Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Israel hits over 120 Hezbollah targets 'within an hour'

Iran on Sunday announced the cancellation of flights at some of the country's airports, citing "operational restrictions".

US Vice president Kamala Harris said that the US will not ease its "pressure" on Israel and Arab leaders in the Middle East to reach a deal on hostages and a ceasefire in Gaza, in an interview with CBS released on Sunday.
Washington is working with Israel on humanitarian aid and "the need for a deal to be done which would release the hostages and create a ceasefire. And we're not going to stop in terms of putting that pressure on Israel and in the region, including Arab leaders," said Harris.

Gaza's civil defence agency said on Sunday that Israeli air strikes in Jabaliya killed at least 17 people as Israeli forces said they had surrounded the area to prevent Hamas from regrouping. Hamas-run Gaza's civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said multiple strikes rocked Jabaliya overnight. "There are 17 martyrs, including nine children, in Israeli air strikes in Jabaliya," he said

"The whole world is amazed by the blows you are delivering to our enemies, and I salute you... Together we will fight, and together we will win," Netanyahu told them, according to a statement issued by his office.

The Israeli military said that rockets fired from northern Gaza crossed into southern Israel, a day ahead of the first anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack. "Several projectiles were identified crossing from the northern Gaza Strip into Israeli territory. One projectile was intercepted, and the rest fell in open areas," the military said in a statement.

Hezbollah said it launched attack drones at an Israeli military base near the northern city of Haifa on Sunday, the latest hostilities since Israel began intense air strikes on Lebanon last week. Fighters from the Iran-backed group "launched an air assault with a squadron of attack drones on the maintenance and rehabilitation base south of Haifa," the group said in a statement.

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali has decorated the Revolutionary Guards aerospace commander General Amirali Hajizadeh for the Islamic republic's missile attacks Israel.

"Ayatollah Khamenei presented the Order of Fath ("Conquest" in Farsi) to General Amirali Hajizadeh, commander of the Guards Aerospace Force," said Khamenei's website.

The decoration was bestowed because of "the brilliant 'Honest Promise' operation", the website said.

Hajizadeh, 62, has headed the Guards aerospace unit since its creation in 2009.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited troops along the border with Lebanon on Sunday, his office said, nearly a week after the Israeli military launched ground operations against Hezbollah inside southern Lebanon.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today visited the 36th Division base in the Lebanese border area," his office said in a statement.

Israeli police said on Sunday several people had been injured in a suspected shooting attack in the city of Beersheba in the country's south, while the ambulance service said the attacker had been killed.

The ambulance service said a seriously injured woman was being treated at the scene while eight other people injured in the attack, including one in a moderate to serious condition, were receiving medical treatment in a nearby hospital.

An Israeli strike Sunday hit a car factory in central Syria, reported news agency AFP citing a war monitor said. The raids struck an empty Iranian car factory in the central region of Homs, causing only material damage, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warned Iran on Sunday that it might end up looking like Gaza or Beirut if the Islamic republic was considering an attempt to harm Israel.

"The Iranians did not touch the air force's capabilities –- no aircraft was damaged, no squadron was taken out of order," Gallant said in a statement, referring to Iran's recent missile strike on Israel that hit two bases of the Israeli air force.

"Whoever thinks that a mere attempt to harm us will deter us from taking action should take a look at (our achievements) in Gaza and Beirut."

The Israeli military announced that it has sent more soldiers and arms to the Gaza Strip, including the Netzarim Corridor, and the territory’s border areas.
It also announced that there will also be no reduction of forces in Rafah in southern Gaza, or in the Philadelphi Corridor that marks the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt.

The Israeli military said Sunday it deployed more troops to defend southern communities and areas bordering Gaza ahead of the anniversary of the October 7 attack by Hamas.

"The IDF's (army) Gaza Division has been reinforced with several platoons, with forces stationed to defend both the communities and the border area. The soldiers are fully equipped to defend the region in coordination with local security forces," the military said in a statement.

The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry, reported on Sunday that the ongoing conflict with Israel, which has lasted for nearly a year, has claimed the lives of at least 41,870 individuals. The ministry said, "The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday that at least 41,870 people have been killed in the nearly year-long war between Israel and Palestinian militants."

Prime Minister Najib Mikati of Lebanon urged the international community to exert "pressure on Israel" to establish a ceasefire, following a fresh Israeli attack on the southern outskirts of Beirut on Sunday. The official National News Agency reported the strike, which occurred in the capital's southern suburbs.

