Israel-Iran war news highlights: Pentagon talking to Israel about response to Iran's attack; G7 says, ‘deeply concerned’

G7 in its statement said, “We are deeply concerned about the situation in Lebanon and recall need for a cessation of hostilities”

The Pentagon said on Thursday that it was in discussions with Israeli officials about their possible response to Iran's missile attack earlier this week but declined to offer more details on those talks.

"We are certainly talking to them about their response, but what their response might be, I'm just not going to speculate further on. But we do continue to engage with them," said Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: British Airways on Thursday said it was suspending London-Tel Aviv services until the end of the month as tensions mount in the Middle East. 

Irish budget carrier Ryanair also said Thursday that it was suspending flights to Israel until at least the end of January, and most likely until the end of March. It is also halting its four flights per week to Jordanian capital Amman — two from Madrid and two from Charleroi in Belgium — until the end of October.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Oil surged as President Joe Biden said a strike on Iran’s oil facilities is under discussion. West Texas Intermediate surged as much as 5.5% to approach $74 a barrel, while Brent crude climbed above $77. Biden, asked if he would support Israel striking Iran’s oil facilities, responded “we’re discussing that.”

(Bloomberg)

At least 28 healthcare workers have been killed over the past 24 hours in Lebanon while others were forced to flee due to bombardments. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told an online press briefing on Thursday that the current situation was “severely limiting the provision of mass trauma management and continuity of health services”.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Russia, France and Greece on Thursday became the latest countries to launch operations to get nationals out of Lebanon since Israel launched ground raids into its neighbour and Iran fired missiles at Israel.

Moscow has evacuated 60 dependents of Russian diplomats posted in Lebanon. As per a Kremlin update shared on Telegram, an emergency situations ministry aeroplane took off from Beirut on Thursday on the orders of President Vladimir Putin.

French nationals were flown from Lebanon to Paris on two commercial flights operated by Lebanese carrier Middle East Airlines. A high-ranking officer told AFP that the country had also sent an amphibious assault ship to the eastern Mediterranean in case Paris decided to undertake a wider evacuation.

Germany pulled 241 people out of Lebanon on two air force flights on Monday and Wednesday. The government said its Beirut embassy remained operational to help the estimated 1,800 German citizens in Lebanon “in their departure via commercial flights and other means”

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: US President Joe Biden clarified on the US-Israel partnership amid escalating Middle East tensions on Thursday.

“First of all, we don't 'allow' Israel, we advise Israel. And there is nothing going to happen today,” he told reporters at the White House when asked if he would allow Israel to retaliate against Iran.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: US President Joe Biden said he did not believe any Israeli strikes against Iran would come on Thursday, as the region tensely awaits a response to Tehran's massive missile attack on Israel.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Lebanon responded to Israeli airstrikes on Thursday following a ‘direct’ strike against an army post this week. A military official told AFP this was the first response to Israeli fire since last October.

"A soldier was killed after the Israeli enemy targeted an army post in the Bint Jbeil area -- in the south, and the personnel at the post responded to the sources of fire," the army said in a statement. 

Israel-Iran war news LIVE:Oil prices rose on Thursday on investor concern that a widening Middle East conflict could disrupt crude oil flows from the region, though a stronger global supply outlook kept a lid on gains.

Brent crude futures were up $1.52, or 2.06%, at $75.42 a barrel by 1211 GMT. U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures rose $1.58, or 2.25%, to $71.68.

Market fears are mounting over the possibility that Israel might target Iranian oil infrastructure, raising the spectre of retaliation from Iran.

There are concerns that such escalation could prompt Iran to block the Strait of Hormuz or attack Saudi infrastructure, as it did in 2019, said Panmure Gordon analyst Ashley Kelty.

(Reuters)

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Japan has dispatched two Self Defense Force planes to prepare for a possible airlift of its citizens from Lebanon. The C-2 transport aircraft are expected to arrive in Jordan and Greece on Friday.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: The Iranian-backed Houthi militia in Yemen is reportedly reaching out to shipping fleets with an email warning. 

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Russian media outlets indicated on Thursday that Moscow had begun the process of evacuating its citizens from Lebanon amid escalating clashes with Israel.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: A statement from Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei dubbed the group's remarks “biased and irresponsible”.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Indian stock benchmarks took a sharp hit on Thursday — continuing its losses for fourth straight session.  The sharp dip can be attributed to the escalating tensions in the Middle East following Iranian retaliation against Israel. 

