Live blog: Hezbollah intercepts Israeli fighter jets over southern Lebanon

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

1824 GMT — Hezbollah said that it had intercepted two Israeli fighter jets in southern Lebanon and targeted military sites in northern Israel.

In a series of statements, the group said that its fighters had launched strikes on the Hatzor settlement and the Dado base with dozens of rockets.

Hezbollah also reported that its air defence units engaged and successfully forced two "enemy” Israeli aircraft to leave Lebanese airspace "using appropriate weapons" near the towns of Houla and Meiss El Jabal.

Additionally, the group said that its fighters targeted the Kiryat Motzkin settlement with barrages of rockets and carried a second round of strikes with Fadi 1 rockets.

Hezbollah also said it hit an explosives factory in the Zichron area with a volley of Fadi 3 rockets and targeted the Sa'ar settlement with additional rocket fire.

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1854 GMT — Hamas demands legal action against Blinken

Hamas demanded international judicial institutions take legal action against US Secretary of State Antony Blinken following revelations from an American website on his concealment of Israel's starvation tactics against Palestinians in Gaza.

The Palestinian resistance group referenced In a statement a report from ProPublica, which claimed that Blinken, in collusion with US President Joe Biden, intentionally hid the truth about Israel's starvation of Palestinians and obstruction of aid to Gaza before Congress to avoid affecting arms supplies to Israel.

"This criminal behaviour by Blinken necessitates investigation by honourable members of the US Congress and American judicial bodies," said the group.

Hamas said Blinken's actions have led to the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, “either through direct violence with American weapons or through complicity in Israel's starvation policies, violating basic principles of international humanitarian law.”

1850 GMT — France to send foreign minister to Lebanon in bid to stop war: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron said he was dispatching his foreign minister to Lebanon this week as part of efforts to prevent a full-fledged war, calling on Israel and the Lebanese Hezbollah to immediately stop hostilities.

"There cannot be, must not be war in Lebanon," he said in a speech at the UN General Assembly in New York.

France has historical ties with Lebanon and prior to the recent flare-up had worked for months on proposals to defuse tensions between the two sides. It has been working with the United States at the United Nations on an initiative to stop the fighting and open the door to more diplomacy, diplomats said.

"We are firmly calling on Israel to stop the escalation in Lebanon and Hezbollah to stop firing towards Israel," Macron said.

1849 GMT — US in 'active discussions' for Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire: US official

The United States is working actively to negotiate a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon, a US official said.

"We are in active discussions with Israelis as well as other countries to try to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

1751 GMT — Türkiye's Erdogan tells Lebanese PM urgent international solution needed to stop Israel

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati that the international community must urgently implement a solution to stop Israel's aggression, the Turkish presidency said, adding he had also voiced support for Lebanon.

"President Erdogan said Israel was disregarding fundamental human rights, committing a genocide in front of the world, noting that stopping this and the humanitarian crisis that emerged as a result of the attacks was a humanitarian duty," his office said in a post on X.

The two met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

1749 GMT — Netanyahu ready for temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah: Israeli media

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has authorised Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer to inform the United States administration that Israel is willing to negotiate a temporary ceasefire with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

According to the newspaper Israel Hayom, the US and France are promoting an initiative to halt the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

A political source, not named in the report, said that Israel has shown readiness to negotiate, despite believing the chances of success for the US-French initiative are slim.

The report indicated that Netanyahu tasked Dermer with notifying US officials of Israel's willingness to discuss a temporary ceasefire in Lebanon.

There has been no comment from either Israel or Hezbollah regarding the report.

1744 GMT — Hostilities in the Middle East need to stop: Belgium

Belgium's prime minister has voiced concern over the escalating violence along the Israeli-Lebanese frontier, calling for a stop to the violence.

In an address to the UN General Assembly in New York, Alexander De Croo said that in the Middle East, decades of dehumanizing the enemy have led to a vicious cycle of violence, resulting in the killing of over 41,495 Palestinians in less than a year.

"Across the globe, human dignity and the rule of law are receding, and in many cases they are absent," he said. De Croo said that as respect for human life and the promise of the rule of law "fades," armed conflict looms large, adding that history might not repeat itself, but "it surely rhymes in the Middle East."

1632 GMT — Lebanon cannot become second Gaza: EU's Borrell

An effective, rules-based order is a must for global peace and prosperity, the European Union foreign policy chief declared on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

At a G20 foreign ministers’ meeting on UN reform, Josep Borrell asked how countries can say they are committed to the UN Charter when in the Middle East, numerous UN resolutions remain long unfulfilled.

"In the Middle East in particular, it is indispensable to reach a ceasefire to alleviate the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza and stop the escalation of violence in the region," he said.

"As my Australian colleague (foreign minister) said, Lebanon cannot become a second Gaza. And Gaza cannot become a second West Bank. And a second West Bank cannot become a third Gaza," he added.

1549 GMT — Israeli army preparing for ground invasion in Lebanon

The Israeli army said that it is preparing for a ground invasion in Lebanon as air strikes continue to pound the country.

"We are not stopping, the fighter jets have been striking all day (in Lebanon), and we are preparing for the manoeuvre," Israeli Chief of Staff Gen. Herzi Halevi said during an exercise in the north, according to a military statement.

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1544 GMT — Biden: There needs to be a two-state solution for Israel-Palestine

United States President Joe Biden stated that there must be a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine.

1520 GMT — Israel's attacks on Lebanon 'unacceptable': Turkish foreign minister

Israel's attacks on Lebanon are "unacceptable," Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told his Lebanese counterpart, Turkish diplomatic sources said.

Fidan and Abdallah Bou Habib met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York, where the Lebanese minister provided information about the recent situation.

Bou Habib thanked Türkiye for medical aid sent to Lebanon, said sources.

Fidan said Israel "wants to drag the region into chaos."

Fidan, who indicated that Türkiye stands by Lebanon, said the international community must act in unity, added sources.

1446 GMT — Irish premier ‘condemns’ bombing of civilian areas in Lebanon

Irish premier "condemns" bombing of civilian areas in Lebanon, and the firing of rockets towards Israel, warning that opening the second front in Lebanon would be a "disaster".

1410 GMT — Some 90,000 displaced in Lebanon since Monday: UN

The United Nations said that some 90,000 people had been displaced in Lebanon this week, as Israel pounds what it says are Hezbollah targets across the country and the Lebanese group attacks Israel.

Since Monday, the United Nations' International Organization for Migration has recorded "90,530 newly displaced persons", a statement said.

Among them, "many of the more than 111,000 people displaced since October... are likely to have been secondarily displaced", a statement from the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs added, referring to the start of the cross-border hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

1404 GMT — New Israeli air strikes on Lebanon leave 51 killed, 223 wounded

At least 51 people have been killed and 223 wounded in the fresh Israeli strikes on Lebanon, the Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad said during a press conference.

1356 GMT — US, partners working 'tirelessly' to avoid full-blown war in Lebanon

United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the risk of escalation in the Middle East was "acute" and that both Washington and its allies were working "tirelessly" to avoid a full-blown war between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah.

"We meet at a time of high tension," Blinken said at the start of a meeting with senior officials and ministers of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) in New York. "Risk of escalation in the region is acute..The best answer is diplomacy, and our coordinated efforts are vital to preventing further escalation," he added.

1257 GMT — Two Israelis injured in rocket attack from Lebanon

Two Israelis have been injured in a rocket attack from Lebanon amid an escalation in cross-border warfare with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

One of the injured was in serious condition after a rocket hit Sa’ar settlement in Western Galilee in northern Israel, the Israeli ambulance service Magen David Adom said.

1243 GMT — Israel calls up reserve brigades as tensions with Lebanon rise

The Israeli military has said it was calling up two reserve brigades to the north, where its forces are involved in cross-border clashes with the Lebanese group Hezbollah.

"The IDF (military) is calling up two reserve brigades for operational missions in the northern arena," the military said in a statement, adding that this would "enable the continuation of combat" against Hezbollah.

1231 GMT — Israel sends scores of bodies to Gaza; Palestinians demand details before burying them

Israel returned the bodies of 88 Palestinians killed in its invasion in Gaza, which the territory's health ministry refused to bury before Israel discloses details about who they are and where it killed them.

The bodies were brought into Gaza in a container loaded on a truck through an Israeli-controlled crossing, but, according to Palestinian officials, there was no information provided about the names or ages of the victims or the locations where they died.

Health officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis refused to receive them and bury them, urging the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC to seek details from Israel.

"The health ministry halted the procedures to receive the container (carrying the bodies) until the completion of the full data and information about those bodies so their relatives can identify them," the ministry said in a statement.

