Middle East latest: Search for survivors after deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut; IDF 'fires on peacekeepers again' (2024)

Key points
  • Search for survivors as at least 22 killed in IDF strikes on central Beirut, Lebanon - where Israel says it is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants
  • Alex Rossi:Chaos at strike scene as fearful Lebanese leave with suitcases
  • IDF forces fire on peacekeepers in Lebanon again, UN source says
  • Explained:What is UNIFIL and why are peacekeepers in Lebanon?
  • Dominic Waghorn:Inside Israel's 'most bombed' town
  • What's going on in Middle East in five bullet points
  • Listen to The World above andtap hereto follow wherever you get your podcasts
  • Latest updates fromAlex Rossiin Beirut, Alistair Bunkall in Jerusalem and Dominic Waghorn in Tel Aviv. Live updates byRichard Williams

13:00:01

IDF says military chief did security assessment inside southern Lebanon

Israel's military chief and the head of its Shin Ben security agency held a security assessment inside southern Lebanon yesterday, the IDF(IsraelDefence Forces) has said.

"We continue to operate against the enemy and will not stop until we ensure that we can safely return the residents (evacuated from the north), not just now, but with a future outlook," said Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi in a video of the gathering released by the military.

"If anyone considers rebuilding these villages again, they will know that it's not worth constructing terrorist infrastructure because the IDFwill neutralise them again."

Ronen Bar, who heads the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security service, said that "on a peaceful border, defence is on one side; on a wartime border, defence must be on both sides of the border with freedom of action."

12:32:57

'This was not a mistake': International condemnation mounts over Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers

As we have been reporting, Israel is facing heavy criticism over its attacks on UN peacekeeping positions in Lebanon.

A UN source said Israel had injured two people when it fired on peacekeepers in southern Lebanon this morning.

The UN peacekeeping mission known asUNIFILis stationed in southern Lebanon to monitor hostilities along the demarcation line with Israel - an area that has seen serious clashes between Israeli troops and Iran-backed Hezbollah fighters.

It comes after UNIFIL said two of its peacekeepers were injured when one of its watchtowers was hit by Israeli tank fire yesterday.

The attacks have prompted a growing chorus of international condemnation, with Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati denouncing what he described as"a crime".

This sentiment was echoed by one of the strongest statements condemning the attacks, from Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, who said it was a possible war crime.

"This was not a mistake and not an accident," Mr Crosetto told a news conference.

"It could constitute a war crime and represented a very serious violation of international humanitarian law."

His comments are notable because, unlike some European countries, Italy has been highly supportive of Israel throughout its year-long war with Hamas in Gaza and Hezbollah in Lebanon.

European Council president Charles Michel said: "An attack against a UN peace mission is not responsible, is not acceptable and that's why we call onIsraeland we call on all sides to fully respect international humanitarian law."

Meanwhile, Russia's foreign ministry said: "Moscow is outraged by the actions of the Israeli military.

"The Russian side demands that it refrain from any hostile actions against the UNIFIL peacekeepers carrying out their mission in Lebanon."

Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said: "China expresses grave concern and strong condemnation over the Israeli Defence Forces' attack on UNIFIL positions and observation posts."

AndLama Fakih, of Human Rights Watch, said: "UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon have long played a critical civilian protection and humanitarian role.

"Any targeting of UN peacekeepers by Israeli forces violates the laws of war and dangerously interferes with UNIFIL's civilian protection and aid work."

Several other countries, including France, Spain and Jordan, also denounced the Israeli attacks.

12:06:11

Analysis: Israel determined not to let history repeat itself in Lebanon

By Mark Austin, chief presenter, in Beirut

The bombing of this city is expanding and reaching new areas.

The bombs fell last night without warning and were the deadliest here for weeks.

It is a sign that the Israelis are going all out to try to destroy Hezbollah, just as they are going all out to destroy Hamas.

But, as in Gaza, it will be impossible to do from the air. So now the ground invasion is growing too.

But so are the accusations of breaches of international law. The Lebanese authorities say 115 medical staff and first responders have been killed since the latest Israeli operation began in earnest. They claim they are being targeted, a war crime if so, but that is something the Israelis vehemently deny.

The UN also says its peacekeepers are being deliberately targeted by the Israelis in southern Lebanon. It all has echoes of 2006 when Israel was accused of attacking UN observation positions and firing with disregard at peacekeepers.

I was here in 2006 and I cannot remember the bombing here in Beirut being as widespread as this. Hezbollah emerged stronger from that war. Israel is determined they will not do so this time. They have dealt a crippling blow to Hezbollah, there is no question about that.

But the big question is where it all could lead for Lebanon.Tomorrow, one of the major Christian political parties here - a significant opponent of Hezbollah - will host a summit they hope leads to their candidate becoming president. If Hezbollah and its allies continue to oppose this, and no consensus candidate can be found, this country could be heading for a political vacuum filled by factional strife.

With military conflict and domestic turmoil, once again the ordinary people of Lebanon will be asking: "At what cost to us?"

11:46:32

Iran tells Israel: 'Stop killing innocents'

The Iranian president has said Israel should "stop killinginnocentpeople".

Speaking to a Russian state TV reporter on the sidelines of an international meeting in Turkmenistan, Masoud Pezeshkian said Israel felt empowered to engage in such actions in the Middle East because it was backed by the United States and the European Union.

