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Israel’s military said Thursday it had hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, as troops battled militants near the border and warplanes bombarded their strongholds around the country.
Israel announced this week that its troops had started “ground raids” into parts of southern Lebanon, a stronghold of Hezbollah, after days of heavy bombardment of areas across the country where the group holds sway, AFP reports.
The bombing has killed more than 1,000 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes in a country already mired in economic and political crisis.
Israel, at war in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7 attack, says it shifted its focus to secure its northern border and ensure the safe return of more than 60,000 people displaced by Hezbollah attacks over the past year.
On the Gaza front, the Israeli military said a strike three months ago killed three senior Hamas leaders, including Rahwi Mushtaha, the head of the militant movement’s government in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.
In Lebanon, the Israeli military said it hit “targets belonging to Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut.”
Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported four air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs. A source close to Hezbollah told AFP they targeted an evacuated building that housed the group’s media relations office and a warehouse near the airport.
Israel told Lebanese people 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.
Hezbollah said it fought off a bid by Israeli troops to advance at Fatima’s Gate on the border
Meanwhile, Iran summoned the German and Austrian ambassadors on Thursday after their governments rebuked the Islamic republic over its missile attack on Israel, state media reported.
The move, according to the official IRNA news agency, was in response to the “unacceptable measures” by Germany and Austria in summoning Iran’s envoys over its attack on Tuesday.
AFP reports that Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the attack was a “legitimate, responsible and effective response in punishing the aggressor Zionist regime (Israel)”.
France has condemned Israel’s move to declare United Nations chief Antonio Guterres “persona non grata”, saying the decision was “unjustified.”
“France regrets the unjustified, serious and counter-productive decision taken by Israel to declare the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, persona non grata,” the French foreign ministry said in a Thursday statement.
Israel on Wednesday declared the UN leader “persona non grata”, accusing him of failing to specifically condemn Iran’s missile attack on Israel. Guterres’ initial comments highlighted the “broadening conflict in the Middle East” without mentioning Iran’s attack. He did later condemn Iran’s missile barrage.
Israel has been a harsh critic of the UN, with ties between the state and the international body souring even more after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.
The United States has already criticised the move by its ally. And European Union foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell also defended Guterres in a speech in Pontevedra in his native Spain saying that “attacks on the UN secretary-general” must be rejected, AFP reported.
The Islamic republic on Tuesday evening launched around 200 missiles at Israel in its second-ever direct attack on its sworn enemy, following a missile and drone attack in April.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said the attack was in retaliation for the killing last month of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah alongside Tehran’s Quds Force commander Abbas Nilforoushan, as well as Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in July in Tehran.
The attack triggered international criticism of the Islamic republic.
Also on Thursday, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei condemned what he called “the continued biased and irresponsible approach” of the G7 group after it criticised the attack on Israel.
He also condemned the group’s call for further sanctions against Tehran, saying the attack was a “necessary response” to Israel’s “aggressive actions.”
Iran resumed domestic and international flights on Thursday following a brief suspension caused by its missile attack on Israel, state media reported.
Flights were grounded across Iran due to security concerns, but operations resumed at 5:00 a.m. local time (0130 GMT) on Thursday.
A spokesman for Iran’s Civil Aviation Organisation, Jafar Yazarloo, confirmed the decision, stating, “After ensuring favourable and safe flight conditions, airlines are allowed to carry out flight operations.” He was quoted by the official IRNA news agency.
In response to the escalating tensions, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency has advised European carriers to avoid Iranian airspace until at least October 31, pending further review.
Similar warnings have been issued for air travel over Israel and Lebanon.