Lebanon-Israel live: Hezbollah confirms Tel Aviv missile attack as Starmer tells Britons to leave Lebanon now
Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon have killed more than 560 people, including women and 50 children, says health ministry
Your support helps us to tell the story
My recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.
Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.
Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyond
Eric Garcia
Washington Bureau Chief
Hezbollah has confirmed that it fired a missile at the Israeli spy agency in Tel Aviv, an escalation in the conflict with Israel that moved the arch-foes another step closer to full-fledged war.
The Israeli military said a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by air defence systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon. Warning sirens sounded in Tel Aviv, Israel's economic capital.
It comes as hundreds of British troops are being sent to Cyprus to prepare for a possible evacuation of Britons from Lebanon.
Around 700 soldiers are deploying imminently to assist hundreds of those already in Cyprus and waiting to help stranded British citizens. Government officials fear that there may be more than 10,000 British citizens still in Lebanon.
Sir Keir Starmer earlier urged Britons in Lebanon to “leave immediately” as Israel intensifies its bombing campaign against Hezbollah. He added that he believes the conflict between Israel and Lebanon is on the “brink point”.
Jiyeh latest Lebanese coastal town hit by Israeli airstrike
An Israeli strike hit the Lebanese seaside town of Jiyyeh for the first time early on Wednesday, 75 km north of the border with Israel, two security sources said.
UN secretary general says ‘the world cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza’
The United Nations is shirking its responsibility in preventing rocket attacks into Israel by Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Tuesday.
Gallant said in a statement on the X social-media platform in a response to comments from U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres that Hezbollah has taken “Lebanon hostage.”
“The UN is neither acknowledging their actions, nor fulfilling its fundamental obligation - preventing Hezbollah attacks and demanding the implementation of resolution 1701” he said of the resolution that requires Hezbollah to disarm.
Guterres earlier said, “Lebanon is at the brink. The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel and the people of the world - cannot afford Lebanon to become another Gaza.”
Defence secretary John Healey urges 10,000 Brits to leave Lebanon
The UK is expected to announce that it will send 700 troops to neighbouring Cyprus amid fears of a wider war, according to the BBC.
In Liverpool, John Healey, the defence secretary, left the Labour conference early today to lead a high-level meeting on the crisis in Lebanon.
“Our concern is always for the safety of British nationals,” he said after leaving the COBRA meeting.
“And our advice to them is to leave Lebanon now, that hasn’t changed.
“And this was a meeting simply to make sure that we’ve got plans in place for future developments.”
IRC urges diplomatic solution to Lebanon as death toll increases
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has released a statement about its deep concern about the escalating conflict in Lebanon, which has left over 500 people killed.
It read: “The IRC has been working in Lebanon since 2012 delivering relief programmes to Lebanese citizens and refugees. IRC teams in Lebanon are now conducting rapid needs assessments which will support our emergency response to support those affected by the ongoing fighting.
“However, ongoing insecurity may significantly hinder our ability to deliver vital assistance to those in need. IRC staff members and partner organisations have already been directly impacted by the attacks which have forced families to flee their homes.”
Amidst the ongoing Israeli airstrikes on the heavily populated areas of Beirut, South and Bekaa, tens of thousands are facing fresh displacement, with over 102,000 people already displaced since October 2023, the charity added.
“In a region already devastated by conflict, displacement, and poverty the last thing civilians need is war. It is essential that humanitarian actors are able to safely assess needs and deliver emergency aid.
“The IRC urges all parties to urgently seek a diplomatic solution and avoid a regional conflagration and more humanitarian suffering. International law must be upheld to protect civilians and aid workers.”
What is Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese group hit in ‘double tap’ pager attacks?
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah has ramped up since thousands of exploding pagers and walkie-talkies killed dozens of Hezbollah operatives and civilians.
Since Monday when Israel began large-scale strikes on Lebanese territory, 558 people have been killed including 50 children and 94 women.
But what is Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group exchanging fire with Israel?
Tom Watling and Andy Gregory report:
What is Hezbollah, the Lebanese group hit in ‘double tap’ pager attacks?
Israel has declared a ‘new phase of war’ on its border with Lebanon
Lebanon death toll rises to 569 as ‘two dozen killed in Gaza’
At least 569 people were killed, including 50 children and 94 women, in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Monday, Lebanon’s Health Minister Firass Abiadtells told Al Jazeera Mubasher TV on Tuesday.
Palestinian officials in Gaza, meanwhile, said new Israeli strikes killed at least two dozen people.
Israel’s military says it will do “whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah away from Lebanon’s border with Israel. Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire since the Israel-Hamas war began. On Monday, Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, killing nearly 500 people and wounding more than 1,600 others.
Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, jamming the main highway to Beirut in the biggest exodus since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
Hezbollah again launched some 100 projectiles toward Israel on Tuesday, the Israeli military said.
Conflict is spreading “dangerously”, says Brazilian president
In a speech at the UN summit, Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has condemned the “right of revenge” which he believes is hindering peace talks.
He said the war in Gaza is spreading “dangerously” to Lebanon and repeated his longstanding calls for a ceasefire.
"The right of defence has turned into the right of revenge, which prevents an agreement to release hostages and postpones a ceasefire," Lula told the summit.
Lula repeated his call for a reformation of the UN, saying the body was not succeeding in its job of preventing wars.
Israel open to ideas to de-escalate in Lebanon, says Israel’s UN envoy
Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon has said the country prefers a diplomatic solution to a ground invasion in Lebanon after the United States said it was exploring some “concrete ideas” with allies and partners to find a solution.
“As we speak there are important forces trying to come up with ideas and we are open-minded for that,” he told reporters. “We are not eager to start any ground invasion anywhere ... We prefer a diplomatic solution.”
Fierce fighting this week between Israel and the Iran-backed Lebanese Hezbollah has increased fears that nearly a year of conflict will explode and destabilize the Middle East, where a war between Hamas and Israel is already raging in Gaza.
Israel has said it is shifting its focus from Gaza to the northern frontier, where Hezbollah has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, which is also backed by Iran.
Lebanese minister warns country will pay ‘very big price’ if Hezbollah pursues Israel war
Amin Salam, Lebanon’s economy minister who is not affiliated with Hezbollah, warned against taking a “big risk and gamble”.
He called on the country to make a “wise decision”.
Mr Salam told Sky News: "There needs to be a decision whether we want to drag Lebanon into further escalation and misery or we want to make a wise decision.
He said that taking a “big risk and gamble” in this war will lead to a “very, very, very big”.
It would take Lebanon “many, many years” to get back from the “very difficult place” such a decision would lead the country to.
Oxfam: Lebanon ‘cannot afford’ another crisis
Oxfam has weighed in on events in Lebanon, saying in a statement that Lebanon cannot afford a war on top of existing crises.
The organisation says disastrous conditions will be the result of further war in southern Lebanon, and does not believe the international humanitarian system will have the capacity to meet the needs of an increase in violence.
Oxfam’s Lebanon country director Bachir Ayoub said: “This conflict was predictable and avoidable. It is the result of the failure to achieve a ceasefire in Gaza.
“For decades, the people of Lebanon have endured one crisis after another without getting the opportunity to fully recover. This latest emergency will only deepen the existing challenges facing the people of Lebanon and further destabilize an already volatile region.”
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments