Israel-Hezbollah conflict – latest: Israel strikes Lebanon as Hezbollah says device blasts are ‘act of war’
Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah blames Israel for attacks on group's communications devices that left 37 dead
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The Israeli military said it was striking Hezbollah targets in Lebanon as the movement’s leader accused Israel of “crossing all of the red lines”, heightening fears of an escalation into a full-blown regional war.
Israeli jets were carrying out huge sonic booms over the Lebanese capital Beirut during a speech by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday, according to a witness.
Nasrallah blamed Israel for this week's deadly attacks on the militant group's communications devices, which he called a "severe blow" and said the group is investigating.
Hand-held walkie-talkie radios used by the armed group were detonated across Lebanon’s south on Wednesday, stoking tensions after similar explosions of the group’s pagers the day before.
Lebanon's health minister said on Thursday that the death toll from the second attack in Beirut's suburbs and the Bekaa Valley has now risen to 25, with at least 608 injured. A further 12 people were killed in explosions the previous day, including two children, with nearly 2,300 wounded.
"We are opening a new phase in the war," Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in the aftermath, adding that his country’s military focus is shifting to its northern border.
Although Israeli officials have not commented on the blasts, security sources said Israel's spy agency Mossad was responsible.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Sayyed Nasrallah said on Thursday the attacks blamed on Israel will be met with "just punishment".
At least 20 dead as walkie-talkies explode in Lebanon as Israel declares ‘new phase of war’ against Hezbollah
A war with Hezbollah may be looming. Is Israel prepared?
From booby-trapped walkie-talkies to exploding pagers – could our phones and cars be next?
Everything we know about the Hezbollah device explosions – and the questions that remain
Hezbollah pager attack mapped: Where did the explosions take place?
Booby-trapped devices have ‘seriously disrupted’ Lebanon’s fragile healthcare system
Explosions in booby-trapped radios and pagers in Lebanon this week seriously disrupted its fragile health sector, the World Health Organization chief has said.
The UN health agency cited Lebanese health authorities’ toll that 37 people had been killed and more than 3,000 injured in the pager blasts that detonated in areas considered strongholds of the anti-Israel militant group Hezbollah.
“These events have seriously disrupted Lebanon’s already fragile health system,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference, adding that the global body had distributed blood supplies and trauma kits in the country.
“The whole health system came under immense pressure very, very quickly,” said WHO emergencies chief Mike Ryan at the same briefing.
WHO’s representative in Lebanon Dr Abdinasir Abubakar said 100 hospitals were involved in the response. A series of drills ahead of the attacks and the stockpiling of emergency supplies helped prepare doctors and nurses in advance and limited the casualties, he said.
Latest pictures from Lebanon as airstrikes continue along the border
Israel will face a ‘crushing response’, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards commander says
Israel will face “a crushing response from the axis of resistance”, the commander of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards has said, according to Iranian state media.
Hossein Salami reportedly told Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah this during a conversation after three days of escalated tension between Lebanon and Israel, which has seen thousands injured in pager explosions.
The so-called “axis of resistance” refers to a group of militant Islamist groups that form the informal Iranian-led military coalition. They include Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Shia armed groups in Iraq and Syria.
Leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group says facing ‘big hit will not make us fall down’
The leader of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group said they have faced “a very big hit but it will not make us fall down”.
Speaking from an undisclosed location on Thursday, Hassan Nasrallah also said: “It is unprecented in Lebanon this kind of aggression.”
Turkey reviews security of communication devices after Lebanon blasts, official says
Turkey is reviewing its measures to secure the communication devices used by its armed forces after the deadly blasts in Lebanon, a Turkish defence ministry official said on Thursday.
The Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Turkey's military exclusively used domestically-produced equipment but Ankara had additional control mechanisms in place if a third party is involved in procurement or production of devices.
"Whether in the operations we carry out, the ongoing war in Ukraine, and as with the Lebanon example, measures are reviewed and new measures are being developed as part of the lessons learned following each development," the official said.
The unprecedented attacks on Lebanon this week have prompted concerns over cyber-security around the region.
Iraq's national security council said on Wednesday it would take preventive measures against any possible breach from electronic imports, adding that intensive security checks will be implemented on imports along with stronger border checks.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Thursday told state-owned Anadolu news agency that establishing an independent agency for cyber-security specifically was on the government's agenda after President Tayyip Erdogan voiced a necessity for it, and added it would be formed "very soon".
Hadi Al Bahra, president of the National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces, told Reuters in an interview in Istanbul on Thursday that the blasts in Lebanon had prompted some opposition forces in northern Syria to rethink the security of communication devices and supply chains.
"It's a point of concern for them and they are reviewing their gear," he said of the Syrian National Army, an opposition faction backed by Turkey which controls swathes of territory in northern Syria.
Two Israeli soldiers killed near Lebanon border
Israel has said in a statement that two of its soldiers were killed by latest Hezbollah strikes across the Lebanon border.
The armed group previously said it had struck what it said were three military positions in northern Israel, hitting two with armed drones.
Israel’s N12 News said one of them was killed by a drone and the other by an anti-tank missile.
France's Macron urges restraint in Lebanon after wave of explosions
French President Emmanuel Macron held phone calls with top political and military leaders from Lebanon, his office said on Thursday, urging restraint after a wave of explosions of pagers and radio devices.
Macron asked Lebanese leaders to pass on messages to local groups including Hezbollah to avoid further escalation, the Elysee said, amid fears of a wider war.
Hezbollah chief vows to punish Israel after communications blasts
Hezbollah chief Hassan Sayyed Nasrallah said on Thursday the attacks on his group's communications devices blamed on Israel will be met with "just punishment".
Hezbollah leader says pager attack crossed ‘red line’ as wider war fears mount
The leader of Lebanon's Hezbollah group accused Israel of targeting thousands of pagers and detonated them at the same time, crossing a "red line".
Hassan Nasrallah said the group has formed committees to investigate how this attack over two days that wounded thousands happened. Nasrallah added that Hezbollah was subjected to an unprecedented blow.
"Yes, we were subjected to a huge and severe blow," Nasrallah said describing the past two days as harsh. He vowed Hezbollah would get over the blow.
Nasrallah said: "The enemy crossed all boundaries and red lines. Some of the explosions took place in hospitals, pharmacies, clinics, homes, cars and streets where many civilians are present."
Nasrallah added that as a result of "this aggression dozens were killed including women and children and thousands were wounded".
Israeli jets are carrying out huge sonic booms over Beirut, says witness
Israeli jets have been carrying out huge sonic booms over the Lebanese capital Beirut during a speech by Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday, a Reuters witness said.
Lebanese residents, already on edge following this week’s blasts across the country that the group blamed on Israel, were panicked fearing a major escalation.
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