Live blog: Overall death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon nears 2,500

Monday, October 21, 2024

1851 GMT — The death toll from Israel's ongoing onslaught on Lebanon since October 8, 2023, has surged to 2,483, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said 19 people were killed and 98 others injured in Israeli attacks on Sunday across Lebanon, raising the number of injured to 11,628.

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1840 GMT — Hezbollah targets Israeli army intelligence base near Tel Aviv

Lebanon's Hezbollah group has said that it had launched rockets at an army intelligence base in the suburbs of the main Israeli city of Tel Aviv.

Hezbollah fighters launched "quality rockets" at "the Glilot base of the Military Intelligence Unit 8200 in the Tel Aviv suburbs," the group said, adding the attack was "in defence of Lebanon," "in response to Israeli aggressions" and dedicated to their slain leader Hassan Nasrallah.

1832 GMT — Hospital in Beirut suburbs evacuated after Israel claims Hezbollah bunker below

The Lebanese Sahel Hospital in Beirut's southern suburbs is being evacuated following Israeli claims a Hezbollah cash bunker is located beneath it, hospital director Fadi Alameh told Reuters.

Alameh denied the allegation and called on the Lebanese army to visit the site.

1832 GMT — Israel plans more strikes in Beirut and across Lebanon in 'coming hours'

The Israeli military said it will carry out more strikes targeting Hezbollah and its financial network in Beirut and throughout Lebanon.

"Even in the coming hours, we will continue to attack Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon, including in Beirut in Dahiyeh," military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said at a televised briefing, referring to the southern Beirut Hezbollah stronghold that has been pounded by Israeli strikes in recent weeks.

1813 GMT — Israeli strikes kill 24 in areas in southern, eastern Lebanon

At least 24 people, including children, were killed and others injured in a series of Israeli airstrikes on towns and areas in southern and eastern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency said that an Israeli air strike on the town of Merouaniyeh, southern Lebanon, left seven people killed and others injured.

In another Israeli air strike on the town of Kharayeb, four people were killed and four others injured, according to the Health Ministry.

It added that six other people, including two children, were killed in an Israeli air strike on the town of Babliyeh, and another person was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Kafr Hatta in southern Lebanon.

Separately, the Health Ministry said six more people including a child were killed and five others injured in an Israeli airstrike on the city of Baalbek in the eastern part of the country.

1756 GMT — UN calls on Israel to allow access into Gaza for lifesaving rescue operations

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees urges Israel to allow it access into northern Gaza to carry out lifesaving rescue operations, and recovery of people trapped under rubble.

1656 GMT — Israeli troops targeted in south Lebanon's border village

The Hezbollah group said it fired at Israeli soldiers located near the municipal building in a south Lebanon border village, where state media earlier said the group clashed with troops who blew up houses.

Hezbollah fighters launched "a rocket salvo" at "Israeli enemy soldiers near the municipality of Aita al-Shaab," Hezbollah said in a statement.

"The enemy army blew up houses in the village of Aita al-Shaab," the Lebanese state media said, reporting heavy clashes between Hezbollah and the Israeli army "which is trying to advance on the ground" in the area.

Hezbollah also said it repeatedly targeted Israeli troops in south Lebanon border villages over several hours, including Markaba and Kfar Kila, more than 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Aita al-Shaab.

1608 GMT — Israeli air strike kills two in Syria's Damascus

Syria's defence ministry said two civilians have been killed in an Israeli strike that targeted a vehicle earlier.

"At approximately 17:05 pm (1417 GMT), the Israeli enemy launched an air strike targeting a civilian car in the residential neighbourhood of Mazzeh in Damascus, killing two civilians and injuring three," the ministry said in a statement.

1601 GMT — Rocket from Lebanon causes explosion in Tel Aviv: Israeli army

The Israeli army has said that an explosion in Tel Aviv, central Israel, was caused by a rocket fired from Lebanon that landed in an open area.

1427 GMT — 23 more Israeli soldiers injured as clashes intensify in Gaza, Lebanon

At least 23 more Israeli soldiers were injured in clashes in Gaza and southern Lebanon in the last 24 hours, the military said.

Israeli military figures showed that six of the soldiers were wounded in Gaza, without specifying where the rest of the soldiers were injured.

According to the figures, at least 749 soldiers have been killed and 5,018 others injured since the outbreak of the Gaza conflict on October 7, 2023.

1406 GMT — Israeli strike kills six, including child, in Lebanon's Baalbek

Lebanon said an Israeli strike on the main eastern city of Baalbek killed six people including a child, with state media reporting it hit a building in a densely-packed residential area.

