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BAGHDAD, Iraq: Iraq’s transportation ministry ordered the closure of its airspace for safety reasons on Tuesday after Iran launched missiles at Israel, the official Iraqi News Agency said.
The report said the closure was “to maintain the safety of aerial navigation,” with the ministry also ordering a “temporary halt to air traffic at all Iraqi airports.”
DUBAI: US bases in Iraq and the region will be targets if the United States joins any response to Iranian strikes on Israel or if Israel uses Iraqi airspace against Tehran, Iranian-backed Iraqi armed groups said on Tuesday.
WASHINGTON: US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on Tuesday condemned Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel as a significant escalation, adding Israel appeared to have defeated the attack without loss of life.
“This is a significant escalation by Iran, a significant event, and it is equally significant that we were able to step up with Israel and create a situation in which no one was killed in this attack in Israel,” Sullivan told reporters at the White House.
“We have made clear that there will be consequences, severe consequences, for this attack, and we will work with Israel to make that the case,” he said.
Sullivan said President Biden’s administration was still monitoring the situation and consulting with the Israelis on next steps in terms of a response. He also said that the administration was tracking the reported death of a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank.
CAIRO: Israeli airstrikes killed at least 37 people in Gaza on Tuesday, local medics said and fighting ramped up, as the Israeli military said it had been targeting command centers used by Hamas.
Palestinian health officials said at least 13 people, including women and children, were killed in two Israeli strikes on two houses in Nuseirat, one of the enclave’s eight historic refugee camps.
Another strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinian families in the Tuffah neighborhood of Gaza City killed at least seven people, medics added.
The Israeli military said in a statement the airstrike targeted Hamas militants operating from a compound that had previously served as Al-Shejaia School.
It accused Hamas of using the civilian population and facilities for military purposes, which Hamas denies.
Later on Tuesday, two separate Israeli attacks killed five Palestinians in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip and in the Zeitoun suburb of Gaza City, medics said.
In Khan Younis, in the south of the enclave, six Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a tent housing displaced people, medics said.
Hours later, an Israeli airstrike on a car in western Khan Younis, killed six Palestinians, medics said. Footage circulated on social media, which Reuters could not immediately authenticate, showed a mangled, burnt-out vehicle.
Some Palestinians said they feared that Israel’s shift in focus to Lebanon could prolong the conflict in Gaza, which marks its first anniversary next week.
“The eyes of the world now are on Lebanon while the occupation continues its killing in Gaza. We are afraid the war is going to go on for more months at least,” said Samir Mohammed, 46, a father of five from Gaza City.
“It is all unclear now as Israel unleashes its force undeterred in Gaza, Yemen, Syria, Lebanon, and God knows where else in the future,” he said.
Meanwhile, the US unveiled further sanctions against Israeli settlers over attacks on Palestinians and destruction of property in the West Bank.
The latest sanctions target the Hilltop Youth, which the US Treasury Department described as a “violent extremist group,” and comes amid soaring tensions in the region nearly a year after Hamas launched its unprecedented attack on Israel.
The US sanctions follow similar moves targeting the group by Australia, Britain and the EU.
“The worsening violence and instability in the West Bank are detrimental to the long-term interests of Israelis and Palestinians, and the actions of violent organizations like Hilltop Youth only exacerbate the crisis,” said Acting Treasury Under Secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence Bradley Smith.
In the past year, the US issued a series of sanctions targeting Israeli settlers, while repeatedly voicing concern to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about the West Bank violence.
It has however made little impact on the decision-making of the Israeli government, a hardline pro-settler coalition.
“Hilltop Youth has conducted a campaign of violence against Palestinians, engaging in killings, arson, assaults, and intimidation intended to drive Palestinian communities out of the West Bank,” the US Treasury said.
The US State Department also announced it was designating two individuals: Eitan Yardeni, over his connection to violence or threats targeting civilians in the West Bank; and Avichai Suissa, who leads a group which provided support to previously sanctioned individuals.
DUBAI/LONDON: Following the killing of Hezbollah’s longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in a targeted airstrike on Sept. 27, Israel is reported to have launched what it calls a “limited” ground incursion into Lebanon.
On Tuesday night, Iran fired a wave of ballistic missiles at Israel in a long-expected retaliation for the killing of Nasrallah and the suspected Israeli killing of Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
Both developments have brought the region yet another step closer to the possibility of all-out war.
