Israel Hezbollah War Live Updates: Indian embassy in Beirut advises citizens against traveling to Lebanon

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) recently shared a video that purportedly reveals Hezbollah's tactics of utilizing residential areas in Lebanon to conceal their weapons and involving Lebanese civilians as human shields to protect their military activities. The video aims to expose the alleged practices of the militant group. In an accompanying statement, Daniel Hagari, the IDF chief, stated that the Israeli military had taken steps to warn civilians living in certain regions of southern Lebanon to evacuate their homes. The purpose of this warning was to reduce the potential for civilian casualties, as Hezbollah had reportedly set up a significant military presence within these villages, putting the lives of innocent residents at risk.

On Monday, Hezbollah launched a barrage of rockets into Israeli airspace, targeting Haifa and its surrounding areas in northern Israel, triggering sirens to sound the alarm. The attack was carried out as a response to the Israeli defence forces (IDF) striking Hezbollah's hideouts in Lebanon, resulting in the militant group's most severe losses in years.

Israel's iron dome, however, proved its effectiveness once again, successfully "intercepted majority of rockets" launched by Hezbollah. The Israeli army reported that around 180 projectiles and a single unmanned aerial vehicle had entered Israeli airspace throughout the day, affecting various locations in the country's northern region.

During a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart in New York, China's foreign minister Wang Yi conveyed Beijing's attentiveness to the recent developments in the region, particularly the destruction of communications equipment in Lebanon. The Chinese foreign ministry reported on Tuesday that Wang Yi strongly denounced "indiscriminate attacks against civilians".

The Chinese Foreign Minister expressed China's unwavering support for Lebanon in defending its sovereignty and security during his conversation with Lebanese Foreign Minister Habib on Monday. Wang Yi vehemently condemned the violations that followed Israel's extensive airstrike on Lebanese territory.

Over 1,600 Lebanese citizens sustained injuries in the fatal attacks on Monday, and many more were forced to evacuate southern Lebanon. According to Israel, they were aiming at Hezbollah's weapons storage facilities and had struck around 1,600 targets. The health minister of Lebanon reported that hospitals, medical facilities, and ambulances had been targeted.

The Israeli military issued a warning to residents, urging them to immediately evacuate areas where Hezbollah is known to store weapons. According to Lebanese media, the evacuation notice was also sent via text messages.
Hezbollah claimed to have launched numerous rockets towards Israel, including at military installations, and officials reported that a series of air-raid sirens were sounding in northern Israel, alerting residents of the rocket strikes.

On Friday, an Israeli airstrike destroyed a high-rise building in the southern suburbs of Beirut, resulting in the death of Ibrahim Akil, the leader of Hezbollah's elite Radwan unit, along with other top unit commanders. Israel stated that Akil was responsible for directing the group's campaign of rocket, drone, and other attacks into northern Israel. The attack claimed the lives of at least 45 people and injured more than 60 others.

This strike followed the shocking electronic device bombings, in which thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah exploded on Tuesday and Wednesday. The bombings resulted in the deaths of at least 37 people, including two children, and the injury of approximately 3,000 others. Israel has neither confirmed nor denied its involvement in these incidents.

According to analysts, while the attack had minimal impact on Hezbollah's manpower, it could disrupt their communication channels and compel them to adopt stricter security measures.

Wang Yi, China's foreign minister, expressed China's unwavering support for Lebanon in defending its sovereignty and security during a conversation with Habib, the Lebanese Foreign Minister, on Monday. The Chinese official strongly denounced the recent violations following Israel's extensive airstrike on Lebanese territory.

In a recorded message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Lebanese civilians to evacuate their homes. “Take this warning seriously,” he urged, saying, “Please get out of harm’s way now. Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”

Netanyahu said that Israel was entering “complicated days” as military actions against Hezbollah intensified in southern Lebanon. He expressed his commitment to altering the security balance in the region, stating, “I promised that we would change the security balance, the balance of power in the north - that is exactly what we are doing.”

The Israeli military has intensified its airstrikes, targeting Hezbollah positions, and warned residents in affected areas to evacuate. Netanyahu’s message was part of a broader military strategy, as Israel aims to curtail Hezbollah's capabilities. The Prime Minister reiterated the importance of unity among Israelis as the situation escalates.

He urged Lebanese citizens to act quickly, highlighting the grave risks they face. The message reflects Israel's ongoing commitment to its military objectives while addressing the humanitarian implications for civilians in Lebanon.