"The Israeli enemy strike... in Baalbek killed six people, including a child," the Lebanese health ministry said, and the state-run National News Agency reported that all six were from the same family.

1347 GMT — Hezbollah fights Israeli ground forces in 3 border towns in Lebanon

Hezbollah fighters engaged in fierce clashes with Israeli ground forces at three border points in southern Lebanon, according to Lebanese media.

Israeli forces shelled Aita al-Shaab, Qaouzah and Ramiya with heavy artillery, the broadcaster said.

Separately, a Lebanese girl died of wounds sustained in an Israeli airstrike in Kharayeb town in eastern Lebanon, NNA reported.

Several air strikes were also reported in the towns of Kharayeb, Houmine El Faouqa, Jarjouaain, Habbouch and Arab Salim in southern Lebanon.

1251 GMT — Israel outlines conditions for ending Lebanon war: report

Israel has presented its conditions for ending its ongoing air and ground operations in Lebanon to the US, with a document outlining terms for a diplomatic solution, according to the American news site Axios.

One Israeli demand is that the army be allowed to engage in “active enforcement” to make sure Hezbollah does not rearm and rebuild its military infrastructure in the areas of southern Lebanon that are close to the border, an Israeli official said.

Israel also demands its air force have freedom of operation in Lebanese airspace, the official added.

The resolution also prohibits armed groups and military equipment in the buffer zone between the Israeli-Lebanese border and Lebanon's Litani River, except for Lebanese military forces and UNIFIL.

1240 GMT — Israel still preventing aid from reaching northern Gaza: UN

Israeli authorities are still preventing humanitarian missions from reaching areas of northern Gaza with critical supplies, including medicine and food for people under siege, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA said.

Hospitals have been hit and are without power while injured people are left without care, Philippe Lazzarini said on X.

"UNRWA remaining shelters are so overcrowded, some displaced people are now forced to live in the toilets. According to reports, people attempting to flee are getting killed, their bodies left on the street. Missions to rescue people from under the rubble are also being denied," he added.

1211 GMT — Many want UK to ‘go further’ on halt to Israel arms sales

The UK has taken some steps with regards to halting weapons sales to Israel but “many of us would like to see them go further,” according to Syed Kamall, a member of the British House of Lords.

Kamall emphasised that there is still raging debate within the UK on the question of weapons sales to Israel, which stands accused of genocide in Gaza, where it has killed or wounded more than 142,000 Palestinians since launching a brutal offensive following a Hamas attack last October.

"There are people in the media and also many commentators and many politicians in British Parliament calling for an end of sales to Israel, but there are others who are saying, ‘No, you should continue to support Israel.' So, once again, because we have a diverse range of views in our country, that’s what you'll see in the debate."

1122 GMT — Germany demands Israel probe incidents involving UN in Lebanon

Germany demanded Israel "clarify every incident" involving the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL), including the reported destruction of a UNIFIL observation tower and fence.

The German government expects "the Israeli side to clarify every incident" and to release "the results of the investigations into this specific incident", said foreign ministry spokeswoman Kathrin Deschauer.

"The safety of an operation mandated by the United Nations Security Council and its personnel must not be endangered," she added.

1118 GMT —Macron, Netanyahu discuss Gaza

French President Emmanuel Macron told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he sees the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar as a chance for a possible new phase of negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza, Macron's office said.

Macron also expressed solidarity with Netanyahu after a drone was launched towards the prime minister's home, the French president's office said.

1055 GMT — Arab League head urges ceasefire, calls for Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon

Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in Beirut that the league's priority was to achieve an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, and he called for Israel's prompt withdrawal from any Lebanese territories it has occupied or entered.

Aboul Gheit was also asked if Hezbollah could be destroyed, to which he replied: "You cannot destroy an idea".

1053 GMT — Germany demands Israel probe all incidents involving the UN in Lebanon

Germany has demanded Israel "clarify every incident" involving the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon and urged it to investigate the destruction of a UNIFIL observation tower.

UN peacekeepers on Sunday said an Israeli "army bulldozer deliberately demolished" an observation tower and fence of a UN position in southern Lebanon..

1046 GMT — Israel arrests 18 more Palestinians in occupied West Bank raids

The Israeli army has rounded up 18 more Palestinians in military raids in the occupied West Bank, according to prisoners’ affairs groups.

Two children were among the detainees in the raids that targeted several cities in the occupied territory, the Commission of Detainees’ Affairs and the Palestinian Prisoner Society said in a joint statement.

“The arrests were marked by abuse, threats against detainees and their families, and acts of vandalism and destruction on citizens' homes,” the statement said.

