Thank you for following our live coverage of this new day of escalation in the conflict between Hezbollah and the Israeli army.
We will continue our coverage of the Gaza war and its repercussions in the region starting tomorrow morning.
The al-Rissala Scout Association, affiliated with the Amal Movement, announced the death of one of its members in service, Adam Abbas, born in 2006 in Touline (Marjayoun, South Lebanon).
According to our correspondent in South Lebanon, the Israeli army bombarded Selaa, Toura, and Abbasieh in the Sour district. He also reported four strikes on Ghazieh (Saida) and that a car was targeted by a drone in Hosh (Sour).
The Israeli army said it has carried out new airstrikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army stated, "We are currently striking Hezbollah terrorist targets in southern Lebanon," in a statement cited by AFP.
The International Monetary Fund stated on Wednesday that it is closely monitoring the impact of the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah on Lebanon, which is suffering heavy human losses and infrastructure damage while adding that it is still too early to assess the economic repercussions.
"We are following with great concern the escalation of the conflict in the region," a spokesperson for the IMF said in a statement emailed to Reuters. "The current conflict is taking a heavy human toll, damaging physical infrastructure in southern Lebanon and worsening the already fragile macroeconomic and social situation in the country."
In its 11th statement of the day, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted the Israeli base of Mishar, "the main headquarters for intelligence services in the northern region, with a barrage of rockets."
Also in New York, caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati discussed the Lebanese dossier with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi and World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa Osman Dion.
During the latter meeting, contact was established with the coordinator of the Lebanese National Emergency Committee, caretaker Environment Minister Nasser Yassine, so that the World Bank could study the measures it could take to support displaced people in the south.
Iraqi Foreign Minister Fouad Hussein has discussed with his Iranian counterpart, Abbas Araqchi, the need to unify efforts to achieve a cease-fire in Lebanon, Reuters reports citing state media.
Our correspondent in the Bekaa reported that the Israeli army carried out a strike on Hosh al-Sayid Ali, located in Syria, opposite the northern Bekaa border. The Israeli army also targeted Mashghara (West Bekaa).
⚡ Discussions are ongoing regarding a 21-day cease-fire, the White House stated, as quoted by Reuters.
The call from the United States and several other countries for a cease-fire in Lebanon was made "in coordination" with Israel, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre assured on Thursday. She stated that "discussions" are continuing in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, following Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz's assertion that there would be "no cease-fire in the north" and that the fight against Hezbollah would continue "until victory."
In South Lebanon, according to our correspondent, the Israeli army has bombarded Khiam and Kfar Kila (in the Bint Jbeil district), as well as Yohmor and Zawtar (in Nabatieh). He also reported an unexploded missile in Qennarit (Saida).
American and Israeli officials are holding discussions about Lebanon in New York this Thursday, the White House announced.
"We do not believe that an all-out war is the solution," the White House added, as quoted by Reuters.
"We are preparing to support ground troops in operations against Hezbollah," said the head of the Israeli air force, as quoted by Reuters.
According to diplomatic sources cited by Haaretz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reneged on agreements reached with the United States regarding a cease-fire with Hezbollah due to internal political pressures.
⚡ In its 10th statement of the day, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted the Israeli locality of Kiryat Ata, located a few kilometers east of Haifa, far from the Blue Line. The party specified that it had launched 50 rockets at the site.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that Israeli attacks on Lebanon targeting the militant group Hezbollah will continue as long as the West remains silent, CNN Turk and other media reported Thursday.
Turkey has condemned Israel’s devastating military offensive in Gaza, launched in retaliation for the cross-border attack by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on Oct. 7, and has also denounced Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
Speaking to Turkish journalists in New York before leaving the U.N. General Assembly, Erdogan said that Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon were evidence that Israel was attempting to extend the war in Gaza to the entire region, adding that the United Nations was powerless to stop it.
More than 31,000 people fleeing Israeli bombardments in Lebanon have entered Syria over the past two days, Lebanese authorities announced Thursday. "In the past two days," Lebanese authorities "have recorded the crossing of 15,600 Syrian citizens and 16,130 Lebanese citizens into Syrian territory," according to a statement from the Lebanese crisis center.