"I would like to say to Israel: stop killinginnocentpeople. Stop bombing residential buildings, people who have nothing anyway," said Mr Pezeshkian, while accusing Israel of violating every kind of international agreement.

"It does this because it knows that the US and the European Union are behind it," he added.

11:10:01

UN officials concerned about impact of Israeli evacuation orders on polio vaccination campaign in Gaza

UN officials have voiced concerns that Israeli evacuation orders in northernGazamight affect its polio vaccination campaign set to start next week.

"I am of course, concerned about the developments in the north, and specifically with these evacuation orders," said Rik Peeperkorn, WHO representative for the occupied Palestinian territory.

Jean Gough, UNICEF Special representative in the State of Palestine, also spoke of his fears and described the conditions as "more complicated" than in the first phase of the vaccination campaign last month.

10:54:50

Overview: What's going on in Middle East in five bullet points

  • Desperate rescue efforts are under way after Israeli airstrikes in central Beirut, apparently targeting a Hezbollah commander who survived, killed at least 22 - and left many buried under rubble. Israel says it is targeting Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, but the areas that came under attack is outside the group's stronghold in the southern suburbs of the capital - and where many had fled in hope of safety.
  • Iran has warned again that it will not hesitate to take "stronger defensive actions" ifIsraelretaliates for last week's missile attack by Tehran. The Middle East remains on high alert for Israel's response.
  • IDF forces have fired on peacekeepers in Lebanon again, a UN source says - amid international condemnation of Israel over the targeting of UNIFIL.
  • Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, head of the World Health Organization, says almost no healthcare services remain in northern Gaza - which has suffered relentless bombardment by Israel for more than a year after the 7 October Hamas attacks - and that Israel is blocking relief missions from entering the region.
  • Israel says an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon has killed a Thai man working on a Kibbutz in the Yir'on area. It added that the IDF intercepted two drones that approached Israeli territory from Lebanon. Hezbollah and Israel have traded fire over the border almost daily since the Hamas attacks, the militants firing in solidarity with Palestinians.

Watch international correspondent Alex Rossi's report from the scene of the strike in Beirut:

Read international affairs editor Dominic Waghorn's eyewitness report from an Israeli town bearing the brunt of Hezbollah rockets:

Below you can listen to the first episode of our new global affairs podcast hosted by Sky News' lead world news presenterYalda Hakimand NBC News' chief foreign correspondentRichard Engel.

This week, they discuss howthe new US president will handle war in the Middle East:

10:40:01

Anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon kills Thai man working on kibbutz in Israel

An anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon killed a young man from Thailand in the north ofIsraelthis morning, officials in Israel say.

Magen David Adom, of the paramedic service, said the 27-year-old was killed by a missile that hit agricultural land.

Israeli media reported that the man killed was a foreign worker on a kibbutz, a communal farm, in the north.Israelemploys many foreign nationals, particularly from Thailand, on farms.

10:21:41

Iran repeats warning to Israel over missile attack response

Iran has warned it will not hesitate to take "stronger defensive actions" ifIsraelretaliates for last week's missile attack by Tehran.

Abbas Araqchi, the foreign minister, said in a letter to counterparts that Iran was "fully prepared to take stronger defensive actions, if necessary, in response to any further aggression, and will not hesitate to do so".

Israelhas repeatedly said it will respond to Iran's missile attack, launched in retaliation forIsraeli strikes in Lebanon and Gaza and the killing of a Hamas leader in Iran and Hezbollah leader in Lebanon.

Mr Araqchi said in his letter that Iran's missile attack had been in accordance with its right to self-defence under international law and followed much restraint as it sought a ceasefire in the war in Gaza.

Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, said on Wednesday thatIsraelwill hit Iran in a way that will be "lethal, precise and surprising".

10:04:47

Anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon injures two, IDF says

Israel says an anti-tank missile fired from Lebanon injured two civilians in the Yir'on area in the past hour - and that the IDF intercepted two drones that approached Israeli territory from Lebanon.

"The UAVs did not cross into Israeli territory," a statement on the IDF's Telegram channel said.

"Sirens were not sounded in accordance with protocol, and no injuries were reported."

09:39:13

'This place is not a Hezbollah stronghold': Chaos and panic in residential area bombed by Israel

International correspondentAlex Rossi is at the scene of Israel's airstrike on a block of flats in central Beirut.

"It is a scene here of chaos, really, and confusion," he said.

"This is an area in central Beirut. It's a residential area... you can see the buildings, the blocks of flats where people would have been living.

"This is one of the residential buildings that was targeted and it's just been completely collapsed, just a mass of rubble.

"There are fears that some of the other buildings around could collapse, so the search and rescue teams have pulled back from the area.

"There are still people trapped underneath the rubble, but I was speaking to some of the rescue workers earlier and they say, realistically, the chance of finding any more survivors is really very, very remote.

"The thing to bear in mind about this place is that we are not in the southern suburbs ofDahieh, we're not in the Hezbollah stronghold.

"People had come to this area from the southern suburbs because they thought it would be relatively safe. But that has all changed now.

"So there's a great deal of confusion and panic here. We've watched people come out, leaving with their suitcases to try and find safety in other places.

"And that sound of the Israeli drone above us is just constant as well, which is quite unnerving, for many people."

Middle East latest: Search for survivors after deadly Israeli strikes in Beirut; IDF 'fires on peacekeepers again' (2024)
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