Page 15 - Lebanon

Israel declares new phase of war, turns focus toward Lebanon, Hezbollah

Israel's defence minister has declared the start of a new phase of the war as Israel turns its focus toward the northern front against Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Two waves of explosive attacks hit Syria and Lebanon: an apparent Israeli attack targeting pagers used by Hezbollah that killed at least 12 and wounded nearly 3,000 on Tuesday, and exploding walkie-talkies and other electronics Wednesday across Lebanon that killed at least 20 people and injured 450 others. We are at the start of a new phase in the war - it requires courage, determination and perseverance, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops on Wednesday. The head of Hezbollah's Executive Council promised the group would respond to Tuesday's pager explosion attack with special punishment. Hezbollah began striking Israel almost immediately after Hamas' October 7 attack that sparked the Israel-Hamas war. Since then, Israel and Hezbollah have exchanged fire daily, coming close to a full-blown war on several

Hezbollah fires volley at Israel as fears of greater war rise after bombing

Hezbollah fired a new barrage into northern Israel on Thursday, continuing its drumbeat of exchanges with the Israeli military as fears of a greater war rise after hundreds of electronic devices exploded in Lebanon, killing at least 32 people and wounding more than 3,000 others. The device explosions appeared to be the culmination of a monthslong operation by Israel to target as many Hezbollah members as possible all at once. Over two days, pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah detonated, wounding and even crippling some fighters, but also maiming civilians connected to the group's social branches and killing at least two children. It was unclear how the attack fit into warnings by Israeli leaders in recent weeks that they could launch a stepped-up military operation against Hezbollah, Lebanon's strongest armed force. The Israeli government has called it a war aim to end the Iranian-backed group's crossborder fire in order to allow tens of thousands of Israelis to return to ...

After explosions in Lebanon, is Israel preparing for war with Hezbollah?

With Israel's defense minister announcing a new phase of the war and an apparent Israeli attack setting off explosions in electronic devices in Lebanon, the specter of all-out combat between Israel and Hezbollah seems closer than ever before. Hopes for a diplomatic solution to the conflict appear to be fading quickly as Israel signals a desire to change the status quo in the country's north, where it has exchanged cross-border fire with Hezbollah since the Lebanese militant group began attacking on Oct. 8, a day after the war's opening salvo by Hamas. In recent days, Israel has moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border, officials have escalated their rhetoric, and the country's security Cabinet has designated the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official war goal. Here's a look at how Israel is preparing for a war with Lebanon: Troops drawn from Gaza to the northern border While the daily fighting between Israe

Pager, walkie-talkie blasts in Lebanon: Who is targeting Hezbollah and why?

A day after large-scale pager explosions targeting Hezbollah, Lebanon was shaken by blasts from walkie-talkies and solar equipment on Wednesday. The militant group blames Israel for the attacks

Walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon kill at least 14, injure 450 others

The latest attack comes just a day after 12 people were killed and more than 2800 others were wounded in a coordinated explosion of pagers

New wave of blasts hits Lebanon; Israel declares 'new phase' of war

Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and multiple parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting electronic devices a day after hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and Hezbollah officials said. At least nine people were killed and more than 300 people wounded in the second wave, the Health Ministry said. The attacks, which were widely believed to be carried out by Israel targeting Hezbollah, have hiked fears that the two sides' simmering conflict could escalate into all-out war. Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, We are at the start of a new phase in the war it requires courage, determination and perseverance. He made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices but praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies, saying the results are very impressive. In Wednesday's attacks, several blasts were heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah memb

Hezbollah hand-held radios explode across Lebanon, 9 killed, 300 injured

Lebanon's health ministry said nine people had been killed and more than 300 injured, while the death toll from Tuesday's explosions rose to 12, including two children, with nearly 3,000 injured

Pagers that exploded in Lebanon, Syria were made in Budapest: Taiwan firm

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorised its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them. The pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary's capital, according to a statement released Wednesday by Gold Apollo. Gold Apollo said the AR-924 pagers used by the Hezbollah militant group were produced and sold by a company called BAC that was authorised to use Gold Apollo's trademark in some regions. According to the cooperation agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC, the statement read. Experts believe explosive material was put into the pagers prior to their delivery and use in a sophisticated supply chain infiltration. Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists Wednesday that his company has had an authorisation agreement w

Pager explosions in Lebanon: How attack was planned over 6 months ago

Simultaneous pager explosions in Lebanon on Tuesday killed at least nine people and injured 2,700. These devices were being used by the militant group Hezbollah, which blamed Israel for the attack

Taiwan firm Gold Apollo denies it made pagers used in Lebanon attacks

On Tuesday, thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon, killing at least nine people and wounding almost 3,000

Pagers explode in Lebanon, Syria in deadly attack. Here're the details.

