Israel-Iran war live updates: Khamenei to deliver rare public sermon in Tehran today; Hezbollah intel HQ targeted
Israel-Iran war live updates: Israel has killed 37 people and injured 151 in a series of bombings over the last 24 hours according to Lebanon's health ministry. Israel launched strikes early on Friday targeting the southern suburbs of Beirut and Beirut's airport, sources told news agency Reuters. Israel's military on Thursday it had hit Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital Beirut, as troops battled militants near the border and warplanes bombarded their strongholds around the country....Read More
The strike was allegedly aimed at eliminating senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, who is widely considered the successor to the late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a strike earlier this week.
Ten consecutive air strikes launched late on Thursday killed nine people and were also the second strike ever in central Beirut since 2006.
The IDF has issued evacuation warnings for Beirut and areas in the south of Lebanon which were demarcated as a buffer zone by the UN in a 2006 agreement, signalling an escalation of force.
The Israeli military has also begin ground incursions leading to cross-border fighting with the Hezbollah, that caused 9 fatalities among their own troops.
As the UN and the several countries call for a ceasefire, Israel has upped the ante on their plans to eradicate Hezbollah strongholds in Lebanon. An Israeli military official revealed that the country had white phosphorus shells that they planned to use in their attacks.
Further, additional battalions have been stationed to the Lebanon border to deal with on-ground battles with the Hezbollah.
While the USA has affirmed support for their ally, President Joe Biden has also asked Israel to respond “proportionally” and has drawn a line over attacking Iran's oil or nuclear facilities.
Nearly 1.2 million people have been displaced in Lebanon since strikes began by Israel earlier this week, with the total death toll surpassing 1,000 people.
Israel-Iran war live updates: Iran's Khamenei to lead rare Friday sermon in public
Israel-Iran war live updates: Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Khamenei to lead a rare Friday sermon in Tehran today, a first after five years.
After the public prayer, there will also be a “commemoration ceremony” dedicated to the late Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah at 10:30 am.
Khamenei had declared public mourning in Iran for Nasrallah and on Wednesday said that the Hezbollah chief's death was "not a small matter".
Israel-Iran war live updates: Hezbollah leader Anisi killed in strike on headquarters in Beirut
Israel-Iran war live updates:Israeli forces confirmed the death of yet another Hezbollah leader, Mohammed Anisi, in a strike on the Hezbollah intelligence headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon.
Several key Hezbollah commanders have been killed in Israeli strikes in the region, after the death of their chief Hassan Nasrallah, earlier this week.
Israel-Iran war live updates: Biden says ‘all-out war’ can be avoided
Israel-Iran war live updates: U.S. President Joe Biden addressed reporters on Thursday and said that he believed an “all-out war” could be avoided.
He acknowledged that there was a lot to be done in order to stabilise the tensions growing in the Middle East but affirmed his support for Israel.
His comments come as Israel has amped up strikes in Lebanon to root out Hezbollah operatives.
Israel-Iran war live updates: UN Security Council backs Secretary-General after Israel bans him from entering country
Israel-Iran war live updates: The U.N. Security Council has pledged its support for Secretary-General Antonio Guterres after Israel banned the U.N. chief from entering the country.
In a statement on Thursday, the council “underscored that any decision not to engage with the U.N. secretary-general or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions In the Middle East.”
Israel-Iran war live updates: WHO says 28 health workers killed in a day due to Lebanon strikes
Israel-Iran war live updates: The World Health Organization (WHO) reported that 28 health workers were killed in the past day in Lebanon.
Access to medical care has become an issue as three dozen health facilities closed in the south and five hospitals were either partly or fully evacuated in Beirut.
The Lebanese health minister Firas Abiad said Israeli strikes that hit nine hospitals and 45 health care centres violate international law and treaties.
"Who gave Israel the right to be the judge and the executioner at the same time?" he said.
The Lebanese Red Cross also added that an Israeli strike wounded four of its paramedics and killed a Lebanese army soldier as they were evacuating wounded people from the south.
Israel-Iran war live updates: UN peacekeepers stay posted at Lebanon border despite Israel's evacuation request
Israel-Iran war live updates: UN peacekeepers will stay posted at Lebanon's southern border despite Israel's evacuation request before it launched its ground operation against Hezbollah militants.
The U.N. force, known as UNIFIL, is “the only channel of communications between the parties,” an official told Associated Press. “The peacekeepers are also working with partners to do what they can to protect the population.”
UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion and later expanded after country's following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Israel-Iran war live updates: US politician urges Biden to speed up supply of arms to Israel
Israel-Iran war live updates: The chairman of the U.S. House of Representatives foreign affairs committee, Michael McCaul urged President Joe Biden on Thursday to speed up weapons shipments to Israel, including 2000-pound (907 kg) bombs that have been held up for months over human rights concerns.
"I urge you to act today to ensure all weapons shipments to Israel, including 2,000-pound bombs, are expedited to support our ally," he said in a letter sent to Biden.
Israel-Iran war live updates: US President Biden refuses to negotiate with Israel on attacking oil or nuclear facilities in Iran
Israel-Iran war live updates: US President Joe Biden urged Israel to not attack Iran's oil or nuclear reserves, stating that he was not ready to negotiate on that front.
The US which is a key ally as well as arms supplier to Israel has supported the country's right to strike Iran in response to 200 missiles launched at them on Tuesday.
However, after a conversation with G7 country leaders, Biden has also emphasised responding “proportionally”.