⚡ The cross-border exchanges of fire between Hezbollah and Israel, which have seen a sharp escalation since the start of the week, have killed 1,540 people over nearly a year, according to Lebanese authorities.
Just on Monday, the day Israeli strikes intensified on Lebanon, more than 550 people were killed, authorities had already announced. Additionally, 5,410 people have been injured over the course of nearly a year, according to crisis center figures.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned that the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah could trigger a "regional conflagration" after speaking with Israeli opposition leader Benny Gantz in Berlin.
Scholz stated on X that "Hezbollah must withdraw from the Lebanese border region" and that "all parties have a responsibility to find a diplomatic solution."
Several Israeli strikes have been reported by our correspondents in South Lebanon and the Bekaa over the past hour:
- The Israeli military aviation conducted targeted strikes between the localities of Ghazieh and Qennarit (in the Saida district), witnesses told our correspondent in South Lebanon. Another strike occurred in Bablieh (Saida district).
- The Israeli air force also launched a second attack on Adloun, in the same district, after Hezbollah had earlier in the day claimed to have repelled two aircraft heading toward the area.
- Strikes also targeted the localities of Maaroub and Hallousieh, in the Sour district.
- An Israeli attack hit a repair hangar for bulldozers and trucks in Ansar, without causing injuries. Another strike occurred in Deir Zahrani (in the Nabatieh district).
- Finally, according to our correspondent in the Bekaa, the Israeli military aviation targeted Hermel.
Photo sent to our correspondent Michel Hallak.
⚡ A destroyed drone was found in a field in the Qammoua region, in the heights of Fneidek, according to our correspondent in North Lebanon. The army established a security cordon before transferring the drone to a safe location. Investigations are ongoing to determine its identity and origin.
The European Union has expressed being "deeply concerned by the military confrontation between Israel and Hezbollah." "Any further escalation would have dramatic consequences for the region and beyond," reads a statement.
The EU calls "on both parties to urgently establish a cease-fire along the Blue Line (...) and to work towards the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701."
"The European Union calls on the international community to mobilize in support of ongoing diplomatic efforts in this regard," the statement adds. "We welcome and strongly support the efforts of France and the United States to achieve a negotiated cease-fire."
"The EU reaffirms its strong support for Lebanese state institutions, including the Lebanese army, and stands ready to help Lebanon overcome its political deadlock," the statement concludes. "EU member states have a long tradition of supporting Lebanon. As the country faces dramatic times, the Lebanese people can be assured that the EU and its member states will continue to support them."
Hezbollah announced that it fired 80 rockets at the city of Safed in northern Israel.
This is the first time the party claims an attack on Safed.
In the past, Hezbollah had only claimed strikes on military bases in this locality. It states that it conducted this attack "to defend Lebanon and its people, and in response to Israel's barbaric attacks on cities, villages, and civilians."
A new explosion was heard in Beirut and the Metn about half an hour ago. Initial reports suggested a new strike in the southern suburbs of Beirut, but the sound appears to have been caused by an operation conducted by the Lebanese Army, which detonated suspected booby-trapped communication devices in the Costa Brava - Choueifat area, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, an operation that was announced on X.
According to local media outlets, an Israeli drone has targeted a motorcycle in the village of Qasr, Hermel.
Rockets have been fired from South Lebanon towards Israel, a security source told our correspondent in the South.
Two Israeli airstrikes have targeted areas between Barish and Maaroub and two other strikes hit the villages of Jabal al-Botom and Maarakeh (Sour district), our correspondent reports.
Latest updates from South Lebanon, North Israel:
* Israeli airstrikes have targeted the villages of Toulin (Marjayoun district), Housh, Deir Kifa, Reshknanai, Shehabieh (Sour district), Maroun al-Ras and Kafra (Bint Jbeil), according to our correspondent in the South.
* In defense of Lebanon and its people, Hezbollah announced that it launched an "aerial attack with a squadron of drones on the Shamshoum Israeli base (a command supply center and regional supply unit), targeting the positions of its officers and soldiers.
Egypt has called for a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon, supporting all proposed initiatives aimed at achieving an immediate, comprehensive, and permanent cease-fire in the region, according to a statement cited by Reuters.
