Live: Israel ramps up strikes on Gaza after Iran attack

A source close to Hezbollah told MEE that they believe the Israeli attacks are an attempt to displace southern Lebanon's population, a retaliation against Hezbollah's attacks that have caused Israelis to evacuate from northern Israel.

The source said Israel is trying to escalate to the highest level possible without provoking an all-out war that was previously seen in 2006.

“It is not yet clear whether the Israelis want to expand the operation towards Beirut because they know that this would make Haifa and Tel Aviv a target,” the source said.

The source added that Hezbollah's "escalation will match Israel’s level of escalation".

Still, Hezbollah has continued to maintain that its current conflict with Israel would end once a ceasefire was reached between Hamas and Israel in Gaza.

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Israel kills at least 274 in Lebanon and orders thousands to flee their homes

The Pentagon released a readout of a call between US Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant, in which Austin expressed support for Israel’s “right to defend itself” amid Israel’s escalation in Lebanon.

“The Secretary expressed his support for Israel’s right to defend itself as Hizballah extends its attacks deeper into Israel, and stressed the importance of finding a path to a diplomatic solution that will allow residents on both sides of the border to return to their homes as quickly and safely as possible,” the readout said.

Israel has stepped up its attacks on Lebanon over the past few days. It launched a cyber attack last week in which it coordinated the explosion of thousands of Hezbollah’s pagers and walkie-talkies across Lebanon, killing 37 people, including two children, and wounding around 3,000 others.

It then began launching intense air strikes on Lebanon over the past several days, killing at least 274 people.

The Israeli military said on Monday it had conducted a targeted strike in Beirut's southern suburbs, without giving further details.

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) has called for a full recommitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1701, under which UN peacekeepers were deployed to southern Lebanon in 2006 to monitor a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Lebanon.

"Any further escalation of this dangerous situation could have far-reaching and devastating consequences, not only for those living on both sides of the Blue Line but also for the broader region," it said in a post on X.

"UNIFIL reiterates its strong call for a diplomatic solution and urges all parties to prioritize civilian lives and ensure they are not put in harm’s way."

Any further escalation of this dangerous situation could have far-reaching and devastating consequences, not only for those living on both sides of the Blue Line but also for the broader region.

— UNIFIL (@UNIFIL_) September 23, 2024

Lufthansa Airlines, the flag carrier for Germany, announced it is cancelling flights to Tel Aviv and Tehran until 14 October, as Israel launched a series of deadly air strikes on Lebanon, killing at least 274 people.

"For operational reasons, Lufthansa Airline has already decided to suspend flights to Tehran until October 26," added the airline.

The airline also said that flights to Beirut remain suspended until 26 October.

The Lebanese Civil Defence has said its teams have been extinguishing fires sparked by Israeli strikes “in several homes, factories and warehouses in the southern governorates, Nabatieh and Beqaa”.

“The personnel also continue to treat the wounded, recover the bodies of those killed and transport them to hospitals to receive the necessary medical care,” the organisation said in a statement.

It added that its teams were working to rescue and recover bodies from the site of a building in the southern suburbs of Beirut which collapsed following an Israeli strike on Friday.

It said that so far 54 bodies have been recovered, and 66 wounded people rescued, adding that five people remain missing.

The death toll from Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon has risen to 274, including 21 children and 39 women, the country's health minister said during a press conference.

Dr Firass Abiad added that another 1,024 have been wounded.

Lebanese media is reporting that Israeli strikes have targeted more villages in the Beqaa Valley, including in Nabi Chit and Saraaine.

The Israeli military has said 35 rockets have been launched from Lebanon towards northern Israel falling in several locations.

“Air defence fighters intercepted several launches and we detected rocket landings in open areas,” the military said in a statement on Telegram.

Hezbollah said in a statement that it had targeted a military base in northern Israel with a barrage of missiles.

An official at the disaster management unit in the southern Lebanese city of Tyre has reported that "hundreds of displaced people" have arrived at a shelter in the city.

Bilal Kachmar told AFP news agency that many others had been forced to camp out in the streets.

Iran's foreign ministry has warned that Israel's attacks on southern Lebanon will have "dangerous consequences."

Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani denounced the attacks as "insane", adding that "the Zionist's new adventure" would have "dangerous consequences".

The Lebanese Red Cross has said its teams are supporting rescue and evacuation efforts in the wake of ongoing Israeli strikes on southern Lebanon.

In a post on X, the organisation said it had "mobilised all ambulance stations across Lebanon to support in the increasing number of casualties in the South."

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The #LebaneseRedCross has mobilized all ambulance stations across Lebanon to support in the increasing number of casualties in the South. Our volunteers are supporting in rescue and evacuation. #Lebanon #lebaneseredcross pic.twitter.com/2ZNVfNmKWz

— Lebanese Red Cross (@RedCrossLebanon) September 23, 2024

At least 24 Palestinians have been killed and 70 others injured in Israeli attacks in Gaza in the last 24 hours, the enclave's health ministry has said.

The latest fatalities bring the death toll to 41,455, with another 95,878 people injured, the ministry added.

Hamas has condemned Israel's "barbaric aggression" on southern Lebanon as a "war crime".

In a statement, the group reiterated its solidarity "with our brothers in Hezbollah and the Lebanese people”.

The Lebanese interior minister has said that schools in Tripoli and eastern and southern Lebanon are being converted into shelters to cater for the thousands fleeing the south amid ongoing Israeli bombardment.

Associated Press reported that the main highway out of the biggest southern port city of Sidon was jammed with cars bound for Beirut.