1043 GMT — Video shows ‘catastrophic conditions’ at Gaza hospital after deadly Israeli strike

A video has shown catastrophic conditions in the intensive care unit at Kamal Adwan Hospital in northern Gaza amid a devastating Israeli onslaught in the area.

The footage showed the bodies of dead and injured children following Saturday’s deadly Israeli air strike in the northern city of Beit Lahia that killed at least 87 people and injured dozens.

"This child had shrapnel in the chest that penetrated his lungs and remained in the abdomen, the hospital’s director, Hossam Abu Safia, commented in the video.

The clip showed the dead body of another child, who suffered skull fractures from the Israeli attack.

1012 GMT — Hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers storm Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa complex to celebrate Sukkot

For the second consecutive day, hundreds of illegal Israeli settlers stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque complex in occupied East Jerusalem to celebrate the Jewish holiday of Sukkot.

Settlers entered the flashpoint site in groups through the Mughrabi Gate in the western wall of the mosque under Israeli police protection, witnesses said.

Right-wing Israeli groups have called for extensive settler incursions into the Al-Aqsa compound to celebrate the week-long Sukkot holiday, which began last Wednesday.

1000 GMT — Blinken heads to the Middle East again as US looks to kickstart another round of Gaza ceasefire talks

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will depart for the Middle East, the State Department said, as Washington is pushing to kickstart ceasefire negotiations to end the Gaza war following the killing of Hamas politburo leader Yahya Sinwar.

The top US diplomat's latest trip to the region, his eleventh since Israel's brutal war on Gaza, even as Israel has intensified its military campaign in Gaza and Lebanon.

0900 GMT — Israel kills 29 Palestinians in north Gaza in fresh strikes

At least 29 people were killed in intensified Israeli attacks in northern Gaza, according to medical sources.

Artillery shelling targeted a school sheltering displaced civilians near Birket Abu Rashid in Jabalia, killing seven people and injuring dozens, a medical source said.

According to witnesses, civilians gathered upon Israeli military orders at the UN-run Kreism School when an Israeli tank fired a shell towards them.

Six people were also killed when an Israeli air strike targeted a group of civilians filling water containers in Jabalia al-Balad in northern Gaza, paramedics said.

Four more Palestinians lost their lives when an Israeli drone strike targeted civilians near al-Saeed Hospital in Jabalia camp, another medical source said.

Three people were also killed and several others wounded in an Israeli strike on al-Shawa School housing displaced civilians in the northern city of Beit Hanoon, the source added.

In Gaza City, nine Palestinians lost their lives and dozens were wounded in Israeli shelling of a home near Birket Sheikh Radwan in the northern part of the city, according to witnesses.

The Israeli army has continued a massive offensive, now in its 17th day, in northern Gaza amid a suffocating siege on the area.

0851 GMT — US envoy arrives in Lebanon

US special envoy Amos Hochstein arrived in Beirut to meet Lebanon's prime minister and parliament speaker Nabih Berri, said an AFP correspondent.

Before meeting Lebanon's prime minister, Hochstein arrived at the Beirut residence of Berri, who is tasked with negotiating on behalf of Hezbollah amid diplomatic efforts to end the war.

Earlier Axios reported that Israel gave the United States a document last week with its conditions for a "diplomatic solution" to end its war on Lebanon.

0818 GMT — WHO to evacuate1,000 Palestinian women in Gaza, children for urgent medical care

Up to 1,000 women and children needing medical care will shortly be evacuated from Gaza to Europe, the head of the World Health Organization's Europe branch has said.

Israel, which is besieging the war-devastated Palestinian territory, "is committed to 1,000 more medical evacuations within the next months to the European Union," Hans Kluge said in an interview with AFP.

He said the evacuations would be facilitated by the WHO the United Nations' health agency and the European countries involved.

0742 GMT — Iran warns UN nuclear watchdog about Israeli threats against its nuclear sites

Iran has warned the UN nuclear watchdog about Israel's threats against its nuclear sites, foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei said at a weekly news conference.

0718 GMT — Hezbollah says it downed an Israeli drone, targeted Israeli forces in multiple attacks

Hezbollah has said that it downed an Israeli drone and targeted Israeli artillery positions and troop gatherings in nine attacks carried out by its members.

In a series of statements, the group reported shooting down an Israeli Hermes 900 drone but did not specify the location of the incident.

Hezbollah also said it launched rocket barrages at Israeli artillery positions in the Beit Hillel and Odem settlements, as well as the Beit Hillel military base in northern Israel.

0632 GMT — Israel continues to hit north Gaza, eastern Lebanon

Six women and children from the same family were killed and eight others were injured in an Israeli drone attack on the Nabi Anam neighbourhood in Baalbek, eastern Lebanon, according to Lebanese media reports.

