Live blog: UN chief 'gravely alarmed' by civilian casualties in Lebanon

Israel's war on Gaza, now in its 353rd day, has killed at least 41,455 Palestinians and wounded over 95,878 others — a conservative estimate — with 10,000+ believed to be buried under rubble of bombed homes.

"The secretary-general is gravely alarmed by the escalating situation... and the large number of civilian casualties, including children and women," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. / Photo: AA
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"The secretary-general is gravely alarmed by the escalating situation... and the large number of civilian casualties, including children and women," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. / Photo: AA

Monday, September 23, 2024

1838 GMT — United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is "gravely alarmed" by civilian casualties in Lebanon his spokesman said Monday after Lebanese authorities reported more than 356 deaths - including 24 children - in Israeli air strikes.

"The secretary-general is gravely alarmed by the escalating situation... and the large number of civilian casualties, including children and women," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said.

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1835 GMT — Hezbollah commander Ali Karake 'well' and in 'safe place'

Hezbollah has said their senior commander Ali Karake was "well" and in a "safe place" after the Israeli strike.

1818 GMT Death toll from Israeli strikes in Lebanon rises to 356

The death toll from the Israeli strikes in Lebanon has risen to 356, with 1,246 left wounded, according to the Lebanese Health Ministry.

1818 GMT Egypt urges UN to intervene over Israel escalation in Lebanon

Egypt's Foreign Ministry called on "international powers and the United Nations Security Council to intervene immediately" to stop "the dangerous Israeli escalation in Lebanon".

Cairo, a key mediator between Israel and Hamas, has repeatedly warned against Israeli regional escalation, which it said "threatens to drag the region into a comprehensive regional war".

Egypt again expressed "solidarity" with Lebanon and affirmed its "total rejection of any violations of Lebanon's sovereignty and territory".

1809 GMT — Israel 'recklessly making plans to add new massacres to their list': Erdogan

Israel is committing "genocide" in Gaza and making plans to "add new massacres to their list," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

During a meeting with International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan in New York, Erdogan said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "did not hesitate to violate international law and human rights."

The closed-door meeting at the Turkish House came on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

Erdogan told Khan that Israel and the Netanyahu administration "were recklessly making plans to add new massacres to their list, believing that there was no power to stop them," according to Türkiye's Communications Directorate.

1807 GMT Israel claims air strikes hit over 1,300 Hezbollah targets in 24 hours

The Israeli military said that air strikes in Lebanon hit more than 1,300 targets of Hezbollah in the previous 24 hours.

The strikes hit "over 1,300 targets", army spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a press briefing.

An earlier statement from the Israeli army specified that the targets included "buildings, vehicles, and infrastructure where rockets, missiles, launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles posed a threat". In a separate statement, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said that "on this day we have taken out of order tens of thousands of rockets and precise munition".

Gallant called "a significant peak" in the operation.

1719 GMT — Israelis run for cover as air raid sirens sound in Haifa

Residents of the northern Israeli city of Haifa ran for shelter as sirens rang out, an AFP journalist reported.

"Sirens sounded in the city of Haifa and surrounding areas, northern Israel," the Israeli army said in a statement.

Approximately 180 projectiles and one unmanned aerial vehicle crossed into Israeli airspace over the day in various parts of the country's north, the army reported.

The majority of the projectiles were either intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome anti-missile system or fell in open areas, it said.

1716 GMT US sending more troops to the Middle East

The United States is sending additional troops to the Middle East in response to a sharp spike in violence between Israel and Hezbollah forces in Lebanon that has raised the risk of a greater regional war, the Pentagon said.

Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder would provide no details on how many additional forces or what they would be tasked to do. The US currently has about 40,000 troops in the region.

The aircraft carrier USS Truman, two destroyers and a cruiser set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, headed to the Mediterranean on a regularly scheduled deployment, opening the possibility that the US could keep both the Truman and the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, which is in the Gulf of Oman, nearby in case further violence breaks out.

