Live blog: Attacks on peacekeepers in Lebanon 'constitute war crime': UN

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

1722 GMT — Sounding the alarm on Israeli army targeting UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) personnel and positions, UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that the UN premises have been impacted on at least 20 occasions since October 1.

"The Secretary General (Guterres) reiterates that UNIFIL personnel and its premises must never be targeted," Dujarric said, adding that "attacks against peacekeepers are in breach of international law, including international humanitarian law. They may constitute a war crime."

"We appreciate the stated support of the Security Council for the work of our brave peacekeepers, who remain in position in support of efforts to create a space for a diplomatic solution to this crisis and support a return of the cessation of hostilities and the full implementation of Security Council resolution 1701," he said.

More updates 👇

1805 GMT — US raises concerns with Israel over bombing campaign in Beirut

The United States has raised concerns with Israel over its bombing campaign in Beirut in past weeks, the State Department said, adding that strikes have diminished in recent days and Washington would continue to watch very carefully.

State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said while there are strikes the US would consider appropriate for Israel to carry out, the US made clear to the government of Israel it had concerns with the nature of the bombing campaign seen in the past few weeks, largely due to the civilian toll.

1752 GMT — Hezbollah accuses Israel of deploying banned cluster bombs in southern Lebanon

Hezbollah accused Israel of bombing areas in southern Lebanon with internationally banned cluster munitions, calling on international human rights and humanitarian organisations to condemn this " heinous crime."

"The Israeli enemy today launched rockets filled with internationally prohibited cluster bombs" in regions of Nabatieh province in southern Lebanon, the Lebanese group said in a statement.

It urged "the relevant authorities in Lebanon and international human rights and humanitarian organisations condemn this heinous crime by all standards, especially given its far-reaching negative impacts on civilians."

1720 GMT — Israel army claims to have captured three Hezbollah members

The Israeli military claimed its troops in south Lebanon had captured three Hezbollah militants, the second such announcement since it launched a cross-border ground assault into the country last month.

"An underground shaft was located inside a building used by Hezbollah. The forces surrounded the building, where three terrorists of the Radwan Force were entrenched," the military said in a statement, referring to the group's elite units. "They were found alongside many weapons and equipment needed for a long stay."

1652 GMT — Death toll from Israeli onslaught on Lebanon reaches 2,350

The death toll from Israel’s ongoing onslaught on Lebanon since last year has surged to 2,350, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said that 41 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the last 24 hours and 124 others injured, taking the number of injuries to 10,906 since October 8, 2023.

1636 GMT — About 3,000 French citizens have left Lebanon since start of hostilities

About 3,000 French citizens have left Lebanon since conflict broke out between Israel and Hezbollah in the country, said French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot.

Barrot also told the French parliament's foreign affairs committee that no decision had been taken regarding evacuations from Lebanon.

Overall, there were about 24,000 French citizens in Lebanon.

1635 GMT — Israel deploys another division for ground incursion in Lebanon

The Israeli army has deployed another division for its ground incursion into southern Lebanon, according to local media.

Israel’s Army Radio said that the 210th Division was conducting targeted ground raids in Mount Dov (Shebaa Farms).

The army has earlier announced the deployment of four divisions for its ground offensive in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army does not specify the number of troops participating in its ground incursion in southern Lebanon.

1630 GMT — Hezbollah, Israel engaged in clashes at 15 border points in southern Lebanon

The Lebanon group Hezbollah said it is actively countering Israeli infiltration attempts at 15 border points across three primary battle axes.

These 15 points are at the border towns of Aitaroun, Alama Ash-Shab, al-Labouneh, Blida, Meiss al-Jabal, Ad-Dhahirah, Yaroun, Ras al-Naqoura, Maroun al-Ras, Kfar Kila, Odaisseh, Ramyeh, al-Qaouzah, Rmaich, and Debel.

1613 GMT — Israel PM 'mustn't forget his country created by UN decision': Macron

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should not forget his country was created as a result of a resolution adopted by the United Nations, French President Emmanuel Macron told cabinet, referring to the resolution adopted in November 1947 by the United Nations General Assembly on the plan to partition Palestine into a Jewish state and an Arab state.

"Therefore this is not the time to disregard the decisions of the UN," he added, as Israel wages a ground offensive against the resistance group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where the UN peacekeepers are deployed.

1611 GMT — Israel assures US it won't strike Iranian nuclear or oil sites: US officials

The Biden administration believes it has won assurances from Israel that it will not hit Iranian nuclear or oil sites as it looks to strike back following Iran's missile barrage earlier this month, two US officials said.

The administration also believes that sending a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery to Israel and roughly 100 soldiers to operate it has eased some of Israel’s concerns about possible Iranian retaliation and general security issues.

However, the US officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private diplomatic discussions, cautioned that the assurance is not iron-clad and that circumstances could change.

The officials also noted that Israel’s track record on fulfilling assurances in the past is mixed and has often reflected domestic Israeli politics that have upended Washington’s expectations.

1531 GMT — US warns Israel it risks arms embargo if Gaza's humanitarian situation not improved: reports

The US has demanded that Israel improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza within 30 days, about a week after the November 5 presidential election, or risk an American arms embargo, according to reports published.

"We are now writing to underscore the US government's deep concern over the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, and seek urgent and sustained actions by your government this month to reverse this trajectory," they wrote, according to a purported copy of the letter posted on social media by an Axios reporter.

They added that they are concerned recent actions by the Israeli government—halting commercial imports, impeding nearly 90 percent of humanitarian movements, continuing excessive dual-use restrictions, and imposing new vetting and customs requirements—along with increased lawlessness and looting, are worsening conditions in Gaza.

1511 GMT –– At least 41 dead in Israeli strikes in Lebanon

Lebanon's Health Ministry has said that 41 people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Monday.

1435 GMT –– UK announces new sanctions against Israeli settlers

Britain announced new sanctions against three "illegal settler outposts" and four groups accused of committing violence against Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said that the Israeli government "inaction... has allowed an environment of impunity to flourish where settler violence has been allowed to increase unchecked".

The sanctions are the third imposed by London targeting those involved in Jewish settler violence since February.

Tuesday, October 15, 2024

1432 GMT –– Jordan urges deterrent action as Israel defies global community

Deterrent measures need to be taken if Israel is disregarding the global community and undermining international legitimacy, Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said.

Addressing a joint news conference with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan in Ankara, Safadi said using starvation as a weapon of war is a war crime, adding that Israel has not only destroyed schools, hospitals, mosques and churches, but has also destroyed the entire infrastructure, turning Gaza into an uninhabitable land.

Safadi said another war waged by Israel against the Palestinian people was in the West Bank through killing, targeting, settlement and destruction.

He lamented that the Security Council was not playing its role in maintaining security and peace.

1333 GMT –– US assured Lebanon that Israel would ease Beirut strikes: Lebanese PM

US officials assured Lebanon that Israel would tamp down its strikes on Beirut and its southern suburbs, Lebanon's caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati said.

"During our contacts with the American authorities last week, we received a kind of guarantee to reduce the escalation in the southern suburbs and Beirut," Mikati said in a written statement distributed by his office.

He did not provide further details on the assurances but said that Washington was "serious about pressuring Israel to reach a ceasefire".

1323 GMT –– Ex-Israeli defence minister calls for ‘maximum strike' against Iran

Former Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman called for a “maximum strike” against energy fields and nuclear facilities in Iran.

“We must deliver a maximum strike that includes energy fields and Iranian nuclear facilities,” Lieberman, leader of the right-wing Yisrael Beiteinu Party, told Army Radio.

"If we respond as they want us to, it will lead us into a war of attrition against Iran, and we cannot allow that to happen,” he said.

Lieberman, also a former foreign minister, demanded the Israeli government immediately stop all humanitarian aid, fuel, electricity, and water from entering Gaza.

