Live blog: Lebanon's overall death toll from Israeli attacks exceeds 2,000

Friday, October 4, 2024

1736 GMT –– The death toll in Lebanon has surpassed 2,000 after nearly a year of cross-border fighting with Israel, according to a government statement.

Lebanese Minister of Environment and coordinator of the Government Emergency Committee Nasser Yassin said the overall number of deaths since October 7 has now risen to 2,011 with 9,535 wounded.

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1841 GMT –– Israel should look at 'other alternatives than striking oil fields': Biden

Israel has not yet concluded how to respond to Iran's recent ballistic missile attack, US President Joe Biden has said.

"The Israelis have not concluded what they're going to do in terms of the strike. That's under discussion. "If I were in their shoes, I'd be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields," Biden told reporters at the White House.

The US is in "constant contact" with Israel, he added.

"They're not going to make a decision immediately, and so we're going to wait to see what they, when they, want to talk," the US president said.

1805 GMT –– Iran says its allies 'will not back down' in war with Israel

Iran's supreme leader vowed in a rare address that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel, as he defended his country's missile strike on Israel.

Ali Khamenei's address in Tehran follows Iran's second-ever direct attack on Israel. It was also the first since exchanges of fire between Hezbollah militants and Israeli troops escalated into full-blown war in Lebanon.

Speaking ahead of the first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel that was followed by the ongoing war in Gaza, Khamenei defended the Palestinian resistance group's actions and hailed its "fierce defence" against Israeli forces.

1717 GMT –– UN migration agency says 400,000 displaced in Lebanon

As many as 400,000 people have been internally displaced in Lebanon over the past two weeks due to Israel's attacks, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

“People continue to flee the hostilities in Lebanon, many seeking safety in overcrowded shelters,” the UN agency said on X.

It added that over 165,000 individuals are seeking refuge in 906 collective shelters across the country.

Highlighting the growing humanitarian crisis, the IOM called for international support, saying: "With the needs growing, we call on the international community's support to ensure the safety and dignity of displaced families."

1634 GMT –– Hezbollah rescuers say 11 personnel killed in south Lebanon

The Islamic Health Committee emergency service, which is affiliated with Hezbollah, said 11 of its rescue personnel were killed in Israeli strikes in south Lebanon.

In a statement, it said seven emergency personnel died in "direct Zionist aggression on emergency teams" at the Marjayoun governmental hospital, with four others killed in two attacks elsewhere in south Lebanon.

1632 GMT –– French minister heads to Middle East, Israel amid worsening crisis

France's Foreign Minister will head to Saudi Arabia evening, beginning a four-day trip that will end in Israel and the West Bank as Paris seeks to revive stalled diplomatic efforts in the region.

Jean-Noel Barrot will be in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Jordan over the weekend before arriving in Israel ahead of Oct. 7 when Israel will mark a year since Palestinian resistance group Hamas attacked the country, a French diplomatic source said.

He is also due to travel to the West Bank.

1629 GMT –– UN condemns Israel's 'unlawful air strike' on West Bank camp

The United Nations condemned what it called an "unlawful air strike" by Israel on a refugee camp in the occupied West Bank that the Palestinian health ministry said killed 18 people the previous day.

"The strike is part of a highly concerning pattern of unlawful use of force by ISF (Israeli security forces) during military-like operations in the West Bank that have caused widespread harm to Palestinians and significant damage to buildings and infrastructure," the United Nations rights office said in a statement.

1628 GMT –– Civilian deaths in Lebanon 'totally unacceptable' – UN

The toll on civilians in Lebanon from Israel's war against Hezbollah is "totally unacceptable," United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

"All parties must do whatever they can at all times to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and ensure that civilians are never put in harm's way," Dujarric told reporters.

1625 GMT –– Türkiye will not allow region to be torn apart: President Erdogan

Türkiye will not allow the region to be torn apart again with a new agreement like the Sykes-Picot Agreement that divided the Middle East, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

"A sinister plan being implemented will not be limited to Gaza, the (occupied) West Bank, Lebanon. You don't need a prophecy to see where the ultimate goal lies," Erdogan said at Türkiye's premier technology event TEKNOFEST in the southern Turkish city of Adana.

1531 GMT –– Spanish FM calls for immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon

Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares issued a strong call for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East, warning that the region is on the verge of a full-scale war.

Speaking before the parliament's Foreign Relations Committee, Albares stressed that de-escalation in Gaza and Lebanon is critical to preventing further conflict.

