At least eight dead and thousands injured from exploding pagers in Lebanon, officials say

[Solauren]

If the Mossad set up their own pager company and tricked Hezbollah into buying from them I expect there would be a lot more trapped pagers in circulation.

Who says there are not?

Instead of blowing them all up at once, staggering them amps the psychological warfare level up.

Doesn't really make sense now that the cat is out of the bag and people know to check or get rid of their pagers. You don't get to pull something like this repeatedly.

Which is the entire point.

First, with more out there, that puts pressure on Hezbollah, and the Lebanonese government, to do something about them. Causing them to have to divert resources. I mean, you want to make sure you find them all, and put them someplace secure for disposal. You don't want to just toss them in the trash, after all.

Also, Hezbollah now can't trust their existing pagers and other communication electronics from that manufacturer. However, they may not have a ready source for replacement. So they either have to go through them all to disarm them, or go without.

Also, to make sure this doesn't happen again, that means every pager and cellphone, no matter the manufacturer, has to be taken apart by an expert. And expert that might be blown up if the device in question is set up to blow when taken apart. That puts stress on the expert, meaning he's more likely to make mistakes. That slows down rebuilding or upgrading their communication infrastructure. Especially as an expert can only work on so many devices in a day.

And that's without considering that there had to be hidden programming in the pagers (likely in the firmware) to activate the explosives. Meaning that other hidden programming could be in them. Or that Israel could have already set up another company, and be supplying them perfectly safe electronics (i.e no explosives), but be monitoring their movements and hardware.

That's why, If I had been in charge of this 'op', I would have only blown about half of them, and left the others alone for Hezbollah to find, to ramp up the paranoia. Because now that it's a viable tactic, they have to be on the defense for communication devices being remote activated explosives, or monitoring devices.

And next month, I'd order them to blow anyway, just in case they missed any. That puts even more doubt and parania into them, and makes Hezbollah look careless, foolish, and unprofessional, if not flat out stupid.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

'Get out of the way' Netanyahu warns Lebanon amid deadliest strikes since 2006

More than 490 people were killed and 1,600 injured in Lebanon on Monday after a barrage of Israeli strikes led to the deadliest day since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

The figures, from Lebanon's health ministry, also confirmed more than 90 women and children were killed.

Cars were seen stuck in traffic in Lebanon's southern villages as people attempted to flee Monday's bombardment.

In a recorded video, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned civilians in Lebanon to "get out of harm's way".

He said: “I have a message for the people of Lebanon, Israel’s war is not with you, it's with Hezbollah."

“Don’t let Hezbollah endanger Lebanon. Please get out of harm’s way now,” he said, explaining that they can return home “once our operation has finished”.

Israel's military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the army will do “whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah from Lebanon’s border with Israel.

He said Israeli warplanes struck 1,300 Hezbollah targets Monday, destroying cruise missiles, long and short-range rockets and attack drones.

Netanyahu tells Lebanon "Israel's war is not with you, it's with Hezbollah" as he addressed the country in a televised speech

Earlier, the Israeli military called for people in Lebanon to "immediately" evacuate homes and other buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons following a heavy exchange of fire over the weekend.

Some strikes hit residential areas of towns in the south and the eastern Bekaa Valley. One strike hit a wooded area as far away as Byblos in central Lebanon, more than 80 miles from the border north of Beirut.

Thousands of Lebanese people fled the south, causing the main highway out of the southern port city of Sidon to become jammed with cars, all heading towards Beirut in the biggest exodus since 2006.

Meanwhile, Hezbollah said in a statement that it fired dozens of rockets at an Israeli military post in Galilee. It also targeted for a second day the facilities of the Rafael defence firm, headquartered in Haifa.

Monday's strikes came after a particularly heavy exchange of fire on Sunday when Hezbollah launched around 150 rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in retaliation for strikes that killed a top commander and dozens of fighters.

Most were intercepted but some did land causing damage and some minor injuries. Hezbollah claims to have hit a military site, which Israel denied.

An Israeli airstrike on a Beirut suburb on Friday killed a top Hezbollah military commander and more than a dozen Hezbollah members, along with dozens of civilians including women and children.

Israeli forces killed eight Palestinians, including five children, in strikes on the Gaza Strip overnight, Palestinian medical officials have said.

The attacks come as world leaders meet in New York to discuss global issues, including tensions in the Middle East.

