Israel Hezbollah War Highlights: Israel says struck Hezbollah targets 'adjacent' to Lebanon-Syria border crossing

Israel's military reported that two rockets were launched from Gaza into Israeli territory, marking the first instance of rocket fire from the region in approximately a month.
According to the military, "Israel's Iron Dome missile defense system" successfully intercepted one of the rockets, while the other landed in an open area near a kibbutz located across the border from Gaza.

Since the beginning of the war, there has been a significant decrease in the frequency of rocket attacks originating from Gaza and targeting Israel.

The Israeli military reported that sirens were heard in southern Israel, close to the Gaza strip, for the first time in almost two months. "Almost a year after Oct. 7, Hamas is still threatening our civilians with their terrorism and we will continue operating against them," the army added in a post on X.

A UN airlift delivered 30 metric tonnes of medical supplies to Beirut, Lebanon, marking the first aid shipment since the recent escalation of violence between Israel and Hezbollah. The supplies, including trauma and surgical kits, are sufficient to treat tens of thousands of people. More flights are expected to deliver additional trauma, cholera, and mental health supplies. Israeli strikes since September 23 have killed over 1,100 people and displaced more than one million in Lebanon. The aid was organized by the WHO and UNHCR, with funding from the UAE, and is crucial for hospitals treating casualties.

The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) have reported conducting airstrikes on a tunnel spanning 3.5 kilometers between Lebanon and Syria. According to the military quoted by the Times of Israel, the tunnel was utilised by Hezbollah's Unit 4400 to transport and smuggle weapons from Iran into Lebanon.

The airstrike resulted in the destruction of the tunnel, which served as a conduit and storage facility for the weapons. Additionally, the surrounding infrastructure, including buildings and weapon depots, was also targeted and destroyed in the attack.

In a separate incident, the IDF targeted "infrastructure" at the Masnaa Border Crossing between Lebanon and Syria. This strike was prompted by intelligence indicating attempts to deliver Iranian weapons to Hezbollah through this route.

The IDF has intensified its efforts to prevent the delivery of weapons from Iran to Hezbollah via Syria. The recent killing of the commander of Hezbollah's Unit 4400 in an airstrike on Beirut on Tuesday underscores the ongoing conflict and the IDF's determination to disrupt the weapons supply chain.

The Israeli military announced that its warplanes conducted airstrikes on Hezbollah positions in close proximity to the crucial Masnaa border crossing, which connects Lebanon and Syria. The statement released by the army on Friday described the operation as part of an ongoing campaign targeting the Iranian-backed organisation.

According to the military's statement, "Infrastructure sites adjacent to the Masnaa border crossing between Syria and Lebanon were struck last night." The strikes, carried out under the cover of darkness, aimed to disrupt Hezbollah's activities in the region and undermine its operational capabilities near the strategic border area.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei on Friday delivered a rare prayer sermon in Tehran, where he defended Hamas' and Iran's attacks on Israel as "legal and legitimate". During the sermon attended by thousands at a mosque in Tehran, Khamenei claimed that the US and its allies were preserving Israel's security to make it an energy exporting gate from the region to the West, and declared that the resistance against the Zionist force would not back down.

"We issued a statement a few days back expressing deep concern - we said that the violence and the situation is of deep concern for us. We had reiterated a call for restraint by all concerned and also the protection of civilians. It is important in our opinion that this conflict doesn't take a wider regional dimension... As of now, from Israel, Iran and other countries, flights are running so people have the option if they want to leave. Families have reached out to us and to our embassies, but at this point, we don't have any evacuation process going on. We have around 3,000 people in Lebanon, mostly in Beirut... In Iran, we have around 10,000 people, around 5,000 of them are students... In Israel, we have around 30,000 people largely caregivers and workers," said the MEA spokesperson.

Israeli air raid in southern Beirut resulted in the death of a rescuer, according to a statement from the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. The group accused Israel of intentionally targeting civil defence teams who were working at the site of the overnight strike.

Hezbollah claimed that after conducting massive strikes in their stronghold in the Lebanese capital overnight, "Israeli aircraft targeted civil defence teams who were working to remove the rubble and rescue the wounded, leading to the death of a civil defence member." A source close to the Iran-backed group informed AFP that the strike was carried out using a drone.

