Israel’s defense minister tells ground troops in north ‘We will use all of our capabilities – including you’
Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, appears to have hinted that Israel intends to mount a ground invasion of Lebanon, after he told troops in the north of the country that “We will use all of our capabilities – including you.”
Gallant said that returning Israelis to their homes in the north – about 60,000 have been forced to evacuate by repeated rocket fire from Lebanon – was “the mission of the IDF.”
He continued:
That is what we will do, and we will deploy whatever is needed – you, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and from the land.
He described the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah as “a very important step, but that’s not all.”
Earlier, Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem issued a defiant statement, saying that the group would shortly appoint a replacement for Nasrallah, and claimed Hezbollah was still only using a fraction of the group’s capabilities to attack Israel.
He boasted of the range of Hezbollah’s weaponry, and said that the group would continue to fight. He suggested that any other organisation subjected to the pager and walkie-talkie sabotage attack in Lebanon would have collapsed, but Hezbollah did not. The attack, which killed dozens and injured thousands of others, has been widely attributed to an Israeli attempt to target Hezbollah operatives.
While Israel continues airstrikes on Lebanon, its assault on Gaza also continues, with 12 people including a journalist reported dead in strikes on Monday. In Lebanon 1,000 people are reported to have been killed, with 6,000 more wounded, and one million people displaced from their homes by Israeli strikes.
Over the weekend Israel attacked targets in the Houthi-controlled region of Yemen, and on Monday morning there were reports of explosions in Damascus in Syria.
Key events
Netanyahu warns Iran that ‘there is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach’
Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a fresh warning to Iran on Monday, saying “there is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach”.
Netanyahu, in a video statement in English, addressed the people of Iran and warned that their government was bringing them “closer to the abyss”. Netanyahu said:
There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country.
He said Iran and Israel would be at peace when Iran is “finally free”, which he said would “come a lot sooner than people think”. “Everything will be different,” he said.
Our two countries, Israel and Iran, will be at peace. Iran will thrive as never before.
French foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Lebanon must elect a president as soon as possible.
“The Lebanese must look solid,” Barrot told reporters at a news conference in Lebanon.
We will support the army of Lebanon … In these painful circumstances, France will stay for the side of Lebanon and the Lebanese.
Lebanon’s prime minister, Najib Mikati, met with Barrot in Beirut earlier on Monday. According to a statement from his office, Mikati said:
The key to the solution is to put an end to the Israeli aggression against Lebanon and to revive the appeal launched by the United States and France… in favour of a ceasefire.
French foreign minister urges Israel against Lebanon ground offensive during Beirut visit
The French foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot, has been holding a news conference during a visit to Lebanon.
Barrot urged all parties to accept the 21-day ceasefire proposal submitted by his president, Emmanuel Macron, and the US president, Joe Biden.
The proposal was “still there on the table to be discussed”, he told reporters. “There is hope, but time is very limited.” He added:
I urge Israel to stop any ground incursion and to stop firing, and I urge Hezbollah to not make any step that will lead to the destabilisation of the security in the region.
Filippo Grandi, the UN’s high commissioner for refugees, said the number of people crossing into Syria from Lebanon had reached 100,000.
The number of people who have crossed into Syria from Lebanon fleeing Israeli airstrikes — Lebanese and Syrian nationals — has reached 100,000. The outflow continues.
UNHCR is present at four crossing points alongside local authorities and @SYRedCrescent to support new arrivals. pic.twitter.com/7dtrghsMH4
— Filippo Grandi (@FilippoGrandi) September 30, 2024
Israel tells US it is planning ‘imminent ground operation’ in Lebanon – report
Israel has told the US it is planning a “limited” ground operation in Lebanon that could start “imminently”, the Washington Post has reported, citing a US official.
The US official told the paper that Israel’s planned campaign would be “smaller than its last war against Hezbollah in 2006” and would focus on “clearing out militant infrastructure along the border to remove the threat to Israeli border communities”.
The US embassy in Beirut said it is working with airlines “to address US citizens request to depart Lebanon”.
Posting to X, the US embassy said it will provide additional flights “with seats for personal purchase”.
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut is working with airlines to address U.S. citizens requests to depart Lebanon by providing additional flights with seats for personal purchase. For more information and to complete our intake form visit our website: pic.twitter.com/SkJ4Pqfg5z
— U.S. Embassy Beirut (@usembassybeirut) September 30, 2024
The US embassy also urged American citizens currently in Lebanon to depart “while commercial options still remain available”, and that they should “exercise security awareness of their surroundings, maintain a low profile, and take appropriate measures to ensure their safety and security.”
On Sunday, some employees at the US embassy in Beirut and their family members were ordered to leave Lebanon.
A US state department statement on Sunday said:
US Embassy Beirut personnel are restricted from personal travel without advance permission. Additional travel restrictions may be imposed on U.S. personnel under Chief of Mission security responsibility, with little to no notice due to increased security issues or threats.
Germany has evacuated some non-essential staff out of Lebanon, as well as families of embassy workers and German nationals who are medically vulnerable, a statement by the German foreign ministry said on Monday.
The German foreign ministry raised its crisis level for missions in Beirut, Ramallah and Tel Aviv again at the weekend, though the embassies there remain operational, Reuters reported.
There are currently 1,800 German citizens in Lebanon who have registered on the ministry’s emergency preparedness Elefand list, a spokesperson for the ministry said.
According to the German news agency dpa, a ministry spokesperson said it was assisting people seeking to leave Lebanon but that “we are not explicitly in an evacuation scenario” right now.
