Live blog: UN calls pager, radio attacks in Lebanon a 'war crime'

Friday, September 20, 2024

1936 GMT — The UN human rights chief has strongly denounced a series of deadly explosions of pagers and radio devices in Lebanon, calling it "a war crime."

Saying that he is "appalled" by the deadly attacks on civilians in Lebanon on Sept. 17 and 18, Volker Turk told a UN Security Council session that "these attacks represent a new development in warfare, where communication tools become weapons."

Also, United Nations political affairs chief Rosemary DiCarlo warned the Security Council that if violence continues between Israel, Palestinian Hamas and Lebanese group Hezbollah, then "we risk seeing a conflagration that could dwarf even the devastation and suffering witnessed so far."

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1932 GMT — Türkiye’s communications chief urges immediate action to end Israeli attacks on Gaza

Türkiye's communications director has called for immediate action to end Israel's ongoing attacks on Gaza, marking the "350th day of this genocide."

In a statement shared on X, Fahrettin Altun said: "Today marks the 350th day of this genocide. Remaining silent about this genocide makes us complicit in this tragedy."

"For the sake of justice, for the conscience of humanity, and for our future, we must raise our voices and act immediately to stop this massacre," he added.

1907 GMT — Footage of Israeli troops throwing Palestinian bodies off roof 'inhumane': UN

UN has condemned the "inhumane" video footage showing Israeli forces throwing Palestinian bodies from a roof in the occupied West Bank.

Asked about video clips shared on social media showing Israeli forces throwing bodies of Palestinians off a roof in Qabatiya near Jenin, Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said at a news conference that the video "is frankly grotesque and inhumane."

"From what we've seen this morning, we're obviously very concerned about the deteriorating situation in the occupied West Bank, including the latest Israeli military operation," he added.

1857 GMT — US defence chief expresses concern over Israel-Lebanon tensions

US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant to express "concern" over the current escalation of exchanges between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah.

Austin "strongly reemphasised the importance of reaching a diplomatic resolution that enables residents to return safely to their homes on both sides of the border," Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

1753 GMT — Gaza faces blood shortage as Israeli strikes destroy blood bank of major hospital

The ongoing deadly Israeli attacks on Gaza have left a devastating impact on the health infrastructure, especially in the northern part of the region.

After 350 days of continuous bombardment, the central blood bank affiliated with al-Shifa Hospital was destroyed, making it nearly impossible to meet the urgent blood needs of the wounded and ill Palestinians.

Compounding this crisis, the widespread hunger gripping the region means that even those willing to donate blood are unable to do so due to malnutrition.

1737 GMT — Israel's goals clear, actions speak for themselves: Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a short statement following the "killing" of a senior Hezbollah commander, declaring Israel's goals were clear and its actions speak for themselves, Israeli media reported.

1727 GMT — UN 'very concerned' after Beirut strikes, urges restraint

The United Nations has said it was "very concerned" after Israeli strikes hit the Lebanese capital Beirut, and urged all parties to exercise "maximum restraint."

"We are, of course, very concerned about the heightened escalation... including the deadly strikes we saw in Beirut today. We urge all parties to de-escalate immediately. All must exercise maximum restraint," said Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

1727 GMT — Israeli strike in Beirut 'another alarming escalation': UN

The UN's special coordinator for Lebanon has raised concern over the latest escalation in the region following Israeli air strikes in Beirut.

"This afternoon's strike in a densely populated area in the southern suburbs of #Beirut is yet another alarming escalation," Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaer t said on X.

"We are witnessing an extremely dangerous cycle of violence with devastating consequences. This must stop now. A diplomatic way out is still possible," she said.

1715 GMT — Israeli strike in Beirut a 'brutal' escalation: Hamas

Hamas has said that it condemned the "brutal" Israeli strike on Beirut that the Israeli military claimed killed the head of the Hezbollah group's Radwan unit.

A Hamas statement said it "condemns the brutal and terrorist aggression launched by the Zionist enemy's army aircraft on the southern suburb of Beirut", adding it was "an escalation of Zionist aggression".

1705 GMT — Israel will continue until war goals achieved: Gallant

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said Israel would not let up following the attack in Beirut.

"The sequence of actions in the new phase will continue until our goal is achieved: the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes," he said in a statement on the social media platform X.

1652 GMT — Beirut strike killed about 10 commanders, Hezbollah unit chief, Israel claims

The Israeli military has claimed its air strike in Beirut that eliminated Ibrahim Aqil, the chief of Hezbollah's elite unit, also killed about 10 commanders of the Lebanese group.

"We targeted those responsible for the daily rocket fire, Ibrahim Aqil along with senior commanders from the Radwan force. About 10 commanders were killed there," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesperson for the Israeli military, told a media briefing.

