Israel’s prime minister issued a warning to Iran Monday, just days after an airstrike south of Beirut killed the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, which is backed by Tehran.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said “there is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach.” Later Monday, officials in Washington confirmed Israeli troops were conducting small raids across the border in Lebanon, but provided no details.
Hezbollah’s acting leader promised the group will fight on following the death Friday of its long-time chief Hassan Nasrallah. Israel has also assassinated several of the group’s top commanders in recent days. Naim Kassem said in a televised statement that if Israel launches a ground offensive, the group’s fighters are ready. He said the commanders killed have already been replaced.
An airstrike early Monday hit an apartment building in central Beirut — the first to hit in the heart of the Lebanese capital in nearly a year of conflict — and killed three members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, a small, leftist Palestinian faction. Another Israeli airstrike early Monday killed six people, including two sisters and a child, in central Gaza, Palestinian officials said.
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Here is the latest:
US supports Israel’s right to defend itself, Austin says
WASHINGTON — United States Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Israel’s defense minister that he agreed on the need for a ground offensive inside Lebanon to rid the border area of Hezbollah weapons and other means it can use to carry out attacks across the frontier.
Austin told Yoav Gallant in a call that the U.S. supports Israel’s right to defend itself and discussed Israel’s military operations.
Israeli ground forces moved into southern Lebanon overnight, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hezbollah. The Israeli military said Tuesday it has begun a “limited” ground operation against Hezbollah targets it said posed an “immediate threat” to northern Israeli communities.
“We agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border,” Austin said in a statement posted on the X social platform.
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This version corrects Lloyd Austin’s title. He is Secretary of Defense, not of State.
Israeli military says it has begun ‘limited, localized’ operation in southern Lebanon
The Israeli military says it has begun a “limited, localized” operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
It said it was carrying out “targeted ground raids” in villages close to the Israeli border. The targets, it said, pose an “immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”
It announced early Tuesday that the operation has been planned in recent months and was launched after approval by political leaders.
Missile targets US military facility near Baghdad airport
BAGHDAD — A missile attack has targeted a U.S. military facility near the Baghdad airport, two Iraqi security officials said.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly, said one rocket fell in an adjacent area used by Iraqi security forces and damaged vehicle parked there.
No casualties were reported in the attack early Tuesday. Air traffic was halted as a result of the strike.
U.S. officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment and no group claimed responsibility.
Iran-backed Iraqi militias have regularly targeted bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq over the past year, which they have said is a response to Washington’s support for Israel in its war against Hamas and Hezbollah in Gaza and Lebanon.
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Associated Press writer Qassim Abdul-Zahra contributed to this report.
Israel orders residents to evacuate 3 buildings in south Beirut
BEIRUT — The Israeli military has issued new instructions ordering residents of three buildings in south Beirut to evacuate immediately.
Israel has carried out a number of airstrikes in the Dahiyeh area in recent days, accusing the Hezbollah militant group of hiding weapons in local buildings.
“You are present near assets and warehouses belonging to Hezbollah terrorists, and so the IDF will act against them with force,” the army said in a message posted on the social platform X.
It called on residents to move at least 500 meters (550 yards) from the buildings “for your safety and the safety of your family.”
Airstrikes could be heard throughout Beirut and smoke rose from areas in the city’s southern suburbs a little more than an hour after the Israeli military issued the evacuation order.
UN assesses the impact of Israeli airstrikes on aid deliveries to Yemen
UNITED NATIONS — Humanitarian officials are assessing the damage from Israeli airstrikes on Yemen’s main port of Hodeida, a key delivery point for aid and commercial goods to the Arab world’s poorest nation.
United Nations spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Monday that the U.N. is also trying to work out the impact of Sunday’s airstrikes on its ability to deliver humanitarian goods and fuel to the country.
The U.N. humanitarian office “warns that disruption to the flow of imports which go through Hodeida and surrounding areas could have dire consequences for Yemen’s population,” Dujarric said.
The U.N. isn’t aware of anything going through the port now, he said.
Dujarric said the United Nations is concerned about the Israeli airstrikes and previous attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on Israel.
International experts reported in August that famine is looming in four districts in Yemen, and all 117 districts in government-controlled areas are expected to suffer from “serious” levels of acute malnutrition. The report reflects the worsening food insecurity since Yemen plunged into civil war in 2014, when Iran-backed Houthi rebels took control of the capital, Sanaa, and much of the north, forcing the government to flee to Saudi Arabia.