"The war must end now," Albares said, urging all parties to halt hostilities. "An immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon is essential. Israel's attacks on Lebanon have escalated tensions dangerously, bringing us to the brink of a full-scale regional war."

Albares highlighted that Israel's operations in Lebanon, a sovereign nation, underscore the need for compliance with international humanitarian law.

1521 GMT –– Japan evacuates citizens from Lebanon amid attacks by Israel

Japan evacuated its citizens from Lebanon amid attacks by Israel, according to a report.

Japan Defense Ministry sent its two military C-2 transport aeroplanes to Jordan to evacuate its citizens, Tokyo-based Kyodo News Agency reported.

Japan evacuated 16 people, including 11 Japanese nationals, a foreign-born family member, and four French nationals. According to the Foreign Ministry, there were 50 Japanese nationals in Lebanon when Israeli strikes began.

1509 GMT –– Israel's evacuation orders in southern Lebanon place 'additional strain' on relief efforts: OCHA

The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that Israel's evacuation orders in southern Lebanon place "additional strain" on relief efforts.

The new evacuation orders for areas above the Litani River and areas such as Al Bass, which hosts a Palestinian refugee camp, are forcing even more families to flee from areas previously considered safer, spokesperson Jens Laerke said in a written response to Anadolu's question.

"With displacement shelters already full and hosting large numbers of people, host communities receiving these new arrivals are overwhelmed," Laerke stressed.

"The orders are also placing additional strain on national relief workers and humanitarian organisations, as access becomes more difficult - and resources to provide shelter, food, and medical care are increasingly stretched thin," he added.

1503 GMT –– Fresh Israeli strikes across Gaza kill 29 Palestinians

The Israeli military strikes across Gaza killed at least 29 Palestinians, medics said, and sirens blared in southern Israel in response to renewed rocket fire from Gaza in the Palestinian enclave.

The new rocket salvoes indicated that Hamas-led factions in Gaza are still able to fire projectiles into Israel despite a year-long Israeli aerial and ground offensive that has turned wide areas of the enclave into wasteland.

1457 GMT –– Yemen’s Sanaa, Hudaida, Dhamar provinces hit by 12 US-British air strikes

Yemen’s Sanaa, Hudaida, and Dhamar provinces were targeted by 12 United States-British air strikes, according to Al-Masirah TV.

1454 GMT –– Over 6 percent of Gaza population killed or injured in one year: WHO

The World Health Organization (WHO) official said over 6 percent of the entire population of Gaza has been killed or injured as Israel's devastating military offensive in the Palestinian enclave nears one year.

"It has been 12 months, and the hostilities in Gaza continue to rage. Over 6 percent of the population has either been killed or injured, while at least 10,000 people remain trapped under the rubble, "Ayadil Saparbekov, the team lead for health emergencies at WHO in the occupied Palestinian territory, told a press briefing in Geneva. Gaza's prewar population was about 2.3 million.

The healthcare system has "suffered immensely" from repeated attacks, and an ongoing shortage of supplies, medicines, fuel, and staff, Saparbekov said, adding that there have been at least 516 attacks on healthcare in Gaza, resulting in 765 deaths, since Oct. 7, 2023.

1445 GMT –– Two Israeli soldiers killed in combat in northern Israel: military

Israel's military announced that two of its soldiers from the Golani Brigade had been killed in combat, and two others severely wounded, in northern Israel.

The Iran-backed Islamic Resistance in Iraq, a coalition of Shia armed factions, claimed responsibility for three dawn attacks, targeting sites in the Golan Heights and Tiberias.

Israeli media reported that a military investigation had found that two soldiers were killed in a drone attack launched from Iraq.

1405 GMT –– Over than 2,000 sites hit during south Lebanon invasion

Israel announced that over 2,000 sites were targeted during its current assault in southern Lebanon.

1237 GMT –– Hundred rockets fired into Israel from Lebanon since morning

Israel has detected the launch of 100 rockets from Lebanon since this morning, with some of the rockets causing fires in the Galilee region, according to Israeli Channel 12.

The rockets, fired by Hezbollah, led to the activation of sirens across northern Israel.

Some projectiles landed in open areas, causing wildfires in parts of Galilee, although no casualties have been reported.

Separately, the head of the local council in Metula Settlement, David Azulai, stated: "Approximately 50 incidents of rocket and shrapnel landings were recorded in Metula over the past 24 hours," according to the daily Haaretz.

Azulai added: "Significant damage was caused to homes, playgrounds, courtyards, and essential infrastructure such as electricity and water supplies."