In what appears to be a sophisticated, remote attack, pagers used by hundreds of members of Hezbollah exploded almost simultaneously in Lebanon and Syria Tuesday, killing at least nine people including an 8-year-old girl and wounding thousands more. The Iran-backed militant group blamed Israel for the deadly explosions, which targeted an extraordinary breadth of people and showed signs of being a long-planned operation. How the attack was executed is largely uncertain and investigators have not immediately said how the pagers were detonated. The Israeli military has declined to comment. Here's what we know so far. Why were pagers used in the attack? Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah previously warned the group's members not to carry cellphones, saying they could be used by Israel to track the group's movements. As a result, the organisation uses pagers to communicate. A Hezbollah official told The Associated Press the exploded devices were from a new brand the group had not used

8 including Hezbollah members killed in pager explosions in Lebanon, Syria

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, including members of the militant group Hezbollah and a girl, and wounding the Iranian ambassador, government officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack that wounded more than 2,700 people at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanon border. The Israeli military declined to comment. A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the new brand of handheld pagers used by the group first heated up, then exploded, killing at least two of its members and wounding others. Lebanon's health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least eight people were killed and 2,750 wounded 200 of them critically. Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country's ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated

Beirut residents scramble to make contingency plans after Israeli airstrike

Residents of Beirut's southern suburbs have been scrambling to make contingency plans since an Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in a busy neighbourhood killed a top Hezbollah commander and touched off fears of a full-scale war. For most, that means moving in with relatives or renting homes in Christian, Druze or Sunni-majority areas of Lebanon that are generally considered safer than the Shiite-majority areas where the Hezbollah militant group has its main operations and base of support. But for a small number, plan B is a move to neighbouring Syria. Although Syria is in its 14th year of civil war, active fighting has long been frozen in much of the country. Lebanese citizens, who can cross the border without a visa, regularly visit Damascus. And renting an apartment is significantly cheaper in Syria than in Lebanon. Zahra Ghaddar said she and her family were shaken when they saw an apartment building reduced to rubble by the July 30 drone strike in her area, known as ...

Threat of war with Israel redefines 'normal' life in Lebanon's Beirut

Beirut is used to living with the threat of war, and this was a couple of weeks ago. That threat is now getting more acute

Middle-east on edge after Israel's bombing of Lebanon to thwart attack

Israel's assault on Sunday morning was based, Israeli officials said, on intelligence that Hezbollah was about to fire thousands of missiles at northern Israel and drones at key intelligence center

With battered economy, infrastructure, can Lebanon afford war with Israel

The ferocious exchange of fire by Hezbollah and the Israeli military is raising fears of a regional war beyond the tense border. The risks for Lebanon are far greater than in 2006, when a monthlong war with Israel ended in a draw. Lebanon has struggled with years of political and economic crises that left it indebted, without a stable electricity supply, a proper banking system and with rampant poverty. And with Hezbollah's military power significantly greater, there are concerns that a new war would be far more destructive and prolonged. Can Lebanon afford any of it? Planning for a 2006 war repeat or worse Since Hezbollah and Israel began firing rockets and drones at each other a day after the start of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza on Oct. 7, the conflict has been mostly limited to border towns. But with the threat of a wider war, Lebanon has scrambled to equip hospitals with supplies and prepare public schools to open up to people seeking shelter. A rare Israeli airstrike in ..

Israelis stage airstrikes in Lebanon, Hezbollah responds with drone attack

Israel launched airstrikes inside Lebanon early Sunday that its military said targeted positions of the Shiite militia Hezbollah. In a statement, the Israeli military accused Hezbollah of preparing to file missiles and rockets toward Israeli territory. In a self-defense act to remove these threats, the (Israeli military) is striking terror targets in Lebanon, from which Hezbollah was planning to launch their attacks on Israeli civilians, Israeli military spokesman, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, said. Hagari warned Hezbollah would soon fire rockets, and possibly missiles and drones into Israel. Sirens sounded in northern Israel soon after the warning. Lebanese media reported strikes in the country's south without immediately providing more details. Social media footage showed what appeared to be strikes in southern Lebanon. Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport outside Tel Aviv began diverting incoming flights and delaying others due to takeoff Sunday after the Israeli airstrikes in

Israel declares emergency for next 48 hrs amid rising tensions with Lebanon

As tensions continue to rise, the Israeli public remains on high alert, bracing for the possibility of further incidents

UK, Egypt issue alerts for Iran, Lebanon airspace amid conflict risks

Egypt's civil aviation ministry later confirmed on Wednesday the notice was intended to reduce flight safety risks in light of a notification it received from Iranian authorities

Pro-govt fighters attack areas of US-backed fighters in east Syria

Violence surged in opposition-held areas of Syria on Wednesday as government-backed fighters killed at least two people in rare violence in the east, while a truck bomb exploded in the northern city of Azaz, killing nine people, the main US-backed force in the war-torn country and an opposition war monitor said. Fighters backed by the Syrian government and Iran attacked areas controlled by US-backed fighters in the country's east, killing at least two people and wounding others, the main US-backed force in the war-torn country said on Wednesday. To the west, a truck bomb exploded on Wednesday evening in the northern city of Azaz, which is controlled by Turkey-backed opposition fighters, killing nine people and wounding 11, the opposition's Syrian Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, said. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack in Azaz, which has witnessed such bombings in the past. Turkey has launched three major cross-border operations in Syria since 20