Page 11 - Lebanon

Hezbollah, Israel battle on border as Lebanon's army watches from sidelines

Since Israel launched its ground invasion of Lebanon, Israeli forces and Hezbollah militants have clashed along the border while the Lebanese army has largely stood on the sidelines. It's not the first time the national army has found itself watching war at home from the discomfiting position of bystander. Lebanon's widely beloved army is one of the few institutions that bridge the country's sectarian and political divides. Several army commanders have become president, and the current commander, Gen. Joseph Aoun, is widely regarded as one of the front-runners to step in when the deadlocked parliament fills a two-year vacuum and names a president. But with an aging arsenal and no air defenses, and battered by five years of economic crisis, the national army is ill-prepared to defend Lebanon against either aerial bombardment or a ground offensive by a well-equipped modern army like Israel's. The army is militarily overshadowed by Hezbollah. The Lebanese army has about 80,000 troops,

US sees window for new push to break deadlock in Lebanon, ease conflict

With Israel's sabotage and military operations in Lebanon taking out many of Hezbollah's senior leaders, some in Washington and elsewhere believe there may be a window for a new push to break the political deadlock in Lebanon to try to ease escalating war. To that end, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone separately Friday with acting Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati and parliament speaker Nabhi Berri about the need to resolve the situation, the State Department said. Earlier in the week, Blinken talked with his Saudi, Qatari and French counterparts about how a resolution particularly the election of a new Lebanese president might reduce tensions in the Middle East by getting Hezbollah to move its forces away from Israel's northern border to the line set out in a U.N. Security Council resolution ending the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. It's clear that the people of Lebanon have an interest, a strong interest, in the state asserting itself and taking ...

Israel yet to reach decision on Iran as it steps up strikes in Beirut

A security cabinet meeting on Thursday night ended without a decision on what the response should be, the official said

Israel's airstrike warnings terrify Lebanese civilians as war intensifies

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: That's when the Israeli military typically warns people to evacuate buildings or neighbourhoods to avoid airstrikes. Moein Shreif was recently awakened at 3 a.m. by a neighbor calling to alert him that Israel planned to strike a nearby building in his middle-class suburb south of Beirut where Hezbollah has a strong presence. Shreif, his wife and their three children quickly fled their multi-story apartment building and drove away. Within minutes, explosions rang out, he said later that day upon returning to see the smoldering ruins of his building and the one next door. I didn't even have time to dress properly, as you can see, said Shreif, a well-known Lebanese folk and pop singer who was still wearing his pajamas from the night before. I didn't take anything out of the house. Israel and Hezbollah have

Toll rises to 22 in Israeli strikes in central Beirut, 27 in Gaza school

Israeli airstrikes hit central Beirut on Thursday evening, killing at least 22 people and wounding dozens, Lebanon's health ministry said, leaving two neighbourhoods smoldering and further escalating Israel's bloody conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. The strikes apparently targeted two residential buildings in separate neighbourhoods of western Beirut, according to an AP photographer at the scene, bringing down one multi-story building and wiping out the lower floors of another. The Israeli military said it was looking into the reported strikes on the Lebanese capital. Israeli airstrikes have been far more common in Beirut's tightly packed southern suburbs, where Hezbollah bases many of its operations. Thursday's strikes followed a year of tit-for-tat exchanges between Hezbollah and Israel that boiled over into all-out war in recent weeks, with Israel carrying out waves of heavy strikes across Lebanon and launching a ground invasion. Hezbollah has expanded its

500 Hezbollah targets including HQs hidden in nature reserve destroyed

282nd Artillery Brigade provide covering fire for the forces maneuvering in Lebanese territory and in close cooperation with Air Force, dozens of Hezbollah infrastructure and launchers were destroyed

Here's what to know about Israel's ground invasion in southern Lebanon

Israel's ground invasion in Lebanon stretched into its second week as the Hezbollah militant group fired hundreds of rockets deep into Israel with no end in sight to the escalating conflict. More than 1,400 people have been killed in Lebanon - mostly in airstrikes - and over a million displaced since the fighting intensified in mid-September. At least 15 Israeli soldiers and two civilians have been killed since the ground operation began, and more than 60,000 people have been displaced from towns along the border for more than a year. Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel on October 8, 2023, a day after Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, attacked southern Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire almost every day since, coming close to a full-fledged war on several occasions but stepping back from the brink until this month. Here's what to know about the current ground incursion in southern Lebanon: What is the aim of Israeli military

Looming Israeli strike on Iran brings fresh test for US ceasefire attempts

While Israel, with US and UK help, knocked down almost all incoming missiles and drones in an attack in April, this time many of Iran's ballistic missiles hit close to their targets