1319 GMT –– 23 more Israeli soldiers injured in Gaza, Lebanon clashes: military

The Israeli army said that at least 23 more soldiers were injured in clashes in Gaza and Lebanon in the last 24 hours.

Military figures released by the army showed that some 740 soldiers have been killed and 4,881 others injured since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on October 7, 2023.

1313 GMT –– Türkiye urges 'sanctions' against Israel over Gaza bloodshed

Türkiye's foreign minister has called for sanctions against Israel, urging the international community to cut all support over the conflict in the Middle East.

"We have reached the limit of words, diplomacy and international politics.. We must start with sanctions," Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told ruling party delegates at a meeting about Palestine, adding: "Israel needs to be boycotted."

1245 GMT –– Hezbollah warns of more fire, cites new equation against Israel

Hezbollah's deputy leader, Naim Qassem, stated that a ceasefire is the solution to the ongoing conflict, but emphasised that the group is not negotiating from a position of weakness.

He said: "We have the right to target any point in Israel after its violation of Lebanon; rocket fire will continue, adding "we impose on Israel a new equation of 'harming the enemy' as rockets reach Haifa, Tel Aviv last few days.

1144 GMT –– Lebanon ready to bolster army in south after any ceasefire: PM

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said that Lebanon was ready to bolster the army's presence in the south after any ceasefire, adding that Israeli troops were making brief cross-border incursions.

"Currently we have 4,500 soldiers in south Lebanon, and we wish to increase them to between 7,000 and 11,000," Mikati told AFP in an interview, adding that as soon as a ceasefire is reached, "we can move soldiers" from other parts of the country to the south. "The information we have is that there are brief (Israeli) incursions" into south Lebanon, he added.

1131 GMT –– UN urges respect to Gaza ‘humanitarian pauses’ to allow polio vaccination

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) called to respect humanitarian pauses in the war-torn Gaza to allow the vaccination of Palestinian children against polio.

"We cannot vaccinate children under a sky full of bombs," UNRWA said in a statement.

It said nearly 93,000 children were vaccinated and more than 76,300 children received Vitamin A on the first day of this three-day phase.

“All parties to the conflict must respect the agreed-upon humanitarian pauses to allow the roll-out of this campaign,” it added.

1115 GMT –– Israel kills at least 50 in Gaza, tanks move deep in north

Israeli military strikes killed at least 50 Palestinians across Gaza as Israeli forces tightened their squeeze around Jabalia in the north of the enclave.

Palestinian health officials said at least 17 people were killed by Israeli fire near Al Falouja in Jabalia, the largest of Gaza's eight historic refugee camps, while 10 others were killed in Bani Suhaila in eastern Khan Younis in the south when an Israeli missile struck a house.

Earlier on Tuesday, an Israeli air strike destroyed three houses in the Sabra suburb of Gaza City, and the local civil emergency service said they recovered two bodies from the site, while the search continued for 12 other people who were believed to have been in the houses at the time of the strike.

Eight others were killed when a house was struck in the Nuseirat camp in central Gaza.

Later on Tuesday, the Gaza health ministry said one doctor was killed when he tried to help the people wounded by Israeli strikes in Al Falouja in Jabalia. It added that several medics were wounded when their ambulance came under Israeli fire in northern and southern Gaza

1010 GMT — Over 400,000 children in Lebanon have been displaced in 3 weeks by war: UN

More than 400,000 children in Lebanon have been displaced in the past three weeks, a top official with the UN children’s agency said, warning of a “lost generation” in the small country grappling with multiple crises and now in the middle of war.

Ted Chaiban, UNICEF's deputy executive director for humanitarian actions, has visited schools that have been turned into shelters to host displaced families.

“As we sit here today, 1.2 million children are deprived of education. Their public schools have either been rendered inaccessible, have been damaged by the war or are being used as shelters. The last thing this country needs, in addition to everything else it has gone through, is the risk of a lost generation.”

