Lebanon’s health ministry said Saturday seven people including two children were killed in Israeli strikes on the southern city of Tyre a day earlier, with rescuers still searching for missing people under the rubble.

“Israeli enemy strikes on the city of Tyre killed seven people including two girls, and injured 46 others,” the ministry said, adding that body parts had been found and will be “identified with DNA testing”.

It added that rubble was being cleared following the strikes as part of ongoing efforts to locate missing persons.

The ministry had on Friday reported a toll of three killed and 30 injured in the strikes.

AFP photos showed rescuers carrying bodies on stretchers amid the wreckage, as rubble and twisted metal were strewn across the street.

Earlier on Saturday, Lebanon’s official National News Agency had said the deadly strikes targeted three buildings in the coastal city, causing “massive damage to dozens of homes”.

The NNA also said “enemy fighter jets” destroyed two heritage houses in the southern city of Nabatiyeh.

Hezbollah said on Saturday it targeted Israeli troops, locations and military sites including a base and an area north of Haifa, in addition to downing an Israeli Hermes 450 drone over a south Lebanon village.

Israel intensified its air campaign on Lebanon in September and later sent in ground troops after a year of cross-border clashes.

The escalation came after nearly a year of low-intensity, cross-border attacks by Hezbollah in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas following its October 7, 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the Gaza war.

More than 3,110 people have been killed in Lebanon since the cross-border exchanges began, according to the Lebanese health ministry.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A view of a damaged site after an Israeli strike in Nabatiyeh.

Powerful new explosions rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs late Saturday (October 5, 2024) as Israel expanded its bombardment in Lebanon, also striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north for the first time as it targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.

Israel war live updates – October 6, 2024

Thousands of people in Lebanon, including Palestinian refugees, continued to flee the widening conflict in the region, while rallies were held around the world marking the approaching anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza.

Evacuation order in Dahiyeh

The strong explosions began near midnight and continued into Sunday (October 6, 2024) after Israel’s military urged residents to evacuate areas in Dahiyeh, the predominantly Shiite collection of suburbs on Beirut’s southern edge. AP video showed the blasts illuminating the densely populated southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence. They followed a day of sporadic strikes and the nearly continuous buzz of reconnaissance drones.

Israel’s military confirmed it was striking targets near Beirut and said about 30 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some intercepted.

The strikes reportedly targeted a building near a road leading to Lebanon’s only international airport, and another building formerly used by the Hezbollah-run broadcaster Al-Manar. Social media reports claimed that one of the strikes hit an oxygen tank storage facility, but this was later denied by the owner of the company Khaled Kaddouha.

Shortly thereafter, Hezbollah claimed in a statement that it successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the Manara settlement in northern Israel “with a large rocket salvo, hitting them accurately.”

On Saturday (October 6, 2024), Israel’s attack on the northern Beddawi camp killed an official with Hamas’ military wing along with his wife and two young daughters, the Palestinian militant group said. Hamas later said another military wing member was killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. The aftermath showed smashed buildings, scattered bricks and stairways to nowhere.

Israel has killed several Hamas officials in Lebanon since the Israel-Hamas war began, in addition to most of the top leadership of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah as fighting has sharply escalated.

At least 1,400 Lebanese, including civilians, medics and Hezbollah fighters, have been killed and 1.2 million driven from their homes in less than two weeks. Israel says it aims to drive the militant group away from shared borders so displaced Israelis can return to their homes.

Iranian-backed Hezbollah, the strongest armed force in Lebanon, began firing rockets into Israel almost immediately after Hamas’ October 7 attack, calling it a show of support for the Palestinians. Hezbollah and Israel’s military have traded fire almost daily.

Last week, Israel launched what it called a limited ground operation into southern Lebanon after a series of attacks killed longtime Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and others. The fighting is the worst since Israel and Hezbollah fought a brief war in 2006. Nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in the ground clashes that Israel says have killed 440 Hezbollah fighters.

Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, told reporters in Damascus that “we are trying to reach a cease-fire in Gaza and in Lebanon.” The minister said the unnamed countries putting forward initiatives include regional states and some outside the Middle East.

Mr. Araghchi spoke a day after the supreme leader of Iran praised its recent missile strikes on Israel and said it was ready to do it again if necessary.

On Saturday (October 5, 2024) evening, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “Israel has the duty and the right to defend itself and respond to these attacks, and it will do so.” On Lebanon, he said ”we are not done yet.”

Israel’s military earlier Saturday (October 5, 2024) said about 90 projectiles were fired from Lebanon into Israeli territory. Most were intercepted, but several fell in the northern Arab town of Deir al-Asad, where police said three people were lightly injured.

At least six people in Lebanon were killed in more than a dozen Israeli airstrikes overnight and into Saturday, according to the Lebanese state-run National News Agency.

Nearly 375,000 people have fled from Lebanon into Syria in less than two weeks, according to a Lebanese government committee.

Associated Press journalists saw hundreds continuing to cross the Masnaa Border Crossing on foot, crunching over the rubble after Israeli airstrikes left huge craters in the road leading to it on Thursday. Much of Hezbollah’s weaponry is believed to come from Iran through Syria.

‘Don’t want to die at the hands of Netanyahu’

“We were on the road for two days,” said Issa Hilal, one of many Syrian refugees in Lebanon who are now heading back. “The roads were very crowded … it was very difficult. We almost died getting here.” Some children whimpered or cried.

Other displaced families now shelter alongside Beirut’s famous seaside Corniche, their wind-flapped tents just steps from luxury homes. “We don’t care if we die, but we don’t want to die at the hands of Netanyahu,” said Om Ali Mcheik.

The Israeli military said special forces were carrying out ground raids against Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon. It said troops dismantled tunnel shafts that Hezbollah used to approach the Israeli border.

Almost 42,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza during the war, according to the Health Ministry there, which does not differentiate between civilian and militant deaths. Almost 90% of Gaza’s residents are displaced, amid widespread destruction.

Palestinian medical officials said Israeli strikes in northern and central Gaza on Saturday (October 5, 2024) killed at least nine people. One in the northern town of Beit Hanoun killed at least five, including two children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Another hit a house in the Nuseirat refugee camp, killing at least four, Awda hospital said.

Israel’s military did not have any immediate comment but has long accused Hamas of operating from within civilian areas.

An Israeli airstrike killed two children in Gaza City’s Zaytoun neighborhood, according to the civil defense first responders’ group that operates under the Hamas-run government.

Israel’s military warned Palestinians to evacuate along the strategic Netzarim corridor in central Gaza that was at the heart of obstacles to a cease-fire deal. The military told people in parts of the Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps to evacuate to Muwasi, a coastal area it has designated a humanitarian zone.

It’s unclear how many Palestinians are in those areas. Israeli forces have often returned to areas in Gaza to target Hamas fighters as they regroup.

Supporters of Lebanon’s Hezbollah react as the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah addresses them through a giant screen in Beirut’s southern suburbs on August 9, 2022. Hezbollah confirmed on September 28, 2024 that its leader had been killed, after Israel said it had “eliminated” him in a strike on south Beirut a day earlier.
| Photo Credit: AFP

The story so far: It’s been almost a year since the latest Gaza war began. And now, Israel has shifted its focus towards its northern border with Lebanon. Over the past week, Israel has carried out massive bombardments in Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, killing at least 700 people and displacing more than 1,00,000. Among the dead was Hassan Nasrallah, Secretary-General of Hezbollah.

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah killing in Beirut: LIVE updates

What preceded the air strikes?

The air strikes followed explosions of pagers and walkie-talkies in Lebanon, which hit hundreds of Hezbollah fighters. Hezbollah, in retaliation, fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, including a ballistic missile which was intercepted over Tel Aviv. The U.S. and France called for a ceasefire, but Israel quickly ruled out the proposal. The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says his army will continue to fight “until meeting its objectives” in Lebanon, and achieving “total victory” against Hamas in Gaza.

