Hezbollah has claimed responsibility for an attack on a Israeli Merkava tank in Labbouneh, a border village located in the Marjayoun district.
The party specified that the attack was carried out "with a guided missile," resulting in the tank catching fire and "causing casualties among the crew, both dead and injured."
Kiryat Shmona municipality in northern Israel says the building which Hezbollah had claimed responsibility for striking, suffered a direct hit, with five rockets fired.
Hezbollah announced that its fighters bombarded Kyriat Shmona, in northern Israel, at 11:23 p.m., "with a barrage of rockets."
Israel assured that peacekeepers were "not a target" after the UN stated that an Israeli tank fired on a peacekeeping observation tower in southern Lebanon and condemned "direct and clearly deliberate gunfire."
The Israeli forces declared that they are "conducting operations against the terrorist organization Hezbollah" in southern Lebanon, according to a statement sent to AFP. "The infrastructure and forces of UNIFIL are not a target, and any incident contrary to the rules will be examined in detail," the statement added, noting that "the incident in question is under review."
The Israeli air force bombed the village of Khiam, in the Marjayoun district, at least seven times within ten minutes, according to the National News Agency (NNA)
Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with UAE Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed, as reported by State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller. Mr. Blinken "emphasized the importance of reaching a diplomatic solution to the conflict along the Blue Line, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1701."
The American Secretary of State also thanked the Emirati minister "for the UAE's contribution, which has provided $100 million in humanitarian aid to Lebanon and $30 million in aid to Lebanese citizens displaced in Syria."
⚡ The United States demanded accountability from Israel on Wednesday after the New York Times reported that the American ally had used Palestinian civilians as human shields in the Gaza war.
The newspaper stated that at least 11 squads in five cities in Gaza had forced Palestinian civilians to perform tasks such as searching for explosives or conducting reconnaissance inside tunnels, thereby protecting Israeli soldiers from danger.
State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller called this report "incredibly disturbing."
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a French newspaper that Israeli forces had found "state-of-the-art" Russian weapons in searches of Hezbollah bases in southern Lebanon, AFP reports.
Netanyahu highlighted to Le Figaro newspaper, in an interview released Wednesday, that under a 2006 UN Security Council resolution only the Lebanese army was allowed to have weapons south of the country's key Litani river.
"However, in this area, Hezbollah has dug hundreds of tunnels and caches, where we have just found a quantity of state-of-the-art Russian weapons," the French article quoted Netanyahu as saying.
⚡ Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Egypt tonight, as reported by the official Irna news agency. This marks the first visit by an Iranian foreign minister to Egypt in nearly 12 years.
The visit comes at a time when Iran is intensifying diplomatic consultations in an effort to ease regional tensions, following strikes against Israel on October 1 and fears of possible retaliation.
In the Bekaa:
Our correspondent reported a 4th strike on the Hermel area (in the district of the same name) and its outskirts, as well as another strike on Baalbeck (also in the same district), followed by another strike on Bodai, near Baalbeck.
Latest from southern Lebanon:
An Israeli drone targeted an area near the road connecting Deir Kanoun al-Nahr to Ras al-Ain (Sour district), reports our correspondent Mountasser Abdallah.
⚡ The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned there is a "real risk" of famine this winter in the Gaza Strip, which he said is "completely avoidable" but orchestrated by Israel, a claim the country denies.
"We may enter a situation where famine or extreme malnutrition is unfortunately likely once again," said Philippe Lazzarini during a press conference in Berlin.
In the Bekaa, according to our correspondent Sarah Abdallah:
An Israeli strike targeted the town of Hermel, in the district of the same name, followed by three other strikes near the Syrian border, between Jarmash and Qasr, in the same area.
European Union leaders and six Gulf States, gathered at a summit in Brussels, joined forces on Wednesday to call for avoiding a widespread escalation in the Middle East.
This summit of heads of state and government from the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) — Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman, and Qatar — was a first of its kind.
"We must do everything in our power and mobilize all our diplomatic efforts to stop the extremely dangerous escalation" in the Middle East, said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at the start of this meeting, which she described as "historic."
