Israel-Hamas war latest: IDF launches strikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah fires scores of rockets at Israel - amid fears of escalation (2024)

Key points
  • IDF launches strikes on southern Lebanon
  • Hezbollah fires scores of rockets at Israel amid fears of escalation
  • Houthis launch 'drone boat' attack in Red Sea
  • Hamas changes to ceasefire plan to include all Israeli troops leaving
  • Alistair Bunkall analysis:Without compromise, there might be no deal to be done
  • Gaza population facing 'catastrophic hunger and famine-like conditions'
  • Labour manifesto includes pledge on Palestine
  • Live reporting by Mark Wyatt and, earlier, Bhvishya Patel

20:00:01

We're pausing our coverage

That brings our live coverage to an end for this evening.

Scroll back through the blog to catch up on the day's events.

19:30:01

Watch: IDF appears to fire flaming objects into Lebanon

Videos posted online in recent days appear to show Israeli soldiers firing flaming objects into Lebanon using a trebuchet and a bow and arrow.

Hezbollah, a Lebanon-based militia group backed by Iran, have frequently clashed with IDF forces on the Israel-Lebanon border since the most recent conflict broke out between Israel and Hamas on 7 October.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously warned thatBeirut would be turned "into Gaza" if Hezbollah started anall-out war.

Sky News has approached the IDF for comment on the videos.

19:00:01

Biden 'not confident' ceasefire will happen soon - and says 'Hamas has to move'

US President Joe Biden has said he is not confident that a ceasefire between Israel and Gaza will happen soon.

Mr Biden attended today's G7 leaders' summit in Italy, where he confirmed to reporters that a ceasefire plan was discussed.

When asked whether he was confident a ceasefire would happen soon, the president replied "no".

He said that he hadn't lost hope but added that "Hamas has to move."

Mr Biden's three-phase ceasefire plan was accepted by the UN Security Council this week.

The proposal was reported to include the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and would involve Hamas handing over all of its hostages.

However, as we reported this morning, a senior leader of Hamas told Reuters that the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza was a change to the deal that they had requested.

18:30:01

Colombia says it will take in wounded Palestinian children for treatment

The Colombian government has announced it will receive injured Palestinian children and provide them with medical care.

Elizabeth Taylor Jay, Colombia's deputy minister of multilateral affairs, was speaking in Stockholm where she was on a state visit with Colombian president Gustavo Petro.

"We have taken the decision to provide humanitarian support to Palestinian children who will travel with their families to Colombia for rehabilitation," she said.

Ms Taylor Jay does not say how many children will be taken in by Colombia, nor how they would be transported from Gaza.

President Petro has been one of the most vocal critics on the world stage of Israel's conduct in Gaza following the attack by Hamas on 7 October.

Colombia broke diplomatic ties with Israel in May.

Earlier this month, Mr Petro announced via a post on X that his country would suspend coal exports to Israel "until the genocide is stopped."

Colombia is Israel's largest supplier of coal, according to the American Journal for Transportation.

Coal shipments there generate about $165m (£129.4m) a year in taxes, royalties and other contributions.

17:45:01

Chaka Khan releases Gaza statement after 2012 performance resurfaces

Chaka Khan has released a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza after it was revealed that she had performed at a fundraiser organised by the Friends of the Israel Defence Forces (FIDF) in 2012.

Khan is due to perform at Meltdown Festival at the Southbank Centre this weekend.

Collectives due to perform at the festival, including Queer Soundsystem operator Gideon, who is part of Chakha’s programme, threatened to pull out over Khan's performance at the FIDF event.

That appears to have prompted a statement from the singer.

"I understand that a performance I undertook at a fundraiser organised by the FIDF 12 years ago in 2012 may have led some to misinterpret my appearance as an endorsem*nt of the organisation's initiatives," she wrote.

"To clarify, I do not support any actions that perpetuate violence, inequality, or human rights violations anywhere in the world. I am against war in all its forms and stand with all artists calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.

"Music has the power to unite us, to heal, and to help us see the love in one another. It is a universal language that speaks directly to our hearts. As a musician and human being, I feel a deep responsibility to use my platform to promote peace, understanding, and unity."

