Live blog: Air raid sirens sound as Houthis fire missile toward Israel

Saturday, September 28, 2024

1454 GMT — Air raid sirens have sounded across central Israel, including Tel Aviv, and large bangs were heard after a missile was fired from Yemen and intercepted, according to the Israeli military.

Meanwhile, the Israeli military said that it conducted a new strike in Dahiyeh area of Lebanon's capital Beirut.

More updates 👇

1537 GMT — Senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut

A senior commander of Iran's Revolutionary Guards has been killed in Friday’s Israeli air attack on Beirut, state news agency IRNA has reported.

Brigadier Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan was killed alongside Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the agency said.

Nilforoushan is said to have served as the deputy commander of the IRGC for operational affairs.

1523 GMT — Turkish parliament speaker condemns Israeli targeting of Hezbollah leader

Turkish parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus has condemned the assassination of Nasrallah, who was targeted in an Israeli air attack the previous day.

"The assassination of Lebanese religious leader and Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hasan Nasrallah, by Israel, is a grave consequence of the long-standing policies of occupation, destruction, and annexation against not only the Palestinian people but all the peoples of the region," Kurtulmus said in a post on X.

"The fact that the genocidal Netanyahu issued the orders for this attack in the UN General Assembly is a painful indicator of the collapse of the international security system," he said.

1504 GMT — US determined to prevent Iran from expanding Mideast conflict: Austin

The United States is determined to prevent Iran and Iran-backed groups from exploiting the situation in Lebanon or expanding the conflict, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has told Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant in calls.

Austin expressed full US support for Israel and "made it clear that the United States remains postured to protect US forces and facilities in the region and committed to the defence of Israel," Pentagon spokesperson Pat Ryder said in a statement.

1453 GMT — Russia 'decisively condemns' Hezbollah chief's killing

Russia has strongly condemned Israel for killing Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and urged it to immediately cease military action in Lebanon.

"We decisively condemn the latest political murder carried out by Israel," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement, adding: "we once again insistently urge Israel to immediately cease military action."

1446 GMT — Iran Air cancels flights to Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport indefinitely

Iran Air's flights to Beirut's Rafic-Hariri International Airport were cancelled until further notice, the semi-official Tasnim News Agency has reported.

Earlier, the Lebanese Transport Ministry said the Israeli army hacked into the airport's control tower and threatened to target an Iranian civilian aircraft attempting to land.

The ministry then ordered airport authorities to prevent the Iranian plane from entering Lebanese airspace.

1424 GMT — China's Wang tells UN Middle East needs comprehensive ceasefire without delay

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the United Nations General Assembly that there must not be a delay in reaching a "comprehensive ceasefire" in the Middle East, and said a two-state solution between Israelis and Palestinians remains the way out of the region's tensions.

1342 GMT — Turkish president condemns Israel’s attacks on Lebanon, calls for global action

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Israel's recent military actions in Lebanon.

"Israel's policy of genocide, occupation, and invasion, which has been ongoing since Oct. 7, now targets Lebanon and the Lebanese people," Erdogan said on X.

He expressed deep concern over the loss of Lebanese lives, including children, in what he described as "brutal attacks."

1339 GMT — Over 50,000 flee Lebanon for Syria amid Israeli strikes: UN

The UN refugee chief has said that more than 50,000 people had fled to Syria amid escalating Israeli air strikes on Lebanon.

"More than 50,000 Lebanese and Syrians living in Lebanon have now crossed into Syria fleeing Israeli air strikes," Filippo Grandi said on X, adding that "well over 200,000 people are displaced inside Lebanon".

1237 GMT — Iranian parliament’s national security committee holds emergency session on Lebanon

The Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee has convened an emergency session to discuss the recent Israeli attacks in the region, particularly focusing on Lebanon.

Committee spokesperson Ebrahim Rezaei said in a statement that the session focused on "investigating the recent events in the region, including the crimes committed by the Zionist regime in the southern suburbs of Beirut."

Rezaei added: “The Zionists are witnessing their final days in the occupied territories, and these events in the region will mark the beginning of the end for the cursed and criminal Zionist regime."

1157 GMT — Hezbollah confirms leader Nasrallah's death

Lebanon's Iran-backed Hezbollah group has confirmed its leader Hassan Nasrallah had been killed after Israel said it had "eliminated" him in a strike on south Beirut a day earlier.

A statement by Hezbollah confirmed he was killed with other group members "following the treacherous Zionist strike on the southern suburbs" of Beirut.

1039 GMT — A new Israeli strike has hit a building in Hezbollah's south Beirut bastion, a Lebanese security official said.

"A new Israeli strike targeted Beirut's southern suburbs," the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, adding it hit "a building".

The strike comes after Israel killed group leader Hassan Nasrallah during intense bombardment on Friday.

1034 GMT — Iran supreme leader condemns 'short-sighted' Israeli policy after Lebanon strikes

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has condemned what he described as Israel's "short-sighted" policy after strikes on Lebanon that Israel said killed Nasrallah.

"The massacre of the defenceless people in Lebanon once again revealed the ferocity of the Zionist rabid dog to everyone, and proved the short-sighted and stupid policy of the leaders of the usurping regime," Khamenei said in a statement.

0930 GMT — Israeli air strikes kill 11 medical personnel in Lebanon

Eleven medical personnel were killed and ten injured in Israeli air strikes targeting Islamic Health Authority offices in the towns of Taybeh and Deir Seryan, according to official media.