For its 16th and 17th statements of the day, Hezbollah indicated that it fired on an Israeli army artillery position in Dalton, just south of Rehaniya, not far from the Blue Line, at 9:25 p.m. Then, at the same time, it attacked the Yiftah barracks (opposite Blida, in the Marjayoun district), again with rockets.
Qatar's prime minister said on Wednesday that there had been no conversations or engagement with the parties in the past three or four weeks aimed at securing a ceasefire in Gaza.
"As for the prospects for negotiations, there has been no conversation or engagement in the last three or four weeks, and we continue to go around in circles, at a time when all parties are silent," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told reporters after a summit between the European Union and the GCC in Brussels.
Sheikh Mohammed, who is also foreign minister, has led mediation efforts for a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas.
A French government plane repatriated to France on Wednesday 131 Europeans who were living in Beirut, due to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, according to a diplomatic source.
"The vast majority of these are French nationals in vulnerable situations," said the same source, indicating that the plane landed at 7 p.m. at Paris-Charles de Gaulle.
Latest developments in south Lebanon:
- Hezbollah said in a statement that it had launched surface-to-air missiles at two Israeli drones at 6:30 p.m., forcing them to leave Lebanese airspace.
- At around 7:50 p.m., Israeli strikes targeted the center of the village of Zefta, in Nabatieh, and the village of Tyr Debba (Sour).
- Around 8 p.m., two other strikes shook the village of Kfar Kila (Marjayoun), another once again targeted Zefta and another Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil).
- Later, around 8:30 p.m., the region of Tel Nahas, north of Kfar Kila, was targeted by the Israeli air force.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon announced in a statement that, in the morning, peacekeepers positioned near Kfar Kila "observed an Israeli tank firing on an observation tower" of the U.N. peacekeeping force.
Two cameras were destroyed and the watchtower damaged, the force said, denouncing new "deliberate" Israeli fire against its positions.
French Ambassador to Lebanon Herve Magro said on Wednesday that "the idea of a cease-fire in Lebanon is not dead" and that efforts were continuing to achieve it.
Magro, who was speaking after a meeting with caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, to whom he gave an official invitation to the summit on Lebanon to be held in France on Oct. 24, stressed the need for support from the international community for humanitarian efforts in Lebanon and for strengthening the Lebanese armed forces.
The Israeli army detonated an entire village in South Lebanon, according to an aerial video published Wednesday by its Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee.
L'Orient Today's correspondent in south Lebanon reported that the Israeli army carried out two powerful airstrikes on Kfar Kila (Marjayoun).
The World Health Organization (WHO) called on Wednesday to "cease attacks" on health facilities in Lebanon, where the Israeli army has been carrying out heavy bombardments for more than three weeks.
The WHO also warned on Wednesday "against the very high risk of spread" of cholera after the discovery of a first confirmed case in the north of the country.
"What worries us is that people displaced by the current conflict have reached the north," Abdinasir Abubakar, the World Health Organization's head in Lebanon, told a WHO press briefing in Geneva.
France handed over 2.5 tons of emergency medical aid to the Lebanese army, the French embassy announced in a statement. According to the statement, "France is continuing its commitment to supporting Lebanon, its population and its institutions."
At around 7:30 p.m., Hezbollah issued two statements.
In the first, the party announced that it had launched a salvo of rockets toward the southern Israeli city of Safad. At 6:55 p.m., the second statement said, rockets launched by Hezbollah hit soldiers in the Hunin Valley in Galilee, near the Lebanese border.
According to the Ministry of Health, the final toll of the heavy Israeli strike this morning in the city of Nabatieh is 16 killed and 52 injured. These multiple Israeli strikes had, among other things, reached the headquarters of the city's municipality.
Latest developments in south Lebanon and the Bekaa:
- An Israeli strike targeted the village of Hazine, west of Baalbeck, and another the Taraya plain, at around 6:40 p.m.
- Shortly before 7 p.m., drones launched from south Lebanon by Hezbollah hit Israeli sites in the Western Galilee.
