Israel-Lebanon latest: UN envoy says Middle East is on brink of ‘catastrophe’ as Netanyahu strikes Hezbollah
Threat of all-out regional war grows as Israel denies involvement in deadly pager attacks
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The Israeli military says it has launched extensive new strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Monday morning, following a weekend that saw the heaviest exchanges of fire since the conflict began almost a year ago.
On Sunday, Israel said it struck around 290 targets inside Lebanon after Hezbollah launched just over 100 rockets at northern Israel.
The UN envoy for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, warned that the Middle East is on the brink of “imminent catastrophe”, emphasising that “there is NO military solution that will make either side safer.”
Earlier, Israel has denied having any involvement in an exploding pager attack which killed dozens and injured thousands of people across Lebanon and Syria.
Israeli president Isaac Herzog said he “rejects out of hand any connection” to the audacious operation carried out against Hezbollah last week.
At least 39 people were injured and 3,000 were wounded after the Iran-backed militia’s pagers and walkie-talkies simultaneously detonated across the Middle East on Tuesday and Thursday.
Islamic Resistance in Iraq says its drones targeted Israeli base
Drones of the Islamic Resistance in Iraq targeted the Israeli military’s Golani observation base in the occupied Palestinian territories, the pro-Iranian militant group said on Monday.
On Sunday, the group said it had launched a drone attack on a target in the Israeli-occupied Jordan Valley.
Iraqi Shia armed factions, like other pro-Iranian groups, pledged to carry out attacks in solidarity with the Palestinians after Hamas militants launched its attack on Israel on 7 October last year, triggering the war in Gaza.
Islamic Resistance in Iraq vowed to escalate its attacks.
In separate statements, the Israeli military said interceptors were launched towards an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that had been launched from Iraq and was identified crossing into Israeli territory from Syria.
No injuries were reported.
Tension in the Middle East has surged since thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by members of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group exploded in an attack widely blamed on Israel.
Hezbollah and Israel have exchanged some of the heaviest cross-border fire in a conflict running in parallel with the almost year-long Gaza war.
Israeli military says it is striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
The Israeli military said on Monday it was conducting extensive strikes against targets of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon.
The military gave no further details of the strikes, which come amid some of the heaviest cross-border exchanges of fire in nearly a year of conflict.
Hamas lauds Hezbollah's rocket strikes on Israel
Hamas has praised its ally Hezbollah for launching overnight rocket strikes against northern Israel.
Hamas salutes the resistance fighters in Lebanon for their resilience and bravery in facing the Zionist war machine and for their determination to continue fighting in support of the Palestinian people and their resistance in Gaza and the West Bank.
'Clear' neither side wants ceasefire in Gaza war, says UN chief
UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres has made a stark assessment of the Gaza conflict, stating that it’s clear neither side is interested in a ceasefire.
“It is for me clear that both sides are not interested in a ceasefire. And that is a tragedy, because this is a war that must stop,” Mr Guterres told the CNN, adding that “neither the government of Israel nor the Hamas really want the ceasefire.”
Hamas lauds Hezbollah's rocket strikes on Israel
Hamas has praised its ally Hezbollah for launching overnight rocket strikes against northern Israel.
In a statement, Hamas expressed solidarity with Hezbollah, saying: “Hamas salutes the resistance fighters in Lebanon for their resilience and bravery in facing the Zionist war machine and for their determination to continue fighting in support of the Palestinian people and their resistance in Gaza and the West Bank.”
Modi meets Palestinian president, voices concern over Gaza humanitarian crisis
Indian prime minister Narendra Modi has met with Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in New York, expressing “deep concern at the humanitarian situation in Gaza and reaffirmed India’s continued support to the people of Palestine”, according to a government spokesperson.
“Met President Mahmoud Abbas in New York,” Mr Modi wrote on X. “Reiterated India’s support for the early restoration of peace and stability in the region. Exchanged views on further strengthening our long-standing friendship with the people of Palestine.”
During the meeting, Mr Modi conveyed India’s commitment to the Palestinian people, emphasising the need for peace and stability in the region, officials said.
This meeting took place on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly session.
Netanyahu reveals half of Hamas hostages believed alive
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu disclosed in a closed Knesset meeting that approximately half of the 97 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since 7 October are thought to be alive.
“We have information indicating half of the hostages in Gaza are alive,” Mr Netanyahu told lawmakers at the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, according to Army Radio.
Hezbollah declares ‘open-ended battle of reckoning’ with Israel and fires more than 100 rockets
Hezbollah launched more than 100 rockets across northern Israel on Sunday as a senior leader declared an “open-ended battle of reckoning”, with both sides appearing closer than ever to all-out war.
Some of the rockets landed near the city of Haifa; one struck near a residential building in Kiryat Bialik, wounding at least three people and setting buildings and cars on fire.
It followed Israeli strikes on Lebanon that have killed dozens, including a veteran Hezbollah commander, and an unprecedented attack targeting the group’s communications devices.
Report:
Hezbollah declares ‘open-ended battle of reckoning’ with Israel
Air raid sirens across northern Israel sent hundreds of thousands of people scrambling into shelters
Israel denies involvement with pager attack
Israel has denied having any involvement with a deadly exploding pager attack which injured thousands of people across Lebanon and Syria.
Israeli president Isaac Herzog said he “rejects out of hand any connection” to the audacious operation carried out against Hezbollah on Tuesday.
At least 39 people were injured and 3,000 were wounded after the Shi’ite militia’s pagers and walkie-talkies simultaneously detonated across the Middle East.
Hezbollah says it's using new weapons
Hezbollah said it had launched dozens of Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 missiles — a new weapon the group hadn’t used before — at the Ramat David airbase, southeast of Haifa, “in response to the repeated Israeli attacks that targeted various Lebanese regions and led to the fall of many civilian martyrs”.
In July, the group released what it said was video it had taken of the base with surveillance drones.
Hezbollah also said it had targeted facilities of the Rafael defence firm, headquartered in Haifa, calling it retaliation for the wireless devices attack. It didn’t provide evidence, and the Israeli military declined to comment.
Hezbollah vowed to retaliate for a wave of explosions that hit pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members on Tuesday and Wednesday, killing at least 37 people — including two children — and wounding about 3,000. The attacks were widely blamed on Israel, which hasn’t confirmed or denied responsibility.
An Israeli airstrike on Friday took down an eight-story building in a densely populated Beirut suburb as Hezbollah members met in the basement, according to Israel. Among those killed was Ibrahim Akil, who commanded the group’s special forces unit.
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