Israeli Military spokesperson Daniel Hagari says there will be "extensive precise strikes against terror targets" as they tell people in Lebanon to leave buildings used by Hezbollah "for their own safety"

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres told the 193-member world organisation that it was time to end “wars tearing our world apart” from the Middle East to Ukraine and Sudan.

Last week, thousands of communications devices including pagers and walkie-talkies, used mainly by Hezbollah members, exploded in different parts of Lebanon, killing 39 people and wounding nearly 3,000.

Lebanon blamed the attacks on Israel, but Israel did not confirm or deny its responsibility.

Israel isn't fucking around now.

[Raw Shark]

Israel isn't fucking around now.

Yeah, no. They're in full "Hold my beer" mode. If I was a betting man, I'd say we're going to give it a pass. Not like we've set a better example in the last 20 years.

[Solauren]

Israel isn't fucking around now.

Yeah, no. They're in full "Hold my beer" mode. If I was a betting man, I'd say we're going to give it a pass. Not like we've set a better example in the last 20 years.

The past 'Hold my beer' mode a while ago. They are in 'Super Villain' mode. At this point, the only reason Israel isn't using certain weapons is they are banned under international laws, and would actually result in sanctions and the like against them, and possibly cost them US support.
(i.e if Israel broke out chemical or biological weapons, or started using cluster bombs and napalm)

[Zaune]

On the contrary, the current Israeli government absolutely are fucking around. And when they reach the finding out stage they're going to make it everyone else's problem.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Well if they go after Hezbollah in the same way they've gone after Hamas with air strikes followed by ground assault, we can expect a LOT of dead civilians very soon.

[Solauren]

Well if they go after Hezbollah in the same way they've gone after Hamas with air strikes followed by ground assault, we can expect a LOT of dead civilians very soon.

I don't think Lebanon is going to let Israel just invade, so yeah, this war is about to expand.
Israel invades Lebanon, and the entire Middle East is going to jump in.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Well if they go after Hezbollah in the same way they've gone after Hamas with air strikes followed by ground assault, we can expect a LOT of dead civilians very soon.

I don't think Lebanon is going to let Israel just invade, so yeah, this war is about to expand.
Israel invades Lebanon, and the entire Middle East is going to jump in.

They didn't last time, perhaps not wanting a repeat of the Six Day War. Reading around it seems Lebanon has a history of having the shit kicked out of it.

[Darth Yan]

Israel would already be fighting in other fronts, and they've shown themselves to be a paper tiger in a lot of ways. Hell even Yom Kippur was a VERY close call.

Also: https://theintercept.com/2024/09/25/bei ... civilians/

The US Media really IS obsessed with protecting Israel.

[Solauren]

Well if they go after Hezbollah in the same way they've gone after Hamas with air strikes followed by ground assault, we can expect a LOT of dead civilians very soon.

I don't think Lebanon is going to let Israel just invade, so yeah, this war is about to expand.
Israel invades Lebanon, and the entire Middle East is going to jump in.

They didn't last time, perhaps not wanting a repeat of the Six Day War. Reading around it seems Lebanon has a history of having the shit kicked out of it.

Reading about the fall out and state of Lebanon, they might just let Israel roll in to take out Hezbollah. Apparently, Hezbollah is considered more 'powerful' then Lebanon's military, and has more control over the southern regions then the Lebanoese government. Israel taking out Hezbollah would be saving Lebanon alot of effort and problems.

[Broomstick]

That's one hell of a trick. And seems like it won't work nearly as well after the first time, so what exactly did they get out of it?

Aside from disrupting Hezbollah communications?

Quite likely they permanently sidelined hundreds, maybe a thousand or two, Hezbollah members.

It seems a lot of the pager-carriers suffered amputation of one or both hands, and lost one or both eyes, along with facial mutilations. These men have a long recovery ahead of them, and some of them are not going to be independent for a long time, if ever. Meanwhile, their care will drain resources.

It was, in many ways, both horrifying and remarkable. Also, much more targeted than the Israeli bombing attacks or the IDF operations.

[Ralin]

It was, in many ways, both horrifying and remarkable. Also, much more targeted than the Israeli bombing attacks or the IDF operations.

Jury still seems to be out on that last one. Apparently a lot of paramedics and doctors and such were carrying the booby trapped pagers.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Israel-Hezbollah: Netanyahu tells military to 'continue fighting with full force'

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said the country's military will keep using its "full force" against Hezbollah, despite UN calls for a ceasefire.

