Israel has crossed ‘all red lines’ in pager ‘massacre’, says Hezbollah leader
Israeli jets triggered huge sonic booms during a speech by Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday.
Nasrallah, speaking for the first time since twin pager-and-radio attacks killed dozens across Lebanon, said Israel had crossed all ‘red lines’.
The attacks could be seen as “a declaration of war,” he added.
But his keenly-awaited address was disrupted by the sound of sonic booms from low-flying Israeli jets ringing across the Lebanese capital.
Minutes before he began, the IDF confirmed it had also struck a series of Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
Nasrallah described the remote-controlled detonation of thousands of communication devices as a “massacre”.
Explosions “happened in hospitals, in pharmacies, hospitals, in markets, in shops, in houses, in cars…in streets where many civilians were along with women and children”.
He added that he hoped Israel invades southern Lebanon, as it will create a “historic opportunity” for Hezbollah.
“The enemy will face a severe and fair punishment from where they expect and don’t expect,” Nasrallah said in his closing remarks.
05:29 PM BST
That’s all for today
We’re pausing our live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East for today.
Here’s a roundup of the latest news:
Hezbollah will pay an ‘increasing price’, says Israel’s defence minister
Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s chief, vowed a ‘severe’ punishment after Israel after it ‘violated all red lines’
Israeli jets triggered sonic booms during his speech after striking sites across southern Lebanon
A 73-year-old pensioner was arrested on suspicion of being hired by Iran to assassinate Benjamin Netanyahu
Mass funerals took place in Beirut for Hezbollah members killed in pager blasts
There is a fear and defiance in Hezbollah stronghold, according to our correspondent in Beirut
Death toll from walkie-talkie blasts rose to 25, taking overall death toll from explosions to 37
Benjamin Netanyahu accused Keir Starmer of ‘undermining’ Israel
The Middle East is the “closest” it has been to an all-out war in 50 years, Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the UK said
Read more:
05:20 PM BST
Israel defence minister: Hezbollah will pay ‘increasing price’
Israel will keep up military action against Lebanese Hezbollah, though the new phase of fighting does include significant risks, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minsiter, said in the wake of Hassan Nasrallah’s speech.
“In the new phase of the war there are significant opportunities but also significant risks. Hezbollah feels that it is being persecuted and the sequence of military actions will continue,” Mr Gallant said in a statement.
“Our goal is to ensure the safe return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes. As time goes by, Hezbollah will pay an increasing price,” he added.
05:17 PM BST
Israel ‘supplied exploding pagers to Hezbollah’
Israel allegedly set up a shell company that has supplied Hezbollah with pagers since 2022, according to a US media report.
Pagers were used in an explosives attack in Lebanon on Tuesday, which left 12 members of the terror group dead and thousands injured.
A supply chain trail allegedly led to Hungarian firm BAC Consulting, which appears to have a contract to manufacture beepers under a licensing agreement from Gold Apollo, a Taiwanese company.
However, the Budapest-based company was a front and part of a secret operation to send pagers to Hezbollah in 2022, the New York Times claimed, citing intelligence sources.
Read the full story here.
05:09 PM BST
‘We don’t want to see escalation,’ says Blinken
The US does not want to see escalation by “any party” in the Middle East, Antony Blinken said as he arrived in Paris for talks.
The US secretary of state did not explicitly condemn Israel’s detonation of hundreds of communication devices used by Hezbollah operatives.
But Washington, along with France, have urged both sides to avoid actions that could trigger all-out war.
The Paris meeting - scheduled to last just a few hours - will focus on the state of talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and the situation in Lebanon.
04:42 PM BST
Watch: Sky News reporter interrupted by Israeli jets breaking sound barrier
04:36 PM BST
Two Israeli soldiers killed by Hezbollah strikes
Israel says two of its soldiers were killed by latest Hezbollah strikes across the Lebanon border.
The announcement came while Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was finishing his speech, where he vowed Israel would “face a severe and fair punishment from where they expect and don’t expect” following the pager attacks.
