Key developments in Hezbollah-Israel conflict as UK and US push for ceasefire
Israel has dismissed calls for a ceasefire in Lebanon from the US, UK and other key allies, warning it will continue to fight Iran-backed Hezbollah “with all our strength”.
The UK was among countries including France that have called for a 21-day ceasefire “to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement”, as well as a ceasefire in Gaza.
However, Israeli foreign minister Israel Katz said on X: “There will be no ceasefire in the north. We will continue to fight against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation with all our strength until victory and the safe return of the residents of the north to their homes."
Israel’s relentless airstrikes of Lebanon and assassination of senior Hezbollah commanders has increased fears that it will mount a ground invasion which would lead to a wider war in the region. On Thursday Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu instructed the military to "continue the fighting with full force".
UN secretary general Antonio Guterres has said that “hell is breaking loose in Lebanon”, while US president Joe Biden cautioned on Wednesday that "all-out war" in the region was possible.
Read below for the key developments from our media partners, or click the headline to skip ahead
> Israel rejects ceasefire talks
> Border Force staff race to rescue 6,000 stuck Britons
> I was in a Hezbollah tunnel – this is what awaits Israel
> Biden warns 'all-out war' in region
> British mother trying to flee Lebanon says flight prices are 'crazy'
> Lebanese take refuge in shelters
> In Israel's north, stress and resignation deepen as missiles fly
Israel rejects ceasefire talks and keeps up Lebanon attacks
Israel ordered the military to maintain its bombardment of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon and denied interest in a truce deal, complicating efforts by the US and allies to avoid full-blown war.
The proposal for a three-week cease-fire is being led by US President Joe Biden and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron and came as Israel prepared for a possible ground invasion. Such a move would risk spiraling into a regional conflict that could drag the US and Iran, which backs Hezbollah, into a direct confrontation.
Border Force staff race to rescue 6,000 stuck Britons
Border Force officers are being deployed to help up to 6,000 trapped Britons flee Lebanon amid rising fears of a war between Hezbollah and Israel.
Some UK officers have already been sent to Lebanon to work with consular and military staff in helping Britons already seeking to leave the country after appeals to do so by Sir Keir Starmer.
A bigger contingent of Border Force officers are on 24 hour notice ready to fly to the region in the event that Britain has to start evacuating stranded workers and families.
I was in a Hezbollah tunnel – this is what awaits Israel
As I took my first steps into the vast tunnel, stretching from an opening in the Galilee region deep into the bowels of the earth, the air turned sour and dusty.
The tunnel, discovered by Israeli forces and promptly sealed off in 2019, was half a mile long and 260 feet deep – all of it dug with handheld drills by Hezbollah fighters, piece by piece.
Descending the steps into the gloom, past walls dimly lit by glowing electrical cables, it was almost hard to believe that such a colossal tunnel had been dug by a secretive squad, and not industrial excavators.
British mother trying to flee Lebanon says flight prices are 'crazy'
A British woman trying to flee Lebanon with her children has told Sky News she feels "torn" as her husband has to stay behind – and claimed the UK has "no plan of action" to help its citizens in the Middle Eastern country.
Mahasen al-Dada, from Manchester, said she was told to book commercial flights home but discovered there are none available until the second week of October. "Everything has gone. Middle East (Airlines) is still flying, but the earliest flight is 8 October, and the tickets have gone up to £2,000. It's crazy."
Biden warns 'all-out war' is possible
US President Joe Biden warned Wednesday of the possibility of an "all-out war" in the Middle East but said he was hopeful a settlement was still achievable for the conflict-torn region.
Biden's comments as he appeared on ABC chat show "The View" came as Israel put troops on alert for possible entry into Lebanon and the war in Gaza grinds on.
"An all-out war is possible," Biden said when asked about the situation. "What I think is, also, the opportunity is still in play to have a settlement that could fundamentally change the whole region."
Lebanese take refuge in shelters
Ali Berri never imagined it would take almost 14 hours to reach Beirut from his home in south Lebanon after he and his family decided to flee heavy Israeli air strikes.
It took "from 10:00 am until midnight — the traffic was totally jammed", said Berri, 55, who fled with his wife, son and elderly neighbour from the Tyre area on Monday.
The trip would normally take a couple of hours at most. "We hope that the war will ease so we can return to our homes because what me and my family went through yesterday is really war," he told AFP.
In Israel's north, stress and resignation deepen as missiles fly
With more Israeli communities moving into Hezbollah's crosshairs as Israel hits deeper in Lebanon, some in northern Israel hoped their country could finally end the threat of the Lebanese armed group, while others viewed the rising violence with resignation.
"There's a feeling of, finally, we're taking action in order to restore peace here, which has not been the case for the past almost a year," Barak Raz said in the northern Israeli beachside city of Nahariya.
