Israel-Lebanon live: Houthis fire ballistic missile at Tel Aviv as Israeli airstrike kills entire family of 9
An Israeli airstrike killed an entire family of nine, including four children and a pregnant woman
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In a dramatic escalation, Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthi forces launched a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv and a drone at Ashkelon on Friday, in retaliation for Israeli military actions in Gaza and Lebanon.
Meanwhile, an Israeli airstrike on the Lebanese border town of Shebaa killed entire family of nine, including four children and a pregnant woman.
The Houthis, who have been vocal supporters of Palestine and Lebanon, announced they would continue targeting Israeli cities until Israel’s military operations in Gaza and Lebanon cease. Although the Israeli army intercepted the missile fired from Yemen, the threat from the Houthis remains, with their spokesperson promising more attacks in the coming days.
This development coincides with growing civilian casualties in Lebanon, where an estimated 700 people have been killed this week according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
Fears of an all-out war are now at their highest since Hezbollah stepped up its attacks on Israel, a day after the deadly Hamas attacks on southern Israel on 7 October, in support of Palestinians in Gaza.
Britain joins US, France and allies in call for 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah
Britons urged to leave Lebanon now – but what are their travel options after most flights cancelled?
Jordan travel: Is it safe to travel right now, and what are your rights if you have a trip booked?
Netanyahu orders Israeli military to fight Hezbollah with full force – despite ceasefire push
Pictured: Israel strikes Beirut again
Israel has struck Lebanon’s capital city of Beirut a number of times this week.
The strike hit the southern suburbs, near where several of hezbollah’s facilities are located - but also where many civilians live and work.
Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV broadcast images of a damaged upper floor of a building.
Report: Israel gears up for Lebanon ground invasion after another day of heavy strikes
Israel is preparing for a potential ground invasion of Lebanon, army chiefs said on Wednesday, as US president Joe Biden admitted “all-out war” is possible and Sir Keir Starmer urged British nationals to leave the area immediately.
Airstrikes in Lebanon are laying the groundwork for a possible operation to push Hezbollah back and “safely return” displaced Israeli citizens, said Israeli army general Lt Gen Herzi Halevi.
Read the full report by Rachel Hagan and Tom Watling:
Israel gears up for Lebanon ground invasion after another day of heavy strikes
Biden admits ‘all-out war’ is possible as Starmer warns British nationals in Lebanon: ‘The time to leave is now’
The Blue Line - the temporary border between Israel and Lebanon
What is the Blue Line?
As part of the 21-day ceasefire proposal - which has been rejected by Israel - mediators refer to ending the fighting along the Blue Line between Israel and Lebanon.
The Blue Line is a provisional border between Israel and Lebanon - and is not yet viewed as a permanent border.
Drawn in 2000 and monitored by UN peacekeepers, the Blue Line was seen as a temporary solution to demarcate the border between Israel and Lebanon, while a peace agreement still had not been signed.
UN Security Council resolution 1701, which was passed after the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, called for “full respect” for the Blue Line by troops on both sides.
But not only have both Israel and Hezbollah been firing rockets and airstrikes across the line, the Israeli military is now gearing up to stage a ground invasion, according to a top army general.
Hezbollah are supposed to remain behind the Litani river, 20 miles from the Blue Line, but for years have been slowly moving forwards.
Israel ‘targeting Hezbollah leader'
As has been the case with previous Beirut strikes, a security source tells Reuters that Israel targeted a "senior Hezbollah leader" in the hit on Beirut's southern suburbs on Thursday afternoon. Israel has not realised details of the latest strike, but have confirmed they did fire on Beirut.
New Beirut strike
The Israeli military has said it is carrying out what is cliams are “precise” strikes in Beirut, where the sound of a blast was heard and smoke was seen rising in the southern suburbs, a Hezbollah stronghold.
More than 600 people have been killed since Monday in Israel's strikes on Lebanon, which follow nearly a year of cross-border fire with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah. The strike in a Beirut – one of a number this week – was likely targeting Hezbollah commanders.
Local Hezbollah media said the strike had hit an apartment building.
Pictured: Relatives mourn the death of an Iraqi killed in Lebanon
ICYMI: Mother of British teacher shares relief at his escape
The mother of a British teacher in Beirut has shared her “relief” at her son’s escape from Lebanon.
Charlie Peters, 24, from Highgate in north London, worked in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon’s capital and has fled the country after the UK government urged British citizens to leave.
His mother, Nicola, said: “I’ve spent three days with the jitters and the jumps and not wanting really to look at the news, but also having to look at the news, and that’s really tricky.
“All those stages of, ‘are you at the airport? Have you got your boarding pass? Are you at gate?’ Because you’re waiting for that sort of news to come through the airport is shot.
“What Charlie was really keen to do is that he did not want to be evacuated
“He was like, ‘we’re edging towards emergency evacuation here. I don’t want to be somebody who’s left it to the point where that’s my only option.”
Nicola said that her son had to wrestle with the decision to leave Lebanon.
“What you have to understand for these people who work in these sort of refugee camp systems is you’re leaving people behind who have no choice,” she said.
Charlie hopes to arrive at London Heathrow this afternoon.
Blinken: World is calling for ceasefire
The US Secretary of State has spoken out on the international efforts to achieve a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.
The world is speaking clearly on the need for a ceasefire on the Israel-Lebanon border - otherwise known as the Blue Line - he told MSNBC.
More details to follow...
Report: What is the proposed Lebanon ceasefire deal – and can Israel be convinced to accept it?
The UK has joined the US and France and a number of other allies in calling for a 21-day ceasefire in the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
More than 600 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon this week, as Israel carried out an extensive bombing campaign days after a pair of attacks causing Hezbollah pagers and walkie-talkies to explode. Around 600 people have been killed and thousands more wounded in the strikes.
US President Joe Biden is among the Western leaders to express fears of an all-out war and UN secretary-general António Guterres, has told a UN security council meeting that “hell is breaking loose”.
The UK has now joined calls for a 21-day ceasefire. But what does this actually mean, and will Israel accept it?
Read the full report below:
What is the proposed 21-day Lebanon ceasefire deal?
The UK has joined 11 other countries in pushing for a truce
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