Live blog: Iran attacks Israel with barrage of missiles

Tuesday, October 1, 2024

1636 GMT –– Israel is under missile attack from Iran, the Israeli military and Iranian state media said, the latest escalation after Israeli raids in Lebanon.

"A short while ago, missiles were launched from Iran towards the State of Israel," the military said in a statement. Sirens sounded across Israel, with AFP journalists reporting hearing explosions over Jerusalem.

Iran's official news agency IRNA said it had launched "a missile attack on Tel Aviv", Israel's commercial hub.

Its Revolutionary Guards Corps said the attack was in response to Israel's killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah last week as well as the death of Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh in a Tehran bombing widely blamed on Israel.

Israeli airspace was closed with all flights diverted, a spokesman for the airport authority said.

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1908 GMT –– Israel army says troops fire on dozens of Palestinians in Gaza

The Israeli army has reported that its troops fired on dozens of Palestinians in Gaza, "identifying them as a threat".

1902 GMT –– Iran claims hitting 3 Israeli military sites with missiles

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed that three Israeli military sites in Tel Aviv were hit with missiles, according to the Iranian state-run media.

1855 GMT –– US says Iran's ballistic missile attack on Israel has been 'defeated and ineffective'

United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan has stated that Iran's ballistic missile attack on Israel "appears to have been defeated and ineffective".

1855 GMT –– US Navy destroyers fired interceptors 'to shoot down inbound missiles'

United States Navy destroyers have fired interceptors "to shoot down inbound missiles" after Iran had launched nearly 200 missiles against Israel, according to the US national security advisor.

1855 GMT –– Iran’s President Pezeshkian says missile strikes at Israel were based on country’s 'legitimate rights,'

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that the missile strikes at Israel were based on the country’s "legitimate rights," adding that a "decisive response" was given to Israel's "aggression".

1804 GMT –– UN warns about growing 'number of displaced people' in Lebanon

The United Nations warned about a growing humanitarian crisis in Lebanon, with increasing numbers of displaced people following Israel's evacuation orders in 30 villages in southern Lebanon.

Noting that UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) personnel continue to carry out their duties despite the dangerous developments, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric warned that "without sufficient resources, humanitarians risk leaving the population of an entire country without support they all urgently need."

Citing the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Dujarric said the number of displaced individuals in Lebanon is expected to rise as the Israeli army continues to issue evacuation orders, affecting 30 villages in southern Lebanon.

He confirmed that "over 100,000 people have now moved from Lebanon into Syria, and over 200,000 people have been displaced from southern Lebanon."

1722 GMT –– Iraq closes airspace to ensure safety of aviation

Iraq has closed its airspace to ensure the safety of aviation, and transiting aircraft after Iran launched rockets towards Israel, according to Iraq’s official news agency.

1719 GMT –– Another shooting incident, in the Israeli city of Herzliya

About an hour after the shooting in Tel Aviv, the Israeli police reported a new shooting incident in the city of Herzliya, according to Yedioth Ahronoth.

1719 GMT –– Jordan announces suspension of air traffic

Jordan Aviation Authority has announced that it suspended its air traffic.

1710 GMT –– Iran's Revolutionary Guards say missile attack on Israel to revenge killings

Iranian Revolutionary Guards have said the attack on Israel in response to the killings of Hamas politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and Iranian brigadier general of Revolutionary Guard Corps Abbas Nilforoush.

1703 GMT –– Israel says Iran has fired missiles

The Israeli military has said that Iran has fired missiles and it ordered residents to remain close to bomb shelters as air raid sirens sounded across the country.

A series of window-shaking explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem, though it was not immediately clear whether the sounds were from missiles landing or being intercepted by Israeli defences, or both.

1624 GMT –– Shooting attack in Israel's Tel Aviv kills at least 8: Israeli police

A series of shootings in the city of Jaffa, south of Tel Aviv, has resulted in the deaths of eight people, with several others injured, according to Israeli media reports.

The incident, initially reported as a possible terror attack, unfolded in central Jaffa, as reported by Israel daily Hayom.