Attack on Iran would be 'lethal', 'surprising': Israeli defence minister

Israel's defence minister warned on Wednesday that his country's retaliation for a recent Iranian missile attack will be lethal and surprising, while the Israeli military pushed ahead with a large-scale operation in northern Gaza and a ground offensive in Lebanon against Hezbollah militants. On the diplomatic front, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Joe Biden held their first call in seven weeks, with a White House press secretary saying the call included discussions on Israel's deliberations over how it will respond to Iran's attack. It was direct, it was productive, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said of the 30-minute call. The Israeli operation in northern Gaza left dozens of people dead and threatened to shut down three hospitals over a year into the war with Hamas, Palestinian officials and residents said. The continuing cycle of destruction and death in Gaza, unleashed by Hamas' October 7, 2023, attack on southern Israel, comes as Israel

Explosions rock Beirut as Israel strikes Lebanon on Oct 7 anniv; updates

According to the Israeli military, airstrikes were carried out on several Hezbollah intelligence and weapons storage sites within the Lebanese capital

Gulf states must not allow use of airspace against Iran, says official

Any action by a Gulf country against Tehran, whether by airspace or military bases, will be regarded as an action taken by the entire group, and we will respond accordingly, Iranian official said

Hamas, Hezbollah & more: Who are the key players fighting Israel?

The Israel-Hamas war is rooted in longstanding tensions, and its impacts are spreading across the Middle East, drawing in multiple players.

Hezbollah steps up rocket fire as Israel sends more troops into Lebanon

Hezbollah fired another barrage of rockets into Israel on Tuesday, and the militant group's acting leader vowed to keep up pressure that has forced tens of thousands of Israelis from their homes near the Lebanese border. The Israeli military said it sent more ground troops into southern Lebanon and that a senior Hezbollah commander was killed in an airstrike. Dozens of rockets fired by Hezbollah were aimed as far south as Haifa, and the Israeli government warned residents north of the coastal city to limit activities, prompting the closure of more schools. The Israeli military said Hezbollah launched about 180 rockets across the border. Sheikh Naim Kassem, Hezbollah's acting leader, said its military capabilities remain intact after weeks of heavy Israeli airstrikes across large parts of Lebanon, and attacks that killed its top commanders in a matter of days. He said Israeli forces have not been able to advance since launching a ground incursion into Lebanon last week. Kassem, ..

After Israel targets Hezbollah, Lebanon envoy to India cites Gandhi

Following Israel's announcement of the killing of Hassan Nasrallah's successors, Lebanon's Ambassador to India Rabie Narsh cited Mahatma Gandhi's words and said Hezbollah is a legitimate political party supported by the people and cannot be eliminated. "I am reminded of Mahatma Gandhi's words: You can kill a revolutionary, but you cannot kill the revolution. You can eliminate the leaders of Hezbollah, but you cannot eliminate Hezbollah, because it is the people on the ground. It is not an imaginary structure that came to Lebanon by parachute," the ambassador said in an interview with PTI Videos. Narsh added that Hezbollah embodies a movement against the "rogue state" of Israel and cannot be crushed by eliminating its leaders. In a video message on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country's forces have effectively targeted and eliminated potential successors to the recently deceased Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah formally came into ...

Will not give up on calls for urgent ceasefire in Gaza, Lebanon: UN chief

On October 7, as the attack by Hamas on Israel completed one year, Guterres said that it is a day for the global community to condemn the 'abhorrent acts of Hamas'

Israel begins ground operations in southwest Lebanon despite Iran's warning

Israel has been weighing options to respond to Tehran's ballistic missile attack last week, carried out in response to Israel's military action in Lebanon

Israel expands offensive in Lebanon; kills Hezbollah official: Report

The Israeli military said Tuesday it had killed a senior Hezbollah commander in a strike on Beirut, a day after the one-year anniversary of the October 7 attack was marked by mourning and demonstrations around the globe. The military said the strike killed Suhail Husseini, who it said was responsible for overseeing logistics, budget and management of the militant group. There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah. The military said Husseini was involved in the transfer of advanced weapons from Iran and their distribution to different Hezbollah units, and that he was a member of the group's military council. Israeli strikes have killed Hezbollah's overall leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of his top commanders in recent weeks. Last week, Israel launched what it says is a limited ground incursion into southern Lebanon. Hezbollah says it has already replaced its slain commanders. It has vowed to keep firing rockets, missiles and drones into Israel until there is a cease-fire in

349 Australians evacuated from Lebanon, touch down in Sydney

Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong shared an emotional image to X of a joyous family arriving in Sydney with celebratory balloons seen in the background

Will soon launch operations on Lebanon's southern coast, says Israel

The Israeli military says it will soon launch operations on Lebanon's southern coast, telling residents to stay off the beaches and fishermen off the sea for a 60-kilometer (36 miles) stretch along the Mediterranean. The military's statement did not specify what operations would be carried out. Israeli forces have been carrying out intensified airstrikes across southern Lebanon and limited ground incursions near the border in a campaign against Hezbollah. The statement told residents south of Lebanon's Awali River to stay off beaches and the sea for their safety. The river empties into the Mediterranean about 60 kilometers (36 miles) north of the Israeli-Lebanese border.

Hezbollah fires rockets at Haifa, Israel steps up bombings in south Lebanon

Iran-backed Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas, the Palestinian militant group fighting Israel in Gaza, said it targeted a military base south of Haifa with "Fadi 1" missiles