The war has killed more than 150,000 people and caused one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. In recent years, it has deteriorated largely into a stalemate.
UN secretary-general calls for an end to hostilities in Lebanon
UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief is calling for de-escalation and a cessation of hostilities in Lebanon, saying civilians are suffering the brunt of the increasing violence.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ appeal for “diplomatic avenues to be given space” was delivered by U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric on Monday.
Israel’s escalating airstrikes have affected about one million people and about 100,000 have fled to neighboring Syria, Dujarric said.
He said the U.N. peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL, has been unable to deploy its troops from their bases because of the intensity of the fighting.
On the humanitarian front, the United Nations plans to launch an emergency appeal on Tuesday to help meet the needs of the one million people affected by the violence, Dujarric said.
The U.N. World Food Program has delivered food to more than 65,000 people in shelters in recent days, and the U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, has opened seven emergency shelters that are accommodating 1,400 people.
Bulgaria evacuates 89 nationals and will return for more who want to leave
SOFIA, Bulgaria — A Bulgarian government jet has returned to Sofia with 89 nationals who were evacuated from Lebanon.
Prime Minister Dimitar Glavchev, who welcomed them at the Sofia Airport on Monday, said the government was discussing all options for future evacuations.
“We will evacuate the Bulgarians from Lebanon in the safest way, regardless of the cost. The most important thing is that it is done in the most secure and safe way. There is nothing more expensive than human life,” Glavchev said.
According to Deputy Foreign Minister Elena Shekerletova, 160 out of about 400 Bulgarians who live in Lebanon have said they want to be evacuated.
“More than half arrived on the first flight, while more requests have been processed. A new flight will be scheduled as soon as a group is assembled, and travel is safe,” Shekerletova said at the airport.
“In less than 24 hours, our embassy organized an evacuation, including for the baby who had no documents,” said 38-year-old mother of two Jana Sharaf, holding her 20-day-old infant.
“On Tuesday the bombing started and very quickly it became very scary, very bad. We didn’t know where the bombs would fall, what they were targeting. It was very scary.”
Israeli military declares 3 border towns a ‘closed military zone’
JERUSALEM — The Israeli military has declared three communities along Israel’s northern border to be a “closed military zone,” in a possible precursor to a ground invasion of Lebanon.
The order Monday restricts entry and exit from the communities to military forces only. The towns are Metula, Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi.
The order does not necessarily mean that Israeli troops will invade Lebanon immediately. Areas can also be declared closed military zones if an imminent threat is detected.
But the Israeli army has heavily beefed up forces along the border with Lebanon in recent days, and commanders have said they are prepared to send in forces if the government gives the order.
EU leaders want an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah
BRUSSELS — European Union foreign ministers are calling for an immediate ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah and have expressed support for U.N. peacekeepers in southern Lebanon.
“Arms should now be silenced, and the voice of diplomacy should speak and be heard by all,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell told reporters after chairing an emergency meeting Monday.
“The sovereignty of both Israel and Lebanon has to be guaranteed,” Borrell said. “Any further military intervention would dramatically aggravate the situation and has to be avoided.”
Borrell said ministers of the 27-nation EU discussed the need for increased humanitarian aid and close coordination “to be prepared for any emergency situation.”
Italy’s foreign minister, Antonio Tajani, said he and his counterparts discussed possibly evacuating European nationals from Lebanon.
Both underlined the importance of the peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon, UNIFIL. “The safety and security of U.N. peacekeepers is paramount,” Borrell said.
Israel launches small raids across the border with Lebanon, larger operation planned, officials say
WASHINGTON — Israel has launched small, precision raids across the border in Lebanon and a larger ground operation is being planned, according to two officials.
It was not clear if Israel had made a final decision on a broader operation. The Israeli military did not comment.
The U.S. official and the Western official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
It was not clear what the small ground raids entailed and there have been no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants on Lebanese soil.
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Associated Press writers Matthew Lee and Samy Magdy contributed to this report.
Relatives fear an Israeli ground offensive in Lebanon will delay the release of hostages in Gaza
LONDON — Relatives of some of the Israelis held hostage by Hamas in Gaza say they fear Israel’s strikes on Hezbollah in Lebanon will further delay a deal that could lead to their loved ones’ release.
“It takes away from the hostages,” Sharone Lifschitz said during a news conference Monday in London.
She continued, “If there is a ground incursion, then they are telling us nothing will happen for two weeks or three weeks or five weeks.”
