Live blog: UN decries 'terrible crisis' in Lebanon amid Israeli bombardment

Saturday, October 5, 2024

1652 GMT –– The head of the United Nations refugee agency has arrived in Lebanon on a "solidarity" visit for the hundreds of thousands of Lebanese affected by Israeli bombardment and needing international support.

UNHCR chief Filippo Grandi said on social network X that "Lebanon faces a terrible crisis" as "hundreds of thousands of people are left destitute or displaced by Israeli air strikes".

"I have come here in solidarity with those affected, to support the humanitarian effort and to ask for more international help," he said.

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1926 GMT –– Reports of Israeli strikes hitting Lebanon hospitals 'disturbing': UK govt

UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said reports that Israeli strikes hit "health facilities and support personnel" in Lebanon were "deeply disturbing".

"All parties must comply with international humanitarian law," Lammy added in a statement on X, as at least four hospitals in Lebanon announced the suspension of works and the UNHCR chief warned about strikes hitting health care after Israel struck what it says are Hezbollah targets.

1750 GMT –– Israel will retaliate against Iran when the time is right, military spokesman says

Israel will retaliate against Iran for the missile attack launched by Tehran when the time is right, a military spokesman has said, adding that two air bases struck in the attack remained fully operational and no aircraft were damaged.

"The way in which we respond to this disgraceful attack will be in the manner, at the location and the timing which we decide, according to the political leadership's instructions," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a broadcast statement.

1742 GMT –– Macron regrets Netanyahu's choice for Lebanon ground invasion

French President Emmanuel Macron has expressed reservations about the decision of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to send troops on ground offensive into Lebanon.

"I regret that Prime Minister Netanyahu has made another choice," said Macron, referring to his decision not to heed calls from Paris and Washington for a ceasefire.

1724 GMT –– Ireland calls Israeli demand to move UN troops 'outrageous'

The president of Ireland has sharply criticised Israel's demand that UN peacekeepers leave their positions in southern Lebanon.

"It is outrageous that the Israeli Defence Forces have threatened this peacekeeping force and sought to have them evacuate the villages they are defending," President Michael Higgins said in a statement.

"Indeed, Israel is demanding that the entire UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) operating under UN mandates walk away."

1723 GMT –– Israel military announces easing of some 'defensive' guidelines

The Israeli military has announced changes to its "defensive" guidelines in several areas, including in some communities north of Tel Aviv, near Gaza, and parts of the occupied West Bank.

The changes allow gatherings of up to 2,000 people, up from 1,000, the military said in a statement.

It also said the activity scale would be changed to "partial activity" in several communities of Central Galilee.

1658 GMT –– Israeli army says 38 Israeli soldiers injured in last 24 hours

The Israeli army has said 38 of its soldiers were injured in the last 24 hours across southern Lebanon, Gaza and the occupied West Bank.

This update comes as the military faces accusations of concealing the actual scale of its losses during a genocidal campaign against Gaza.

According to the latest data published on the military's official website, the number of injured soldiers since October 7, 2023 has reached 4,567, with 38 injuries reported in the past 24 hours.

1629 GMT –– Israel vows to continue striking Lebanon 'without respite'

Israel's army chief Herzi Halevi has vowed no let-up in the military's battle on Lebanon.

"We must continue to apply pressure on Hezbollah and do additional and continual damage to the enemy, without concessions and without respite", Lieutenant General Halevi said in a statement.

1557 GMT –– Hezbollah claims rocket strikes on Israeli military industry company in northern Israel

Hezbollah has said it targeted the Atar military industries company near the northern Israeli city of Sakhnin with a barrage of rockets.

In a statement, the group said it struck the “Atar military industries company near Sakhnin with a rocket barrage.”

In other statements, Hezbollah claimed it fired rockets at the Ma'a le Golani military base in northern Israel.

1452 GMT –– Israel kills at least 25 people in Lebanon on Friday: ministry

At least 25 people have been killed and 127 more wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon on Friday, the Lebanese Health Ministry has said in a statement.

Over 2,000 people have since been killed, over 9,500 injured, and 1.2 million others displaced by Israeli attacks, according to Lebanese authorities.

1423 GMT –– Israeli army set to expand Netzarim Corridor in Gaza following evacuation orders: Media

Israel is moving to expand the Netzarim Corridor, which separates northern Gaza from the south, Israel's Channel 12 has reported.

The move follows an evacuation order by the Israeli army targeting central Gaza, specifically residents of the Al Bureij and Al Nuseirat refugee camps.

