Israel-Lebanon latest: UK charters flight to get Brits out as Israel begins ground invasion against Hezbollah

Israel says a ‘limited, localised and targeted’ ground operation has started in Lebanon

Multiple explosions in Beirut during Israeli strikes on Hezbollah targets

The UK has chartered an emergency flight out of Lebanon for Britons caught up in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel as tanks roll into the southern half of the country.

Around 5,000 Britons remain in Lebanon and the government said it is working on “all contingency options” to get them out.

UK foreign secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly”.

Israel’s military says it has begun a “targeted” ground operation in southern Lebanon, with its troops conducting raids on Hezbollah targets and infrastructure along the border.

Ground forces were being supported by the air force and artillery carrying out “precise strikes”, the Israeli military said in a statement.

Local residents in the Lebanese border town of Aita al-Shaab reported heavy shelling and sound of helicopters and drones overhead.

Israel described its offensive as “limited, localised, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence” against Hezbollah targets that posed “an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel”.

The ground invasion of Lebanon represents a significant escalation of the conflict in a Middle East that threatens to suck in the US and Iran.

Key Points

• Israel says ‘intense’ fighting taking place in Lebanon
• Uk government charters flight for Britons in Lebanon
• Israeli military says it has begun ‘limited, localised’ operation in southern Lebanon
• US to send ‘few thousand’ more troops to Middle East if Israel needs defending, says Pentagon

[1 October 2024 04:00 · Namita Singh]

Austin spoke with Israel's Gallant, Pentagon says

US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant on Monday, the Department of Defence said.

“They agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot conduct October 7-style attacks on Israel’s northern communities,” the department said in a statement.

Mr Austin reaffirmed that a diplomatic resolution is required to ensure that civilians can return safely to their homes on both sides of the border, according to the department.

[1 October 2024 04:00 · Graig Graziosi]

WATCH: Hezbollah's deputy leader vows to fight on after Nasrallah's death

[1 October 2024 03:26 · Graig Graziosi]

Top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon was UNRWA employee placed on administrative leave

The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said that the top Hamas commander killed in Lebanon Monday was one of its employees but had no function as he was placed on administrative leave since March.

Fatah Sharif’s connection to Hamas appeared set to ratchet up pressure on UNRWA, already facing a $80 million funding shortfall this year. Critics have repeatedly blasted the agency, saying it wasn’t doing enough to root out Hamas militants from its ranks.

The U.N.’s internal watchdog has been investigating UNRWA since Israel in January accused 12 of its staffers of being involved in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel, in which armed militants killed 1,200 people and abducted some 250 others. The allegations led more than a dozen donor countries to suspend their funding, causing an initial cash crunch of about $450 million dollars. Since then, all donor countries except for the United States have decided to resume funding the agency.

[1 October 2024 02:54 · Graig Graziosi]

Syrian news anchor killed in Israeli airstrike, Syrian media reports

A well known Syrian televsion anchor, Safaa Ahmed, and two other individuals were killed overnight after an Israeli airstrike on Damascus, according to Syrian news organization SANA.

Syria defense ministry said the IDF launched an attack using drones and planes around 2am local time.

“The General Authority for Radio and Television announces the death of the anchor Safaa Ahmed as a martyr following the treacherous Israeli aggression on the capital, Damascus,” SANA reported.

[1 October 2024 02:20 · Graig Graziosi]

EDITORIAL: Iran does not want war with Israel – but what of Benjamin Netanyahu?

From the editorial:

The Iranian regime has been in trouble for many months, and at risk of revolt enacted by a people exhausted by the ayatollah’s aggression as well as their country’s isolation and international sanctions. Plainly, they do not want war with Israel – but what of Mr Netanyahu?

Suddenly energised by bold military initiatives, Israel seems to possess an unlimited appetite for audacious operations. It has already launched some further pre-emptive air assaults on the notorious Houthi rebels in Yemen (another of Iran’s cadet forces).

Few would bet against it, given the momentum that has powered Israel forward in recent days – and Israel’s unprecedented defiance, even towards its most important partner, the United States.

[1 October 2024 02:00 · Graig Graziosi]

Watch: Beirut city centre in ruins after first Israeli strike in 18 years

Watch live from Beirut on Monday, 30 September, as an apartment building lies in ruins following an Israeli strike in the city centre for the first time since 2006.

This feed shows a residential building that was hit by an airstrike in the Kola district.

According to Lebanon’s health ministry, the attack brings the death toll from Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon to more than 1,000 people and the number of those injured to more than 6,000 over the last two weeks.

[1 October 2024 01:31 · Graig Graziosi]

Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon begins with ‘targeted’ raids on Hezbollah targets

Israel’s widely-expected ground incursion inside Lebanon appeared to be underway with its military saying troops had carried out ‘targeted’ raids across the border while backed by airstrikes and artillery.

In a statement issued on Tuesday morning, Israel Defense Force (IDF) said it was striking Hezbollah targets in areas close to its country’s northern border.

The announcement came shortly after Israeli media reported that the country’s cabinet had approved the next stage of the military operation targeting the militant group.

[1 October 2024 00:56 · Graig Graziosi]

‘Operation Northern Arrows’ begins in southern Lebanon

The IDF’s push into Lebanon — which it is calling “Operation Northern Arrows” — is reportedly targeting individuals in villages close to the border that it claims posed an “immediate threat” to communities in northern Israel.

Residents in Aita al-Shaab, a village close to Lebanon’s southern border, told Reuters that they experienced heavy shelling and that they could hear drones and helicopters overhead.

[1 October 2024 00:30 · Graig Graziosi]

The White House denies that Biden calling for a ceasefire in Lebanon is a policy change on Israel

The White House says there has been no change in America’s support of Israel in response to the start of what has been described as a limited ground offensive in Lebanon despite President Joe Biden’s call for the Israeli government to consider “stopping” the operations and his suggestion that a ceasefire deal be implemented “now.”

Biden commented on the plans when he was questioned by reporters following remarks on Monday he delivered on the federal response to Hurricane Helene.

Asked whether he was aware of or comfortable with the Israeli plans, Biden replied: “I’m more aware than you might know, and I’m comfortable with them stopping.”

“We should have a ceasefire now,” he added.

[1 October 2024 00:02 · Tara Cobham]

Israeli military says it has begun ‘limited, localised’ operation in southern Lebanon

The Israeli military says it has begun a "limited, localised" operation in southern Lebanon.