1216 GMT — Kremlin urges Russian citizens to leave Lebanon

The Kremlin urged Russians in Lebanon to leave the country for security reasons.

The Russian embassy and other diplomatic missions in Lebanon are working to inform some 3,000 Russian citizens staying in Lebanon about the existing warnings and recommendations, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said at a press briefing in Moscow.

"All measures are now being taken to recommend our citizens to leave the territory of Lebanon as soon as possible, using the available opportunities of commercial transportation. This is necessary to ensure the safety of these citizens," he said.

1155 GMT — US deeply concerned by Hezbollah attack on Israel: White House

The United States is deeply concerned by reports of a Hezbollah rocket attack aimed at Israel's intelligence service, but still believes a diplomatic solution can de-escalate tensions on the Lebanon-Israel border, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said.

"Deeply concerning," Kirby said in a CNN interview. "Evidence again ... that Israel is facing a legitimate threat from a terrorist group backed by Iran."

The United States continues to support Israel's right to defend itself, he said. "No nation should have to live with these threats right across their border, right next door." he added.

1149 GMT — Israel's attacks in Lebanon 'unimaginable': Turkish parliament speaker

Israel's actions against civilians in Lebanon are "unimaginable" and are pushing the situation to a "tipping point," Turkish parliament speaker Numan Kurtulmus told Russian lawmakers.

In a four-day official visit to Moscow, Kurtulmus delivered a wide-ranging speech, touching on regional conflicts, bilateral relations, and global governance reform, to the Federation Council, Russia's upper legislative chamber.

Kurtulmus warned that Israeli actions further worsen its record of crimes in the region.

"We are obliged to oppose the bloodshed of innocent people in Gaza and to stop Israel's aggressive government and approaches," he said.

Kurtulmus said that a fully sovereign Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital would "definitely" be established and that the Israeli occupation would end after the country's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his "gang" are held accountable for their crimes.

1123 GMT — At least 16 killed in fresh Israeli air strikes in Lebanon

At least 16 people were killed and dozens injured in fresh Israeli air strikes in Lebanon on Wednesday, according to Lebanese authorities and media reports.

The Health Ministry said four people were killed and 38 others injured in Israeli air strikes on the Baalbek-Hermel province in eastern Lebanon.

Five more people were killed and 27 others wounded in Israeli attacks in the towns of Tebnine and Bint Jbeil in southern Lebanon, the ministry added in a statement.

Israeli warplanes also hit the southern town of Joun, killing four people and injuring several others, the state-run National News Agency reported.

Three more people lost their lives and nine others were injured in another air strike in the town of Maaysrah in Keserwan in northeastern Lebanon, the broadcaster said.

1045 GMT — Israel says 40 rockets fired from Lebanon as border fighting flares

The Israeli army said that 40 rockets were launched from Lebanon into northern Israel as escalation with Hezbollah continues to rise.

Air-raid sirens sounded in several cities in northern Israel, including Safed, Tiberias, Western Galilee, Upper Galilee, Mount Meron, and the Carmel region.

“After sirens were activated in the Upper Galilee area, approximately 40 projectiles were detected crossing from Lebanese territory, some of which were intercepted,” the military said in a statement.

1030 GMT — Israel kills 28 in Gaza as deadly raids on Lebanon intensify

Israeli attacks killed 28 more Palestinians in Gaza, taking the overall death toll since last October 7 to 41,495, the Palestinian Health Ministry in the besieged enclave said.

A ministry statement added that some 96,006 others have been injured in the ongoing assault.

“Israeli forces killed 28 people and injured 85 others in four ‘massacres’ of families in 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.

1030 GMT — Pope calls on international community to stop 'terrible escalation' in Lebanon

Pope Francis called on the international community to "make every effort to stop this terrible escalation" after days of intense Israeli air strikes killed hundreds in Lebanon.

"I am saddened by the news coming out of Lebanon," the pope said at his weekly general audience at the Vatican, voicing hope "that the international community will make every effort to stop this terrible escalation," which he called "unacceptable."

He expressed "closeness" to the Lebanese people, "who have already suffered too much in the recent past."

0840 GMT — Strike hits mountain village north of Beirut: state media, residents

Strikes hit a mountain village north of Beirut for the first time, residents said, with state media reporting rockets hit while Israel said it was carrying out "extensive" strikes on Hezbollah strongholds.

Lebanon's National News Agency reported "two rockets fell in Maaysra" a Shia-majority village in a mostly Christian mountain area about 25 kilometres (15 miles) from Beirut, with residents confirming the strike hit their village, destroying a house and a café.

