Israel-Lebanon latest: Hezbollah rockets hit Haifa as Israel on high alert for October 7 anniversary

Israel authorities said they were on the lookout for attacks timed to coincide with the October 7 anniversary

Black smoke rises from Lebanon’s Beirut skyline

Hezbollah rockets hit Israel’s third-largest city of Haifa on the one-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack, in the first direct strike on the northern city that evaded the military’s usually reliable air defence systems.

Hezbollah said it targeted a military base south of Haifa with a salvo of “Fadi 1” missiles. Two rockets hit Haifa and five hit Tiberias, according to Israeli media.

Israel is on high alert today for possible attacks, military spokesperson Admiral Daniel Hagari said. “We are ready with increased forces in anticipation for this day,” he added.

Thousands of Israelis are holding vigils and somber ceremonies to mark a year since Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took 250 others hostage. The attack triggered a war in Gaza, where Israel killed nearly 42,000 Palestinians, according to the health ministry of the Hamas-run Strip.

Israel intensified its airstrikes on Gaza and Lebanon on the eve of the anniversary, with fireballs and loud booms seen over the darkened skyline of Beirut.

Palestinian officials said a strike on a mosque in Gaza earlier in the day killed at least 19 people.

Key Points

• Hezbollah rockets strike Israel's Haifa in direct attack
• In pictures: Israel mourns a year after 7 October attack
• Gazans on their year of hell: ‘The pain is indescribable’
• Israel intensifies bombing of Gaza and Lebanon
• Israel on high alert for one-year anniversary of 7 October attacks

[6 October 2024 10:28 · Tom Watling]

Gaza death toll rises to 41,870, ministry says

At least 41,870 Palestinians have been killed and 97,166 others injured in Israel‘s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, Gaza’s health ministry has said.

Displaced Palestinians flee areas in northern Gaza Strip following an Israeli evacuation order, in Gaza (REUTERS)

[6 October 2024 10:02 · Tom Watling]

Pro-Gaza protester attempts self-immolation outside White House

[6 October 2024 09:28 · Tom Watling]

In pictures: Israel airstrikes hit Gaza and Beirut, killing dozens

Palestinians inspect the rubble of the destroyed Al Aqsa Martyrs Mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip (EPA)

A view of the destroyed Al Aqsa Martyrs Mosque following an Israeli airstrike in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza Strip (EPA)

Heavy smoke rises from a building set ablaze by an Israeli strike that targeted Beirut's southern suburbs (AFP via Getty Images)

[6 October 2024 08:59 · Tom Watling]

Live: Lebanon's Beirut skyline as Israeli military issues evacuation order

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[6 October 2024 08:30 · Vishwam Sankaran]

Lebanon health system on 'brink of collapsing'

The health system in Lebanon is starting to collapse, according to the UN.

“Throughout the past days we have been witnessing an alarming increase in attacks against healthcare,” Imran Riza, the UN Deputy Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon, said in a post on X.

“Health workers are paying the heaviest price with their lives. The health system is on the brink of collapsing,” Mr Riza said.

The UN called on the international community to protect healthcare workers and civilians and establish an immediate ceasefire.

[6 October 2024 08:00 · Vishwam Sankaran]

US pledges $157m in additional aid to Lebanon

Amid Israel’s invasion of Lebanon and strikes on Beirut, US vice president and Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris announced that the country would provide nearly $157m in additional assistance to the people of Lebanon.

Ms Harris said the aid would address “essential needs such as food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation to help those who have been displaced by the recent conflict.”

“I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there,” she said.

“This additional support brings total US assistance to Lebanon over the last year to over $385 million,” the vice president added.

X users were quick to criticise the move by the US, which accounts for nearly 70 per cent of Israel’s arms imports.

Since Israel invaded Gaza, the US has approved billions of dollars in weapons sales to Israel over the past months.

“I’m no military expert, but lying awake that night in Beirut, you wonder whether the value of the US-produced bombs and aircraft in use here, in the competition between destruction and aid, doesn’t far exceed that sum,” Beirut-based journalist Karim El-Gawhary posted on X.