Israel-Iran conflict live updates: Beirut comes under heavy missile fire; Australians urged to leave Lebanon

Good afternoon and thank you for reading our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. If you are just joining us now, here’s what you we know:

• The Albanese government has urged Australians in Lebanon not to delay in leaving the country, as Israel intensifies its airstrikes and ground assault. Transport Minister Catherine King said: “Our message very clearly to people in Lebanon at the moment is do not wait to get the perfect flight home.”
• Overnight on Thursday, 41 Australians were on flights out of Lebanon to Cyprus. Two charter flights for up to 500 Australians will depart Beirut Airport for Cyprus on Saturday. It is now just after 6am Saturday in Beirut.
• Qantas has confirmed it will operate two non-stop flights from Cyprus to Sydney. The airline said in a statement that its “first service is expected to depart Larnaca in Cyprus on Monday evening (local time), arriving in Sydney on Tuesday. The second direct Dreamliner service is expected to depart on Wednesday”.
• Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told a huge crowd in Tehran early Friday that Iran and its regional allies would not back down. “It will be done in the future again if it becomes necessary,” he said after Iran’s missile attack on Israel.
• The US struck 15 Iran-aligned Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday local time.
• US President Joe Biden said Israel should not bomb Iranian oil sites. “I would be thinking about other alternatives,” he told a White House press briefing on Friday.

Nations worldwide have prepared contingency plans to evacuate citizens from Lebanon after a dramatic escalation in the conflict between Israel and the Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah, backed by Iran.

Although no country has launched a large-scale military evacuation yet, some are chartering aircraft. People are also fleeing on their own.

Here are details of contingency planning:

Australia

Australia has organised hundreds of airline seats for its citizens to leave Lebanon, flying military aircraft to Cyprus in a contingency plan. Plans could include evacuation by sea, though authorities have urged an estimated 15,000 citizens in Lebanon to leave while Beirut airport remains open.

China

More than 200 Chinese citizens have been safely evacuated by the government, the official Xinhua news agency said.

Canada

News from Canada suggests it will co-operate with Australia in evacuating nationals by sea, with the Toronto Star newspaper saying the plan involves contracting a commercial vessel to ferry out 1000 people each day.

Japan

Japan dispatched two C-2 military transport aircraft to Lebanon on Thursday. The airplanes are standing by for the evacuation of Japanese nationals. There are 40 to 50 Japanese citizens in Lebanon.

South Korea

A South Korean military aircraft has evacuated 97 citizens and family members from Lebanon, the country’s foreign ministry said on Saturday.

United Kingdom

Britain has chartered a limited number of flights for citizens to leave Lebanon, it said on Thursday, repeating advice to evacuate immediately. More than 150 British nationals and dependents left Beirut on a government-chartered flight on Wednesday.

Britain has moved about 700 troops to Cyprus, bolstering military assets, including two Royal Navy ships.

United States

The United States has ordered dozens of troops deployed to Cyprus to help prepare for scenarios such as an evacuation of Americans from Lebanon. It is working with airlines to add flights out of Lebanon, with more seats for Americans, the State Department said on Tuesday.

Reuters

This is Michaela Whitbourn signing off for today. Thank you for reading. We are winding the blog down now but will re-open it later this afternoon and evening in the event of any major breaking news.

Good afternoon and thank you for reading our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East. If you are just joining us now, here’s what you we know:

• The Albanese government has urged Australians in Lebanon not to delay in leaving the country, as Israel intensifies its airstrikes and ground assault. Transport Minister Catherine King said: “Our message very clearly to people in Lebanon at the moment is do not wait to get the perfect flight home.”
• Overnight on Thursday, 41 Australians were on flights out of Lebanon to Cyprus. Two charter flights for up to 500 Australians will depart Beirut Airport for Cyprus on Saturday. It is now just after 6am Saturday in Beirut.
• Qantas has confirmed it will operate two non-stop flights from Cyprus to Sydney. The airline said in a statement that its “first service is expected to depart Larnaca in Cyprus on Monday evening (local time), arriving in Sydney on Tuesday. The second direct Dreamliner service is expected to depart on Wednesday”.
• Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, told a huge crowd in Tehran early Friday that Iran and its regional allies would not back down. “It will be done in the future again if it becomes necessary,” he said after Iran’s missile attack on Israel.
• The US struck 15 Iran-aligned Houthi targets in Yemen on Friday local time.
• US President Joe Biden said Israel should not bomb Iranian oil sites. “I would be thinking about other alternatives,” he told a White House press briefing on Friday.