"In light of increased tension in the Middle East and out of an abundance of caution, we are sending a small number of additional US military personnel forward to augment our forces that are already in the region. But for operational security reasons, I’m not going to comment on or provide specifics."

1714 GMT — Israel targeting Hezbollah 'combat infrastructure': army chief

Israel's army chief said the country's strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon were hitting combat infrastructure Hezbollah had been building for two decades.

"Essentially, we are targeting combat infrastructure that Hezbollah has been building for the past 20 years," Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said in a statement, adding the army was "preparing for the next phases" of the operation.

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1654 GMT UN chief 'alarmed' by escalating tensions between Israel and Lebanon

The United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the escalation of tensions between Israel and Lebanon, urging for de-escalation and a diplomatic solution.

"The Secretary-General is indeed alarmed by the escalating situation along the Blue Line. He's very concerned about the large number of civilian casualties being reported by the Lebanese authorities, as well as the thousands of displaced persons amidst the most intense exchange of fire across the Blue Line since October of last year," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters during a news conference.

The Blue Line serves as a boundary separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israel-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

Expressing Guterres' "grave concern" for the safety of civilians and UN staff, Dujarric said the UN chief "reiterates the urgent need for de-escalation and that all efforts should be devoted to a diplomatic solution."

Dujarric also conveyed Guterres' message for UN Special Coordinator Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert and the head of the UN peacekeeping force, Aroldo Lazaro, saying that "there is no military solution that will make either side safer."

1652 GMT — Israel declares nationwide state of emergency until September 30

The Israeli government has declared a "special home front situation" state of emergency throughout Israel, until September 30th.

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1627 GMT Erdogan receives International Criminal Court prosecutor for talks

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan received International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim Khan in New York for talks.

The closed-door meeting at the Turkish House came on the sidelines of the 79th session of the UN General Assembly.

No further information was released on the meeting but Türkiye and Erdogan have fiercely advocated holding Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration accountable in international courts of law for its nearly year-long relentless offensive in Gaza.

Khan in May requested that the court issue arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on suspicion of committing crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Since then, Khan has requested twice, most recently in August, for the court to expedite the issuance of the warrants.

1619 GMT UNIFIL warns of 'devastating consequences' for region in case of further escalation

The United Nations peacekeeping mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warned of "far-reaching and devastating consequences" for the entire region if Israel’s attacks in southern Lebanon continue to escalate.

The Israeli army launched wide-scale and intense bombing across southern and eastern areas of Lebanon, leaving hundreds killed and injured.

In a statement, UNIFIL expressed "grave concern for the safety of civilians in southern Lebanon amidst the most intense Israeli bombing campaign since last October."

It warned that "any further escalation of this dangerous situation could have far-reaching and devastating consequences" not only on Lebanon but on "the broader region."

1555 GMT — Israeli strike targets senior Hezbollah leader in Lebanon

An Israeli strike on the southern suburbs of Lebanon's capital Beirut targeted senior Hezbollah leader Ali Karaki, the head of the southern front, a security source told Reuters.

Karaki's fate was unclear, according to the security source.

1549 GMT — Israel claims it struck 800 Hezbollah targets in southern, eastern Lebanon

The Israeli army claimed to have struck around 800 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon's southern and eastern areas.

In a statement, the army said it struck approximately 800 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and the Beqaa region, eastern Lebanon, in several waves of air strikes.

The army claimed that the air strikes were carried out on buildings used by Hezbollah to store rockets and weapons.

1533 GMT Netanyahu vows to change ‘balance of power’ with Hezbollah

Unleashing the heaviest bombardment in Lebanon since last October, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to change the “balance of power” with Hezbollah.

"We do not wait for a threat, we anticipate it. Everywhere, in every theatre, at any time," Netanyahu said in a statement.

"I promised that we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the north,” he added.

1431 GMT — Death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon climbs to 274

At least 274 people, including 21 children and 31 women, have been killed and 1,024 wounded in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, the country's health minister said during a press conference.

