While Israel continues its strikes in southwest Lebanon, the Hebrew state announces the probable death of the potential new leader of Hezbollah and successor to Nasrallah, Hachem Safieddine.
15:58 – A military plane repatriates 60 people from Beirut to Paris
This Tuesday, an Air and Space Force transport plane, A400M, left Lebanon, and will land at the end of the day at Paris Charles-de-Gaulle airport with on board, more of 60 people. “These are not evacuations”, according to information from the JDD. “The French Embassy in Beirut invites people to leave, but it remains everyone’s decision,” specifies the media. The Quai d’Orsay also specifies assessing “the situation hour by hour”, if an evacuation of nationals were to be decided, continues the JDD.
15:29 – “Hezbollah is an organization without a leader” says Israel
“Hezbollah is a leaderless organization, Nasrallah was eliminated, his replacement probably was too. This has a dramatic effect on everything that happens. There is no one to make decisions, no one to act.” , said Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant this Tuesday. Indeed, Nasrallah’s potential successor, Hachem Safieddine, has probably been eliminated according to the minister of the Hebrew state. “The actions we are taking are being observed throughout the Middle East. When the smoke clears in Lebanon, Iran will realize that it has lost its most valuable asset, namely Hezbollah,” he continued according to The Times of Israel.
15:12 – 17 dead in Gaza after Israeli strike
The spokesperson for Gaza Civil Defense, Mahmoud Bassal, announced this Tuesday afternoon the death of 17 people in an Israeli strike on a house in a refugee camp in the center of the Gaza Strip, to AFP. Children are among the victims and several injured have been recorded. The bodies of those killed were taken to al-Awda hospital in Nuseirat camp and al-Aqsa martyrs hospital in Deir el-Balah city.
14:37 – Nearly 42,000 dead in the Gaza Strip according to Hamas
The Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, controlled by Hamas, announces a new death toll of 41,965 in the Palestinian enclave since the start of the war with Israel on October 7, 2023. It adds that 97,590 people have been injured since the same date. These figures put forward by Hamas are the only releases concerning the human toll in Gaza, but they cannot be verified by any other organization.
13:29 – Hezbollah says it supports a “ceasefire”
Hezbollah’s number two who leads the interim Islamized movement, Naïm Kassem, assures that Hezbollah supports Lebanon’s efforts to obtain a ceasefire. “We have confidence in the leadership of Nabih Berry [le président du Parlement libanais] and in its mobilization, at the political level, to achieve a ceasefire. No discussion has any importance before a ceasefire.” declared the Hezbollah official quoted by L’Orient-le Jour. “Once the ceasefire is achieved, diplomacy can be take care of all other questions and decisions can be taken collectively” insists Naïm Kassem.
11:45 – Iran warns Israel which is preparing a response
Israel is still discussing how it will respond to the attack by Iran which sent a hail of missiles against the Jewish state on the night of October 1-2. While Israel discussed the possibilities of strikes on Iran’s nuclear or oil sites with Washington, Iran warned Benjamin Netanyahu: “Any attack on Iranian infrastructure will lead to a stronger response” warned the Iranian minister of Foreign Affairs, Abbas Araghchi, quoted by state television. Revolutionary Guards General Rassoul Sanaïrad already indicated on Sunday that striking nuclear and energy sites constituted “a red line” for Iran.
11:30 – Hezbollah claims to be “perfectly organized”
Despite Israel’s successive strikes, Hezbollah assures that its leadership is “perfectly organized” and that its “capabilities are good.” Earlier this morning the Israeli army announced on X that it had killed the commander of Hezbollah headquarters, Souheil Hussein Husseini. The latter was involved in “arms transfer agreements between Iran and Hezbollah”, and was “responsible for the distribution of contraband weapons between the different Hezbollah units” according to the Israeli army. The IDF adds that the Lebanese official was also “involved in the budgetary and logistical management of the organization’s most sensitive projects, including the operational war plan” and in the “terrorist attacks against the State of Israel from of Lebanese and Syrian territory.
11:19 – Israel begins operations in southwest Lebanon
Israeli strikes against Lebanon continue this Tuesday, October 8. The shots again target the southern suburbs of the capital Beirut. But at the same time, the Israeli army announced this Tuesday on Telegram that it had started operations in southwest Lebanon. The IDF says it sent troops on Monday: “Yesterday, the 146th Division began limited, localized and targeted operational activities against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southwest Lebanon.”