Israel-Hezbollah conflict latest: ‘First phase’ declared over as Netanyahu warns Lebanon strikes ‘not the end’

Blasts and missiles rocket across sky in northern Israel after Hezbollah retaliates

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed that the latest exchange of strikes with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon is “not the end of the story”.

Israel launched a series of nearly 40 airstrikes in southern Lebanon early on Sunday in what it described as a “preemptive attack” to prevent an imminent Hezbollah drone and rocket strike.

The two sides have exchanged messages that neither wants to escalate further, with the main gist being that the exchange was “done”, two diplomats told Reuters.

Hezbollah, which had vowed retaliation for Israel’s assassination of one of its top commanders in Beirut last month, responded anyway, hitting military sites and Iron Dome platforms with over 320 drones and rockets.

Speaking in a video message published on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Netanyahu said that the leaders of Hezbollah and Iran should know that the response was “another step towards changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes” and that “this is not the end of the story”.

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Hezbollah leader makes lengthy speech after rockets fired at Israel

Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has said that his group would assess the impact of its rocket and drone attack on Israeli military targets earlier in the day before determining whether it would carry out further attacks to avenge a slain commander.

The leader of the Lebanese armed group said in a televised address that it had been able to carry out its attack “as planned,” denying statements by the Israeli military that its pre-emptive strikes had stopped a wider attack by the group.

Nasrallah, speaking about 12 hours after the most intense exchange of fire between Iran-backed Hezbollah and Israel since hostilities broke out in parallel with the war in Gaza, said the group had intentionally refrained from targeting civilians or public infrastructure, including Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv.

He said the group’s main target was a military intelligence base about 110 km (70 miles) inside Israeli territory – the deepest attack yet and just 1.5 km north of Tel Aviv.

Nasrallah said the group would assess the results of the operation, a retaliation for Israel‘s killing of top Hezbollah commander Fuad Shukron the edges of Beirut last month.

“If the result is not enough, then we retain the right to respond another time,” Nasrallah said.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah had not planned a larger attack, specifically denying Israeli military statements that the group had intended to fire thousands of projectiles.

But he acknowledged that the operation had been delayed for several reasons, including what he called a “mobilization” of Israeli and American military assets in the region.

An image grab taken from Hezbollah's al-Manar TV on August 25, 2024, shows Lebanon's Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah giving a televised address from an undisclosed location
An image grab taken from Hezbollah’s al-Manar TV on August 25, 2024, shows Lebanon’s Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah giving a televised address from an undisclosed location (Al-Manar/AFP via Getty Images)

Tom Watling25 August 2024 18:29

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British Airways and Wizz Air suspend flights to Israel amid regional escalation

Tom Watling25 August 2024 18:01

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Israeli military says one navy soldier killed, two wounded in combat in northern Israel

One Israel navy soldier was killed and two wounded during combat in northern Israel on Sunday, the Israeli military said.

It gave no details of the circumstances of the soldier’s death but Israeli media reported it occurred on a naval vessel offshore as an interceptor from Israel‘s Iron Dome aerial defence system engaged a drone fired by Hezbollah.

Tom Watling25 August 2024 17:30

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Hezbollah leader issues warning of future attacks

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has claimed that Hezbollah did not use precision missiles in their strikes this morning but that they could use them in the near future.

In a lengthy speech, he added that Hezbollah had targeted an Israeli military intelligence base just outside of Tel Aviv and had ruled out targeting civilian infrastructure.

Tom Watling25 August 2024 17:00

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Jordan warns that escalation in lebanon could lead to regional war

Jordan has warned that heightened escalation between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah could lead to a “regional war” that would threaten stability.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Sufain Qudah said that Israel‘s relentless “aggression” in Gaza and the failure to reach a ceasefire was exposing the region to the dangers of an expansion of the conflict, Jordanian state media reported.

Tom Watling25 August 2024 16:28

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Israel and Hezbollah traded messages saying neither wants further escalation, two diplomats say

Israel and the Lebanon-based group Hezbollah exchanged messages via intermediaries on Sunday in order to prevent further escalation following one of the biggest exchanges of fire between the two foes in 10 months, two diplomats told Reuters.

The main message was that both sides considered that Sunday’s intense exchange of bombardment was “done” and that neither side wanted a full-scale war, one diplomat said. The diplomats spoke on condition they were not identified.

Tom Watling25 August 2024 16:01

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From Hamas to Hezbollah, a look at the Iran-allied groups rallying to arms around Middle East

Tom Watling25 August 2024 15:30

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Netanyahu says Israeli strikes against Hezbollah ‘not the end of the story’

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that Israel took pre-emptive action against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah movement in Lebanon and said air defences had intercepted all rockets and drones launched against Israel.

He said that the leaders of Hezbollah and Iran should know that the response was “another step towards changing the situation in the north and returning our residents safely to their homes” and that “this is not the end of the story”.

Tom Watling25 August 2024 15:00

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Watch live: Israeli government spokesman David Mencer gives update as Middle East conflict escalates

Tom Watling25 August 2024 14:28

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Gallant debriefs US defence sec on Lebanon strikes

Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant has debriefed his US counterpart Lloyd Austin on the exchange of rocket fire with the Hezbollah militia in southern Lebanon.

Tom Watling25 August 2024 14:00

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