2024-09-25 19:23:27
For the first time since October 7, a rocket was fired at the Mediterranean city of Tel Aviv. Hezbollah probably wanted revenge on the Mossad. All developments in the news blog.
This news blog has been closed. You can read the latest developments on the Middle East conflict here.
8.12 am: Hezbollah claims responsibility for the rocket attack on Tel Aviv. The attack was intended to hit the Mossad headquarters and was a response to the deadly explosions of thousands of communications devices, the terrorist group said. The rocket was intercepted by the air defense system. Meanwhile, the Israeli army says it has bombed the launch pad from which the Hezbollah rocket was fired.
6.14 am: Rocket alarms were sounded early in the morning in the Israeli coastal metropolis of Tel Aviv and other cities in the country. The sirens were blaring practically throughout central Israel, the Israeli army announced on the online platform X. A rocket fired from Lebanon was intercepted over the greater Tel Aviv area. No further details about the rocket attack were initially provided.
The last time a rocket alarm was triggered in Tel Aviv was at the end of May, because of an attack by the Islamist Hamas. After that, the alarm sirens only sounded in other parts of the country. It is also the first time since the massacre on October 7 last year and the subsequent start of the Gaza war that a rocket from Lebanon has reached the greater Tel Aviv area.
1.33 am: According to insiders, Israeli forces have continued their attacks in Lebanon, including on the coastal towns of Jije and Saadijat. Jije is located 75 kilometers north of the border with Israel. Details of possible damage or casualties are not yet known. In the coastal town of Saadijat south of Beirut, a “camp” was apparently targeted. The target of the air strike is therefore around 20 kilometers south of the Lebanese capital. AFP journalists in Beirut reported hearing an explosion.
1.10 am: The Lebanese Hezbollah militia has confirmed the death of one of its high-ranking commanders in an Israeli air strike on Beirut. The man killed was Ibrahim Kubaissi, the radical Islamic Hezbollah said.
00.32: In view of the escalation of the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, Great Britain is moving several hundred soldiers to Cyprus. The troops are to help evacuate British citizens who are urgently being asked to leave the country, the Foreign Office in London announced. Around 700 soldiers and units of the border guard force will be sent to Cyprus in the coming hours. The Air Force is also keeping planes and transport helicopters ready to provide support if necessary. “The events of the past hours and days have shown how unstable the situation is,” explains Defense Minister John Healey. “That is why our message is clear: British citizens should leave now.”
00.15: Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has warned of an additional war in the Middle East in light of the massive Israeli air strikes on the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon. “We must not slide into another war, but we must do everything we can to ensure de-escalation, especially in view of the situation in Lebanon now,” said the Green politician on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York. Reports of civilians killed, including children and employees of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), made it clear: “De-escalation is needed from all sides right now,” added Baerbock.
19:31: Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has once again postponed his trip to the UN General Debate against the backdrop of the conflict with Hezbollah. Instead of Wednesday, Netanyahu will now arrive in New York on Thursday and give his speech to the UN General Assembly on Friday, says Israeli Ambassador Danny Danon. Tensions in the Middle East have increased in recent weeks, so Netanyahu had previously postponed his arrival, originally planned for Tuesday, to Wednesday.