Israel-Hezbollah-Iran conflict updates: Hospitals in Lebanon release grim statement
Hospitals in Lebanon have released a grim statement following another heavy night of Israeli air strikes.
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Massive overnight air strikes in Lebanon are believed to have been targeting Hashem Safieddine, the man expected to take over as Hezbollah’s leader.
He is thought to be sheltering in an underground bunker but reports are unconfirmed.
The extent of the damage from the latest bombing emerged on Friday with neighbourhoods desecrated and hospitals unable to open.
Meanwhile The Supreme Leader of Iran has said that the October 7 Hamas-led attacks were a “legitimate” act.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the attacks, in which more than 1,000 Israelis were massacred, were “logical and legal” as they were done in self-defence against an oppressor.
A major road near Lebanon’s border with Syria was bombed overnight, affecting people’s ability to flee the country and stopping vital commodities from coming in.
The Israeli army said it was targeting an underground tunnel that was being used to transport weapons.
The Israeli military hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, in its latest round of strikes against the terrorist group.
Israel’s bombing in Lebanon, focused in the south, has so far killed more than a thousand people, according to the country’s health ministry, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes.
Follow for updates on the Middle Eastern conflict.
Hospitals suspend services amid Israeli bombing
Three hospitals in Lebanon including one on the outskirts of Beirut’s southern suburbs announced Friday the suspension of work, amid ongoing Israeli bombardment.
In statements carried by the official National News Agency, Sainte Therese Hospital near Beirut’s southern suburbs reported “huge damage” to the building on Thursday due to Israeli bombardment in the vicinity and the subsequent “halt of hospital services”, while two hospitals in the country’s south also said services had stopped.
Iran’s Supreme Leader tears into Israel
Khamanei referred to Israel as “bloodthirsty” and a “rabid dog” in his address at Friday prayers at the Grand Mosalla mosque in Tehran.
He said that Israel “will not last long” and defended Iran’s decision to attack the country on Tuesday.
Tehran fired around 180 ballistic missiles in a move that shocked the world.
“The move taken by our armed forces was the least punishment in the face of crimes of the Zionist regime,” he said.
The Iranian Supreme Leader says his nation’s attacks were the “minimum punishment” for Israel, which he accused of committing “astonishing crimes”.
He went on to describe Israel as a “vampire” regime, promising that the Islamic Republic will fulfil “any related duties” against Israel with “strength and fortitude”.
He has also called for “unity” amongst the Muslim world as the Middle East faces one of its most uncertain scenarios in years.
Khamenei said that Israel “cannot seriously harm” Hezbollah and Hamas, two of Iran’s “axis of resistance”.
“The resistance in the region will not back down with these martyrdoms, and will win,” Khamenei said.
The speech was preceded by a commemoration ceremony Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah who was killed in an Israeli strike on southern Beirut on September 27 alongside Revolutionary Guards commander Abbas Nilforoushan, dramatically escalating the conflict.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Friday that at least 41,802 people have been killed in the almost one year of war between Israel and Palestinian militants.
The toll includes 14 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 96,844 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7.
Israel bombs major route out of Lebanon
A key road connecting Lebanon with Syria has been hit by an Israeli strike, Lebanon’s transport minister told Reuters.
The missile hit the road near the Masnaa border crossing, creating a four-metre (12ft) wide crater.
Lebanon’s official news agency also reports that the road has been cut off, AFP news agency says.
The route has become a means of escape from Lebanon but the bombing will also prevent vital commodities from coming into the country.
Around 310,000 people, mostly Syrian refugees, crossed into Syria in recent days fleeing the conflict in Lebanon.
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to give rare public address
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.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, who answer to Khamenei, said Tuesday’s barrages of some 200 missiles were in retaliation for Israel’s killing of Nasrallah alongside Guards commander Abbas Nilforoushan in a late September strike on Beirut, and of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.
Khamenei last led Friday prayers in January 2020 after Iran fired missiles at a US army base in Iraq, in response to a strike that killed revered Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani.