On X, Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee ordered residents to evacuate immediately, citing an alleged Hamas presence in the area.

Channel 12 described the evacuation order as “relatively unusual,” stating that it aims to widen the corridor.

1352 GMT –– Macron urges halt to arms deliveries to Israel for use in Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron has urged a halt to arms deliveries to Israel, which has been criticised over its offensive in Gaza.

"I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza," Macron told broadcaster France Inter.

"France is not delivering any," he added during the interview recorded early this week.

1300 GMT –– Israeli military kills two Hamas members in Lebanon

The Israeli military has said it had killed two people from the armed wing of Hamas operating in Lebanon.

The fighter named Muhammad Hussein Ali al Mahmoud, who it said served as the group's executive authority in Lebanon, as being killed in an Israeli air strike.

Said Alaa Naif Ali, a member of Hamas’ Military Wing in Lebanon, was also killed in an Israeli strike overnight on Saturday, it said.

The Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, confirmed the deaths of two of its fighters following Israeli air strikes in Lebanon but provided different names for them: Mohammed Hussein Al Louise and Saeed Attallah Ali.

1259 GMT –– Israeli missiles strike southern Beirut suburb

Four Israeli missiles have struck the Burj al-Barajneh area in the southern suburb of Beirut, according to Lebanon’s official news agency.

The air strikes targeted the predominantly residential district, a stronghold of Hezbollah, in a significant escalation of the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Lebanese group.

There have been no reports of casualties so far.

1158 GMT –– Iran's oil minister 'not worried about crisis' amid Israeli threats

Iran's oil minister Mohsen Paknejad has said that he was "not worried" amid the escalating conflict in the region, the ministry's Shana news site said, after reports that Israel may strike Iran.

"I am not worried about the crises that the enemies of the revolution are creating, and this trip is considered a normal work trip," Paknejad was quoted by Shana as saying.

Paknejad's comments were made during a visit to Assaluyeh, a centre for Iranian installations exploiting the world's largest offshore gas field, which Iran shares with Qatar across the Gulf.

1019 GMT –– Hezbollah's Safieddine 'unreachable' since Friday: source

Israeli air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs since Friday have kept rescue workers from searching the site of an Israeli strike suspected to have killed Hezbollah’s anticipated next leader, three Lebanese security sources have said.

One of the sources said Safieddine, widely expected to succeed slain leader Hassan Nasrallah, had been unreachable since the strike on Friday.

1015 GMT –– WHO, UN pressed to halt Israeli assaults on Lebanese healthcare

The International Lebanese Medical Association has issued an urgent appeal to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN to put an end to Israeli forces' "massacre" of Lebanon's health care system.

On Friday, the official Lebanese news agency confirmed that the Marjayoun Governmental Hospital, Mays al Jabal Governmental Hospital, and Salah Ghandoor Hospital were no longer operational following Israeli attacks and threats of further attacks.

“The ongoing crime against the medical sector and emergency teams has reached a level of audacity in violating UN charters and human rights, particularly regarding the right to medical care and hospitalisation for all individuals,” it stated.

0855 GMT –– Israeli army issues evacuation warning to residents of Bureij, Nuseirat refugee camps in Gaza

The Israeli army has issued a warning to residents of the Bureij and Nuseirat refugee camps in central Gaza and demanded that they leave right away due to a military offensive in the areas.

In a statement on X, Israeli army spokesman Avichay Adraee identified specific residential blocks in Gaza that are “at risk,” including blocks 660- 2322.

Under the same pretext as in the past, the army issued fresh orders for evacuation, claiming that armed Palestinian factions were attacking Israeli forces from these locations.

0835 GMT –– UN peacekeeping force says it maintains positions in Lebanon amid Israeli ground offensive

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has confirmed that its peacekeeping forces are still stationed in different locations throughout Lebanon, with emergency plans ready to be activated if needed.

Andrea Tenenti, a peacekeeping spokesperson, confirmed in a statement on Saturday that the Israeli army notified UNIFIL on September 30 of its intention to launch a limited ground offensive into Lebanese territory and requested the relocation of some forces' positions.

The spokesperson added that the peacekeeping forces are continually adjusting their positions and activities in light of the current situation.

Tenenti stated, "We have emergency plans ready to be activated if the need arises," but did not provide any additional information.

The spokesperson also emphasised that UNIFIL continues to urge Israel to comply with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which is regarded as “the only effective solution to restore stability in the region.”

