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German airline Lufthansa said Wednesday it was extending the suspension of flights to Beirut until the end of February amid intensifying fighting between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
Lufthansa flights to Beirut had already been suspended until November 30. It also said on Wednesday it would extend the suspension of services to the Iranian capital Tehran to the end of January. They had previously been halted until October 31.
Full StoryIsraeli jets struck multiple buildings in Lebanon's southern coastal city of Tyre on Wednesday, sending large clouds of black smoke into the air.
The state-run National News Agency reported that an Israeli strike on the nearby town of Maarakeh killed three people. There were no reports of casualties in Tyre, where the Israeli military had issued evacuation warnings prior to the strikes.
Full StoryAir raid sirens echoed across Tel Aviv on Wednesday as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken prepared to end a visit.
Smoke, apparently from an intercepted projectile, could be seen in the sky above the hotel where Blinken was staying.
Full StoryAt least three Israeli strikes targeted Beirut's southern suburbs Tuesday evening, following calls to evacuate, hours after a strike flattened a building in Tayouneh.
Two of the strikes hit the Laylake district, near a stadium.
Full StoryTwo separate Israeli strikes on Tuesday evening killed at least 10 people in the country's south and northeast as Israel pummels targets in its fight against Hezbollah.
In two separate statements, the ministry said five people were killed and 10 others wounded in the northeastern Hermel region near the Syrian border, and five more killed and 21 wounded in the southern city of Nabatiyeh, which has endured Israeli attacks for days.
Full StoryThe Israeli military said Tuesday that one of its airstrikes outside Beirut earlier this month killed a top Hezbollah official who had been widely expected to be the group's next leader.
There was no immediate confirmation from the group about the fate of Sayyed Hashem Safieddine.
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Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Tuesday noted that the FPM is not currently in an alliance with Hezbollah, adding that the ongoing war had started with "a Hezbollah attack on Israel."
Full StoryThe death toll from Israeli airstrikes late Monday that destroyed several buildings facing one of Beirut’s main hospitals climbed to 13. Lebanon's Health Ministry said that 57 others were wounded, including seven who were in critical condition.
The Israeli military said that it struck a Hezbollah target, without elaborating, and said that it hadn't targeted the hospital itself.
Full StoryPrime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s private residence was hit and lightly damaged during a drone attack over the weekend, according to footage of the attack published by Israeli media on Tuesday. A photo of the attack showed damage to the bedroom window, which had a spiderweb of cracks and some burn marks. There were no injuries in the attack and neither Netanyahu nor his wife were in the home at the time of the attack.
Earlier on Tuesday, Hezbollah’s chief spokesman said the group was behind the weekend drone attack that targeted Netanyahu’s house.
Full StoryHuman rights group Amnesty International has criticized Israel’s targeting of branches of a Hezbollah-linked financial institution, saying the round of strikes this week “likely violates international humanitarian law.”
Amnesty said Tuesday the attack on al-Qard al-Hassan must be investigated as a war crime because financial institutions are considered civilian infrastructure under the laws of war unless they are being used for military purposes.
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