Live blog: New Israeli strikes hit south and east Lebanon — official media

Wednesday, September 25, 2024

0500 GMT — 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.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging near-daily cross-border fire since the Gaza war erupted last October, with the Lebanese group saying it is acting in support of Gaza.

But the violence has spiralled in recent days and on Monday, Israel launched devastating strikes that resulted in the deadliest single-day toll for decades.

More updates 👇

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.