1413 GMT — Hezbollah targets two Israeli bases after strikes on Lebanon

Lebanon's Hezbollah group said it targeted two more Israeli bases in retaliation for the deadliest strikes on the country's east and south in nearly a year of clashes.

Hezbollah launched "dozens of rockets" at two Israeli bases "in response to the Israeli enemy's attacks on the south and the Beqaa" in Lebanon's east, after targeting three other sites earlier in the day as part of their retaliation.

1338 GMT Lebanon to open schools to shelter displaced civilians amid intense Israeli attacks

Lebanon said it will open schools and institutes to accommodate civilians displaced by Israeli air strikes in the country’s south.

In a statement, Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said he directed governors to cooperate fully with the mass evacuation from southern regions.

He added that schools and institutes will be used as shelters to ensure the safety and security of Lebanese citizens. Education Minister Abbas Halabi announced a two-day suspension of classes in schools in southern Lebanon as thousands fled their homes following intensive Israeli attacks.

1334 GMT US defence chief speaks with Israeli counterpart to get updates on Hezbollah fire exchanges: Pentagon

United States defence chief spoke with his Israeli counterpart to receive updates on the exchange of fires between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah, the Pentagon said.

In a phone call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin "expressed his support for Israel's right to defend itself as Hizballah extends its attacks deeper into Israel," Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said in a statement.

1309 GMT — Iran warns Israel of 'dangerous consequences' of Lebanon strikes

Iran's Foreign Ministry warned Israel of "dangerous consequences" following deadly strikes on Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon.

The ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanani called the Israeli strikes "insane", and warned of "the dangerous consequences of the Zionists' new adventure".

1245 GMT — At least 182 killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon: ministry

At least 182 people have been killed and 727 were wounded, including women, children and medics, in Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon, the country's Health Ministry said in a statement.

1201 GMT — Israel kills 24 more Palestinians as death toll surges to 41,455

Israeli army attacks killed 24 more Palestinians in Gaza, pushing up the overall death toll since last Oct. 7 to 41,455, the Health Ministry in the enclave said.

A ministry statement added that a total of 95,878 people have been injured in Israeli attacks since last October.

"Israeli forces killed 24 people and injured 60 others in three 'massacres' of families in the last 24 hours," the ministry said.

1158 GMT — Israel plans 'large-scale' strikes on Lebanon's Beqaa — military

Israeli aircraft are preparing to attack Hezbollah's strategic weapons stashed in houses in Lebanon's Beqaa valley, the Israeli military spokesperson said, calling on civilians to evacuate immediately.

"The sights now from south Lebanon are of secondary explosions of Hezbollah weapons, which are exploding inside houses. In every house we are attacking there are weapons. Rockets, missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles that were meant for and aimed at killing Israeli civilians," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a televised statement.

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1157 GMT Iraq's top Shia cleric calls for end to Israeli 'aggression' on Lebanon

Grand Ayatollah Ali Sistani, Shia Islam's highest authority in Iraq, appealed for "every possible effort" to end Israeli "aggression" against Lebanon, where Israeli forces are targeting the Shiite Hezbollah movement.

Sistani, in a statement on his website, called for "the exercise of every possible effort" to end this "barbaric aggression and to protect the Lebanese people".

Sistani, 94, urged "believers" to "contribute towards easing the suffering" of the Lebanese people and help "meet their humanitarian needs".

1155 GMT At least 100 killed, hundreds injured in extensive Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon

At least 100 people were killed and more than 400 others injured in intensive Israeli airstrikes targeting several areas in Lebanon, according to the country’s health ministry.

Children, women and medics were among those injured in the attacks, the ministry added in a statement.

1142 GMT Australia asks its citizens to leave Lebanon

Australia asked its citizens to leave Lebanon following escalating hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

"The security situation in Lebanon could rapidly deteriorate. Australians in Lebanon should leave immediately while commercial flights are available," Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on X.

