New Delhi:

The American Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defence system was used to intercept a ballistic missile launched at Israel from Yemen yesterday. The missile was reportedly fired by the Houthi rebels, a group backed by Iran.

The THAAD system, deployed in Israel by the United States in October, was activated to intercept the missile for the first time, the Times of Israel reported. Footage circulated on social media showing the system launching an interceptor, accompanied by the voice of an American soldier exclaiming, “Eighteen years I’ve been waiting for this.” 

While the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed the missile’s interception, they did not specify whether the system used was Israeli or American. However, security sources told the Walla news site that THAAD had successfully engaged the missile, the report said. 

The deployment of THAAD in Israel followed an October 1 ballistic missile attack by Iran. The advanced system is capable of intercepting missiles both inside and outside the Earth’s atmosphere.

מערכת ה- THAAD האמריקנית לקחה חלק ביירוט הטיל הבליסטי ששוגר אמש מתימן. אפשר לשמוע את אחד החיילים האמריקניים מתרגש “18 שנים חיכיתי לזה” pic.twitter.com/s4VoMfMhaF

— איתי בלומנטל Itay Blumental (@ItayBlumental) December 27, 2024

The THAAD system, developed by the United States, is designed to intercept short-, medium-, and intermediate-range ballistic missiles during their terminal phase. Unlike conventional systems, THAAD relies on kinetic energy to neutralise threats, destroying incoming missiles through impact rather than an explosive warhead.

A standard THAAD battery includes six truck-mounted launchers, each capable of holding up to eight interceptors, along with a radar and a fire control system. The system’s radar can detect threats from a range of 870 to 3,000 kilometres.

The Houthi missile launch marked the fifth such attack on Israel in just eight days. The Iran-backed group claimed to have targeted Ben Gurion Airport. In response, Israeli warplanes launched strikes on Houthi targets in Yemen, including the Hezyaz power plant and infrastructure at Sanaa International Airport.

The Houthis have launched more than 200 missiles and 170 drones at Israel over the past year, according to the IDF, however, the majority of these threats were intercepted or fell short of their targets. The group has also disrupted commercial shipping in the Red Sea, targeting over 100 merchant vessels and forcing carriers to reroute.

The Houthis have explicitly linked their actions to the ongoing conflict in Gaza, which erupted on October 7, 2023, following Palestinian group Hamas’ attack on Israel. 

Beijing:

Just over a year ago, China gave Bashar al-Assad and his wife a warm welcome during their six-day visit to the country, offering the former Syrian leader a rare break from years of international isolation since the start of a civil war in 2011.

As the couple attended the Asian Games, President Xi Jinping vowed to support Assad in “opposing external interference” and in Syria’s rebuilding, while his wife Asma was feted in Chinese media.

But the abrupt end to the rule of the authoritarian leader so explicitly backed by Xi only last year has dealt a blow to China’s diplomatic ambitions in the Middle East and exposed the limits of its strategy in the region, analysts say.

A coalition of rebels seized Syria’s capital Damascus on Sunday after a lightning offensive that toppled Assad’s regime and ended his family’s 50-year dynasty.

“There’s been a lot of an exaggerated sense of China’s ability to shape political outcomes in the region,” said Jonathan Fulton, a nonresident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

While the collapse of the Assad regime was seen reducing the influence in the Arab world of his main backers, Iran and Russia, it was also a blow for China’s global ambitions, said Fulton.

“A lot of what (China has) been doing internationally has relied on support with those countries, and their inability to prop up their biggest partner in the Middle East says quite a lot about their ability to do much beyond the region.”

TACKLING HOTSPOTS

After China brokered a deal between long-time rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran in 2023, Chinese media praised Beijing’s rising profile in a neighbourhood long dominated by Washington. 

Wang Yi, China’s top diplomat, said the country would play a constructive role in handling global “hotspot issues”.

China also brokered a truce between Fatah, Hamas and other rival Palestinian factions earlier this year and has made repeated calls for a ceasefire in Gaza.

