In a statement, Israeli military said it had eliminated Mohammad Rashid Sakafi on October 3, 2024.
Updated – October 04, 2024 04:38 pm IST
File picture of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that Iran’s recent missile attack on Israel was “legal and legitimate” and was the minimum punishment for Israel’s “crimes.”
Mr. Khamenei was leading Friday prayers and was to deliver a rare public sermon in the Iranian capital, Tehran. In a 40-minute speech, he praised Tuesday’s missile barrage against Israel as a shining job by Iranian armed forces. “It will be done in the future again if it becomes necessary,” he said.
There was a commemoration ceremony for the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah beforehand. Most high-ranking Iranian officials, including President Masoud Pezeshkian and the Revolutionary Guard’s top generals, attended the ceremony.
An Israeli airstrike has cut off a main highway linking Lebanon with Syria, leaving two huge craters on either side of the road. The airstrike Friday rendered the road unusable for cars, leaving people to go on foot to the Masnaa Border Crossing, where tens of thousands of people fleeing war in Lebanon have crossed into Syria over the past two weeks.
Follow the live updates here:
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October 04, 2024 16:07
IDF continues assault on Southern Lebanon as Hezbollah launches rockets into Israel
RIHANIYA ISRAEL – OCTOBER 04: Smoke rises from a village across the border of Lebanon following a strike by the Israeli air force on October 04, 2024 in Rihaniya, Israel. The war between Israel and Hezbollah has entered a new phase as Israel has launched a ground offensive in southern Lebanon and escalated its aerial campaign there. Meanwhile, Hezbollah has continued firing rockets into northern Israel, a regular occurrence since Oct. 7 of last year, when the Iran-backed militant group said it was attacking Israel in solidarity with Hamas in Gaza. (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)
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October 04, 2024 16:02
Iran’s Foreign Minister arrives in Beirut
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beirut where he will discuss with Lebanese officials the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah.
The Iranian official arrived in Lebanon as Israel launched new airstrikes on different parts of Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburb, south Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley.
Mr. Araghchi’s visit to Beirut came after Iran launched at least 180 missiles Tuesday into Israel, part of a series of rapidly escalating attacks that threaten to push the Middle East closer to a region wide war.
– AP
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October 04, 2024 15:27
Khamenei defends Oct 7 Hamas attack on Israel as ‘logical and legal’
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that last year’s Hamas attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza, was “logical and legal”.
“The Al-Aqsa Flood attacks that took place around this time last year were a logical and legal international move and the Palestinians were right,” Mr. Khamenei said.
– AFP
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October 04, 2024 15:14
Hezbollah says shelled Israel troops in Lebanon border area
Lebanese militant group Hezbollah said it shelled Israeli troops in a border area of south Lebanon Friday, in the latest such clash on the frontier.
The Iran-backed group said its fighters targeted “Israeli enemy troops in the Maroun al-Ras plain with artillery”.
– AFP
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October 04, 2024 15:10
Mohammad Rashid Sakafi eliminated, says Israeli military
Israel’s military said on Friday (October 4, 2024) that it had eliminated the head of Hezbollah’s communication networks, Mohammad Rashid Sakafi, by conducting a “precise, intelligence-based strike” in Beirut on Thursday (October 3, 2024)
– Reuters
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October 04, 2024 14:58
Khamenei says resistance against Israel won’t back down
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vowed in a rare address on Friday (October 4, 2024) that his allies around the region would keep fighting Israel, as he defended his country’s missile strike on his country’s arch-foe.
The Iran Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had a rifle by his side as he addressed worshippers in Tehran in a rare public sermon, days after Iran’s missile attack on Israel.
Mr. Khamenei delivered the sermon — his first in nearly five year — to thousands of worshippers carrying portraits of slain leaders of Iran’s “axis of resistance” against Israel and the United States.
Click below to read the full story
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says Iran’s allies ‘will not back down’ in war with Israel
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei vows to continue fighting Israel, defending missile strikes, amid escalating tensions in the region.
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October 04, 2024 14:44
Iran will not delay nor rush to confront Israel: Khamenei
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that his country would not “procrastinate or rush to carry out its duty” in confronting Israel.
“The brilliant action of our armed forces a couple of nights ago was completely legal and legitimate,” he said, referring to Iran’s missile attack on Israel.
