Live blog: Lebanon toll surpasses 700 as new Israeli strikes kill 25 more

Friday, September 27, 2024

1114 GMT — At least 25 more people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon since the early hours of Friday, according to Lebanese Health Minister Firass Abiad, bringing the overall death toll to over 700.

According to Lebanese figures, the unprecedented Israeli offensive has resulted in at least 701 deaths and 2,173 injuries in Lebanon from Monday to Thursday.

This brings the cumulative death toll since the beginning of the conflict with Hezbollah last October to 1,540 fatalities and 5,410 injuries, based on data from the Lebanese Health Ministry.

The ministry reported that 558 people were killed and 1,835 others injured on Monday and Tuesday alone. On Wednesday, there were 51 recorded deaths and 223 injuries, while Thursday saw an additional 92 deaths and 153 injuries.

The ongoing aggression has also displaced approximately 77,100 people, according to the government's Disaster Risk Management Unit. It noted that over the past two days, 15,600 Syrian citizens and 16,130 Lebanese citizens have crossed into Syria.

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1052 GMT — Macron says France opposes Lebanon 'becoming a new Gaza'

French President Emmanuel Macron said his country opposes Lebanon "becoming a new Gaza", as Israel continues to conduct extensive strikes on the neighbouring country that has killed hundreds this week, at a joint press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Montreal.

"This intolerable situation must end," Macron said, stressing the importance of delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Macron and Trudeau agreed that a political solution is needed to secure lasting peace in the region. "The continuation of the war in Gaza contributes to the spread of the conflict in the region," Macron said. "This is extremely concerning, and the main victim of this situation is Lebanon."

1047 GMT — Japan dispatches aircraft to evacuate citizens from Lebanon

Japan urged its citizens to leave Lebanon and dispatched aircraft to evacuate its citizens, as Israel carries out extensive strikes in the country.

Defence Minister Kihara Minoru ordered the deployment of aircraft to Jordan and Greece to prepare for a possible evacuation of Lebanon-based Japanese nationals as Israel continues large-scale airstrikes on the neighbouring country.

1035 GMT — Israel says detected 10 rockets launched from Lebanon targeting Haifa Bay

Israel said it detected 10 rockets launched from Lebanon targeting the Haifa Bay area, prompting air raid sirens to sound in Haifa, Tiberias, the Galilee, and the Golan Heights.

"Following the alarms in the Haifa Bay area, approximately 10 rockets were detected being launched from Lebanon. Some were intercepted, while others landed in open areas," the army said in a statement.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that two individuals sustained minor injuries while rushing to safe shelters in Haifa after sirens were activated, mentioning multiple shrapnel impact sites.

0830 GMT — Israel claims 3 Hezbollah officials killed in Beirut airstrike

Israel claimed that an air strike it conducted on Tuesday in the southern suburb of Beirut resulted in the deaths of three Hezbollah officials.

"The strike carried out by the army on Tuesday in southern Beirut led to the deaths of Mohammed Qabisi, the commander of the missile unit in Hezbollah, as well as his deputy, Abbas Ibrahim Sharaf al-Din, and Hussein Hani, another official within the missile system," a statement said.

The military said that "in another air strike, Jihad Shafiq Khazal Khanfar, another official in the ground-to-ground missile system of Hezbollah, was eliminated".

0828 GMT — Full-scale war in Lebanon should be avoided 'at all costs': Greek premier

Speaking at the UN General Assembly, Mitsotakis said, "A full-scale war in southern Lebanon must be avoided at all costs. People on both sides of the border have a right to live peacefully, free from the threat of rockets or bombs disrupting their lives. Greece fully supports the proposal for an immediate 21-day ceasefire."

He urged all parties, including Iran and those it influences, to step back from perpetuating the current cycle of violence, lower tensions and engage constructively in meaningful de-escalation.

He advocated for a ceasefire in Gaza, stating, "The humanitarian catastrophe there cannot continue. Safe access to food, water, shelter, clothing, and medicines must be ensured, and international humanitarian law must be respected."