“Stop the genocide. Stop sending weapons to Israel,” Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas declared at the U.N. General Assembly. “This madness must stop. The entire world is responsible for what our people are suffering in Gaza and the West Bank,” he added.
“Israel, which refuses to implement U.N. resolutions, does not deserve to be a member of this international organization,” he stated, lamenting that the United States has blocked Palestinian membership, which currently holds observer state status.
Israel has announced securing $8.7 billion in financial support from the United States to bolster its ongoing military efforts, Reuters reports.
This support includes $3.5 billion allocated for essential military acquisitions, which have already been received and designated for critical purchases. Additionally, $5.2 billion is earmarked for air defense systems, including the Iron Dome missile defense system and an advanced laser system.
"We will continue to hit Hezbollah with all our might until the residents of the North can return to their homes," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reiterated, as quoted by Reuters. He made a similar remark on Wednesday.
The Lebanese Minister of Health announced in a statement that "an Israeli drone attack on a vehicle in Kahaleh has resulted in one injury."
The mayor of Kahaleh (Baabda), Jean Bejjani, told MTV: "The attack was carried out directly and precisely, without any noise being heard, and the glass of the car was shattered, seriously injuring the driver in the leg."
He added: "The driver was accompanied by a woman and two children in the car that was targeted."
In southern Lebanon:
Hezbollah launched two new attacks, the sixth and seventh of the day. The first operation targeted, with a salvo of rockets, a "secondary headquarters of the Israeli Northern Army Corps, the reserve base of the Israeli division in Galilee, as well as its logistical warehouses" in Ami'ad. This locality is located more than 20 kilometers from the border with southern Lebanon.
The second attack targeted the locality of Ahihud with "50 missiles." This locality is also situated a considerable distance from the Blue Line.
The Israeli army, for its part, reported identifying approximately 40 projectiles fired from Lebanon into Israel on Thursday afternoon within a span of two minutes. "Between 4:06 p.m. (13:06 GMT) and 4:08 p.m. in the Upper Galilee region, about 40 projectiles from Lebanon were identified," the army stated, adding that several were intercepted while others "fell in the region."
The Israeli army "eliminated Mohammad Hussein Srour, the head of the Hezbollah air unit, in a precise strike targeting the southern suburb of Beirut," announced its Arabic-speaking spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, on his X account.
Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'OLJ
Smoke rises from the site of an Israeli strike this afternoon in Hosh, in the Sour district.
According to Haaretz, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has arrived in New York and is scheduled to address the United Nations Assembly on Friday at 9:30 a.m. local time (4:30 p.m. in Beirut).
Hezbollah claimed to have targeted the Dado base near Safed in northern Israel, which is the headquarters of the Israeli army's northern command, "with salvos of missiles."
The group stated that it conducted this attack "in support of our Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip and in defense of Lebanon and its people," according to its established phrasing.
Two hypotheses are circulating following the explosion in a vehicle on the road to Kahaleh, in the Baada district, which resulted in one injury.
The first suggests it was an Israeli drone attack, while the other posits that an explosive device detonated inside the vehicle.
⚡ A "leader of the Hezbollah air force unit" has been killed in the strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, two security sources confirmed to Reuters.
Unconfirmed reports from several media outlets indicate a drone strike on a vehicle on the Kahaleh road in the Baada district. The al-Nashra agency reports an explosion with unknown causes, while MTV mentions one injury but provides no further details on the circumstances.
Lebanese caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati continues his diplomatic engagements in New York on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly, "aiming to end the Israeli aggression against Lebanon," his press office reported.
He notably met with Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, who informed him about the contacts his country is making "to achieve a cease-fire, particularly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu."
Mikati also exchanged views with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who updated him on Qatar's efforts within the Quartet to elect a new Lebanese president. The Lebanese leader also met with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who promised to visit Lebanon soon. Finally, he discussed with British Foreign Secretary David Lammy the initiatives from his country to end the war.
Unconfirmed reports indicate a drone strike targeting a vehicle on the Kahaleh road in the Baada district.