What is the Hezbollah?

The Hezbollah was formed as a Shia resistance organisation in 1982, with help from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), in the aftermath of Israel’s invasion of Lebanon in the same year. Israel sent troops to Lebanon to force the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) out of the country. While Israel managed to force the PLO to relocate from Lebanon to Tunisia, and carved a buffer in southern Lebanon, the war led to the rise of militant Shia resistance, which turned out to be a long-term security challenge for Israel. The Shia community had historically been marginalised in Lebanon where power was divided between the Maronite Christians (for whom the Presidency was reserved) and Sunnis (Premiership). The Shias reorganised themselves under Hezbollah, which built a sprawling political, military and social network that’s deeply entrenched in Lebanon’s state and society. The group has a political party which has parliamentarians, a social wing that caters to the lower strata of society, and a powerful military unit, backed by Iran, which has fighters and short, medium and long-range missiles.

Why are Israel and Hezbollah fighting?

The raison d’etre of Hezbollah is resistance against Israel. Destruction of “the Zionist entity” has been one of the goals mentioned in Hezbollah’s manifesto. The group, which is termed a terrorist organisation by both Israel and the U.S., takes credit for forcing Israel to end its occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000, 18 years after it invaded Lebanon. Last time Israel and Hezbollah fought a full-scale war was in 2006 when Israel invaded Lebanon after a Hezbollah cross-border raid. The trigger for the latest flare-up was the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack in Israel, in which at least 1,200 people were killed. When Israel launched its retaliatory war on Gaza, Hezbollah started firing rockets into Israel “in solidarity with the Palestinians”. In response, Israel started bombing Lebanon. Ever since, a slow-burning war continued to rage on the Israel-Lebanon border, which displaced some 70,000 Israelis from the border region. The escalation came on July 30 when Israel killed Fuad Shukr, a top Hezbollah commander, in an air strike in Beirut. Hezbollah stepped up its rocket attacks. Earlier this month, Israel said enabling the displaced citizens to go back to their homes is one of the objectives of the war. Then came the pager explosions, which were followed by air strikes.

How powerful is Hezbollah?

Israel sees Hezbollah as a mortal enemy. Hezbollah’s weapons include Fateh ballistic missiles with a range of 250 km and Sayyad surface-to-surface missiles (up to 100 km) and C-802 anti-ship missiles (120 km). It also has anti-tank missiles, artillery rockets and tens of thousands of short range rockets such as Bukan, Katyusha, Falaq and Almas. In terms of conventional might, this may not be a match for Israel. An undeclared nuclear power, Israel is the most powerful military force in West Asia, which enjoys the support and protection of the U.S., the world’s most powerful country. But Hezbollah is not a conventional force. It’s a highly armed guerrilla army with conventional weapons and asymmetric tactics, which had hurt Israel in the past. Since 2006, Hezbollah has rebuilt its weapons stocks many times more. But Hezbollah’s response to Israel’s attacks have so far been limited. Hezbollah, either by conscious decision or by limitations, chose to fire short-range rockets into Israel in response to the air strikes. But the assassination of Nasrallah, which Hezbollah has confirmed, is the heaviest blow yet. Nasrallah is credited to have built Hezbollah to what it is today.

What does Israel want?

After almost a year of fighting in Gaza, Israel has not met any of its declared objectives — the decimation of Hamas and the release of the hostages. Israeli troops have killed more than 40,000 Palestinians in Gaza and turned the enclave into an open refugee camp. Israel is practically stuck in the Gaza quagmire — without something that can be shown to the public as ‘victory’, Mr. Netanyahu, on whose watch the October 7 attack unfolded, can’t end the war. If he ends the war through a ceasefire deal with Hamas, his government could collapse (his far-right allies have threatened to withdraw their support). But Hezbollah says as long as the Gaza war goes on, it would fire rockets into Israel. Mr. Netanyahu can’t accept a ceasefire in Gaza, but wants to stop the Hezbollah attacks. Faced with no easy solutions, Israel decided to escalate the conflict with Hezbollah. Israel wants to degrade Hezbollah’s capabilities, and turn them away from the border region. The fire power Israel used over the past week can be comparable to Israel’s bombing of the Egyptian air force in 1967. Israel also carried out targeted air strikes at Hezbollah leaders, killing at least four commanders besides Nasrallah.