1558 GMT — Gaza ceasefire deal still realistic: Biden

Reaching a Gaza ceasefire deal is still realistic, US President Joe Biden has said at the White House, telling reporters: "We have to keep at it."

Asked about the impact of fighting elsewhere in the region, Biden also said: "We have to make sure that the people of northern Israel as well as southern Lebanon are able to get back to their homes, and get back safely."

1540 GMT — Iranian embassy in Lebanon condemns Israeli attack as 'madness'

The Iranian embassy in Lebanon has condemned Israel's attack on Beirut's southern suburbs as "Israeli madness that crossed all lines" by targeting residential buildings, it said in a post on X.

1523 GMT — Israel kills at least 13 Palestinians in Gaza's Rafah

At least 13 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli shelling that hit two homes in Gaza's Rafah, medical sources and the media office in Gaza have said.

1517 GMT — Lebanese premier condemns Israeli strike on Beirut as 'mass genocide'

Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has said that the recent Israeli air strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut is a serious escalation.

Mikati emphasised that this action is part of a broader pattern that resembles "mass genocide." His comments came during a cabinet session he chaired in the government headquarters in Beirut, according to a statement from his media office.

1456 GMT — Israel going 'too far' in war on Gaza, warns New Zealand

New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters has said that Israel was going "too far" in the ongoing war on Gaza. Flagging concern as the war nears one year, Peters said Tel Aviv "created misery for innocent people."

Speaking to Radio New Zealand, he also defended his country's support for Palestine resolution in the UN General Assembly on Wednesday and said: "We have to do the best we can to try and see that this misery is over."

“We have consistently said that a two-state solution is the only durable and just solution for Israelis and Palestinians,” he said.

1435 GMT — White House's Kirby urges Americans to leave Lebanon

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby has said he was not aware of any Israel notification to the United States before its strikes in Beirut, adding that Americans were strongly urged not to travel to Lebanon or to leave if they are already there.

Kirby, speaking to reporters, said he could not comment on the latest strikes but reiterated that the Biden administration is seeking to avoid an escalation in the region.

1432 GMT — Death toll from Israeli attack in Beirut rises to eight

At least 12 people have been killed and 66 wounded after the Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon's Health Ministry has said.

1431 GMT — Hezbollah targets Israeli intelligence base as retaliation

Hezbollah has said it launched Katyusha rockets at a north Israel intelligence base it blamed for "targeted" killings, in its first attack after Israel launched a deadly strike on the group's south Beirut stronghold.

The Lebanese group said its fighters had targeted "the main intelligence headquarters in the northern region responsible for assassinations... with volleys of Katyusha rockets", adding the attack was "in response to the Israeli enemy's attacks" on south Lebanon.

1358 GMT — Netanyahu to delay departure for US due to security situation in north: Israeli official

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will delay his departure to New York by a day due to the security situation in the country's north, an official in his office has said.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has delayed his visit to the US by one day in light of the security situation in the north of Israel," the official said, asking not to be named. He said that Netanyahu will now travel on September 25, instead of September 24 as previously planned.

1324 GMT — Israel's Beirut strike kills five children: Lebanese media

At least five children have been killed in the Israeli air strike on the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon’s official news agency has reported preliminary toll.

According to an Anadolu correspondent, the strike damaged buildings in southern Beirut, and ambulances transported several injured to hospital.

Air attack's target in Beirut was Ibrahim Aqil, Hezbollah's head of operations, an Israeli security official told Army Radio. There are reports in the Israeli media that he was killed in the strike.

Hezbollah has yet to confirm.

1301 GMT — Israel carries out air strike on Beirut: Hezbollah's media

The Israeli military has said it carried out a "targeted strike" in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

The Israeli army "conducted a targeted strike in Beirut. At this moment, there are no changes in the Home Front Command defensive guidelines," the military said, providing no further details.

Hezbollah's al-Manar TV reported "an attack" on the area.

The strikes hit near key Hezbollah facilities in Beirut's southern suburbs, according to security sources.

1245 GMT — 716 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces, illegal settlers in West Bank

At least 716 Palestinians, including 160 children, have been killed by Israeli army fires and illegal settler attacks in the occupied West Bank since Oct. 7, 2023, Palestine's Health Ministry has said.

A ministry statement said the death toll from Israeli aggression in the West Bank has reached 716, with 5,750 wounded since last October.

Among the dead are 10 women, nine elderly, and 160 children, the statement added.

In addition to casualties, official Palestinian organisations reported that the Israeli military increased its operations and that illegal settlers escalated their attacks in the West Bank in parallel with Israel's war on Gaza, leading to the arrest of over 10,800 people.

1233 GMT — Russian intelligence analysing deadly explosions in Lebanon: Kremlin

The Kremlin has said that Russian special services are closely monitoring the pager explosions in Lebanon and will take appropriate action.