In southern Lebanon, the Israeli Air Force conducted two airstrikes on the town of Baflieh in the Sour district, a third on Deir Siryan (Marjayoun), two additional strikes on Habboush (Nabatieh), two more on Ebba (also in Nabatieh), and a significant strike between Ser al-Gharbieh and Kfar Sir (same district).
🔴 At least two people were killed and 15 others injured, including one woman in critical condition, in the Israeli raid on the southern suburb of Beirut, according to a provisional report from the Health Ministry.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant posted on his X account photos of himself with military personnel examining what appears to be a blurred map of the border with Lebanon.
He stated that "the next offensive actions on the northern front" have been approved. "We continue the series of operations aimed at eliminating Hezbollah members, dismantling offensive devices, and destroying missiles and rockets," he also asserted. "We have further missions to complete to enable the return of residents from the north to their homes — we will continue to destabilize Hezbollah."
The information was reported by Israeli military radio and the Lebanese channel al-Hadath.
Photo by Mohammad Yassin/L'OLJ.
A column of smoke caused by an Israeli strike in the Seddiqine region, a locality in the Sour district of southern Lebanon.
⚡ The Israeli strike on the southern suburb of Beirut targeted the head of Hezbollah's drone unit, a source close to the party told AFP, without specifying whether he had been killed or injured.
"The Israeli strike targeted the commander of the drone unit, Mohammad Srour, known as Abou Saleh, whose fate is still unknown," the source said on condition of anonymity.
For its part, Israel announced that it had carried out "precise strikes in Beirut," without providing further details.
⚡ The United Arab Emirates, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and the United Kingdom called in a joint statement for an immediate 21-day cease-fire along the border between Lebanon and Israel to allow space for diplomacy aimed at reaching a settlement consistent with Resolution 1701, as reported by the official UAE news agency, cited by Reuters.
The signatory countries also urged all parties, including the governments of Israel and Lebanon, to immediately approve the temporary cease-fire. They stated that they are prepared to fully support all diplomatic efforts to reach an agreement between Lebanon and Israel during this period.
At the border between southern Lebanon and northern Israel:
* Hezbollah reported that it repelled two Israeli fighter jets heading toward Adloun (in the Sour district) using "air defense weapons."
* Air raid sirens sounded again in northern Israel, shortly after being activated due to a false alarm.
Israeli Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, considered a symbol of extreme right supremacism, told Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that his party, Jewish Power, would not vote with the coalition if the government accepted a temporary cease-fire, Haaretz reported. He further threatened to leave the government if the cease-fire were permanent.
"We will not abandon the residents of the North. Every day that this cease-fire is in effect and Israel is not fighting in the North, Jewish Power is not committed to the coalition," Ben Gvir emphasized at the end of a meeting of his party.
According to media reports, including Sky News, the targeted Hezbollah commander is said to be Mohammad Srour, nicknamed Abou Saleh, the commander of the Hezbollah air unit.
The United Arab Emirates, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom issued a joint statement on the situation between Lebanon and Israel, according to the official UAE news agency, as reported by Reuters.
According to Hezbollah's Al Manar channel, the Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs at around 3:30 p.m. on Thursday targeted a residential building at the Rweiss crossroads in the Hay al-Abiad district, near Sayyed Hadi Nasrallah Avenue.
According to the al-Jadeed TV channel, the strike killed three people, a figure we have not yet been able to confirm.
The Israeli army said that the warning sirens, which sounded at around 3.30 p.m. on the Golan Heights and in several towns in northern Israel, had been activated because of a false alarm, according to Haaretz.
Israeli airstrikes targeted the village of Majdel Selm (in the Marjayoun district) and the hills of Iqlim al-Touffah in southern Lebanon around 3:45 p.m., according to our correspondent.
The locality of Bint Jbeil, particularly the Maslakh neighborhood, was also targeted.
Warning sirens sounded on the Golan Heights and in several localities in northern Israel, signaling a potential rocket attack from Lebanon, according to information published by Haaretz 15 minutes ago.
In southern Lebanon, according to information from our correspondent, the Israeli army bombed several sites between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., including a location between Masaken and Sour, as well as Shehour, Tayr Filsey, Wadi Jeelo (Sour), Loubieh, Saksakieh (Saida), Deir Ntar, Hanine (Bint Jbeil), Sharqieh and Jibsheet (Nabatieh).
