Israel-Hezbollah latest: Israeli forces ‘conducting Lebanon raids’ ahead of possible full ground invasion
Defence minister tells troops near border that Israel ‘will use all the forces from the air, sea and land’ as an airstrike hits Beirut for the first time in 18 years
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Israeli special forces are said to be conducting small-group raids into southern Lebanon to gather intelligence on Hezbollah positions, with Israel’s defence minister hinting at a ground invasion.
Yoav Gallant was quoted by Iasraeli media as telling armoured corps troops near the Lebanon border: “To return the resident of the north safely to their homes we will activate all our capabilities - including you.”
"We will use all the forces from the air, sea and land," he added.
It comes as the deputy leader of Hezbollah vowed to be ready for an Israeli invasion.
In his first speech since Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah over the weekend, the group’s deputy chief Naim Qassem said he was confident Hezbollah could push Israeliforces back like during the war in 2006.
“We are confident the Israeli enemy will not achieve its aims,” Qassem said. “We will confront any possibility and are ready if Israel decides to enter by land.”
Israel intensified its airstrikes on Monday, hitting central Beirut for the first time since 2006, while also killing Hamas’s leader in Lebanon in the southern city of Tyre.
Israel kills Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in strike marking major escalation in conflict
Israel-Hezbollah conflict: Why is Lebanon being attacked and will there be a ceasefire?
The killing of Hezbollah’s leader will make Israel no safer
‘We have lost everything’: Britons fleeing Lebanon say family was wiped out by airstrike
Who was Hassan Nasrallah? Hezbollah leader of Lebanese militant group killed in Israeli strike
Killing of Revolutionary Guards chief will not go unanswered, Iran warns
Israel’s killing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan in Lebanon “will not go unanswered”, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi has warned.
‘This is our country and we’re staying,’ Beirut resident says
In Beirut, some displaced families spent the night on the benches at Zaitunay Bay, a string of restaurants and cafes on Beirut’s waterfront. On Sunday morning, families with nothing more than a duffle bag of clothes had rolled out mats to sleep on and made tea for themselves.
“You won’t be able to destroy us, whatever you do, however much you bomb, however much you displace people – we will stay here. We won’t leave. This is our country and we’re staying,” said Francoise Azori, a Beirut resident jogging through the area.
Four killed in strikes in Gaza
Israeli strikes have killed at least four people in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian officials.
Two people were killed in separate strikes early on Sunday in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the nearby Awda Hospital, which received the bodies. It said another six people were wounded.
In northern Gaza, first responders recovered two bodies after a strike on a house early on Sunday, according to Gaza’s civil defence authority, which operates under the Hamas-run government.
Tory leadership hopeful Badenoch praises Netanyahu for ‘extraordinary’ killing of Hezbollah chief
Diplomatic efforts for ceasefire with Israel ‘under way’, Lebanon minister says
Lebanon’s information minister said during a cabinet session on Sunday that diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire with Israel were still “under way”.
Senior Hezbollah figure killed in attack, Israel says
The Israeli military has said that it killed senior Hezbollah figure Nabil Kaouk amid an ongoing exchange of strikes between the two sides.
Hezbollah has not yet commented on Kaouk’s fate, but supporters have been posting mourning messages for him since Saturday.
A former commander who led Hezbollah’s forces in southern Lebanon during Israel’s 18-year occupation, Kaouk then held positions on Hezbollah’s executive council.
Iran’s speaker vows Tehran-backed groups will continue confronting Israel
Iran’s parliament speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf has said that militant groups will keep confronting Israel with Tehran’s help following the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, state media reported.
“We will not hesitate to go to any level in order to help the resistance,” said Mr Qalibaf, referring to the alliance known as the Axis of Resistance, built over decades with Iranian support, which includes Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis.
He also issued a warning to the United States, saying: “The US is complicit in all of these crimes and ... has to accept the repercussions,” he said.
Also commenting on Nasrallah’s killing, Iranian Foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said Israel “will not rest” and the action would not go unanswered, state media reported on Sunday. He said the region was in a dangerous situation.
Iran Revolutionary Guards’ deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan was also killed in the Israeli strikes on Beirut on Friday, Iranian media reported on Saturday.
Israeli strikes ‘killed five members of my family’, says British woman
A British woman returning to the UK from Lebanon said Israeli air strikes have killed five members of her family, including a cousin 10 days away from her wedding day.
Sana Chamseddin clutched her son in her arms at Heathrow Airport on Saturday and spoke of her guilt at escaping besieged Lebanon and leaving behind loved ones in “unsafe places”.
Her uncle, his wife, and his three daughters who were all in their twenties, were killed when their home in the Lebanese city of Tyre was bombed by the Israel Defence Forces, she told the PA news agency.
More here.
Israeli strikes killed five members of my family, says mother returning to UK
Sana Chamseddin told the PA news agency that her uncle, his wife and his three daughters died on Monday.
Israeli strikes continue in Lebanon despite killing Hezbollah chief
Israeli military continued its airstrikes today despite killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.
The military said it struck dozens of Hezbollah “terror” targets in Lebanon in the past dozen hours, including launchers aimed toward Israel.
At least six people have been killed in the south of the country and nine others in the Hezbollah stronghold of Bekaa Valley, Lebanese media reported.
Why is Lebanon being attacked and will there be a ceasefire?
Tensions in the Middle East continue to escalate as Israel ramps up its assault on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon.
Beginning with a major bombardment on 23 September, Lebanon has now experienced its deadliest attack since the end of the 1975 - 1990 Civil War, with over 90,000 civilians displaced from their homes.
Since the 7 October Hamas attack where over 240 Israeli hostages were taken, Hezbollah has been striking Israel from Lebanon on the country’s northern border in support of Hamas.
Israeli forces have continued to respond with strikes on the paramilitary group which regularly fired missiles and rockets to intercept military technology like drones or tanks.
More here.
Israel-Hezbollah: Why is Lebanon being attacked and will there be a ceasefire?
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has ruled out a US-led ceasefire deal
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