The resolution, unanimously adopted on August 11, 2006, calls for a complete cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel and establishes a demilitarised zone between the Blue Line, the boundary between Lebanon and Israel, and the Litani River in southern Lebanon.

This zone is meant to be free of combatants, military equipment, and weapons, except for those belonging to the Lebanese army and UNIFIL.

0806 GMT –– Six killed in Israeli bombardments of eastern, southern Lebanon

At least six people were killed during a series of Israeli bombardments of Beirut's southern suburbs and the Beqaa Valley in eastern Lebanon, and a southern Lebanese town.

According to Lebanon's official news agency, the Israeli army carried out 12 air strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, targeting key areas.

The news agency confirmed that one person was killed in an Israeli attack on a house in the Saad Nayel neighbourhood.

In addition, the director of Al-Abrar School was killed in an air strike that targeted his residence in the Rashaya Valley town of Al-Rafid.

Separately, the Lebanese Civil Defense reported that four bodies and one injured person were pulled out of rubble following an Israeli air strike on a house in Joya town of Tyre district in southern Lebanon.

The air strike occurred in the early hours of Saturday, targeting a residential area, causing a building to collapse and trap civilians inside.

Meanwhile, an Anadolu correspondent reported that Israeli forces conducted another round of intense air strikes on Saturday morning, targeting areas near the Burj al-Barajneh in Beirut's southern suburbs.

0757 GMT –– Child among 12 killed, several injured in Israeli air strikes on central, northern Gaza

At least 12 Palestinians, including a child, were killed, and several others injured in three Israeli air strikes targeting a home, a tent sheltering displaced people in central Gaza, and a group of civilians in northern Gaza.

Medical sources at the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza said five Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an air strike on the town of Beit Hanoun.

According to Al-Awda Hospital in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, six bodies and multiple injured people were transported to the hospital following an Israeli air strike on a house in the Al-Da'wa neighbourhood in the northeastern part of the camp.

In a separate incident, medical sources at the Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir al-Balah confirmed that an Israeli strike targeted a tent sheltering displaced families inside the Ahmed al-Kurd School in the city, killing a child and injuring several others.

0756 GMT –– Gaza death toll tops 41,820 as Israel continues its bombardment

The Israeli army killed 23 more Palestinians in attacks on Gaza, bringing the total death toll to 41,825 since October 7 of last year, the Health Ministry in the enclave has said.

According to a ministry statement, 96,910 people have also been injured as a result of Israeli attacks that have continued unabated for the last year.

“Israeli forces killed 23 people and injured 66 others in three massacres’ during the last 24 hours,” the ministry said.

“Many people are still trapped under the rubble and on the roads as rescuers are unable to reach them,” it added.

0718 GMT — Israel army says struck Hezbollah fighters inside south Lebanon mosque

The Israeli military has said its forces struck Hezbollah fighters inside a south Lebanon mosque overnight, the first such strike since clashes erupted between Israel and the Iran-backed group last year.

"Overnight, with the direction of IDF (army) intelligence, the IAF (air force) struck Hezbollah terrorists who were operating within a command centre that was located inside a mosque adjacent to the Salah Ghandour Hospital in southern Lebanon," the military said in a statement.

0543 GMT –– Israel kills high-ranking Al Qassam commander in Lebanon: Hamas

Hamas has confirmed the death of a senior commander from its military wing, the Qassam Brigades, in an Israeli air strike on his residence in the Beddawi refugee camp in northern Lebanon.

The air strike targeted the home of Saeed Atallah Ali, a high-ranking commander in the Qassam Brigades, according to an Anadolu correspondent.

The bombing resulted in the deaths of Ali, his wife Shaimaa Khalil Azzam, and their two daughters, Zeinab and Fatima.

In a statement, Hamas said that “the Israeli air strike targeted the residence of Saeed Ali, leading to his martyrdom along with his family.”

“Israel's leadership will pay for their criminal decisions against our people,” it added.

Ali's assassination follows that of Fatah Sharif, another Hamas leader in Lebanon, who was killed earlier this week in a similar Israeli air strike on his home in the Burj al Shemali camp in southern Lebanon.

0106 GMT –– Hezbollah says clashes underway with Israeli troops on Lebanon border

Hezbollah has said it was engaged in ongoing clashes with Israeli troops in the Lebanon border area after earlier saying it forced Israeli soldiers to retreat there.

"Israeli enemy soldiers renewed an attempt to advance towards the vicinity of the municipality in the village of Adaysseh", and Hezbollah fighters confronted the attempt "and clashes are continuing", the group said in a statement.

