Israel-Iran war updates: Eight Israeli soldiers dead as Hezbollah claims to repel incursion; Biden says he will not support Israeli attack on Iran’s nuclear sites

At least two were killed and 11 wounded in an Israeli strike on central Beirut’s Bachoura neighbourhood early on Thursday, the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement. - Reuters

Israel launched three air raids on Beirut’s southern suburbs just before midnight Wednesday, a source close to Hezbollah said, the third wave of Israeli strikes against the pro-Iranian militant group in the past 24 hours.

AFP journalists just outside the Lebanese capital could hear the explosions, which were audible kilometres away.- AFP

The United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting Wednesday to address the spiraling conflict in the Middle East.

Iran’s ambassador to the UN said his country launched nearly 200 missiles at Israel on Tuesday as a deterrent to further Israeli violence, while his Israeli counterpart called the barrage an “unprecedented act of aggression”.- AP

The son-in-law of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed last week in a massive Israeli strike in Beirut, was also killed in an Israeli raid in Damascus Wednesday, an NGO said.

“Hassan Jaafar al-Qasir, the son-in-law of Hassan Nasrallah, was among two Lebanese victims of the Israeli raid which targeted an apartment in a residential building in the Mazze district of Damascus,” said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a claim a source close to Hezbollah confirmed to AFP.- AFP

UN chief Antonio Guterres called Wednesday for an end to the “sickening cycle of escalation” in the Middle East, while specifically condemning Iran over its latest missile attack after facing harsh criticism from Israel.

The secretary-general was speaking at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, called after Iran on Tuesday launched a massive missile barrage at Israel, which has ramped up its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“It is high time to stop the sickening cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the people of the Middle East straight over the cliff,” the UN chief said.- AFP

Hezbollah said it repelled an Israeli infiltration into southern Lebanon on Wednesday (October 2, 2024) as Israel reported eight soldiers were killed — its first losses since launching cross-border raids this week.

The clashes came hours after Iran launched its largest missile attack yet on Israel, its sworn enemy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Tehran would pay for its “big mistake”.

Jordan’s top diplomat Ayman Safadi warned Israel and Iran on Wednesday that the country will “defend itself with all its capabilities against any threat” after Iranian missiles fired at Israel breached the kingdom’s airspace.

“Jordan will not be anyone’s battlefield,” Safadi said in a phone call with his British counterpart David Lammy, according to a ministry statement.

The country would “defend itself with all its capabilities against any threat to its security, its stability and the safety of its citizens”, he added, saying “Jordan has clearly informed Iran and Israel of this stance”.

Israel has promised to retaliate after Iran launched around 200 missiles at Israel on Tuesday in response to the killings of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.- AFP

President Joe Biden says he will not support an Israeli attack on sites related to Tehran’s nuclear programme.

“The answer is no,” Biden said Wednesday, when asked if he would support such retaliation after Iran fired about 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday.

Biden’s comments came after he and fellow Group of Seven leaders spoke by phone on Wednesday to discuss coordinating new sanctions against Iran.

The White House said in a statement that the G7 leaders “unequivocally condemned Iran’s attack against Israel” and Biden reiterated the United States’ “full solidarity and support to Israel and its people.” All the while, the administration has signalled that it’s urging that Israel display restraint in how it responds to Tuesday’s missile attack, which Biden said was “ineffective and defeated.”

Israel’s foreign minister said that he was barring U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country because he had not “unequivocally” condemned Iran’s missile attack on Israel.

Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles at Israel amid an escalation in fighting between Israel and its proxy in Lebanon, Hezbollah. Many were intercepted in flight but some penetrated missile defences.

- Reuters

The armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for a shooting and stabbing attack that killed seven people in Israeli commercial hub Tel Aviv the previous day.

“The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades takes responsibility for the heroic Jaffa operation carried out by the fighters from the (occupied West Bank) city of Hebron,” the group said in a statement, referring to the attack that took place near the Tel Aviv light rail station in Jaffa on Tuesday.

- AFP

Iran’s President Pezeshkian says we don’t we don’t seek war but if Israel acts against us we will respond 

Iran’s U.N. envoy says missile attack was necessary and proportionate response to Israel’s continued aggressive acts over the past two months.