"This is a matter of significant interest to our intelligence services, and they will carry out their responsibilities," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a news conference in Moscow.

When asked if Moscow had engaged in discussions with regional players regarding the incident, Peskov responded: "No, there have been no discussions so far."

1229 GMT — Israel challenges ICC jurisdiction, opposes arrest warrants

Israel has announced its formal opposition to the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) after the court's prosecutor requested arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry appeal challenges both the authority of the court and the legality of the arrest warrants.

In a statement, ministry spokesperson Oren Marmorstein said: “The State of Israel submitted today its official challenge to the ICC’s jurisdiction, as well as the legality of the Prosecutor's requests for arrest warrants against Israel's Prime Minister and Minister of Defence."

1150 GMT — Hezbollah hits northern Israel with 150 rockets

Hezbollah has pounded northern Israel with 150 rockets, a day after the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed to retaliate against Israel for a mass bombing attack, the Israeli military and the group said.

Israel’s military said the rockets came in three waves on Friday afternoon targeting sites along the ravaged border with Lebanon.

Hezbollah said it had targeted several sites along the border with Katyusha rockets, including multiple air defence bases as well as the headquarters of an Israeli armoured brigade they said they’d struck for the first time.

Hezbollah said the rockets were in retaliation for Israeli strikes on villages and homes in southern Lebanon.

1107 GMT — Two more Hezbollah fighters killed in clashes with Israel forces in southern Lebanon

Two more Hezbollah fighters were killed in clashes with Israeli forces in southern Lebanon, the group said.

The Lebanese group Hezbollah identified the slain fighters as Yusuf Mohammad Al-Sayyed from the town of Beit Leif and Muhammad Ali Hassan al-Zein from the town of Qabrikha in southern Lebanon.

However, the group did not go into detail about the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

This brought the total number of Hezbollah casualties to 480 since the conflict with Israel erupted on October 8, 2023.

1103 GMT — Israeli hostages' families decry ‘safe exit’ proposal as cheap trick

Families of Israeli hostages have criticised a proposal for a "safe exit" put forward by Gal Hirsch, Israel's coordinator for prisoners and missing persons, to the US government aimed at negotiating a prisoner exchange with the Palestinian resistance group Hamas.

In a statement on Thursday evening, the families said: “Hirsch has once again chosen to engage in a cynical and costly manipulation at the expense of t he hostages, their families, and the people of Israel.”

According to Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation reports, Israel has proposed to Washington a new plan to end the war in Gaza, which includes the simultaneous release of all hostages and a "safe exit" for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar from Gaza.

The families described the proposal as a ruse designed to undermine a new American initiative for the release of hostages and to halt the war in Gaza.

1020 GMT — Qassam Brigades claims to have killed, injured several Israeli soldiers in southern Gaza attack

The Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, announced that several Israeli soldiers were killed and wounded after being targeted with a missile and an anti-personnel shell in a house in Rafah, southern Gaza.

In a brief statement, Qassam Brigades said its fighters successfully struck an Israeli unit that had taken refuge in a home east of the Al-Tanour neighbourhood with a TBG anti-fortification missile and an anti-personnel shell, resulting in soldiers’ casualties.

The group added that its fighters had seen helicopters landing to evacuate the wounded and the dead.

Earlier, the brigades noted that its fighters were engaged in intense clashes with Israeli forces advancing in Rafah’s eastern part.

0930 GMT — Qatari official condemns international inaction over wireless attacks in Lebanon

A top Qatari official has criticized the international community's inaction over recent deadly attacks in Lebanon involving wireless devices, calling the global silence "terrifying."

On Tuesday and Wednesday, 37 people were killed and more than 3,250 others, including women and children, injured in a series of explosions involving wireless communication devices, including pagers and two-way radios. Beirut and Hezbollah have blamed Israel for the attacks.

0647 GMT –– 15 Palestinians killed in Israeli air strikes across Gaza

At least 15 Palestinians, including several women and children, were killed in early morning Israeli air strikes targeting central and northern Gaza.

Medical sources told Anadolu that nine Palestinians, including women and children, were killed in Israeli shelling of a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Separately, the Civil Defence Service in Gaza said the bodies of six Palestinians, including children, were recovered from a house in Gaza City after an Israeli attack.

Israeli aircrafts also bombed a house in the Beit Lahia town, north of Gaza, resulting in a number of injuries. Rescue workers continue searching for those missing under the rubble.

0500 GMT — Israel said it struck hundreds of targets in Lebanon, hours after Hezbollah's leader vowed to retaliate for two "unprecedented" rounds of attacks targeting its operatives' communication devices.

Israel has not commented on the explosion of thousands of Hezbollah pagers and radios, which killed 37 people and wounded nearly 3,000 over two days this week, but it has been blamed by the Lebanese group for the attacks.