Shortly before its strike on the southern suburbs of Beirut, the Israeli army, as cited by Haaretz, claimed to have completed a ground incursion exercise along the border between northern Israel and southern Lebanon.
Israel's military offensive in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 41,534 Palestinians and injured 96,092 people since Oct. 7, according to the Palestinian enclave's Ministry of Health, as cited by AFP.
Photo by our correspondent Michel Hallak.
People walk near the site of an Israeli strike in Haret Hreik, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, on September 26, 2024.
According to a security source quoted by Reuters, the fate of “the senior Hezbollah official” targeted in the strike was not immediately known.
The strike hit an area of the southern suburbs where “several installations” of the party are located, Reuters reported.
The Israeli army stated that it is carrying out "precise strikes" in Beirut, despite international calls for a cease-fire.
"The Israeli army is currently conducting precise strikes in Beirut. Details to follow," the army said in a statement cited by AFP.
⚡ The Israeli strike on Beirut's southern suburbs hit an area near the al-Qaem Mosque in Haret Hreik, according to our correspondent Hoda Chedid, close to where Israel struck in another bombing last Friday, which killed 52 people, mostly civilians, and 16 commanders from Hezbollah elite Radwan Forces.
According to the Israeli army's radio, the target of this strike is "the commander of Hezbollah's aerial unit," while a security source told Reuters that the target is "a senior Hezbollah leader."
🔴 The Israeli army announced it carried out "a targeted strike" on the southern suburbs of Beirut, in a statement posted on X by its Arabic-speaking spokesperson Avichay Adraee.
In a statement, Israel said that it was carrying out airstrikes on Beirut's southern suburbs. An explosion could be heard and smoke could be seen rising from the area, witnesses told Reuters.
Shortly after 2:30 p.m., according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon, new Israeli strikes targeted the surroundings of Ansar-Zrarieh (Sour). Another strike destroyed a three-story building in Wadi Jilo (Sour), without causing any casualties.
In a statement, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted the Kiryat Shmona region in northern Israel with Falaq 2 missiles. According to Haaretz, alarm sirens sounded in the region shortly before.
More than 22,000 people fleeing Israeli bombings in Lebanon have entered Syria since Monday, Syrian security sources cited by AFP said.
"The total number of people who entered through the Jdeidet Yabbous crossing point over the past three days and until Thursday morning is more than 6,000 Lebanese and about 15,000 Syrians," said a source who spoke on condition of anonymity. A second source said that 1,000 Lebanese and 500 Syrians had passed through another crossing point, Jusiyah.
A series of airstrikes hit south Lebanon between 1 and 2 p.m., according to L'Orient Today's correspondent. The strikes targeted the villages of Halloussieh, Rab al-Talatine, Sarbine, Kafra, Yater and Shoukine, as well as an attack on the village of Kfarmelki, which left one dead.
According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in Bekaa, a second strike targeted the village of Sohmor, in western Bekaa, shortly after 2 p.m., causing a total power outage. A first strike took place earlier in the morning.
According to a new report from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the Israeli strike in Younine (Baalbeck) last night left 20 people dead, 19 of whom are Syrian nationals.
The Lebanese Ministry of Public Works and Transportation said an Israeli strike targeted a border crossing between Lebanon and Syria on the Syrian side, according to local media.
Earlier, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the Bekaa reported that Israeli airstrikes targeted four key border crossings between Lebanon and Syria (Al-Arida, Matraba, Saleh and Kabech) as well as a bridge connecting the two countries near the Matraba crossing point.
According to a report from the Lebanese Ministry of Health, the latest Israeli strikes on the villages in the Sour district left three dead and 17 wounded: One killed and three wounded in Qana, two killed and one wounded in Qadmous, five wounded in Burj Shemali and one wounded in each of the villages of Hanaway, Homeiri and Qleileh.
The president and members of the municipality of Baalbeck extended their condolences to the families of people who have been killed in the recent Israeli airstrikes.
In a statement, they described the airstrikes as a "brutal aggression that crossed all borders that does not respect any humanitarian or ethical considerations."
