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A view of Iran’s Kharg Island, home to the country’s main crude oil export terminal. (Credit: European Space Agency/AFP)

Live Middle East

Explosions near Kharg Island: US military says it destroyed three IRGC oil tankers after attacks on two US Navy ships | LIVE

What you need to know

The Israeli army caused three explosions in Mansouri this morning.

The Israeli army says it struck 'Hezbollah targets' in southern Lebanon after a drone attack.

Iranian media reported 'multiple explosions' heard near Kharg Island, which hosts the country's main oil terminal in the Gulf.

19:11 Beirut Time

Israel drops explosives over Ali Taher area, continues demolitions in Mansouri

An Israeli drone dropped explosives over the forested area of Ali Taher (Nabatieh).

Israeli forces continued demolitions in Mansouri (Sour), bringing the total number of explosions recorded there today to 14.

19:11 Beirut Time

Health Ministry says 8,925 killed, 30,595 wounded since Oct. 8, 2023

The Health Ministry said Israeli attacks in Lebanon from March 2 through Sept. 5 killed 4,358 people and wounded 12,359.

Including both wars since Oct. 8, 2023, the death toll stands at 8,925, with 30,595 wounded, according to the Health Ministry.

19:10 Beirut Time

Israeli explosions, sonic bombs and excavation work continue in southern Lebanon

The Israeli army carried out a demolition in Arnoun (Nabatieh).

Israeli forces also dropped a sonic bomb in the Al-Arish neighborhood of Haris (Bint Jbeil), while Israeli bulldozers carried out excavation work in the area known as Mashaa in Mansouri (Sour), according to our correspondent.

19:09 Beirut Time

Habib Sadek’s villa in Kfour destroyed by Israeli strikes

The villa of former Lebanese lawmaker Habib Sadek was destroyed yesterday night by Israeli strikes in Kfour (Nabatieh), according to our southern Lebanon correspondent, who published photos showing the house before and after the strike, with only rubble remaining.

Sadek, who served in Parliament in 1992 after the end of Lebanon’s civil war, was also a left-wing intellectual. He died in 2023 at the age of 92.

19:08 Beirut Time

4 killed, 32 wounded in yesterday’s Israeli strikes on Lebanon

The Health Ministry revised upward the toll from yesterday’s Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley, reporting four killed and 32 wounded.

In the Nabatieh district, one person was killed and three were wounded, including a woman, in Nabatieh; two people were killed in Kfar Rummane; one 18-year-old woman and nine others, including three women and two children, were wounded in Maifdoun; two people were wounded in Nabatieh al-Fawqa; and one was wounded in Kfour.

In the Sour district, 16 people were wounded, including four women and three children, in Ramadieh.

In the Western Bekaa, one person was wounded in Ain al-Tineh.

17:17 Beirut Time

Iran resisted U.S. attacks despite Washington’s military superiority, senior Iranian military official says

Iran should “be proud of having stood firm against an enemy equipped with all types of technology,” the deputy chief of Iran’s armed forces for coordination affairs said.

Habibollah Sayyari described the war as a test of will and endurance, in remarks reported by Mehr News Agency.

“When an enemy fails to achieve the objectives it had set in advance during a war, it means that it has been defeated,” Sayyari said today.

17:17 Beirut Time

U.S. says it struck three Iranian oil tankers after missile attacks on two U.S. Navy ships

U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said it had struck “three Iranian oil tankers carrying crude oil on Sept. 5,” saying the strikes “follow ballistic missiles launched by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC] toward two U.S. Navy warships patrolling the waters of the region.”

“A U.S. aircraft carrier and a guided-missile destroyer successfully evaded multiple unprovoked Iranian attacks,” CENTCOM said in a statement posted on X, adding that no U.S. personnel were wounded.

In retaliation, CENTCOM said it had “permanently disabled” the IRGC crude oil tankers M/T Downy, off Kharg Island, and M/T Stark 1, near Jask. “U.S. forces also completely destroyed the M/T Kylo crude oil tanker, also known as ‘Noxen,’ which was empty, in the Gulf of Oman. The vessel was struck at several critical points to render it unusable after its crew was ordered to abandon ship,” the statement continued.

According to the U.S. military, the three Iranian crude oil tankers “are part of a multibillion-dollar clandestine network that funds the IRGC and its allied groups in the region.” CENTCOM said Iran had no means of defending the vessels.

“Let the message to the IRGC be perfectly clear: If you fire on two of our ships, we will impose an even greater economic cost on you — by disabling three of yours,” CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper said. “We will not hesitate to defend U.S. forces and, if necessary, destroy Iran’s limited and vulnerable oil fleet,” the U.S. military official added.

16:44 Beirut Time

Israeli army carries out large-scale explosion in Bani Hayyan, demolishes homes around Doubieh Castle and nine structures in Mansouri

The Israeli army detonated structures in Bani Hayyan (Marjayoun).