Rocket sirens echoed across northern Israel as another barrage of rockets was launched from Lebanon soon after Iran supreme leader's Khamenei's sermon. Despite the dozens of rockets fired, no casualties have been reported the Times of Israel.

"Hezbollah and the martyred Sayyid Nasrallah have taken steps in defense of Gaza and jihad for Al-Aqsa Mosque, delivering a blow to the usurping, cruel Zionist regime. They have provided a vital service to the entire region and the entire Muslim world," said Khamenei.

"Sakafi was a senior Hezbollah terrorist, who was responsible for the communications unit since 2000. Sakafi invested significant efforts to develop communication capabilities between all of Hezbollah's units," said IDF while claiming to have eliminated him.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Friday that the US and its allies were preserving the security of Israel to make it an energy exporting gate from the region to the West, but that the resistance in the region would not back down against Israel.

Khamenei also said, "The consequences of killing civilians & bombardments is an increase in ppl’s anger & motivation, the emergence of ppl willing to sacrifice their lives & a tighter noose around the neck of bloodthirsty Zionist wolf, which will ultimately lead to the elimination of its existence."

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei declared that armed groups aligned with Tehran 'will not back down' despite recent assassinations of militant leaders by Israel. In a rare sermon delivered primarily in Arabic in Tehran, Khamenei asserted, "The resistance in the region will not back down with these martyrdoms, and will win."

"Martyr Nasrallah’s most important message during his lifetime to the people of Lebanon was to not despair over the loss of prominent figures such as Imam Musa Sadr, Sayyid Abbas Mousavi; to increase your efforts; to stand up to the aggressive enemy; and to defeat them," said the Supreme leader.

Khamenei said, "Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah brought assurance and courage to the fighters and seekers of truth. The scope of his popularity and influence extended beyond Lebanon, Iran, and Arab countries, and now his martyrdom will increase his influence even more."

"Sayyid Hassan Nasrallah is no longer among us physically, but his path and his resonant voice are and will continue to be with us. He was the articulate voice and brave supporter of the oppressed," said Khamenei

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, was laid to rest in an undisclosed location following his death in an Israeli airstrike last week, according to AFP sources close to the organisation. The decision to hold a private burial was made due to concerns that Israel might target a public funeral ceremony.

"Hassan Nasrallah has been temporarily buried, until the circumstances allow for a public funeral," the source stated, emphasizing the need for caution in the face of potential Israeli aggression. The AFP source further explained that a public funeral was deemed too risky, as there were fears that "they would target mourners and the place of his burial".

In accordance with Shiite Muslim traditions, a temporary burial is permitted when external factors prevent a proper funeral or when the deceased cannot be interred in their desired location.

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday defended Iran's missile attack on Israel as 'logical and legal'

"The operation of our armed forces a few nights ago was totally legal and legitimate," he said during a rare Friday prayer sermon.

Australian PM Anthony Albanese denounced the Iranian ambassador's remarks that commended a recently killed Hezbollah leader. However, he dismissed the opposition's recommendation to deport the ambassador.

On social media, Ambassador Ahmad Sadeghi referred to Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who died in an Israeli missile attack in Lebanon in September, as a "remarkable leader."

Albanese told reporters in Sydney, "The government condemns any support for terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah. We condemn the ambassador's comments."

The Prime Minister further said, "Australia has maintained a relationship with Iran since 1968 that has been continuous. Not because we agree with the regime, but because it's in Australia's national interest."

Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday defended Iran's missile attack on Israel as "legal and legitimate". "The operation of our armed forces a few nights ago was totally legal and legitimate," he said during a rare Friday prayer sermon.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, delivered a rare public sermon in Tehran on Friday, just days following the country's missile strike against Israel. During his address to the gathered worshippers, Khamenei had a rifle positioned next to him.

The sermon, which marked Khamenei's first in almost five years, was attended by thousands of people. Many of those present carried portraits depicting the deceased leaders of Iran's "axis of resistance" against both Israel and the United States.

"Muslims should no longer be negligent. We must tighten the belt of defence and independence in all Islamic countries, from Afghanistan to Yemen," the Iran's Supreme Leader said while calling for "Muslim Unity".