- Reuters

Germany said it had organised a second military flight to evacuate its nationals from Lebanon, after Israel launched ground raids into its neighbour and Iran fired missiles at Israel.

An Airbus A330 MRTT departed for Beirut to pick up 130 German nationals considered “particularly vulnerable”, Germany’s foreign and defence ministries said in a joint statement.

The special flight was also carrying some 5,000 kilograms (11,000 pounds) of relief supplies from the German Red Cross, mainly medical supplies such as infusion equipment and bandages, “to provide emergency care for Lebanon’s civilian population”.

- AFP

Israel’s army chief said that Iran had fired about 200 missiles on Israel the previous day, updating an earlier figure of 180 reported by the military.

“Iran launched approximately 200 missiles at the state of Israel yesterday,” Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi said in a statement. Iranian state TV had earlier said 200 missiles were fired at Israel.

- AFP

Israel’s U.N. envoy tells Security Council: World must step up, Iran must pay heavy price for missile attack, anything less is complicity

- Reuters

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell says in addition to Israel, U.S. is also thinking about how to respond to the attack by Iran.

- Reuters

The G7 vowed to work together to reduce tensions in the Middle East and said a diplomatic solution to prevent widening conflict “is still possible”.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni - whose country holds the G7 presidency this year - called a telephone meeting of the body to address the escalating Mideast crisis following Tuesday’s direct attack on Israel by Iran.

“In a constantly evolving scenario, it was agreed to work together to promote a reduction of tensions at the regional level,” said the statement released by the Italian government.

- AFP

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency advised all European airlines to avoid Iranian airspace, following an Iranian attack against Israel.

“In view of the Iranian attack against Israel on October 1, 2024, and Israel’s announcement of its intention to retaliate,” the advisory warned carriers “not to perform flights in the airspace of Iran at all flight levels,” EASA said. 

“The recommendation is valid until October 31, 2024 and can be reviewed earlier, and adapted or withdrawn, subject to the revised assessment.”

- AFP

France’s embassy in Iran recommended that French nationals who are permanent residents in the country should leave temporarily once international air traffic resumes, because of heightened tensions in the Middle East.

The message from the embassy, which also urged French nationals visiting Iran to leave immediately, is similar to messages given earlier this year when tensions increased between Iran and Israel.

- Reuters

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati said Lebanon was in need of a ceasefire to end intensified hostilities between Israel and armed group Hezbollah, saying around 1.2 million across Lebanon had been displaced by Israeli attacks.

“Stop fighting. We don’t need more blood. We don’t need more destruction,” Mikati said in a briefing organized by the American Task Force for Lebanon, a U.S.-based lobby group. “There is an immediate need for a ceasefire,” he added. 

-Reuters

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Hezbollah leader Syyed Hassan Nasrallah to flee Lebanon days before he was killed in an Israeli strike and is now deeply worried about Israeli infiltration of senior government ranks in Tehran, three Iranian sources said.

In the immediate aftermath of the attack on Hezbollah’s booby-trapped pagers on Sept. 17, Khamenei sent a message with an envoy to beseech the Hezbollah secretary general to leave for Iran, citing intelligence reports that suggested Israel had operatives within Hezbollah and was planning to kill him, one of the sources, a senior Iranian official, told Reuters.

The messenger, the official said, was a senior Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander, Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan, who was with Nasrallah in his bunker when it was hit by Israeli bombs and was also killed.

The statement also cited the July killing of Hamas Leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran, and Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. Israel has not claimed responsibility for Haniyeh’s death.

-Reuters

U.S. energy companies’ shares gained on Wednesday as crude oil prices climbed 3% on worries over an escalation in tensions in the Middle East after Israel and the U.S. vowed to respond to Iran’s missile attack on its arch foe.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised that Iran would pay for its missile attack on Tuesday, while Teheran said any retaliation would be met with “vast destruction”, raising fears of a wider war.

Brent futures climbed $2.26 to $75.82 a barrel, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude jumped $2.38 by 1320 GMT.

The S&P 500 energy sector climbed 1.4% to hit highest in over a month, while the broader indexes slipped.

-Reuters

Israel carried out a strike targeting a residential building in the Mezzah suburb area in the western part of the Syrian capital Damascus resulting in injuries, Syrian state media reported on Wednesday.

