* Israel issues new evacuation order for two east Lebanon villagespublished at 09:21 British Summer Time09:21 BSTThe Israeli military has issued an evacuation warning to residents in two villages in Lebanon’s eastern Bekaa region. One warning, posted on X by the IDF’s Arabic language spokesman, Avichay Adraee, tells people to move at least 500m away from a building in the village of Sareen al-Tahta. Adraee says people in the area are located near “Hezbollah facilities” that the IDF will “operate” against in the near future. The second warning, also issued in the past hour, applies to Tamnin, in which similar orders are repeated. Warnings like these, which Israel issues regularly, usually precede Israeli airstrikes. Today’s comes after reports of heavy strikes on Lebanon’s eastern borders overnight. Share page About sharing
* Iran says it will strike Israel again ‘painfully’ if attackedpublished at 09:07 British Summer Time09:07 BST Image source, Reuters Image caption, Israel’s Iron Dome anti-missile system intercepting rockets fired from Iran on 1 OctoberThe commander-in-chief of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC), Maj-Gen Hossein Salami, says it will strike Israel “painfully” if it attacks Iranian targets. “If you make a mistake and attack our targets, whether in the region or in Iran, we will strike you again painfully,” Salami says at the funeral of an IRGC general killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon last month, which also killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah. His comments come after Israel earlier this week said it will listen to the US, but any decision on how it responds to Iran’s attack earlier this month will be based on its “national security needs”. Iran launched almost 200 ballistic missiles towards Israel on 1 October. Most of the projectiles were intercepted and, at the time, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran had made a “big mistake” and would “pay for it”. Share page About sharing
* Israel hits Syria with two wounded, state media sayspublished at 08:42 British Summer Time08:42 BSTSyrian state-run media has reported an overnight Israeli strike on the coastal city of Latakia. It says the strike injured two civilians and caused “material damage” to properties in near the city’s south-eastern entrance. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says the Israeli raid targeted a weapons depot in the city. The Israeli military has not yet commented on the strikes, which come one week after Syrian media reported Israeli attacks on a car factory and military position in the central Homs and Hama regions. Share page About sharing
* US hits Houthi weapons sites in Yemenpublished at 08:41 British Summer Time08:41 BSTThe US has launched what it calls “precision strikes” on five weapons storage facilities in parts of Yemen controlled by the Iranian-backed Houthi group, with no reported civilian causalities. In a statement overnight, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says US forces targeted several “underground facilities” housing weapons used by the Houthis to target “civilian and military vessels” in the region. Since last November, the Houthis have launched attacks on around 100 ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, sinking two vessels, which the group says are retaliation for Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Overnight, Houthi-run Al Masirah TV reported that the capital city of Sanaa and the city of Saada had been targeted by the strikes. Who are the Houthis and why are they attacking Red Sea ships? Image source, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES / REUTERS Image caption, The Houthis say they attacked this Greek-flagged oil tanker in the Red Sea in August 2024 Share page About sharing
* Who are the Houthis and why are they attacking Red Sea ships?
* Anger in Lebanon after Israeli strike killed mayor and 15 otherspublished at 08:33 British Summer Time08:33 BSTHugo BachegaMiddle East correspondent, in Beirut Image source, Reuters Image caption, Rescuers in Nabatieh yesterdayLebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati has issued a strong statement after an Israeli attack on a government building in Nabatieh yesterday, saying Israel had “deliberately targeted” a meeting by local authorities, while criticising the international community for its “silence” about Israel’s attacks on his country. The attack in Nabatieh, one of the largest cities in the south of the country, killed 16 people, including the city’s mayor, Ahmed Kahil. According to Mikati, the airstrike happened as they were discussing the city’s “service and relief situation”. It was the first time a Lebanese government building was hit – and destroyed – by the Israeli military in this conflict. “This new aggression, coupled with all the crimes committed by the Israeli enemy against civilians, is a mark of a world that is deliberately silent about the crimes of the occupation, which encourages it to persist in its aggression and crimes,” Mikati said. “What solution can be hoped for in light of this reality?” The main headline in Lebanon’s Al Nahar newspaper is “Devastation and massacre”, while Al Diar newspaper says “Israel’s scorched-earth tactics”. The French-language newspaper L’Orient-Le Jour says “Israel blows up southern Lebanon”. The Israeli military said it had targeted infrastructure used by Hezbollah in Nabatieh and surrounding areas, describing the sites hit as “command centres” and “weapons storage facilities”. It accuses Hezbollah of embedding its infrastructure in civilian areas. But the military has not commented specifically about the attack on the municipal building, and why a functioning government facility was considered a legitimate target. Dozens of civilians have been killed as Israel carries out widespread airstrikes across Lebanon. They include emergency responders, medical teams, and displaced residents. In several occasions, the Israeli military has not explained what or who was targeting. Share page About sharing
* Israeli strikes on Lebanon continue as US hits Houthi targets in Yemenpublished at 08:23 British Summer Time08:23 BST Image source, Reuters Image caption, The aftermath of the damage of an Israeli strike in Nabatieh on WednesdayGood morning from London, and welcome back to our coverage of the Middle East conflict. Overnight, Lebanese media reported heavy airstrikes on Lebanon’s eastern borders. The state-affiliated National News Agency said the town of Al-Khiam was hit by seven air strikes in less than 10 minutes at around midnight. By contrast, it was a night of relative calm in Beirut. Drones and jets were heard flying overhead, but no further attacks have been reported since yesterday morning. Lebanese headlines are also reflecting anger after yesterday’s Israeli strikes on Nabatieh, which killed the mayor and 15 other people. Meanwhile, the Pentagon says the US carried out what it called “precision strikes” against five Houthi targets in Yemen. Stay with us for the latest lines from our teams in London, Beirut, Jerusalem, and across the region. Share page About sharing
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