Live blog: Hezbollah fires missile on Israeli bases, explosives factory

Tuesday, September 24, 2024

0413 GMT –– Lebanon’s Hezbollah group said it launched six missile strikes on military installations in northern Israel, including two airfields and an explosives factory, in retaliation for Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza.

The Lebanese group said on Telegram that the Megiddo Military Airfield west of the city of Afula was struck three times with Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 missiles.

This marks the first time the airfield, located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) from the Lebanese border, was targeted by the group.

In another statement, Hezbollah confirmed that Ramat David Airbase and the Amos base, a key logistical hub for Israeli military operations in the north, were hit with Fadi 1 and Fadi 2 missiles.

Additionally, a factory in the town of Zichron Ya'acov north of Caesarea, about 60 kilometers (37 miles) from the Lebanese border, which produces explosives was also struck.

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0400 GMT — China FM slams 'indiscriminate attacks' on civilians in talks with Lebanese counterpart

China's top diplomat Wang Yi expressed support for Lebanon and condemned what he termed "indiscriminate attacks against civilians", Beijing's foreign ministry said.

Meeting his Lebanese counterpart in New York, Wang said: "We pay close attention to developments in the region, especially the recent explosion of communications equipment in Lebanon, and firmly oppose indiscriminate attacks against civilians."

On Monday, Israeli air strikes killed 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, and wounded 1,645 others in the country, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

Wang acknowledged the strikes, saying China "strongly condemns any violation of the basic norms governing international relations".

"No matter how the situation changes, we will always stand on the side of justice, on the side of our Arab brothers, including Lebanon," Wang told Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib.

"Armed force does not represent truth, and might only undermines peace," Wang said.

0505 GMT — Hamas's armed wing confirms death of commander in Israeli strike

The military wing of Palestinian resistance group Hamas has announced that one of its field commanders was killed in an Israeli air strike in Lebanon.

The Qassam Brigades confirmed in a statement that Hussein Mahmoud al-Nader, a field commander from Marjayoun town in southern Lebanon's Nabatieh Governorate, was killed in an air strike on Monday evening.

Earlier, Hamas reported that 40 rockets were fired from Lebanese territory into northern Israel, indicating a significant escalation in hostilities between the two sides.

Israeli local news outlets, citing military sources, claimed that 20 rockets were launched from Lebanon, some of which were intercepted and others landed in open areas.

0310 GMT — UNICEF raises alarm over escalating tensions after 24 children killed in Israeli air strikes in Lebanon

The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has expressed grave concern over the escalating violence in Israel and Lebanon, particularly following reports of attacks that claimed at least 24 children’s lives in southern Lebanon on Monday.

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell expressed her deep concern in a statement over the escalating violence in Lebanon and Israel.

"I am deeply alarmed by the ongoing surge of attacks in Lebanon and Israel, which earlier today reportedly claimed the lives of at least 24 children in southern Lebanon," she said, emphasizing that the intensified violence represents a "dangerous escalation" for civilians in the region.

2305 GMT — EU's Borrell warns Lebanon, Israel on verge of full-scale war

The escalation between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah is almost a full-fledged war, the European Union's foreign policy chief said.

"This situation is extremely dangerous and worrying. I can say that we are almost in a full-fledged war," Josep Borrell told reporters.

"If this is not a war situation, I don't know what you would call it," he said, citing the increasing number of civilian casualties and the intensity of military strikes.

Borrell said efforts to reduce tensions were ongoing, but Europe's worst fears about a spillover were becoming a reality.

2300 GMT — Qatar, Saudi Arabia say Israel poses threat to regional security

Qatar and Saudi Arabia have expressed deep concern over Israel's ongoing escalation of attacks on Lebanon, warning that Tel Aviv's "impunity" is driving it to escalate the situation, endangering regional security.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry said in a statement that it "strongly condemns the Israeli aggression on Lebanon," stressing that the continued escalation is mainly due to "the absence of any deterrence to Israel's behaviours, its repeated violation of international law, and its ongoing impunity."