Australia, the minister said, is "gravely" concerned about escalation in the Middle East.“Further hostilities put civilians at risk,” she added.

1125 GMT Türkiye to submit evidence over Turkish-American woman's killing to international courts

Türkiye will submit evidence about Israel's killing of a Turkish-American woman in the West Bank this month to the United Nations Security Council, International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC), its justice minister said.

Aysenur Ezgi Eygi was killed on Sept. 6 as she took part in a protest against settlement expansion in the West Bank amid the war in Gaza. Israel has acknowledged that its troops shot the activist but says it was an unintentional act during a demonstration that turned violent.

Türkiye has opened an investigation into Eygi's killing and will request international arrest warrants, Ankara said this month, while President Tayyip Erdogan said Türkiye would go to the ICJ over the matter.

1019 GMT At UN, Türkiye to press criticism of Israel over Gaza war

Türkiye, among the world's sharpest critics of the Israeli military operation in Gaza, will use the United Nations General Assembly this week to highlight what it says is a genocide unfolding there and will urge international pressure on Israel.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and several Turkish ministers will take part in the General Assembly in New York, which comes amid the heaviest cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, alongside the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

0951 GMT Kremlin voices 'extreme concern' over Israel-Hezbollah conflict

The Kremlin said that the threat of escalation of attacks by Israel and Hezbollah was a matter of the utmost concern for Russia.

"The situation is swiftly deteriorating every day. Tension is growing, unpredictability is increasing. This is a matter of extreme concern for us," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

0700 GMT — Israel kills 8 Palestinians, including women, children in Gaza

Eight Palestinians, including two women and five children, were killed in Israeli air strikes targeting a school sheltering displaced civilians and a home in central Gaza.

A mother and her four children were killed, and others were injured in an Israeli airstrike targeting the Al-Samak family’s home in Deir al Balah city, the Gaza Civil Defense said in a statement.

In a separate statement, the Civil Defense added that an Israeli airstrike on Khaled Bin Al-Waleed School in Al-Nuseirat refugee camp killed a man, his wife, and their daughter, and injured others.

0630 GMT — One dead in dozens of Israeli strikes on Lebanon: official media

Dozens of Israeli air strikes hit Lebanon's south and east, killing at least one civilian, official media reported.

The official National News Agency (NNA) said "enemy warplanes launched... more than 80 air strikes in half an hour", targeting south Lebanon's Nabatiyeh district. It also reported strikes in the Tyre area.

At the same time, the NNA reported "intense raids in the Beqaa" Valley in the east, deep inside Lebanon near the Syrian border, including in the vicinity of Baalbek and the outskirts of Hermel.

The NNA said the strikes in the east killed a "civilian", a shepherd, "and wounded two members of his family" and four others.

0600 GMT — Israeli strikes hit Lebanon; army asks civilians to 'move away'

More than 80 Israeli air strikes have targeted various areas in Nabatieh governorate, southern Lebanon, according to Lebanon News Agency.

The Israeli military told people in Lebanon to move away from "Hezbollah targets" and vowed to carry out more extensive strikes against the group.

"We advise civilians from Lebanese villages located in and next to buildings and areas used by Hezbollah for military purposes, such as those used to store weapons, to immediately move out of harm's way for their own safety," military spokesman Reard Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a media briefing.

Hagari said the military had launched new strikes against Hezbollah sites since Monday morning.

"The strikes will go on for the near future," he said.

0530 GMT — China urges citizens in Israel to leave 'as soon as possible'

China has urged its citizens in Israel to leave "as soon as possible", as tensions between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah escalate.

"Currently, the situation along the Israel-Lebanon border is extremely tense, with frequent military conflicts," China's embassy in Israel said in a statement.

"The security situation in Israel remains severe, complex, and unpredictable," the statement added.

The embassy urged Chinese citizens in Israel to "return home or relocate to safer areas as soon as possible".