The municipality also called upon merchants to be by the "people's side in these days by opening their shops, especially bakeries, food institutions, epicenters, and pharmacies."
"Providing people's needs [for them to survive] is an essential part of participating in resistance action," the municipality added.
Israeli media, including Channel 12 television, which was picked up by some Lebanese media, reported in the morning that a Hezbollah incursion into Galilee had taken place at dawn on Thursday. Questioned Thursday by L'Orient Today, a Hezbollah source categorically denied any incursion today by the party's fighters beyond the borders.
The information was not confirmed by any major Israeli newspapers, and it was gradually removed from the media in which it appeared.
Israeli airstrikes targeted four key border crossings between Lebanon and Syria, L'Orient Today's correspondent in Bekaa reports: Al-Arid, Matraba, Saleh and Qabesh. In addition, a bridge connecting Lebanon to Syria near the Martaba crossing was targeted.
Latest developments in south Lebanon:
- Israeli jets carried out an airstrike on a valley between the villages of Kherbet al-Doueir (Hasbaya) and Bissarieh (Saida), L'Orient Today's correspondent reported.
- An Israeli airstrike targeted the village of Aramta (Jezzine).
- The villages of Blat (Marjayoun) and Aaishieh (Jezzine) were also subjected to Israeli airstrikes.
- A house was targeted near Adloun (Saida) without causing any injuries. Gardens were hit in Kharayeb.
Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati denied media reports that he "signed a cease-fire agreement after meeting with US Foreign Minister Antony Blinken and US envoy Amos Hochstein," his press office said in a statement.
Mikati "immediately" welcomed the joint initiative of the United States and France on a cease-fire proposal.
Qatar said it is not aware of a "direct link" between negotiations on a truce in the Gaza Strip and international efforts for a cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
"I am not aware of a direct link, but obviously the two mediations overlap a lot, with the same parties, for the most part, being involved," Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a news conference in Doha.
"There will be no cease-fire in the north. We will continue to fight Hezbollah," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Shortly before noon, Israel struck south Lebanon several times, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent. The villages of Burj al-Shemali and an area between Shabriha and Qadmous (Sour) were targeted. Debbine (Marjayoun) was again the target of an Israeli airstrike, as well as the villages of Sheaitieh, Ain Baal, Aytit and Samahieh (Sour). Another strike hit the village of Banhafoul, east of Saida.
Hezbollah announced in a statement that it fired rockets at the town of Kiryat Motzkin and the Rafael military-industrial complexes, both located north of Haifa.
"The reports of a cease-fire are incorrect, I have ordered the army to continue fighting in Lebanon with all its strength," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, quoted by Reuters and reported by Haaretz.
According to Haaretz, 45 rockets were fired from Lebanon towards the western Galilee, while residents of the Upper Galilee and the Golan were urged to stay close to shelters.
According to the Israeli army, quoted by the Israeli newspaper, dozens of rockets were launched about half an hour ago against Acre and Haifa Bay. Sirens sounded in Acre.
Taiwanese prosecutors said they already questioned four people as witnesses in their investigation into a Taiwanese company linked to the pagers that exploded in Lebanon last week, dealing a fatal blow to Hezbollah, Reuters reported.
Thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies held by Hezbollah members exploded simultaneously in two waves on Sept. 17 and 18, killing 37 and injuring some 3,000.
Find the details here.
“We welcome and applaud the call for an immediate 21-day cease-fire to allow the space necessary for diplomacy to succeed,” Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, the U.N. special coordinator for Lebanon, wrote on her X account. “We count on everyone’s unequivocal support to seize this opportunity,” she added.
France, in partnership with the United States, proposed a "temporary 21-day" cease-fire in Lebanon, during the emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council.
Three people were killed by Israeli drone fire in the village of Kfar Hamam (Hasbaya), according to witnesses from the village quoted by L'Orient Today's correspondent. The three men are said to be from the village of Halta near Khiam (Marjayoun). The house where they were targeted in Kfar Hamam belongs to their relatives and was uninhabited.
They used to store fodder for their animals there and had been sleeping there for three days. This morning, they had parked their Rapid vehicle in front of the house and entered to collect their fodder, when they were killed by the Israeli strike.