Israeli police responded quickly to the scene, stating that multiple individuals had been injured.

According to Israeli Channel 14, ten people were wounded in the double shooting, with some reported to be in critical condition.

Emergency services confirmed that four people were critically injured, with two of them in life-threatening condition, said Israel’s public broadcaster.

Shortly afterwards, it was confirmed that four victims had been killed and that the assailants had been neutralised.

Authorities are investigating the incident, and the situation remains under close observation.

1434 GMT –– Maldives seeks to join South African genocide case against Israel

The Maldives has said it has officially filed a declaration of intervention in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to join the genocide case against Israel for committing massacres in Gaza.

“The Maldives, under Article 63 filed the declaration of intervention to the Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza (South Africa vs. Israel)," Maldives’ President Mohamed Muizzu said in a post on X.

1431 GMT –– US vows to defend Israel, warns of missile attack from Iran

The United States is actively supporting preparations to defend Israel against a direct military attack from Iran, a senior White House official has said.

The official said that the United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel.

Iran's ballistic missile attack on Israel could be as big or potentially bigger than the one in April, if it goes ahead, although that assessment is based on initial indications and it is difficult to be certain, a US official told Reuters.

The warning follows Israel's announcement that its commando and paratroop units launched raids into southern Lebanon in a "limited" incursion.

Meanwhile, the US Embassy in Israel has directed all employees and their family members to take shelter till further notice.

1408 GMT –– Israel carries out strikes in Beirut, southern suburbs, sources say

Israel has carried out two attacks on Beirut, striking the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital and the city's southern entrance, two security sources said.

A high-rise building was hit in the city's Jnah area, the sources said.

The Israeli military said it was targeting the Lebanese capital and had carried out a "precise strike."

1315 GMT –– Erdogan says Israel will be stopped 'sooner or later'

Türkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has condemned Israel's ground invasion in Lebanon and urged the United Nations and other international organisations especially to stop Israel without "wasting any more time".

"Whatever it does, Israel will be stopped sooner or later," Erdogan told the Turkish parliament at the opening of the legislative year.

1259 GMT –– Israel calls for evacuation as Hezbollah denies ground incursion

The Israeli military has warned people to evacuate nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities hours after announcing what it said were limited ground incursions against Hezbollah.

Hezbollah had denied Israeli troops had entered Lebanon, but hours later the Israeli army announced it had also carried out dozens of ground raids into southern Lebanon going back nearly a year.

Israel asked people to evacuate to the north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometres (36 miles) from the border and much farther than the Litani River, which marks the northern edge of a UN-declared zone that was intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon after the 2006 war.

1117 GMT –– Health Ministry in Gaza says war death toll at 41,638

The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said that at least 41,638 people have been killed in the war between Israel's war on the besieged enclave, now in its 12th month.

The toll includes 23 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 96,460 people have been wounded in Gaza since the war began on October 7 last year.

1117 GMT –– Ground incursion to last weeks: Israel

Israel believes that its ground incursion in Lebanon may last several weeks, according to the Israeli public broadcaster KAN.

1101 GMT –– Any Israeli invasion of Lebanon violates UN resolution 1701: UNIFIL

The UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warned that any Israeli invasion of Lebanese territory would be a violation of the country’s sovereignty and United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

"Any crossing into Lebanon is in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a violation of resolution 1701," UNIFIL said in a statement.

1029 GMT –– Hezbollah denies Israeli claims of invading southern Lebanon

Lebanon's Hezbollah said that no Israeli troops had crossed over into Lebanon after Israel said it was carrying out limited raids there.

"All the Zionist claims that (Israeli) occupation forces have entered Lebanon are false claims," a Hezbollah spokesman told the Al-Jazeera broadcaster in a statement then published on Hezbollah channels, adding there had "not yet been any direct ground clash between (Hezbollah) resistance fighters and (Israeli) occupation forces".

1028 GMT –– Switzerland calls for de-escalation in Lebanon amid Israeli ground offensive

Switzerland said it is “deeply concerned” over the security escalation in Lebanon, urging dialogue and de-escalation between conflicting parties.