04:32 PM BST
WHO: Explosions disrupt Lebanon’s ‘fragile health system’
Explosions in booby-trapped radios and pagers in Lebanon this week seriously disrupted its fragile health sector, the World Health Organization chief said on Thursday.
“These events have seriously disrupted Lebanon’s already fragile health system,” General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a press conference, adding that the global body had distributed blood supplies and trauma kits in the country.
Mike Ryan, WHO’s emergencies chief, said at the same briefing: “The whole health system came under immense pressure very, very quickly”.
04:28 PM BST
Watch: Funerals underway for Hezbollah fighters killed in blasts
04:18 PM BST
Israel will face ‘crushing response from axis of resistance’, says IRGC chief
Israel will face “a crushing response from the axis of resistance”, Hossein Salami, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Commander, told Hezbollah Chief Hassan Nasrallah on Thursday, Iranian state media reported.
The so-called “axis of resistance” refers to the informal Iranian-led military coalition that compromises of militant Islamist groups, including Hezbollah, the Houthi rebels in Yemen and Shia armed groups in Iraq and Syria.
04:12 PM BST
IDF chief approves battle plans for northern front
Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi, the chief of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), has approved battle plans for the northern front, the military said.
The northern front refers to the near-daily attacks launched by Hezbollah into Israel that has displaced tens of thousands on both sides of the border.
The statement, which did not provide further details, came just as Hassan Nasrallah, the chief of Hezbollah, began his much-anticipated speech following the mass explosions of communication devices in Lebanon.
04:07 PM BST
Watch: Moment Nasrallah says Israel violated ‘all red lines’
04:05 PM BST
Hezbollah infrastructure ‘not touched’, claims Nasrallah
Hezbollah’s command and control infrastructure was not been impacted in the pager attacks, Hassan Nasrallah has claimed.
He also said that senior Hezbollah commanders do not carry the pager models that exploded on Tuesday and Wednesday.
“I reassure you our infrastructure has not been touched,” he said.
03:59 PM BST
Pictured: Israeli airstrike in southern Lebanon
03:57 PM BST
‘We will not stop until Gaza war ends’
Hassan Nasrallah vowed that Hezbollah would not give up its “resistance” against Israel, including the continued rocket and drone attacks, until the war in Gaza comes to an end.
“The resistance in Lebanon will not stop supporting the resistance in Gaza, the West Bank and all the aggrieved,” he said.
03:46 PM BST
Nasrallah promises internal probe into explosions
The chief of Hezbollah said the Lebanese militant group will “not jump to conclusions”, instead promising an internal probe into the explosions of thousands of communication devices used by the group.
03:44 PM BST
This attack ‘did not bring us to our knees’ - Nasrallah
Hassan Nasrallah said that Hezbollah will not be brought to “our knees” by the pager attacks.
“We cannot be broken by this blow, no matter how big or strong it is. And I can assure you faithfully and with confidence, this hard, unprecedented blow did not bring us to our knees – and it will not,” he declared.
“These are lessons to learn,” Nasrallah he added, promising to improve security.
03:36 PM BST
Watch: IDF hits targets in Lebanon as Hezbollah leader speaks
03:33 PM BST
Pager attacks could be a ‘declaration of war’
Hassan Nasrallah is now well into his three-part speech and has described the pager attacks blamed on Israel as a possible “declaration of war”.
The Hezbollah leader said Israel’s level of a aggression is “unprecedented in Lebanon, unprecedented in our struggle against the enemy, unprecedented in the region or the scale of whole world”.
03:33 PM BST
Sonic booms heard as Nasrallah gives his speech
Israeli planes flew at very low altitude over Beirut as Nasrallah gave his speech. Sonic booms and massive explosions were heard.
Lebanese residents, already on edge following this week’s blasts across the country that the group blamed on Israel, were panicked fearing a major escalation.
03:27 PM BST
Nasrallah: ‘This is very big hit for us’
Hassan Nasrallah admitted that the pager blasts that have left 37 dead and 3,500 wounded was a “very bit hit for us”.