Latest developments in south Lebanon:
- An Israeli drone opened fire on the Kfar Hamam-Kfar Shouba (Hasbaya) road shortly before 11:00 a.m., according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon. The village of Khiam (Marjayoun) was the target of Israeli artillery around the same time, while the villages of Debbine and Ebel es-Saqi (Marjayoun) were targeted by a strike.
- Two Israeli strikes targeted the villages of Tyr Debba and Bouyout al-Siyad (Sour).
- A "Rapid" type vehicle was targeted in the village of Kfar Hamam (Hasbaya).
Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong. (File photo Jeon Heon-Kyun/Pool/AFP)
Australia urged about 15,000 of its citizens living in Lebanon to leave, warning of the risk of Beirut airport being closed and the difficulty of evacuating large numbers of people if the situation deteriorates, Reuters reports.
Israel expanded its airstrikes in Lebanon on Wednesday, killing at least 81 people, and the Israeli army chief said a "ground attack is possible." The U.K. is moving troops to Cyprus, joining two Royal Navy ships already there, to help evacuate its citizens trapped in Lebanon.
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, a key far-right ally in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition, rejected any idea of a cease-fire with Hezbollah after an international call for a 21-day truce sponsored by Paris and Washington, AFP reports.
"The [military] campaign in the north must end in only one way: The crushing of Hezbollah and the elimination of its ability to harm the people of northern" Israel, Smotrich wrote on X. "The enemy must not be given time to recover from the severe blows it has received and to reorganize itself to continue the war after 21 days."
Israeli jets broke the sound barrier twice over Saida, L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon reports. Sonic booms were also heard in Beirut and Mount Lebanon.
"If Israeli violations are not stopped, the region will fall into the abyss. The war must stop now," said Arab League Secretary-General Ahmad Aboul Gheit on Wednesday at the emergency meeting of the UN Security Council, in remarks reported by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
"Israel did not want to stop the war, it worked to expand it and sabotaged all attempts at a truce," he added.
The Civil Defense announced this morning that the search operations in the rubble of a building in the village of Maaysara (Kesrouan), which was targeted by the Israeli air force on Wednesday at midday, ended around 4:30 a.m., and that 11 bodies were removed and transported to hospital morgues.
The Civil Defense also said that searches were continuing in the rubble of two houses in the village of Karak, in the Bekaa, hit shortly after midnight, where its teams had to put out a fire before being able to start the search. So far, six injured people have been rescued and seven dead pulled from the rubble, while seven people are still missing, according to residents.
Pope Francis called the "terrible escalation" in Lebanon "unacceptable" on Wednesday, calling on the international community to do everything possible to put an end to it, AFP reports.
The 87-year-old pontiff is expected in Luxembourg today, before heading to Brussels until Sunday, for a trip to meet the Catholic faithful in two countries that host many European institutions.
In an extremely tense international context, Pope Francis will address "a word to the heart of Europe" and will evoke "the role [that the Old Continent] wants to play in the world in the near future" for welcome, peace and solidarity, according to the director of the press service of the Holy See, Matteo Bruni.
The Israeli army announced that it attacked 75 Hezbollah military targets in Lebanon on the night of Wednesday to Thursday, in the south of the country as well as in the Bekaa, said Avichay Adraee, Arabic-language spokesperson for the Israeli army, on X.
Israeli warplanes "attacked during the night approximately 75 Hezbollah terrorist targets in the Bekaa region and southern Lebanon, including ammunition depots, launchers ready to fire [on Israeli territory], military buildings, terrorists and terrorist infrastructure," according to a statement published on X.
Shortly before 10:00 a.m., several Israeli strikes targeted areas of south Lebanon, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region. Nabatieh was the target of a series of strikes, particularly in the vicinity of the village of Roumin, as well as Kfar Joz near Jebbaneh, and the villages of Jibsheet, Habboush, Qseibeh, Adsheet, Houmin, and Ezzeh. Other strikes hit the villages of Bazourieh (Sour) and Debbine (Marjayoun).
The Israeli army's Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, released a 45-second cartoon showing a veiled woman in a home. "Madam! Don't even think about going back home! Believe me; your life is more important," a female voice in Lebanese dialect shouts.