- The village of Froun (Bint Jbeil) was the target of Israeli attacks which destroyed an entire neighborhood.
- Israeli strikes targeted several villages in the Marjayoun district: Houla, Odaisseh, Rabb Tlatine, Tibeh. The Israeli air force also launched flares over these villages.
- In the Bint Jbeil district, the villages of Aita al-Shaab, Rameh and Qaouzah are currently experiencing violent fighting between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli troops. According to sources cited by L'Orient Today's correspondent, the Israelis are trying to evacuate the wounded who fell in this area.
- Israeli aircraft struck a house in the village of Majdel Selm (Marjayoun) at around 6:30 p.m., causing casualties.
In the afternoon, the U.N. coordinator in Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, condemned the strikes on Nabatieh, in south Lebanon, and called for the protection of "civilians and civilian infrastructure" in the country.
After meeting with Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh, former Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Joumblatt said that a ceasefire dialogue was possible "based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701 and the deployment of the Lebanese army in south Lebanon."
Joumblatt also commented on the Paris conference expected on Oct. 24 and which is expected to focus on the situation in Lebanon, saying that he hoped that "the main powers, in particular France, would help the Lebanese army to carry out the task entrusted to it, in order to strengthen it."
Finally, Joumblatt said that Israeli attacks were to be expected everywhere, adding that he did not believe there were any safe places in Beirut.
(Photo relayed by L'Orient Today's correspondent Muntasser Abdallah)
The Qana municipality announced the death of Jilal Hariri, a fighter killed in an Israeli airstrike yesterday.
The Israeli military had previously said it had killed "Hezbollah commander" Jalal Hariri in an airstrike.
In south Lebanon, Hezbollah announced that it had fired rockets at a group of Israeli soldiers in an area between the villages of Odaisseh and Markaba (Marjayoun) at 5:40 p.m.
The Red Cross announced two wounded in an Israeli strike during a mission coordinated with the U.N. in south Lebanon.
In a statement, the organization explained that two ambulances were sent at 4:30 p.m. to intervene in Jwaya (Sour) after having made the necessary contacts with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. They arrived on the scene at 4:52 p.m. and the site was targeted at 5:10 p.m.
"The two ambulance drivers were slightly injured by shrapnel. The ambulance drivers and the two vehicles returned to Jabal Amel Hospital. The necessary medical examinations were carried out and their condition is not worrying," the Red Cross concluded.
In a new general assessment of the Israeli war on Lebanon, the Ministry of Health now counts 2,367 killed and 11,088 wounded, including 17 killed and 182 wounded for Tuesday alone.
These victims are divided as follows: Three killed and 92 wounded in South Lebanon, nine killed and 49 wounded in Nabatieh, five killed and 26 wounded in the Bekaa and 15 wounded in Baalbeck-Hermel.
The United States imposed sanctions against what it describes as a Lebanon-based sanctions evasion network that funnels millions of dollars to Hezbollah.
The action targets three people linked to Hezbollah's financial arm and four Lebanese companies registered to conceal their links with the group, according to a statement from the Treasury Department.
The United States also sanctioned three individuals involved in the production and sale of the amphetamine known as captagon, which it accuses of funding the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and its allies, including Hezbollah.
“Today’s action underscores Hizballah’s destabilizing influence in Lebanon and the broader region, as the group, its affiliates, and supporters continue to fund their operations through clandestine commercial activities and illicit trafficking of captagon,” Bradley T. Smith, deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in the statement.
Latest news from the Israeli-Lebanese border:
- Hezbollah announced that it fired rockets at a group of Israeli soldiers in Misgav am, opposite Kfar Kila (Marjayoun), at 5:30 p.m.
- According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south, violent clashes were heard in the village of Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil).
Israel accused President Emmanuel Macron of "shaming" France after the French government's decision to ban Israeli companies from exhibiting their equipment at the Euronaval naval defense show in early November near Paris.
"The decision to discriminate against the Israeli defense industry in France for a second time helps Israel's enemies in times of war," Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on X, saying that the French state "has adopted and is implementing a hostile policy toward" Israel.