“This was a big test for us, but we have managed, we will overcome this test with high spirits,” he said in his televised address.
“This was a very big hit but we will not fail.. we will be stronger, more powerful”.
03:23 PM BST
Israel launches wave of strikes just before Nasrallah speech
Israel launched a fresh wave of strikes against Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Thursday as the terror group’s leader began his first statement since dozens were killed in a wave of pager and walkie-talkie explosions this week.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed that its chief of staff had approved plans for the northern area, accusing Hezbollah of turning southern Lebanon into a combat zone.
“For decades, Hezbollah has weaponized civilian homes, dug tunnels beneath them, and used civilians as human shields,” the statement read.
“The IDF is operating to bring security to northern Israel in order to enable the return of residents to their homes, as well as to achieve all of the war goals.”
The IDF announcement came as Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s chief, accused Israel of crossing “all red lines” with the explosive device attacks.
03:20 PM BST
‘It was genocide, it was a massacre’ - Nasrallah
The Hezbollah leader then referred to the pager blasts on Tuesday and Wednesday as a “genocide, a massacre”.
Hassan Nasrallah said Israel’s intention was to kill 4,000 in one minute on Tuesday, and another thousand on Wednesday, adding that “our enemy” had partly failed.
03:17 PM BST
Nasrallah says Israel violated ‘all red lines’
In his speech, Hassan Nasrallah said the enemy, referring to Israel, violated “all red lines” by targeting “hospitals, markets, shops, houses, cars, streets” on Tuesday and Wednesday.
He said: “What happened on Tuesday constitutes a violation of all laws and red lines, without regard for anything, neither humanitarian nor ethical.”
“We’ll call them the ‘Tuesday massacre’ and the ‘Wednesday massacre.’ Many disasters were avoided, as many wounds were minor, and a number of these beepers were switched off, while others had not yet been distributed,” Nasrallah added.
03:10 PM BST
Nasrallah prays for those injured in blasts
Hassan Nasrallah, chief of Hezbollah, said he is praying for the thousands of those injured in the blasts, saying many of those suffered major wounds to their eyes.
He thanked the people of Lebanon for the “biggest donation of blood” in the country’s history.
03:03 PM BST
Hezbollah chief’s speech gets under way
Nasrallah’s speech is now under way.
We will share updates as they come in.
02:42 PM BST
Hezbollah chief’s statement due to begin shortly
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s chief, will give a statement in around 20 minutes after the explosions across Lebanon this week.
Hezbollah is a politically-influential Shia Muslim organisation which controls the most powerful armed force in the Middle Eastern country, which borders Israel.
The Iran-backed terror group ahs been trading blows with Israel since Hamas carried out its terror attacks on Oct 7.
We’ll bring you what he says as it comes in.
02:37 PM BST
German airline extends flight suspensions
German airline group Lufthansa has said it will extend a suspension of flights to Tel Aviv, Tehran and Beirut, as regional tensions soared following the deadly explosions in Lebanon this week.
“Flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran will be cancelled until September 24,” a spokesperson for the airline said. “Flights to Beirut will be suspended until October 26.”
02:19 PM BST
Watch: ‘Amal’ flags flown during Hezbollah funeral
Flags from the political Amal movement were seen waving at funerals for Hezbollah fighters on Thursday.
The Amal Movement is a political party and former militia associated with the Shia community in Lebanon.
02:02 PM BST
More pictures from funeral of Hezbollah fighters
02:00 PM BST
‘Hitman’ sent to kill Netanyahu by Iran named as Israeli pensioner
A 73-year-old pensioner has been unmasked as the Israeli citizen arrested on suspicion of plotting to kill Benjamin Netanyahu in a plan devised by Iran.
Israeli security services said they arrested Moti Maman in August after he attended two meetings in Iran where they asked him to assassinate the Israeli prime minister. Yoav Gallant, the defence minister, and Ronen Bar, head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency, were also discussed as targets.
