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?
Where did the explosions take place?
At least twelve people have been killed and 3,000 were injured after handheld pager devices used by Hezbollah simultaneously exploded across Lebanon and Syria.
The attack - described by Hezbollah as its “largest security breach” in nearly a year of near-daily cross-border fire with Israel - has heightened tensions in the Middle East as Hezbollah vowed revenge.
On Wednesday, more explosions have been heard in Beirut and other cities with reports walkie-talkie devices had been detonated.
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Hezbollah pager attack mapped: Where did the explosions take place?
At least nine people were killed and thousands have been injured after the devices exploded on Tuesday
Recap: Hezbollah radios detonate across Lebanon, killing 20
A new wave of explosions rocked Lebanon’s south on Wednesday, killing at least 20 people.
This time, hand-held walkie talkies used by Hezbollah detonated, injuring more than 450 in Beirut’s suburbs and the Bekaa Valley.
The explosions, coming after Tuesday’s attack targeting pagers, have stoked renewed tensions amid cross-border fighting with Israel.
The death toll from Tuesday’s pager blasts has now risen to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured.
Israeli officials have not commented on the blasts, but security sources said Israel’s spy agency Mossad was responsible. One Hezbollah official said the episode was the biggest security breach in the group’s history.
The operations, which appeared to throw Hezbollah into disarray, played out alongside Israel’s 11-month-old war in Gaza and heightened fears of an escalation on its Lebanese border and the risk of a full-blown regional war.
UK urges Israel to adhere to international humanitarian law
The UK has reaffirmed its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, emphasising the need for Israel to comply with international humanitarian law.
A Foreign Office spokesperson stressed that Israel’s right to self-defence must be balanced with the protection of civilians and adherence to humanitarian principles.
The spokesperson expressed regret that concerns raised by the UK and other allies have not been adequately addressed.
“Our priority remains achieving a ceasefire in Gaza, the hostages released, civilians protected and aid flood in.
“There is no place in Britain for antisemitism, and we will not relent in our work to root out hatred in all forms.
“This government is committed to multi-year funding for the Community Security Trust, and working with the Jewish community and police to ensure that everyone feels safe on our streets.”
Israel waging ‘just war with just means’, claims Netanyahu
Benjamin Netanyahu said that Israel is waging “just war with just means” and claimed it is taking “unprecedented measures to keep civilians out of harm’s way and comporting fully with international law”.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, he said: “After the October 7 Hamas massacre, the previous British government was clear in its support.”
Unfortunately, the current government is sending mixed messages.
They say that Israel has the right to defend itself, but they undermine our ability to exercise that right both by reversing Britain’s position on the absurd allegations made by the ICC prosecutor against Israel and by blocking weapons sales to Israel as we fight against the genocidal terrorist organisation that carried out the October 7 massacre.
He also told the newspaper: “Most recently, the new UK government suspended 30 arms licences to Israel, days after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, sending a horrible message to Hamas.
“These misguided decisions will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organisation that savagely murdered 1,200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens, and took 255 people, including five British hostages.
“Just as Britain’s heroic stand against the Nazis is seen today as having been vital in defeating barbarism, so too will history judge Israel’s stand against Hamas and Iran’s axis of terror. Israel will win this war and secure our common future.”
Mr Netanyahu also said the UK is “witnessing shameless antisemitism on its campuses, at its city centres and in many parts of the country”, adding: “It is worrisome. I trust and expect that the UK leadership will take the necessary steps to root out this scourge.”
Israel has long history of pulling off complex attacks like exploding pagers in Lebanon
Hezbollah and the Lebanese government were quick to blame Israel for the nearly simultaneous detonation of hundreds of pagers used by the militant group’s members in an attack Tuesday that killed at least nine people and wounded nearly 3,000 others, according to officials.
Many of those hit were members of militant group Hezbollah, but it wasn’t immediately clear if others also carried the pagers. Among those killed were the son of a prominent Hezbollah politician and an 8-year-old girl, according to Lebanon’s health minister.
The attack came amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas that sparked the war in Gaza. Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon was among those injured by the pager explosions.
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Israel has a long history of pulling off complex attacks like the exploding pagers
Thousands of pagers used members of the militant group Hezbollah exploded near simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria, killing at least nine people and wounding several thousand
Netanyahu accuses UK of sending ‘mixed messages’ over support for Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the UK government of sending “mixed messages” over its support for Israel and “undermining” the country’s right to self-defence.
Israel’s prime minister criticised the new Labour administration for suspending around 30 arms exports to Israel amid concerns they could be used in violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza conflict.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has also dropped the previous Conservative government’s plan to challenge the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) application for an arrest warrant against Mr Netanyahu.
Both decisions have caused diplomatic tensions with Israel, which launched a counter-attack in Gaza after Hamas-led militants broke into Israel and killed around 1,200 people and abducted around 250 others.
More than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza in the counter-attack, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count.
Pentagon chief and Israeli counterpart discuss threats to Israel
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin spoke on Wednesday with Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant to review regional security developments and reiterate US support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Hezbollah and other Iranian allies, the Pentagon said.
Taiwan closely monitoring Hezbollah pager explosions
Taiwan’s national security agencies are closely monitoring the recent detonation of thousands of pagers targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, defence minister Wellington Koo said.
The incident has drawn Taiwan into the spotlight due to links to a Taiwanese firm, Gold Apollo, which allegedly produced the pagers. However, Gold Apollo denied involvement, stating that the devices were manufactured by a Budapest-based company licensed to use its brand.
“Relevant national security bodies are closely watching developments,” Mr Koo said in Taipei, adding they are “paying great attention” to this.
The Taiwanese government has not provided further details on its involvement or response to the situation.
What has boobytrapping Hezbollah’s pagers actually achieved?
As a global propaganda coup for the Israeli security services, the pager attacks on Hezbollah members in Lebanon could scarcely be surpassed.
What kind of a mind, one wonders, dreams up such a macabre lark as this, an “exploding cigar” practical joke on a grand scale?
The sheer audacity of it was very much in the Israeli tradition, and it made some points rather forcefully. It proved that the Israelis could intercept Hezbollah supply lines, and with such ease that they could find the time to fit a few grams of military-grade explosives to each device, disguised as an electronic component.
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What has boobytrapping Hezbollah’s pagers actually achieved?
The audacious attack was a PR coup for Israel and humiliation for the terrorists – but it does nothing to create a lasting framework of peaceful co-existence, says Sean O’Grady
British-educated businesswoman denies making Hezbollah explosive pagers which killed at least 12 people
A British-educated businesswoman has denied allegations of manufacturing the pagers used in an audacious attack against Hezbollah.
The handheld devices killed at least 12 people and injured 3,000 after they simultaneously detonated across Lebanon and Syria on Tuesday afternoon in a suspected Israeli operation.
The Taiwanese company whose branding was on the technology claimed Budapest-based firm BAC Consultancy made the devices under a three-year brand licensing agreement.
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British-educated businesswoman denies making Hezbollah pagers which killed 12 people
Cristiana Barsony-Arcidiacono studied for a PhD in physics at UCL between 2002 and 2006
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