BEIRUT: Hezbollah declared on Wednesday that it has thwarted an Israeli infiltration attempt into southern Lebanon, while Israel declared the deaths of eight soldiers, marking its first casualties since this week’s cross-border assaults.
The fighting broke out just hours after Iran threatened to intensify its response to any retaliation from Israel with its biggest missile attack to yet.
In response to Iran’s most recent missile assault, US President Joe Biden declared on Wednesday that he would not back an Israeli strike intended to destroy Iran’s nuclear facilities.
“We’ll be discussing with the Israelis what they’re going to do,” he said, adding that all G7 members feel Israel has “a right to respond, but they should respond in proportion.
Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian emphasized that his country was “not looking for war,” but he yet issued another warning of a “stronger” response.
Meanwhile, as the UN Security Council convened on Wednesday amid concerns of a broader Middle East conflict, Iran and Israel both warned to retaliate if attacked.
Pakistan called for a de-escalation of hostilities and conflict resolution in the Middle East on Wednesday, expressing grave worry over the growing hostilities in the region.
Israel has “endangered regional peace and security with the ongoing genocide in Gaza,” according to a statement from the Foreign Office. These tensions have worsened since the recent assault of Lebanon, endangering the lives of innocent bystanders.
In the statement, Pakistan reaffirmed its demand on the UN Security Council to protect regional peace and security, preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty, and stop the protracted humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
aiming toward south of Beirut
Israel kept bombing south Beirut, an area usually brimming with activity that consists of densely packed blocks of apartments, stores, and enterprises.
But after days of Israeli shelling and demands to evacuate, the streets littered with rubble and burning buildings were nearly deserted on Wednesday. Twenty or more explosions were heard by AFP correspondents, who also saw smoke rising above the scene.
While homeowners took everything they could from their homes and some drove off with mattresses strapped to their cars, young guys on mopeds sped along mostly deserted roadways.
As they moved on Maroun al-Ras hamlet, Hezbollah claimed to have destroyed three Merkava tanks with rockets, forced Israeli soldiers to evacuate, and targeted an Israeli unit with explosives.
The Israeli army claimed to have carried out two quick incursions into Lebanon and issued evacuation orders for more than 20 localities.
Following the events of October 7, 2018, which forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes, Israel and Hezbollah exchanged fire, resulting in 1,873 deaths, according to Lebanon’s disaster management agency.
Just one victim
A few hours after Israel said on Tuesday that it would begin conducting ground operations in Lebanon, Iran fired some 200 missiles, some of which were hypersonic, frightening Israeli people into hiding places.
The IRGC claimed in a statement that the attack was retaliation for Hassan Nasrallah and Gen. Abbas Nilforoushan’s deaths.
Several Iranian missiles, according to the Israeli military, struck within air force sites but did not result in any injuries or property damage.
Shrapnel injured two people, and one Palestinian guy was reported to be the only victim.
According to Jericho governor Hussein Hamayel, the guy was killed when “pieces of a rocket fell from the sky and hit him.”
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader of Iran, allegedly advised Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to leave Lebanon a few days prior to his assassination, according to a report published by the Reuters news agency on Wednesday.
Gen. Nilforoushan, who perished in the same strike that killed Nasrallah, relayed the word.
Khamenei, who has been in a safe place inside Iran since Saturday, is believed to have been concerned about Israeli infiltration of Tehran after the assassination.
According to officials, on Tuesday, he personally gave the order to launch a volley of about 200 missiles into Israel.
worldwide alarm
The missile strike by Iran, which was the country’s second against Israel in six months, caused panic throughout the world and caused oil prices to rise.
The G7 group of rich nations agreed to work together to calm tensions in the region and said a diplomatic solution was “still possible”.
In the wake of the most recent escalation in the Middle East, China urged world powers to stop the situation from “further deteriorating.”
A spokesman for the foreign ministry said in a statement, “The Chinese side calls on the international community, especially major influential powers, to truly play a constructive role and prevent the situation from further deteriorating.”
When questioned about the Middle East situation following Iran’s missile launch against Israel at a conference in Berlin, Economy Minister Faisal al-Ibrahim stated that Saudi Arabia also appeared to be seeking for de-escalation and dialogue.
Al-Ibrahim expressed regret for the escalation but acknowledged that it was difficult to avoid talking about.
“In order for us to address these challenges, we hope that wisdom will prevail, de-escalation will occur, dialogue will take place, and more collaboration will be seen globally, but also regionally,” he stated.
Flight pandemonium
Air travel is currently chaotic due to rising tensions in the Middle East; on Wednesday, international carriers canceled or diverted flights, and regional airports in Kuwait, Israel, and Lebanon had lengthy delays.
Wizz Air and flydubai, two carriers, were among the aircraft observed flying across Iranian airspace on Wednesday afternoon. With little indication of a wider return to normalcy, planes throughout the entire region experienced disruptions or diversions; some even altered their routes to escape restricted airspace.
As planes continued to avoid some areas of Middle Eastern airspace, traffic across the hubs of Istanbul, Cairo, and Antalya remained heavy.
All of the aircraft departing Abu Dhabi Zayed International Airport were delayed.
A representative for the Polish flag carrier stated, “Until further notice, all planes—mainly flights to India—are avoiding Iranian airspace.”
Concerns for retaliation attacks from Israel against Iran increased, so on Wednesday, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) released a conflict zone advisory bulletin warning airlines to avoid Iranian airspace “at all flight levels.”
