At least seven people have been killed after Israeli launched an airstrike in Beirut, targeting a building near the parliament, making it the closest an air assault has come to the central downtown district.
Lebanese health officials said seven people were wounded, while a photo circulated online showed a heavily damaged building with the first floor on fire.
It comes after Israel suffered its first military casualties in its ground invasion of southern Lebanon, with eight Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers killed in intense clashes against Hezbollah.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to defeat Iran’s “Axis of Evil”, saying: “We are at the height of a difficult war… we will stand together and with God’s help, we will win together.”
Hezbollah confirmed it was engaged in clashes with Israeli forces, claiming to have destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks. Lebanon’s health ministry reported 46 deaths from Israeli airstrikes in the last 24 hours.
Meanwhile, US president Joe Biden stated that the US will not support an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear sites, saying, “the answer is no” following Iran’s missile attacks on Israel after its invasion of Lebanon.
US Army testing roll out of gun-mounted robot dogs in Middle East
Photos shared by the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) show one such four-legged robot going over “rehearsals” at the Red Sand Dunes area near Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which has a joint military research facility.
The quadrupedal unmanned vehicle can be seen mounted with what appears to be an AR-15/M16-pattern rifle on a rotating turret and resembles the robot system the US Army tested at Fort Drum, New York in August.
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Holly Evans3 October 2024 10:16
Breaking: Israeli millitary says it ‘eliminated’ head of Hamas government in Gaza
The head of the Hamas government in Gaza was “eliminated” three months ago, the Israeli military have said.
The IDF have said that Rawhi Mushtaha was killed along with senior security officials Sameh al-Siraj and Sami Oudeh in strikes earlier this summer.
They added that the three commanders had taken refuge in a fortified underground compound in northern Gaza that served as a command and control centre.
Mushtaha was a close associate of Yahya Sinwar, the top leader of Hamas who helped mastermind the 7 October attack. He is still believed to be alive and hiding inside Gaza.
Hamas has not immediately responded.
Holly Evans3 October 2024 10:12
Seven health and rescue workers ‘killed in Beirut strike’
Seven health and rescue workers were killed in the overnight airstrike in Beirut, an Islamic health organisation has said.
The Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Authority said in a statement that seven of its staff, including two medics, had died as a result of the air assaut. The airstrike in the residential Bashoura district targeted an apartment in a multi-story building that houses an office of the Health Society.
It was the closest strike to the central downtown district of Beirut, where the United Nations and government offices are located.
Holly Evans3 October 2024 09:58
In pictures: Latest from Beirut as airstrike kills at least six people
Holly Evans3 October 2024 09:32
Around 15 Hezbollah members killed in attack, says IDF
The Israeli military has claimed that around 15 Hezbollah members have been killed in an attack in southern Lebanon.
The IDF said that the fighters were killed in a muncipality building in Bint Jbeil.
In a statement on Telegram, they said the militant group had been operating and storing large quantities of weapons inside the building.
Holly Evans3 October 2024 09:25
UK charters more flights to help British nationals to leave Lebanon
More than 150 British nationals and dependants were on the first UK Government-chartered flight out of Lebanon on Wednesday, the Foreign Office said.
A “limited number” of further flights from Beirut will take place from Thursday, continuing as long as the security situation allows.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said: “Recent events have demonstrated the volatility of the situation in Lebanon.
“The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our number one priority. That’s why we are announcing additional chartered flights to help those who want to leave.
“I urge all British nationals still in Lebanon to register with the FCDO (Foreign Office) and leave the country immediately.”
Holly Evans3 October 2024 09:14
‘Anxiety and fear are omnipresent’ in Beirut, says UN official
Israel’s strike on a building in the Bachoura district near the Lebanese parliament makes it the closest air assault they have launched to the city’s central downtown district.
A photo circulating on Lebanese WhatsApp groups, which has not yet been verified, showed a heavily damaged building with its first floor on fire.
“Another sleepless night in Beirut. Counting the blasts shaking the city. No warning sirens. Not knowing what’s next. Only that uncertainty lies ahead. Anxiety and fear are omnipresent,” UN special coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said on X on Thursday.
Holly Evans3 October 2024 09:04
Watch live: Smoke over Beirut as at least six dead in Israeli airstrike on Lebanon
Holly Evans3 October 2024 08:48
Countries organise transport to help their citizens leave Lebanon
Foreign secretary David Lammy said earlier on Wednesday that more charter flights have been arranged for this week, while other nations follow suit.
On Thursday. Japan dispatched two Self Defence Force (SDF) planes to prepare for a possible airlift of Japanese citizens from Lebanon.
Two C-2 transport aircraft are expected to arrive in Jordan and Greece on Friday, Japan NHK national television reported.
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Thursday her government had booked 500 seats on commercial aircraft for Australian citizens, permanent residents and their families to leave Lebanon on Saturday.
The seats are available to 1,700 Australians and their families known to be in Lebanon on two flights from Beirut to Cyprus, Ms Wong said.
Holly Evans3 October 2024 08:39
Israel-Hezbollah-Hamas conflict timeline: Everything that’s happened since 7 October
Israel has launched a ground offensive in Lebanon as fears of an all-out regional war in the Middle East continue to grow. A spokesperson for Israel said “limited” raids are being carried out in the south after months of conflict.
The Independent takes a look at the recent timeline of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, which is backed by Iran and an ally of Hamas in Gaza.
Namita Singh3 October 2024 08:07