Israeli strike cuts key border escape route as army widens Lebanon operation

Israel has intensified its bombardment of areas in Lebanon where Hezbollah has a strong presence. The latest round of attacks was the largest since it began its operation against the Iran-backed terror group.

In Short

• Heavy bombing continues in Lebanon, Israel prepares to retaliate against Iran
• Hezbollah's likely new chief Safieddine targeted in new strike, reports say
• Symbolic funeral of Nasrallah, Iran's Khamenei's rare Friday sermon today

At least thirty seven people were killed, and over 150 were wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon in the past 24 hours, in what is considered one of the most violent raids since Israel intensified its campaign against the Iran-backed terror outfit Hezbollah. Dahiye, the area that houses Hezbollah's headquarters south of Beirut, was pummelled by Israeli bombs in an attack larger than the strike that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah a week ago. Some of Thursday night's strikes hit close to Beirut's international airport.

The strikes in Beirut reportedly targeted Hashem Safieddine, Hezbollah's likely new chief, while he was in a discussion with other officials in an underground bunker, according to reports. His fate is currently unknown.

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1. A key border road in Lebanon, which thousands of people have been using to flee to Syria amid the Israeli bombardment, was cut off by an Israeli strike, according to Lebanon’s Transport Minister Ali Hamieh. The bombing created a four-metre (12 feet) wide crater, rendering the road unusable for transport. The Israeli army had accused Hezbollah of using the crossing to transport military equipment into Lebanon.
2. An Israeli strike in Beirut on Thursday targeted top Hezbollah official Hashem Safieddine, who is widely regarded as the successor to slain Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Neither Israel nor Hezbollah has commented on the development, but Israel's Channel 13 reported that Israeli army sources believe the operation was successful.
3. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is set to lead Friday prayers and deliver a public sermon today. This sermon, the first in almost five years, assumes significance considering the volatile situation following the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and comes just three days before the one-year anniversary of the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
4. A symbolic funeral of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike on September 27, will be held on Friday and Ali Khamenei will lead the prayers from Iran. Nasrallah is likely to be buried in the city of Karbala in South Baghdad, near Imam Hussein's shrine.
5. US President Joe Biden said he did not believe there was going to be an "all-out war" in the Middle East. He added that more needes be done to avoid a Middle East war. "How confident are you it's not going to rain? Look, I don't believe there is going to be an all-out war. I think we can avoid it,” he said.
6. Israel is preparing to retaliate against Iran for the rocket attack on its territory two days ago. Tel Aviv has not specified the mode of attack it is planning. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations told CNN that his country has "a lot of options" for retaliation and will demonstrate its strength to Tehran "soon". A US official stated that Washington does not believe Israel has yet decided how to respond to Iran.
7. The Israeli military warned people to evacuate communities in southern Lebanon that are outside a UN-declared buffer zone, signalling that it may widen a ground operation. The latest wave of Israel-Hezbollah fighting has driven nearly 1.2 million people from their homes in Lebanon, according to the country's crisis. Israeli forces said they had struck around 200 Hezbollah targets across Lebanon.
8. Fearing an attack on their oil facilities by Iran, the Gulf Arab countries, who met in Qatar, sought to reassure Iran of their neutrality in the conflict between Tehran and Israel in. They urged Iran to de-escalate. Tehran had warned that if "Israeli supporters" intervene directly, their interests in the region would be targeted.
9. Israel continued its attack in Palestine as well. The Palestinian Health Ministry said 18 people were killed in an latest Israeli strike on the Tulkarem refugee camp in the West Bank, which was the deadliest strike in the occupied territory since the Israel-Hamas war erupted. Israel said it killed the head of Hamas' network in Tulkarm, Zahi Yaser Abd al-Razeq Oufi, in the Tulkarem attack.
10. Thirty seven people were killed and 151 wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon in the past 24 hours. At least nine Israeli soldiers have been killed in clashes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, according to news agency AP. Hezbollah claimed that it killed 17 Israeli military personnel in combat in southern Lebanon on Thursday alone. Israeli army also said Hezbollah launched about 230 rockets from Lebanon towards Israel on Thursday.