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CloseRead moreCloseLebanon’s Health Ministry says Israel has launched new airstrikes on central Beirut, killing at least 22 people and wounding more than 100.
The first attack on Thursday night appears to have targeted an eight-storey apartment building in Ras al-Nabaa, with witnesses reporting continued explosions inside the building as a massive emergency response was called to the scene. did.
In the second attack in the Burj Abi Haidar area, entire buildings were reported to have collapsed. It was then seen engulfed in flames.
Israel has never attacked this area, which is far from the southern suburbs of Beirut, where Hezbollah’s headquarters have been repeatedly bombed by Israel.
The government did not issue an evacuation warning before the attack, which was the deadliest since fighting began in central Beirut.
A senior Hezbollah official reportedly targeted in the attack survived, three Lebanese security officials said.
Sources said Wafik Safa, head of Hezbollah’s Liaison and Coordination Unit responsible for cooperating with Lebanese security services, was targeted in the attack.
Important points
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Lebanon’s interim prime minister condemns attack on UN peacekeepers as a crime
Lebanon’s interim Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Friday condemned the attack on United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers in southern Lebanon as a crime.
He also said he had discussed efforts toward a ceasefire in Lebanon with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
Israeli forces shelled a UNIFIL observation post at its main base in Nakoura, southern Lebanon, on Friday, wounding two people, UN officials said. Israeli forces also breached the perimeter of another UNIFIL position they opened fire on Thursday, the sources said.
Tom Watling October 11, 2024 11:31
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Iranian president says Israel is ‘killing innocent people’ with support from Western countries
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel “must stop killing innocent people” and said Israel’s actions in the Middle East were supported by the United States and the European Union.
Pezeshkian spoke to Russian state television reporters on the sidelines of an international conference in Turkmenistan.
An Israeli airstrike in central Beirut late Thursday killed 22 people and injured more than 100, Lebanese authorities said.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian speaks to a Russian state TV reporter on the sidelines of an international conference in Turkmenistan (AP)
Tom Watling October 11, 2024 11:07
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United Nations’ Guterres says all-out war in Lebanon should be avoided
The escalation of conflict in the Middle East is a serious threat to global security and all measures must be taken to avoid all-out war in Lebanon, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said on Friday.
Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Laos, Guterres also condemned the Israeli attack that injured United Nations staff. He said peacekeepers must be protected.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres leaves the stage during the 14th ASEAN-UN Summit in Vientiane, Laos (AP)
Tom Watling October 11, 2024 10:48
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Blinken expresses Asian concerns over prospect of escalating Middle East conflict
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said there was deep concern in Asia about the plight of the people in the Gaza Strip and the conflict in the Middle East, and stressed that the United States is doing everything in its power to prevent the situation from escalating.
Speaking in Laos after the East Asia Summit, Blinken said concerns about the Middle East had come up in conversations with other leaders, in which Washington was concerned about the situation in the face of what he called the Iran-led Axis. He reiterated that he is devoting himself to diplomacy to control the situation. resistance.
“The United States is focused, as it has been for a year, on preventing the escalation of these conflicts, and we are doing just that. And we are working on that every day,” Blinken told reporters. He spoke at a press conference.
“We are working hard through deterrence and diplomacy to prevent that from happening. We are also working hard to prevent that from happening, and to protect the children, women and men of Gaza who have been under a terrible barrage of attacks instigated by Hamas over the past year. There is clearly also a deep concern that we share about the plight.”
Blinken also said the United States is engaging directly with Israel to emphasize how essential it is to meet the humanitarian needs of the people of the Gaza Strip.
He added that Israel has the right to protect itself from Hezbollah attacks and, like the United States, has a clear and legitimate interest in creating conditions in which tens of thousands of displaced people in southern Lebanon can return to their homes. .
