Israel-Lebanon Latest: Israeli Military ‘ready’ To Invade As Strikes On Hezbollah Kill 492 In One Day
NewsWorldMiddle EastIsrael says it’s ‘not looking for wars’ but army is ‘in full readiness’ to push Hezbollah back from border
Moment of explosion in Lebanon as Hezbollah radio devices detonate
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The death toll from Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon has risen to 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, with at least 1,645 people wounded.
Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon was jammed with cars heading toward Beirut. It was the biggest exodus in the region, and the highest single day death toll, since a 2006 war.
It came as Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said the country’s forces were fully prepared for a ground invasion of Lebanon if necessary.
While stating that Israel is “not looking for wars”, he said the Israeli army was “in full readiness, and we will do whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah back from the border.
Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent a video message to civilians urging them to heed Israeli military warnings and evacuate their homes.
He said: “I have a message for the people of Lebanon: Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.
“I urge you – take this warning seriously.”
1727161258Watch: Heavy barrage of missiles from Lebanon intercepted by Israel’s Iron DomeMultiple interceptions of rockets fired from Lebanon were seen over Israel’s northern city of Haifa on Monday (23 September).
Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets toward Israel, including at military bases.
Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes on Monday killed 492 people, including more than 58 women and 35 children.
Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon was jammed with cars heading toward Beirut in the biggest exodus since 2006.
Watch the video here:
Watch: Heavy barrage of missiles from Lebanon intercepted by Israel’s Iron DomeMultiple interceptions of rockets fired from Lebanon were seen over Israel’s northern city of Haifa on Monday (23 September). Hezbollah said it fired dozens of rockets toward Israel, including at military bases. Lebanon’s health ministry said Israeli strikes on Monday killed 492 people, including more than 58 women and 35 children. Thousands of Lebanese fled the south, and the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon was jammed with cars heading toward Beirut in the biggest exodus since 2006.
Maroosha Muzaffar24 September 2024 08:00
1727160742Israel and Hezbollah exchange more rocket attacks Israel’s military has claimed it struck dozens of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon overnight, a day after it launched a wave of airstrikes against the Iran-backed group’s sites in Lebanon’s deadliest day in decades.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah said this morning it had attacked several Israeli military targets, including an explosives factory 37 miles into Israel, with the Fadi series of rockets.
It said it attacked the explosives factory around 4 a.m. (0100 GMT) and the Megiddo airfield three separate times overnight.
Tom Watling24 September 2024 07:52
1727159674Turkey slams Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, calls for international measuresTurkey slammed Israel’s recent attacks on Lebanon as “efforts to drag the region into chaos” on Monday, calling for international measures against them and a halt to support for Israel.
In some of the heaviest cross-border fire exchange since its nearly year-long war against Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza began, Israel has started shifting its focus north to Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has been firing rockets into Israel in support of Hamas, also backed by Iran.
Lebanese authorities have said Israeli airstrikes against Hezbollah sites in the country had killed 492 people on Monday and sent tens of thousands fleeing for safety in the country’s deadliest day in decades.
In a statement late on Monday, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said countries that “unconditionally support Israel” were helping Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “shed blood for his political interests”.
“It is imperative that all institutions responsible for maintaining international peace and security, especially the United Nations Security Council, as well as the international community, take the necessary measures without delay,” it said.
Tom Watling24 September 2024 07:34
1727159423White House says a cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza is key to easing tensions in the regionKarine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, that the Biden administration is concerned about what’s happening between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon but insisted that getting a cease-fire deal between Israel and Gaza is key to help ease tensions in the region.
Jean-Pierre said the latest conflict has “gone on for too long.”
“It’s in everyone’s interest to resolve it quickly and diplomatically. And that’s where we’ve been. That’s where we continue to say we need to see a diplomatic resolution,” Jean-Pierre told reporters travelling with President Joe Biden to New York, where Biden is set to deliver his final address as president to the UN General Assembly session on Tuesday.
Jean-Pierre said securing freedom for Israelis and Americans who continue to be held by Hamas, increasing humanitarian aid into Gaza and ending the war will help ease tensions.“That’s what we’re going to continue to work towards,” she said.
Barney Davis24 September 2024 07:30
1727158887Here are some of the latest photos from Lebanon Below we have some of the latest photos from Lebanon after Israel launched its largest attack on the countries’ southern regions in nearly two decades.