0331 GMT — Israel targets house in central Gaza, killing 4 children, their mother

An Israeli air strike targeted a house in central Gaza, killing four Palestinian children and their mother.

According to the Palestinian news agency Wafa, Israeli fighter jets struck the home of the "Abu Samek" family near Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al Balah.

The attack also left many others injured.

In Gaza City, Israeli helicopters opened fire on homes in the Zeitoun neighborhood, and neighborhoods in the southwest of the city were also targeted by Israeli artillery.

0133 GMT — Iraqi group targets Israeli base in occupied Golan Heights

An Iraqi armed group has said they targeted the Israeli observation base in the "occupied Palestinian territories".

The Israeli army, too, confirmed that it intercepted two cruise missiles and a drone launched from Iraq towards the occupied Golan Heights.

"Cruise missiles were intercepted this evening (Sunday) before they crossed into the Golan Heights," Israel's Army Radio said on X. It added that "the army intercepted a drone that was also launched from Iraq this morning after it entered the Golan Heights".

0144 GMT — Israeli army bombs school in Gaza, killing 3 Palestinians

At least three Palestinians were killed when the Israeli army bombed a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza early Sunday.

According to the Palestinian news agency WAFA, the Israeli military targeted the upper floor of Khalid bin al-Walid School in Nuseirat.

The attack also left many others injured.

0042 GMT — Colombia's president denounces media silence over Israeli genocide in Gaza

Colombian President Gustavo Petro denounced the silence over Israel's war in Gaza, insisting that a genocide is taking place in Palestine.

"Anyone who defends this genocide or remains silent in the face of it has destroyed their own human condition," Petro said Sunday on X.

"It would seem as if (Nazi propaganda minister Joseph) Goebbels is the one who directs the world's communications so that tens of thousands of journalists are silenced in the face of their murdered colleagues and 20,000 babies torn to pieces by bombs," he added.

2219 GMT — Israeli air strikes across Gaza kill at least 24 Palestinians

At least 24 Palestinians were killed and dozens others injured in Israeli air strikes across Gaza, according to medical sources.

Seven people lost their lives and several others were injured in an Israeli strike targeting Kafr Qasim School, where thousands of displaced civilians have sheltered in the Shati refugee camp, west of Gaza City, Civil Defence spokesperson Mahmoud Basal said in a statement.

Four more people were killed and 15 others injured in another air strike on a house in the central city of Deir al Balah, he added.

Fighter jets hit another house north of Rafah in southern Gaza, killing four people, while six more lost their lives when a drone shelled a group of civilians east of the city, the spokesperson said.

Two more people were killed in artillery shelling in the town of Khuza'a, east of Khan Younis in southern Gaza, medics said.

One civilian was also killed and another injured in a drone attack west of the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, a local source said.

2217 GMT — Thousands of Palestinians at risk of death as winter approaches: local authorities

Palestinian authorities have warned of the potential deaths of thousands of people in northern Gaza due to cold weather and lack of heating resources amid Israel's ongoing war on the enclave.

"Thousands are at risk of dying from cold weather due to the unavailability of heating supplies like cooking gas, charcoal and wood," the Ministry of Social Development in Gaza said in a statement Sunday.

"Every passing moment exacerbates the suffering of Gaza's residents, who face harsh conditions due to the war."

The ministry called on international organisations to help by facilitating the entry of cooking gas, fuel derivatives and heating supplies "to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe".

"Many families have resorted to using wooden furniture as fuel for cooking, given the scarcity of other resources after nearly a year of war and blockade," it said.

2048 GMT — Palestine holds jurisdiction over Gaza and West Bank: Abbas

Palestine has the "jurisdiction" over Gaza and the West Bank, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said.

"Palestine has the jurisdiction over Gaza and the West Bank, including Jerusalem, and will continue to carry out its responsibilities," Abbas said during a meeting with head of the Yemeni Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad Mohammed al Alimi, on the sidelines of the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.

