an enormous price. An immediate ceasefire is needed.”

After the recent pager and walkie talkie blasts in Lebanon, the Hezbollah group has been raging attacks on Israel as it claimed that Tel Aviv was responsible for the blasts which took place across the country.

Israel has largely remained silent on the blasts but has reiterated that it will do all to take its citizens back to the North who have been displaced by Hezbollah’s barrage of attacks.

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq, which has been attacking Israel since October last year, fired a drone strike on Israel on Sunday in the Jordan Valley, the group has claimed.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) acknowledged the attack by the group and said on Sunday afternoon, a drone or an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) launched from Iraq crossed from Syria into Israeli territory, causing sirens to sound in the southern Golan and Beit Shean Valley areas.

The IDF said that no injuries were reported in the said incident and that the military launched interceptors toward the UAV.

Amid Israel-Gaza war, Israel has been in exchange of warfare with Hezbollah militant group which has declared an 'open-ended battle' with Tel Aviv as the Middle East region gets escalated towards another regional conflict.

White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk has said that the President Joe Biden’s administration shares the same objective of the Israeli government to return the citizens to the North who have been displaced after attacks by the Hezbollah militant group.

According to a Washington Post report, Brett McGurk said, “We have been working on a diplomatic settlement that I think would solve this issue,” adding “It is Nasrallah’s decision to tie the fate of Lebanon to [Hamas leader] Yahya Sinwar in Gaza, the Lebanese people did not vote for that.”

The United States is heading a group of nations to strike a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas militant led Palestine to end the one year of war atrocities. But the escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon based Hezbollah group has again destabilised the region.

“We do not think a war in Lebanon is the way to achieve the objective” of returning people to the north, McGurk said, as per the Washington Post.

Hezbollah supporters carry pictures of Hezbollah commander Ibrahim Akil and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during Akil's funeral procession in Beirut's southern suburb, Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. (AP Photo)

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has said that his country never wanted to be in a state of conflict with the militant group Hezbollah but the attacks by the latter, which has displaced Israeli citizens in the North, has given them a legitimate reason to fight.

President Herzog told CBS News that, “Hezbollah has been attacking us on a daily basis, demolishing Israeli villages and towns, basically leading to the eviction of 100,000 Israelis from their homes,” adding “Life has been shattered in our northern border.”

Defending his country, President Herzog stated that Tel Aviv doesn’t want a war but if it is waged against their country, then they “will go all the way”.

Lebanon reportedly fired over 100 rockets and missiles in Israel while the Israeli military’s attack in Beirut allegedly claimed the lives of 45 people, including children.

As the Israel and militant group Hezbollah engaged in a heavy exchange of fire, the United Nations’ special coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, posted on X that the crisis is leading the Middle East on the brink of "imminent catastrophe".

UN chief Antonio Guterres, in an interview to CNN, said that he feared “the possibility of transforming Lebanon [into] another Gaza”.

The White House has also stated that military escalation by the Israel is not in their interest and the UK’s Foreign Secretary David Lammy called for an immediate ceasefire by both the parties involved in the attacks.

Lebanon has claimed that around 45 people, including children, were killed in the attack on Beirut by Israel, while Tel Aviv claimed that around 150 rockets, missiles and other projectiles were fired at its territory from Lebanon.

Israel military chief Herzi Halevi has said that Lebanon based Hezbollah militant group will keep getting hit by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) until it understands that Tel Aviv will return its citizens to their homes safely.

Halevi further said that “Operations against Hezbollah is a message to anyone in the Middle East to harm our citizens.” This comes as a fear of an all out war between Israel and Iran backed Hezbollah group has risen.

Earlier, the Hezbollah group launched over 100 rockets into northern Israel after Tel Aviv ramped up its attack in Beirut killing dozens, including a veteran leader of the Hezbollah group.

Amid the war crisis, Hezbollah's deputy leader Naim Kassem declared that the militant group is now in an “open-ended battle of reckoning” with Israel which has risen the fear of escalating tensions and opening up of another war front after Israel-Gaza war which is still ongoing since past 11 months.

Israeli troops raided the offices of the satellite news network Al Jazeera in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Sunday, ordering the bureau to shut down amid a widening campaign by Israel targeting the Qatar-funded broadcaster as it covers the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip.

Al Jazeera aired footage of Israeli troops live on its Arabic-language channel ordering the office to be shut for 45 days. It follows an order issued in May that saw Israeli police raid Al Jazeera's broadcast position in East Jerusalem, seizing equipment there, preventing its broadcasts in Israel and blocking its websites.

The move marked the first time Israel has ever shuttered a foreign news outlet operating in the country.

Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets across northern Israel, with some landing near the city of Haifa, as Israel launched hundreds of strikes on Lebanon. A Hezbollah leader declared an “open-ended battle of reckoning” was underway as both sides appeared to be spiraling closer toward all-out war.

The overnight rocket barrage was in response to Israeli attacks in Lebanon that have killed dozens, including a veteran Hezbollah commander, and an unprecedented attack targeting the group’s communications devices. Air raid sirens across northern Israel sent hundreds of thousands of people scrambling into shelters.

One rocket struck near a residential building in Kiryat Bialik, a city near Haifa, wounding at least three people and setting buildings and cars on fire. Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said four people were wounded by shrapnel in the barrage.

Britain will keep under review possible new sanctions against Israeli settlers in the West Bank and will act if it has to, foreign minister David Lammy said, adding he was concerned by actions that were inflaming tensions.

Britain announced sanctions against Israeli settlers in February and May this year over what it said was extremist groups perpetrating settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank.

Lammy, who became foreign minister in July after a Labour election victory, indicated the new government would take a similar approach and said that further sanctions were possible. He added that, notwithstanding Israel's genuine security concerns in the West Bank, "we are very worried about escalatory behaviour, very worried about inflamed tensions."

Israel's military said on Sunday that it intercepted a "suspicious aerial target" launched from the east, and that no damage or injuries were reported, news agency Reuters reported.

Earlier, an official in the Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a grouping of Iran-backed armed factions, said they launched cruise missile and explosive drone attacks at Israel. (Reuters)

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah Sunday launched over 100 rockets across a wider and deeper area of northern Israel, with some landing near the northern city of Haifa in an initial response for pager and walkie talkie blasts, news agency AP reported.

The Israeli military said rockets had been fired “toward civilian areas," pointing to a possible escalation after previous barrages had mainly been aimed at military targets, the report stated.

Israel's Magen David Adom rescue service said it treated four people for shrapnel wounds, including a 76-year-old man who was moderately wounded in Kiryat Bialik, a community near Haifa where buildings were damaged and cars set on fire, AP report stated.

According to the Lebanese Health Ministry, the death toll in Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs rose to 45 on Sunday, news agency Reuters reported.

The militant group Hezbollah announced it fired a barrage of missiles at a military base deep inside Israel early Sunday a day after an Israeli airstrike that killed at least 37 people, news agency AP reported.

It was not immediately clear if any of the rockets had hit their target. 

Israel’s emergency medical services reported that a man was lightly wounded by shrapnel from a missile that was intercepted in a village in the lower Galilee, the AP report stated.

The Israeli military said only that it monitored the launch of “about ten rockets” from Lebanon, of which most were intercepted, AP report stated.

Hezbollah said it had launched “dozens of Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 missiles" - a new type of weapon the group had not used before - at the Ramat David airbase, southeast of Haifa, "in response to the repeated Israeli attacks that targeted various Lebanese regions and led to the fall of many civilian martyrs.” (AP)

Israel's military has launched a massive air campaign in southern Lebanon, striking Hezbollah sites, as tensions soar following yesterday's deadly air strike in Beirut.

With cross-border exchanges intensifying, Israel has restricted gatherings in northern cities, including Haifa, and the US and Jordan have warned citizens to exit Lebanon immediately.

(with inputs from BBC)

The Israeli military announced on Saturday that it had been "striking extensively" in southern Lebanon over the past hour after identifying plans by Hezbollah to target Israeli communities. (Reuters)

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati has urged the international community to "take a clear position" regarding what he described as "horrific massacres," in a statement released this afternoon, BBC reported.

Mikati announced that he had planned to attend the UN General Assembly in New York but chose to cancel his trip due to recent developments. He emphasised, “There is no priority at the present time that is higher than stopping the massacres committed by the Israeli enemy and the various types of wars it is waging.”

He called on the international community and "the human conscience" to respond decisively to these atrocities. Additionally, Mikati advocated for the "adoption of international laws to protect civilian technological means from military and war targets," in light of the recent pager and walkie-talkie attacks.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) provided an update on today's cross-border fire, stating that approximately 180 targets and thousands of launcher barrels have been destroyed in a series of strikes in southern Lebanon. 

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan expressed concern on Saturday about the escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon, but stated that the Israeli killing of a senior Hezbollah leader delivered justice to the Iran-backed group.

At least 37 people, including three children and seven women, were killed in an Israeli airstrike on a suburb of Beirut on Friday, the Lebanese health ministry reported on Saturday.

Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that recent attacks on Lebanon indicate Israel's intent to escalate the war in the region. He called on Western nations to take "deterrent steps" against Israel. 

Speaking at a press conference, Erdogan emphasized that Israel's war in Gaza will be a central theme of his address at the UN General Assembly on Tuesday. He stated, "In order for our region not to be dragged into a great disaster, the pressure on Israel must be increased even more."