Casualties were also reported as Israel bombed several buildings in El-Khodr town in the Baalbek district of eastern Lebanon, according to the Lebanese News Agency.

0915 GMT — Israeli army claims air strike killed Hamas infrastructure chief in southern Syria

The Israeli army announced that it conducted an air strike targeting Ahmed Muhammad Fahd, claimed to be the Hamas infrastructure chief, in southern Syria.

In a statement on X, the Israeli army claimed that Fahd was responsible for launching rocket attacks against Israeli positions in the Golan Heights.

There was no immediate comment from Hamas on the Israeli claims.

0855 GMT — Gaza death toll nears 41,600; Israel kills medics in Lebanon

The Israeli army killed 52 more Palestinians in attacks in Gaza, taking the overall death toll to 41,586 since last October 7, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 96,210 other people have been injured in the assault.

“Israeli forces killed 52 people and injured 118 others in four ‘massacres’ against families in the last 48 hours,” the ministry said.

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

0850 GMT — Israel says it 'eliminated' Hezbollah chief in Beirut strike

Israel's military said it had "eliminated" Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, though the group has yet to comment on his fate.

If confirmed, Nasrallah's death would deal a massive blow to the Iran-backed group which he has led since 1992, potentially destabilising Lebanon as a whole.

A source close to Hezbollah told AFP that contact with Nasrallah had been "lost" since Friday night.

"Hassan Nasrallah is dead," Israeli military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani announced on X.

Another military spokesman, Captain David Avraham, also confirmed to AFP that the Hezbollah chief had been "eliminated" following strikes Friday night on Beirut.

0844 GMT — Israeli army hacks into Beirut Airport control tower, threatens Iranian civilian plane

The Israeli army hacked into the control tower of Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport, issuing threats against an Iranian civilian aircraft attempting to land, according to official sources.

The Lebanese Ministry of Transport instructed airport authorities to prevent the Iranian plane from entering Lebanese airspace following Israeli threats to target the aircraft if it landed at the airport.

Sources within the ministry confirmed to Anadolu that the directive was issued after the Israeli army’s aggressive posturing.

There was no comment from the Israeli side on the reports yet.

0520 GMT — Hospitals in Beirut's south to be evacuated amid Israeli strikes

The Lebanese Lebanese Health Ministry has issued a statement urging hospitals in Beirut, Mount Lebanon, and unaffected areas to halt the admission of non-urgent cases until the end of next week.

According to the statement, this measure aims to free up resources for patients being transferred from hospitals in the southern suburbs of Beirut, which will be evacuated due to ongoing Israeli strikes.

The ministry added that it has called on hospitals and health centres to prepare for an influx of displaced patients arriving from the suburbs, anticipating that responsibilities and demands will increase as numbers continue to rise.

0320 GMT — Israeli strikes pound southern Beirut suburbs

Israeli fighter jets bombarded the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital Beirut overnight, sending panicked families fleeing massive strikes reportedly targeting Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah.

Israel said it was attacking Hezbollah's headquarters, while Israeli television networks reported that Nasrallah was the target, although a source close to the group said he was "fine".

The explosions that shook southern Beirut were the fiercest to hit the group's stronghold since Israel and Hezbollah went to war in 2006.

2140 GMT — Israel launches fierce new wave of air strikes on Beirut

A violent wave of air strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs early on Saturday as Israel intensified its bombardment, after a massive strike on Hezbollah's command centre. An unprecedented five-hour barrage of strikes early Saturday followed Friday’s assault, marking Israel’s most intense attack on Beirut yet.

Reuters witnesses heard more than 20 air strikes before dawn on Saturday. Abandoning their homes in the southern suburbs, thousands of Lebanese congregated in squares, parks, and sidewalks in downtown Beirut and seaside areas.

"They want to destroy Dahiye, they want to destroy all of us," said Sari, a man in his 30s who gave only his first name, referring to the suburb he had fled after an Israeli evacuation order.

2140 GMT — Israeli air strikes hit southern Beirut, level buildings

Israel's army bombed the southern suburbs of Beirut early Saturday hours after another airstrike destroyed several buildings, killing and injuring scores of people.

The new airstrikes came shortly after an Israeli military spokesman warned the residents of some localities to evacuate.

Israel confirmed that the air forces are striking areas south of Beirut.

Separately, Lebanon’s Health Ministry said six people were killed and 91 injured in several Israeli strikes that struck on Friday. The toll is likely to rise significantly as teams are still combing through the rubble of six buildings.

2115 GMT — Biden ready to 'adjust' US forces in Mideast amid tensions: White House

US President Joe Biden ordered US forces in the Middle East to be adjusted "as necessary," the White House said on Friday, after Israel launched a wave of strikes on Lebanon's capital Beirut.

"He has directed the Pentagon to assess and adjust as necessary US force posture in the region to enhance deterrence, ensure force protection, and support the full range of US objectives," the White House said in a statement.

Biden also ordered US embassies in the region to "take all protective measures as appropriate," it said.

2040 GMT — Israel attack on Beirut is 'flagrant war crime': Iran

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian condemned Israel's air strikes on the Lebanese capital's densely populated southern suburbs Friday as a "flagrant war crime."

"The attacks perpetrated ... by the Zionist regime in the Dahiya neighbourhood of Beirut constitute a flagrant war crime that has revealed once again the nature of this regime's state terrorism," Pezeshkian said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency early Saturday.

Pezeshkian vowed Iran "will stand with the Lebanese nation and the axis of resistance".

For our live updates from Friday, September 27, 2024, click here.