1211 GMT –– Lebanon ceasefire should be simultaneous with Gaza: Iran

Tehran backs efforts for a ceasefire in Lebanon on the condition it would be backed by Hezbollah and simultaneous with a ceasefire in Gaza, Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said in Beirut.

"We support efforts for a ceasefire on the condition that it would be acceptable to the Lebanese people, acceptable to the resistance, and thirdly, it would be synchronised with a ceasefire in Gaza," he said.

1153 GMT –– Iran will target Israeli energy, gas installations if Israel 'commits error' to attack Iran

Iran will target Israeli energy and gas installations if Israel "commits error" of attacking Iran, according to comments from Guards Commander Fadavi reported by SNN News Agency.

1139 GMT –– Lebanon receives first UN aid plane since Israel escalation

A delivery of medical supplies from the United Nations reached Lebanon on Friday, a first since last week's escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, said a UN agency and a Lebanese minister.

"An airlift... landed in Beirut earlier this morning with 30 metric tonnes of trauma and surgical supplies, enough to treat tens of thousands people," the World Health Organization's regional director Hanan Balkhy said on social media platform X.

"More flights are arriving later today and tomorrow, carrying trauma supplies, cholera supplies and mental health supplies," she added.

1108 GMT –– Israeli army confirms that Iran targeted Nevatim, Tel Nof air bases in recent attack

The Israeli army has confirmed that Iran targeted the Nevatim and Tel Nof air bases in a recent attack, according to the Israeli Army radio.

1057 GMT –– Pro-Palestine marches to take place over 60 provinces of Türkiye this weekend

Pro-Palestine marches will take place in over 60 provinces across Türkiye this Sunday amid the worsening crisis in Gaza.

Organised by the Anatolian Civil Society Organizations Platform, these events aim to highlight the worsening humanitarian crisis in Palestine due to Israel's ongoing attacks since last October.

Metin Mahitapoglu, a board member of the platform, told Anadolu that Israel has intensified its assaults with support from the US, UK, and EU, extending the attacks beyond Gaza to other countries, like Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, and Iran, in the region.

He noted that civil society groups will take to the streets to show solidarity with Palestine and expose "those complicit in the violence."

0952 GMT –– Iran's Khamenei says October 7 and Iran's attack on Israel valid

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei said Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel was “legal and legitimate” and was the minimum punishment for Israel’s “crimes”.

In his 40-minute speech at the Mosalla mosque, the main prayer site in Tehran, Khamenei said the Hamas-led assault nearly a year ago on Oct. 7, 2023, was a legitimate action by the Palestinian people.

Iran launched a barrage of missiles against Israel on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Israeli strikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last Friday and the assassination of Hamas' politburo chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

0904 GMT –– WHO aims to begin second phase of polio campaign in Gaza on Oct. 14

A World Health Organization official said the organisation has requested that Israel begin the second phase of the polio vaccination campaign in Gaza on Oct. 14.

"We have asked the Israeli authorities to consider a similar scheme that we had for the first round, something they call 'tactical pauses' (in fighting) during the working hours of the campaign," said Ayadil Saparbekov, WHO lead for emergencies in the occupied Palestinian territory.

He said negotiations were ongoing and that Sunday's meeting with Israeli authorities about the next phase of the campaign was planned.

0348 GMT –– Israeli strike in Beirut kills 9 as troops battle Hezbollah in southern Lebanon

An Israeli air strike on an apartment building in the Lebanese capital killed nine people, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

There was no warning before the strike late Wednesday, which hit the building close to the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament. Hezbollah’s civil defense unit said seven of its members were killed.

Israel is also conducting a ground incursion into Lebanon against Hezbollah, while also conducting strikes in Gaza that killed dozens, including children. The Israeli military said nine soldiers have died in the conflict in southern Lebanon.

0204 GMT –– Israeli bombs rain down on Beirut as evacuation orders continue

Massive explosions shook Beirut overnight in one of the strongest Israeli assaults on the Lebanese city yet, with the country's Health Ministry reporting 37 deaths and over 151 injured in bombings across the country over the past 24 hours.

Since Thursday, the Israeli military has been warning people to evacuate communities in southern Lebanon that lie outside a UN-declared buffer zone, signalling that it may expand a ground offensive launched earlier this week that Tel Aviv claims is targeting the Hezbollah group.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces said they had struck around 200 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and observation posts.

