Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set to lead Friday prayers and deliver a public sermon that could shed light on the Islamic republic’s plans after a massive missile attack on Israel.
Updated – October 04, 2024 12:30 pm IST
A woman walks past damaged buildings and debris in the aftermath of a strike, amid ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Beirut’s southern suburbs, Lebanon October 3, 2024. | Photo Credit: Reuters
The Israeli military on Thursday (October 3, 2024) night warned people to evacuate communities in southern Lebanon that are outside a U.N.-declared buffer zone, signalling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces said they had struck around 200 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including weapons-storage facilities and observation posts. Strikes continued overnight when a series of massive blasts rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs. It was not immediately clear what was targeted or if there were casualties.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on Thursday (October 3, 2024) to discuss the outbreak of fresh hostilities in West Asia, sources said. The West Asia conflict and its impact on trade and supply of petroleum products was discussed in the meeting.
Iran on Tuesday (October 1, 2024) fired nearly 200 ballistic missiles toward Israel, stoking fears that the escalating attacks, including an Israeli response, will explode into an all-out regional war. Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since the day after Hamas, another Iranian-backed militant group, attacked Israel on October 7, triggering the war in Gaza.
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October 04, 2024 12:30
Israeli evacuation order in 20 more southern Lebanese towns
The Israeli military on Friday (October 4, 2024) told the residents of over 20 more southern towns in Lebanon to evacuate immediately, spokesperson Avichay Adraee said.
Beirut’s southern suburb of Dahiye, a stronghold of the Iran-backed Hezbollah, came under renewed strikes near midnight on Thursday after Israel ordered people to leave their homes in some areas, residents and security sources said.
Israel Army also claimed to attack Hezbollah’s headquarters in Beirut. Sources related to Hezbollah said three of their rescue workers got wounded from airstrikes.- Reuters
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October 04, 2024 12:20
Israeli strikes hits Hezbollah linked rescue workers in Beirut
An Israeli strike hit Hezbollah-linked rescue workers in Beirut’s southern suburbs, wounding three, a Lebanese security source told Reuters on Friday (October 4, 2024).
A fire burns in a damaged building at the site of overnight Israeli airstrikes on the Mreijeh neighbourhood in Beirut’s southern suburbs on October 4, 2024.
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October 04, 2024 11:36
U.N. peacekeepers are not moving from Lebanon’s southern border despite Israel’s request
U.N. peacekeepers are remaining in their positions on Lebanon’s southern border despite Israel’s request to vacate some locations before it launched its recent ground operation, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said.
Jean-Pierre LaCroix said the UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force In Lebanon), is in constant contact with their counterparts in the Israeli Defense Force and the Lebanese Armed Force, which he called “very important” to protect the U.N.’s more than 10,000 peacekeepers which is paramount.
UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion. The U.N. expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border.- AP
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October 04, 2024 11:10
We don’t want to die here’, says Sierra Leone migrants trapped in Lebanon
When an Israeli air strike killed her employer and destroyed nearly everything she owned in southern Lebanon, it also crushed Fatima Samuella Tholley’s hopes of returning home to Sierra Leone to escape the spiralling violence.
“I have nothing… no passport, no documents,” she said.
The spike in violence in Lebanon since mid-September has killed more than 1,000 people and forced hundreds of thousands more to flee their homes, as Israel bombards Hezbollah strongholds around the country.- AFP
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October 04, 2024 10:52
Israeli strike closes off road used to flee Lebanon to Syria
An Israeli strike on Friday morning near Lebanon’s Masnaa border crossing with Syria cut off a road used by hundreds of thousands of people to flee Israeli bombardments in recent days, Lebanon Transport Minister Ali Hamieh told Reuters.
Mr. Hamieh said the strike hit inside Lebanese territory near the border crossing, creating a four-metre (12 feet) wide crater.
An Israel Defence Forces (IDF) military spokesman had accused Lebanese armed group Hezbollah on Thursday of using the crossing to transport military equipment into Lebanon.
“The IDF will not allow the smuggling of these weapons and will not hesitate to act if forced to do so, as it has done throughout this war,” IDF spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.
-Reuters
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October 04, 2024 10:26
Turkey asks the U.N. to take action to prevent further Israeli violence
Turkey is urging the United Nations Security Council and other “actors” shaping global politics to take swift action to prevent further Israeli attacks that it says are escalating conflict in West Asia.
In a statement, Turkey says it will stand by the people and government of Lebanon against “Israel’s inhumane attacks.”
The statement also condemns Israel’s decision to ban U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country as the latest example of “Israel’s lawlessness.”
-AP
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October 04, 2024 10:02
Israel says it has killed another senior Hezbollah leader
The Israeli military says it has killed a senior Hezbollah militant involved in the group’s development of precision guided missiles.
It says Mohammed Anisi was killed in a recent airstrike that targeted the militant group’s intelligence branch in Beirut.
Hezbollah has not commented on the Israeli military’s claim. If it is true, it would mark the latest in a string of assassinations of top Hezbollah officials in recent weeks, including its longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.
-AP
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October 04, 2024 09:37
Israeli strike in Beirut kills 9
An Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the Lebanese capital killed nine people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.
There was no warning before the strike late Wednesday, which hit the building close to the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament. Hezbollah’s civil defence unit said seven of its members were killed.
-AP
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October 04, 2024 09:12
18 killed in Israeli strike on Tulkarem refugee camp: Palestinian Health Ministry
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 18 people were killed Thursday in an Israeli strike on the Tulkarem refugee camp in the West Bank. It was the deadliest strike in the occupied territory since the Israel-Hamas war erupted last October.