In a post on X, the Swiss Foreign Ministry said: International law, including humanitarian law, must be respected."

The ministry's remarks came after the Israeli military announced launching a “limited and targeted” ground incursion in southern Lebanon.

1008 GMT –– UN peacekeepers say no Israeli ground incursion in south Lebanon 'right now'

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon said there was "no ground incursion" going on in the south of the country after Israel said it was carrying out limited raids there.

UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP there was "no ground incursion right now", after Israel's military said it began "limited, localised and targeted raids" against militant group Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

0955 GMT –– Lebanon's Hezbollah says it fired missiles at Mossad HQ near Tel Aviv

Lebanon's Hezbollah said it had targeted the Israeli military intelligence base of Glilot near Tel Aviv.

The group "launched salvoes of Fadi 4 rockets at the Glilot base of the military intelligence's unit 8200 and the Mossad headquarters located on the outskirts of Tel Aviv," it said in a statement.

0944 GMT –– UN warns against 'large-scale ground invasion' in Lebanon

The United Nations voiced alarm as Israel launched a ground offensive into Lebanon as it targets Hezbollah fighters, warning against a "large-scale ground invasion".

"With armed violence between Israel and Hezbollah boiling over, the consequences for civilians have already been terrible –– and we fear a large-scale ground invasion by Israel into Lebanon would only result in greater suffering," Liz Throssell, spokeswoman for the UN rights office, told reporters in Geneva.

0821 GMT –– At least 21 killed in Israeli airstrikes on homes, shelters across Gaza

At least 21 Palestinians were killed in overnight Israeli airstrikes targeting homes and shelters across Gaza, medical sources said.

The Palestinian Civil Defense said seven bodies were recovered after Israeli fighter jets hit a school sheltering displaced civilians in the Shejaiya neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City.

Thirteen people were also killed in two airstrikes targeting two homes in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, a medical source said.

Another Palestinian was killed by a drone strike on a tent for displaced people in northeastern Rafah city in southern Gaza, according to witnesses.

0400 GMT –– Civilians 'terrified' as Israel troops enter Lebanon

The Israeli army shelled several towns in southern Lebanon, coinciding with Tel Aviv's announcement of a "limited" ground invasion in the north.

The military issued a warning to citizens not to move in their vehicles from the northern area to the southern area of the Litani river.

TRT World's correspondent reporting from the occupied East Jerusalem said the situation in Lebanon is no less than "terrifying".

"So many people, they just have no idea what the coming days and months are going to bring even the coming hours. It is perhaps more vulnerable the situation in the south because we are talking about boots on the ground."

0247 GMT — 6 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strike on school in Gaza housing displaced people

At least six Palestinians were killed and several others injured in an Israeli air strike targeting a school-turned-shelter in the al-Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza.

An Anadolu correspondent said that Israeli warplanes bombed the Shejaiya school, which houses hundreds of displaced persons.

Medical sources at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza said the Israeli bombardment of the school resulted in the deaths of six Palestinians, with several others suffering injuries, some of which were serious.

0324 GMT — US, Israel agree on 'dismantling attack infrastructure' on Lebanon border

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin offered support to Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for "dismantling attack infrastructure" along the border with Lebanon, after Israel launched "targeted ground raids" on Hezbollah.

Austin also issued a warning to Iran of "serious consequences" should it directly attack Israel in response to their attacks on Hezbollah.

Austin reiterated the position shared by the White House that a "diplomatic resolution is required" to ensure civilian safety "on both sides of the border."

"The United States is well-postured to defend US personnel, partners, and allies in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations and determined to prevent any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict."

0220 GMT — US backing gives Israel "immunity" for its massacre of Palestinians — North Korea's UN ambassador

Israel is “immune” to any punishment despite massacring more than 41,500 Palestinians due to the backing of the US, North Korea’s ambassador to the United Nations.