-Reuters

The Israeli military said its combat losses in southern Lebanon increased to eight as it clashed with Hezbollah fighters after crossing the border to target the group’s positions.

“The IDF (Israeli army) announced that seven more soldiers have fallen,” it said in a statement after announcing the death of a first soldier in Lebanon earlier in the day.

- AFP

Israel’s Iron Dome air defence system is just one part of a multi-layered missile shield that the state has deployed and which again proved its worth against Iran’s missile barrage Tuesday.

The Israeli army said it intercepted a large number of the incoming missiles -- 180 according to the army, while Iran said it had launched 200.

U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for an end to the “sickening cycle of escalation” in the Middle East, where conflict rages between Israel, Iran and its allies, Hezbollah and Hamas.

“It is high time to stop the sickening cycle of escalation after escalation that is leading the people of the Middle East straight over the cliff,” the U.N. chief told an emergency Security Council meeting. “This deadly cycle of tit-for-tat violence must stop.”

- AFP

Several missiles fired by Iran hit inside Israeli air force bases but did not cause any casualties or damage, the military said, without specifying which bases.

“During the Iranian attack yesterday (Tuesday), several missiles fell within Israeli air force bases. No offensive infrastructure or capabilities located on IAF (Israel Air Force) bases were damaged,” the military said, adding that no casualties or damage to aircraft were reported.

- AFP

Israeli forces battled Hezbollah militants in Lebanon, with Israel announcing the first death of a soldier since it launched cross-border raids.

Confirmation of the fighting in two border areas came hours after Iran launched its second-ever direct attack on Israel, prompting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to warn the Islamic republic would pay for its “big mistake”.

- AFP

Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it had targeted an Israeli unit with an explosive device near a southern border village, as the group clashed with Israeli forces entering Lebanon.

“As the Israeli enemy army tried to sneak around the village of Yaroun... (Hezbollah) fighters surprised them by detonating an explosive device,” it said, reporting Israeli casualties.

- AFP

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz slammed Tehran’s missile barrage fired at Israel the previous evening, while Berlin summoned the Iranian ambassador over the attack.

“The Iranian missile attacks on Israel must be condemned in the strongest possible terms,” Mr. Scholz said, warning of “a further escalation of the already tense situation in the Middle East”.

“Iran risks setting the entire region ablaze,” he said in comments on social media platform X.

The foreign ministry stressed German citizens should leave Iran, warning them against any travel to the Islamic republic due to the “volatile and very tense” situation in the region.

- AFP

he Israeli military said one of its soldiers was killed in combat operations in Lebanon, marking the first loss since its forces crossed the border to target Hezbollah.

“Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, aged 22... fell during combat in Lebanon,” the military said in a statement.

A military website said Oster was killed, without providing further details.

- AFP

Police in Denmark and Sweden said they were probing explosions and gunfire around Israeli embassies in their capitals which took place amid spiralling Middle East tensions.

In Denmark, police said three Swedish nationals had been arrested after two blasts were reported in the “immediate proximity” of the Israeli embassy in Copenhagen in the early hours of Wednesday.

Swedish said the Israeli embassy in Stockholm had been targeted in a shooting on Tuesday just before 6:00 pm (1600 GMT).

No injuries were reported from the incidents but both came amid heightened international fears as Iran fired missiles at Israel which has vowed to respond to the attack.

- AFP

Experienced Telugu expatriates living in Israel recalled in horror the tense moments they spent on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) night when a barrage of missiles launched by Iran landed in Tel Aviv.

“Even though I spent over 10 years living in Israel and had seen such alerts from time to time, yesterday night’s experience was altogether a new one,” said Soma Ravi, president of the Israel Telangana Association (ITA). Incidentally, Mr. Ravi had assumed charge as the president of the association from his friend Bommakanti Mahesh Goud - both hailing from Nizamabad district of Telangana - only on Tuesday evening (October 1, 2024).

Israel’s main opposition leader Yair Lapid said Iran should pay a “significant and heavy price” for the attack.

“Tehran knows that Israel is coming. The response needs to be tough and it should send an unequivocal message to the terror axis in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza and in Iran itself,” said Mr. Lapid, who also briefly served as premier in 2022.

- AFP

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett called for a decisive strike to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities after the Islamic republic fired a barrage of missiles at Israel.