In Tehran on Thursday, crowds waving Hezbollah and Iran flags gathered outside the former US embassy building in Tehran to denounce Israeli “crimes” in the Gaza Strip and in Lebanon, Iranian media reported.
Khamenei had declared public mourning in Iran for Nasrallah and on Wednesday said that the Hezbollah chief’s death was “not a small matter”.
- with AFP
Hezbollah launches rockets at Israeli city
Hezbollah has claimed its fighters targeted Haifa city with multiple rockets in the morning.
Israeli officials are yet to reports on deaths or damage.
A Hezbollah statement praised its fighters’ “valiant and honourable resistance”, as conflict continues to escalate between the two factions.
Earlier in the day, Israel’s military bombed “vital transportation infrastructure” at the Masnaa border crossing between Syria and Lebanon.
No casualties have been reported by either side following the attack.
The attack has reportedly stopped traffic between the two countries.
Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ali Hamieh said the blasts had created a 4m wide crater on the Lebanese side of the border.
Boris Johnson says bathroom was bugged after Netanyahu visit
Former UK leader Boris Johnson has claimed a listening device was discovered in his personal bathroom at his Foreign Office shortly after it was used by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2017.
The former British Prime Minister made the revelation in his new book, Unleashed, recounting the episode with a hint of disbelief.
According to Johnson, Netanyahu, whom he affectionately calls “Bibi,” excused himself to use the bathroom.
But later on, during a routine sweep for bugs, Israeli security allegedly discovered a listening device in the toilet.
“When they were doing a regular sweep for bugs, they found a listening device,” Johnson writes, leaving open the possibility of coincidence.
It remains unclear if the British government confronted Israel about the discovery.
The timing of the incident is notable, as Israel faced similar accusations around then for allegedly planting cellphone surveillance devices near the White House.
While Netanyahu never served in Mossad, he has long maintained close ties with Israel’s intelligence agency, known for its espionage and covert operations.
Biden says ‘discussion’ over hitting Iran oil sites
Talking to reporters outside The White House on Thursday, Joe Biden was asked if the US would support Israel hitting Iran’s oil facilities.
“We’re in discussion of that,” he said.
Iran is the world’s seventh largest oil producer and a key member of the OPEC group of oil exporting nations.
Following Mr Biden’s comments, the price of crude oil shot up by 5 per cent fuelling fears of an economic shock if Iran and Israel’s fighting continues.
However, much of Iran’s oil goes not to the West but to China. And other oil producing nations, such as Saudi Arabia, could export more to fill a gap.
But there could be other consequences – such as Iran blocking the Straits of Hormuz, a key waterway where large amounts of oil is exported from.
Israel attack on or near Russian air base
Israel has reportedly used drones or missiles to attack an air base in Syria used by Russia, or close to it.
The Hmeimim air base is one of Russia’s most significant military installations in the Middle East. Russian President Vladimir Putin has visited the base in the past.
There are reports a Boeing 747 from Iran’s Qassem Fars Airlines landed at the base shortly before the attack. The airline is linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard and it has been accused of carrying weapons from Tehran’s proxies in the past.
Hmeimim is close to Lebanon’s northern border and it is thought Iranian weapons destined for Hezbollah were the target.
The attack occurred 30 minutes after the plane landed. A large orange fireball could be seen in the vicinity.
Both Russian and Syrian air defences attempted to intercept the aerial bombardment for 40 minutes, but some got through.
It’s unclear if the base itself or an external warehouse was attacked.
Russia’s TASS news agency said a weapons depot was struck in the Syrian coastal city of Jablah, near to where the air base is located. But it did not mention the air base specifically.
“Israel is bound to launch air strikes against any Syrian airport that lets Iranian planes in,” geopolitical expert and former IDF soldier Michael Horowitz told UK newspaper The Telegraph.
“Tehran probably thought its best shot was to use Khmeimim because of the Russian presence”.
It’s not thought Russian parts of the base were targeted. But it could lead to a difficult conversation between Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Putin.
Hostage freed
The Israeli military has confirmed that a hostage, kept captive for 10 years since she was just 11, has been rescued in Gaza.