The Israeli army said the strike killed Hamas’ leader in Tulkarem. Hamas condemned the strike but did not confirm if any of its members were killed.
The military said the strike was carried out in coordination with the Shin Bet internal security service, but it gave no details on the target. Tulkarem is a militant stronghold in the northern West Bank.
-AP
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October 04, 2024 08:57
Australia tightens security ahead of Oct 6-7 pro-Palestine protests
Australian authorities said on Friday they would deploy more police personnel and tighten security measures ahead of pro-Palestine rallies in Sydney and Melbourne on Oct. 6, warning protesters there would be no tolerance of violence.
The Israel-Hamas conflict has triggered protests from both Jewish and Palestinian groups across the world, including in Australia, as the government raised concerns that the protests could inflame community tensions and disrupt social harmony.
-Reuters
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October 04, 2024 08:34
Biden says he does not believe there will be ‘all-out war’ in Middle East
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday he did not believe there is going to be an “all-out war” in the Middle East.
Asked how confident he was that such a war can be averted, he paused and told reporters: “How confident are you it’s not going to rain? Look, I don’t believe there is going to be an all-out war. I think we can avoid it.”
He added: “But there is a lot to do yet, a lot to do yet.”
When asked if he would send American troops to help Israel, he responded: “We have already helped Israel. We are going to protect Israel.”
-Reuters
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October 04, 2024 08:24
U.N. peacekeepers stay on Lebanon’s border despite Israeli ground incursion
U.N. peacekeepers are staying in their positions on Lebanon’s southern border despite Israel’s request to vacate some areas before it launched its ground operation against Hezbollah militants, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said Thursday.
Jean-Pierre Lacroix said the commander and liaison officers from the U.N. force, known as UNIFIL, also are in constant contact with their counterparts in the Israeli and Lebanese militaries. He called that key to protecting the U.N.’s more than 10,000 peacekeepers.
-AP
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October 04, 2024 08:15
Khamenei to give rare Friday sermon after attack on Israel
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set to lead Friday prayers and deliver a public sermon that could shed light on the Islamic republic’s plans after a massive missile attack on enemy Israel.
Khamenei’s rare Friday sermon — a first in almost five years — comes three days before the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, triggered by the Iran-backed Palestinian group’s October 7 attack.
The supreme leader, who wields the highest authority in Iran, will lead Muslims in prayer at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran, his official website said.
The prayer will follow “a commemoration ceremony” at 10:30 am (0700 GMT) for Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of Tehran-backed Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah.
-AFP
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October 04, 2024 08:07
FIFA opts not to suspend Israel but will investigate Palestinian claims of discrimination
FIFA stopped short of suspending the Israeli football federation on Thursday, but asked for a disciplinary investigation of possible discrimination alleged by Palestinian football officials.
A senior FIFA panel overseeing governance will separately investigate “the participation in Israeli competitions of Israeli football teams allegedly based in the territory of Palestine,” the governing body said after a meeting of its ruling Council.
The Palestinian football federation has consistently asked FIFA for more than a decade to take action against the Israeli football body for incorporating teams from West Bank settlements in its leagues.
-AP
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October 04, 2024 07:50
U.N. Security Council backs Guterres after Israel bars him from country
The United Nations Security Council on Thursday expressed its full support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after Israel’s foreign minister said he was barring him from entering the country.
The 15-member council said in a statement that “any decision not to engage with the U.N. Secretary-General or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East.”
-Reuters
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October 04, 2024 07:37
U.S. arranges flights to bring Americans out of Lebanon as others seek escape
U.S.-arranged flights have brought about 250 Americans and their relatives out of Lebanon this week during escalated fighting between Israel and Hezbollah, while thousands of others still there face airstrikes and diminishing commercial flights.
In Washington, senior State Department and White House officials met Thursday with two top Arab American officials to discuss U.S. efforts to help American citizens leave Lebanon. The two leaders also separately met with officials from the Department of Homeland Security.
-AP
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October 04, 2024 07:25
Joe Biden declines public negotiation on Israel’s stance on Iranian oil sites
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday he will not negotiate in public when asked if he had urged Israel not to attack Iran’s oil facilities.
Mr. Biden earlier in the day contributed to a surge in global oil prices when he said Washington was discussing strikes on Iran’s oil facilities. A U.S. official later said Washington does not believe Israel has decided yet how to respond to Iran.
Mr. Biden on Wednesday said the U.S. did not support any Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites.
-Reuters
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October 04, 2024 07:07
PM Modi chairs Cabinet Committee on Security meet amid West Asia crisis
Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on Thursday (October 3, 2024) to discuss the outbreak of fresh hostilities in West Asia, sources said.
The sources said the West Asia conflict and its impact on trade and supply of petroleum products was discussed in the meeting.
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October 04, 2024 07:06
Oil edges up on West Asia conflict but supply outlook limits gains
Oil prices inched up in early Asian trading hours on Friday, holding on to their strong weekly gains, as investors weighed the West Asia conflict and the potential disruption in crude flows against an amply-supplied global market.
U.S. President Joe Biden said on Thursday the U.S. was discussing strikes on Iran’s oil facilities as retaliation for Tehran’s missile attack on Israel. The comments contributed to a 5% rally in oil prices.
-Reuters
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October 04, 2024 07:06
Israel extends evacuation warnings in Lebanon
The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate communities in southern Lebanon that are outside a U.N.-declared buffer zone, signalling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group.
Israel told people to leave Nabatieh, a provincial capital, and other communities north of the Litani river, which formed the northern edge of the border zone established by the UN Security Council after the two sides fought a war in 2006.
-AP
Published – October 04, 2024 07:06 am IST
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