Israel-Iran latest: Beirut rocked by huge explosions with blast close to airport as civilians flee

The Biden administration believes it is appropriate for Israel to continue with its ground and air attacks on Hezbollah for now, US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Thursday, even as he acknowledged the risk of the operation in Lebanon expanding beyond Israel’s current aims.

Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday after two weeks of intense airstrikes in a worsening conflict that has drawn in Iran and risks sucking in the United States.

Speaking at a regular press briefing, Miller said the nature of all conflicts was “fluid” and “unpredictable” and therefore it was impossible to say how long it would take Israel to achieve its stated goal of clearing Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, allowing it to return Israelis displaced from their homes across the border by months of rocket fire.

“We do ultimately want to see a ceasefire and diplomatic resolution, but we do think it’s appropriate that Israel, at this point, is bringing terrorists to justice,” Miller said.

Washington has repeatedly warned Israel against escalating the conflict, but a three-week ceasefire proposal put forward by the US and other countries last week was quickly dismissed by Israel in favor of intensified operations.

More than 1.2 million Lebanese have been displaced by Israeli attacks, and nearly 2,000 people have been killed since the start of the Israeli attacks on Lebanon over the last year, most of them in the past two weeks, Lebanese authorities said.

The United States has continued to provide Israel with arms despite tensions during the past year over the conduct of its war in Gaza, which started when Palestinian Hamas militants attacked southern Israel on 7 October, 2023.

Washington has raised concerns about the civilian toll of that conflict and at times urged Israel to restrain its forces to calm international outrage.

Israeli strikes on Lebanon have left 37 people dead and 151 wounded in the past 24 hours, the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement early on Friday.

An Israeli strike on Beirut targeted senior Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, Axios reporter Barak Ravid said in a post on social media platform X early on Friday, citing an Israeli source.

Safieddine is the man widely regarded as the heir of slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Reuters could not confirm the information in the social media post and there was no immediate official statement from any side.

The Pentagon said on Thursday that it was in discussions with Israeli officials about their possible response to Iran’s missile attack earlier this week but declined to offer more details on those talks.

“We are certainly talking to them about their response, but what their response might be, I’m just not going to speculate further on. But we do continue to engage with them,” said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.

The Israeli military said early on Friday it killed the head of the Hamas network in a strike on West Bank’s Tulkarm.

In a statement, the military identified the Hamas operative as Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi.

At least one Israeli strike hit outside the perimeter of Beirut’s international airport early on Friday, according to a source in Lebanon’s ministry of transport and public works.

A series of loud explosions were heard near Lebanon’s Beirut airport, with smoke seen nearby after jets were heard overhead, Reuters witnesses said.

Israel has a lot of options when it comes to striking back at Iran in response to its missile attacks earlier this week, the country’s ambassador to the United Nations told CNN on Thursday.

“We have a lot of options … so it’s (up to) us to decide where and when we want to attack, but they are vulnerable. They know that,” said Danny Danon.

The G7 statement renewed calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and the leaders vowed to “continue to be in close contact with all actors” to seek to restore peace and stability.

It added: “We are also deeply concerned about the situation in Lebanon. We recall the need for a cessation of hostilities as soon as possible to create space for a diplomatic solution along the Blue Line, consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701.

“This is the only path to durably de-escalate tensions, stabilise the Israel-Lebanon border, fully restore the sovereignty, territorial integrity and stability of Lebanon, and return displaced citizens to their homes with safety and security on both sides.

“We urge all actors to protect civilian populations. We are committed to providing humanitarian assistance to address the urgent needs of civilians in Lebanon.”

At least 14 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli strike on the Tulkarm refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said on Thursday.

The Israeli military earlier said in a statement that it had conducted a strike on Tulkarm, without providing more details.

The Palestinian Red Crescent, separately, said that at least five people were killed in the strike on Tulkarm.

Violence has surged in the West Bank since the start of the war in Gaza, with almost daily sweeps by Israeli forces that have involved thousands of arrests and regular gunbattles between security forces and Palestinian fighters.

The Israeli military said in a statement on Thursday that it has conducted a strike on the West Bank city of Tulkarm.