“We must act now to destroy Iran’s nuclear program, its central energy facilities, and to fatally cripple this terrorist regime,” Mr. Bennett wrote on X just hours after the attack on Israel.

“We have the justification. We have the tools. Now that Hezbollah and Hamas are paralysed, Iran stands exposed,” wrote Mr. Bennett.

Pope Francis called for a day of prayer for peace on October 7, the anniversary of Hamas’s attack on Israel, as tensions in the Middle East soar.

Throughout his 11-year papacy, the Pope has called days of fasting and prayer for other conflicts, from Syria to Ukraine.

“On October 7, I ask everyone to live a day of prayer and fasting for peace in the world,” the 87-year-old pontiff said after a mass in St Peter’s Square.

“There is a need for this, especially in this dramatic hour of our history, while the winds of war and the fires of violence continue to disrupt entire peoples and nations,” he said.

- AFP

Lebanon’s Hezbollah said its fighters were clashing with Israeli troops who had “infiltrated” a southern border village, while the Lebanese army said Israeli soldiers had made a brief incursion into the south.

It is the first time the Iran-backed group has announced such fighting on Lebanese soil since the start of an escalation last week when the Israeli army began pounding south Lebanon and later killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

Hezbollah said it was battling Israeli soldiers “who infiltrated the village of Maroun al-Ras”.

- AFP

Israel vowed to make Iran “pay” for firing a barrage of missiles at its territory, with Tehran warning it would launch an even bigger attack if it is targeted.

Iran launched its second direct attack on Israel in history on Tuesday, firing what it said were 200 missiles including hypersonic weapons, and sending frightened Israeli civilians into shelters.

Israel, which put the number of missiles fired at its territory at 180, pounded Lebanese strongholds of Iran ally Hezbollah, with heavy strikes early Wednesday on south Beirut.

- AFP

China urged world powers on Wednesday to prevent the situation in the Middle East from “further deteriorating” following the latest escalation in the region.

“The Chinese side calls on the international community, especially major influential powers, to truly play a constructive role and prevent the situation from further deteriorating,” a foreign ministry spokesman said in a statement.

“The Chinese side is deeply concerned about the turmoil in the Middle East,” the online statement said. - AFP

The Kremlin on Wednesday expressed worry over the latest escalation in the Middle East, calling on “all sides” to show “restraint.” 

“This situation is developing by the most worrying scenario,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. “We call all sides towards restraint ... and we condemn any acts that could lead to the death of the civilian population.” - AFP

Delhi Police has beefed up security around the Israel Embassy in Tughlak Road area after the tension increased in the middle east.

A senior Delhi Police officer said the checking has been intensified with the deployment of more security personnel around the Israel Embassy located at Tughlak Road area.

The officer said a multi-layered security has already been put in place with several CCTV cameras installed around both structures as the embassy has witnessed blasts twice earlier, though no one was injured in any of the incidents.

- PTI

Swedish police said on Wednesday that a shooting had occurred at the Israeli embassy Stockholm the day before, adding that no-one was hurt and that an investigation had been opened.

“We’ve made finds that indicate a shooting at Israel’s embassy, but we don’t want to disclose exactly what finds have been made since there is an ongoing investigation,” Rebecca Landberg, press officer at Stockholm police, told AFP.

The shooting came as tensions in the Middle East are spiralling, with Iran firing a barrage of missiles at Israeli territory and Israel vowing to make Iran “pay” for the attack

In the wake of the escalating tensions in West Asia, India on Wednesday advised its citizens to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran.

In an advisory, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) also urged the Indian nationals presently residing in Iran to remain vigilant and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran.

“We are deeply concerned at the escalation of security situation in West Asia and reiterate our call for restraint by all concerned and protection of civilians. It is important that the conflict doesn’t take a wider regional dimension and we urge that all issues be addressed through dialogue and diplomacy,” the MEA issued a statement on Wednesday.

“Indian nationals are advised to avoid all non-essential travel to Iran. Those currently residing in Iran are requested to remain vigilant and stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Tehran,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.

France said on Wednesday it was sending additional military resources to the Middle East to tackle the Iranian threat and convened a United Nations Security Council meeting for later in the day after Tehran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel.