“The Israeli citizen entered Iran...smuggled through the border hidden inside a truck cabin,” an IDF statement read. “He met with additional Iranian intelligence agents and was asked by them to carry out activities for Iran on Israeli soil, including promoting assassination attacks.”
Mr Maman, who was smuggled into Iran in the back of a truck, allegedly demanded an advance payment of one million dollars before performing any action, the statement added. He was also allegedly given €5,000 for attending the meetings.
Eyal Besserglick, Mr Mamman’s lawyer, said his client made an “error of judgement” and is cooperating with Israel’s intelligence agencies.
“It can already be said that this is a person who has greatly assisted the security services of the State of Israel, whose children serve in the security forces,” Mr Besserglick added.
Israel claimed Iran asked Mr Maman to carry out the assassinations as revenge for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, on Iranian soil in July, which Tehran attributed to Jerusalem.
01:56 PM BST
Israel will use ‘all means necessary’ to secure northern border
Continuing this afternoon’s press conference, the government spokesperson said Israel will use “all means necessary” to secure its northern border.
The spokesperson said: “Israel is responding with force to this aggression by Hezbollah. We will use all means necessary to restore security to our northern border, and to safely return our citizens to their homes.
“We will respond with force to this unprovoked aggression from Hezbollah,” he added.
01:43 PM BST
Netanyahu rejects claims he jeopardised hostage deal
Benjamin Netanyahu “completely rejects” any accusation that he has jeopardised efforts to secure a hostage deal in Gaza for his own political gain.
Speaking at a press conference on Thursday afternoon, an Israeli government spokesperson said claims that Israel is holding up a deal “echoes the propaganda of Hamas”.
“The prime minister has accepted every American proposal for the release of hostages,” the spokesperson said.
01:33 PM BST
‘If people are nervous, they are not saying so’
If people are nervous at the funerals getting underway in southern Beirut — and given that walkie-talkies exploded in the ones that took place yesterday they could be forgiven if they were — they are not saying so.
I’ve spoken to one Hezbollah member who has brought his seven-year-old son to witness the funeral of Fadel Abbas Bezzi, a relative and Hezbollah fighter who died yesterday when his walkie-talkie exploded.
“My son needs to be here whatever the risk,” the man said. “I am teaching him a lesson. We could all die soon and if we do the new generation need to understand what we are fighting for.”
Two men are being buried today, Bezzi and Ahmad Ali Hassan, both of whom died yesterday.
The ceremony is a solemn one. Hezbollah fighters in camouflage uniforms and red berets have formed a guard of honour. A brass band is playing. Young Boy Scouts in Hezbollah scarfs are standing to attention near the funeral biers. Shia imams are standing by to lead the prayers.
Men and women waving yellow Hezbollah flags have gathered but in fewer numbers than yesterday — perhaps showing that there is more nervousness in southern Beirut than some are letting on.
01:15 PM BST
In pictures: funerals held for Hezbollah fighters killed in walkie-talkie blasts
Adrian Blomfield, our correspondent in Beirut, has sent us some pictures from funerals being held for Hezbollah fighters who were killed in Wednesday’s walkie-talkie blasts.
01:03 PM BST
Dispatch: Fear and defiance in Hezbollah stronghold
There is a mixture of fear and defiance in the Shia southern suburbs of Beirut, one of Hezbollah’s chief strongholds, where funerals of those killed yesterday are due to get under way shortly.
Many are waiting for waiting for direction and reassurance from Hassan Nasrallah, the Hezbollah leader, who is due to address his followers this afternoon.
“We are scared,” says Sara, a teacher and supporter of the movement. “We are scared of what’s going to happen tomorrow. We are scared of what’s going to happen in the next few hours. Everyone has questions. Nasrallah’s speech will be a turning point. Either it will be a declaration of war or he will calm things down.”
Sara told me she that one of her friends died in Tuesday’s pager attacks and another seven were injured.
She was first alerted that something was wrong when she saw two men fall off their motorbike, something she believed was an accident at first until, over the next 45 minutes, she saw cars with shattered windows and more people lying injured on the streets.