Friends of the Israel Defence Forces is an organisation established in 1981 dedicated to the men and women serving in the Israel Defence Forces, wounded veterans, and the families of fallen soldiers.

17:00:01

Israel stands behind ceasefire proposal, says US national security adviser

Israel still has support for the three-phase ceasefire plan outlined by Joe Biden in May, says US national security adviser Jake Sullivan.

The proposal was reported to include the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and would involve Hamas handing over all of its hostages.

However, as we reported this morning, a senior leader of Hamas told Reuters that the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza was a change to the deal that they had requested.

Israel is yet to publicly back the plan, but the US says it has accepted the terms of the deal.

Speaking at the G7 leaders' summit in Italy, Mr Sullivan said: "Israel has supplied this proposal. It has been sitting on the table for some time. Israel has not contradicted or walked that back.

"To this day, they stand behind the proposal. I don’t think that there is a contradiction in the Israeli position."

Mr Sullivan reiterated that Hamas had responded by offering a new proposal.

"The goal is to try to bring this to a conclusion as rapidly as possible," he added.

16:15:01

IDF launches strikes on southern Lebanon

The Israel Defence Forces says it has struck Hezbollah infrastructure targets in southern Lebanon in retaliation for attacks by the group earlier today.

The IDF shared footage that it says shows Israeli Air Force fighter jets striking targets in the Deir Seryan area. Pillars of smoke can be seen rising from the targets.

It comes after the Iran-backed Hezbollah group claimed responsibility for firing around 40 rockets into northern Israel earlier today.

The IDF said several of those launches were successfully intercepted by Israel's air defence.

15:40:27

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators take over US university building

Pro-Palestinian demonstrators took over a building at California State University in Los Angeles yesterday.

University spokesperson Erik Frost Hollins said a group of 50-100 people barricaded exits on the first floor and blocked paths around the building.

The university posted a "protest action alert" on its website announcing that all main campus classes and operations would be remote until further notice and asking people not to go to the main campus.

Images from the scene showed graffiti on the building, furniture blocking doorways and overturned golf carts, picnic tables and umbrellas barricading the plaza out front.

15:00:01

Ship hit in suspected Houthi attack

A ship was hit by a missile in a suspected Houthi attack in the Gulf of Aden today, authorities have said.

The ship was en route from Malaysia to Venice and caught fire, according to the British military's UK Maritime Trade Operations.

The Houthis did not immediately acknowledge the attack, but it typically takes the rebels hours or even days to claim them.

The attack follows the Houthis launching a boat-borne bomb attack against a commercial ship in the Red Sea yesterday.

Who are the Houthis?

The Houthis are part of an Iran-aligned regional alliance, which also includes Hamas and Lebanon's Hezbollah.

The group governs swathes of Yemen, including the capital Sanaa, more than 1,000 miles from Israel.

It has blamed Israel for instability in the Middle East, saying the "circle of conflict" in the region was driven by its "continued crimes".

The Yemen-based, Iran-backed Houthis say they are targeting any and all ships they believe are linked, operated, owned, flagged or travelling to or from Israel.

US and British destroyers are among an international naval taskforce set up to combat the Houthi attacks in the area.

14:30:01

In pictures: Israel repels Hezbollah rockets as firefighters tackle blazes

Earlier today we brought you news that Hezbollah had launched some 40 rockets into northern Israel.

The IDF says several of these launches were successfully intercepted by Israel's air defence.

State broadcaster Kan aired footage of numerous mid-air interceptions of rockets above Israeli towns, including in Safed, some 12 km (7.5 miles) from the border.

Israel-Hamas war latest: IDF launches strikes in Lebanon after Hezbollah fires scores of rockets at Israel - amid fears of escalation (2024)

FAQs

Did Hezbollah fire 200 rockets at Israel? ›

Hezbollah fires over 200 rockets into Israel after killing of senior commander. BEIRUT (AP) — The Lebanese Hezbollah group said it launched over 200 rockets on Thursday at several military bases in Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed one of its senior commanders.

Did Hezbollah hit Israel with barrage of rockets after senior commander killed? ›

After another of its senior commanders, Taleb Abdallah, was killed last month, the group fired large barrages of drones and rockets at Israel. The IDF said Wednesday that Nasser and Abdallah “served as two of the most significant Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon.”