Sensex ended the day at 82,497.10 points, down 1,769.19 points or 2.10 per cent, while Nifty ended at 25,250.10 points, down 546.80 points, or 2.12 per cent. Among the sectoral indices, all declined but realty, oil and gas, bank, auto, and media were the top losers.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Israel has killed Abdel-Aziz Salha, a West Bank Hamas militant who had been jailed for life for taking part in the lynching of two Israeli reservists in Ramallah in 2000 but later deported to Gaza in a prisoner swap, Hamas media and medics said. Salha was killed in an Israeli airstrike on a tent inside Al-Aklouk School, which shelters displaced Palestinians, in Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip earlier on Thursday.

(Reuters)

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: An Israeli airstrike on an apartment in central Beirut killed seven Hezbollah-affiliated civilian first responders. There was no warning before the strike late on Wednesday hit an apartment in central Beirut not far from the United Nations headquarters, the prime minister’s office and parliament. 

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Hezbollah said it fought off a bid by the Israeli army to advance at a border point in southern Lebanon on Thursday. The Lebanese militant group said it “repelled with artillery fire an attempt by enemy Israeli forces to advance at Fatima's Gate”. The development came a day after Israel said eight of its soldiers had been killed in south Lebanon fighting the Iran-backed group.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: The European Union on Thursday said it was giving an extra 30 million euros of humanitarian aid to Lebanon as fighting raged between Israel and Hezbollah.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 41,788 Palestinians have been killed and 96,794 wounded since October 7.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: More than 150 British nationals and their dependents were evacuated from the Lebanese capital on a UK government chartered flight that arrived in Birmingham on Wednesday. Officials said that "a limited number" of flights will depart from the Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beiru on Thursday, and “will continue for as long as the security situation allows”.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: A consultant working for Iran's Revolutionary Guards has died from injuries sustained in an Israeli air attack on the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, Iran's Student News Network reported on Thursday. It identified the consultant as Majid Divani, without giving further details.

(Reuters)

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Tel Aviv says strike killed three senior Hamas leaders three months ago

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: The Israeli military said that it had 'eliminated Hamas members Sameh Al-Siraj and Sami Oudeh.

The Israeli military said it had conducted an air strike on Thursday that killed 15 Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon According to an official statement the air force “precisely struck the Bint Jbeil municipality building in which Hezbollah terrorists were operating, alongside large quantities of Hezbollah weapons stored in the building. As part of the strike, approximately 15 Hezbollah terrorists were eliminated”.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: At the Start of the Security Cabinet Meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday, "This evening, Iran made a big mistake – and it will pay for it."

"They must stand alongside Israel. The choice has never been more clear, between tyranny and freedom, between the blessing and the curse. On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, I say to you, citizens of Israel: Israel has the momentum and the axis of evil is in retreat," he added.

His statement came after Iran launched 200 missiles at Israel on Tuesday evening, marking its second-ever direct attack on its sworn enemy, following a missile and drone attack in April.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Israeli media has reported that Iran missile strike has caused significant damage to Nevatim air force base in Negev desert.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Toronto residents reportedly gathered on the streets to voice their support for Lebanon and Gaza and demand action.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Civilian casualties have been reported from Israeli airstrikes on a residential building in Beirut, Lebanon, Tehran Times reported. Besides, an Israeli airstrike on a tent in a school sheltering displaced civilians in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza Strip, has resulted in at least one Palestinian death and several injuries.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Tehran Times quoted Yemeni army spokesman as saying that armed forces conducted and operation targeting military sites in Jaffa and Tel Aviv in Israel, using drones. The local media also shared a video showing Yemeni drones "entering Israeli airspace from the Mediterranean Sea."

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Indian stock market crashed on Thursday, with the benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty 50 opening over a percent lower. Weak global cues weighed down the market, as escalating geopolitical tensions in the Middle East raised fears of a full-fledged Iran-Israel war.

The Sensex crashed 1,264.20 points, or 1.50%, to open at 83,002.09, while the Nifty 50 opened 344.05 points, or 1.33%, lower at 25,452.85. Nifty 50 has fallen 3% in four sessions. Read more here

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Visuals shared by Reuters from Beirut show the aftermath of the bombing by Israel here. Reuters reports that Israel bombed central Beirut in the early hours of 3rd Oct, killing at least six people, after its forces suffered their deadliest day on the Lebanese front in a year of clashes against Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah. Israel said it conducted a precise air strike on Beirut."