“We didn’t know what was going on, whether it was a drone attack or something else.”
12:33 PM BST
Gallant briefs US on Hezbollah threats
Yoav Gallant, the Israeli defence minister, revealed on Thursday morning that he had briefed the US on the threat his country faces from Hezbollah.
Mr Gallant said he also briefed Antony Blinken, the US secretary of state, on Israel’s shifting focus towards the north near the border with Lebanon.
The defence minister revealed on Wednesday that Israel had entered a “new phase” of war as its focus shifted northwards.
Benjamin Netanyahu also vowed to return thousands of displaced Israelis to their homes in the north.
Spoke overnight with @secdef to reflect on the strategic, regional picture and to brief the Secretary on IDF operations in the southern and northern arenas, focusing on Israel's defense against Hezbollah threats.
I expressed my appreciation to the Secretary for his unwavering…— יואב גלנט - Yoav Gallant (@yoavgallant) September 19, 2024
12:17 PM BST
Death toll from walkie-talkie blasts rises to 25
The death toll from Wednesday’s walkie-talkie blasts has risen to 25, the Lebanese health ministry has said.
It takes the total death toll from both Tuesday and Wednesday’s attacks to 37.
Thousands were injured.
12:04 PM BST
Netanyahu to meet with security cabinet at 5pm
Benjamin Netanyahu will meet with his security cabinet ministers at 5pm UK time on Thursday (7pm local time).
It follows the revelation that the Israeli security forces foiled an Iranian-backed plot to assassinate him.
11:56 AM BST
Lebanon’s PM urges UN to act over Israel’s ‘technological war’
Najib Mikati, Lebanon’s prime minister, has urged the United Nations to take action over what he described as Israel’s “technological war”.
Mr Mikati’s calls come ahead of a UN security council meeting on Friday.
Beirut almost immediately attributed the first wave of exploding pager attacks to Israel on Tuesday. A second wave then followed on Wednesday, killing 37 people across two days.
11:25 AM BST
Pictured: injured Israelis evacuated after Hezbollah attack
At least eight people were injured in Israel on Thursday in an anti-tank guided missile attack by Hezbollah near the Lebanon border.
11:10 AM BST
Iran warns US: time won’t deter strike on Israel
Iran has warned the US that the passage of time will not prevent the Islamic Republic from carrying out strikes against Israel.
Iran’s armed forces general staff said on Thursday: “We warn criminal America and its puppet regime in the region that passage of time will not deter Iran’s intention to avenge the cowardly assassination of Martyr Ismail Haniyeh.”
Hamas terror chief Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran on July 31.
The Iranian military warned that Israel “must pay for its stupid and vicious mistake.”
The ultimate responsibility for deciding how Iran will respond to the assassination of Haniyeh lies with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader.
10:58 AM BST
Bulgaria to probe company links to Lebanon pagers
Bulgaria will investigate a company linked to the sale of pagers that exploded in a coordinated attack across Lebanon this week, the country’s state security agency said on Thursday.
DANS said that it is working with the interior ministry to probe the role of a company registered in Bulgaria, without naming it.
Bulgarian media reports alleged that a Sofia-based company called Norta Global Ltd had facilitated the sale of the pagers.
10:23 AM BST
Pagers and walkie-talkies banned from airport
Pagers and walkie-talkies have been banned from flights operating in Beirut’s Rafic Hariri Airport, state media reported on Thursday.
Passengers have been told the devices will be confiscated if they are found.
10:06 AM BST
Hezbollah chief to give statement today
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s chief, will give a speech later on Thursday.
The terror group’s chief is expected to speak at around 3pm UK time in the wake of a series of pager explosions targeting the group’s members across Lebanon on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Hezbollah vowed to “uniquely punish” Israel after the second wave of attacks.
We’ll bring you what Nasrallah says as it comes in.
09:56 AM BST
Israeli accused over Netanyahu plot made ‘error of judgement’, says lawyer
An Israeli citizen who was arrested over an Iranian plot to kill Benjamin Netanyahu has said his client made an “error of judgement” and is cooperating with Israel’s intelligence agencies.