Speaking for the first time since the deadly device sabotage, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah vowed on Thursday that Israel would face retribution.

Describing the attacks as a "massacre" and a possible "act of war", Nasrallah said Israel would face "tough retribution and just punishment, where it expects it and where it does not".

0230 GMT — Components for pagers used in Lebanon blasts are not from Taiwan, minister says

Components used in thousands of pagers that detonated in Lebanon in a deadly blow to Hezbollah were not made in Taiwan, Taiwan's economy minister said.

Taiwan-based Gold Apollo said this week it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack, and that Budapest-based company BAC to which the pagers were traced has a licence to use its brand.

2315 GMT — Illegal Israeli settlers seize sheep from Palestinian families in southern West Bank

Armed illegal Israeli settlers seized a large number of sheep belonging to Palestinians in the southern occupied West Bank.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa, citing unnamed local sources, reported that a group of armed settlers attacked Palestinian homes in the community of Haribat an-Nabi in the Masafer Yatta area with protection from the Israeli military.

Masafer Yatta is a cluster of 19 Palestinian villages in Hebron district of the southern West Bank.

According to the agency, the illegal settlers stole many sheep from two Palestinian men, Ali Sabah and Abdul Muhsin Rashid, after detaining their families, searching their homes and barns and wreaking havoc.

2238 GMT — US believes Gaza truce deal unlikely in Biden's term — report

US officials now believe that a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian resistance group Hamas in Gaza is unlikely before President Joe Biden leaves office in January, the Wall Street Journal has reported.

The newspaper cited top-level officials in the White House, State Department and Pentagon without naming them. Those bodies did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

"I can tell you that we do not believe that deal is falling apart," Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters before the report was published.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other US officials have been saying for months that a ceasefire deal had been agreed upon.

2215 GMT — Israel says Iran and Hezbollah sent texts to millions of Israelis

Israel has accused Iran and Hezbollah of bombarding millions of Israelis with threatening text messages as the conflict between the Israeli military and the Lebanese group escalated.

Israel's National Cyber Directorate said that a flood of Hebrew-language text messages popped up on cellphones nationwide, falsely purporting to be a communication from the Israeli Home Front Command.

The regime said roughly 5 million suspicious SMS texts were sent to Israelis late on Wednesday.

It determined that Iran and Lebanon's Hezbollah hacked an Israeli mobile service provider and exploited its customer accounts. The Israeli regime did not say which provider. It was not immediately clear whether additional customer information was compromised.

"Say goodbye to your loved ones," read one of the messages seen by The Associated Press. "Don't worry, you will hug them in hell."

2200 GMT — Taiwan questions head of pager firm linked to Lebanon blasts

The president and founder of a Taiwanese pager company linked to the Israeli detonation of thousands of pagers in Lebanon has been questioned by prosecutors and then released.

Taiwan-based Gold Apollo's president and founder Hsu Ching-kuang has said it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack, and that they were made by a Budapest-based company BAC which has a licence to use its brand.

Images of destroyed pagers analysed by the Reuters news agency showed a format and stickers on the back that were consistent with pagers made by Gold Apollo.

Hsu declined to answer reporters questions as he left one of the Taipei offices of Taiwan prosecutors late on Thursday.

Calls to the prosecutors' office before office hours on Friday were not answered. Taipei prosecutors have not issued any statements so far about their investigations into Gold Apollo.

2100 GMT — France, US urge all parties to avoid 'escalatory actions'

France and the US have called on all parties in the Middle East to avoid escalatory actions.

"France and the United States are united in calling for restraint, and urging de-escalation when it comes to the Middle East in general, and when it comes to Lebanon in particular," US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a joint news conference after a meeting with his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne in Paris.

"We continue to work to get a cease-fire for Gaza over the finish line … We believe that remains both possible and necessary, but meanwhile, we do not want to see any escalatory actions by any party that makes that more difficult," Blinken added.

Outgoing French Foreign Minister Sejourne said, for his part, that they were "much worried" by the current situation in the Middle East, and reiterated the call for all parties to de-escalate tensions.

"Lebanon matters to France. Lebanon would not recover from a total war," Sejourne stressed, expressing support for the Lebanese people.

2030 GMT — Israel and Hezbollah trade missiles, rockets

Israel has heavily bombed several towns in southern Lebanon while Hezbollah group fired rockets on northern Israel in return as fears grow over a wider war in the Middle East.

The Lebanese National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes "conducted a series of strikes on Mahmoudiyeh area near Aaichiyeh village and Kasarat al-Aroosh in the Jezzine area."

"Israeli enemy aircraft launched ten missiles toward the Birket Jabbour area," it said.

For our live updates from Thursday, September 19, 2024, click here.