Speaking as he landed in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, he said Israel had a clear policy.

"We are continuing to strike Hezbollah with full force," he said.

"And we will not stop until we reach all our goals, chief among them the return of the residents of the north securely to their homes.”

Hours after the UK, US and allies called for a 21-day pause in fighting, Netanyahu's office refuted the rumours of a proposed deal, calling the news "not true".

"This is an American-French proposal, to which the prime minister did not even respond," a statement posted to X reads.

"The news about the supposed directive to moderate the fighting in the north is also the opposite of the truth."

Shortly before Netanyahu's statement in New York, the Israeli military said it had killed Hezbollah drone commander Mohammed Hussein Surour in an airstrike on Dahiyeh, a suburb in the south of Beirut.

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Hezbollah has not confirmed his death, but according to Lebanon's Health Ministry, 15 people were injured and two were killed in the blast which hit an apartment building.

It comes after 20 people were killed in north Lebanon after an Israeli airstrike destroyed a building housing workers, Lebanon's Health Ministry said.

Of those killed, 19 were Syrian refugees and one was a Lebanese national.

It comes after the UK joined the US, France and a host of allies in calling for an immediate temporary ceasefire in Lebanon, warning the escalating violence between Israel and Hezbollah is “intolerable”.

In a joint statement, the 12-strong bloc calls for a 21-day ceasefire “to provide space for diplomacy towards the conclusion of a diplomatic settlement”, as well as a ceasefire in Gaza.

The statement calls for the governments of Lebanon and Israel to “endorse the temporary ceasefire immediately… and to give a real chance to a diplomatic settlement”.

Signatories to the statement include the UK, the US, Australia, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

The US hopes the new deal could lead to longer-term stability along the border between Israel and Lebanon.

Months of Israeli and Hezbollah exchanges of fire have driven tens of thousands of people from their homes, and escalated attacks over the past week have rekindled fears of a broader war in the Middle East.

The US officials said Hezbollah would not be a signatory to the cease-fire but believed the Lebanese government would coordinate its acceptance with the group.

While the deal applies only to the Israel-Lebanon border, the US officials said they were looking to use a three-week pause in fighting to restart stalled negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal between Israel and Hamas, another Iranian-backed militant group, after nearly a year of war in Gaza.

It's been pointed out that it's the logical course of action for Netanyahu, because in contrast to the fight against Hamas, going after Hezbollah is actually unifying the Israelis and if he did anything but, he might well be removed from power by members of his own government.

[AniThyng]

That's one hell of a trick. And seems like it won't work nearly as well after the first time, so what exactly did they get out of it?

Aside from disrupting Hezbollah communications?

Quite likely they permanently sidelined hundreds, maybe a thousand or two, Hezbollah members.

It seems a lot of the pager-carriers suffered amputation of one or both hands, and lost one or both eyes, along with facial mutilations. These men have a long recovery ahead of them, and some of them are not going to be independent for a long time, if ever. Meanwhile, their care will drain resources.

It was, in many ways, both horrifying and remarkable. Also, much more targeted than the Israeli bombing attacks or the IDF operations.

Sounds like a remarkable way to continue to encourage generational grudges, not that that isn't already a thing...

[EnterpriseSovereign]

That's one hell of a trick. And seems like it won't work nearly as well after the first time, so what exactly did they get out of it?

Aside from disrupting Hezbollah communications?

Quite likely they permanently sidelined hundreds, maybe a thousand or two, Hezbollah members.

It seems a lot of the pager-carriers suffered amputation of one or both hands, and lost one or both eyes, along with facial mutilations. These men have a long recovery ahead of them, and some of them are not going to be independent for a long time, if ever. Meanwhile, their care will drain resources.

It was, in many ways, both horrifying and remarkable. Also, much more targeted than the Israeli bombing attacks or the IDF operations.

Sounds like a remarkable way to continue to encourage generational grudges, not that that isn't already a thing...

Israel knows this and wants to put an end to the problem for good the fucked-up results of which are already apparent, not just keep kicking the can further down the road which is what most of the peace proposals seem to be doing.

[Raw Shark]

That's one hell of a trick. And seems like it won't work nearly as well after the first time, so what exactly did they get out of it?

Aside from disrupting Hezbollah communications?

Quite likely they permanently sidelined hundreds, maybe a thousand or two, Hezbollah members.