Israeli forces booby-trapped several homes around Doubieh Castle after advancing from the western outskirts of Mais al-Jabal (Marjayoun).

The Israeli army carried out a total of nine explosions in Mansouri (Sour) today.

16:43 Beirut Time

Revolutionary Guards say they killed two suspects who were planning attacks

The ground forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two people were killed during a joint operation. They allegedly belonged to a group that intended to “carry out terrorist acts against predetermined targets” in Sistan-Baluchistan province, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported.

According to a statement from the IRGC ground forces’ Quds Headquarters, the group was allegedly affiliated with the United States and Israel and intended to carry out “terrorist acts in the province in coordination with the American war,” but “by the grace of Almighty God, they were neutralized before any terrorist act could be carried out.”

“The Quds Headquarters warns the mercenaries of the infamous Zionist regime [Israel] and the terrorist American regime that the security of the population of Sistan-Baluchistan province is our red line. We will not allow any mercenary to enter or move around the region, and we will deal with them harshly,” the statement added.

16:43 Beirut Time

Revolutionary Guards say they killed two suspects who were planning attacks

The ground forces of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said two people were killed during a joint operation. They allegedly belonged to a group that intended to “carry out terrorist acts against predetermined targets” in Sistan-Baluchistan province, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported.

According to a statement from the IRGC ground forces’ Quds Headquarters, the group was allegedly affiliated with the United States and Israel and intended to carry out “terrorist acts in the province in coordination with the American war,” but “by the grace of Almighty God, they were neutralized before any terrorist act could be carried out.”

“The Quds Headquarters warns the mercenaries of the infamous Zionist regime [Israel] and the terrorist American regime that the security of the population of Sistan-Baluchistan province is our red line. We will not allow any mercenary to enter or move around the region, and we will deal with them harshly,” the statement added.

16:41 Beirut Time

Israeli explosions reported in Beit Yahoun and Mansouri

An Israeli explosion was reported in Beit Yahoun (Bint Jbeil).

In Mansouri (Sour), an Israeli drone dropped a sound bomb, followed by another explosion carried out by the Israeli army, our southern Lebanon correspondent reported.

15:05 Beirut Time

Hezbollah condemns ongoing Israeli attacks and criticizes government’s approach to negotiations

Hezbollah condemned what it described as Israel’s ongoing escalation against Lebanon, accusing the United States of supporting the attacks and the Lebanese government of failing to protect the country.

In a statement, the group said Israel was continuing its campaign of “killing, bombardment, destruction and systematic demolition of homes and villages,” adding that Thursday’s attacks killed four people and wounded dozens.

Hezbollah accused the Lebanese government of a “total absence” in fulfilling its responsibilities and of persisting in what it described as “wrong choices marked by submission and surrender.”

The group said the ongoing Israeli attacks were being carried out with “the full collaboration, cover and planning of the United States,” aimed at pressuring Lebanese authorities to implement a known agenda, “even if this plunges Lebanon into the quagmire of internal conflicts.”

Hezbollah also criticized the government’s direct negotiations with Israel and the framework agreement between the two sides, saying Israel’s continued occupation, attacks and destruction demonstrated the failure of the process.

The group stressed that the release of some Lebanese detainees was important but “cannot serve as a pretext to obscure the continued aggression, occupation and killing of Lebanese.”

Hezbollah called on Lebanese authorities to “reconsider their calculations,” set aside their differences and return to what it described as “unifying national principles” that protect Lebanon’s sovereignty.

It also urged Lebanese citizens to “stand united behind a unified national position” to preserve the country’s strength and sovereignty, as well as its ability to confront Israeli attacks.

13:50 Beirut Time

Fires spread on outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqieh after Israeli artillery fire

Video relayed by Muntasser Abdallah/OLJ.

Fires spread on the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqieh (Nabatieh), toward Mayfadoun, following Israeli artillery fire, according to our southern Lebanon correspondent.


13:48 Beirut Time

Bekaa man killed in Israeli strike on Ramadieh

Mohammad Hussein Munzer, from the town of Tamnine al-Fawqa in the Bekaa, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Ramadieh (Sour) last night, according to local reports.

13:48 Beirut Time

Parachute-like object spotted over Zawtar al-Sharqieh as Israeli fire targets outskirts of locality

An object resembling a parachute was spotted flying over Zawtar al-Sharqieh (Nabatieh) and surrounding areas. Its nature and what it was carrying remain unknown, according to local reports.

An Israeli Merkava tank stationed inside the locality bombarded the outskirts of Zawtar al-Sharqieh. Fires subsequently spread near the locality toward Mayfadoun following the shelling.

13:38 Beirut Time

Western powers draft UN resolution to refer Iran to Security Council

The United States, Britain, France and Germany have drafted a resolution that could be submitted to the governing board of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, seeking to refer Iran’s noncompliance with its nuclear nonproliferation obligations to the U.N. Security Council, diplomats told The Associated Press, according to Haaretz.