Summary of the day so far …
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Israel’s defense minister, Yoav Gallant, appears to have hinted that Israel intends to mount a ground invasion of Lebanon, after he told troops in the north of the country that “We will use all of our capabilities – including you”. Gallant said that returning Israelis to their homes in the north – about 60,000 have been forced to evacuate by repeated rocket fire from Lebanon – was “the mission of the IDF”
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Hezbollah’s deputy leader Naim Qassem issued a defiant statement, saying that the group would shortly appoint a replacement for assassinated leader Hassan Nasrallah, and claimed Hezbollah was still only using a fraction of the group’s capabilities to attack Israel. He boasted of the range of Hezbollah’s weaponry, and said that the group would continue to fight. He suggested that any other organisation subjected to the pager and walkie-talkie sabotage attack in Lebanon would have collapsed, but Hezbollah did not. The attack, which killed dozens and injured thousands of others, has been widely attributed to an Israeli attempt to target Hezbollah operatives
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Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson has said Israel “will not go unpunished for the crimes it has committed”. Nasser Kanaani said “We do not make empty promises. Iran will not leave any aggressive actions of the Zionist regime, which target Iran’s interests, unanswered”
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A Lebanese solider has been killed by an Israeli drone strike, Lebanon’s army has announced. Since Israel stepped up its air attacks, which it says are targeting Hezbollah, in Lebanon 1,000 people are reported to have been killed, with 6,000 more wounded, and one million people displaced from their homes by Israeli strikes
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Throughout the day Israel’s military has continued to report projectiles being fired into northern Israel from the direction of Lebanon. There have been no reports of any casualties. Earlier Israel reported intercepting a UAV out at sea, believed to be targeting infrastructure at the Karish gas field
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The UK government has said it is doing “everything we can” to secure seats on commercial flights as it reiterated calls for British nationals to leave Lebanon
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The European Union’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell convened an extraordinary informal meeting of EU foreign ministers to discuss the EU’s response to the latest escalation
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While Israel continues airstrikes on Lebanon, its assault on the Gaza Strip also continues, with at least 12 people including journalist Wafa Al-Udaini reported dead in strikes on Monday
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Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israeli security forces have detained 45 people in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in the past 24 hours
Here are some of the latest pictures from Lebanon over the news wires.
Israeli media reports that the latest barrage fired towards Israel from the direction Lebanon consisted of 25 projectiles heading towards western Galilee.
Lebanese army announces soldier killed by Israeli drone strike
A Lebanese solider has been killed by an Israeli drone strike, Lebanon’s army has announced.
The National News Agency reports that in a statement the army said “one of the soldiers was martyred as a result of an Israeli enemy drone targeting a motorcycle”. It said the incident happened at a checkpoint.
Israel has claimed it is targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon. So far, since Israel stepped up its aerial bombardment of Lebanon, about 1,000 people have been killed and 6,000 injured, with the government stating that one million Lebanese people have been forced to flee their homes.
Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israeli security forces have detained 45 people in the Israeli-occupied West Bank in the past 24 hours. It states that the total number of people detained by Israeli forces since 7 October now exceeds 11,000.
The claims have not been independently verified.
Britain has said that all sides should seek de-escalation and a ceasefire after Israeli strikes on Lebanon, adding that arms export licences to Israel are held under “constant review”.
A spokesperson for prime minister Keir Starmer said that Britain’s support for Israel’s right to self-defence was “ironclad” but that only a ceasefire could restore stability and security to the region.
“Clearly we stood with Israel previously. We do repeatedly say that Israel has the right to defend itself, but our focus now is on a ceasefire, and we call on all sides to show restraint, to step back from the brink and avoid any further escalation,” he said.
He was also asked about arms export licences. In response, the spokesperson said: “It’s slightly distinct, the arms export criteria specifically in legislation, but it’s kept under constant review, and the UK is continually obliged to review its position on that, and obviously we’ll continue to do so and provide any updates if anything was to change in that.”
The British government has said it is doing “everything we can” to secure seats on commercial flights as it reiterated calls for British nationals to leave Lebanon, PA Media reports.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “The prime minister has been very, very clear that British nationals should leave now, particularly whilst commercial flights are still available.
“We’re doing everything we can to work with commercial airlines to maximise capacity because we want people to leave, and I understand that there have been extra Middle East Airlines flights leaving Lebanon over the weekend, another scheduled for Tuesday and we have secured seats for British nationals on those flights.”
The spokesperson added: “What we’re focused on at the moment is securing extra spaces on commercial flights for those who do want to leave and reiterating our calls for those to leave and to register their presence with us and book the first available flights. We’re also working to send a rapid deployment team to bolster the efforts of our embassy in supporting British nationals who want to leave.”
Asked why an evacuation has not started, the spokesperson said: “We’ve been clear whilst there are commercial flights available, British nationals can and, indeed, should leave.”
The spokesperson also pointed to the deployment of 700 troops, alongside Border Force and Foreign Office officials, to Cyprus to continue work on “all contingency options and plan for a range of scenarios in the region”.
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has said it is important to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty and to intensify efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, Reuters reports.
45 killed by Israeli strike in southern Lebanese town of Ain Deleb
The death toll from an Israeli strike on the southern Lebanese town of Ain Deleb has risen to 45, Reuters reports, citing Lebanon’s health ministry.
Iran: Israel ‘will not go unpunished for the crimes it has committed’
Al Jazeera is carrying a fuller version of Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson’s quotes from earlier, in which he said Israel “will not go unpunished for the crimes it has committed.”
Nasser Kanaani said during a news briefing:
We do not make empty promises, we have shown in practice that we stand firmly against aggressors who intend to violate Iran’s national security, and our response will be regretful for them.
Iran will not leave any aggressive actions of the Zionist regime, which target Iran’s interests, unanswered. This regime will not go unpunished for the crimes it has committed, and Iran will take appropriate measures in response.