Mikati expressed his support for the ongoing efforts by the United States and France to broker a truce. An AFP journalist witnessed the aftermath of the attack, hearing a massive explosion and observing plumes of smoke rising from the targeted area.

'New strike hits Beirut southern suburbs,' news agency AFP reported quoting official media.

Mohsen Paknejad, Iran's Oil Minister, visited Kharg island on Sunday, as reported by Shana, the oil ministry's news website. The visit comes amidst concerns over potential Israeli targeting of Iran's primary oil terminal located on the island.

An Israeli military spokesman stated on Saturday that Israel would respond to last week's missile attack by Tehran "when the time is right." Following the attack, Axios reported that Israeli officials suggested Iran's oil facilities could be targeted in retaliation. On Friday, US President Joe Biden expressed his belief that Israel had not yet determined how to respond.

According to Shana, "Paknejad arrived this morning in order to visit the oil facilities and meet operational staff located on Kharg island." The report also mentioned that the oil terminal on Kharg island has a storage capacity of 23 million barrels of crude oil.

Despite US sanctions, China remains Tehran's primary client. Analysts estimate that China imported between 1.2 and 1.4 million barrels of oil per day from Iran during the first half of 2024.

The Israeli military announced on Sunday that its troops have successfully surrounded the Jabaliya region in northern Gaza. This operation was carried out in response to intelligence suggesting that Hamas was attempting to rebuild its operational capabilities in the area, despite nearly a year of ongoing strikes and fighting.

According to the military statement, the 401st and 460th Brigades are currently operating in the encircled area. The decision to deploy troops was based on intelligence indicating the "presence of terrorists and terror infrastructure in the area of Jabaliya... as well as efforts by Hamas to rebuild its operational capabilities in the area".

The Israeli Air Force (IAF) played a crucial role in assisting the ground troops by striking dozens of military targets in the area prior to and during the operation. The targets included weapons storage facilities, underground infrastructure sites, and other militant infrastructure sites. Mahmud Bassal, a spokesman for the Gaza civil defence agency, reported that Jabaliya experienced multiple strikes throughout the night, resulting in numerous casualties.

Since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, which was triggered by Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, Israeli forces have been regularly bombarding Jabaliya, causing the displacement of nearly all its residents.

In a recent interview with France Inter, French President Emmanuel Macron urged for a suspension of arms shipments to Israel intended for use in Gaza. He emphasized the need to prioritize a political solution to the ongoing conflict.

"I think that today, the priority is that we return to a political solution, that we stop delivering weapons to fight in Gaza," Macron stated during the interview, which was recorded on Tuesday. He further noted that France is not currently supplying any such weapons.

Macron expressed his persistent worry about the Gaza conflict, which continues despite numerous appeals for a ceasefire. "I think we are not being heard," he remarked, adding that the conflict was leading to "hatred" and that it was a "mistake, including for the security of Israel."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu swiftly responded to Macron's comments, issuing a statement through his office. "As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilised countries should be standing firmly by Israel's side," Netanyahu declared. "Yet, President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them."

The statement from Netanyahu's office further asserted that Israel was engaged in a multi-front war against groups supported by its arch-enemy, Iran.

In the aftermath of the Gaza war, 11-year-old Mohammed and his father, Jihad Shamali, are gathering rubble from their destroyed two-storey home in Khan Younis. Instead of using the debris to rebuild their house, they are repurposing it to create gravestones for the war's victims. Shamali, a former construction worker, cuts through salvaged metal while his son pounds the fallen roof chunks into gravel. The family's work is a somber task, as they recently built a tomb for Shamali's son, Ismail, who was killed while running household errands.

The rubble left behind by Israel's military campaign against Hamas is a staggering 42 million tonnes, according to United Nations estimates. This amount surpasses the debris accumulated in Gaza between 2008 and the war's start by 14 times and is five times more than the rubble left by the Battle of Mosul in Iraq. The debris continues to grow daily, and if piled up, it would fill Egypt's Great Pyramid 11 times over.

The United Nations is collaborating with Gazan authorities to address the rubble issue. The UN-led Debris Management Working Group is planning a pilot project in Khan Younis and Deir El-Balah to begin clearing roadside debris. Alessandro Mrakic, head of the UNDP Gaza Office, acknowledges the immense challenges ahead but emphasizes the importance of starting the process now. Israel's military, COGAT, has expressed its intention to improve waste-handling and work with the UN to expand these efforts.

