Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bouhabib (left) addresses the UN Security Council in New York on September 20. In the centre is Amir Saeid Iravani (Iran’s UN representative) with Koussay Aldahhak (Syria). Photo: United Nations
Israel and Hezbollah are exchanging cross-border strikes in the wake of the widespread detonation of pagers across Lebanon last week.
Hezbollah also confirmed the death of rocket and missile division commander Ibrahim Qubaisi in southern Lebanon in a social media post.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) had earlier reported an air attack on Da’ahia in Beirut killed him.
American media outlet ABC News said that Israeli forces targeted eight residential homes in the Gaza Strip in 24 hours and killed at least 52 people.
Reports said at least five of those people were killed after a house in the town of Al-Nasr, northeast of Rafah, was targeted.
An IDF spokesman said they had conducted precise operations in the Rafah area.
LEBANON DISPLACED
The number of people displaced in southern Lebanon as a result of Israeli airstrikes may be close to 500,000, says Lebanese Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bouhabib.
Lebanon is already struggling to accommodate Syrians displaced from their homeland’s civil war and other Palestinian refugees.
Habib spoke at an event in New York while he was there to attend the UN General Assembly.
He reportedly expressed disappointment over US President Joe Biden’s speech at the UN but remained hopeful that the US can help broker a peace deal.
CEASEFIRE STATUS
Mediators between Israel and Hamas are as far away from a ceasefire as they have ever been as both sides impede negotiations, senior US officials told ABC News.
Many officials had long been sceptical that Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar would sign off on an agreement that involves ceding rule over Gaza.
Hamas reportedly remains deeply frustrated that the Israeli government added demands to a Palestinian prisoner exchange deal.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also become increasingly intractable, according to US officials.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah fired over 300 rockets, missiles and drones on Israel on Tuesday, injuring six soldiers and civilians in Israel, officials told ABC.
The group tried to fire many more strikes that were disrupted, according to an IDF spokesman.
