► Israeli army carries out “localized ground raids” in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army announced on the night of Monday to Tuesday October 1 that it had started “localized ground raids” in villages in southern Lebanon, claiming to target the Islamist movement Hezbollah, despite international calls for de-escalation.
After the devastating blow inflicted on Hezbollah with the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday in an Israeli strike near Beirut, Israeli leaders warned that the battle was not yet over against the pro-Iranian movement, Israel’s enemy. . The Israeli army has been carrying out intense and deadly bombings on Lebanon for several days.
“In accordance with the decision of the political level, the Civil Defense forces began a few hours ago limited, localized and targeted ground raids, based on precise intelligence, against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructures in the southern Lebanon »the Israeli army said on Telegram around 1:00 a.m. Tuesday (Paris time).
“These targets are located in villages near the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel”she assured.
Earlier, Lebanese Hezbollah said it had “targeted” Israeli soldiers “in motion” near the Lebanese border in the night, a source close to the Shiite movement specifying that the soldiers were “on the border”.
The American Minister of Defense, Lloyd Austin, said he was convinced, like Israel, of the “need to dismantle attack infrastructure” of Hezbollah. A “diplomatic resolution is necessary” to ensure the safety of civilians “on both sides of the border”he also reaffirmed.
► Lebanon: a Palestinian refugee camp targeted by an Israeli strike
An official at a Palestinian camp in Sidon, southern Lebanon, said an Israeli strike there targeted a leader of a Palestinian armed group.
“The Israeli raid targeted the house of Mounir Maqdah’s son”in the Ain al-Helweh camp, said the official, who requested anonymity. It was not immediately clear whether Mounir Maqdah, whom Israel accuses of leading the Lebanese branch of the armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah movement, was in the building.
► Syria: three civilians killed during Israeli strikes on Damascus
Syrian state media, citing a military source, said Israeli strikes killed three civilians and injured nine others in Damascus early Tuesday.
“The Israeli enemy launched an aerial assault with warplanes and drones from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting several locations in Damascus”said the official Sana news agency, adding that “three civilians were killed and nine others injured”.
Syrian state television reported earlier that a journalist was killed early Tuesday morning in an Israeli strike in Damascus.
► The southern suburbs of Beirut targeted by at least six Israeli strikes
Israel carried out at least six strikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut overnight, after the Israeli army called on residents of Hezbollah’s stronghold to evacuate, a Lebanese security official said. “Six or seven Israeli strikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut”said the official who requested anonymity.
The death toll from Monday’s Israeli strikes in Lebanon is 95 dead across the country, the Lebanese Ministry of Health announced Monday evening.
► Iraq: Three rockets target a base hosting American forces
Three rockets targeted a base hosting American forces near the international airport in Baghdad, Iraq, early Tuesday without causing any casualties, two security sources said.
“The Victory base near Baghdad airport was targeted by three rockets, two of which were shot down by the base’s special defenses, while the third fell near the headquarters of the Counter-Terrorism Service command”said a security source. A second security source confirmed this information, specifying that there were no casualties and that the attack did not affect air traffic.
► Lebanon: France deploys a military ship as a “precaution” in the event of evacuation
A French Navy vessel set sail on Monday from the south-east of France to preposition itself off the coast of Lebanon by “precaution”in the event of a need to evacuate French nationals, we learned from the army headquarters.
The French amphibious helicopter carrier (PHA), which will take “5 to 6 days” to reach the area in the eastern Mediterranean from the port of Toulon, according to this source, is equipped with helicopters and a “embedded battle group” mobilized in the event of evacuation of French nationals, if this were to be decided.
“We are strengthening our resources to deal with a deterioration of the situation”affirmed a senior officer of the army general staff, specifying that at this stage “there is no question of evacuation of nationals”. The official did not specify the name of the vessel.
► London and Ottawa prepare the evacuation of their nationals
The United Kingdom announced that it had chartered a commercial flight for its nationals who wish to evacuate Lebanon. This flight will depart from Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut on Wednesday.
Canada, for its part, announced that it had reserved 800 seats on commercial flights to help its nationals leave Lebanon. “The security situation in Lebanon is becoming more and more dangerous and volatile”said on X Mélanie Joly, the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