“Do not return to the houses you evacuated, because Hezbollah is storing weapons there,” the caption on the post reads.
According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in Bekaa, the death toll from the Israeli strike in the village of Younine (Baalbeck), last night, has risen and now stands at 14 dead, including women and children.
The latest report from the Ministry of Health stated nine dead and 11 injured.
According to the latest report from the Ministry of Health published this morning, three people were killed by Israeli strikes in the village of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil). One dead and one wounded of Syrian nationality were killed in Qana (Sour).
Here are the developments from last night and this morning following the Israeli bombings in the Bekaa:
- At midnight, an Israeli strike destroyed a three-story building in the village of Karak (Zahleh), inhabited by families, which left eight dead including women and children, as well as dozens of wounded who were evacuated to hospitals in the region by the Lebanese Red Cross and the Civil Defense.
- A strike on a vacant lot in the region of al-Zireh (Bekaa) did not cause any casualties.
- Nine people were killed in an Israeli strike on the main road from Douris to Baalbeck. The road was blocked by the strikes.
- Some 40 Israeli attacks targeted the city of Baalbeck and its surroundings during the night.
- An entire family was killed in an Israeli attack on a home in the village of Shaat (Bekaa).
- An Israeli strike targeted the guard post of the house of the secretary general of the pro-Syrian Baath Party, Ali Hijazi, in the Mhatta neighborhood, at the entrance to the city of Baalbek. Contacted by MTV, Hijazi confirmed that he was fine, but that three of his bodyguards had been injured.
- The villages of Sohmor and Yohmor (West Bekaa) were also bombed by the Israeli air force.
- At dawn, Israeli airstrikes targeted the Hussien Diab building in the village of Jlala near Shtaura (Bekaa).
An Israeli strike on Kfar Remman, Thursday morning. (Photo provided by residents to L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah
Villages in south Lebanon were targeted by multiple Israeli attacks, between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. this morning: Debbine, Deir Seriane (Marjayoun), Tyr Debba, Maarakeh, Bedias, Bazourieh and Majdal Zoun again (Sour), Tebnine, Souaneh, Qabrikha (Bint Jbeil), Nabatieh al-Faouqa and Kfar Remman (Nabatieh).
Israeli aircraft again attacked Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ein in the Sour district, targeting a house.
Here are the Israeli strikes that hit south Lebanon between last night and this morning:
- Between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m., the villages of Tayr Felsay, Tayr Harfa, Srifa (Sour), Srebbine (Bint Jbeil), Wadi al-Kfour (Nabatieh) were bombed. A phosphorus bombing targeted the surroundings of Naqoura, added L'Orient Today's correspondent.
- Between 11 p.m. and midnight: Yater (Bint Jbeil), Selaa (Sour), Habboush (Nabatieh) were bombed, along with Mtarieh (Saida), for the first time.
- An attack targeted a building near a highway in Habboush. The towns of Mjadal, Deir Kifa, Alma al-Shaab, Srifa (Sour), Zaoutar and Arab Salim (Nabatieh) were also attacked.
- Two civilians, an engineer and his wife, originally from Nabatieh al-Faouqa, were killed in a strike, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent.
- At around 4:30 a.m., an Israeli attack targeted residential areas of Nabatieh.
- Since 5 a.m., several attacks targeted Tebnine (Bint Jbeil), but also Nabatieh, Kfar Tebnit, Kfar Remman and Zaoutar (Nabatieh).
- In the Sour district, Mahrouneh and Majdel Zoun were hit, as well as Deir Qanoun Ras al-Ein, Bedias, Bazourieh and Hosh.
- Around 8 a.m., an attack targeted Tyr Debba (Sour), making a road inaccessible. Around 8:30 a.m., Majdal Zoun was hit again.
Make sure to read the Morning Brief to catch up with what has been happening.
Good morning!
Thank you for joining us for our live coverage of the ongoing wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Already have an account? Login here
You have reached your article limit
Iran-US-Lebanon: Everything can change in an instant.
Stay informed for only $6.9/month for 1 year, instead of $12.9.
This article is only available to L’Orient Today subscribers.
Already have an account? Login here