1110 GMT — Situation for Gaza children getting 'worse' with each passing day, warns UNICEF

The situation for children in Gaza is "worsening" with each passing day, with growing food, water, and medicine shortages compounded by ongoing Israeli attacks and severe restrictions on humanitarian aid, a UNICEF spokesperson has warned.

James Elder told a UN press briefing in Geneva that many Gaza children have been displaced multiple times since the outbreak of war over a year ago.

"Every single day, those deprivations increase," Elder said, emphasising the dire conditions faced by families in the region as "85 percent of Gaza" is under some form of evacuation order and "unlivable" conditions.

0949 GMT — Many victims of Israeli strike on north Lebanon were women and children, UN rights office says

The UN human rights office has said it had received reports that most of the 22 victims of an Israeli air strike on a building in northern Lebanon were women and children.

"What we are hearing is that amongst the 22 people killed were 12 women and two children," UN human rights office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence told a Geneva press briefing in response to a question about a strike on Aitou on Monday.

0921 GMT — UN refugee agency says ceasefire 'only way to end nightmare' in Lebanon

The UN refugee agency UNHCR has called for a ceasefire in Lebanon, calling it the "only way to end the nightmare" in the country.

"The needs are immense. They are growing daily, and we need the international community to now rally around the people of Lebanon and to be there for them in their hour of need," UNHCR Director Middle East Rema Jamous Imseis told a UN press briefing in Geneva.

"The only way this nightmare will end is if we have a cease-fire, and that is what the entire world is now hoping will happen in hours and not days," Imseis said optimistically, adding, "Because the people of Lebanon cannot afford it, and the region cannot afford a further spillover escalation of the conflict."

0916 GMT — Gaza crisis exposes international system's bias toward privileged few: Turkish FM

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan has criticised the international system for having been designed to benefit a select privileged few, citing the events unfolding in Gaza as a clear example.

"What's happening in Gaza is a living testimony to the fact that the international system has been designed, used, and abused to the privilege of a few," Fidan said at the Global Diplomacy and Future of Palestine conference in Ankara.

0834 GMT — Death toll from Israel's war on Gaza tops 42,344

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza has said that at least 42,344 people have been killed in Israel's war on Gaza.

The toll includes 55 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 99,013 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war on October 7, 2023.

0638 GMT — Israel chose to expand 'aggression' to West Bank, Lebanon: Qatar emir

Qatar's Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has said that Israel deliberately chose to expand what he called its "aggression" to implement pre-planned schemes in the occupied West Bank and Lebanon.

0634 GMT — Fresh Israeli strikes across Gaza kill at least 29 Palestinians

Israeli strikes across Gaza have killed at least 29 people, including women and children, Palestinian medical officials said.

Local sources reported that Israeli forces targeted several areas including Khan Younis, Nuseirat camp and Jabalia camp.

Israel's war in Gaza has killed over 42,000 Palestinians, according to local health authorities, with women and children making up more than half of the fatalities.

The war has destroyed large areas of Gaza and displaced about 90 percent of its population of 2.3 million people.

0417 GMT — Israel's attack on Gaza tent camp 'should shock world': UNICEF

UNICEF has decried a recent Israeli attack on tents housing displaced people in Gaza

"Today, our screens were once again filled with horrifying reports of children killed, burned, and families emerging from bombed tents in Gaza. These should shock the world to its core," UNICEF said on X.

At least four people were killed and 40 others injured when Israeli warplanes hit a courtyard at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza city of Deir al Balah, burning dozens of tents and people.

Medical teams evacuated several injured individuals, including women and children, whose clothes were set ablaze by the explosion.

"Attacks on shelters in Deir al-Balah and at al-Aqsa hospital, which reportedly killed 15 children, prove again that there is no safe place in Gaza," said UNICEF, adding: "This shameful violence against children must end now."

0316 GMT — Israel tells US will not hit Iran's nuclear or oil facilities: media

Israel has assured the White House that a planned retaliatory attack on Iran won't target nuclear or oil facilities, US media reported.