The woman is a Yazidi, a religious group that lives across parts of Iraq and Syria.
Named as Fawzia Amin Sido, she was taken hostage in northern Iraq when she was just a girl by terror group Islamic State.
IS massacred or took hostage thousands of Yazidi people.
She was then moved to Gaza where, Israel said, an air strike killed her captor, allowing her to flee elsewhere.
Now aged 21, Ms Sido has returned to her family in Iraq.
Confirmation Iranian missile landed on Israeli air base
Although Israel said the vast majority of missiles fired from Iran were intercepted, an image has emerged of a direct hit on an Israeli air base.
The satellite image shows Nevatim air base, in the Negev desert, south of Jerusalem.
The roof of an aircraft hangar appears to have a huge hole in it and there is debris around the building.
The IDF has said damage was caused to office buildings and maintenance areas.
Some have also suggested there was some damage to aprons used by aircraft including US sourced advanced F-35s.
It also appears the Tel Nof air base, south of Tel Aviv, was hit.
According to the Times of Israel, the country’s air force deemed the attack “ineffective” as no critical infrastructure or jets was put out of action.
One death, of a Palestinian man, was reported following the barrage.
Nonetheless, images on social media have shown several missiles apparently exploding at or near Israeli air bases.
“It looks like more missiles seem to be hitting targets in Israel this time around,” Jeffrey Lewis, a professor at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in the US told National Public Radio.
He added that was likely because “the Iranians seem to be using newer, more sophisticated missiles”.
These could have included more sophisticated ballistic missiles which travel into space before descending at immense speed.
These much vaunted Iron Dome system is not designed for these kinds of missiles. Israel does have the Arrow system which is designed for intercepting missiles from space but it has fewer rockets it can fire.
Iranian leader ‘no longer trusts anyone’
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is so paranoid about Israeli spies that he no longer trusts the people around him, according to a Reuters report.
It has also emerged that Khamenei warned slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah to flee Lebanon for Iran after Israel’s audacious pager attack.
Nasrallah refused saying he was confined in security measures to protect him.
Iran then sent Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps commander Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan to Beirut to tell Nasrallah that Israel was planning on killing him and implore him to leave the country.
But Nilforoushan himself was killed in the September 27 Beirut bombing that also killed Nasrallah.
Khamenei has been sent to a secure location in Iran amid fears Israeli spies could be embedded deep in the ranks of the government.
Tehran has been deeply shaken by Israel’s killing of essentially all Hezbollah’s leadership as well as a good proportion of its weaponry.
“It shook Iran to the core. It shows how Iran is deeply infiltrated,” Hezbollah expert at the Swedish Defence University Magnus Ranstorp told Reuters.
“Also, they not only killed Nasrallah, they killed Nilforoushan,” who was close to Khamenei.
Iran has reportedly made multiple arrests among government and military ranks of people it suspects of working with Israel.
“The trust that held everything together has disappeared,” an official told Reuters.
Khamenei “no longer trusts anyone,” said another senior source.
Hamas kingpin and October 7 mastermind killed in air strike
Gaza’s de facto prime minister Rawhi Mushtaha — the “right-hand man” of Hamas terror leader and October 7 mastermind Yahya Sinwar — was killed in an air strike in Gaza, Israel said on Thursday.
Rawhi Mushtaha, the head of Hamas’ government in Gaza, was one of three of the terror group’s leaders confirmed dead in an earlier missile strike on an underground compound in the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defence Forces announced.
Lebanon: Nine died in central Beirut strike
Lebanon’s health ministry has said nine people died when Israel struck a building in the centre of Beirut.
The building is not in the Hezbollah dominated southern suburbs and was in an area thought less of risk from an Israeli attack.
Israel said the building contained a Hezbollah run medical centre.
Lebanon has said 1974 people have now died, including 127 children, in Israeli attacks since October 8 last year, the day after Hamas attacked Israel.
Meanwhile, Israel has said 15 Hezbollah fighters dead in air strikes in southern Lebanon.
Originally published as Israel-Hezbollah-Iran conflict updates: Hospitals in Lebanon release grim statement
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