The Israeli foreign minister assured that his country "grants the activities of UNIFIL" and "has no intention of harming this organization or its personnel."
"Moreover, Israel foresees an important role for UNIFIL in the 'aftermath' of the war [it is currently waging in Lebanon] against Hezbollah," wrote Israel Katz on his X account after the international outcry over Benjamin Netanyahu's call on Sunday to "protect" UNIFIL soldiers deployed in southern Lebanon.
Latest news from south Lebanon:
- Hezbollah announced that its fighters have been engaged, since 5 p.m., in violent clashes at zero distance with the Israeli forces in the vicinity of the village of Qaouzah (Bint Jbeil). The party added that its fighters are using different types of machine guns and that the confrontation has left several dead and wounded among the ranks of the Israeli forces.
- Israeli airstrikes targeted the villages of Odaisseh, Qabrikha, Aalman, Qoussair (Marjayoun), Froun, Ghandourieh (Bint Jbeil), Nabatieh al-Faouqa, Mayfadoun, Zaoutar (Nabatieh) and Marwahine (Sour).
The 16 EU countries participating in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) want to "exert maximum political and diplomatic pressure on Israel" in order to avoid "new incidents," according to a statement from the Italian government.
Following a videoconference between the defense ministers of these countries, the Italian Ministry of Defence issued a statement affirming their "shared desire to exert maximum political and diplomatic pressure on Israel in order to avoid further incidents."
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel will only hold negotiations with Hezbollah "under fire."
"I said that from day one, I said it in Gaza and I repeat it here," Gallant said from a military base near the Lebanese-Israeli border.
The U.S. and France have recently reiterated that their proposed cease-fire plan is still on the table and, while Hezbollah deputy leader Naim Qassem said last week that a cease-fire is a priority for the group, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to reject all attempts at mediation, going to far as to assassinate Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah two days after he agreed to the French-American proposal.
The funeral for people who were killed in Aito, in northern Lebanon's Zghorta district, where they had rented a house after having fled Israeli bombings in Aitaroun in southern Lebanon. The Israeli army bombed the house where they were taking refuge
During a press briefing, Israel's Ambassador to the U.N. was asked about the Israeli strike on Nabatieh's city hall this morning, which killed the mayor and several members of the city's municipal council as they were gathering to discuss aid and rescue operations for their war-battered residents.
The Israeli official, Danny Danon, replied: "We are targeting Hezbollah bases. We know that they take advantage of civilian installations. I can examine this specific incident and give you answers. But we have good information about what is happening in southern Lebanon. And we have proved that they cannot hide. They cannot hide. We will find the Hezbollah terrorists, wherever they are."
Violent clashes between Hezbollah fighters and Israeli soldiers are taking place right now in Qaouzah, a village about 2.5 kilometers from the Blue Line in Bint Jbeil district. According to a party statement, Hezbollah ambushed the infiltrating force, resulting in a number of casualties among the Israeli soldiers.
Israel's U.N. Ambassador Danny Danon said that Israel remains committed to working with its international partners to ensure aid reaches those who need it in the Gaza Strip, according to Reuters. Yesterday, the U.S. gave Israel one month to improve humanitarian aid access in Gaza — saying that it had reached an all-time low — or face potential restrictions on U.S. military aid.
Here are the latest updates from our correspondents in the South and the Bekaa:
• Rockets have been fired from southern Lebanon towards Israeli sites.
• An Israeli airstrike has targeted the village of Qaouzah, in Bint Jbeil district.
• The outskirts of the village of Younine, in Baalbek district, have been targeted by an Israeli airstrike.
According to L'Orient Today's correspondent in Bekaa, two people were killed and 15 others injured in the Israeli airstrike that targeted Yammouneh (Baalbeck district) earlier today.
Separately, the Health Ministry announced that two people were killed and nine injured in the Israeli airstrike that targeted the highway linking Riyak to Baalbeck.
Nearly 160,000 children in Gaza have received their second oral dose of polio vaccine after two days of a new round of vaccinations, the head of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) said on Wednesday, quoted by AFP.
