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Live: Israeli strikes hit Hezbollah-linked finance group, reports Lebanese state media
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Lebanon state media reported four Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday, saying Hezbollah-linked financial associations were among the targets, after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for the area. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said earlier that the military was stepping up its strikes targeting Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon. Follow our live blog for all the latest developments on the war in the Middle East.
Issued on: 20/10/2024 – 07:57
Modified: 20/10/2024 – 22:47
1 min
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FRANCE 24
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Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon on October 20, 2024.
Smoke rises from Israeli airstrikes on Dahiyeh, in the southern suburb of Beirut, Lebanon on October 20, 2024. © Hussein Malla, AP
SUMMARY
US investigates unauthorised release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans
Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says war death toll at 42,603
Palestinian officials say 87 dead or missing after Israeli strikes on northern Gaza
Hezbollah says it fired rockets at three military bases in Israel
Israeli strikes hit Hezbollah-linked finance group, reports Lebanon state media
7 hours ago
Lebanon security source says Israeli strikes land near Beirut airport
A Lebanese security source said Israeli strikes on Sunday landed near the country’s only airport, as AFP footage showed large plumes of smoke rising close to the facility.
The security source, requesting anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said two strikes landed near the airport, as Israel pounded nearby areas in the southern suburbs of Beirut after issuing several evacuation orders, according to Lebanese state media.
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7 hours ago
Israel army says approaching drone intercepted over Syria
The Israeli military said it intercepted a drone in Syrian airspace on Sunday as it was approaching from the east.
“A UAV (drone) that was approaching Israeli territory from the east was intercepted by the IAF (air force) in Syrian airspace,” said a military statement which did not specify the origin of the drone. Some similar drone attacks have been claimed by pro-Iran militants in Iraq.
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8 hours ago
Israeli strikes hit Hezbollah-linked finance group, reports Lebanon state media
Lebanon state media reported four Israeli strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs Sunday, saying Hezbollah-linked financial associations were among the targets, after the Israeli military issued evacuation orders for the area.
At least three branches of Al-Qard Al-Hassan, which Israel accuses of financing Hezbollah, were hit in the strikes, the National News Agency reported, after the Israel army warned it would imminently begin attacking the association and issued evacuation orders for more than a dozen buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs.
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9 hours ago
UN peacekeepers say Israeli army ‘demolished’ Lebanon watchtower, fence
UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Sunday said the Israeli army “deliberately” damaged one of their positions in southern Lebanon, in the latest incident reported by the force that remains deployed in all positions.
An Israeli “army bulldozer deliberately demolished an observation tower and perimeter fence of a UN position in” southern Lebanon, UNIFIL said in a statement, adding that its forces remain in all positions “despite the pressure being exerted”.
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9 hours ago
Israeli army says it will strike group financing Hezbollah
The Israeli military warned on Sunday that it would imminently begin attacking a firm accused of financing Hezbollah in Lebanon, calling on people to leave areas around Al-Qard Al-Hassan offices.
“Al-Qard Al-Hassan is involved in financing Hezbollah’s terrorist operations against Israel. Therefore, the IDF (military) has decided to target this terrorist infrastructure,” army spokesman Avichay Adraee said in a statement on social media platform X.
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11 hours ago
Senior Israeli commander killed in north Gaza, says army
The Israeli military announced on Sunday the death of a brigade commander in a blast in northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have been engaged in a sweeping assault targeting Hamas.
Colonel Ahsan Daksa, commander of the 401st Brigade, was killed in the Jabalia area when an explosive struck him as he left his tank, military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in a briefing.
Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said in a separate statement that Daksa was killed “while fighting Hamas terrorists”.
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12 hours ago
Hezbollah says it fired rockets at three military bases in Israel
Hezbollah on Sunday said it fired rockets at three military bases in northern Israel, hours after Israel said it was stepping up its strikes targeting the Iran-backed group in southern Lebanon.
The rocket salvos targeted bases near Haifa, Safed and Tiberias, Hezbollah said, after Israel’s Defence Minister Yoav Gallant told troops that Israel was “destroying” Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.
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12 hours ago
Lebanon state media says Israel is ‘blowing up’ houses in three border villages
Lebanese state media on Sunday accused Israel of planting explosives and detonating buildings on a wide-scale in three border villages, as all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah neared its one-month mark.
“The Israeli occupation army is carrying out a large-scale bombing operation in buildings in the towns” of Adaisseh, Markaba and Rab El Thalathine, the National News Agency reported after Israel’s defence minister said his country was “destroying” Hezbollah in south Lebanon.
