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Beirut has warned the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is out of control as Israel signalled a new era of the war.
Lebanese economy minister Amin Salam said the last week had been “very intense” for Lebanon and said escalation of the conflict by the hour was likely.
It comes after Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said Israel was at the beginning of a new era in the war and was preparing to adapt.
Mr Salam told BBC World Service: “We are looking at escalation by the hour on the war front. After what happened in the past 48 hours, it has really gone out of control.”
On Thursday night, the Israeli military destroyed at least 100 Hezbollah rocker launcher sites in its most extensive airstrikes on southern Lebanon since the war began in Gaza.
The barrage followed a series of suspected Israeli attacks earlier in the week that blew up the militia group’s radio and pager devices, killing 37 people and wounding at least 3,000 others.
Key Points
- Conflict ‘out of control’, Lebanon warns
- Israel ‘destroys 100 rocket launchers’ in major airstrikes on southern Israel
- Hezbollah leader says pager attack crossed ‘red line’ as wider war fears mount
- Hezbollah chief vows to punish Israel after communications blasts
- Exploding devices in Lebanon 'detonated by electronic messages'
Batteries of walkie-talkies that exploded in Lebanon ‘laced with explosive material'
The batteries of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah that blew up this week were laced with a highly explosive compound known as PETN, a Lebanese source familiar with the device’s components said.
The way the explosive material was integrated into the battery pack made it extremely difficult to detect, the source added.
At least 37 people were killed and 3,000 others were wounded after the militia’s pager and radio devices simultaneously exploded in a suspect Israeli attack earlier this week.
Alexander Butler20 September 2024 11:41 1726826115Conflict ‘out of control’, Lebanon warns
The conflict between Israel and Hezbollah is “out of control”, the Lebanese economy minister warned on Friday.
Amin Salam said the last week had been “very intense” for Lebanon and said escalation of the conflict by the hour was likely.
“This week was a very very very intense week for Lebanon on all fronts. From a security perspective, it has been really outrageous what happened.
“We are in a very uncertain time. We are looking at escalation by the hour on the war front. After what happened in the past 48 hours, it has really gone out of control,” Mr Salam told BBC World Service.
Pictured: Smoke billows from Lebanon following Israeli attack
Hezbollah leader calls device attacks 'declaration of war'
In a TV address on Thursday, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the device explosions on Tuesday and Wednesday “crossed all red lines”.
“The enemy went beyond all controls, laws and morals,” he said, adding the attacks “could be considered war crimes or a declaration of war.”
Israel has not directly commented on the pager and radio detonations, which Lebanese security sources say were probably carried out by its Mossad spy agency.
Hezbollah blasts mapped: Where did the explosions take place?
Hezbollah blasts mapped: Where did the explosions take place?
At least nine people were killed and thousands have been injured after the devices exploded on Tuesday
Alexander Butler20 September 2024 09:08 1726816847UN peacekeepers in Lebanon urge immediate de-escalation
The UN peacekeeping force in south Lebanon urged de-escalation on Friday after a big increase in hostilities at the Lebanese-Israeli border, where Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah have been trading fire for almost a year.
The United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon (UNIFIL) force had witnessed “a heavy intensification of the hostilities across the Blue Line” and throughout its area of operations, spokesperson Andrea Tenenti said.
“We are concerned at the increased escalation across the Blue Line and urge all actors to immediately de-escalate,” he said.
The Blue Line refers to the frontier between Lebanon and Israel. Late on Thursday, Israeli warplanes carried out their most intense strikes on southern Lebanon of the conflict.
It followed attacks this week which blew up thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah, killing at least 37 people and wounding thousands more.
Alexander Butler20 September 2024 08:20 1726813684David Lammy calls for immediate ceasefire
British foreign secretary David Lammy called for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah after a week of escalation.
His comments came late on Thursday as Israel said its fighter jets struck some 100 Hezbollah rocket launchers in Lebanon, as well as other “terrorist sites”.
Israel launched dozens of bombs across southern Lebanon, three Lebanese security sources said. Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant said that Israel will keep up its military action against Hezbollah until northern Israel is safe for residents to return home.
“Tonight I’m calling for an immediate ceasefire from both sides,” Mr Lammy told Reuters.
“We are all very, very clear that we want to see a negotiated political settlement so that Israelis can return to their homes in northern Israel and indeed Lebanese to return to their homes.”
He also urged British nationals in Lebanon to leave the country “while commercial options remain”.
Namita Singh20 September 2024 07:28 1726812572Japan company denies making Hezbollah walkie-talkies
The Japanese maker of the brand of walkie-talkies thought to have exploded in Lebanon has denied making the detonating devices – but has given its take on what could have been used to trigger the blasts.
Hand-held radios used by armed group Hezbollah detonated across Lebanon’s south on Wednesday, stoking tensions after similar explosions of pagers the day before.
Lebanon’s health ministry said 20 people were killed and more than 450 injured on the second attack in Beirut’s suburbs and the Bekaa Valley, while the death toll from Tuesday’s explosions rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured.
Report:
Japan company denies making Hezbollah walkie-talkies that exploded in Lebanon
Hezbollah’s hand-held radios detonated in second attack killing 20 after 12 died in pager explosions day before
Namita Singh20 September 2024 07:09 1726812362Israel targets Hezbollah 'terrorist' sites in southern Lebanon
Israel launched extensive airstrikes in southern Lebanon on Thursday, hitting over 100 Hezbollah rocket launchers and other “terrorist” sites, including a weapons storage facility.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) claimed the launchers were poised to fire on Israel.
The IDF stated: “We struck approximately 100 launchers and terrorist infrastructure, consisting of approximately 1,000 barrels that were ready to be used in the immediate future to fire toward Israeli territory”.
“The IDF will continue to operate to degrade the Hezbollah terrorist organisation’s infrastructure and capabilities in order to defend the state of Israel.”
Lebanon’s National News Agency reported 52 Israeli strikes, while Lebanon also targeted military sites in northern Israel.
Namita Singh20 September 2024 07:06 1726812000Israel launches major strikes on Lebanon as Hezbollah chief says device explosions ‘cross all red lines’
Hezbollah has accused Israel of crossing “all red lines” with its deadly detonation of walkie-talkies and pagers, as Israeli forces launched a fresh wave of strikes across Lebanon.
Sonic booms from low-flying Israeli jets shook the buildings in Beirut during a televised speech by the militant group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in which he warned this week’s unprecedented action “could be called a declaration of war”.
Israel has yet to confirm or deny it was behind the remote explosions which killed at least 37 people, including two children. More than 3,000 people were also wounded, according to the Lebanese health ministry, whose top medics told The Independent that they were struggling to treat such a huge influx of critical injuries.
Read the full story here:
Hezbollah chief says Lebanon device explosions ‘cross all red lines’
Tensions rise after two days of detonations targeting Hezbollah members’ pagers
Holly Evans20 September 2024 07:00 Newer1 / 6OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