Saeed Atallah, a leader of Hamas’ armed wing, al-Qassam brigades, was killed with three family members in an Israeli strike on a Palestinian refugee camp in the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli, Hamas-affiliated media reported on Saturday.

Israel did not immediately comment on the strike.

Reuters

Transport Minister Catherine King has warned Australians in Lebanon not to delay in leaving the country, as Israel continues its military strikes.

“Our message very clearly to people in Lebanon at the moment is do not wait to get the perfect flight home,” King said. “If you are offered a flight, then you need to go.”

Transport Minister Catherine King has urged Australians to leave Lebanon.Credit: Alex Ellinghausen

Two charter flights for up to 500 Australians will depart Beirut Airport for Cyprus on Saturday, as Israel intensifies its airstrikes and ground assault.

Tickets are free of charge for eligible Australians, and a government statement said further flights were also being planned for coming days if the airport remains open. Qantas has confirmed it will operate two non-stop flights from Cyprus to Sydney.

Qantas said in a statement that its “first service is expected to depart Larnaca in Cyprus on Monday evening (local time), arriving in Sydney on Tuesday. The second direct Dreamliner service is expected to depart on Wednesday.”

US President Joe Biden has said he doesn’t know if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is attempting to influence the US election next month by withholding support for a ceasefire deal.

Biden told reporters at a White House press briefing on Friday: “Whether he’s trying to influence the election, I don’t know – but I’m not counting on that.”

US President Joe Biden at the White House on Friday.Credit: Bloomberg

He said that “no administration has helped Israel more than I have. None, none, none. And I think [Netanyahu] should remember that.”

Democratic senator Chris Murphy told CNN recently: “I don’t think you have to be a hopeless cynic to read some of Israel’s actions, some of Prime Minister Netanyahu’s actions, as connected to the American election.”

Biden, who has long pushed for a diplomatic agreement, and whose relationship with Netanyahu has grown increasingly complicated, was responding to Murphy’s comments.

A peace deal would help smooth divisions in the Democratic Party and could increase electoral support for Vice President Kamala Harris. Netanyahu, though, worries his far-right coalition would stop supporting him if he signed an agreement, leaving him out of power and facing his own legal problems.

Netanyahu has a markedly closer relationship with former president Donald Trump than he does with Biden.

With AP

Olivia Ireland reports that two charter flights for up to 500 Australians will depart Beirut Airport for Cyprus on Saturday, as Israel intensifies its airstrikes and ground assault.

Tickets are free of charge for eligible Australians, and a government statement said further flights were also being planned for coming days if the airport remains open. Qantas has confirmed it will operate two non-stop flights from Cyprus to Sydney.

Qantas said in a statement that its “first service is expected to depart Larnaca in Cyprus on Monday evening (local time), arriving in Sydney on Tuesday. The second direct Dreamliner service is expected to depart on Wednesday.”

Overnight on Thursday, 41 Australians were on flights out of Lebanon to Cyprus, despite reports of airstrikes close to its perimeter.

There are an estimated 15,000 Australians in Lebanon, but only 2338 have registered an interest in leaving with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts said people should leave Lebanon urgently, even if they had close family, business interests and homes in the country.

“Plenty of vacant seats though, available for Australians who want them,” Watts said on ABC News Breakfast on Thursday. “We have registered, at the moment, 2338 Australians who want to leave and we’ll be contacting them and working with them to facilitate their departure.

“This is a heart-wrenching decision to leave, but our advice is, don’t think twice about it, now is the time to leave.”

Allan Patience, a professor of political science at the University of Melbourne, said the government’s major problem was the reluctance of people to leave Lebanon.

During a previous conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006, DFAT had to evacuate 500 stranded Australians via ship after the airport closed, which Patience said was again at risk.

“There was chaos and people tried to get out to Cyprus by ship, but even that would become dangerous if the real war were to break out in the Middle East, so there are very few options for these people if they don’t get out now,” he said.

