Israel-Hezbollah war RECAP: Terrorists will 'pay the price' after children slaughtered
Tensions in the Middle East have skyrocketed in light of the deadliest attack on Israeli soil since the October 7 terror rampage.
The Middle East is bracing for a new all-out war between Lebanon and Israel after the bombing of a football field in the Golan Heights killed 12 children. The latest sign of growing fears of a fresh conflict, while the war in Gaza continues to rage, was marked by airlines cancelling flights to and out of Beirut.
Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed military group in Lebanon that has been increasingly ramping up the scale of its attacks against northern Israel since October 7, denied any involvement in the killing of the youngsters on Saturday. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said "every indication" showed the rocket came from the group.
Following the deadly strike, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Hezbollah "will pay a heavy price for this attack, one that it has not paid so far". Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist organisation in the UK.
On Sunday, the country's security cabinet authorised the Israeli government to respond to the strike.
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Netanyahu warns 'harsh' response from Israel to come
Israel 'kills two Hezbollah members'
Hezbollah claimed the two people killed after a drone attack launched by Israel on southern Lebanon on Monday morning were its members.
The group named the two members as Abbas Muhammad Salami, 33, and Abbas Fadi Hijazi, 29.
Lebanese rescue services had previously confirmed two people had died in the strike and three more had been wounded.
Israel wants to 'hurt Hezbollah' after deadly attack
A senior Israeli official said on Monday the response to the attack on Golan Heights will be "limited but significant".
Jerusalem doesn't want to "drag the region into an all out war", but the Israeli government wants to "hurt Hezbollah", believed to be responsible for the strike that killed 12 children on the weekend.
IDF shoot down drone as Middle East braces for conflict
The cross-border fighting between Hezbollah militants and IDF soldiers didn't stop over the weekend. Israeli jets struck southern Lebanon between Saturday and Sunday night, while the IDF said on Monday morning its aerial defence system had intercepted a drone from Lebanon.
An update by the IDF shared on social media read: "Following the sirens that sounded in the areas of Admit and Ya’ara, the IDF Aerial Defense System successfully intercepted a UAV that crossed from Lebanon toward the area of the Western Galilee. Rocket and missile sirens were sounded following the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception."
Fears of escalation sparks travel chaos
Beirut International airport has experienced the cancellation of several inbound flights amid fears of a retaliatory move from Israel.
Some of the cancelled flights were coming from Athens, Stockhols and Ankara.
The Lufthansa Group, which includes Lufthansa Airlines, SWISS, and Eurowings, has decided to suspend its flights to Beirut for the rest of the month.
A company spokesperson said: "Due to the current developments in the Middle East, the airlines of the Lufthansa Group have decided to suspend their flights to Beirut up to and including July 30."
David Lammy voices concern for 'escalating tension'
Britain's Foreign Secretary David Lammy spoke about the "escalating tension" in the Middle East with the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Najib Mikati.
Mr Lammy reported news of his conversation on X, as he wrote: "I spoke to Prime Minister Najib Mikati today to express my concern at escalating tension and welcomed the Government of Lebanon’s statement urging for cessation of all violence. We both agreed that widening of conflict in the region is in nobody’s interest."
I spoke to Prime Minister @Najib_Mikati today to express my concern at escalating tension and welcomed the Government of Lebanon\u2019s statement urging for cessation of all violence. We both agreed that widening of conflict in the region is in nobody\u2019s interest.
\u2014 David Lammy (@DavidLammy) July 29, 2024
Israeli Olympic delegation pays tribute to children killed on the weekend
The Israeli delegation at the Olympic Village in Paris paid tribute to the 12 children who were killed in Goran Heights.
A picture shared by broadcaster N12News showed members of the Israeli team at the ongoing Olympic Games bowing their heads during a minute of silence.
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\u2014 \u05d4\u05d7\u05d3\u05e9\u05d5\u05ea - N12 (@N12News) July 29, 2024
Israel 'launches deadly drone strike in Lebanon'
Israel has carried out a limited drone strike in southern Lebanon this morning, which allegedly killed two people and wounded three more, including a child.
The Lebanese Civil Defence claimed a drone struck a vehicle and a motorbike in the Meiss El-Jabal village.
Good morning.
Good morning from London. I’m Alice Scarsi, I’ll be bringing you all the latest developments on the ongoing tensions between Israel and Lebanon.