Israel has vowed to counterattack after Iran fired ballistic missiles at the country on October 1, launched in response to Israel's killing of leaders in the region, along with a general in Iran's Revolutionary Guards.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed US officials, said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reassured the White House that a counterstrike it is contemplating would target only military sites.

0219 GMT — Trapped under 'relentless bombings', Gaza needs ceasefire now: Doctors Without Borders

A ceasefire is needed now to stop the bloodshed in Gaza, where people are trapped under "relentless bombings", humanitarian group Doctors Without Borders have said.

Citing Israel's Monday air strike targeting an area housing displaced people inside the al-Aqsa Hospital compound in Deir al Balah, the group said the strike is the seventh time the hospital compound has been bombed since this March, including three attacks in the last month alone.

0119 GMT — Thousands in Italy rally for Palestine before Nations League match versus Israel

Protesting months of Israeli attacks on both Gaza and Lebanon, thousands on Monday showed solidarity with Palestine before Italy played Israel in a UEFA Nations League match.

Demonstrators gathered in Udine, northeastern Italy waved Palestinian flags and unfurled banners saying "Free Palestine," "Stop the Genocide," and "Italy vs Israel match result = humanity's defeat" to protest Israel's genocide in Gaza, and the Israeli national football team.

0021 GMT — UN Security Council urges all parties to respect safety of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

The UN Security Council has urged all parties to respect the safety and security of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

Amid ongoing hostilities along the Blue Line, the de facto border between Israel and Lebanon, "the members of the Security Council expressed their strong concerns after several (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) UNIFIL positions came under fire in the past days", Pascale Baeriswyl, Switzerland's UN ambassador, said after a meeting on Lebanon.

2236 GMT — Israel disrupts GPS around defence ministry in Tel Aviv

The Israeli army started to disrupt global positioning systems (GPS) signals around defence ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, central Israel, said to be fearing an attack by Iran.

According to Israeli news website Walla, the move comes ahead of a possible Iranian response to an expected Israeli attack on Iran.

It added that Israel is preparing for the possibility of being attacked again by Tehran after its expected attack on Iran, adding that the army's air defence systems are on high alert.

2200 GMT — US lawmaker slams Biden administration over Gaza

US Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Monday criticised the Biden administration over the “horrors” seen in Gaza due to the actions of an "unrestrained" Israel.

"The horrors unfolding in northern Gaza are the result of a completely unrestrained Netanyahu gov, fully armed by the Biden admin while food aid is blocked and patients are bombed in hospitals. This is a genocide of Palestinians," she wrote on X.

"The US must stop enabling it. Arms embargo now," added Ocasio-Cortez, a high-profile progressive lawmaker.

2130 GMT — Israeli official makes defamatory claims about UN peacekeepers

Close on the heels of Israel's attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon, an Israeli Cabinet minister made defamatory remarks about the peacekeeping group, falsely claiming that it serves as "a shield" for Lebanese group Hezbollah instead of acting as an impartial force.

On X, Israeli Energy Minister Eli Cohen claimed the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has not ensured the enforcement of UN resolutions and also "serves as a shield" for Lebanese group Hezbollah and is an "Iranian proxy".

Cohen also said it is time for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to respond to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Sunday request to withdraw the peacekeepers from southern Lebanon.

2113 GMT — Israel's Netanyahu taken to safe area of hospital after air raid sirens sounded

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu evening was taken to a safe, fortified area in a hospital in northern Israel as air raid sirens were sounded over a possible rocket attack from Lebanon.

When the sirens went off, Netanyahu was in Hillel Yaffe Hospital in the city of Hadera, visiting Israeli soldiers who were injured on Sunday in a Hezbollah drone attack that killed four soldiers and left dozens of others injured, according to Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

After the sirens sounded, his security took him to a fortified area of the hospital, KAN added.

For our live updates from Monday, October 14, 2024, click here.