Mining magnate Andrew “Twiggy” Forrest and Nicola Forrest will give another $18 million to humanitarian efforts in Gaza, making the billionaires’ $40 million donations in food, water and medical aid now worth almost half the value of the Australian government’s $82.5 million contribution to Palestinians.

Forrest said he wanted Australia’s philanthropic and private sector to give more to people suffering in Gaza, particularly families and children who were at risk of starvation. Food insecurity has been one of the most fraught issues of the war that began after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.

Andrew Forrest wants Australia’s private and philanthropic sectors to donate to help the suffering in Gaza.Credit: Trevor Collens

“We are one of few philanthropies in Australia giving to the humanitarian needs in Gaza. We want to see the philanthropic and private sector respond more strongly to the humanitarian needs in Gaza,” Forrest said.

Read the full story here.

Relentless Israeli airstrikes pounded Beirut’s southern suburbs overnight and closed off the main highway linking Lebanon with Syria, forcing fleeing civilians to cross the border by foot.

The airstrikes came as the supreme leader of Iran, which backs the anti-Israel militant groups Hamas and Hezbollah, praised the country’s recent missile strike on Israel and said on Friday it was ready to do it again if necessary.

What is the latest on Israel’s operations in Lebanon?

Israel said it targeted the crossing with Syria because Hezbollah militants were using it to bring in weapons, and that its jets had also struck a smuggling tunnel. Much of Hezbollah’s weaponry is believed to come from Iran through Syria.

Tens of thousands of people fleeing war in Lebanon have crossed into Syria over the past two weeks.

The Israeli military launched a ground incursion into Lebanon earlier this week and has been fighting Hezbollah militants in a narrow strip of land along the border. A series of attacks before the incursion killed some of the group’s key members, including longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah, in a display of solidarity, began launching rockets into northern Israel just after Hamas’ October 7 cross-border attack.

What is Iran saying?

A top Iranian official warned on Friday that it would harshly retaliate if Israel attacks Iran.

“If the Israeli entity takes any step or measure against us, our retaliation will be stronger than the previous one,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in Beirut after meeting Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri.

Araghchi’s visit came three days after Iran launched at least 180 missiles into Israel, the latest in a series of rapidly escalating attacks that threaten to push the Middle East closer to a region-wide war.

AP

The UN says approximately 235,000 people have crossed from Lebanon into Syria overland, including 82,000 Lebanese and 152,000 Syrians, between September 21 and October 3.

Citing Lebanese authorities, the UN said 50,000 mainly Lebanese and 10,000 Syrians had flown out of Beirut airport and about 1000 had fled by sea.

Israel carried out another series of punishing airstrikes on Friday, hitting suburban Beirut and cutting off the main border crossing between Lebanon and Syria for tens of thousands of people fleeing the Israeli bombardment of the Hezbollah militant group.

Thursday’s strike along the Lebanon-Syria border, about 50 kilometres east of Beirut, led to the closure of the road near the busy Masnaa Border Crossing — the first time it has been cut off since Hezbollah and Israel began trading fire almost a year ago.

Israel said it targeted the crossing because it was being used by Hezbollah to transport military equipment across the border. It said fighter jets had struck a tunnel used to smuggle weapons from Iran and other proxies into Lebanon.

Hezbollah is believed to have received much of its weaponry through Syria from Iran, its main backer.

Associated Press video footage showed two huge craters on each side of the road. People got out of cars, unable to pass, carrying bags of their possessions as they crossed on foot. There are a half-dozen crossings between the two countries, and most remain open.

With AP

There are 500 seats available for Australians scheduled across two flights on the weekend out of Beirut and bound for Cyprus.

The office of Assistant Foreign Minister Tim Watts confirmed on Friday there are 2338 Australians attempting to leave Lebanon.

A further 1735 Australians in Lebanon have registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade for consular information, but haven’t said they wish to leave.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in a video message on Thursday to Australians in Lebanon: “The situation in Lebanon is dangerous and deteriorating quickly. Now is the time to leave. We want you and your family to come home safely.”

Australians wishing to leave Lebanon can register on DFAT’s crisis portal.