Abbas renewed his call for ending Israeli attacks against Palestinians, a complete withdrawal from Gaza, reconstruction and holding a political process "that ends the occupation and achieves security, stability and peace for all in the region".

2028 GMT — Hamas claims to have killed, injured Israeli soldiers in Rafah attacks

Palestinian resistance group Hamas claimed to have killed and injured several Israeli soldiers in attacks in the southern Gaza city of Rafah.

In a statement on its Telegram channel, the group's armed wing, the Qassam Brigades, said that its fighters detonated an explosive device at an Israeli force, leaving several soldiers dead and injured.

The group said it also targeted an Israeli tank and bulldozer with anti-tank shells in al Shoka neighbourhood east of Rafah. There was no immediate Israeli comment on the claim.

2014 GMT — Lebanese University suspends classes amid Israeli attacks

The Lebanese University, the country's only state-funded public university, said it will suspend classes in three cities in southern Lebanon on Monday amid Israeli attacks.

Bassam Badran, the university president, said in a statement on Sunday evening that university branches in Sidon, Nabatiyeh, and Tyre will remain closed on Monday.

The decision comes "in light of instability resulting from the continued Israeli assaults, and to ensure the safety of students, faculty and staff", the statement said.

2007 GMT — Internet service cut off in central, southern Gaza amid Israeli attacks

Internet service has gone down in central and southern Gaza, the Palestinian telecom company Paltel said.

In a post on X, the company said the service was disrupted by the ongoing Israeli military attacks in Deir al Balah and Khan Younis areas in Gaza. "Our crews are working hard to restore the service as quickly as possible," it added.

The blockaded enclave has faced several communications and internet outages amid a brutal Israeli offensive on the enclave that left more than 41,400 dead since last October.

1954 GMT — Half of Israeli hostages in Gaza 'are alive': Netanyahu

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said about half of the hostages held in Gaza "are alive".

This comes as Netanyahu and his government face accusations from hostages' families of abandoning them through a new proposal for a hostage swap with Hamas.

"According to the information we have, half of the hostages in Gaza are alive," Netanyahu said during a closed meeting of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee as cited by Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper.

On Thursday, families of the hostages 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 hostage exchange with Hamas.

1923 GMT — US 'pushing hard' to prevent 'wider war' in Mideast: Biden

US President Joe Biden said the United States would do everything possible to prevent an escalation of war in the Middle East, as hostilities flared between Israel and Hezbollah.

Affirming that he was worried about rising regional tensions, Biden told reporters from the White House South Lawn that his administration was "going to do everything we can to keep a wider war from breaking out. And we're still pushing hard".

1918 GMT — Iran's IRGC claims to dismantle Israel-linked network over 'anti-security actions'

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed to have dismantled a network of "mercenaries and collaborators" allegedly linked to Israel.

In a statement, the IRGC announced the dismantling of a network of 12 "mercenaries and collaborators of the regime", referring to Israel, across six provinces in Iran.

According to the statement, those arrested intended to carry out "anti-security actions" and were identified through "decisive intelligence" obtained by the IRGC's intelligence wing.

The IRGC further stated that following the "disgraceful defeat" of Israel and its Western allies, particularly the US, in pursuing their "sinister and evil goals against the people of Gaza and Lebanon", Israel had orchestrated "a series of anti-security actions" within Iran.

1826 GMT — EU foreign policy chief calls for urgent ceasefire as Israel-Hezbollah border attacks intensify

EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell expressed "extreme concern" over escalating violence between Lebanon and Israel, calling for an immediate ceasefire.

In a statement, Borrell highlighted recent attacks in the Lebanese capital Beirut that killed at least three children amid ongoing cross-border violence between Israel and the Hezbollah group.

"A ceasefire is urgent, across the Blue Line as in Gaza," Borrell stated, emphasising the harm that civilians have suffered on both sides.

The Blue Line serves as a boundary separating Lebanon from Israel and the Israel-occupied Syrian Golan Heights.

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For our live updates from Sunday, September 22, 2024, click here.

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