Israel said eight of its soldiers died on Wednesday in clashes with Hezbollah in south Lebanon. Tensions in the Middle East spiralled in the past 48 hours after Israel began what it describes as a "limited, localised and targeted" ground operation in Lebanon and Iran responded by firing at least 180 missiles at Israel in its biggest-ever assault on its arch-enemy. Read our liveblog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
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Summary:
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Israel vowed retaliate to an attack by Iran during which Tehran fired around 200 missiles towards Israeli territory. “"We will respond. We can locate important targets and we can hit them precisely and powerfully," an Israeli military chief said.
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After the US pledged support for Israel in the wake of Iran’s attack, President Joe Biden ruled out supporting an attack on Iran’s nuclear sites. The US will try to align perspectives with Israel on an appropriate response over the coming days, a senior official said.
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Israel’s military and Hezbollah reported a series of clashes in southern Lebanon as Israel continues what it describes as a "limited" ground operation in the area. Eight Israeli soldiers were killed in combat losses in Lebanon, the Israeli military said on Wednesday.
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Israel's foreign ministry declared UN chief Antonio Guterres "persona non grata" for his response to Iran's attack, saying: "Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil."
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As France and Germany urged their citizens to leave Iran, Guterres called for an end to the "sickening cycle of escalation" in the Middle East.
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Hamas's armed al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv on Tuesday that killed at least seven people.
Yesterday's key developments:
- Iran launched a missile attack on Israel on Tuesday evening with Israeli defence systems identifying a barrage of missiles fired towards its territory, the Israeli military said. Most of the missiles were intercepted by Israel's Iron Dome air defence system.
- Iran's Revolutionary Guards said its missile launches on Israel were in retaliation for the killing of Islamist leaders Ismail Haniyeh, Hassan Nasrallah, and Abbas Nilforoushan.
- US intelligence alerted Israel to the threat of Iran’s attack hours before missiles were launched. President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the United States was "fully supportive" of Israel in the wake of the attack.
- Seven people were killed and 10 wounded in a shooting and knife attack on the Israeli seaside city of Jaffa, near Tel Aviv, that occurred minutes before Iran launched its attack.
- The Israeli military said its troops were carrying out "ground raids" in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah targets and had launched air strikes on targets in Beirut.
- Yemen’s Houthi rebels carried out three operations targeting vessels in the Red Sea, the Iran-aligned group's military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a televised speech. The attacks are the rebels’ first assaults on commercial shipping in weeks.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