Did Israel's military announce strong warning to Hezbollah? ›

Israel's foreign minister warned Tuesday of “all-out war” with Hezbollah, after the Lebanese military and political group released what it said were videos of sensitive Israeli military sites and civilian areas.

When did Hezbollah attack Israel? ›

Per Hezbollah:

On 8 October 2023, Hezbollah started firing guided rockets and artillery shells at Israeli positions in the occupied Shebaa Farms, which it said was in solidarity with Palestinians following the Hamas attack on Israel that took place a day earlier.

What is Hezbollah fighting for? ›

From the inception of Hezbollah to the present, the elimination of the State of Israel has been one of Hezbollah's primary goals. Some translations of Hezbollah's 1985 Arabic-language manifesto state that "our struggle will end only when this entity [Israel] is obliterated".

What country is Hezbollah associated with? ›

Introduction. Hezbollah is a Shiite Muslim political party and militant group based in Lebanon, where its extensive security apparatus, political organization, and social services network have fostered its reputation as “a state within a state.”

Did Hezbollah vows to escalate attacks after Israel kills a top commander? ›

BEIRUT: Hezbollah fired big barrages of rockets at Israel on Wednesday and vowed to ramp up its attacks in retaliation for an Israeli strike which killed a senior Hezbollah field commander, as the conflict across the Lebanese-Israeli border escalated sharply.

How did Hezbollah defeat Israel in 2006? ›

United Nations:

On 12 July 2006, Hezbollah fighters fired rockets at Israeli border towns as a diversion for an anti-tank missile attack on two armored Humvees patrolling the Israeli side of the border fence. The ambush left three soldiers dead. Two Israeli soldiers were captured and taken by Hezbollah to Lebanon.

Did the Lebanese army fight Israel? ›

The Lebanese army joined the other Arab armies in the invasion. It crossed into the northern Galilee. By the end of the conflict, however, it had been repulsed by Israeli forces, which occupied South Lebanon.

Is Hezbollah stronger than Israel? ›

Israel's defense budget and advanced military hardware give it a significant advantage in conventional warfare. However, Hezbollah's ability to launch extensive rocket barrages, conduct guerrilla warfare, and use human shields presents a unique and challenging threat to Israeli security.

What is the difference between Hamas and Hezbollah? ›

Hamas is primarily a Palestinian organization based in the Gaza Strip, while Hezbollah is a Lebanese organization with a strong presence in Southern Lebanon. Hamas is an offshoot of the Sunni Muslim Brotherhood, while Hezbollah is a Shi'ite Muslim organization that shares close religious and strategic ties with Iran.

How is Hezbollah threat to the United States? ›

OVERVIEW. Iraqi Shia militant group Kata'ib Hizballah (KH) poses a high threat to US diplomatic and military personnel in Iraq and Syria because of its access to areas with a US presence and its longstanding hostility toward US and allied forces, as demonstrated by its history of attacks and anti-American rhetoric.

What does Hezbollah mean in English? ›

Hezbollah (“Party of God,” also spelled Hizballah) is an Iran-backed Lebanese Shia militia and U.S.-designated Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO).

Who attacked Israel in 2024? ›

2024 Iranian strikes against Israel
Operation True Promise
LocationsWeapons launched from Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and Yemen
Commanded byHossein Salami
ObjectiveDamaging or destroying Israeli military facilities used in the Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus, in reprisal for that attack
Date13–14 April 2024
5 more rows

Who funds Hezbollah? ›

Hezbollah says that the main source of its income comes from its own investment portfolios and donations by Muslims. Western sources maintain that Hezbollah receives most of its financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and Syria.

Did Israel bomb Beirut in 2006? ›

Since launching its war on Gaza in October, Israel has attacked Beirut at least once before Tuesday's attack. On January 2, Israel carried out a strike that killed senior Hamas official Saleh al-Arouri. Israel's last attack on Beirut before this was in 2006, during the 34-day war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Who is senior Hezbollah? ›

Fuad Shukr is believed to be a senior adviser to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, the US has previously said. It has been offering a $5m (3.9m) reward for information about him, alleging he also played a "central role" in the 1983 bombing of a US Marines barracks in Beirut, which killed 241 US military personnel.

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