This second round of the campaign began on Monday in the central Gaza Strip, with the aim of reaching around 590,000 children under the age of 10 across the Palestinian territory.
Latest updates from the Israeli-Lebanese border:
- Hezbollah announced that it fired artillery shells at a group of Israeli soldiers in the village of Misgav Am, opposite Kfar Kila (Marjayoun), at 3 p.m.
- Israeli airstrikes hit the area around the eastern entrance to the village of Odaisseh (Marjeyoun), an area located between Shoukine and Nabatieh and the village of Ebba, L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south reported.
- Israeli airstrikes also completely destroyed a residential and commercial complex in the village of Doueir and targeted a house in the village of Jebsheet (Nabatieh), according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.
An Israeli airstrike targeted a building on the Rayak-Baalbeck highway, killing three people.
Four soldiers in a Lebanese army vehicle that was passing nearby were also injured, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the Bekaa. They were taken to the Dar al-Amal University Hospital in Douris (Baalbeck).
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said during a debate in the British Parliament that his government was considering imposing sanctions on Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Starmer's statement comes a day after former British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said he supported sanctions against the two ministers, whom he described as "extremist" and "dangerous."
Cameron said imposing sanctions on the two ministers would be a good way to send a message to Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu about his government's actions.
On Tuesday, Downing Street announced that it had imposed further sanctions on seven Israeli groups linked to illegal settlement construction in the occupied West Bank. These "target three illegal settler outposts and four organizations that have supported and sponsored violence against communities in the West Bank," adding that the "measures impose strict financial restrictions on those who commit these acts."
The 16 European Union countries deploying troops within the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon "will remain engaged in UNIFIL," the French Ministry of the Armed Forces affirmed on Wednesday following a videoconference bringing them together.
"We will remain engaged in UNIFIL, which plays a key role within the framework of the mandate entrusted to it by the United Nations Security Council as an impartial observation force," the ministry said in a statement.
An Israeli attack on key nuclear sites is "improbable," the Iranian atomic agency said in a statement reported by AFP.
France banned Israeli companies from participating in an upcoming military naval exhibition, two sources told Reuters on Wednesday, the latest incident to highlight increasingly strained relations between the two allies.
The move comes as relations between French President Emmanuel Macron and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have become considerably strained in recent weeks, particularly following incidents involving UNIFIL peacekeepers who have been repeatedly targeted by Israeli fire in southern Lebanon.
The number of injured in the Israeli airstrike that targeted Yammouneh (Baalbek) has risen to 12, including three in critical condition, according to L'Orient Todat's correspondent in the Bekaa.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty said the differences between European states over the conflict in Gaza and Lebanon send the wrong message to Israel and Arab countries, saying it was unacceptable for these divisions to continue, according to Reuters.
Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party announced that it would soon hold an event promoting the colonization of the Gaza Strip, with the participation of at least a third of its MKs and at least one of its ministers, May Golan, responsible for social equality and the promotion of women in Israel.
"Prepare for the colonization of Gaza. We will call it together: Gaza is ours. Forever!" reads the official poster for the event, which is scheduled to take place on Monday, Oct. 21, on the occasion of the Jewish religious holiday of Sukkot.
The Israeli army, quoted by Haaretz, announced that it killed dozens of Hezbollah members in southern Lebanon over the past 24 hours, discovered four tunnels used by the fighters for shelter and storage of ammunition, and located two weapons storage sites located in civilian areas.
Four people, three men and a woman aged around 50, were injured by rocket fire on Majd al-Krum, a town in northern Israel near Karmiel, according to Haaretz. Hezbollah had announced that it had targeted Karmiel at 2:15 p.m. The explosion also caused material damage, in shops and on cars.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said his government is "looking into" possible sanctions against two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir over "abhorrent remarks."
"We are looking at this because there are undoubtedly abhorrent comments ... and other very concerning actions in the West Bank and across the region," Keir Starmer said during the weekly Prime Minister's Questions session in the House of Commons.