Lebanon has witnessed its bloodiest month since the end of its civil war in 1990. According to the Ministry of Health, more than 1,000 people have been killed, 90,000 displaced, and up to a million people have fled their homes.
Emboldened by its early successes, Israeli military officials appear determined to press home the advantage.
In a statement, officials described their actions as “limited, localized, and targeted ground raids” in southern Lebanon aimed at dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure, which they consider a threat to northern Israel.
The military said it was acting on “precise intelligence” targeting Hezbollah positions and infrastructure in southern Lebanon. “These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” it said.
On Tuesday, the Israeli military called on residents in more than 20 areas of southern Lebanon to evacuate.
“The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) does not want to harm you, and for your own safety you must evacuate your homes immediately. Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, installations and combat equipment is putting his life in danger,” army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.
“You must head immediately to the north of the Al-Awali River,” near the coastal city of Sidon, Adraee added.
However, Hezbollah said that no Israeli troops had crossed over into Lebanon. “All the Zionist claims that (Israeli) occupation forces have entered Lebanon are false claims,” a Hezbollah spokesman said in a statement on Tuesday.
They added there had “not yet been any direct ground clash between (Hezbollah) resistance fighters and (Israeli) occupation forces.”
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The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon also said on Tuesday that there was “no ground incursion” going on in the south of the country. UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP news agency there was “no ground incursion right now.”
Israeli officials want Hezbollah to withdraw its forces north of the Litani River, about 18 km from the Israeli border, which would allow displaced Israeli civilians to return to their homes near the border.
Firas Maksad, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, believes there is likely more to Israel’s war aims. “The stated objective is to return some 60,000 Israelis to their homes in the north. However, what we’re witnessing is something much broader than that,” he told CNN.
“It is an attempt, perhaps, to redraw the balance of power not only in Lebanon but more broadly in the Levant and even perhaps in the region as it relates to Iran. And we’ve heard time and again that this might now very much include a ground component.”
Just what a “limited” invasion might entail, however, also remains unclear.
“In the Lebanese psyche in particular, but others in the region, too, that past Israeli land incursions and invasions into Lebanon were also dubbed as being limited, so there’s a lot of question marks and certainly a lack of trust as to how far this operation will go,” Maksad said.
The international community has repeatedly warned against further escalation, fearing it could plunge the entire region into chaos.
• 1,000+ Lebanese killed in Israel-Hezbollah clashes in the past two weeks.
• 1m Lebanese displaced by Israel-Hezbollah fighting so far.
During a recent visit to Lebanon, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot urged both sides to agree to a ceasefire and resolve the conflict diplomatically, calling on Israel to “refrain from any action that could destabilize the region.”
Meanwhile, Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati described the situation as “one of the most dangerous phases” in Lebanon’s history, stressing the need to implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.
As the conflict intensifies, the US has bolstered its military presence in the region, sending “a few thousand” additional troops to ensure security and protect Israel if necessary, according to the Pentagon.
In Lebanon, reactions to the latest escalation are divided. Hezbollah supporters have welcomed the confrontation, while many others oppose being dragged into a war not of their making. For Karine, a 37-year-old mathematics teacher, the country is being held hostage by Hezbollah.
“I sympathize with the Palestinian cause. I even sympathize with Nasrallah’s supporters. But reason says you cannot drag the whole country into war due to the decisions of a few,” she told Arab News.
“Israel, while I consider it an abomination before God, has demonstrated incredible military might. We have been dealing with crisis after crisis since 2019, and we are not up for this fight. We are too exhausted.
“Even if Hezbollah wants to fight, thousands of their soldiers have been left blinded and without limbs. How are they to fire a gun without eyesight and fingers? Spare us.”
Nasrallah had previously declared that an Israeli invasion would provide a “historic opportunity” for Hezbollah to eliminate its enemies — a sentiment reiterated by his deputy, Naim Qassem.
In a televised speech, the first since Nasrallah’s death, Qassem vowed revenge, stating that “the resistance is ready” to confront Israeli forces.
Despite the loss of its leader, Qassem insisted that Hezbollah’s arsenal remains intact and that the group has the resources it needs for the fight. He called for patience, assuring supporters that while the battle will be long, Hezbollah will ultimately emerge victorious.
However, Hezbollah’s closest allies, Iran and Syria, have been notably hesitant to intervene.
While Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei mourned Nasrallah, calling him his “dear Sayyed” and urged Muslims to stand by Lebanon against the “foul-natured Zionist regime,” the Iranian government has made it clear that it will not send troops to Lebanon.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry stated that “there is no need to send extra or volunteer forces” from Iran to Lebanon or Gaza, as “the fighters in both countries have the capability and strength to defend themselves against the aggression.”
Similarly, Syria’s President Bashar Assad has yet to provide any concrete aid beyond condemning Israel’s actions.
Mohanad Hage Ali, deputy director for research at the Carnegie Middle East Center, suggests that Hezbollah has realized it is largely on its own in this conflict.
“Israel’s actions were a message of deterrence to Iran,” Hage Ali told Arab News. “I don’t think Iran wants to join the conflict, given how it now understands Israel’s military capabilities.
“There has been an unexpected level of infiltration within the ranks of Hezbollah and it seems too deep for the organization to deal with. No one has been able to figure out yet where the leaks are coming from.”
He added: “Hezbollah exists as a frontline asset but now serves as a cautionary tale for Iran.”
Iran’s apparent reluctance to intervene on behalf of its Hezbollah ally could be costly in terms of its credibility.
“The lack of response from Iran is contributing to a lot of grievances among its Arab allies, particularly in Lebanon, even within the Hezbollah support base in the Shiite community, essentially asking and wondering whether they’ve been left out to dry, by themselves, without Iran coming to their aid,” Maksad said.
“I don’t think Iran will be coming to their aid. They understand that in any direct confrontation with Israel they are at a disadvantage. And so what we’ve been hearing, time and again, from Iranian officials is this commitment to support Hezbollah, to support the Lebanese and their various proxies, in their fight against Israel, but not to be dragged into it themselves. They see that as a trap that they very much want to avoid.”
On Tuesday evening, however, Iran mounted a response, firing a wave of ballistic missiles at Israel.
In April, Iran mounted its first direct attack on Israeli soil with a massive barrage of missiles and drones in retaliation for the Israeli bombing of the Iranian embassy in Damascus.
Although Israeli air defenses were able to destroy some 99 percent of the drones and missiles before they reached its airspace, the incident sent a strong message that Iran would respond if pushed.
This latest Iranian attack will again have sent a strong message of deterrence, but is unlikely to change Hezbollah’s fortunes on the ground in Lebanon.
Indeed, with its leadership decapitated, its communication networks compromised, and with potential leaks within its ranks in Lebanon and Syria, Hezbollah already appears to be on the ropes.
Much depends on how Iran chooses to respond in the long run.
“This is essentially the opening round of a 12-round match between Hezbollah, backed by Iran, on the one hand, and Israel,” Maksad said.
“And if we know anything from history (it) is that Israel is pretty effective at landing these strong opening blows, but Iran tends to play the long game.”
ANKARA: Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday condemned Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon and urged the United Nations and other international organizations to stop Israel without “wasting any more time.”
“Whatever it does, Israel will be stopped sooner or later,” Erdogan told the Turkish parliament at the opening of the legislative year.
“All state and international organizations, especially the UN, must stop Israel without wasting any more time,” he said.
The Israeli army said that it launched a ground offensive in Lebanon and that its forces engaged in clashes Tuesday, escalating the conflict after a week of intense air strikes that killed hundreds.
Erdogan said “the terror and genocide” Israel had carried out in Gaza had reached Lebanon and warned if not stopped, the Israeli leadership would set its sights on Turkiye.
“I openly say that the Israeli leadership, acting with the delirium of the promised land and with a purely religious fanaticism, will set its sights on our homeland after Palestine and Lebanon,” Erdogan said, again comparing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Nazi Germany’s Adolf Hitler.
“Just as Hitler, who saw himself in a giant mirror, was stopped, Netanyahu will be stopped in the same way,” he said.
Turkiye’s foreign ministry said it had drawn up contingency plans to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon because “the security situation is likely to deteriorate.”
“In coordination with relevant institutions, alternative plans have been prepared for the evacuation of our citizens by sea or air from Lebanon,” the ministry said.
Turkiye is estimated to have 14,000 citizens registered with its consulate in Lebanon.
The ministry also said guidelines for the evacuation of third countries’ citizens via Turkiye have also been determined, adding that necessary preparations were underway in cooperation with nearly 20 countries that have requested support.