“We have not yet seen the investigative materials, so at this stage it is difficult to go into the details of the case,” Eyal Besserglick said, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
“It can already be said that this is a person who has greatly assisted the security services of the State of Israel, whose children serve in the security forces, and who made an error in judgement in the context of his business,” Besserglick added.
09:50 AM BST
Watch: eyewitness video shows explosion in Lebanon
A Lebanese member of the public caught the moment a Hezbollah radio device exploded in Lebanon.
09:40 AM BST
In pictures: funeral turns to chaos after walkie-talkies explode
Still reeling from a series of explosive pager attacks on Tuesday, those attending a funeral in Beirut yesterday hoped to show their defiance against Israel, who is suspected of being behind the simultaneous explosions.
But almost exactly 24 hours after the initial attacks, a series of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah began to explode across Lebanon - including at a funeral for someone who was killed in the first wave of attacks.
09:09 AM BST
Iranian officials told to avoid phones
Iranian authorities have been instructed to stay away from their mobile phones, a former senior official of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said.
“Following the assassination of Martyr Haniyeh, various groups within IRGC intelligence and the Ministry of Intelligence have been actively investigating the case,” said Mohsen Rafighdoost.
“For instance, Mr Nasrallah was notified about the situation and in Iran, many officials were told to keep their mobile phones away from themselves, with instructions to hand them over for testing before using them again,” he added.
He said Iran will “definitely” avenge the assassination of Hamas leader “in the coming days.”
08:46 AM BST
Iran ‘devised Netanyahu plot as revenge for Hamas chief’s killing’
The assassination plans were allegedly devised by Iran as revenge for the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the Hamas leader, in Tehran in July, Shin Bet believes.
But the Israeli suspect said he would not carry out any work for the Iranian regime unless he was first paid $1 million upfront, Israel’s Shin Bet intelligence agency claimed.
This request was denied by Iranian intelligence agents.
08:38 AM BST
Who was behind the ‘plot’ to kill Netanyahu?
According to a Shin Ben and police investigation, the Israeli citizen behind an Iran-backed plot kill Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, was a businessman with strong links with Iranian nationals in Turkey.
In April 2024, the suspect agreed to meet with ‘Eddy’, a rich business man who was living in Iran, “to advance business activity”.
He had several meetings before being smuggled into Iran via a land crossing near the eastern Turkish city of Van, Shin Bet said.
Once in Iran, the Israeli man met with a member of Iran’s security forces. In that meeting, Eddy suggested the Israeli man carry out a series of missions in Israel for the Iranian regime.
The Israeli man said he would look into it before returning to Iran in August 2024 hidden in a truck.
He then went to meet Eddy again, where he was asked to assassinate one of Mr Netanyahu, Mr Gallant or Mr Bar.
08:30 AM BST
Netanyahu accuses Starmer of ‘undermining’ Israel
Benjamin Netanyahu has accused Sir Keir Starmer of sending “mixed messages” over Britain’s support for Israel and “undermining” the country’s right to self-defence.
Israel’s prime minister criticised the new Labour government for suspending around 30 arms exports to Israel amid concerns they could be used in violations of international humanitarian law in the Gaza conflict.
Sir Keir’s decision has caused diplomatic tensions with Israel and Mr Netanyahu, speaking to the Daily Mail, said: “After the October 7 Hamas massacre, the previous British government was clear in its support.
“Unfortunately, the current Government is sending mixed messages.
“They say that Israel has the right to defend itself, but they undermine our ability to exercise that right both by reversing Britain’s position on the absurd allegations made by the ICC prosecutor against Israel and by blocking weapons sales to Israel as we fight against the genocidal terrorist organisation that carried out the October 7 massacre.”
He also compared Israel’s fight against Hamas to Britain’s “heroic stand against the Nazis”.
Tensions in the Middle East have been heightened in recent days by detonations of electronic devices in Lebanon, including those used by Hezbollah. The militant group has blamed Israel for what appeared to be a remote attack.