According to an AP report, Iran’s obligations under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons require it to declare all its nuclear materials and activities and allow inspectors from the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency to verify that none of those materials is diverted to non-peaceful uses.

The draft resolution calls on IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to transmit the resolution, along with previously adopted resolutions, to all IAEA member states, the Security Council and the U.N. General Assembly, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the IAEA statute.

According to diplomats, the resolution is still being negotiated and has not yet been formally submitted to the board. The draft could therefore still change, as board members may propose amendments.

13:01 Beirut Time

Senior Iranian official says US sanctions will not make country ‘ineffective’

Iran’s first vice president said the United States had “resorted to economic warfare” after failing to achieve its objectives through military means.

“The foundation of the new fronts opened by the enemy is economic; we can successfully confront them by drawing on valuable experiences, particularly those gained at the headquarters tasked with combating sanctions,” Mohammad Reza Aref said.

“Sanctions have a cost and slow our momentum, but they cannot make the country ineffective. One benefit of sanctions has been the shift from an assembly-based industry to local production, which has effectively reduced dollar-denominated purchases from abroad,” he added.

12:57 Beirut Time

Israeli strikes kill three and wound 23 yesterday evening, Health Ministry says

Israeli strikes in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley killed three people and wounded 23 yesterday evening, the Health Ministry said.

An Israeli strike on Ramadieh (Sour) killed one person and wounded 15 others, including six members of the Risala Scouts medical team (Amal Movement), three women and two children.

An Israeli strike targeting a motorcycle killed two people in Kfar Remmane (Nabatiyeh), the ministry said.

Israeli strikes wounded three people in Nabatieh al-Fawqa (Nabatieh), including one woman, and four others in Mayfadoun (Nabatieh), including two women.

An Israeli strike also wounded a Syrian national in Ain al-Tineh (West Bekaa), according to the ministry.

12:01 Beirut Time

Media report explosions near Kharg Island in the Gulf

Iranian media reported “several explosions” heard near Kharg Island, which houses the country’s main oil terminal in the Gulf, amid renewed hostilities with the United States. The Fars news agency reported “several explosions” but said no smoke was visible, while local agency SNN reported that “an Iranian oil tanker was targeted by the United States” near the island.

Iranian and U.S. authorities have not immediately commented on the reports.

Clashes between the two sides resumed Sunday with U.S. attacks on Iran, as the conflict entered its seventh month.

12:01 Beirut Time

Israeli army says it struck “Hezbollah targets” in southern Lebanon after drone attack

The Israeli army said it struck Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon overnight, including weapons depots, following what it described as an attempted drone attack against Israeli soldiers in a designated security zone.

According to the Israeli army, a drone was launched Friday toward its soldiers. No Israeli military personnel were wounded.

The army said the strikes targeted facilities that it claimed were intended to plan and direct attacks against Israeli forces and Israeli civilians. It added that the strikes were carried out to eliminate what it described as an immediate threat.

12:00 Beirut Time

Israeli army carries out three detonations in Mansouri

The Israeli army carried out three detonations this morning in Mansouri (Sour), according to our southern Lebanon correspondent.

11:59 Beirut Time

Overnight escalation in southern Lebanon: Israeli strikes kill and wound several

Israeli warplanes carried out a series of heavy airstrikes yesterday evening targeting occupied homes located outside the so-called “Yellow Line,” according to our correspondent in the region.

The strikes targeted Ramadieh (Sour), Kfar Rummane, Nabatieh al-Fawqa, Mayfadoun and Kfour in the Nabatieh district. A woman was killed and six people were wounded in Ramadieh, two people were killed in Kfar Rummane and an 18-year-old woman was killed in Mayfadoun, while several others were wounded.

The strikes continued after 10 p.m., with two consecutive airstrikes targeting Nabatieh al-Fawqa, accompanied by artillery fire. After 11 p.m., Israeli forces fired machine guns toward Hadatha (Bint Jbeil), while Wadi Slouki was targeted by seven artillery shells.

Around midnight, a surface-to-surface missile launched from Israeli territory targeted the building of the Ghandour family association, located opposite Ghandour Hospital in Nabatieh al-Fawqa. Dohat Kfar Rummane (Nabatieh) was also targeted by artillery fire.

Around 2 a.m., Israeli artillery targeted Wadi al-Houjeir (Marjayoun), before artillery fire targeted Bani Hayyan (Marjayoun) after 3 a.m.

11:58 Beirut Time

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of developments in Lebanon, particularly in the south, where a new escalation by the Israeli army is underway in retaliation for a “drone attack” by Hezbollah. This comes two days after Thursday evening’s surprise announcement that the Israeli army had taken “operational control” of the strategic Ali Taher hill, a claim that has not yet been confirmed or denied by other sources.

We will also follow developments between Iran and the United States in this live coverage, amid renewed hostilities this week. The conflict is entering its seventh month, while negotiations remain deadlocked.