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Beirut where he will discuss with Lebanese officials the ongoing war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Iran is the main backer of Hezbollah and has sent weapons and billions of dollars to the group over the years.

The Iranian official arrived in Lebanon as Israel launched new airstrikes on different parts of Lebanon, including Beirut’s southern suburb, south Lebanon, and the eastern Bekaa Valley.

Araghchi’s visit to Beirut came after Iran launched at least 180 missiles Tuesday into Israel, part of a series of rapidly escalating attacks that threaten to push the Middle East closer to a regionwide war.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency says an Israeli airstrike has cut a main highway linking Lebanon with Syria.

The agency gave no further details about Friday’s airstrike that led to the closure of a road near the Masnaa Border Crossing, from where tens of thousands of people fleeing war in Lebanon have crossed into Syria over the past two weeks. It’s the first time this major border crossing has been cut off since the beginning of the war.

Lebanese General Security recorded more than 250,000 Syrian citizens and over 80,000 Lebanese citizens crossing into Syrian territory during the last week of September, after Israel launched a heavy bombardment of southern and eastern Lebanon.

Dama Post, a pro-government Syrian media outlet, said Israeli warplanes fired two missiles and damaged the road between Masnaa Border Crossing in Lebanon and the Syrian crossing point of Jdeidet Yabous.

Israeli strike hit Hezbollah-linked rescue workers in Beirut's southern suburbs, wounding three, a Lebanese security source told Reuters on Friday.

Lebanon's official news agency said on Friday that an Israeli air strike on the Syrian border had cut off the main international road linking the two countries.
Coastal Lebanon shares a border with Israel, with which Hezbollah is at war, and Syria, where tens of thousands of people have taken refuge from the violence engulfing the country.

The Israeli military said on Thursday that it had targeted Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, while soldiers engaged in combat with militants near the border and warplanes conducted airstrikes on their strongholds throughout the country. Earlier this week, Israel declared that its troops had initiated "ground raids" in certain areas of southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah bastion, following several days of intense shelling across the nation where the group holds influence.

According to the Lebanese health ministry, the bombardment has claimed the lives of over 1,000 individuals and displaced hundreds of thousands in a country already grappling with economic and political turmoil. Israel, which has been at war in Gaza since the October 7 attack by Hamas, stated that it had redirected its attention to securing its northern border and ensuring the safe return of more than 60,000 people who were displaced by Hezbollah's attacks over the past year.

Regarding the situation in Gaza, the Israeli military reported that an airstrike conducted three months ago resulted in the deaths of three high-ranking Hamas leaders, including Rahwi Mushtaha, who headed the militant movement's government in the war-torn Palestinian territory. In Lebanon, the Israeli military claimed to have struck "targets belonging to Hezbollah's intelligence headquarters in Beirut".

The state-run National News Agency of Lebanon reported four airstrikes on the southern suburbs of Beirut. A source with close ties to Hezbollah informed AFP that the strikes targeted an evacuated building that previously housed the group's media relations office and a warehouse in proximity to the airport. Israel instructed Lebanese residents to evacuate more than 20 villages and the city of Nabatiyeh.

"For your own safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River. Save your lives," army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.

UN peacekeepers are remaining in their positions on Lebanon’s southern border despite Israel’s request to vacate some locations before it launched its recent ground operation, the U.N. peacekeeping chief said.

Jean-Pierre LaCroix said the commander and liaison officers from the force, known as UNIFIL, also remain in constant contact with their counterparts in the Israeli Defense Force and the Lebanese Armed Force, which he called “very important” to protect the UN’s more than 10,000 peacekeepers which is paramount.

UNIFIL is also “the only channel of communications between the parties,” he stressed. “The peacekeepers are also working with partners to do what they can to protect the population.”

He told a news conference Thursday that UNIFIL had anticipated the scenario of “a limited, targeted ground operation” by Israel and had thoroughly discussed whether UN peacekeepers should stay or not — and they decided to stay for now.

But LaCroix stressed that “we’re constantly reviewing the situation” and contingency plans are ready, both for good and bad scenarios, which he refused to discuss. He stressed that the parties have an obligation to protect the UN peacekeepers, “and I want to insist on that.”

Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon early Tuesday, which marked a significant escalation of its offensive against Hezbollah militants. The offensive also marks a new front against Hezbollah’s Iranian backers following the Israeli airstrike that killed the group’s longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah.

UNIFIL was created to oversee the withdrawal of Israeli troops from southern Lebanon after Israel’s 1978 invasion. The U.N. expanded its mission following the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah, allowing peacekeepers to deploy along the Israeli border.

The UN Security Council resolution ending that war demanded that all armed groups — including Hezbollah — be disarmed, and for the Lebanese army to deploy to the Israeli border. After 17 years, neither has happened.

The United Nations Security Council on Thursday offered its full support to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, after Israel said he was "persona non grata" for not quickly condemning Iran's ballistic missile barrage.
Without naming Israel, the council's five permanent members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- and the 10 non-permanent members "underscored the need for all member states to have a productive and effective relationship with the secretary-general."

The Council also asked member states to "refrain from any actions that undermine his work and that of his office."

"Any decision not to engage with the UN secretary-general or the United Nations is counterproductive, especially in the context of escalating tensions in the Middle East," it said.

Relations between the UN and Israel -- a state created by a UN resolution in 1947 -- have been difficult since Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, which sparked the war in Gaza.

On Wednesday, Guterres was declared persona non grata by Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz, who called him an "anti-Israel secretary-general who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers."

"Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil," Katz said in a statement.

That same day, at a tense emergency Security Council meeting on swirling tensions in the Middle East, with both the UN envoys from Iran and Israel in the rooms, Guterres said: "I again strongly condemn yesterday's massive missile attacks by Iran on Israel."

Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set to lead Friday prayers and deliver a public sermon that could shed light on the Islamic republic's plans after a massive missile attack on enemy Israel.
Khamenei's rare Friday sermon -- a first in almost five years -- comes three days before the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, triggered by the Iran-backed Palestinian group's October 7 attack.

The supreme leader, who wields the highest authority in Iran, will lead Muslims in prayer at the Imam Khomeini Grand Mosalla mosque in central Tehran, his official website said.

The prayer will follow "a commemoration ceremony" at 10:30 am (0700 GMT) for Hassan Nasrallah, the slain leader of Tehran-backed Lebanese armed movement Hezbollah.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards, who answer to Khamenei, said Tuesday's barrages of some 200 missiles were in retaliation for Israel's killing of Nasrallah alongside Guards commander Abbas Nilforoushan in a late September strike on Beirut, and of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July.

Hashem Safieddine, born in southern Lebanon in the early 1960s, is one of Hezbollah's founding members. He joined the Shiite Muslim group in the 1980s during Lebanon's civil war and quickly rose through the ranks alongside Nasrallah. Safieddine held various positions, including political, spiritual, and cultural leadership roles as well as overseeing the group's military activities at one point.

Like Nasrallah, Safieddine often wore a black turban, signifying his status as a revered Shiite cleric. In 1995, he was promoted to the group's highest council and soon after he was appointed the head of the military operations of Hezbollah. In 1998, Safieddine was elected to lead the party's executive council, a position previously held by Nasrallah before his appointment as Hezbollah's secretary-general in 1992.

Like Nasrallah, Safieddine studied in Iran, forming strong ties with Tehran during his religious studies in Qom before returning to Lebanon to work for Hezbollah.

Safieddine's son Reza Hashem Safieddine married Zeinab Suleimani, daughter of Maj. Gen. Qassim Suleimani, an Iranian commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps' Quds Force, who was killed by a US airstrike in Baghdad in 2020. The wedding was highly publicized and was largely viewed as a symbol of Iran's deep involvement in Hezbollah.

The Israeli military on Thursday warned people to evacuate communities in southern Lebanon that are outside a U.N.-declared buffer zone, signaling that it may widen a ground operation launched earlier this week against the Hezbollah militant group.

Meanwhile, Israeli forces said they had struck around 200 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities and observation posts. Strikes continued overnight when a series of massive blasts rocked Beirut’s southern suburbs. It was not immediately clear what was targeted or if there were casualties.

The fighting has driven nearly 1.2 million people from their homes in Lebanon, the country's crisis unit said Thursday.