It seems a lot of the pager-carriers suffered amputation of one or both hands, and lost one or both eyes, along with facial mutilations. These men have a long recovery ahead of them, and some of them are not going to be independent for a long time, if ever. Meanwhile, their care will drain resources.

It was, in many ways, both horrifying and remarkable. Also, much more targeted than the Israeli bombing attacks or the IDF operations.

I'm 100% with Broomstick here. It was down and dirty, but if I shut of my empathy and compassion for a second it's the kind of thing I would do and I'm a little impressed. Horrifying and remarkable. And it's not like anybody in this has been a bunch of Care Bears.

[Zwinmar]

Well, its probably 80 percent certain that everyone injured has some connection to hezbollah, so by WWII bomber standards that was an amazingly successful op

[EnterpriseSovereign]

I don't think Lebanon is going to let Israel just invade, so yeah, this war is about to expand.
Israel invades Lebanon, and the entire Middle East is going to jump in.

They didn't last time, perhaps not wanting a repeat of the Six Day War. Reading around it seems Lebanon has a history of having the shit kicked out of it.

Reading about the fall out and state of Lebanon, they might just let Israel roll in to take out Hezbollah. Apparently, Hezbollah is considered more 'powerful' then Lebanon's military, and has more control over the southern regions then the Lebanoese government. Israel taking out Hezbollah would be saving Lebanon a lot of effort and problems.

Assuming Israel is able to take them all out, as long as the Lebanese military is strong and competent enough to retain control of their own country so Israel doesn't need to occupy it any longer than it has to.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Israel claims to target Hezbollah headquarters as strikes hit Beirut

The Israeli military claims to have carried out a “precise strike” on the central headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut.

The announcement came as large explosions rocked Lebanon's capital, producing clouds of billowing orange and black smoke. Ambulances were seen heading to the scene.

At least two people were killed and 76 were wounded in the blast, Lebanon's health ministry said.

Daniel Hagari, the Israeli army's spokesperson, said the strike targeted the main headquarters of militant group Hezbollah, located beneath residential buildings.

In a televised address, Hagari said: “Moments ago, the Israel Defense Forces carried out a precise strike on the Central Headquarters of the Hezbollah terror organization - that served as the epicenter of Hezbollah's terror.

"Hezbollah's central headquarters was intentionally built under residential buildings in the heart of the Dahieh, in Beirut, as part of Hezbollah's strategy of using Lebanese people as human shields.

"Hezbollah must be stopped, Israel is doing what every sovereign state in the world would do if they had a terror organization that seeks their destruction on their border, taking the necessary action to protect our people so that Israeli families can live in their homes, safely and securely.”

The militant group's Al-Manar TV said four buildings were reduced to rubble in the blast, so powerful it rattled windows and shook houses some 30 kilometres (19 miles) north of Beirut.

Not long before the explosion, thousands were massed in the suburb for the funeral of three Hezbollah members, including a senior commander, killed in earlier strikes.

Who are Hezbollah and why is the group involved in fighting with Israel?
Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the militant group backed by Iran, is believed to have been the target of the strike.

However, the Israeli military declined to comment, and Hezbollah are also yet to respond on whether it believes Nasrallah was targeted.

Instead, the group announced that it had launched rockets at the Israeli city of Safed, which it said was "in defense of Lebanon and its people, and in response to the barbaric Israeli violation of cities, villages and civilians."

The Israeli military said a house and a car in Safed were hit.

It came as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where he vowed their campaign against Hezbollah would continue.

He said the country's military would “continue degrading Hezbollah” until Israel achieves its goals.

Benjamin Netanyahu authorising an Israeli military strike targeting Hezbollah's headquarters in Beirut.
The Israeli Prime Minister's office have released a picture of Netanyahu reportedly "pre-authorising" the strike on Beirut from his hotel room.

Netanyahu later left midway through a briefing with Israeli journalists on Friday after his military secretary whispered something in his ear.

[bilateralrope]

I don't think Lebanon is going to let Israel just invade, so yeah, this war is about to expand.
Israel invades Lebanon, and the entire Middle East is going to jump in.

They didn't last time, perhaps not wanting a repeat of the Six Day War. Reading around it seems Lebanon has a history of having the shit kicked out of it.

Reading about the fall out and state of Lebanon, they might just let Israel roll in to take out Hezbollah. Apparently, Hezbollah is considered more 'powerful' then Lebanon's military, and has more control over the southern regions then the Lebanoese government. Israel taking out Hezbollah would be saving Lebanon alot of effort and problems.