It said earlier that its fighters had forced Israeli troops to "retreat" in the same area.

The group also said it targeted troops in south Lebanon's Yarun area with a "rocket salvo", as well as soldiers in two points across the border with rockets.

2245 GMT — Hezbollah says more than 20 Israeli soldiers killed, injured

Hezbollah has announced killing or injuring more than 20 Israeli elite soldiers in clashes in a border village in southern Lebanon.

The group said it recorded additional casualties for Israeli forces following heavy rocket fire that targeted a tank and military gatherings in areas near the border.

Hezbollah militants destroyed an Israeli Merkava tank near the Malikiya post with a guided missile, resulting in the deaths and injuries of the crew, it said. Additionally, the group launched rocket attacks on the outskirts of Haifa and artillery positions near Kiryat Shmona.

Hezbollah also targeted several Israeli positions, including Rweissat al-Alam in the occupied Kafr Shuba hills, as well as military forces in Karmiel and Sa’sa with heavy missiles and rockets.

The group reported bombarding the Nafah base and soldier gatherings near the al-Baghdadi post in northern Israel. Rocket fire struck Israeli military positions east of Doviv, the Maroun al-Ras plain and near the settlements of Avivim and Yiron, it said.

Advancing Israeli forces were struck with artillery and rockets west of Yiron, leading to additional casualties.

Hezbollah claimed to have targeted Israeli soldiers attempting to infiltrate the Lebanese village of Maroun al-Ras, causing additional losses through explosives and close-range clashes.

2330 GMT: Trump says Israel should 'hit' Iran's nuclear facilities

Republican White House hopeful Donald Trump has said he believes Israel should strike Iran's nuclear facilities in response to Tehran recent missile barrage.

The former president, speaking at a campaign event in North Carolina, referred to a question posed to Democratic President Joe Biden this week about the possibility of Israel targeting Iran's nuclear programme.

"When they asked him that question, the answer should have been, hit the nuclear first, and worry about the rest later," Trump said.

2230 GMT — Israel attacks Beirut residents in new wave of bombardment

Israel has bombed Beirut's southern suburbs in the early hours of Saturday, shortly after the Israeli military issued a new ultimatum for residents to flee.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military wounded nine staff, most of them critically, in its attack on Salah Ghandour Hospital in southern Lebanon, officials said.

2201 GMT — 185 Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists in Gaza, West Bank in September

A total of 185 Israeli violations against Palestinian journalists in besieged Gaza and occupied West Bank were documented in September, a media group said.

The Palestinian Journalists Syndicate said the Israeli army killed two journalists in September in Gaza, and Israeli live bullets in Gaza and the West Bank wounded nine.

Five were detained from the West Bank, in addition to 10 cases reported of the army storming into media offices and the homes of journalists, it said in a statement.

It added that 23 journalists suffered asphyxiation from tear gas while covering Israeli assaults, while 67 were obstructed from conducting media coverage across the West Bank.

2125 GMT — State Department ignored Israeli misuse of US bombs: report

The US fast-tracked arms sales to Israel despite internal concerns about the misuse of American-made bombs and human rights violations even as civilian casualties in besieged Gaza surged, according to an investigation by ProPublica.

In the months before and after October 7, State Department officials urged the halting or restricting arms sales to Israel, citing laws against arming nations with a pattern of human rights violations.

Top officials, however, repeatedly overruled those appeals, according to the report, which cited leaked cables, emails and interviews, ProPublica reported.

In late January, as the death toll reached 25,000 in Gaza, US Ambassador to Israel Jack Lew pushed the State Department to approve a request from Israel for 3,000 additional bombs, including GBU-39s, despite internal warnings of civilian casualties and Israeli strikes on homes, including those of Palestinian embassy staff.

A State Department spokesperson defended the arms transfers as being conducted with input from various agencies and insisted that Lew prioritised minimising civilian harm while working toward a ceasefire, according to ProPublica.

2104 GMT — Ireland rejects Israel's demand to withdraw peacekeepers

The Israeli military has demanded Ireland to withdraw its peacekeeping troops from an outpost along the Lebanese-Israeli border as Israeli strikes in the region escalate, Irish media said.

The Irish Times said the request, made through the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), comes as Israel's aggression in Lebanon intensifies.

UNIFIL has insisted that the peacekeepers will remain in place, despite the warning.

The demand for the troop removal raises concerns that Israel may be preparing a broader invasion of southern Lebanon, with the prospect of expanding operations along the entire border.

For our live updates from Friday, October 4, 2024, click here.