– Reuters
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October 04, 2024 14:33
Khamenei calls for Defense unity across Muslim nations
Iran leader Khamenei says Muslim nations have to strap the belt of defense from Afghanistan to Yemen, from Iran to Gaza and Lebanon.
– Reuters
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October 04, 2024 14:13
Israeli airstrikes hits Beirut; cut off key crossing into Syria
Israel carried out a series of massive airstrikes overnight in southern suburbs of Beirut and another that cut off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria.
The new wave of strikes came after Israel warned people to evacuate communities in southern Lebanon that are outside a United Nations-declared buffer zone, as the yearlong conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah escalates.
The blasts overnight rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs, sending huge plumes of smoke and flames into the night sky and shaking buildings kilometers (miles) away in the Lebanese capital. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on what the intended target was, and there was no information immediately available on casualties.
– AP
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October 04, 2024 14:11
Slain chief Nasrallah temporarily buried: Source close to Hezbollah
A source close to Hezbollah said Friday the Lebanese militant group’s slain chief Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily buried in a secret location fearing Israel would target a large funeral.
“Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily buried, until the circumstances allow for a public funeral,” the source said, after an Israeli strike killed the leader last week.
– AFP
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October 04, 2024 13:54
Britain hands Lebanon extra $13 mln in humanitarian support
Britain said it would provide an additional 10 million pounds ($13 million) of humanitarian support to Lebanon to help the country deal with the mass displacement of people and the growing number of civilian casualties. – Reuters
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October 04, 2024 13:51
People fleeing Lebanon at Masnaa border crossing with Syria
People carry their belongings while walking on the rubble, after an Israeli strike, as they flee Lebanon due to ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, at Masnaa border crossing with Syria, in Lebanon on October 4, 2024.
Lebanon said an Israeli strike on Friday cut off the main international road to Syria, after Israel alleged that Hezbollah was transporting weapons through the tiny Mediterranean country’s principal land border crossing.
People carry their belongings while walking on the rubble, after an Israeli strike, as they flee Lebanon due to ongoing hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, at Masnaa border crossing with Syria, in Lebanon, October 4, 2024. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
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October 04, 2024 13:30
More than 690 children reportedly injured in Lebanon in last six weeks
Adele Khodr, UNICEF’s regional director for Middle East and North Africa has said more than 690 children reportedly injured in Lebanon in last six weeks. She appealed for an immediate ceasefire as cases of physical suffering and trauma are mounting among children.
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October 04, 2024 13:21
Israeli army carried out a strike in Tulkarem, a militant stronghold in the West Bank; 18 people killed
The Israeli army said it carried out a strike on Thursday (October 3, 2024) in Tulkarem, a militant stronghold in the West Bank, in coordination with the Shin Bet internal security service.
The Palestinian Health Ministry said 18 people were killed in an Israeli strike on a refugee camp there.
Violence has flared across the Israeli-occupied territory since the Israel-Hamas war erupted in October 2023. Tulkarem and other northern cities have seen some of the worst violence. – AP
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October 04, 2024 12:57
What to know about Hezbollah’s capabilities after its recent losses
The Lebanese militant group has lost nearly 500 fighters since it started attacking Israeli military posts in support of its ally, Hamas, last October. And hundreds more were likely killed in Israel’s bombardment of Lebanon over the past week, which has killed a number of high-ranking commanders and officials.
Read the full story,
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October 04, 2024 12:37
Iran’s foreign minister lands in Beirut
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi landed in Lebanon’s capital on Friday (October 4, 2024), official media said, as Israel intensifies its air strikes against the Tehran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon.
“An Iranian plan has landed at the Rafik Hariri International Airport with Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on board,” the Lebanese National News Agency said of the first visit by a top Iranian official since an Israeli strike killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut last week.- AFP
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October 04, 2024 12:33
Hezbollah says it killed 17 Israeli military personnel in combat in southern Lebanon
Hezbollah says it has repelled several land operations by Israeli troops, with measures such as ambushes and direct clashes.
The group said it killed 17 Israeli military personnel in combat in southern Lebanon on Thursday (October 3, 2024) citing its field and security sources. Israeli forces did not comment on the claim.- Reuters
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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).
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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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