Erdogan referred to this week’s attacks in Lebanon, including the explosion of Hezbollah members' communication devices, which killed 39 people. While the attacks are widely believed to be the work of Israel, the country has neither confirmed nor denied involvement. 

"It is time for all countries with the mission of protecting world peace to come up with solutions that will stop Israel," Erdogan said. He further added, "In order to end this oppression that has been going on for almost a year, to establish a permanent ceasefire and to ensure the unhindered flow of humanitarian aid, all of us, the whole world and especially the UN, have important duties."

Turkey has been a vocal critic of Israel’s actions in Gaza, which began after the Hamas attack on October 7. Israel reported that approximately 1,200 people were killed and over 250 were taken hostage in that attack. Israel’s subsequent military operations in Gaza have resulted in over 41,000 Palestinian deaths, according to Gaza’s health ministry.

Ankara has also suspended all trade with Israel and requested to join South Africa’s case at the International Court of Justice, accusing Israel of genocide—claims Israel has consistently rejected as baseless. (Reuters)

Lebanon’s Hezbollah announced it fired rockets at two military positions in northern Israel on Saturday, in retaliation for Israeli strikes on southern villages and civilian homes. The Israeli military confirmed it was conducting new strikes against Hezbollah targets. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Hezbollah said it launched Katyusha rockets at two Israeli barracks. Meanwhile, AFP correspondents reported intense Israeli strikes across several areas in southern Lebanon.

At least 16 Hezbollah militants were eliminated in an Israeli strike in Beirut on Friday, an Israeli military spokesperson said on Saturday, news agency Reuters reported. 

The death toll from an Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb has risen to 31, including seven women and three children, Lebanon's health minister said on Saturday. 

At least 68 people were wounded, out of whom15 remain in hospital. The search and rescue operations are ongoing, with the number of casualties likely to rise, news agency AP reported. 

The rare strike — the deadliest targeting the Lebanese capital since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war — hit a densely populated southern neighborhood on Friday afternoon during rush hour as people returned home. 

(With AP inputs)

At least 13 Palestinians were killed by an Israeli strike that hit a school sheltering displaced people in southern Gaza City, the Palestinian news agency Wafa reported, as quoted by Reuters. 

Many other people were wounded in a separate strike that hit a school in the same neighbourhood, Wafa added. 

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, said on Saturday that Israel is committing "shameless crimes" against children, not combatants.

His comments come in the wake of an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which killed 31 people, including three children and seven women, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

At least 31 people were killed, including three children and seven women, in an Israeli strike on Beirut's suburbs on Friday, the Lebanese health ministry told a televised news conference on Saturday.

?Ahmed Mahmoud Wahbi: Alias Hajj Abu Hussein Samir (Born 1964, Adloun, Southern Lebanon)
?Mahmoud Yassin Hamad: Alias Fajr (Born 1977, Nabatieh al-Tahta, Southern Lebanon)
?Samer Abdul Halim Halawi: Alias Hamza al-Gharbiyya (Born 1980, Qaqaiyat al-Jisr, Southern Lebanon)
?Hassan Hussein Madi: Alias Abu Hadi Midoun (Born 1980, Midoun, Western Bekaa)
?Muhammad Ahmad Reda: Alias Abu Ali Nineveh (Born 1986, Anqoun, Southern Lebanon)
?Muhammad Qasim al-Attar: Alias Abu Yasser al-Attar (Born 1973, al-Sharbin, Bekaa)
?Ahmad Samir Deeb: Alias Jihad (Born 1991, Mays al-Jabal, Southern Lebanon)
?Abdullah Abbas Hijazi: Alias Bilal (Born 1987, Hortaala, Bekaa)
?Aref Ahmed Al-Raz: Alias Siraj (Born 1980, Beirut)
?Hassan Ali Hussein: Alias Abu Sajid (Born 1975, Kfarmelki, Southern Lebanon)
?Abbas Sami Muslimmani: Alias Siraj Ali (Born 1985, Al-Jibbin, Southern Lebanon)
?Hussein Ahmed Hadraj: Alias Siraj (Born 1984, Al-Ghasaniyeh, Southern Lebanon)
?Hassan Youssef Abdul Sater: Alias Baqer (Born 1988, Iaat, Bekaa)
?Mahdi Muslim Jamoul: Alias Jawad (Born 1981, Azza, Southern Lebanon)

Source: National News Agency (Official news agency of the government of Lebanon)

Lebanon's Hezbollah said early on Saturday that Ahmed Wahbi, a top commander who oversaw the military operations of the Radwan special forces during the Gaza war until early 2024, was killed in an Israel strike on Beirut suburbs on Friday. 
(Reuters)