Hezbollah announced that it struck with artillery fire, at 2:30 p.m., a gathering of Israeli soldiers in Tel Qabaa, in Markaba, in Lebanese territory.
The situation in south Lebanon and the Bekaa:
Israeli strikes targeted Sefri and Temnine in the Bekaa, as well as Aita al-Shaab in the south, according to L'Orient Today's correspondents.
Residents of a building on Berri Avenue, east of Saida, evacuated their home after receiving a call from a landline number (07, the regional code for south Lebanon) asking them to leave the premises, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the south.
Security forces are currently following up on the case. L'Orient Today's correspondent added that there have been many similar calls recently that have turned out to be fake and intended to intimidate residents.
Hezbollah announced that it had launched "a large number of rockets" on Karmiel, east of Acre, about 20 kilometers from the border, at 2:15 p.m.
According to a new report from the Ministry of Health, the strikes on the headquarters of the municipality and the Union of Municipalities of Nabatieh left six dead and 43 injured. Searches continue in the rubble.
The situation in south Lebanon:
Israeli strikes targeted Houla, a house in Marwanieh, which had already been bombed the day before, Toul, where the strike targeted the surroundings of Ragheb Harb Hospital, Zefta, Mhaibib, Shehabieh, Mjadel, Mazraat Meshref, Tiri, Qlayleh, Maaroub. The town of Bint Jbeil was targeted ten times by the Israeli air force.
In Bekaa, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent, a strike targeted Yammouneh.
The Israeli military announced that 50 trucks of humanitarian aid entered the Gaza Strip today, according to Haaretz. On Monday, about 30 trucks were also allowed to enter the Palestinian enclave through the Kerem Shalom crossing in the south, while the Rafah crossing, usually controlled by Egypt, has been closed for several months after its takeover by the Israeli army. The statement said the aid comes from Jordan and includes food, water, medical supplies and shelter equipment.
According to UNRWA, the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, Juliette Touma, Gaza's 2.3 million people needed at least 500 truckloads of aid a day in normal times. On Tuesday, the United States gave Israel 30 days to improve access to humanitarian aid in Gaza or face potential restrictions on U.S. military aid.
The day before, a Gaza government official told Al Jazeera that no aid had been allowed to reach the northern Gaza Strip since Oct. 1.
A fourth Saudi plane carrying humanitarian aid has arrived at Beirut airport.
Videos showing airport employees unloading shipments of food, medical supplies and shelter materials on the airport tarmac were broadcast by the Saudi National News Agency, which added that the donations were provided by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSRelief) "to help the Lebanese people."
Caretaker Interior Minister, Bassam Mawlawi, strongly condemned the strikes on Nabatieh, particularly the one targeting the city's Serail, "which killed the municipal president, members of the Municipal Council, government employees, as well as a Civil Defense member, and injured innocent citizens." He stated that the crisis cell had gathered in the building to "coordinate relief operations and prepare aid for distribution to the residents" of the area.
Caretaker Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati has condemned the Israeli strikes on Nabatieh, in southern Lebanon, which “deliberately targeted a municipal council meeting.” In his statement, Mikati emphasized that the municipal officials were meeting to “discuss the situation and relief efforts.”
Hezbollah announced that it targeted an Israeli Merkava tank with a "guided missile" on the outskirts of Ramieh, in the Bint Jbeil district. The tank's crew was "killed and injured," according to the party's statement.
In the Bekaa Valley, after a relatively calm night and morning, our local correspondent reported renewed bombardments on Riyaq, hitting businesses and homes.
The five identified victims so far include the municipal president, Ahmad Kahil; Sadek Issa, a member of the Municipal Council; a media official at the municipality, Mohammad Bitar; Kassem Hijazi; and Mohammad Zahri.
Additionally, the name of a Civil Defense member, Nagi Fahs, was announced in a statement by the institution. He "was with his colleagues, fulfilling his national and humanitarian duty" at the Nabatieh municipal headquarters, according to the statement.
The governor of Nabatieh, Hwaida Turk, confirmed to our correspondent that those killed alongside the municipal president were part of the local "crisis cell," and that some bodies were still under the building's rubble.