'Actions and counter-reactions risk dragging entire Middle East into a broader regional conflict with unimaginable consequences,' G7 foreign ministers said in a statement.

According to Lebanese authorities, Israeli strikes on Monday resulted in the deaths of over 490 people, including more than 90 women and children, marking the deadliest attack since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The Israeli military issued warnings to residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate in preparation for an escalating air campaign against Hezbollah. In response, thousands of Lebanese citizens fled the south, with the main highway from the southern port city of Sidon to Beirut congested with vehicles in the largest exodus since 2006.

The Lebanese health ministry reported that the strikes claimed the lives of 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, and injured 1,645 others, a devastating toll for a nation already grappling with the aftermath of a recent deadly attack on communication devices. In a recorded message, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged Lebanese civilians to heed the evacuation warnings, stating, "Please get out of harm's way now. Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes."

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, Israel's military spokesman, declared that the army would take all necessary measures to drive Hezbollah away from the Israeli-Lebanese border. Hagari asserted that Monday's extensive airstrikes had dealt significant damage to Hezbollah but refrained from providing a timeline for the operation, indicating that Israel was prepared to initiate a ground invasion of Lebanon if necessary. "We are not looking for wars. We are looking to take down the threats," he said. "We will do whatever is necessary to do to achieve this mission."

According to Hagari, Hezbollah has launched approximately 9,000 rockets and drones into Israel since last October, with 250 launched on Monday alone. The military reported that Israeli warplanes targeted 1,600 Hezbollah positions on Monday, destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets, and attack drones, many of which were hidden in residential areas, as evidenced by photographs of weapons concealed in private homes. "Hezbollah has turned southern Lebanon into a war zone," Hagari stated during a news conference.

Israel estimates that Hezbollah possesses around 150,000 rockets and missiles, including guided missiles and long-range projectiles capable of reaching any location within Israel. On Monday evening, the Israeli military confirmed a targeted strike in Beirut without providing further details. Lebanon's state-run National News Agency reported that three missiles struck the Beir al-Abed neighborhood in southern Beirut, while Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV stated that six people were wounded in the attack. (AP)

Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, killing 492 people, including 35 children and 58 women, as the Israeli military called on residents to immediately evacuate places where it claimed the Hezbollah militant group stores weapons. Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, jamming the main highway to Beirut in the biggest exodus since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. More than 1,645 people were wounded in the strikes, the Health Ministry said, a staggering one-day toll for the country.

While tensions remain high between the US and Iran, there's at least one American that state radio in Tehran invites on the air each week for its millions of listeners. It's just that he's a fictional insurance fraud detective who's been on the case since 1949. "Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar", a radio programme created by CBS that later found a devoted listenership in Iran for a Farsi-language version under Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi in the 1960s, has returned to Iranian radio.

Iran’s president accused Israel on Monday of seeking a wider war in West Asia and laying “traps” to lead his country into a wider conflict. Masoud Pezeshkian told about two dozen media representatives that Iran doesn’t want to see the current war in Gaza and air strikes across the Israeli-Lebanon border expanded. He said while Israel insists it doesn’t want a wider war, it is taking actions that show otherwise. Pezeshkian pointed to the deadly explosions of electronic devices in Lebanon last week, which he blamed on Israel.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has ordered all members to stop using any type of communication devices after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon blew up in deadly attacks last week, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters. One of the security officials said a large-scale operation is under way by the IRGC to inspect all devices, not just communication equipment. He said most of these devices were either homemade or imported from China and Russia.

They hit the village! They hit the village!" a pharmacist in southern Lebanon said in a panicked voice note to friends as he rushed to flee Israeli bombardment. Amid sweeping Israeli strikes in southern and eastern Lebanon - and warnings from the Israeli military for civilians to leave areas where Hezbollah's weapons were stored - residents fled cities, towns and villages on Monday. Lebanese reported a chaos of clogged roads and disrupted communications lines as they desperately tried to reach friends and loved ones.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon Monday killed more than 350 people, including more than 60 women and children, Lebanese authorities said, in the deadliest barrage since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. The Israeli military warned residents in southern and eastern Lebanon to evacuate ahead of its widening air campaign against Hezbollah.

Israel launched hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon on Monday, killing more than 356 people, including 24 children and 42 women, as the Israeli military called on residents to immediately evacuate places where it claimed the Hezbollah militant group stores weapons. Thousands of people fled southern Lebanon, jamming the main highway to Beirut in the biggest exodus since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war. More than 1,240 people were wounded in the strikes, the Health Ministry said, a staggering one-day toll for the country.