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The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders in Beirut as a security source said Israeli strikes hit the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs overnight.
At least six Israeli strikes hit the south of Beirut, a Lebanese security source said on Monday, with a Reuters reporter seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud blast about an hour after the Israeli military had warned residents to evacuate areas near buildings it said contained Hezbollah infrastructure south of the Lebanese capital.
It comes as an anonymous United States official told Reuters the US has observed positioning of Israeli troops at the border that suggests that a ground incursion into Lebanon could be imminent.
US state department spokesman Matthew Miller also said Israel informed the US about cross-border raids it has been conducting, which he said were described as “limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border”.
The Independent has been unable to independently verify the reports.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned on Monday that the next phase of the war against Hezbollah along the southern border of Lebanon “will begin soon”.
Meanwhile, the deputy leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, vowed to be ready for an Israeli invasion in his first speech given since Israel killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah, over the weekend.
Key Points
- Israeli military says it has begun ‘limited, localised’ operation in southern Lebanon
- Israeli military orders evacuations in Beirut as airstrikes hit southern suburbs
- Israel launches cross-border raids in Lebanon with larger operation planned, officials say
- Israeli troops may be positioned for imminent Lebanon ground incursion, US official says
- US to send ‘few thousand’ more troops to Middle East if Israel needs defending, says Pentagon
- Israeli defence minister Gallant says next phase of the war will begin soon
- Hezbollah deputy leader vows to defeat Israel in first speech since Nasrallah death
Israeli military says it has begun ‘limited, localised’ operation in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military says it has begun a "limited, localised" operation in southern Lebanon.
Tara Cobham1 October 2024 00:02 1727734927Rocket attack targets military base hosting US forces in Baghdad, military sources say
At least two Katyusha rockets were fired at a military base hosting US forces near Baghdad International Airport, two Iraqi military officials told Reuters early on Tuesday.
Air defenses intercepted the rockets, they added.
Tara Cobham30 September 2024 23:22 1727734313UK government charters flight out of Lebanon for Britons
The UK Government has chartered a flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave amid fears of a wider conflict.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly” as the flight, due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, was confirmed.
Earlier on Monday night, Mr Lammy had reiterated calls for Britons in Lebanon to leave as he said the Government will do “all that we can” to assist people in fleeing.
British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 are eligible for the flight, and those who are vulnerable will be prioritised.
Mr Lammy chaired a ministerial meeting of the Cobra emergency committee on Monday to discuss the crisis.
There are an estimated 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon and the Government says it is working on “all contingency options”.
British military assets have been deployed to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean in case an evacuation is required, although ministers and officials have stressed that Britons should leave immediately.
On Monday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer has been “very, very clear” that British nationals “should leave now, particularly whilst commercial flights are still available”.
It is understood around 15 spaces for British nationals were secured on a flight which arrived on Sunday, and a further 40 on the flight due to leave on Tuesday.
The spokesman said the focus is on “securing extra spaces on commercial flights for those who do want to leave and reiterating our calls for those to leave and to register their presence with us and book the first available flights”.
Israeli military orders evacuations in Beirut as airstrikes hit southern suburbs
The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders in Beirut as a security source said Israeli strikes hit the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs overnight.
At least six Israeli strikes hit the south of Beirut, a Lebanese security source said on Monday, with a Reuters reporter seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud blast about an hour after the Israeli military had warned residents to evacuate areas near buildings it said contained Hezbollah infrastructure south of the Lebanese capital.
Huge blasts heard in Lebanese capital as Israeli strikes pound suburbs, say Reuters witnesses
Huge consecutive blasts were heard across the Lebanese capital just after midnight on Tuesday, Reuters witnesses said, as the Israeli military carried out strikes on the city's southern suburbs.
A massive smoke cloud could be seen in a Reuters live broadcast.
Tara Cobham30 September 2024 22:18 1727731063Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli troop movements near Lebanese border towns
Hezbollah has targeted Israeli troop movements across from Lebanese border towns, the group has said in a statement issued early on Tuesday.
Tara Cobham30 September 2024 22:17 1727730791Israeli strike hits Beirut’s southern suburbs, security source says
At least two Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs late on Monday, a security source said, with Reuters reporters seeing two flashes of light and hearing loud blasts coming from the neighbourhood.
The Israeli military had warned an hour earlier that it would strike specific buildings in the typically densely populated southern suburbs, saying armed group Hezbollah was using them as facilities and telling residents to leave.
Many residents had fled the area in recent days after a spike in Israeli strikes, but ended up sleeping in the streets of the city as shelters were full.
Families had told Reuters they had struggled to find taxis to get them out of the district fast enough.
Fears of a ground invasion have spiked on Monday, with Lebanese troops pulling back from the border with Israel and a U.S. official saying Israeli soldiers looked set to enter Lebanon.
Tara Cobham30 September 2024 22:13 1727730025Netanyahu warns Iran: ‘Nowhere in the Middle East out of Israel’s reach
Netanyahu warns Iran: ‘Nowhere in the Middle East out of Israel’s reach
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tonight (30 September) warned Iran there is “nowhere Israel cannot reach”. In a video released on Monday, Netanyahu addressed the people of Iran warning that there is “nowhere it wouldn’t go to protect its people.” Speaking from Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister referenced the recent killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and warned the Iranian people the regime didn’t care “a whit about them.” Netanyahu warned: “Iran’s tyrants don’t care about your future.”
Tara Cobham30 September 2024 22:00 1727728771Israeli military warns Beirut suburbs to evacuate before strikes on Hezbollah targets
Israel’s military issued an urgent warning late on Monday for residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate due to planned strikes on Hezbollah targets.
Tara Cobham30 September 2024 21:39 1727728225Iran is 'at our side', Hezbollah lawmaker says
Hezbollah has not asked for any help from Iran as “they are at our side”, the Lebanese group’s lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told local broadcaster Al Jadeed on Monday.
Tara Cobham30 September 2024 21:30 Newer1 / 7OlderDisclaimer: 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.