0835 GMT — Turkish medical aid aircraft arrives in Lebanon

A Turkish aircraft arrived in Lebanon carrying medical aid and supplies to support the Lebanese health sector amid ongoing Israeli attacks that killed hundreds in the country.

"The Turkish medical aid aircraft sends a message of solidarity with our (Lebanese) people in the face of Israel’s brutal assault," Lebanese Health Minister Firas Abiad told Anadolu Agency.

0831 GMT — Israeli army intercepts drone from Syria amid regional tensions

The Israeli army said that it had shot down a drone from Syria amid rising regional tensions over Tel Aviv’s ongoing attacks on Lebanon.

A military statement said that the drone was intercepted over the southern area of Tiberias.

Air-raid sirens were activated over Israel-occupied Syrian Golan Heights, according to an Anadolu reporter in the area.

No injuries or damage were reported.

0700 GMT — Israel preparing for ground offensive in Lebanon — Israeli media

Israel is preparing for a possible ground offensive in Lebanon, Israeli public broadcaster KAN said.

However, Tel Aviv’s UN envoy Danny Danon said earlier on Tuesday that Israel is not eager to carry out a ground invasion in Lebanon and favours a diplomatic solution.

"We are not eager to start any ground invasion anywhere. I don't want to send my son and we don't want to send our boys to fight in a foreign country. But we are determined to protect the civilians of Israel," Danon told reporters at UN headquarters in New York.

"We will do whatever is necessary to bring the residents back to the north. If nothing will help, then the goal of any operation is to achieve peace and tranquility," Danon added.

0655 GMT — Israel 'pushing region towards all-out war': Egypt, Iraq, Jordan

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Iraq and Jordan condemned Israel's "aggression" against Lebanon, warning that it is "pushing the region towards all-out war".

The ministers said that stopping the "dangerous escalation under way in the region... begins by halting Israel's aggression in Gaza", in a joint statement issued after a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

0500 GMT — New Israeli strikes hit south and east Lebanon — official media

Israel carried out air strikes on south and east Lebanon for a third day, Lebanese official media reported.

"Since 5:00 am (0200 GMT) enemy warplanes have launched strikes" on several areas of southern Lebanon, the official National News Agency said, adding that "the air aggression continued overnight" on other parts of the south, reporting unspecified casualties.

It also reported that "enemy warplanes and drones" targeted multiple locations the Baalbek area in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley after midnight, also reporting casualties there.

0430 GMT — Israeli military says missile intercepted as Tel Aviv sirens sound

Warning sirens sounded in Israel's economic capital Tel Aviv as a single surface-to-surface missile was intercepted by air defence systems after it was detected crossing from Lebanon, the Israeli military said.

There were no reports of damage or casualties and the military said there was no change to civil defence instructions for central Israel.

The warning sirens also sounded in other areas of central Israel, including the city of Netanya.

0420 GMT — Palestinian prime minister says Fatah, Hamas to meet in Cairo

Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa said representatives of the Fatah and Hamas groups will soon hold a meeting in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

In an interview with Al Jazeera’s Mubasher channel on Tuesday, Mustafa said the talks aim to reach agreements to improve conditions for serving the people of Gaza.

The talks could later expand to include other Palestinian groups, he added.

0233 GMT — Israel kills dozens of Palestinians in new Gaza air strikes

Israel has killed at least 51 Palestinians, including children, and wounded several more in its air strikes on besieged Gaza.

The Palestinian Civil Defense issued a statement confirming the extent of the damage and casualties caused by the latest Israeli attacks on the blockaded enclave.

The Israeli army strikes targeted residential homes, two vehicles, and areas where large numbers of civilians had gathered, the statement said.

0155 GMT — Protesters rally in Tunisia, Morocco against Israeli attacks on Lebanon and Gaza

Dozens of protesters gathered in Tunisia and Morocco to condemn Israel’s ongoing attacks in Gaza and Lebanon, calling for action.

In Tunisia, people gathered to demonstrate solidarity with the Lebanese people against the Israeli assaults.

The protest, organised by the Tunisian Net work to Address Normalisation, a non-governmental organisation, took place in front of the municipal theater in the capital Tunis in response to Israel's attacks on Lebanon.

Participants chanted slogans like "Raise your voice, our pride is Beirut" and "No compromise, no bargaining."