What about Lebanon working with Israel in some capacity ?

Even if it's something deniable, like providing information.

[Solauren]

They didn't last time, perhaps not wanting a repeat of the Six Day War. Reading around it seems Lebanon has a history of having the shit kicked out of it.

Reading about the fall out and state of Lebanon, they might just let Israel roll in to take out Hezbollah. Apparently, Hezbollah is considered more 'powerful' then Lebanon's military, and has more control over the southern regions then the Lebanoese government. Israel taking out Hezbollah would be saving Lebanon alot of effort and problems.

What about Lebanon working with Israel in some capacity ?

Even if it's something deniable, like providing information.

Problem is, is Hezbollah has any connections inside the government that become aware of 'leaks' to Israel, they could cause problems AFTER the israel offsenive is done.

Lebanon is better off just looking the other way.

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Reading about the fall out and state of Lebanon, they might just let Israel roll in to take out Hezbollah. Apparently, Hezbollah is considered more 'powerful' then Lebanon's military, and has more control over the southern regions then the Lebanoese government. Israel taking out Hezbollah would be saving Lebanon alot of effort and problems.

What about Lebanon working with Israel in some capacity ?

Even if it's something deniable, like providing information.

Problem is, is Hezbollah has any connections inside the government that become aware of 'leaks' to Israel, they could cause problems AFTER the israel offsenive is done.

Lebanon is better off just looking the other way.

I was thinking that the problem with such a thing is that any spies in the Lebanese chain of command would be quick to learn of any information going back-and-fourth with Israel. By the same token it could also be a good way to flush out any spies that Hezbollah has.

[Solauren]

Apparently, nearly all (if not all) of the upper levels of Hezbollah have been killed.

Makes me think my theory about the pagers sending Israel information, thereby letting them focus their strikes, might have had some accuracy.

[bilateralrope]

Israel had to modify the pagers to receive the detonation signal and pass it on to the explosive. Once they are that deep in modifying it, why not add some code to collect intel ?

[EnterpriseSovereign]

Benjamin Netanyahu hails 'historic turning point' after Hezbollah leader's death

Benjamin Netanyahu has said the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was "necessary" to achieve Israel's goals and to restore a "balance of power" in the Middle East.

In a statement on Saturday evening, the Israeli described Nasrallah, who was killed in an air strike in Beirut late on Friday, as "a historic turning point.

"We have settled accounts with someone who was responsible for the murders of countless Israelis and many nationals of other countries, including hundreds of Americans and dozens of French.

"Nasrallah was not just another terrorist, he was the terrorist. He was the axis of the axis, the main engine of Iran's axis of evil. He and his people were the architects of the plan to destroy Israel."

Netanyahu said the elimination of Nasrallah would help facilitate the return of residents to towns in northern Israel who evacuated their homes as Hezbollah militants began firing rockets over the border after the attacks of October 7.

He also that if Hamas' leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar sees Nasrallah "will not be coming to his rescue", the greater the chances are of Israeli hostages held in the Palestinian territory being released.

"All those who oppose the axis of evil, all those who are fighting under the violent dictatorship of Iran and its proxies in Lebanon, Syria, Iran itself and other places, they are all filled with hope today.

"I say to the citizens of those countries: Israel stands with you. And to the [Iranian] Ayatollahs' regime I say: Those who strike us, we strike them.

"There is no place in Iran or the Middle East that the long arm of Israel cannot reach. Today, you already know that this is correct."

US President Joe Biden called Nasrallah’s killing a “measure of justice for his many victims,” including Americans. The US “fully supports Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis, and any other Iranian-supported terrorist groups,” he said in a statement.

However, Biden also called for de-escalation, in both Lebanon and Gaza, through "diplomatic means".

Hezbollah, who Nasrallah led since 1992, vowed to “continue the holy war against the enemy and in support of Palestine”, while Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, whose government is Hezbollah’s main backer, issued his own message saying “regional resistance forces” should “stand by and support Hezbollah”.

The Israeli military said Saturday that they killed Nasrallah in an airstrike on Hezbollah headquarters in Dahiyeh, south of Beirut while the group's leadership was having a meeting.

Multiple Hezbollah commanders and operatives were also killed in the strikes, the Israeli military added. The Lebanese Health Ministry said six people were killed and 91 injured in the strikes, which levelled six apartment buildings.