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13 hours ago
Hezbollah says it targeted northern Israeli city of Haifa
The Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it launched rockets at the main northern Israeli city of Haifa on Sunday, after new Israeli air strikes on Lebanon.
Hezbollah fighters launched a “rocket salvo” at “the city of Haifa”, the group said, adding the attack was “in response to the aggressions on (Beirut’s) southern suburbs” – a Hezbollah bastion where Israel carried out strikes in the morning.
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13 hours ago
Israel says it is ‘destroying’ Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Sunday that the military was stepping up its strikes targeting Hezbollah militants in southern Lebanon, near the Israeli border.
“Not only are we defeating the enemy, but we are destroying them in all the villages along the border, in the places that Hezbollah planned to use as launchpads for attacks against Israel,” Gallant told troops during a visit to the border, adding that Israeli military presence in that area was “overwhelming the terrorists”.
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14 hours ago
Israel to take legal action against Macron over naval trade show ban
Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday he had ordered his ministry to start legal proceedings against French President Emmanuel Macron after Paris banned Israeli firms from participating in an upcoming military naval trade show.
J’ai demandé au ministère israélien des Affaires étrangères de prendre des mesures juridiques et diplomatiques contre la décision du président français @EmmanuelMacron d’empêcher les entreprises israéliennes de présenter leurs produits au salon @SalonEuronaval à Paris le mois…
— ישראל כ”ץ Israel Katz (@Israel_katz) October 20, 2024
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15 hours ago
Lebanon army says 3 troops killed in Israel strike on vehicle
The Lebanese army said three soldiers were killed Sunday in an Israeli strike that “targeted” their vehicle in the country’s south, where Israel says it is pounding Hezbollah strongholds.
The troops were killed on a road connecting the border village of Ain Ebel to the nearby town of Hanin, the army said. The latest deaths bring the number of troop casualties to eight killed since all-out war erupted between Israel and Hezbollah last month.
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15 hours ago
UN condemns Israeli air strikes in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya
The UN peace envoy for the Middle East on Sunday condemned continued attacks on civilians after Israeli air strikes in Gaza’s Beit Lahiya killed dozens late on Saturday.
“This follows weeks of intensified operations resulting in scores of civilian fatalities and near total lack of humanitarian aid reaching populations in the north,” said Tor Wennesland, the UN Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.
Israel’s military said it intensified attacks in northern Gaza in early October to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping.
A total of 87 people were killed or missing under the rubble after an Israeli attack on Saturday on Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza, the enclave’s health ministry said on Sunday.
The Israeli military has said it was investigating reports of the incident, which left one of the highest casualty tolls in months.
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16 hours ago
Strikes between Israel and Hezbollah intensify, displacing around a million people in Lebanon
Fighting raged on two fronts Sunday as Israel targeted what it said was a Hezbollah “command centre” in the Lebanese capital.
The strikes on Hezbollah’s south Beirut stronghold came after Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu accused the Iran-backed group of attempting to assassinate him by targeting his residence.
With the intensification of Israeli strikes on Lebanese territory, the number of internally displaced persons has multiplied in recent days, as have those crossing the border into neighbouring Syria.
FRANCE 24’s Catherine Norris Trent reports from Beirut.
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16 hours ago
Hezbollah says launched ‘big rocket salvo’ at north Israel army base
Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah group said it launched rockets on Sunday at an Israeli army base east of the northern town of Safed.
Hezbollah fighters fired “a big rocket salvo” at an Israeli army base east of Safed, the group said, adding the attack was “in defence of Lebanon” and “in response to the Israeli enemy’s attacks on villages and homes”.
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17 hours ago
Netanyahu told Trump Israel will make decisions based on its interests, his office says
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with former US President Donald Trump, the prime minister’s office said on Sunday.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu reiterated what he has also said publicly: Israel takes into account the issues the US administration raises, but in the end, will make its decisions based on its national interests,” it said.
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18 hours ago
Palestinian officials say 87 dead or missing after Israeli strikes on northern Gaza
At least 87 people are dead or missing after Israeli strikes on multiple homes in the northern Gaza Strip overnight and into Sunday, the territory’s Health Ministry said.
The number is higher than the 73 provided earlier by Gaza’s civil defence agency.
The Health Ministry also said another 40 people were wounded in the strikes on the town of Beit Lahiya, which was among the first targets of Israel’s ground invasion nearly a year ago.