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: According to local reports, the funeral for Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah will be held on Friday. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike last week.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has said that his country is not after war, stressing that security in the West Asia region is the security of all Muslims, local media reported.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: The health ministry in Gaza said at least 51 people were killed and 82 wounded in the operation in Khan Younis that began early on Wednesday, the Guardian reported. Records at the European hospital show that seven women and 12 children, as young as 22 months old, were among those killed.

According to IRNA, the official news agency of the Islamic Republic of Iran,, the Iraqi Ministry of Health announced that about a hundred families in Iraq have named their children "Nasrallah" after the martyrdom of the Lebanese Hezbollah Secretary General.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: The Lebanese health ministry said at least six people have been killed and seven injured in an Israeli attack on a health centre in the central suburb of Bachoura, the Guardian reported. The medical centre belonged to the Hezbollah-linked Islamic Health Organisation. It is the second time central Beirut has been targeted since Israel began its bombing campaign a couple of weeks ago.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: “IDF soldiers will mark the holiday in the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Judea and Samaria, and on all the borders, with reinforced forces and heightened readiness. We are fighting, and we know that this holiday is not complete without the hostages," said the Chief of the General Staff, LTG Herzi Halevi.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Two air strikes and smoke are seen in south Beirut after the Israeli military issued orders in the early hours of Thursday telling people to leave multiple areas of densely-populated southern Beirut, where it says it will hit Hezbollah sites, news agency AFP reported.

Hamas' armed al-Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for a shooting in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv that killed at least seven people, the group said in a statement on Wednesday.

In a combined stabbing and shooting attack in Israel’s capital Tel Aviv, seven people died and 16 others were wounded near a light-rail stop

Amid the Rosh Hashanah celebrations across the world, Joe Biden says, ‘This year’s holidays come at a time of conflict and remembrance of painful losses. But I know that even with heavy hearts, the Jewish people have unbreakable spirits.’

During this time of reflection, may you be uplifted by the hope a new year brings, he adds

Israel-Iran war news LIVE:  Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released the names of eight soldiers killed in combat in Lebanon. 

The military said that Captain Eitan Itzhak Oster, a 22-year-old in a commando brigade, was killed in combat against Hezbollah terrorists in southern Lebanon. Apart from him, Captain Harel Etinger, Captain Itai Ariel Giat, Sergeant First Class Noam Barzilay, Sergeant First Class Or Mantzur, Sergeant First Class Nazaar Itkin, Staff Sergeant Almken Terefe and Staff Sergeant Ido Broyer also  died in combat.

The armed wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for a shooting and stabbing attack that killed seven people in Israeli commercial hub Tel Aviv the previous day, reported AFP.

"The Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades takes responsibility for the heroic Jaffa operation carried out by the fighters from the (occupied West Bank) city of Hebron," the group said in a statement, referring to the attack that took place near the Tel Aviv light rail station in Jaffa on Tuesday.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Reacting to death of eight soldiers in Lebanon combat, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said, "I would like to send my condolences from the bottom of my heart to the families of our heroes who fell today in Lebanon. God bless their blood. May their memory be blessed. We are in the middle of a tough war against Iran's axis of evil, which seeks to destroy us. This will not happen - because we will stand together, and with God's help - we will win together. We will return our abductees in the south, we will return our residents in the north, we will guarantee the eternity of Israel."

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: Hezbollah claimed that it destroyed three Israeli tanks on Wednesday as they advanced towards a Lebanese border village

AFP reported that the Iran-backed group said it "destroyed three Merkava tanks with rockets as they advanced towards the village of Maroun al-Ras," referring to an area where they reported clashes with Israeli troops earlier in the day.

Israel on Wednesday said that the Israeli military lost eighth soldier in its combat in southern Lebanon as it clashed with Hezbollah fighters after crossing the border to target the group's positions.

"The IDF (Israeli army) announced that seven more soldiers have fallen," it said in a statement after announcing the death of a first soldier in Lebanon earlier in the day.

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday called for a decisive strike to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities after the Islamic republic fired a barrage of missiles at Israel.

"We must act now to destroy Iran's nuclear program, its central energy facilities, and to fatally cripple this terrorist regime," Bennett wrote on X just hours after the attack on Israel on Tuesday.

"We have the justification. We have the tools. Now that Hezbollah and Hamas are paralysed, Iran stands exposed," wrote Bennett.

Israel-Iran war news LIVE: British foreign minister David Lammy on Wednesday said that a charter flight taking British citizens out of Lebanon has left the country. He added that more such flights were planned in the coming days.

"The first charter flight taking British nationals out of Lebanon has now departed. We have arranged another flight for tomorrow, and further flights over the coming days for as long as there is demand and it is safe to do so," Lammy said in a post on X.