Lifschitz’s parents were kidnapped when Hamas-backed militants raided southern Israel on Oct. 7. Her mother, Yocheved, was freed in November but her father, Oded, is still being held.
Relatives of hostages with connections to the U.K. held a private meeting Monday with Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy in hopes of increasing pressure for the hostages’ release.
Stephen Brisley’s sister Lianne Sharab and two nieces were killed by Hamas on Oct. 7, and his brother-in-law Eli Sharabi is a hostage. He says the Israeli government insists the hostages are its top priority, but “that’s not the impression I get at the moment.”
Yemen’s Houthi rebels shoot down another US-made MQ-9 Reaper drone
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Yemen’s Houthi rebels say they shot down another American-made MQ-9 Reaper drone over the country, with videos purportedly showing a surface-to-air missile striking it.
Responding to queries from The Associated Press, the U.S. military acknowledged an MQ-9 was “downed but we have nothing additional to provide.”
The attack comes as the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip approaches. The Houthis have targeted ships traveling through the Red Sea over the war as U.S.-led airstrikes pound their positions in Yemen. That has imperiled a waterway that typically sees $1 trillion of trade pass through it, as well as crucial shipments of aid to war-torn Sudan and Yemen.
The Houthis also continue to launch missiles targeting Israel, drawing retaliatory airstrikes from the Israelis this weekend on the port city of Hodeida.
The Houthi-run broadcaster Al-Masirah claimed shooting down the MQ-9, hours after video footage circulated online showing the purported missile striking the aircraft over Yemen’s Saada province. A single image online also appeared to show wreckage of the drone, with pieces resembling that of an MQ-9.
French foreign minister urges Israel to refrain from launching a ground offensive in Lebanon
BEIRUT — France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot has urged Israel to refrain from launching a ground offensive in Lebanon and to reach a cease-fire with the Lebanese group Hezbollah after nearly two weeks of escalating tit-for-tat strikes across Israel’s northern border.
“There is still hope, but there is little time left,” Barrot said during a news conference in Beirut Monday, just hours after an Israeli airstrike hit a residential building in the heart of the Lebanese capital. “I therefore urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire.”
He also urged Hezbollah to stop firing on Israel, saying it “bears heavy responsibility in the current situation, given its choice to enter the conflict” after ally Hamas’ Oct. 7 deadly incursion into southern Israel.
Barrot was in Lebanon to delivery medical aid and hospital equipment.
He expressed solidarity with the Lebanese people, saying they are “caught in a war (they) did not choose,” and said France will provide flights for any French nationals who want to leave Lebanon.
Netanyahu warns Iran ‘there is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach’
JERUSALEM — In a speech addressed to the Iranian people, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Islamic Republic of subjugating its citizens and indicated the Israeli military is capable of assassinating Iran’s leaders.
“Every day, their (Iran’s) puppets are eliminated. Ask Mohammed Deif. Ask Nasrallah,” Netanyahu said. “There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach.”
He was referring to the head of Hamas’ military wing, who Israel says it killed in a July strike in Gaza, and the head of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in a strike on Friday. Hamas has not confirmed Deif’s death.
Over the past week, Israel has killed seven high-ranking Hezbollah commanders and officials. Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer and sponsor, has vowed to retaliate.
“Iran’s tyrants don’t care about your future,” Netanyahu said. “When Iran is finally free, that moment will come a lot sooner than people think. Everything will be different.”
Hamas’ political leader, Ismael Haniyeh, was assassinated in July in a strike on Tehran, and Iran blamed Israel. Israel has not confirmed or denied it was behind that killing.
Blinken says US is working to de-escalate the conflict
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Hezbollah’s leader killed in a recent Israeli airstrike a “brutal terrorist” but says the U.S. will keep working on de-scalating the conflict in the Middle East.
President Joe Biden similarly said over the weekend that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah ’s death was a “measure of justice” for thousands of Americans, Israelis and Lebanese victims of a four-decade “reign of terror.”
Biden said an all-out war in the Middle East must be avoided and that he would speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but didn’t say when.
Blinken, speaking Monday at the opening of a meeting of foreign ministers in a global coalition to defeat the Islamic State group, said the U.S. is working with partners on a diplomatic resolution to ensure security for Israel and Lebanon and allow people driven from their homes along the border by months of rocket strikes to return.
He says the U.S. is still working on a cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza, an effort that has stalled.
“Diplomacy remains the best and only path to achieving greater stability in the Middle East,” Blinken said.
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