But despite bringing Middle Eastern leaders to Beijing and rounds of “shuttle diplomacy” by its Middle Eastern envoy, Zhai Jun, in the months since, Palestinians have not formed a unity government and the conflict in Gaza continues.

“Assad’s sudden downfall is not a scenario Beijing wishes to see,” said Fan Hongda, a Middle East scholar at Shanghai International Studies University. “China prefers a more stable and independent Middle East, as chaos or a pro-American orientation in the region does not align with China’s interests.” 

The response by China’s foreign ministry to Assad’s fall has been muted, focusing on the safety of Chinese nationals and calling for a “political solution” to restore stability in Syria as soon as possible.

Ministry of foreign affairs spokesperson, Mao Ning, on Monday appeared to leave an opening for engagement with the future government: “China’s friendly relations with Syria are for all Syrian people,” she said.

Chinese experts and diplomats say Beijing will now bide its time before recognising a new government in Damascus. 

It could use its expertise and financial muscle to support reconstruction, they say, but its commitments are likely to be limited because China has sought to minimise financial risks overseas in recent years.

Syria joined China’s flagship Belt and Road Initiative in 2022, but there have been no significant investments by Chinese firms since, partly due to sanctions. 

China is “not really able to fundamentally replace the West either as an economic partner, or diplomatic or military force in the region,” said Bill Figueroa, assistant professor at the University of Groningen and an expert in China-Middle East relations.

“China in 2024 has way less money than China in 2013 – 2014, when the BRI was launched,” Figueroa said. There is “an obvious reassessment going on in the direction of safer investments and reducing China’s risks overall,” he added.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

 The Lufthansa group said that it had also decided to “avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace up to and including 2 October”, adding that “flights will continue to avoid Israeli airspace up to and including 31 October”. File
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Top European airlines Lufthansa, KLM and Swiss on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) announced that they were extending their suspension of flights to the Middle East, as tensions spiral throughout the region.

The moves come as Israel launched strikes on Beirut and a senior White House official warned that Iran was preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack “imminently” against Israel.

Also Read: Iran fires missiles at Israel live updates October 2, 2024

KLM has pushed out until the end of the year the suspension of its once-daily flight to Tel Aviv “given the situation in the region”, spokeswoman Elvira van der Vis told AFP.

The Dutch airline had already announced in August 2024 that it was suspending flights to Israel until October 26, 2024.

Also on Tuesday (October 1, 2024), German airline group Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Beirut up to and including November 30, 2024. Lufthansa group flights to Tel Aviv will be cancelled until October 31, 2024 while trips to Tehran remain cancelled until October 14, 2024.

“We regret the inconvenience caused to our passengers,” the group said.

Later on Tuesday (October 1, 2024), the Lufthansa group said that it had also decided to “avoid Iranian, Iraqi and Jordanian airspace up to and including 2 October”, adding that “flights will continue to avoid Israeli airspace up to and including 31 October”.

The Lufthansa group — whose carriers also include Swiss International Air Lines, Austrian Airlines and Brussels Airlines — has repeatedly modified its flight schedule in recent months due to heightened tensions in the Middle East, as have other airlines.

Following the example of its parent company, Swiss said the extension of its flight suspensions was “intended to provide more predictability for both our passengers and our crews”.

The Israeli army said it had launched a ground offensive in Lebanon and that its forces engaged in clashes on Tuesday (October 1, 2024), further escalating the conflict after a week of intense air strikes that killed hundreds.

Meanwhile, a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity that the United States has indications that Iran was preparing to launch a missile attack against Israel “imminently”.

“We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack,” the official said, warning that such an action would “carry severe consequences for Iran”.