08:25 AM BST
Israeli citizen arrested over Iranian-backed plot to kill Netanyahu
Israel has arrested one of its own citizens on suspicion of involvement of an Iran-backed assassination plot target several high-ranking officials, including the prime minister
Israeli security services said they had arrested the businessman, who was smuggled into Iran, where he allegedly attended two meetings to discuss assassinating Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, the defence minister, or the head of the Shin Bet intelligence agency.
The citizen was arrested in August 2024, before a series of exploding pager device attacks which killed more than 30 people and injured thousands across Lebanon and parts of Syria on Tuesday and Wednesday.
07:57 AM BST
Israel hits military targets in southern Lebanon
Israeli jets and artillery hit multiple military targets in southern Lebanon overnight, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) said on Thursday.
The military said air strikes hit Hezbollah targets in Chihine, Tayibe, Blida, Meiss El Jabal, Aitaroun and Kfarkela in southern Lebanon, as well as a Hezbollah weapons storage facility in the area of Khiam.
Israeli media reported that a number of Israeli civilians had been wounded by anti-tank missile fire from Lebanon but there was no official confirmation.
07:23 AM BST
Middle East ‘closest to regional war for 50 years’
The Middle East is the closest it has been to all-out war in 50 years, Saudia Arabia’s ambassador to the UK has told Sky News.
Prince Khalid bin Bandar called for “renewed efforts” to stop fighting in Gaza but said he struggled to remain optimistic about the situation on the ground.
“The situation on the ground is getting worse and worse... I think this is the closest we’ve been to a regional war since 1973,” he said.
07:12 AM BST
Blinken and Lammy to meet after walkie-talkie blasts
David Lammy and Antony Blinken will meet with their European counterparts in Paris on Thursday for further talks about the escalating crisis in the Middle East.
The Foreign Secretary and US secretary of state will meet with their French and Italian counterparts to discuss the Middle East and Ukraine, the state department said, with an inevitable focus on the exploding device attacks.
On Wednesday, Mr Blinken reiterated Washington’s belief that the conflict in the Middle East could be solved diplomatically and said any escalatory acts, like the device attacks, could stop a ceasefire in Gaza.
06:49 AM BST
The Daily T: How and why did Israel blow up Hezbollah’s pagers?
In the latest episode of the Daily T, The Telegraph’s Senior Foreign Correspondent Roland Oliphant tells us whether the plot against Iran-backed Hezbollah could trigger an an all-out regional war. Plus, Jotam Confino reports from Israel on how local media are reacting to the audacious plot.
06:19 AM BST
Netanyahu compares fight against Hamas to Britain’s ‘heroic stand against the Nazis’
Benjamin Netanyahu has compared Israel’s fight against Hamas to Britain’s “heroic stand against the Nazis”.
The Israeli prime minister has insisted his country is waging a “just war with just means” and claimed it is taking “unprecedented measures to keep civilians out of harm’s way and comporting fully with international law”.
Sir Keir Starmer has suspended some arms exports to Israel and also dropped the previous government’s plan to challenge the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) application for an arrest warrant against Mr Netanyahu.
Mr Netanyahu told the Daily Mail: “Most recently, the new UK government suspended 30 arms licences to Israel, days after Hamas executed six Israeli hostages, sending a horrible message to Hamas.
“These misguided decisions will not change Israel’s determination to defeat Hamas, a genocidal terrorist organisation that savagely murdered 1,200 people on October 7, including 14 British citizens, and took 255 people, including five British hostages.
“Just as Britain’s heroic stand against the Nazis is seen today as having been vital in defeating barbarism, so too will history judge Israel’s stand against Hamas and Iran’s axis of terror. Israel will win this war and secure our common future.”
06:05 AM BST
‘They had gathered to defy Israel. Then it happened again’
They had gathered in their thousands to defy Israel and lay to rest four of their comrades, victims of the pagers that had exploded in their hands or their pockets the previous day. Then it happened again.