2318 GMT –– Influential US Republican urges Biden to speed Israel arms sales, letter says

The chairman of the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee urged President Joe Biden on Thursday to speed up weapons shipments to Israel, including 2000-pound (907 kg) bombs that have been held up for months over human rights concerns.

"I urge you to act today to ensure all weapons shipments to Israel, including 2,000-pound bombs, are expedited to support our ally," Representative Michael McCaul said in a letter sent to Biden and seen by Reuters on Thursday.

McCaul, who reviews a ll major foreign US weapons sales in his position as committee chairman, said he was also aware of more than 10 other planned weapons sales to Israel that have been awaiting final approval for more than four months and urged that they proceed quickly.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

2223 GMT –– Palestinian health ministry says 18 killed in Israeli strike on West Bank

At least 18 people were killed in the occupied West Bank refugee camp of Tulkarem, the Palestinian health ministry said late Thursday, following an air strike that the Israeli military claimed killed a local Hamas leader.

A source within the Palestinian security services told AFP that the air raid was the deadliest in the West Bank since 2000.

"Eighteen martyrs following the bombing of the Tulkarem camp by the occupation," the Palestinian health ministry said on its Telegram account.

The Israeli army confirmed the strike on the town in the northern West Bank, describing it as a joint operation carried out by the Shin Bet internal security service and the air force, according to a brief statement by the military.

The Israeli military later said the strike had killed a Hamas leader in Tulkarm –– Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi.

The army accused Oufi participating in numerous attacks in the West Bank and said he was in the process of planning another assault.

2130 GMT — Israel kills 37 people in Lebanon in 24 hours

Israel has killed at least 37 people and wounded another 151 in its strikes across Lebanon in the past 24 hours, the Lebanese Health ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Israel missile hit outside the perimetre of Beirut airport, according to Reuters news agency.

Israel strikes also hit southern Beirut suburbs "11 consecutive times", AFP news agency reported, saying car alarms went off and buildings shook in the Lebanese capital.

2100 GMT — US backs Israel's invasion of Lebanon as bombs rattle Beirut

Biden administration believes it is appropriate for Israel to continue with its ground and air attacks on Lebanon for now, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said, even as he acknowledged the risk of the invasion in Lebanon expanding beyond Israel's current aims.

Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon this week after a fortnight of intense air strikes in a worsening conflict that has drawn in Iran and risks sucking in the United States.

Speaking at a press briefing on Thursday, Miller said the nature of all conflicts was "fluid" and "unpredictable" and therefore it was impossible to say how long it would take Israel to achieve its stated goal of clearing Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, allowing it to return Israelis displaced from their homes across the border by months of rocket fire.

2030 GMT — Lebanon files complaint against Israel at UN for ground incursion

Lebanon submitted a formal complaint on Thursday to the UN Security Council and Secretary-General Antonio Guterres for Israel's incursion into its territory and violating the Blue Line separating the two countries.

A statement by Lebanon's permanent mission to the UN, relayed by the country's official news agency, said the complaint condemns Israel's "aggression against Lebanon's sovereignty and the incursion of its forces within Lebanese borders" since the night of Oct 1.

On Thursday, Hezbollah repelled six Israeli infiltration attempts in southern Lebanon.

2005 GMT — US speaking to Israel about its response to Iranian attack: Pentagon

US has been in touch with Israel about its possible response to Iran's missile attack, Pentagon deputy spokeswoman Sabrina Singh has said.

"We are talking to them about their response ... But you know, I certainly think that any response from Israel to Iran, you know, we will be part of those discussions," Singh told the reporters wi thout giving further details.

Asked whether the US is coordinating details of the response, she said: "I think without going into private conversations, what I could tell you, it's more about trying to understand what their response might be."

She said the US will continue to engage with Israel.

"In terms of the, you know, advanced notice. Again, we're talking to them in terms of targets, what they might, you know, what a response might look like," she added.

1940 GMT — FIFA opts not to suspend Israel but will investigate discrimination claims

FIFA has stopped short of suspending the Israeli football federation but asked for a disciplinary investigation of possible discrimination alleged by Palestinian football officials.

A senior FIFA panel overseeing governance will separately investigate "the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based in the territory of Palestine," football's governing body said after a meeting of its ruling Council.

The Palestinian football federation has consistently asked FIFA for more than a decade to take action against the Israeli soccer body for incorporating teams from West Bank settlements in its leagues.

The request to FIFA's congress in May also cited "international law violations" in Gaza during Israel's war on Gaza. It directed the football body to its statutory commitments on human rights and against discrimination.

For our live updates from Thursday, October 3, 2024, click here.