Smoke billows over southern Lebanon following Israeli strikes, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, as seen from Tyre (REUTERS)
Lebanese citizens who fled the southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes Monday, sit on their cars at a highway that links to Beirut city, in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon (AP)
Lebanese men who fled on the southern villages amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes Monday sleep on a public beach in the southern port city of Sidon, Lebanon (AP)Tom Watling24 September 2024 07:21
1727158522Watch: Netanyahu urges Lebanon civilians to evacuate their homes in video message Netanyahu urges Lebanon civilians to evacuate their homes in video messageMaroosha Muzaffar24 September 2024 07:15
1727157655‘I woke up to the sound of bombing’: Lebanese describe moments of desperationIn southern Lebanon, families fled north by cars, trucks, and motorcycles as the Israeli military targeted areas linked to Hezbollah on Monday.
Some residents reported receiving warnings from the Israeli military via text messages and voice recordings, urging them to leave areas near Hezbollah positions.
Zahra Sawli, a student, told BBC’s Newshour programme: “I woke up at 6am to the sound of bombing. By noon it started to get really intense and I saw a lot of strikes in my area.
“I heard a lot of glass shattering.”
Women and children fleeing the Israeli airstrikes in the south, arrive at a school turned into a shelter in Beirut, Monday, 23 SeptEMBER 2024 (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)She said: “Where are we supposed to go? A lot of people are still stuck on the streets. A lot of my friends are still stuck in traffic because a lot of people are trying to flee.”
The Lebanese health ministry said that 492 people had been killed and more than 1,600 injured in the Israeli bombardment on Monday.
Maroosha Muzaffar24 September 2024 07:00
1727155855Irish president accuses Israeli embassy of circulating his letter to IranThe president of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, accused the Israeli embassy in Dublin of circulating a letter he wrote to Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, after Mr Pezeshkian’s election.
The letter, which offered congratulations and expressed condolences over the death of Mr Pezeshkian’s predecessor, drew criticism — both in the UK and Ireland — once it became public. “You should ask where the criticism came from and how the letter was circulated and by whom and for what purpose,” Mr Higgins said.
He suggested the Israeli embassy was responsible for circulating it, something the embassy denied, calling his accusation “baseless” and “highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous”.
His letter to Mr Pezeshkian mentioned that Iran had a “crucial role” to play in the Middle East after Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash in May.
“I regret of course the circumstances that brought about the election, and take the opportunity to repeat the condolences of the people of Ireland for the death of your predecessor President Raisi,” the letter read.
Maroosha Muzaffar24 September 2024 06:30
1727154016In pictures: Israeli airstrikes in Beirut’s southern suburbs
A man walks next to a damaged vehicle at the southern suburb of Beirut after an Israeli military strike, in Beirut, Lebanon, 23 September 2024 (EPA)
Journalists are given a tour at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut’s southern suburb, Monday, 23 September 2024 (AP)
A damaged vehicle is seen in the southern suburb of Beirut after an Israeli military strike, in Beirut, Lebanon, 23 September 2024. The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) said they conducted a ‘targeted strike’ in Beirut on 23 September after the Israeli military announced that it launched ‘extensive’ airstrikes on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon. Lebanese residents of villages in the Beqaa Valley ‘who are inside or near houses where rockets and weapons are stored’ have been warned to ‘move away immediately! For your safety and protection’, the statement added (EPA)
Cars go north from Lebanon’s southern coastal city Sidon as some Lebanese flee heavy Israeli bombardment, Lebanon 23 September 2024 (REUTERS)Maroosha Muzaffar24 September 2024 06:00
1727152216Israel ‘considering siege’ on Hamas in northern GazaBenjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering a plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians from northern Gaza and impose a military siege on Hamas militants who remain in the area.
The plan, endorsed by some Israeli military figures, suggests designating the area as a “closed military zone” and forcing all civilians to leave, The Guardian reported.
The Likud MP Avichai Boaron said the plan was ‘‘currently being evaluated by the government”.
“According to the plan, the IDF will evacuate all the civilians who are in the north of Gaza, from the border to the Gaza River,” Boaron was quoted as saying by the outlet. ‘‘And after they will evacuate, the IDF will assume that only the terrorists will remain. When the civilian population has left, you can find and kill all the terrorists without harming the civilians.”
The goal is said to be to isolate and target Hamas fighters without civilian casualties, pressuring them to surrender or face starvation.
Maroosha Muzaffar24 September 2024 05:30