Israel-Iran latest: Eight IDF soldiers killed fighting Hezbollah in Lebanon as Israel strikes Beirut
Israel strikes central Beirut, killing six and leaving seven wounded
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Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah intensified as eight IDF soldiers were killed in ground combat in south Lebanon. In response, Israel bombed central Beirut, killing at least six people and wounding seven.
The airstrike targeted a building in the Bachoura neighborhood, near Lebanon’s parliament.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to defeat Iran’s “Axis of Evil,” saying, “we are at the height of a difficult war... we will stand together and with God’s help, we will win together.”
Hezbollah reported ground clashes with Israeli forces, claiming to have destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks. Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli air raids killed 46 people in the past 24 hours.
Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden said the US will not support an Israeli strike on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear programme as the US looked to contain the escalating conflict in the Middle East.
“The answer is no,” the US president told reporters on Wednesday when asked if he would support such a response after Iran fired around 200 missiles at Israel the previous day following Israel’s invasion of Lebanon.
Full story: Israel and Hezbollah clash in fierce fighting in Lebanon as Netanyahu vows Iran ‘will pay’ for missile attack
Israel and Hezbollah have clashed in intense ground battles in southern Lebanon for the first time in nearly two decades as Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed Iran “will pay” for its huge missile attack.
Mr Netanyahu held two security meetings in the immediate wake of Iran firing 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, the first of which was in a bunker in Jerusalem late on Tuesday night and the second was in Tel Aviv at the defence ministry’s headquarters on Wednesday, to work out a response.
“Iran made a big mistake tonight - and it will pay for it,” he said, immediately after the attack. “The regime in Iran does not understand our determination to defend ourselves and our determination to retaliate against our enemies.”
Chief International Correspondent Bel Trew and Tom Watling report:
Israel and Hezbollah clash in fierce fighting as Netanyahu vows Iran ‘will pay’
‘Significant’ response expected in days as eight Israeli soldiers killed during fighting intensifies on the ground in Lebanon
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