International calls for de-escalation will not have been heeded: “limited, localized and targeted” ground operations against Hezbollah’s “terrorist targets and infrastructure” began Monday evening, Israel confirmed on Tuesday, October 1. Yesterday, the head of the UN Antonio Guterres expressed his opposition to any Israeli “land invasion” of Lebanon, while the head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noël Barrot, traveling to Beirut, called on Israel to ” refrain from any land incursions” as well as a ceasefire.
Information to remember
⇒ Israeli ground operations launched in southern Lebanon
⇒ A French military ship deployed as a “precaution” in the event of evacuation
⇒ Palestinian refugee camp targeted by Israeli strike
07:15
Leader of Palestinian armed group targeted in refugee camp
An official at a Palestinian camp in Sidon, in southern Lebanon, told AFP that an Israeli strike there targeted a leader of a Palestinian armed group on Tuesday. “The Israeli raid targeted the house of Mounir Maqdah’s son,” in the Ain al-Helweh camp, said the official, who requested anonymity. It was not immediately clear whether Mounir Maqdah, whom Israel accuses of leading the Lebanese branch of the armed wing of the Palestinian Fatah movement, was in the building. In August, Israel announced that it had killed his brother, Khalil Maqdah, whom Israel also considered one of the leaders of Fatah’s armed wing.
07:10
France deploys a military ship as a “precaution” in the event of an evacuation
A French Navy vessel left Toulon on Monday to preposition itself off the coast of Lebanon as a “precaution”, in the event of a need to evacuate French nationals, AFP learned from the General Staff of the Armed Forces. The French amphibious helicopter carrier (PHA), which will take “5 to 6 days” to reach the area in the eastern Mediterranean, according to this source, is equipped with helicopters and an “onboard battle group” that can be mobilized in the event of evacuation of French nationals, if this were to be decided. “We are strengthening our resources to deal with a deterioration of the situation,” a senior officer of the armed forces told AFP, specifying that at this stage “there is no question of evacuation of nationals”.
06:50
Washington agrees with Israel on the need to “dismantle Hezbollah’s attack infrastructure” in Lebanon
The American Minister of Defense, Lloyd Austin, said he was convinced, like Israel, of the “need to dismantle the attack infrastructure” of Hezbollah, after the launch on the night of Monday to Tuesday of “localized ground raids” by Israel in southern Lebanon. Lloyd Austin also warned Tehran against a possible “direct military attack targeting Israel”, emphasizing the “serious consequences” that this would entail for Iran, according to a press release published on the social network X.
The Pentagon chief made the statements after speaking with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. “We agreed on the need to dismantle attack infrastructure along the border to ensure that Lebanese Hezbollah cannot carry out October 7-style attacks against communities in northern Israel,” he said. he declared. A “diplomatic resolution is necessary” to ensure the safety of civilians “on both sides of the border”, he also reaffirmed.
06:45
Israel launches ‘limited’ ground operations in southern Lebanon
The Israeli army announced Tuesday that ground troops had crossed the border to fight Hezbollah in villages in southern Lebanon, specifying in a statement that these ground operations which began Monday evening were “limited, localized and targeted” against Hezbollah’s “terrorist targets and infrastructure”. The army, however, did not specify the number of soldiers involved in this incursion. “These targets are located in villages near the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” she said.
Meanwhile, according to a Lebanese security official speaking on condition of anonymity, Israel launched at least six new strikes on south Beirut overnight, after the Israeli army ordered residents to evacuate the premises.