“In doing so, it is also very important that we focus on ensuring that civilians are protected and are not caught in the crossfire again,” he said.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks at a press conference during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in Vientiane, Laos (AP)
Tom Watling October 11, 2024 10:24
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Israeli airstrike warning leaves Lebanese civilians in fear and confusion
Israeli airstrike warning leaves Lebanese civilians in fear and confusion
As the war between Israel and Hezbollah intensifies, Lebanese civilians are increasingly paying the price. And this dangerous reality often becomes clear in the middle of the night. This is when the Israeli military typically warns people to evacuate buildings and neighborhoods to avoid airstrikes.
Tom Watling October 11, 2024 10:01
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At least 22 people killed in Israeli airstrike on Beirut, apartments left in ruins
At least 22 people killed in Israeli airstrike on Beirut, apartments left in ruins
An apartment building was left in ruins with its windows blown out after an Israeli airstrike on central Beirut on Thursday. The airstrike killed at least 22 people and injured more than 100, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health. The first attack appears to have targeted an eight-storey apartment complex in Ras al-Nabaa, with witnesses reporting continued explosions inside the building as a massive emergency response rushed to the scene. . In the second attack in the Burj Abi Haidar area, entire buildings were reported to have collapsed and were engulfed in flames.
Tom Watling October 11, 2024 09:46
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Israel claims to have killed Hezbollah commander
Israel claims to have killed another Hezbollah commander following reports of fighting this morning in southern Lebanon.
The military posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday morning that it had killed Alaeb El-Shoga, the commander of Hezbollah Radwan’s military anti-tank missile unit.
It said he was killed in Meis el-Jabal in southern Lebanon, adding that he was involved in “numerous anti-tank missile attacks in northern Israel”.
The Israeli military announced early this morning that it had discovered an anti-tank missile fired across the border from southern Lebanon toward Kibbutz Yaraon, The Jerusalem Post reported.
According to the newspaper, a 27-year-old man from Thailand was killed and two others were injured.
Tom Watling October 11, 2024 09:22
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US ‘still believes’ Iran has not decided to build nuclear weapons
Despite Tehran’s recent strategic setbacks, the United States still believes Iran has not decided to build a nuclear weapon, two U.S. officials told Reuters.
The comments by senior Joe Biden administration officials and an Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) spokesperson echoed CIA Director William Burns’ public remarks earlier this week in which he said the U.S. had not seen any evidence that Iranian leaders had done anything. It was added to the statement. It reversed its 2003 decision to suspend its weaponization program.
“We assess that the Supreme Leader has not taken any decision to restart Iran’s nuclear weapons program, which it halted in 2003,” ODNI spokesperson said, referring to Iranian leader Ayatollah Khamenei.
U.S. officials have long acknowledged that attempts to destroy Iran’s nuclear weapons program would only slow the country’s efforts to develop a nuclear bomb, and could even strengthen Iran’s commitment to building one.
“We are all watching this area closely,” a Biden administration official said.
Alisha Rahman Sarkar October 11, 2024 09:00
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See in photos: Destruction and devastation after Israeli airstrike in Lebanon
A man looks at a building destroyed by an Israeli airstrike in Dahieh, Beirut, Lebanon (AP) Debris piles up on top of a damaged vehicle at the site of an Israeli airstrike in Beirut (Reuters) Next to rubble at the scene A man sits during an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon (Reuters)
Alisha Rahman Sarkar October 11, 2024 08:30
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US and France lead ceasefire push, Lebanese prime minister speaks
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Thursday that the United States and France are working to restore a ceasefire agreement in the Middle East.
“Contacts are taking place between the United States and France with the aim of reinstating a cease-fire declaration for a period of time in order to resume the search for a political solution,” he said, according to Reuters.
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah yesterday backed calls for a ceasefire and scrapped the Gaza ceasefire terms.
“We support the political efforts led by Parliament Speaker (Nabi) Berri under the banner of achieving a ceasefire. Once the ceasefire is firmly established and diplomacy has been achieved, all other details will be discussed and cooperation will take place. The decision will be taken accordingly,” said Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qassem.
But Israel’s invasion of Lebanon continues, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Hezbollah citizens to expel Hezbollah if they want to avoid “the kind of destruction and suffering we are seeing in Gaza.”
Alex Croft October 11, 2024 08:00