“It is hardly imaginable that one state (Israel) is immune to any censure and sanction even after committing such a horrible massacre,” Kim Song told the 79th session of the General Assembly in New York.

He said this is “entirely due to the patronage of the US, a permanent member of the UN Security Council.”

Expressing his “deep condolences” to the Palestinians, Kim noted that Washington vetoed five UN Security Council resolutions on bringing peace to the Middle East, “overriding the wishes of the international community to see the ethnic cleansing stopped by its ally.”

“This is how the US has discredited the authority of the UN and incited crimes against humanity,” he said.

0121 GMT — Palestinian camp official in south Lebanon says Israeli strike targets militant

A Palestinian camp official told AFP that an Israeli strike targeted a top Palestinian militant on Tuesday in the community in the south Lebanon city of Sidon.

"The Israeli raid targeted the house of the son of Mounir Maqdah" in the Ain al-Helweh camp, the official said, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.

It was unclear if Maqdah — who Israel has accused of heading the Lebanese branch of Fatah's armed wing — was at the property.

0050 GMT — Israel kills 3 civilians in Damascus, Syria

Syrian regime media said three civilians were killed in Israeli air strikes on Damascus and nine others wounded, citing a military source.

"The Israeli enemy launched an air aggression with warplanes and drones from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting several points in Damascus," the official SANA news agency said, adding that "three civilians were killed and nine others injured".

0046 GMT — Israel starts ground invasion of Lebanon

The Israeli army shelled several towns in southern Lebanon, coinciding with Tel Aviv's announcement of a "limited" ground invasion in the north.

The army said it launched "limited, localised and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon."

Lebanon's official news agency, NNA, reported that the artillery bombardment lasted over two hours, targeting the towns of Wazzani, Marjeyoun and Khiyam.

0023 GMT — Israel strikes refugee camp near south Lebanon's Sidon

Israel launched a strike on a building in Ein El Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near south Lebanon's Sidon, a Palestinian source and Lebanese media said.

It marked the first strike on the overcrowded camp, Lebanon's largest of several Palestinian camps since the Israeli carnage in Gaza broke out nearly a year ago.

0012 GMT — Canada evacuates citizens amid Israeli invasion of Lebanon

Canada ramped up efforts to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon as the security situation in the country deteriorated.

"The security situation in Lebanon is becoming increasingly dangerous and volatile. The airport remains open, and commercial flights are still available," Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly wrote on X.

To expedite the evacuation process, Joly announced that Canada is "now augmenting commercial capacity and have secured an additional 800 seats over the course of the next 3 days for Canadians, permanent residents and their immediate family."

2048 GMT — Israel greenlights ground invasion of Lebanon

Israeli cabinet has approved the ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli media reports. Cabinet ministers have approved the next phase of Israeli army operations in Lebanon, according to Haaretz newspaper, quoting top officials familiar with the discussions.

2126 GMT — Israel kills nearly 100 people in Lebanon strikes

Israel has killed 95 people in Lebanon after striking Lebanon.

"Israeli enemy strikes in the past 24 hours... killed 95 people and injured 172," the ministry said in a statement.

2121 GMT — UN experts condemn Israeli destructive violence 'applied in Gaza' against Lebanon

UN experts said they are alarmed by the escalation of attacks by Israel on Lebanon, urging an immediate cessation of hostilities amid risks of spillage to the whole region.

"The ballooning violence adds immensely to the instability and the ongoing suffering of civilians in the wider region, including in Palestine," the experts said in a statement.

They accused Israel of using the "same destructive violence" seen in the nearly year-old war on Gaza but now in Lebanon.

"We firmly condemn Israel's use of the same destructive violence that was applied in Gaza to its attacks on Lebanon, suggesting that attacks on civilians are justified because Hezbollah members allegedly hide among them and use civilians as human shields," they said.

2119 GMT — Israel kills 11 Palestinians in Nuseirat camp

Israel has killed at least 11 Palestinians, including women and children, after striking a house in Nuseirat camp in besieged Gaza, the Reuters news agency said, citing medics.

For our live updates from Monday, September 30, 2024, click here.