0751 GMT — Hezbollah says fired rocket salvo at Israel's Tiberias

Lebanon's Hezbollah said its forces fired a salvo of rockets at the Israeli city of Tiberias.

In a statement, Hezbollah said it was responding to Israel's "savage" strikes on Lebanese towns and civilians. The Israeli military said drones and projectiles had crossed its territory from Lebanon.

0747 GMT — Drones, projectiles from Lebanon cross into Israel, some intercepted: army

The Israeli military said drones and rockets crossed into Israeli territory from Lebanon, as Hezbollah claimed a rocket attack on the Israeli city of Tiberias.

The drones infiltrated the coastal area of Rosh HaNikra and were intercepted by the military's defences, the military said, adding several rockets were also intercepted.

0745 GMT — British premier urges immediate ceasefire in Gaza, regional peace in Middle East

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer highlighted the critical need for global unity to prevent further escalation of conflicts in the Middle East and beyond, at the 79th UN General Assembly on Thursday in New York

"We need to see an immediate ceasefire to provide space for a diplomatic settlement," he stated, adding: "It shames us all that the suffering in Gaza continues to grow."

"It offers nothing but more suffering for innocent people on all sides and the prospect of a wider war that no one can control and with consequences that none of us can foresee," he warned.

0730 GMT — Israel strike kills 5 Syrian soldiers on Lebanon border

An Israeli air strike killed five regime soldiers near the border with Lebanon, Anadolu reported.

"The Israeli enemy carried out an aerial attack... on one of our military positions near Kfar Yabus on the Syrian-Lebanese border," Anadolu quoted a local news agency as saying, adding that five Syrian regime soldiers were killed and one was wounded.

0703 GMT — Nine of family, others killed in Israeli hits on Lebanon, Gaza

An Israeli strike around 3 a.m. local time (0000 GMT) killed nine members of the same family in the southern Lebanese border town of Shebaa, including four children, Mayor Mohammad Saab told Reuters.

In a separate air strike targeting a tent sheltering displaced people at a hospital in central Gaza, at least three more Palestinians were killed, with several others injured.

The Civil Defence Agency in Gaza reported, "A Palestinian was martyred, and others were injured in an Israeli air strike on a tent sheltering displaced persons at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah, central Gaza."

Eyewitnesses told Anadolu that the attack caused panic and fear among patients, medical staff, and displaced families, including children, both inside and outside the hospital.

Hospitals, schools, mosques, and churches have all been targeted by Israel during its nearly year-long offensive, despite being off-limits under the rules of war.

Israel has also been relentlessly bombing southern Lebanon since Monday, ignoring repeated calls for a ceasefire, which has thus far claimed over 700 lives.

0501 GMT — Israeli teams will continue meetings on US ceasefire proposals: Netanyahu

Israeli teams had meetings to discuss the US ceasefire proposals with Lebanon on Thursday and will continue discussions in the days ahead, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, adding that he appreciated the US efforts.

"Our teams met (Thursday, Sept. 26) to discuss the US initiative and how we can advance the shared goal of returning people safely to their homes. We will continue those discussions in the coming days," he said in a statement.

The comments came after Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Thursday there would be no ceasefire in the north, where Israeli jets have been carrying out the heaviest bombardment in decades.

0438 GMT — Israel defies ceasefire calls ahead of Netanyahu's UN address

Israel has rejected a push by allies for a 21-day ceasefire in Lebanon and vowed to keep fighting Hezbollah "until victory", ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's expected address to the UN General Assembly.

The United States, France and other allies unveiled the truce proposal on Wednesday, after President Joe Biden and his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

But Israeli leader Netanyahu flatly rejected the ceasefire proposal on Thursday, ordering the military to continue "fighting with full force".

The White House expressed frustration at the rejection, saying the truce proposal had taken "a lot of care and effort".

0328 GMT — Israel hits Gaza school, killing 11 people in devastating strike

An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering thousands of displaced Palestinians in northern Gaza has killed at least 11 people and wounding 22, including women and children, the territory’s Health Ministry said.