“Committed to Israel’s security, France today mobilised its military resources in the Middle East to counter the Iranian threat,” the French presidency said in a statement overnight after an emergency security cabinet meeting to discuss the regional escalation. - Reuters

At least 32 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in southern Gaza killed at least 32 people overnight and into Wednesday, Palestinian medical officials said.

The European Hospital in the hard-hit city of Khan Younis said it received the bodies after heavy Israeli airstrikes and ground operations in the city. It said the dead include several women and children, and that dozens of people were wounded.

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military. - AP

Israel threatened on Wednesday to retaliate after Iran fired a barrage of missiles at its territory, with Tehran warning it would hit “all infrastructure” in Israel if it comes under attack.

Israel vowed it would make Iran “pay” after the attack late on Tuesday, which saw most of the missiles intercepted, and pledged to immediately strike “the Middle East powerfully”. - AFP

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin spoke to his Israeli counterpart late on Tuesday, hours after Iran’s missile attack on Israel following Israel’s military campaign in Lebanon, and said Washington was “well-postured” to defend its interests in the Middle East.

Israel and the U.S. have promised to retaliate against Tehran as fears of a wider war intensify. 

“The Secretary (Austin) reaffirmed that the United States remains well postured to defend U.S. personnel, allies, and partners in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations,” the Pentagon said in a statement after Austin’s call with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. 

Israel has escalated its military campaign in Lebanon in recent days, launching operations that the Israeli military says are targeting Lebanese Iran-backed Hezbollah militants. 

Reuters

Iran’s chief of staff on Wednesday vowed to hit infrastructure across Israel if its territory is attacked, after Tehran fired around 200 missiles at its arch-foe.

The barrage “will be repeated with bigger intensity and all infrastructure of the regime will be targeted”, Major General Mohammad Bagheri said on state TV. 

AFP

Iran fired 200 missiles at Israel, state TV reported Wednesday, a barrage that Israel vowed to make Tehran “pay” for.

The Israeli military said Iran launched around 180 missiles at its territory, most of which were intercepted.

AFP

Top European airlines Lufthansa, KLM and Swiss on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) announced that they were extending their suspension of flights to the Middle East, as tensions spiral throughout the region. 

KLM has pushed out until the end of the year the suspension of its once-daily flight to Tel Aviv “given the situation in the region”, spokeswoman Elvira van der Vis told AFP. 

The Dutch airline had already announced in August 2024 that it was suspending flights to Israel until October 26, 2024.

Also on Tuesday (October 1, 2024), German airline group Lufthansa said it was suspending flights to Beirut up to and including November 30, 2024. Lufthansa group flights to Tel Aviv will be cancelled until October 31, 2024 while trips to Tehran remain cancelled until October 14, 2024. 

French President Emmanuel Macron said he strongly condemns Iran’s new attacks on Israel, adding that in a sign of its commitment to Israel’s security it has mobilized its military resources in the Middle East on Wednesday.

Mr. Macron reiterated France’s demand that Hezbollah cease its terrorist actions against Israel and its population, the French Presidency said in a statement. 

Reuters

The Iranian missile attack on Israel appears to have been defeated and ineffective, US President Joe Biden said, hours after Tehran fired nearly 200 missiles at Israel.

The Israeli military reportedly said there were no news of injuries from the attack. 

Speaking to reporters at the White House, Mr. Biden said, “At my direction, the United States military actively supported the defence of Israel. We are still assessing the impact but, based on what we know, the attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective and this is a testament to Israeli military capability… (It is) also a testament to intensive planning (between) the United States and Israel to anticipate and defend against a brazen attack.” “Make no mistake, the United States is fully supportive of Israel. And I just spent the morning and part of the afternoon in the situation room, meeting with my whole national security team… The national security team, as I said, is in constant contact with Israeli officials and counterparts...,” he added. 

Mr. Biden directed the U.S. military to aid Israel’s defence against Iranian attacks and shoot down missiles targeting the country, the White House said. 

AP

Japan’s new Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Wednesday that missile attacks by Iran on Israel were “unacceptable”.

“Iran’s attack is unacceptable. We will condemn this strongly. But at the same time, we would like to cooperate (with the United States) to defuse the situation and prevent it from escalating into a full-on war,” Mr. Ishiba told reporters. 

AFP