Nasrallah was a powerful figure in the Middle East, having lead Hezbollah for more than three decades, and his death has sent shockwaves across the region, with hundreds of protesters in Baghdad trying to cross into the fortified Green Zone, where the US Embassy is based.

Meanwhile the US State Department has ordered the departure of the families of US diplomats who are not employed by the embassy in Beirut, and of non-essential employees, due to the "volatile and unpredictable security situation" in Lebanon's capital.

Air raid sirens sounded across central Israel, including at the Tel Aviv international airport, shortly after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed from a trip to the US.

The Israeli military said a missile launched from Yemen was intercepted shortly after the sirens were heard. There were no reports of injuries.

Later on Saturday Yemen's Houthi rebels said they'd targeted the airport. The Iranian-backed fighters said Nasrallah’s death won’t deter Hezbollah or other Iranian-backed groups fighting against “the Israeli enemy.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned what he called Israel’s “savage attacks” that have killed hundreds of Lebanese people, and urged Muslim countries to “exhibit a more determined stance against these attacks”.

Meanwhile Iran’s reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the US of being involved in the attack.
“The world community will not forget that the order of the terrorist strike was issued from New York and the Americans cannot absolve themselves from complicity with the Zionists,” he said in a statement read on Iranian state television.
While no one in the White House shed any tears over the death of Nasrallah, Biden was quick to alert the public he hadn't received any advance warning of the attack and wasn't involved.

For Biden, the moment amounts to another high-tension balancing act — this time, only six weeks before a US presidential election.
Ahead of Friday’s strike, Netanyahu brushed off a ceasefire proposal brokered by the United States and France that called for a 21-day pause in fighting across the Israel-Lebanon border, infuriating American officials who had been led to believe he was on board.


Israel informed the US it was launching its major operation in Beirut only after it was underway — to the frustration of some American officials, who have grown weary at what they view as repeated examples of Netanyahu defying Biden’s public and private entreaties for restraint.
Speaking to reporters in Delaware on Friday, Biden emphasised he knew little about the operation and said he is "always concerned" that a "wider conflict could be on the horizon".

The American position for now is to be prepared for a range of possible retaliations — if and when they come — but whether such retaliation would come from Hezbollah, Iran or both was unknowable for now.
One fear among US intelligence circles is that Iran will respond to the destruction of its proxy armies by completing its nuclear weapons programme, in order to re-establish its dominance in the region.
However, on the question of a more immediate war involving Iran, the Islamic Republic "understands that its military options are limited, given the conventional military superiority of Israel and the US," said Thomas Juneau, a professor at the University of Ottawa’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs.

Nonetheless, the latest strikes have raised fears of an full-scale conflict between Israel and Lebanon, with British officials reiterating Foreign Secretary's message to the UN earlier this week, in which he called for a ceasefire and a political solution.

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Lebanon’s health minister says 1,030 people have been killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon in less than two weeks, more than in the previous 11 months.
Health Minister Firass Abiad says the toll includes 156 women and 87 children. A total of 1,640 people in Lebanon have died since Hezbollah began firing rockets over the border into Israel in support of Hamas, the day after the October 7 attacks.

The health ministry counted 11 people killed and 108 wounded on Friday, but said the true toll may be higher.

Israel has dramatically escalated strikes, saying it is targeting Hezbollah’s military capacities and senior Hezbollah commanders.

Top Israeli officials have threatened to repeat the destruction of Gaza in Lebanon if the Hezbollah fire continues, raising fears that Israel’s actions in Gaza since October 7 would be repeated in Lebanon.

On Friday, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin warned of “devastating” consequences if Israel engages in an all-out war with Hezbollah, telling CNN that casualties would “equal or exceed” the number in Gaza.

“An all-out war between Lebanese, Hezbollah and Israel would be devastating for both Lebanon and Israel. And again, we anticipate that we’d see a number of people displaced, casualties that, you know, equal or exceed what we’ve seen in Gaza,” Austin said.

In the UK, British nationals in Lebanon have been urged to leave the country immediately.

In a statement on Friday evening, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said “British nationals in Lebanon should leave now”, adding: “You should take the next available flight. We are working to increase capacity and secure seats for British nationals to leave.”

The FCDO said British nationals in the country should register their presence on the department’s website in order to stay up to date with the latest information.

Around 5,000 British citizens are in Lebanon, and the United Nations said 118,000 Lebanese people have been displaced in recent days.