Editorial |Rogue state: On Israel’s conflict with Hezbollah

What next?

Israel’s leadership has ruled out a ceasefire on the Lebanese border. It’s not clear yet whether Israel would launch a ground invasion into Lebanon. Here, Israel faces a dilemma. Hezbollah is far more powerful than Hamas and at this point of the conflict, nobody is deterring anybody. Iran’s proxy might is not deterring Israel. Israel’s fire power is not deterring Hezbollah and the Houthis. And Hezbollah’s rockets are not deterring Israel from pounding Lebanon. This was a conflict loop, which could break into an escalatory ladder, triggering an all-out war. Then came the Nasrallah killing.

From October 7, Hezbollah was fighting a limited war needling Israel in the north but wary of escalation. But once Israel decided to escalate, it went in with full force. There cannot have been a greater provocation than the killing of the Secretary General. It is as if Israel is pushing Hezbollah to fight a larger war. The next question is what will Hezbollah (and Iran) do? Will the group fold under pressure or regroup itself and fight the Jewish state with full force? Its choice will decide whether West Asia will slide into an all-out war.

Hezbollah fighters carry the coffins of a person killed after hundreds of paging devices exploded in a deadly wave across Lebanon the previous day, during their funeral procession in Beirut’s southern suburbs on September 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Japanese firm Icom said Thursday (September 19, 2024) that it had stopped producing the model of radios reportedly used in recent blasts in Lebanon around 10 years ago.

“The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company,” Icom said in a statement.

“The production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit has also been discontinued, and a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company,” it said.

It added that products for overseas markets are sold exclusively through its authorized distributors, and that its export programme is based on Japanese security trade control regulations.

“All of our radios are manufactured at our production subsidiary, Wakayama Icom Inc., in Wakayama Prefecture, under a strict management system… so no parts other than those specified by our company are used in a product. In addition, all of our radios are manufactured at the same factory, and we do not manufacture them overseas,” the statement said.

In the second wave of device explosions in as many days, 20 people died and more than 450 were wounded on Wednesday (September 19, 2024) in Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon, officials said.

A source close to Hezbollah said walkie-talkies used by its members blew up in its Beirut stronghold, with state media reporting similar blasts in south and east Lebanon.

They came a day after the simultaneous explosion of hundreds of paging devices used by Hezbollah killed 12 people, including two children, and wounded up to 2,800 others across Lebanon, in an unprecedented attack blamed on Israel.

There was no comment from Israel. The White House warned all sides against “an escalation of any kind”.

Beirut:

Amid escalating tensions in the region, Indian Embassy in Lebanon has advised Indians to avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon. They have been advised to exercise caution, restrict movements and remain in contact with Indian Embassy in Beirut.

Taking to X, the Indian Embassy in Lebanon stated, “In view of the recent escalations in the region, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon. All Indian nationals in Lebanon are advised to exercise caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with Embassy of India in Beirut through their email id: cons.beirut@mea.gov.in or the emergency phone number 96176860128.”

Tensions have further escalated after the rocket attack at Golan Heights, allegedly fired by Hezbollah killed 12 children. In response to the attack at Golan Heights, The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in the Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday (local time).

Fuad Shukr, the “most senior Hezbollah military commander,” was killed in the Israeli strike, the IDF said in a statement. Shukr sat on the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s top military body, and was considered to be the head of its strategic division.

Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, he has been managing Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel, including the deadly strike in Majdal Shams over the weekend that killed 12 children, according to the military.The IDF says Shukr was “responsible for the majority of Hezbollah’s most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs” and for the terror group’s “force build-up, planning, and execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel,” as reported by The Times of Israel.