As the shadows lengthened in the late afternoon on Wednesday, a single thud echoed through the crowd following one cortège through the streets of Hezbollah’s strongholds in south Beirut.
Suddenly screams drowned out the resistance songs blaring out of the sound system and the crowd scattered – except for a man in a white top and black trousers who crumpled backwards onto the ground, his hands blown off, according to witnesses.
It was just the start.
Read more: They gathered to mourn pager attack victims – then a blast tore through the crowd
05:30 AM BST
Taiwan ‘paying great attention’ to pager link
Taiwan’s national security team is “paying great attention” to the detonation of thousands of pagers targeting Hezbollah in Lebanon, the island’s defence minister said, after a Taiwanese firm was linked to the pagers’ production.
Taiwan-based Gold Apollo said it did not manufacture the devices used in the attack, and that they were made by a Budapest-based company which has a licence to use its brand.
Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Taiwan Defence Minister Wellington Koo said the government was closely watching developments.
“After the news came out, my understanding is that at present the relevant national security bodies are paying great attention to this,” he said, without elaborating. Koo was speaking on Wednesday, in comments embargoed until Thursday.
04:57 AM BST
US defence secretary talks with Israeli counterpart
The US defence secretary and his Israeli counterpart spoke on the phone on Wednesday following the escalation in violence in the Middle East in the past 48 hours.
Lloyd Austin spoke with Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister “to review regional security developments and reiterate US support for Israel in the face of threats from Iran, Hezbollah and other Iranian allies”, the Pentagon said.
Earlier on Wednesday Mr Gallant said that the country was shifting its military focus to the north towards the Lebanese border for a “new phase” of the 11-month war that has raged since the Hamas attacks on October 7 last year.
04:31 AM BST
Allister Heath: Israel’s bravery exposes Starmer’s lie
“Sir Keir Starmer has turned against Israel, banning the sales of some weapons – a policy that Germany appears intent on following – and refusing to oppose lawsuits against the Jewish state, in an unforgivable moral inversion.
“Labour has placed Britain on the side of those nihilists masquerading as human rights lawyers who negate the essential distinction between victims and aggressors, between rule-bound, democracies desperate to minimise civilian casualties, and bloodthirsty dictatorships for whom their people are pawns to be sacrificed.”
Read more: Israel’s bravery has exposed the lie at the heart of Starmer’s foreign policy
04:07 AM BST
Japanese firm investigates walkie-talkies
Japanese firm Icom has said it is investigating after media reported that two-way radio devices bearing its logo exploded in Lebanon.
Icom said it had stopped producing the model of radios reportedly used in the blasts around 10 years ago.
“The IC-V82 is a handheld radio that was produced and exported, including to the Middle East, from 2004 to October 2014. It was discontinued about 10 years ago, and since then, it has not been shipped from our company,” the company said in a statement.
“The production of the batteries needed to operate the main unit has also been discontinued, and a hologram seal to distinguish counterfeit products was not attached, so it is not possible to confirm whether the product shipped from our company.”
It added that products for overseas markets are sold exclusively through its authorised distributors, and that its export programme is based on Japanese security trade control regulations.
“All of our radios are manufactured at our production subsidiary, Wakayama Icom Inc, in Wakayama Prefecture, under a strict management system... so no parts other than those specified by our company are used in a product. In addition, all of our radios are manufactured at the same factory, and we do not manufacture them overseas.”
04:03 AM BST
Middle East headlines
Good morning and welcome to our live coverage of the escalating crisis in the Middle East. Here’s what you need to know:
Israel on Wednesday declared a new phase of war after it was accused of being behind a second wave of remote-controlled explosions in Lebanon
Hundreds of walkie-talkie radios and other electronic devices began exploding in Lebanon on Wednesday afternoon (below)
It came after a near-identical attack on pagers the previous day
Lebanon’s health ministry said 20 people had been confirmed killed and a further 450 wounded
Hezbollah fired 20 rockets into Israel following the blasts, Israeli officials said
Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to deliver a televised address in response to the attacks on Thursday
The group has vowed to ‘uniquely punish’ Israel