The Israeli military confirmed it struck the school in the Jabalia refugee camp, AFP reported.

Footage from the Al Falouja School showed rescue workers rushing casualties out of the school compound amid widespread debris and crowds of people.

One video showed men wrapping a mangled, severed torso in a plastic sheet and putting body parts into a cooler.

2050 GMT — Israel kills 92 people in latest Lebanon strikes

The Lebanese Health Ministry has said that Israel killed 92 people in its strikes on several parts of Lebanon in the past 24 hours.

The ministry said in a series of statements that Israeli raids killed 40 people in towns and villages in the south, 48 in two eastern regions and four in the east of central Mount Lebanon Governorate. Overall, it said 153 people were wounded.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Israeli assaults across the country hit 1,540 since last October.

0205 GMT — Gaza Contact Group proposes global alliance to implement two-state solution

The Gaza Contact Group proposed the establishment of a Global Alliance dedicated to advancing the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, following a ministerial meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.

"Today, we convened to propose a Global Alliance for the implementation of the two-state solution, with a focus on establishing the Palestinian state," Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud announced following the meeting.

Key participants in the session included Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammed Mustafa, Türkiye's Deputy Foreign Minister Nuh Yilmaz, EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell, Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide, and other representatives from various nations.

In his remarks, the Saudi foreign minister emphasised that follow-up meetings will be held in several capitals, including Riyadh, Brussels, Cairo, Oslo, Amman, and Ankara, to advance the discussions from the New York session.

These follow-ups will focus on practical action points to bolster ongoing UN peace efforts to achieve the two-state solution.

0152 GMT — Kuwait warns of 'serious escalation' in Israeli aggression against Lebanon

Kuwait has raised alarms about the "serious escalation" of Israeli aggression against Lebanon, emphasising the need for a "genuine political commitment to reform the United Nations Security Council in order to avert global instability".

Crown Prince of Kuwait Sheikh Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah made these remarks during his address to the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Crown Prince Al-Sabah condemned Israeli air strikes and military aggression against Lebanon, which have resulted in significant civilian casualties, describing the ongoing escalation as a blatant violation of international laws and norms.

He also criticised Israel for violating Lebanese sovereignty and attempting to drag Lebanon into the regional conflict.

2208 GMT — Israel kills two people in Lebanon in air strike on Beirut's suburb

Israel has killed two people and wounded 15 others in its air strike targeting a Hezbollah commander in the southern suburb of Beirut, the Lebanese Health Ministry and Israeli army said.

Lebanon's state news agency, NNA, said three missiles were fired into a residential apartment in a 10-story building in the al-Qaem neighbourhood in the capital, Beirut.

The Israeli army confirmed that the strike targeted Mohammed Hussein Sarour, who it said was the head of Hezbollah's aerial force unit.

Later in the evening, Hezbollah issued a statement confirming that Sarour, 51, was killed in the Israeli strike, bringing the group's total death toll to 511 since October of last year.

2112 GMT — France says it would be 'huge mistake' if Israel invades Lebanon

French President Emmanuel Macron has said in an interview with CBC that "Israel cannot invade Lebanon today… it would be a huge mistake".

Macron also said that he opposes Lebanon becoming a new Gaza, saying Israel has to stop its strikes and Lebanon has to stop retaliating.

2059 GMT — Netanyahu dims hopes for ceasefire, vows to use 'full force' against Hezbollah

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to carry out "full force" strikes against Hezbollah, dimming hopes for a ceasefire proposal put forth by US and European officials.

Netanyahu spoke as he landed in New York to attend the annual UN General Assembly meeting, where US and European officials were putting heavy pressure on both sides to accept a proposed 21-day halt in the fighting to give time for diplomacy and avert all-out war.

Israel's "policy is clear," Netanyahu said. "We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force. And we will not stop until we reach all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes."

For our live updates from Thursday, September 26, 2024, click here.