“Eliminated: Fuad Shukr “Sayyid Muhsan,” Hezbollah’s Most Senior Military Commander and Hassan Nasrallah’s Right-Hand Man,” the IDF said in a post on X.

“Shukr has directed Hezbollah’s attacks on the State of Israel since October 8th, and he was the commander responsible for the murder of the 12 children in Majdal Shams in northern Israel on Saturday evening, as well as the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years. He was also responsible for the majority of Hezbollah’s most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets and UAVs,” it added.

Houthis and Hamas have both condemned the Israeli strike in separate statements, CNN reported.

“While we affirm our solidarity with Lebanon and its resistance in the face of Zionist arrogance, we appreciate the great role of Hezbollah in supporting the Palestinian people and triumphing over their oppression, at a time when the Arab regimes have abandoned their role and responsibility in defending the Palestinian people and confronting crimes,” a statement read from the Houthi political wing, also known as Ansar Allah.

In another statement, Hamas declared “full solidarity with our brotherly Lebanon and the brothers in Hezbollah.”

Hamas also said it considers the Israeli strike a “dangerous escalation.”Israel had blamed Hezbollah for the rocket attack at Golan Heights on Sunday. However, Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Beirut:

Amid escalating tensions in the region, Indian Embassy in Lebanon has advised Indians to avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon. They have been advised to exercise caution, restrict movements and remain in contact with Indian Embassy in Beirut.

Taking to X, the Indian Embassy in Lebanon stated, “In view of the recent escalations in the region, Indian nationals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Lebanon. All Indian nationals in Lebanon are advised to exercise caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with Embassy of India in Beirut through their email id: cons.beirut@mea.gov.in or the emergency phone number 96176860128.”

Tensions have further escalated after the rocket attack at Golan Heights, allegedly fired by Hezbollah killed 12 children. In response to the attack at Golan Heights, The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said that top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukr was killed in the Israeli strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday (local time).

Fuad Shukr, the “most senior Hezbollah military commander,” was killed in the Israeli strike, the IDF said in a statement. Shukr sat on the Jihad Council, Hezbollah’s top military body, and was considered to be the head of its strategic division.

Since the October 7 attack by Hamas, he has been managing Hezbollah’s attacks against Israel, including the deadly strike in Majdal Shams over the weekend that killed 12 children, according to the military.The IDF says Shukr was “responsible for the majority of Hezbollah’s most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets, and UAVs” and for the terror group’s “force build-up, planning, and execution of terror attacks against the State of Israel,” as reported by The Times of Israel.

“Eliminated: Fuad Shukr “Sayyid Muhsan,” Hezbollah’s Most Senior Military Commander and Hassan Nasrallah’s Right-Hand Man,” the IDF said in a post on X.

“Shukr has directed Hezbollah’s attacks on the State of Israel since October 8th, and he was the commander responsible for the murder of the 12 children in Majdal Shams in northern Israel on Saturday evening, as well as the killing of numerous Israelis and foreign nationals over the years. He was also responsible for the majority of Hezbollah’s most advanced weaponry, including precise-guided missiles, cruise missiles, anti-ship missiles, long-range rockets and UAVs,” it added.

Houthis and Hamas have both condemned the Israeli strike in separate statements, CNN reported.

“While we affirm our solidarity with Lebanon and its resistance in the face of Zionist arrogance, we appreciate the great role of Hezbollah in supporting the Palestinian people and triumphing over their oppression, at a time when the Arab regimes have abandoned their role and responsibility in defending the Palestinian people and confronting crimes,” a statement read from the Houthi political wing, also known as Ansar Allah.

In another statement, Hamas declared “full solidarity with our brotherly Lebanon and the brothers in Hezbollah.”

Hamas also said it considers the Israeli strike a “dangerous escalation.”Israel had blamed Hezbollah for the rocket attack at Golan Heights on Sunday. However, Hezbollah has denied responsibility for the attack.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)