New Delhi:

1. On Saturday night, Hezbollah fired at least 10 missiles into northern towns and cities of Israel’s Jezreel Valley, the Times of Israel reported. This was the deepest incursion by Hezbollah rockets into Israeli territory since the conflict began in early October. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) intercepted most of the missiles, but one man in his 60s suffered minor injuries from shrapnel.
2. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the missile barrage and stated that it had aimed at the Ramat David Airbase. Located 50 km from the Lebanon border, the airbase is a key strategic site for the Israeli Air Force. 
3. In response, Israeli jets carried out a series of retaliatory strikes across southern Lebanon. The IDF reported that its airstrikes targeted at least 110 Hezbollah positions, including rocket launchers and operational facilities. The IDF claims it successfully disrupted Hezbollah’s preparations for further rocket launches.
4. The IDF stated that their Saturday afternoon air raids hit approximately 290 Hezbollah sites, including thousands of rocket launcher barrels, as part of their strategy to dismantle Hezbollah’s rocket-firing capabilities. These preemptive strikes were launched to degrade Hezbollah’s ability to launch large-scale attacks on Israeli territory.
5. The intensification of Israeli airstrikes follows Hezbollah’s earlier attack on Israeli military targets, including seven positions in northern Israel and the Golan Heights. Israel’s military reported that Hezbollah had fired about 90 rockets at Israeli forces during these engagements.
6. In addition to military targets, Israel conducted an airstrike on southern Beirut, killing senior Hezbollah commanders. According to Lebanon’s Health Ministry, the strike left 37 people dead. Among those killed were three children and seven women. Hezbollah confirmed that Ibrahim Aqil, the head of its elite Radwan Force, and other high-ranking commanders were among the dead. 
7. Following the loss of its commanders, Hezbollah vowed retaliation. Ahmed Mahmud Wahbi, another high-ranking Hezbollah commander, was also killed in the same Israeli strike. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah condemned the attack, calling it an act of war, and promised retribution against Israel.
8. The United Nations has expressed concern over the situation, calling for “maximum restraint” from all parties. Germany and other nations have urged an immediate de-escalation. International mediators, particularly from the United States, are working to prevent the Israel-Hezbollah conflict from spiralling into a regional war.
9. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of the country’s war objectives, including the return of northern Israeli residents, who have been forced to evacuate due to Hezbollah’s attacks. Netanyahu said the military’s focus was on dismantling Hezbollah’s ability to pose a threat to Israel’s northern borders, stating that the country’s actions speak for themselves.
10. Amid the heightened conflict, the US State Department has issued an advisory for American citizens in Lebanon, urging them to leave the country while commercial flights are still available. The US raised its travel advisory for Lebanon in July following another Israeli strike that killed a Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin,. File photo
| Photo Credit: AFP

U.S. Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered the deployment of a guided missile submarine to the Middle East, the Pentagon said on Sunday (August 11, 2024) as the region braces for possible attacks by Iran and its allies after the killing of senior members of Hamas and Hezbollah.

Also read: Five pro-Iran fighters killed in drone strike in Eastern Syria

While the USS Georgia, a nuclear-powered submarine, was already in the Mediterranean Sea in July, according to a U.S. military post on social media, it was a rare move to publicly announce the deployment of a submarine.

In a statement after Austin spoke with his Israeli counterpart, the Pentagon said Austin had ordered the Abraham Lincoln strike group to accelerate its deployment to the region.

“Secretary Austin reiterated the United States’ commitment to take every possible step to defend Israel and noted the strengthening of U.S. military force posture and capabilities throughout the Middle East in light of escalating regional tensions,” the statement added.

The U.S. military had already said it will deploy additional fighter jets and Navy warships to the Middle East as Washington seeks to bolster Israeli defenses.

Also read: Fears of Middle East war grow after Hamas leader’s killing

Ismail Haniyeh, the political leader of Iran-backed Hamas, was assassinated in the Iranian capital Tehran on July 31, an attack that drew threats of revenge by Iran against Israel, which is fighting the Palestinian Islamist group in Gaza. Iran blamed Israel for the killing. Israel has not claimed responsibility.

The assassination and the killing of the senior military commander of the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah, Fuad Shukr, by Israel in a strike on Beirut, have fueled concern the conflict in Gaza was turning into a wider Middle East war.

Iran has said the U.S. bears responsibility in the assassination of Haniyeh because of its support for Israel.

Reuters reported several U.S. and coalition personnel were wounded in a drone attack on Friday in Syria, in the second major attack in recent days against U.S. forces amid soaring tensions in the Middle East.