At least nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where Israel announced the start of what it says is a limited ground incursion earlier this week. The fighting comes as the region braces for Israel's response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack.

The target for the Israeli strike in Beirut was Hezbollah senior leader Hashem Safi a-Din, who was Hassan Nasrallah's likely successor, according to an Axios reporter citing two Israeli officials

A source affiliated with Lebanon's Hezbollah reported that Israel launched 11 consecutive strikes on the group's stronghold in southern Beirut. AFP correspondents in the capital and surrounding areas heard the loud explosions. The source, who requested anonymity, stated, "Israel struck the southern suburbs 11 consecutives times." The intensity of the bombardment set off car alarms and caused buildings to shake in Beirut and its outskirts.

The Israeli military urged residents to evacuate communities in southern Lebanon outside a UN-declared buffer zone, indicating a potential expansion of its ground operations against the Hezbollah militant group. Israeli forces reported striking around 200 Hezbollah targets throughout Lebanon, including weapons-storage facilities and observation posts. Overnight, a series of massive explosions were heard in Beirut's southern suburbs, though the specific targets and potential casualties remain unclear.

Israel has advised people to leave Nabatieh, a provincial capital, and other areas north of the Litani River, which marks the northern boundary of the buffer zone established by the UN Security Council following the 2006 war. Both sides accuse each other of violating the resolution.

At least nine Israeli soldiers have died in confrontations with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, where Israel recently announced the initiation of a limited ground incursion. This escalation occurs as the region anticipates Israel's response to an Iranian ballistic missile attack.

The Israeli army announced that its troops had rescued a Yazidi woman who had been held in Gaza after being captured by Islamic State militants a decade ago and subsequently trafficked to the region. The army reported that the 21-year-old Yazidi woman was freed during a complex, coordinated operation this week involving collaboration with the United States, Jordan, and other international partners. "She was recently rescued in a secret mission from the Gaza Strip through the Kerem Shalom crossing," the military said in a statement. "Upon her entry into Israel, she continued to Jordan through the Allenby Bridge crossing and from there returned to her family in Iraq."

A US official stated on Thursday that the United States does not believe Israel has made a decision on how to respond to Iran's attack, including the possibility of targeting its oil facilities. "As the president said, we continue to have discussions with the Israelis about their response to Tuesday’s attack and we understand that they are still determining what exactly they will do," the source said.

Israel has various options for retaliating against Iran following the missile attacks earlier this week, the country's ambassador to the United Nations stated in an interview with CNN on Thursday. "We have a lot of options ... so it's (up to) us to decide where and when we want to attack, but they are vulnerable. They know that," said Danny Danon.

The burial ceremony of assassinated Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah will be held on Friday, even as Israel continues to pound Lebanon, where the Shiite militant operated.

A report published by Iranian state media IRNA has confirmed that Nasrallah's burial ceremony will take place on Friday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security on Thursday to discuss the outbreak of fresh hostilities in West Asia, sources told news agency PTI.

The sources said the West Asia conflict and its impact on trade and supply of petroleum products was discussed in the meeting.

India has voiced deep concern over the escalation of the security situation in West Asia and said the conflict must not take a wider regional dimension.

It has also called for addressing all issues through dialogue and diplomacy.

The Israel Defense Forces has issued orders to the residents of the upper and western Galilee regions, as well as various communities in the northern Golan Heights. These directives instruct residents to stay in close proximity to bomb shelters until they receive further instructions from the military.

The advisory comes admif intelligence on the likelihood of significant rocket attacks by Hezbollah.

Based on information provided by the IDF, northern Israel has been targeted by close to 200 rockets over the course of the day.

US President Joe Biden revealed that he is in talks about potential Israeli strikes on Iranian oil facilities, causing oil prices to surge by five per cent on Thursday, just a month before the US presidential election. Biden clarified to reporters at the White House that he did not anticipate Israel launching any retaliation for Tehran's missile barrage on Israel before Thursday at the earliest.

Iran's missile barrage at Israel this week was meant as a warning that the Islamic republic can hit Israeli territory, but has instead exposed Iranian military limitations, analysts say.

In its second-ever direct attack on Israel, Iran launched some 200 missiles on Tuesday, with most of them -- but not all -- intercepted by Israeli air defences with help from allies.