According to Lebanon’s National News Agency, the Israeli military carried out the strike at 0250GMT, targeting the home of Ali Abdo Othman in a densely populated residential area.

The strike destroyed the building and damaged nearby homes, resulting in the deaths of six women and children from the Othman family, with eight other residents sustaining injuries ranging from critical to minor, the news agency said.

Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians have been gathering for several days in the Beit Lahia in northern Gaza, after fleeing their homes in the Jabalia camp and its surroundings.

Israeli army targeted a residential bloc in Beit Lahia area, killing at least 87 Palestinians, and injuring 40 others, some of them in critical condition.

0538 GMT — THAAD anti-missile system 'in place' in Israel, US says

The US military has rushed its advanced anti-missile system to Israel and it is now "in place", US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said.

Austin declined to say whether the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense system or THAAD was operational. But he added: "We can put it into operation very quickly and we're on pace with our expectations."

President Joe Biden said the THAAD's deployment, along with about 100 US soldiers, was meant to help defend Israel, which is weighing an expected retaliation against Iran after Tehran fired more than 180 missiles at Israel on October 1.

0340 GMT — Israel gives the US its demands for ending war in Lebanon

Israel gave the United States a document last week with its conditions for a "diplomatic solution" to end its war on Lebanon, Axios has reported citing two US officials and two Israeli officials.

White House Special Envoy Amos Hochsteien is visiting Beirut on Monday to discuss a "diplomatic solution" to the conflict, the report has added.

2334 GMT — Israeli air strike on ambulance in southern Lebanon

An Israeli air strike targeted an ambulance in southern Lebanon, leaving several people injured.

The attack took place in the town of Khirbet Selm, east of Tyre, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

Medical teams and relief workers in Lebanon have been targets of Israeli aggression since the escalation of attacks in late September.

2239 GMT — Israeli forces destroy homes, shelters in northern Gaza

The Israeli army is carrying out extensive attacks in northern Gaza, destroying homes and shelters, the Palestinian Civil Defence in the enclave said.

Spokesperson Mahmoud Bassal told Anadolu that the Israeli attacks aim to displace residents from northern Gaza and empty the area of its buildings.

He said what is happening in Jabalia represents "ethnic cleansing and the destruction of all life's essentials" amid an escalation of Israeli bombardments on dozens of homes in Jabalia, Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoun.

"The bodies of dozens of martyrs are still under the rubble due to the intense Israeli bombardment in the northern areas, which exacerbates the humanitarian catastrophe in the region," Bassal said.

The Israeli army has pressed ahead with a massive offensive in northern Gaza, now in its 17th day, amid a suffocating siege of the area.

2223 GMT — Thousands rally in Brussels to demand ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon

Nearly 32,000 people took to the streets of Belgium's capital to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon, according to the police.

At the event in Brussels, demonstrators also called on the Belgian government to push for a complete international military embargo against Israel.

The event was organised by a coalition of civil society organisations, the Belga News Agency reported.

2059 GMT — Israel launches new wave of air strikes on southern Beirut

The Israeli army has launched a series of new air strikes on Beirut, targeting the Lebanese capital's southern suburb, following Israeli threats to bomb buildings housing branches of the Qard al Hassan financial institution affiliated with the Hezbollah group.

Israeli warplanes carried out at least nine strikes within an hour, targeting the association's branches in Hayy al Sellum, Borj al Barajneh, and Ghobeiry in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon's National News Agency reported.

Earlier, the Israeli army threatened to attack "important economic assets" of Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Qard al Hassan is one of the key financial institutions of Hezbollah, established in the 1980s as a charitable association.

2054 GMT — Death toll from Israeli onslaught in Lebanon surges to 2,464

The death toll from Israel's ongoing onslaught in Lebanon since October 8 last year has surged to at least 2,464, the Lebanese Health Ministry said.

A ministry statement said at least 16 people were killed and 59 others injured in Israeli attacks over the last 24 hours, raising the number of injured to 11,530.

Israel has mounted a massive air campaign in Lebanon against what it claims are Hezbollah targets since September 23, displacing more than 1.34 million people.

2029 GMT — Two Palestinians killed in Israeli attack on southern Gaza

Two Palestinians were killed and 19 others were injured in two Israeli air strikes targeting a home and a tent housing displaced people in central and southern Gaza.

The two Palestinians were killed in an air strike on the Mawasi area west of Khan Younis, which also injured eight others, a medical source told Anadolu.

Eyewitnesses said an Israeli helicopter targeted a tent sheltering displaced Palestinians in Mawasi, which is designated as a "humanitarian safe zone" by the Israeli army.

For our live updates from Sunday, October 20, 2024, click here.