The destruction in Gaza is extensive, with nearly 42,000 Palestinians killed and over 163,000 buildings damaged or flattened, according to UN satellite data. Amidst the ruins, some residents, like taxi driver Yusri Abu Shabab, have taken it upon themselves to clear enough debris to erect tents. The cost of clearing the rubble is estimated to be around $1.2 billion if the war were to stop now, and it could take up to 14 years to complete the task.

Powerful explosions shook the southern suburbs of Beirut as Israel intensified its attacks in Lebanon. The strikes targeted Hezbollah and Hamas fighters, reaching as far as a Palestinian refugee camp in the north, marking the first such attack in that area.

As the conflict escalated, thousands of people, including Palestinian refugees, fled Lebanon. Meanwhile, rallies were held globally to commemorate the upcoming anniversary of the Gaza war's beginning.

The intense explosions started around midnight and persisted into Sunday, following Israel's military warning for residents to leave areas in Dahiyeh, the predominantly Shiite suburbs in southern Beirut where Hezbollah has a significant presence. AP video footage captured the blasts illuminating the heavily populated southern suburbs after a day of intermittent strikes and the nearly constant presence of reconnaissance drones.

Israel's military confirmed targeting areas near Beirut and reported that approximately 30 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, with some being intercepted. The strikes allegedly targeted a building near a road leading to Lebanon's sole international airport and another building previously used by Al-Manar, a Hezbollah-run broadcaster. Social media reports initially claimed that one of the strikes hit an oxygen tank storage facility, but Khaled Kaddouha, the company's owner, later denied this.

Shortly after, Hezbollah released a statement claiming that it had successfully targeted a group of Israeli soldiers near the Manara settlement in northern Israel "with a large rocket salvo, hitting them accurately." (AP)

Israel has placed its forces on high alert in anticipation of the anniversary of Hamas's October 7 attack, following a military official's statement that the country was preparing to retaliate against Iran's missile attack. The heightened state of readiness coincides with Israel's escalating conflict with the Lebanese group Hezbollah, which military chief Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi vowed to strike "without concession or respite".

Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, in a televised briefing ahead of Monday's somber anniversary, stated: "We are prepared with increased forces in anticipation for this day", warning of potential "attacks on the home front". The unprecedented October 7 attack by the Palestinian group claimed the lives of 1,205 people, primarily civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, including hostages killed in captivity.

As the war in Gaza persists, Israel has redirected its attention to the north, focusing on Lebanon and the Iran-backed Hezbollah. The Israeli military reported the killing of approximately 440 Hezbollah fighters "from the ground and from the air" since the commencement of "targeted" ground operations against the group in Lebanon on Monday. Israel's stated objective is to facilitate the return of tens of thousands of Israelis who have been displaced by nearly a year of Hezbollah rocket fire into northern Israel.

President Isaac Herzog of Israel described Iran as an "ongoing threat" following Tehran's launch of around 200 missiles at Israel on Tuesday, an act of retaliation for Israeli killings of top militant leaders. Iran, known for its support of armed groups throughout the Middle East, has further complicated the already tense situation in the region.

An Israeli airstrike on a mosque in Deir al-Balah, which was being used as a shelter, resulted in the deaths of 21 people, according to Gaza's civil defence agency spokesperson Mahmud Bassal on Sunday. The mosque was located near the entrance of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in the central Gaza Strip, and the attack also left a significant number of people wounded.

In response to the civil defence agency's statement, the Israeli military issued their own, claiming that the strike was a targeted attack on "Hamas terrorists who were operating within a command and control centre" situated in the mosque.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced that they dismantled a 250-meter-long terrorist tunnel in southern Lebanon, allegedly intended for use by Hezbollah's Radwan Forces in a potential invasion of Israel. In a video shared on X (formerly Twitter), the IDF showcased the tunnel, which featured a kitchen, living area, combat bags, and a refrigerator, suggesting it was fully equipped for an attack.

On the same day, Israel launched a strike killing Muhammad Hussein Ali al-Mahmoud, a senior Hamas leader in Lebanon responsible for directing terrorist activities in Judea and Samaria. The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that Mahmoud played a significant role in advancing terrorist activities against Israel, orchestrating the supply of rockets and weaponry for attacks. He also facilitated Hamas' military entrenchment in Lebanon.

Additionally, another senior Hamas figure, Said Alaa Naif Ali, was killed in an IDF and ISA operation near Tripoli, Lebanon. He was involved in recruiting operatives and carrying out attacks on Israeli targets.