0001 GMT — Israel says hostage negotiations with Hamas reached dead end

The Israeli military's envoy to negotiations aimed at freeing hostages held in besieged Gaza expressed pessimism over mediation attempts between Israel and Hamas.

General Nitzan Alon spoke with families of Israelis held captive in Gaza and informed them that the talks had reached a dead end, according to Israel's Channel 12.

"At the moment, there is no deal," he told the families, saying "the gaps are too great."

Channel 12 reported that the overall sentiment among the families was one of frustration and pessimism.

"The families are left desperate, frustrated and hurt," it said.

0105 GMT — Greece says Israel should be pressured to stop its onslaught in Gaza

Greece's prime minister said that Israel's onslaught in Gaza should end as quickly as possible.

Asked in an interview with CNN whether Israel should be pressured for a ceasefire in Gaza, Kyriakos Mitsotakis said: "I think they should (be). And we made it very, very clear to our Israeli friends that there were opportunities to get to a ceasefire. That is at least how we feel, and those opportunities were not taken."

"And as long as you don't have a ceasefire in Gaza, the hostages will not be released. You will have an unnecessary loss of life, compounding already on the humanitarian catastrophe that has taken place. And you will always give Hezbollah a reason to continue firing rockets into Israel. So it seems to me that it is also in Israel's interest to get to a ceasefire as quickly as possible," he added.

2354 GMT — Israel wounds two Palestinians in occupied West Bank

Two Palestinian men have been wounded by Israeli army gunfire during a raid on al-Fawwar refugee camp in the southern occupied West Bank city of al-Khalil.

The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said in a statement that its crews transported two injured to the hospital, one in critical condition after being shot in the chest and the other shot in the legs.

2022 GMT — UNSC to hold emergency meeting over Israel's attacks on Lebanon

The United Nations Security Council will hold an emergency meeting on Wednesday on the escalating violence in Lebanon, said Slovenia's mission to the UN, which holds the rotating presidency of the council.

"After consulting with the delegations... the Presidency intends to schedule the briefing on the situation in Lebanon for tomorrow, Wednesday, September 25, at 6:00 pm (2200 GMT)," the mission said Tuesday, adding that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres would speak at the meeting.

2033 GMT — Iran's president says Israel must end its genocide in Gaza

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian told the United Nations General Assembly that Israel's aggression in besieged Gaza must stop immediately, calling it a "genocide in Gaza."

"It is imperative that the international community should immediately ... secure a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and bring an end to the desperate barbarism of Israel in Lebanon, before it engulfs the region and the world," he said.

2103 GMT — Number of displaced Lebanese approaching one-half million

Lebanon's foreign minister has said the number of displaced people due to Israeli strikes is approaching one-half million.

Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib also said a war in Lebanon won't bring back Israelis to their homes; only negotiations will.

2057 GMT — Lebanon calls Biden's remarks on conflict with Israel 'not promising'

Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib expressed disappointment with US President Joe Biden's remarks about the escalating crisis between Lebanon and Israel, but said he held out hope that Washington could still intervene to help.

"It was not strong. It is not promising, and it would not solve this problem," Habib said of Biden's speech at the United Nations earlier in the day. "I (am) still hoping. The United States is the only country that can really make a difference in the Middle East and with regard to Lebanon."

2100 GMT — Maldives president urges UNGA to hold Israel accountable

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu urged the international community to hold Israel accountable for "acts of terrorism" as he pushed back against violation of international law.

"Israel must be held accountable for these acts of terrorism, for these violations of international law and UN resolutions," Muizzu told the UN General Assembly in New York, referring to the indiscriminate bombing of besieged Gaza by Tel Aviv.

2034 GMT — Egypt's Al Azhar calls for global action to stop Israeli aggression in Gaza and Lebanon

Egypt's leading Islamic university, Al-Azhar, called for urgent international action to stop Israel's "bloodshed of innocent civilians" in Gaza and Lebanon.

In a statement, Al-Azhar strongly condemned the "Zionist terrorist aggression" on southern and eastern Lebanon, which has resulted in hundreds of casualties, including women and children, and forced thousands to flee.

The statement criticised the global community and UN's silence as "unprecedented and unjustified."

Al-Azhar argued: "The Israeli occupation's assault on Lebanon demonstrates its ongoing efforts to turn the Middle East into a battleground, expanding conflicts to other countries and regions."

For our live updates from Tuesday, September 24, 2024, click here.