"The president of the municipality and other council members refused to leave the city to assist residents who remained. They served the people until their final moments," she added. According to Turk, civilians were also present in the municipality during the bombing. "What happened — such a bombardment on an official building — is unacceptable."
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni will meet her Lebanese counterpart Najib Mikati this Friday, Oct.18, according to the official Italian government account, the day after Meloni's visit to Lebanon was announced.
She will also meet Jordan's King Abdullah II in Amman on the same day.
Two loud detonations were heard in several regions of Lebanon, particularly in the South, Beirut and its surroundings, and Kesrouan, after Israeli aircraft broke the sound barrier over these areas.
The Israeli army, in a message posted on X by its Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee, indicated that the "series of strikes" in the Nabatieh region this morning targeted "dozens of Hezbollah targets," including "military buildings, headquarters and weapons depots" of the party "near civilian buildings."
The Israeli army stated its naval forces have struck "dozens of Hezbollah targets" in South Lebanon, "in coordination with ground troops," marking the first such strikes since the launch of the operation "Northern Arrows" on Sept. 23.
An evacuation notice for the Lebanese coast and waters was issued by the Israeli army a week ago, declaring that any human presence south of the Awali River, which flows north of Saida, would be considered "hostile." According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than a quarter of Lebanon's territory and coastline have been affected by these evacuation notices nearly two weeks after Israel began ground incursions beyond the Blue Line.
In addition to the consecutive and deadly strikes on Nabatieh, Israeli airstrikes have bombarded the following localities in South Lebanon, according to information from local and security sources reported by our correspondent:
Majdal Selm (Marjayoun), Shaqra, Braasheet (both in Bint Jbeil), Habboush (Nabatieh), and Kafra, Qlayleh, Mjadel.
Artillery fire also targeted the outskirts of Naqoura.
The municipality of Nabatieh continued to keep its doors open, according to our correspondent in the South. According to our information, the people inside the bombed building, including the president of the municipality, were part of the local "crisis cell." No bodies have yet been retrieved from the rubble.
Mohammad Karchat, the president of the municipality of Qana, which was hit by a violent Israeli bombing last night, told L'Orient Today that rescue and clearing operations at the bombing site continued this morning.
Four bodies have been pulled from the rubble since last night.
One of the strikes in the Nabatieh region, which targeted the municipal Serail in the city, killed at least five people, including the president of the municipality, Ahmad Kahil, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Health and information from our South correspondent.
A photo showing Israeli soldiers posing proudly in front of the municipality of the border village of Ramieh (Bint Jbeil district) was circulated on social media this morning as the Israeli army continues to communicate about its ground invasion of South Lebanon.
A reverse image search showed no prior occurrence of this photo before yesterday. Old photos taken in front of this building suggest that the location is indeed the municipality of Ramieh.
Photo provided by our correspondent Muntasser Abdallah.
The Israeli air force has carried out over 15 strikes on the town of Nabatieh, in southern Lebanon, and the surrounding area, according to our correspondent. These strikes were carried out with large-caliber missiles and formed a “belt of fire” around the town. Images obtained by local people show dozens of columns of smoke above Nabatieh and behind the surrounding hills.
The shelling targeted Zebdine, Nabatieh al-Tahta, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Kfar Tebnit and Kfar Joz. The detonations were heard as far away as Saida.
According to local residents, many ambulances headed for Nabatieh. No information was immediately available on the number of potential victims.
Iran “will respond resolutely” to any Israeli attack, warned Iranian diplomatic chief Abbas Araghchi during a call yesterday with U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, against a backdrop of high regional tensions.
“Iran is making considerable efforts to protect the peace and security of the region, but is fully prepared to respond decisively to any adventure” by Israel and "make it regret it," said the Iranian Foreign Ministry in a statement issued today.
In a message published on X, the Israeli army's Arabic-speaking spokesman, Avichay Adraee, claimed responsibility for a strike on “a strategic Hezbollah arms depot” in the southern suburbs of Beirut. The “underground warehouse” that the Israeli army claims to have targeted contained “combat equipment.”
