The Israeli army entered Lebanon. Israel announced on the night of Monday September 30 to Tuesday October 1 that it had started “localized land raids” in villages in southern Lebanon. The IDF says it is targeting the Islamist movement Hezbollah, despite international calls for de-escalation. After Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli strike near Beirut on Friday, Israeli leaders warned that the war was not yet over. Follow our live stream.
International pressures. The United States had earlier announced ground operations “limited” of Israel against Hezbollah in Lebanon. In Washington, President Joe Biden suggested he was opposed to Israeli ground operations, calling for a ceasefire.
Evacuations in progress. The head of French diplomacy, Jean-Noël Barrot, traveling to Beirut, called on Israel to “refrain from any land incursion” as well as a ceasefire. Several countries, including Canada and the United Kingdom, have also announced that they have chartered flights to evacuate their nationals from Lebanon. France deployed a military ship by “precaution”in the event of a need to evacuate its nationals.
A strike on a refugee camp. A Palestinian camp official says an Israeli strike targeted the home of Palestinian activist Mounir Maqdah in Sidon, southern Lebanon. It was not immediately clear whether the latter, whom Israel accuses of leading the Lebanese branch of Fatah’s armed wing, was in the house.
Syria also targeted. Syrian state media, citing a military source, says Israeli strikes killed three civilians and injured nine others in Damascus early Tuesday. “The Israeli enemy launched an aerial assault with warplanes and drones from the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting several locations in Damascus”declared the official Sana news agency.