In a coordinated defense operation, a missile ship from the Israeli Navy successfully intercepted two unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) launched from the east in the northern Mediterranean Sea. The interception occurred in the northern sea area, and no casualties were reported. Simultaneously, the Air Force intercepted another UAV launched from the east, targeting the maritime space off the coast of Gush Dan. There were no casualties in this incident either.

Israel's military struck outside the gates of a hospital in southern Lebanon without warning on Friday, killing seven paramedics and forcing the facility to close, the hospital director told The Associated Press a day after one of the most deadly attacks on health workers in the weeks since fighting escalated between Israel and Hezbollah.
The account of the Friday airstrikes that flung hospital doors off their hinges and shattered glass was the latest to detail attacks that Lebanon's health ministry says have killed dozens of health workers.

Marjayoun hospital director Mounes Kalakesh said that even before Friday's attack, ambulance crews in the area were so reluctant to operate that the facility had not received anyone wounded for days.

“We have not been able to work. There was fear and panic among the staff,” he said.

Kalakesh said the government hospital didn't receive any warning from Israeli forces before the attack, even though nearby villages have received such warnings to evacuate.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Saturday said Israel had the right to defend itself and would respond to Iran's attack following the barrage of missiles fired by Tehran at the country this week.

"Israel has the duty and the right to defend itself and to respond to these attacks and that is what we will do," said Netanyahu in a televised broadcast.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized French President Emmanuel Macron for calling for a suspension of arms supplies to Israel, which is engaged in conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon.

"As Israel confronts forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilized nations should stand firmly with Israel. Yet, President Macron and other Western leaders are now advocating for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them," Netanyahu said in a statement.

He emphasized that Israel is fighting on multiple fronts against groups supported by its long-time adversary, Iran.

Israel was preparing a military response to Iran's missile attack this week that heightened fears of a wider regional war, an Israeli official said Saturday, as fighting raged in Lebanon and in Gaza.
In its second-ever direct attack on its regional foe, the Islamic republic which backs armed groups across the Middle East on Tuesday launched about 200 missiles at Israel in revenge for a spate of Israeli killings of militant leaders.

The missile attack, which killed one person in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, caused some damage to an Israeli air base according to satellite images.

It came on the day Israeli ground forces began raids into Lebanon after days of intense strikes on Hezbollah strongholds across Lebanon, transforming nearly a year of cross-border exchanges with the Iran-backed militants into full-blown war.

A high-level Hezbollah source said Saturday that the group had lost contact with Hashem Safieddine, widely tipped to be the next Hezbollah leader, after air strikes this week in Beirut.

A second source close to the group also said communication had been cut off.

Israel will retaliate against Iran for the missile attack launched by Tehran when the time is right, a military spokesman said on Saturday, adding that two air bases struck in the attack remained fully operational and no aircraft were damaged.
"The way in which we respond to this disgraceful attack will be in the manner, at the location and the timing which we decide, according to the political leadership's instructions," Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a broadcast statement.

Israel marks the first anniversary Monday of the devastating October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the Gaza war and has now engulfed neighbouring Lebanon, creating a perilous regional crisis.
President Isaac Herzog will lead a memorial service at Sderot, one of the cities hardest hit during the onslaught by Palestinian militants.

A rally calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip will be held at Beeri, a kibbutz community where more than 100 people were killed last October 7.

A memorial is also planned at kibbutz Reim, site of the Nova music festival where militants murdered hundreds of people.

In Israel's commercial hub Tel Aviv, events are being organised from Sunday, with families of hostages still held in Gaza planning a demonstration to demand their release.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to deliver a televised address to the nation on Monday, although details of official events to mark the painful anniversary remain unclear.

Israel expanded its bombardment in Lebanon on Saturday, hitting Beirut’s southern suburbs with a dozen airstrikes and striking a Palestinian refugee camp deep in the north for the first time as it targeted both Hezbollah and Hamas fighters.
Thousands of people in Lebanon, including Palestinian refugees, continued to flee the widening conflict in the region, while rallies were held around the world marking the approaching anniversary of the start of the war in Gaza.

Israel's attack on the northern Beddawi camp killed an official with Hamas’ military wing along with his wife and two young daughters, the Palestinian militant group said. Hamas later said another military wing member was killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa Valley. Residents confronted the aftermath: smashed buildings, scattered bricks and stairways to nowhere.

Israel’s military said it killed two senior officials with Hamas’ military wing in Lebanon, where fighting has sharply escalated. Israel has killed several Hamas officials there since the Israel-Hamas war began , in addition to most of the top leadership of the Lebanon-based Hezbollah.