In the Bekaa, the night was relatively calm after a violent Tuesday across different parts of the plain. While no strikes have been reported since last night, drones constantly flew at low altitudes over the region, according to our local correspondent.
In a joint statement, Shin Bet and Israeli police announced the arrest of Vladimir Verchovsky, a 35-year-old Israeli accused of agreeing to assassinate an Israeli scientist for $100,000 on behalf of Iranian agents, according to Haaretz.
Verchovsky allegedly carried out tasks such as gathering intelligence and was found in possession of a firearm intended for the planned assassination. He is scheduled to appear in court in Lod, central Israel, where authorities are seeking to extend his detention and press charges.
World Bank President Ajay Banga estimated that the cost of damage caused by the war in Gaza now ranges between $14 billion and $20 billion. He added that the destruction from Israeli bombings in South Lebanon would add to this regional total, Reuters reported.
Banga stated at an event in Washington that the war has had a relatively small impact on the global economy but warned that a "significant extension of the conflict" involving other countries, especially those contributing more to global growth, such as commodity exporters, could have a more severe impact.
"First of all, I think these incredible losses of human life — women, children, others, civilians — are simply unacceptable on both sides," Banga said. "Secondly, the economic impact of this war largely depends on how far it spreads."
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi will visit Jordan, Egypt and Turkey as part of a "diplomatic effort with regional countries to end the genocide, atrocities and aggression," said an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson in a message posted on X. Iran's top diplomat is on a regional tour focused on Israel's war on Gaza, which has recently taken him to Iraq, Lebanon, Oman, Syria and Saudi Arabia.
During a visit to Muscat earlier this week, Araghchi told Iranian state television that indirect contacts between Iran and the United States through Oman had been suspended due to the regional situation.
Since 8 a.m., heavy bombardments have targeted the eastern border area, causing explosions heard for miles, according to our local correspondent.
New bombardments have also targeted Markaba and Taybeh, which have been hit multiple times.
Other Israeli strikes between 10 p.m. and midnight targeted Kafra, Khiam, where five intense strikes hit residential areas, as well as Shehabieh (Sour district), Sarbine, Aita al-Shaab (both in Bint Jbeil), Froun (Sour), Iklim al-Touffah, and a cooperative in Mjadel.
In the early hours of Wednesday, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for several attacks on Israeli positions:
At 1:40 a.m., it launched a "large number of missiles" toward the city of Safed, around 15 kilometers from the border.
At 2:30 a.m., it struck an "artillery position" in Dalton, about eight kilometers from the border.
At the same time, it hit another "artillery position" in Dishon, a border town facing the Lebanese village of Aitaroun (Bint Jbeil).
At 3:40 a.m., it launched a rocket attack on Yiftah, another border village, across from Blida (Bint Jbeil).
This morning in South Lebanon, artillery fire continued to target Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil), Markaba, Houla, Rabb Thalathin (all three in Marjayoun) and Taybeh, as well as the heights of Odaisseh, Khiam (both in Marjayoun district), Kfar Shuba (Hasbaya), and Shebaa, according to our local correspondent.
The night was marked by violent clashes, with machine gun and rocket fire between Hezbollah fighters and the Israeli army in Rabb Thalathin (Marjayoun district), where the Israeli army attempted incursions on Tuesday, and in Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil district).
No information was immediately available regarding potential casualties.
These are the first strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs in a week. The bombardments, which had been occurring daily, especially at night, since the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, had ceased in recent days. Some media reported an "order" from the Israeli government after a call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu last Wednesday. However, these reports were denied by a "political source" cited in Haaretz on Sunday.
Shortly before 7 a.m., Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs three times, according to AFP and the state-run National News Agency (NNA). Black smoke was seen rising from the targeted neighborhoods.
According to the NNA, one of these strikes hit a building in Haret Hreik, near the "Martyr Mohammad Fayiq" school. The Israeli army, minutes before the bombardment, had called for the evacuation of a building near this institution.
Good morning. Thank you for joining us for our live coverage of the Gaza and Lebanon wars.
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