[🇱🇧] Lebanon - Israel Conflict -2024

Source: https://edition.cnn.com/world/live-news/israel-iran-missile-attack-middle-east-10-02-24-intl-hnk/index.html

Lebanon's military says Israel crossed 400 meters into territory before withdrawing​

From CNN’s Tamara Qiblawi and Mostafa Salem

IDF handout photo geolocated to be in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s military said Wednesday an Israeli military force breached the border, reaching 400 meters (about a quarter of a mile) into Lebanese territory before withdrawing.

“An Israeli enemy force breached the Blue Line by approximately 400 meters into Lebanese territory in the areas of Khirbet Yaroun and the Aadeyseh, then withdrew after a short period,” the army said.

The Blue Line is a reference to the demarcation border area that separates Israel and Lebanon.

CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment.

The IDF also released a photo of its troops inside Lebanon that CNN has geolocated to be inside southern Lebanon.

 

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Other sectors of Israel’s economy, while less important than tech, have been hit much harder. The agriculture and construction sectors have struggled to fill gaps left by Palestinians whose work permits have been suspended since October last year, pushing up prices for fresh vegetables and leading to a steep decline in housebuilding.

Tourism has also taken a knock, with arrivals down sharply this year. Israel’s tourism ministry has estimated that the drop in foreign tourists has translated into 18.7 billion shekels ($4.9 billion) in lost revenue since the start of the war.

The Norman, a boutique hotel in Tel Aviv, has had to lay off some staff and cut its prices by up to 25%, partly because some of its facilities — including its Japanese rooftop restaurant — remain closed to save on costs.

Occupancy levels have fallen from above 80% before war to below 50% currently, according to the hotel’s general manager Yaron Liberman.

“We know the day when the war will finish it’s going to be crazy here as far as business coming back,” he told CNN in mid-September, citing correspondence from would-be guests keen to visit Israel but unable to book flights or secure travel insurance.

But for now, “the biggest factor is the uncertainty,” Liberman said. “When is the war going to end?”

 

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Israeli police report heavy damage in northern Israel following Hezbollah rocket barrage​

From CNN’s Tamar Michaelis and Eyad Kourdi


Israeli police reported heavy damage in northern Israel following a Hezbollah rocket barrage on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, the Israeli military said nearly two dozen projectiles were identified crossing into Israeli territory from Lebanon.

Police officials said they had received reports about several areas impacted by rocket fire across Kiryat Shmona and the Lower Galilee, with heavy damage reported.

Fire and rescue teams attend to a fire in Kiryat Shmona

Northern District Fire & Rescue/Northern District Fire & Rescue
Several fires broke out but no injuries were reported.

Police officers and bomb disposal teams were at the scenes of the strikes.

Firefighting teams were working to extinguish a fire that broke out after a direct hit on a garage in Kiryat Shmona, according to a statement from the Fire and Rescue Services.

 

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Iran says any Lebanon ceasefire should be simultaneous with Gaza​

Reuters
October 4, 2024

BEIRUT: Tehran backs efforts for a ceasefire in Lebanon on the condition it would be backed by Hezbollah and simultaneous with a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said in Beirut on Friday.

“We support efforts for a ceasefire on the condition that it would be acceptable to the Lebanese people, acceptable to the resistance, and thirdly, it would be synchronized with a ceasefire in Gaza,” he said.

Iran’s most senior diplomat also said his presence in Beirut “in these difficult circumstances” was the best evidence that Iran stood by Lebanon and supported the Shias.

 

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WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden on Friday advised Israel against striking Iran’s oil facilities, saying he was trying to rally the world to avoid the escalating prospect of all-out war in the Middle East.

But his predecessor Donald Trump, currently campaigning for another term in power, went so far as to suggest Israel should “hit” the Islamic republic’s nuclear sites.

Making a surprise first appearance in the White House briefing room, Biden said that Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu “should remember” US support for Israel when deciding on next steps.

“If I were in their shoes, I’d be thinking about other alternatives than striking oil fields,” Biden told reporters when asked about his comments a day earlier that Washington was discussing the possibility of such strikes with its ally.

Biden added that the Israelis “have not concluded how they’re, what they’re going to do” in retaliation for a huge ballistic missile attack by Iran on Israel on Tuesday.

The price of oil had jumped after Biden’s remarks Thursday.

Any long-term rise could be damaging for US Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democrat confronts Republican Trump in a November 5 election where the cost of living is a major issue.

 

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Large explosion seen in Beirut
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Live images show a large explosion in Beirut, after what appears to be a fresh Israeli attack on the city.

Little is known about exactly what was hit and the Israeli military is yet to comment. We'll bring you more as we have it.