The ministry urged the international community to take "urgent action" to compel Israel to stop its "brutal aggression on Lebanon and Gaza."

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, the Saudi Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the escalation in Lebanon and urged the international community to fulfil its obligations to halt conflicts in the region.

The ministry said the Kingdom "is following the developments of the security-related events taking place in Lebanese territory with great concern, and renews its warning of the danger of the violence spreading in the region, and the serious repercussions of the escalation on the security and stability of the region."

0026 GMT — Iran warns of 'irreversible' consequences of wider regional war

Israel wants to drag the Middle East into a full-blown war by provoking Iran to join the nearly year-old conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Iran's president said, warning of its "irreversible" consequences.

Masoud Pezeshkian, speaking to a group of journalists after his arrival in New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly, said: "We do not wish to be the cause of instability in the Middle East as its consequences would be irreversible"

"We want to live in peace, we don't want war," he added. "It is Israel that seeks to create this all-out conflict."

Pezeshkian accused the international community of silence in the face of "Israel's genocide" in Gaza.

"We will defend any group that is defending its rights and itself," Pezeshkian said, when asked whether Iran will enter the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He did not elaborate.

2045 GMT — Lebanon's death toll from Israeli strikes rises to nearly 500

Lebanon's death toll from Israeli air strikes has risen to 492, including 35 children, according to the Health Ministry.

The deaths included 58 women, and some 1,645 others were wounded, the ministry said. Health Minister Firass Abiad said "thousands of families" had been displaced.

2113 GMT — Palestinian president urges ICC prosecutor to expedite probe into Israel's war crimes

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas urged International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan to expedite looking into Israel's war crimes committed in Palestine.

Abbas made the request while meeting with Khan on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly in New York, during which they discussed developments in the Palestinian territories, especially Israel's ongoing devastating onslaught in besieged Gaza, according to the official Palestinian news agency WAFA.

Abbas told Khan that "impunity means encouraging the Israeli occupation to continue committing its crimes against the Palestinian people, who have suffered 76 years of injustice, oppression, apartheid and ethnic cleansing."

He also stressed the need for action by the international community and the legal organisations of the United Nations to oblige Israel, as the occupying power, to implement the UN resolutions demanding to end its war and decades-long occupation of the Palestinian territories.

2100 GMT — Norwegian NGO 'urgently appeals' for de-escalation of Israeli attacks in Lebanon

A leading Norwegian non-governmental organisation (NGO) has expressed concern over Israeli air strikes on Lebanese villages, calling for immediate de-escalation as the situation reaches "a new and incredibly dangerous level."

In a statement, Jan Egeland, the Norwegian Refugee Council's secretary general, said that residential areas and densely populated neighbourhoods were bombed in Lebanon, "which means the human toll will be immense."

"Israel's air strikes across Lebanese villages and cities are the most violent in 11 months," said Egeland, adding that families were told they only had a couple of hours to leave home, and many thousands were displaced.

"We urgently appeal for immediate de-escalation by all parties to the conflict and for an end to the indiscriminate attacks that destroy civilian homes and infrastructure," he added.

2047 GMT — Spain condemns Israeli attacks on Lebanon, calls for ceasefire in Gaza

The Spanish government has expressed "deep dismay and condemnation" over Israeli attacks on southern and eastern Lebanon, underlining that a ceasefire in Gaza is necessary to reduce regional tension.

In a statement, the government condemned Israel's recent bombardments in response to Hezbollah's attacks on Israel over the weekend, saying "the spiral of violence must stop."

"War must be avoided at all costs. All parties must respect civilian lives and the basic principles of international humanitarian law," said the statement.

2038 GMT — Belgium calls escalating tensions between Israel, Lebanon 'extremely worrying'

Belgium's foreign minister has expressed concern over escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon, urging de-escalation and diplomatic solutions.

"The intensification of the conflict on the border between Lebanon and Israel is extremely worrying. Civilians, including women and children, are once again being affected," Hadja Lahbib wrote on X.

For our live updates from Monday, September 23, 2024, click here.