Updates: Israel vows retaliation for Iran attack, kills 25 in Lebanon

Thank you for joining us.

For more on how journalists at CNN and the BBC exposed the inner workings of their newsrooms a year into Israel’s war on Gaza, read here.

For a look at how Houthi attacks are still disrupting commercial shipping, read here.

And for an in-depth read into how foreign domestic workers face additional hurdles of displacement and discrimination amid Israeli bombing in Lebanon, see here.

But first, let’s do a recap of the latest major developments:

• A massive explosion took place as four Israeli air strikes hit the southern suburbs of Beirut soon after the Israeli army issued an evacuation order there.
• At least 11 people were killed in a barrage of Israeli attacks on northern Gaza, the Civil Defence in the Strip has said as dozens of rockets pounded Beit Hanoon, Beit Lahiya and Jabalia.
• And earlier today, a flurry of Israeli air attacks targeting Bureij and Nuseirat in the central Strip killed at least 25 people.
• Hezbollah says it killed at least 25 Israeli soldiers since Israel launched a ground operation into southern Lebanon earlier this week.
• Herzi Halevi, chief of the Israeli army’s general staff, has promised that there will be no let-up in the military’s attacks against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
• Tens of thousands of protesters took to the streets in several major cities around the world – including  Paris, Rome and Cape Town – to demand an end to Israel’s war in Gaza, which is fast approaching its first anniversary.
• Hezbollah’s media office has issued a statement saying reports citing sources within the group regarding “the fate of Hezbollah officials” are “worthless rumors”.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller says on X that Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, on the phone today.

He said the pair spoke on “the importance of implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to allow civilians to return to their homes in Lebanon and Israel”.

Resolution 1701, adopted in 2006, deals with implementing the full cessation of hostilities between Hezbollah and Lebanon. Both Hezbollah and Israel accuse each other of failing to adhere to the terms of this resolution.

The two men also touched on currently stalled efforts to reach a ceasefire in Gaza, Miller added.

In Lebanon’s Beqaa Valley, the ancient city of Baalbek – home to two Roman temples designated as UNESCO World Heritage sites – is under increasing threat.

Attacks have intensified in the region as the city, known for being a Hezbollah stronghold, is struck by Israel’s military.

The temples, symbols of a rich cultural heritage, now stand in danger of damage due to the ongoing conflict.

Watch our video to learn more:

The Lebanese group says on X that it launched a “squadron of attack drones” on the Israeli army’s Samson unit’s base, near Lake Tabarayya.

Hezbollah described the Samson unit and its base as “a command equipment centre and a regional equipment unit”, adding that the attack targeted the locations of officers and soldiers.

The drones hit their targets “with precision”, Hezbollah’s statement added.

The Israeli army said that it detected about “30 launches” coming from Lebanese territory in the Kiryat Shmona area, adding that some were intercepted and others crashed.

The Israeli army said it was attacking Hezbollah targets in the Beirut area.

The message came after a huge explosion shook the southern suburbs of Beirut with state media saying Israeli forces launched at least four rockets.

The salvos came soon after the Israeli army issued an evacuation order for residents of specific buildings in that area of the Lebanese capital.

The Public Health Emergency Operations Center of Lebanon’s Ministry of Public Health says that the two were killed when Israeli warplanes bombed Jiyeh, Lebanon, only 20km (about 12.5 miles) from the capital, Beirut.

The ministry added that 18 others were wounded in the attack on the coastal town and that rescue teams were still working to remove rubble.

Hezbollah says it killed at least 25 Israeli soldiers since Israel launched a ground operation into southern Lebanon earlier this week.

The Israeli army said nine of its soldiers have been killed so far. The military also claims it killed 250 Hezbollah fighters.

Lebanon’s National News Agency (NNA) says that civilian air traffic continued at Beirut Rafic Hariri International Airport while Israel carried out its massive strikes on Beirut moments ago.

“Several Middle East Airlines planes have just landed,” the NNA said of Lebanon’s national carrier.

At least five huge strikes have been carried out by Israel on the southern suburbs of Beirut and one area just outside the city, Choueifat, in the last hour.

Lebanon’s only civilian international airport is only a short distance away from where the majority of Israel’s strikes on Beirut have been carried out.

Qatar’s Foreign Ministry welcomed French President Emmanuel Macron’s call to stop supplying weapons to Israel.

“Macron’s call is an important and appreciated step towards stopping the war and is consistent with UN resolutions and the International Court of Justice,” it said.

“We renew our call to the international community to take firm decisions to compel Israel to stop its aggression on Gaza and Lebanon,” it added.

Lebanon is home to around 250,000 Palestinian refugees, with nearly half living in 12 overcrowded refugee camps.

They face many challenges including poverty, and being excluded from jobs and owning property, to name just a few.

We spoke to one Palestinian teenager about his living conditions in the country, and thoughts on what’s been happening in Gaza.

Watch the video here:

Police fired tear gas at protesters in Rome, Italy, as thousands of pro-Palestine demonstrators took to the streets defying a previously imposed ban by the government.

At least 34 people have been wounded, most of whom were police officers, state-run agency ANSA reported.

According to the report, rioters wearing black hoods infiltrated the protests.

Chants of “Free Palestine”, “Criminal Israel” and “Now Intifada” rang out in Piazzale Ostiense where the protesters convened for the march, it added.

As we reported earlier, France’s President Emmanuel Macron called for a halt to weapons deliveries to Israel.

Those comments triggered a swift response by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

“As Israel fights the forces of barbarism led by Iran, all civilised countries should be standing firmly by Israel’s side,” he said in a statement issued by his office.

“Yet, President Macron and other Western leaders are now calling for arms embargoes against Israel. Shame on them.”

Israel is fighting a war on several fronts against groups backed by arch foe Iran, the statement added.

The Israeli military has issued a new evacuation order for three buildings in Dahiyeh in southern Beirut.

A new map was released that designates these buildings as being in areas of Burj al-Barajneh that should be immediately evacuated. Civilians were told to leave the buildings “and those adjacent to them immediately and stay away from them for a distance of no less than 500 meters [547 yards]”.

Avichay Adraee, the Arabic-language spokesman for the Israeli military, said: “You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the [Israeli army] will operate in the near future.”

عاجل ‼️ انذار عاجل إلى سكان الضاحية الجنوبية وتحديدًا المتواجدين في المباني المحددة في الخرائط المرفقة في برج البراجنة

🔴أنتم متواجدون بالقرب من منشآت ومصالح تابعة لحزب الله حيث سيعمل ضدها جيش الدفاع على مدى الزمني القريب
🔴من أجل سلامتكم وسلامة أبناء عائلتكم عليكم اخلاء… pic.twitter.com/50XsqzYO4Z

— افيخاي ادرعي (@AvichayAdraee) October 5, 2024

The Gaza Strip’s civil defence says that an Israeli strike targeted the home of the Afana family in Bir al-Naajah, northern Gaza.

It said that its crews recovered one person killed in the attack from the rubble, stressing that others are still trapped in the wreckage of the building.

As we reported earlier, Israel has stepped up its strikes on the north of the Gaza Strip this evening, at a pace our correspondent reports has not been seen in some time there.