- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of other sex crimes
- Italy seek Nations League consistency as Germany continue rebuild
- From boom to budgeting as reality bites for Saudi football
- Stock markets diverge as Hong Kong sinks, oil prices fall
- US trade gap narrowest in five months as imports slip
- Stay and 'you are going to die': Florida braces for next hurricane
- England 96-1 after Salman's century lifts Pakistan to 556
- Hollywood star Idris Elba champions African cinema in Ghana
- Djokovic rolls Cobolli to make Shanghai Masters last 16
- Milan's Hernandez receives two-game suspension after referee rant
- Geoffrey Hinton, soft-spoken godfather of AI
- Ex-Barcelona and Spain great Iniesta retires aged 40
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for 'foundational' AI breakthroughs
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free in 2025 after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China slaps provisional tariffs on EU brandy imports
- Ex-skipper Skelton eyes Wallabies November return
- Spanish great Iniesta leaves indelible legacy after retirement
- Indian Kashmir elects first regional government in a decade
- Hong Kong stocks crash, oil prices retreat on fading China boost
- Man City accuse Premier League of 'misleading' claims after legal case
- Duo wins Physics Nobel for key breakthroughs in AI
- Agha defies England as Pakistan post 515-8 in first Test
- September second-warmest on record: EU climate monitor
- Pastor wanted by US for sex trafficking to run for Philippine senate
- Mozambican writer Mia Couto dreams future leaders set an 'example'
- German 'Maddie' suspect could be free soon after cleared of separate sex crimes
- China says to take anti-dumping measures against EU brandy imports
- German suspect in 'Maddie' case cleared in separate sex crimes trial
- Israel expands offensive against Hezbollah in south Lebanon
- China stocks rally fizzles on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Bangladesh's Yunus says no elections before reforms
- England strike twice as Pakistan reach 397-6 at lunch in first Test
- China stocks rally peters out on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- Taiwan's Foxconn says building world's largest 'superchip' plant
- Kenya's deputy president faces impeachment vote
- N. Korean soldiers 'highly likely' killed in Ukraine: Seoul
- 'Appeals Centre' to referee EU social media disputes
- US Supreme Court to hear 'ghost guns' regulation case
- 'Small' oil leaks detected in Samoa after NZ navy shipwreck
- Nobel literature jury may go for non-Western writer
- At Istanbul church, blessed spring offers hope to Christians and Muslims
- From Bolivia to Indonesia, deforestation continues apace
- Myanmar to send rep to regional summit for first time in three years
- Prabowo set to lead bolder Indonesia on world stage
- Tampa zoo rushes Chompers the porcupine and others to safety as Milton nears
- Shanghai stocks pare early surge on stimulus worries amid Asia retreat
- New Japan PM to hold talks on ASEAN sidelines
- Record number of climbers chase 14-peak dream in Tibet
- Former South Korea clinic for US 'comfort women' to be demolished
- China holds off on fresh stimulus but 'confident' will hit growth target
RBGPF | -0.46% | 60.52 | $ | |
CMSC | 0.04% | 24.58 | $ | |
BCC | 0.46% | 141.92 | $ | |
SCS | -0.08% | 12.94 | $ | |
NGG | 0.2% | 65.61 | $ | |
AZN | -0.28% | 76.655 | $ | |
RIO | -4.76% | 66.455 | $ | |
GSK | -1.13% | 38.2 | $ | |
BCE | -0.6% | 33.33 | $ | |
JRI | 0.16% | 13.201 | $ | |
CMSD | 0.1% | 24.815 | $ | |
RYCEF | -0.15% | 6.87 | $ | |
RELX | 0.8% | 46.41 | $ | |
VOD | -0.36% | 9.655 | $ | |
BTI | -0.11% | 35.16 | $ | |
BP | -3.54% | 32.008 | $ |
Israel striking Lebanon to prevent 'large-scale' Hezbollah attack
The Israeli military launched pre-emptive strikes in Lebanon on Sunday after detecting preparations for "large-scale" attacks by the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
The military also warned Israelis to expect incoming missiles and drones launched by Hezbollah, with the government declaring a 48-hour state of emergency.
Hezbollah issued a statement shortly after announcing large-scale drone and rocket launches targeting deep into Israeli territory in retaliation for the death of its military commander in an Israeli strike last month.
The United States responded by reaffirming its "ironclad commitment" to Israel's defence, and said it was "postured" to support its ally.
The Middle East had been on edge for weeks after the group and its patron Iran vowed to respond to the Beirut strike, and to the assassination in Tehran of Hezbollah ally Hamas's political leader hours later.
In a statement released shortly before 5:00 am (0200 GMT), the Israeli military said its jets were striking targets in Lebanon "that posed an imminent threat" to Israelis.
"From right next to the homes of Lebanese civilians in the south of Lebanon, we can see that Hezbollah is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel, while endangering the Lebanese civilians," military spokesman Daniel Hagari said in a video statement released at the same time.
He urged civilians "to move out of harm's way".
"Hezbollah's ongoing aggression risks dragging the people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, and the whole region into a wider escalation," Hagari said.
In a message addressed to the residents of southern Lebanon early Sunday morning, the Israeli military said: "We are monitoring Hezbollah's preparations to carry out large-scale attacks on Israeli territory near your homes. You are in danger. We are attacking and eliminating Hezbollah threats.
"Anyone who is near areas where Hezbollah operates should leave immediately to protect themselves and their families," the message posted on Telegram said.
Hezbollah said in a statement that it had launched more than 320 Katyusha rockets towards Israel as part of its "initial response" to top commander's Fuad Shukr's killing last month.
The group "began an air attack with a large number of drones" targeting Israeli territory, the statement said, while fighters had also targeted "a number of enemy positions and barracks and Iron Dome platforms... with a large number of rockets".
The "military operations will take some time to complete", it said.
Prime Minister Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was set to hold a security cabinet meeting at 0400 GMT, his office said.
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant announced a 48-hour nationwide state of emergency from 06:00 am Sunday.
His office said in a statement that he had briefed his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the situation, adding the "defense establishment is following developments in Beirut".
A US national security spokesman said President Joe Biden had directed US officials to "continuously" communicate with Israel, while the Pentagon said it was "postured to support" the defense of Israel.
Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin also spoke with Gallant.
"Secretary Austin reaffirmed the United States’ ironclad commitment to Israel’s defense against any attacks by Iran and its regional partners and proxies," a Pentagon spokesman said.
Israel's Ben Gurion International Airport announced that flights were being delayed and diverted on Sunday morning, while the country's emergency service group said it was raising its level of alert.
- 'Obliged to respond' -
Israel and Hezbollah have traded near-daily cross-border fire since the outbreak of the war in Gaza, triggered by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel last year.
Fears that the deadly exchanges could escalate into a full-scale conflict in Lebanon have only grown since Hezbollah's chief said his group was "obliged to respond" to Israel "whatever the consequences" after the Beirut strike last month that killed its military commander Fuad Shukr.
Hezbollah will retaliate "alone or in the context of a unified response from all the axis" of Iran-backed groups in the region, he added.
Shukr's killing, and that of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Beirut hours later -- prompting fury from Hamas backer Iran as well as Hezbollah -- only served to ratchet up concerns that Israel's war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip could spiral into a broader regional conflict.
Hamas's October 7 attack on southern Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,199 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed 40,334 Palestinians in Gaza, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not give details of civilian and militant deaths.
The UN rights office says most of the dead are women and children.
M.Fischer--AMWN