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18 hours ago
Health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza says war death toll at 42,603
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said on Sunday that at least 42,603 people have been killed in the war between Israel and Palestinian militants, although the toll did not incorporate a strike that killed dozens overnight according to rescuers.
The toll includes 84 deaths in the previous 24 hours, according to the ministry, which said 99,795 people have been wounded in the Gaza Strip since the war began when Hamas militants attacked Israel on October 7, 2023.
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20 hours ago
US investigates unauthorised release of classified documents on Israel’s attack plans
The United States is investigating an unauthorised release of classified documents that assess Israel’s plans to attack Iran, three US officials told The Associated Press. A fourth US official said the documents appear to be legitimate.
The documents are attributed to the US Geospatial Intelligence Agency and National Security Agency, and note that Israel was still moving military assets in place to conduct a military strike in response to Iran’s blistering ballistic missile attack on October. 1. They were sharable within the “Five Eyes,” which are the US, Great Britain, Canada, New Zealand and Australia.
The documents, which are marked top secret, were posted to the Telegram messaging app and first reported by CNN and Axios. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly.
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20 hours ago
Lebanon state media says Israeli strikes hit dozens of southern locations
Israel struck dozens of south Lebanon villages and towns overnight and targeted Nabatiyeh city for a third time this week, Lebanese state media said Sunday.
“Warplanes struck… the city of Nabatiyeh seven times,” Lebanon’s official National News Agency said. It added that Israeli jets “conducted strikes” on more than 50 towns and villages, reporting casualties.
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20 hours ago
Israel army says hit Hezbollah ‘command centre’ in Beirut
The Israeli military said it carried out a strike Sunday on a Hezbollah command centre and underground weapons facility in the Lebanese capital Beirut.
“Earlier this morning (Sunday), the IAF (Israeli air force) conducted an intelligence-based strike on a command centre of Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters and an underground weapons workshop in Beirut,” the military said in a statement.
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a day ago
Israeli strikes on Beirut after evacuation warning, state media reports
Two Israeli air strikes targeted south Beirut on Sunday after the Israeli army warned civilians to evacuate the stronghold of Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement, state media said.
“Enemy (Israeli) airplanes carried out two strikes this morning on Beirut’s southern suburbs, one of them hitting a residential building in Haret Hreik” near a mosque and a hospital, the National News Agency reported.
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a day ago
Israeli army orders evacuations in 2 neighbourhoods in south Beirut
The Israeli army ordered civilians located near buildings it said were “affiliated with Hezbollah” in two neighbourhoods in south Beirut to immediately evacuate early Sunday, marking the facilities on two maps and saying the military would “work against” them soon.
The “urgent warning” was issued by the military’s Arabic spokesman Avichay Adraee, and concerned the neighbourhoods of Haret Hreik and Hadath.
“You are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah, which the IDF will work against in the near future,” Adraee said on Telegram.
“For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate the building and those adjacent to it immediately and move away from it for a distance of no less than 500 metres.”
Similar warnings have preceded Israeli air strikes in recent weeks after Israel stepped up its campaign against Iran-backed Hezbollah, which has a stronghold in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.
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a day ago
Gaza rescuers say at least 73 killed in Israel strike in territory’s north
Gaza’s civil defence agency said that an Israeli air strike on a residential area killed at least 73 Palestinians in Beit Lahia in the territory’s north, with many more feared trapped under the rubble.
“Our civil defence crews recovered 73 martyrs and a large number of wounded as a result of the Israeli air force targeting a residential area… in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza,” Mahmud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defence agency told AFP. “There are still martyrs under the rubble.”
Israel’s military said the toll figure given by Gaza authorities “do not align” with the information it possessed.
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a day ago
Libyan held over alleged Israel embassy attack plot, German prosecutors say
German police have arrested a Libyan suspected of belonging to the Islamic State group and of having planned an attack on the Israeli embassy, federal prosecutors told AFP Saturday.
“There is some suggestion he had planned an attack on the Israeli embassy in Berlin,” said a spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, adding that the suspect was also thought to be affiliated with Islamic State group.
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Yesterday’s key developments:
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said a drone launched from Lebanon that targeted his residence in the central town of Caesarea on Saturday was an attempt by Hezbollah to “assassinate” him.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said that Hamas was alive and will survive despite the death of its leader Yahya Sinwar in an Israeli military operation in Gaza.
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Saturday that at least 42,519 people have been killed in the war between Israel and Palestinian militants, although the toll did not incorporate a strike that killed 33 people overnight.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP, and Reuters)
