News Brief
Nishtha Anushree
Sep 30, 2024, 10:23 AM | Updated 10:23 AM IST
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In a significant escalation of the ongoing conflict, Israel intensified its military operations in Lebanon on Sunday (30 September), launching airstrikes that killed over 100 people in a single day.
Nabil Kaouk, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Central Council and a senior commander Ali Karaki, were among several senior figures killed in recent Israeli strikes after Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was killed two days earlier.
The strikes, targeting Hezbollah positions, came amid mounting fears of a broader Middle Eastern conflict. Lebanon's health ministry reported 105 deaths and 359 injuries resulting from the strikes.
After this, in the early hours of Monday, an Israeli airstrike in Lebanon’s capital, Beirut, killed three leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), according to a statement from the group.
Simultaneously, Israel expanded its military front, targeting Houthi strongholds in Yemen in response to a ballistic missile attack on Ben Gurion Airport. Israeli airstrikes hit power stations and seaports in Yemen’s Hodeida.
International reactions have been swift, with U.S. President Joe Biden urging caution to avoid a wider regional war. The White House confirmed that Israel’s airstrikes had severely weakened Hezbollah’s command structure but warned that the group could recover.
The Israeli military described the strikes, including one in Beirut’s Dahyieh area, as "precise operations" targeting key militant figures in response to the ongoing regional conflict.
Nishtha Anushree is Senior Sub-editor at Swarajya. She tweets at @nishthaanushree.